When we last left our Heroine:

"Ah yes, your parents are being relocated as we speak. It took a while, but Molly was eventually able to talk your parents into leaving. Obviously they know that you too will be going into hiding, that helped ease them some, but they wanted you to be with them. Everything is already arranged. Now go, you are wasting your time here!" He smiled again and shooed me out of his office. Snape stayed behind.

Chapter 2: Snape's House

"Now promise me that you tow will take care of yourselves while I'm gone," I said as I packed the last of my stuff into my suit case. I turned around to see Harry and Ron staring at me.

"Of course we will 'Mione!" said Harry as I ran to hug them both for what could have been the last time. My tears were spilling onto their robes as I pulled away.

They both walked me out of my dorm and into the common room where Ginny and Neville were waiting patiently by the fire to see me off.

Ginny was the first to notice our approach. She ran towards me, with her hair flying wildly about her, and gave me one of the bear hugs that only the Wealeys could give. She was crying also.

"I'm going to miss you so much, but you'll be safer with your parents. You guys could leave and hide until it's all over. Take care of yourself Hermione. You're one of my greatest friends." She pulled back and allowed Neville to take her place.

"I love you all and will miss you terribly. I guess this is my goodbye then," I said levitating my bags and turned to leave. I only had a few more minutes left before I was required in the dungeons.

"Are you sure we can't walk you to the gate?" Ron asked.

"No. Dumbledore gave strict instructions, but that is a sweet offer Ronald. Thank you."

I made my leave before I decided to change my mind and stay.

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The dungeon corridors seemed to stretch on forever, but I finally reached my destination. I walked into the dark and foreboding potions classroom. Just like Snape I thought and allowed a small smirk to grace my face. I sat down on one of the stools and waited patiently for him to arrive.

I waited for at least five minutes and then I started to tap my fingers impatiently. Where could he possibly be?

Just then the door swung open and Snape walked in. I knew better than to ask where he had been, so I sat quietly waiting for him to tell me what to do. He looked at me with a question upon his face, as if he was trying to remember why I was there. Finally he motion for me to follow him.

"Where are your belongings Miss Granger?" he asked as we walked farther into the dungeons.

"In my pocket Sir. I used a shrinking charm," I replied but said no more, afraid that if I said too much, he would get angrier than he already was.

"Very well," was all he said until we arrived in front of a statue of Salazar Slytherin. This must be his private quarters. I thought. Hesitantly, I walked in after him, unsure if I was supposed to follow him or not.

"Sit," he said and immediately began to put up his wards again. He turned back towards me. "Miss Granger, I will not pretend to like this situation that the headmaster has forced upon us. Therefore, I will make no attempts to be nice to you now that you are under my personal care. I will still be the same snarky bastard you know. However, if you are in need of some items, you may ask my house elves or me personally if it is a matter of urgency. There will be certain ground rules I will expect you to follow, although rules have never stopped you from doing something you wanted to do before.

"Number one: I am still your teacher and you will treat me as such at my home. Number two: I still have to keep up my pretence here at the school so no one knows you are with me. Therefore, I will be gone during the day and during some meals. Number three: I will set up very strong wards when we enter the house and when I leave you by yourself. You cannot and will not leave the house without me. Number four: certain parts of my house are off limits. You will not enter them. If you do, you will be very sorry. I will show you these places when we arrive. Number five: I will give you a personal house elf," he held up his hand to stop my protests, "for your specific needs. Number six: my library you may use as long as you put the books back in their proper places. Number seven: the grounds surrounding the house are not under my wards. However the garden in the back is. You may wonder out there, but nowhere else. If you break this rule Granger, you may very well lose your life. But if you don't, I will be forced to restrict your access. Am I clear?" I nodded my head and he continued, "Number eight: you may write to your parents, but your letters will be given to me so I can send them from Hogwarts. Number nine: There will be nights that I will come home very late, probably because of a Death Eater meeting. If this happens, you will remain in your room and will not wonder around the house. Sometimes certain meetings are held here. When this occurs, you will be locked in your room with your elf and I will set some extremely complicated wards. I will tell you when it is safe to come out. Also, when I return from meetings elsewhere, do not try to help me. I am capable of helping myself. Number ten: the will be a password to use for the floo from my house to Hogwarts and back. You will be given this password every time it changes in case of emergencies, and I will show you a "safe room" that is undetectable in the castle. This is where you will go when something terribly wrong happens and you'll be given a sign to use to tell me that you are there." He stopped and stared at me for a while. I felt awkward under his scrutiny.

"I may find it necessary to add more rules later, depending on the situation. If this happens, you will obey, or pay the consequence." He smirked and then beckoned me over with his head. He pulled a jar down from the fireplace mantle and threw some of the powder into the flames. He murmured something I couldn't hear and then stepped back to let me go first, but I was surprise when he stepped in with me and shouted, "Snape Manor". The room vanished and everything spun and turned green. I grabbed Snape and hung onto him to keep my balance. Within a few short seconds, we were back in a room, much like his private quarters back at Hogwarts.

I stood there marvelling at the beauty of the room and didn't notice I was still hanging onto Snape.

