Of Coffee Cups and Splinters
A/N- Hey guys, so here's chapter two, once again, this is the slightly revised edition. I hope that you're enjoying, and thanks so much for the feedback, it makes my day! Also, yes I know my updates are sort of random, but I promise you, this time the story will be posted beginning to end, no matter how long it takes. As always, all characters belong to JKR, I'm just playing with them.
Of Coffee Cups and Splinters
"Miss Granger," McGonagall said softly, trying to hide her pounding heart and severe annoyance, "We are perfectly aware that Severus is in the house, so kindly stop screeching."
Hermione quieted instantly; no matter how her role in life may change she doubted whether she could ever disobey the stern older woman. Lupin breathed a sigh of relief and kindly took Hermione's shoulder.
"There are a few things we haven't gotten around to explaining yet," he smiled softly, "would you care to join us in the kitchen?" Though it was phrased as a question Hermione knew this was an order, and she reluctantly tore her eyes from Snape. Lupin guided her silently through the dusty hall towards a dim light which she knew to be the kitchen.
"Would you care to join us Severus?" McGonagall asked briskly, expecting his negative response before she even looked at him. Time was of the essence, and she hadn't time to spend trying to coerce Severus into actively participating in this line of events. Quickly McGonagall entered the kitchen as well, leaving Snape alone with the fire.
Snape rubbed his eyes roughly. As if his life wasn't difficult enough the Order had insisted on bringing the Gryffindor brat to fill certain gaps. Snape had fought tooth and nail against it, but in the end he had been overruled. He understood perfectly well that the Order was between a very dangerous rock and a hard place, but still. The very idea that the child could take on the amount of responsibility they were going to offer; it was absurd. He turned his gaze back to the dancing flames and tried to concentrate on feeling the heat. Hopefully, she would stop screaming each time she saw him, though somehow he didn't blame her. No, he didn't blame her at all.
Hermione sank into an old oak framed arm chair and gratefully accepted the mug of tea Lupin handed her. She could still feel the panic in her throat, and her heart was refusing to stop beating a mile a minute, despite the orders she was giving. Sipping the tea slowly, she instantly felt better. Briefly, she wondered if Lupin had slipped her a calming drought.
"Now, Miss Granger, I believe we are in for a long night of discussion, as I assume you have many questions," McGonagall said as she settled behind her tea, a look a grim determination on her face.
"What is he doing here? Don't you believe Harry? He saw everything happen! I don't know how you can stand to look at him when we all know what…." Hermione felt herself going off on a tangent despite the possible presence of a calming drought.
"Miss Granger, if you please!" McGonagall snapped a bit harshly, "All will be explained, but first I must ask you to calm down. We are well aware of the happenings at this end of term, and I must admit, we know more than you do, so, if you are prepared to act like an adult I believe we can continue."
Hermione nodded curtly and closed her mouth. Though she was prepared to listen she could not imagine a scenario that would ever make her be able to look at Snape without a murderous rage bubbling in her head and a sickening feeling in her stomach.
"Minerva, perhaps we should let Albus explain?" Lupin suggested quietly. Hermione's eyes snapped to him. How was that possible, she wondered?
"Yes, quite right Remus," McGonagall smoothed her hair with a dismal expression, "Tonks my dear, would you go and get him for us?"
Hermione looked behind her with a start and recognized the young witch sitting on the counter top. Tonks looked quite a bit different from the last time Hermione had seen her. Tonks' face had regained the slight glow it was famous for, and today her hair was a brilliant shade of violet. She winked quickly at Hermione and started up the stairs, clumsily tripping on the third step. Hermione said a silent prayer of appreciation that some things didn't change.
"Now, while we wait, Hermione, I assume Remus has told you all about the position you have been offered?" McGonagall sipped her tea tensely.
"Yes…" Hermione answered distractedly. She was having trouble focusing with all the thoughts clouding her mind.
"You do understand that this is an enormous responsibility. Besides the normal amount of work that comes with being a Hogwart's teacher and member of the Order of the Phoenix, you will also have the burden of being the youngest faculty member in history, and, I dare say, you will have a bit of trouble from some of your peers," McGonagall watched her with raised eyebrows.
"I have thought of this professor," Hermione responded honestly, "and while I do have some worries, if this is a contribution I can make to help with the Order, and the school, I have to at least try."
"Spoken like a true Gryffindor," Lupin winked at her from the end of the dimly lit table.
Hermione smiled fearfully. Though she had been thinking all of these things, hearing McGonagall validate them had only made her nerves worse. Tonks arrived back in the kitchen in a flurry of violet hair and rainbow sweater, brandishing a large silver box. She placed the box in front of McGonagall, who opened it with a rather complicated spell and removed a thin sheet of parchment.
"Miss Granger, I think it best if you sit back a little, to see best," Lupin gave her a tip as he pushed his chair a few inches from the table. Confused, Hermione followed his lead. McGonagall muttered something under her breath and tapped the parchment with her wand. After a few moments the parchment began to shine, and bright lines of lights appeared from its center. Within seconds the lines had joined together and faded, to form the perfect image of Albus Dumbledore. Hermione was amazed. She had heard of image rendering parchment, but it was quite complicated to create, and she had never experienced it in her life.
"Good evening," the flat image of Dumbledore spoke, looking exactly like his old self down to the twinkling eyes, "and welcome to the last will and testament of Albus Dumbledore, for friends in a certain group only, of course." The image smiled, amused with itself and proceeded, "If you are all seeing this I regret to inform you that I have died, much to the shock of all I am sure," Hermione heard Lupin snort from his seat. "Fawkes should be delivering this to the new head of the Order within hours of my unfortunate demise, and, if I am correct in my thinking, this event shall not be too far from now. With this in mind I would like to congratulate Minerva McGonagall on her new position of Hogwart's headmistress."
The image of Dumbledore clapped politely, and Hermione could see McGonagall smile a very small, very sad acknowledgment.
The image continued, "I suppose I should begin with an explanation, well, as best I can. For the past few months I have known of an elaborate plot conceived by our greatest mutual enemy. My informant, who is known to all of you but shall remain unnamed if this should fall into enemy hands, has been continually updating me on the progress of this plot. Unfortunately, we are afraid the matter might be beyond our hands now, and, if this is correct, the only reasonable outcome could be my death. Now in case this should happen I want to assure all who doubt, I knew of the possibility. An unbreakable vow, once taken, can not be refuted. Such a vow was forced upon our informant, and though it is unfortunate, it was necessary. The position of our informant is too valuable to give up purely for the vain notion of my life, and the good of the school also out strips my needs," the image of Dumbledore adjusted its glasses demurely and smiled at the unseen audience.
"Though I am most unhappy that I shall not participate in the remainder of this good fight, I assure you all that it is for the best. I leave this organization, this school, and this world in the most capable hands I can imagine. Attached you will find a list of all my worldly possessions and their new keepers, though I hardly doubt my gathering of Christmas hats will be in high demand," Hermione smiled sadly at the poor joke from her dear old headmaster.
"Lastly," the image continued, shifting its weight as though becoming quite serious, "I must ask that at all costs this informant be protected. The temptation to exclude or banish him will be there; especially if the worst scenario is to occur, but I must insist you all keep your trust. The trust and the faith that you all have in each other is one of the few weapons which the dark side you fight shall never be able to possess." The image of Dumbledore straightened in his chair once more, "Remember my dear friends, even the smallest light is stronger than all the darkness in the universe. I bid you farewell, I feel sure we shall meet again." The image smiled, flickered, and was gone.
Hermione sat in her chair, feeling completely befuddled. She noticed Tonks swipe a tear away from her eye, as Lupin put a comforting arm around her waist.
"Well," McGonagall cleared her throat awkwardly, "There you have it Miss Granger, while none of us deny that Albus did indeed die as Severus' hand, it was not a true murder."
"What is an unbreakable vow?" Hermione asked, looking at each of the others in turn.
"The unbreakable vow, simply stated, is a promise between two wizards, held by old, deep magic. If one of the parties fails to keep their promise the punishment is a rather…..gruesome demise, not to mention certain circumstances which could prove greatly dangerous to the Order," Lupin offered, still holding Tonks' waist.
"So, Snape took this vow to kill Dumbledore? Why would he do that?" Hermione asked in disbelief.
"Severus took the vow to help young Draco Malfoy. He knew that Voldermort was planning something with Malfoy but he didn't know what it was. It seems that Voldermort didn't want to fill him in completely," McGonagall frowned, "One night Narcissia, Draco's mother, asked Snape to take the vow to promise to help Draco if he should fail, she was worried about her son's life if the plan could not work."
"I still don't understand," Hermione said with growing frustration, "Why didn't Snape just say no to the vow?"
"Saying no to the vow would have meant wavering allegiance to Voldermort," Lupin answered before McGonagall could, "Severus had no choice, even if he had known the plan was to kill Albus, he still would have been forced. Either that, or expose himself."
"So, why couldn't he stop Malfoy then? If he'd taken this bloody vow?" Hermione felt the anger rising in her again.
"It seems Mr. Malfoy wouldn't tell Severus what his plans were either, and since Voldermort wouldn't Severus didn't know until it was too late," McGonagall shook her head sadly.
"By the time he found them on the tower there were other death eaters. He realized what the plan was, and he also realized that Malfoy couldn't do it. If he hadn't carried it out he would have been exposed, and then the Order would be defenseless. He had no choice…." Tonks looked at Hermione sadly before moving closer to Lupin.
"So….Dumbledore knew? He knew something was going on the whole time?" Hermione felt harsh realization sink into her head.
"He knew," Lupin repeated, "But there was nothing that could be done."
"Wait a minute," Hermione's head shot up, "Didn't Snape use the Avada Kedavra curse to kill Professor Dumbledore? I thought you had to really mean the curse for it to work?" Hermione looked feverishly to the adults for an explanation.
Lupin sighed again, "We thought of that, and to be honest we're not sure. Severus is a very powerful wizard; it's possible that he could make the spell work simply by casting it, but…." Lupin trailed off.
"But?" Hermione demanded.
"Well, we think something happened on that tower. Something Snape's not telling us. Not that he really tells anything these days," Tonks said miserably.
"At any rate," McGonagall cut in again, "We do know that Albus was informed and prepared for this, and if anyone was trustworthy it was Albus Dumbledore, so I see no need to question the matter any further," McGonagall stood with an air of the subject being closed. "I am sorry to leave you so soon Miss Granger, but I am afraid we are needed elsewhere. The top bedroom has been prepared for you, and I trust you know your way around the house. Tomorrow we will begin your training, is there anything you need?"
Hermione shook her head glumly. The three adults left the room silently, Tonks giving Hermione's hand a quick squeeze. She sat for a few more moments, musing on the day. It seemed hours since she had woken in the familiar Hogwarts dormitory. Eventually she found her footing, and headed towards the top bedroom.
After unpacking her clothes in the small wooden wardrobe and stacking her books neatly on the sturdy desk, Hermione began to feel restless. This wasn't right. Nothing felt as it should. Her entire world had changed in the past twenty four hours, and she had a splitting headache. Rubbing her tired eyes she glanced at her watch, it was only nine thirty seven. Hermione heaved a great sigh and decided that she couldn't stay in the cramped room any longer. In a moment of clarity she remembered the small library across from the sitting room. Feeling a great deal better she set out for her old friends, books.
As she walked Hermione pulled her hair into a loose bun at the nape of her neck. Frowning she tried to twist the curly strands in place, but no matter how hard she tried it seemed a few strands were always coming loose around her face. Muttering softly she kicked the library door open, startling its former inhabitant.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, her heart ramming into her chest as Snape jumped from his seated position, wand drawn. "Sorry, I didn't know you were here…"
Snape lowered his wand slowly, making it disappear in the folds of his black robes. He nodded curtly and retrieved the book he had dropped, "Do you make a habit of loud entrances or is it merely for today?"
Hermione could feel her eyes narrow slightly. She took a breath, keeping her composure was the best thing for this situation. Snape regarded her with an icy stare, and though it sent a slight shiver down her spine she refused to look away, "I'm not sure," she answered, "I might make a habit of it yet."
Snape scoffed loudly, and sat back down in his chair. Hermione stood in the doorway, quite unsure of what to do. After a moment she felt her courage gather and she strode to the nearest book shelf. It wouldn't do to be afraid of him, she decided mentally. After all, soon she would be his colleague. She was going to be a teacher, the idea still seemed foreign.
As Hermione searched the bookshelves Snape watched her carefully. Leave it to the resident know it all to be in the library within two hours of her arrival, he thought nastily. He sneered to himself and tried to return to his book, unfortunately the terrible girl was being entirely too noisy. She was reaching in vain for a book on the top shelf, a least a foot above her. Snape raised his eyebrow in a sarcastic smile, he had never noticed that she was a rather good bit shorter than him.
Hermione grunted with effort. Standing on her tip toes and stretching her fingers she still could not reach the top shelf. "Damn," she muttered, sinking back down.
"Miss Granger, are you also in the habit of using foul language around teachers as well as kicking in doors?" Snape asked coldly from his seated position.
Hermione held her breath and her temper before answering, "Well, I seem to be gaining quite a barrage of interesting new quirks," she snapped back at him. For some reason Hermione couldn't understand Snape provoked no sympathy within her. She didn't even feel sad at the moment. Whenever she was in his presence the only things she could feel were anger and her sarcastic nature.
Snape snapped his book closed with renewed force and stood. Hermione had never realized that he was rather a good bit taller than her.
"Miss Granger," he said in a startlingly growl like voice, "While I am sure that your new….position…has made you rather smug, you can be sure that that sort of disrespect will not be tolerated in my presence. Do you understand?"
Snape loomed above her, but Hermione held her ground. She had to tip her face upward to see him, as she only came to his chest, but for some reason she felt much taller. Finally she was in a position that Snape couldn't criticize. She was going to be a teacher, just as he was, and if she knew anything at all about her menacing professor she knew he greatly resented it.
"I understand…." She started cautiously, still leery about invoking his wrath, "that you were the one who started the disrespect in the first place."
Snape glared at her mercilessly. He couldn't believe this little snip of a girl was speaking to him in such a tone. Vaguely, Snape remembered the times when a mere whisper from him would reduce her to tears and whimpers. Grudgingly he admitted to himself that she had indeed matured.
Hermione and Snape were engaged in a staring match of sorts. Both of them were refusing to admit that the other had a valid point.
"Well," Snape raised his eyebrow in the sneer that he was famous for, "It rather is a shame that being a know-it-all can't make you taller, I assume you would trounce us all," with that he pulled the book she desired easily from the shelf and tossed it to the floor. In a flurry of robes he ripped the door open and was gone.
Hermione seethed with anger. She closed her eyes and tried counting to ten. She growled in frustration, that never worked and whoever thought of it was an imbecile. Reluctantly Hermione picked the book up. Despite her anger she really was interested in Celtic Tribal Magic. Frustrated she slumped into the chair that Snape had vacated. As she read with only half of her full attention she noticed a peculiar smell. She breathed deep into the old green fabric of the chair and noticed the scent of sandalwood. She breathed again, finding the smell deeply comforting. Feeling much more relaxed she once again turned to the thick pages.
The next morning Severus woke to the obnoxious sound of birds singing. He despised that sound. Long ago Dumbledore had placed an enchantment on the house to sound as if hundreds of birds were singing whenever the room occupant woke. Since he had never been fond of mornings or birds Severus abhorred the sound, and despite his best efforts he had never figured out how to remove it.
Rubbing his head tenderly he went through his morning routine. Stepping into the burning shower he waited until his skin was red from scrubbing before getting out. For some reason only boiling hot water could make him feel clean. After dressing Severus planned to do some light reading in his room. He never made an appearance until evening, and now with that girl around he decided he should wait until much later. When he sat down to open his book he noticed a strange smell. A smell that shouldn't have been in number twelve Grimmauld place. Letting his curiosity get the better of him Severus crept down the stairs. As he approached the kitchen the smell grew very strong. He peered in, hoping to see McGonagall or even Lupin, but alas, it was the girl.
Hermione sat quite contentedly at the table sipping her coffee. When she had woken this morning Tonks had been going into town, and she had asked her to bring back some strong coffee, Hermione couldn't live without the caffeine. She was reading the Daily Prophet and sipping when she heard the door open. She peered around her paper hoping to see Lupin, or even McGonagall, instead it was him.
Hermione tried to smile but she was afraid only a grimace came across. Knowing that he had been seen, Snape stepped fully into the kitchen.
"Good morning," Hermione tried to sound cheery, but she choked slightly on her words. Snape merely nodded. Searching for something to say Hermione noticed his eyes flicker to the coffee pot on the stove. "Would you like some?" she asked hesitantly.
Snape regarded her coldly. In his head he was debating. The coffee did smell quite tempting, but if he accepted he would be forced to spend a few minutes time in her presence. His internal struggle over, temptation won yet again. "If you please," he responded coolly.
Hermione pulled a gray mug from a nearby cabinet and filled it. "Sugar? Cream?" she asked over her shoulder. Severus shook his head quickly. Hermione turned back to the stove and rolled her eyes. It was obvious that social situations were not his specialty. She sat the mug in front of him and smiled encouragingly. The situation was odd enough without her making it worse.
Cautiously, Snape picked up his cup and smelled it. For a moment Hermione thought he was looking for poison. Slowly he picked it up and sipped.
Severus felt his lips move into an involuntary half smile. It had been years since he had coffee this good. Hermione was watching him closely. When he noticed he raised his eyebrow at her coldly.
"I was just wondering if you liked it," she said with a trace of annoyance, "not everyone can stomach my coffee. Strong, you know?" she raised her glass also.
Snape scoffed into his cup, "After decades of consuming potions no girl's coffee will be too much to handle."
Hermione rolled her eyes and put the paper down, "Well, good to know how you respond to acts of decency and civilized conversation around you."
At that moment the door opened and McGonagall walked in. Already having been awake for hours she was looking brisk and busy this morning. "Well, Severus, Miss Granger, I'm glad to see you two enjoying each other's company."
Hermione and Severus looked at her as if she had quite lost her mind. She sighed and continued, "I am glad because I must insist that Miss Granger's training for the Order begin tonight, and as you know Severus, you are the only person accomplished enough at Occlumency…."
"What?" Hermione and Snape screeched at the same time.
"It is required that each member of the Order has at least a basic knowledge of Occlumency before they learn the secrets, you know this Severus!" McGonagall had put her stern voice on, and even Snape seemed reluctant to disagree with her. "Now, since you are the best we have you will be instructing Miss Granger, tonight, at seven o'clock promptly. If you'll excuse me," with that McGonagall stalked past them and up the stairs.
Hermione and Snape glowered over their coffee cups like scolded children. After a few moments he stood and walked towards the door.
"Seven o'clock in the library Miss Granger, I expect you remember the entrance you nearly kicked in," he opened the kitchen door, "tardiness will not be rewarded," he smirked as he stormed out.
Hermione sighed heavily and slapped her newspaper down on the table, gaining a throbbing palm and a nasty splinter. "This," she said aloud to the empty kitchen, "shan't be a pleasant experience."
A/N- Okay, there's chapter two. Thanks for hanging with me through the beginning, now the real story can start. I promise the next chapter will be the beginning of something big! Review if you can, it really helps. As far as the grammar mistakes, sorry, but if you can't deal with it don't read it, because once again, not an English major.