"Miss Granger, let go of me. I am not your mother," he snarled. I quickly released my hold on him and blushed.

"Sorry Sir," I whispered and stepped out into the, what I assumed to be, drawing room. He quickly stepped out of the fireplace into the room as well, but soon went through a door frame and down a long corridor. I followed him. The corridor was shorter than I thought; an aspect of magic no doubt. However, there we more corridors branching off from the one we were currently in.

Soon, Snape turned right and disappeared. I ran to catch up, and found that he was in the kitchen talking to his house elves. I stood far enough away that I could not hear, but close enough to see his facial expressions. He was not cruel or harsh to them, but gentle, and I assumed, patient. He talked to them in simple terms so that they could understand him, or so it appeared. He did not have his usual glint of cruel pleasure in his eye, like he got when talking to Harry, Ron, or me. But his eyes didn't show any loving or caring emotion in them either; they were neutral...like Switzerland. Yet it seemed that I was the only one who realised that this easy going temperament could change in an instant and he could explode with anger at anyone. I just hoped that he didn't use that anger to harm me during my long stay here. I wondered how much self control Snape really had. How long would it be before I annoyed him too much and he resorted to Death Eater tactics to take care of "the problem"?

Then Dumbledore's twinkling eyes appeared in my head and I knew that Snape would never inflict physical violence on me. Dumbledore trusted him enough to place my life in his hands. I just hope I could come to trust Snape in the same way...I had too.

Suddenly Snape turned and saw me, and that evil glint came to his eyes. Oh dear, what have I done now? I instinctively stepped back into the hall and waited for him to chastise me on something I did wrong, but nothing came. Instead he walked a few metres back and took a left turn down another corridor. Again, I followed. I was startled when he spoke to me.

"We are in the East wing. This is where you will be staying," he said and turned to the right and opened up the engraved double doors. I went in and gasped. The room was of a light baby blue colour, but it was huge! A cherry mahogany four-poster sat on the far wall and a night table lay next to it. There was a chest, of the same wood, on the right wall and a vanity in the corner. There was also a door next to the chest that was cracked to reveal a walk-in closet. There was a desk on the left wall and several bookcases lined the wall with the door leading to the corridor. Off on the left wall, was another door that I assumed led to the lavatory.

"In case of emergencies only I will be staying in the last bedroom on the left." He pointed towards the end of the hall. "Now, if you don't mind, I am going to retire for the evening. I do have classes tomorrow after all. Oh, and I will be bringing your homework assignments home for you so you don't fall behind. We all know that would just be catastrophic," he said sarcastically and then left.

The doors closed shut and I looked around the room again. I couldn't believe Snape had such good taste. It just wasn't like him. And then a thought struck me. This could have been a mistress' bedroom...if he ever had a mistress. She could have decorated this room in such a manner. But I put all these thoughts aside and took my miniature trunks out and set them at the foot of the bed. "Auctus," I murmured and found my bag full of my bath products. I was going to save my unpacking for tomorrow, since I would be cooped up in the house all day with nothing to do.

I grabbed the bag and headed to the bathroom with a pair of my pyjamas. I washed up and threw my pyjamas on and then curled up in the big queen sized bed and fell asleep quickly.

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The old fashion alarm clock woke me up the next morning at nine. Funny, I don't remember setting the alarm. But I was grateful to whoever did set the alarm. It took me a while before I figured how to shut it off. I stretched and yawned and scooted my way to the side of the bed and stood up. I went to my trunk with all of my clothes and pulled out a pair of jeans and a sweater. It was chilly in the house.

The curtains were closed so I went and opened them. The view I saw was unbelievable! I gasped in surprise and relished the view that the professor had given me.

Outside of my room was a beautiful view of the countryside with the rose garden in the distance. But what really took my breath away, was the sunrise and the colours that seemed to match the garden.

I shook myself out of my revere and went to the wash room to change and shower.

When I was done, I headed towards the kitchen to get some breakfast. I ate a satisfyingly good breakfast and returned to my room to unpack. I had absolutely nothing else to do. I did not know what to do with myself.

I decided to roam the house. It was then I remembered that Snape didn't go over what parts of the house were off limits. I wanted to find the Library, but I didn't want to wander someplace I was unwelcomed. So I headed to a place I knew was safe: the garden.

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It was late when Snape came back. I was still in the garden thinking when he interrupted my thoughts with a "Miss Granger, get back inside before you catch your death!" I was angry that he talked to me like that. I felt like I was being held as a prisoner. So I stormed back to my room without a word to him.

I was there for about a half hour before I heard a rapping on my door. "What do you want?" I said hoarsely. My voice was shot from crying.

"Supper is awaiting you Miss Granger. Come eat." This wasn't a request.

"I'm not hungry!" I shouted back.

"That wasn't a request Miss Granger, it was an order. Now come out and eat or I will break the door open."

"Well, you better be ready to break the door down because I'm not coming out, you bastard! I couldn't do anything today but sit in the garden and think because you didn't have the courtesy to tell me or leave a note saying what parts of the house were off limits. I was bored to death, and then you had the gall to tell me to get back inside like I'm your prisoner or something. And yet again, you're ordering me around like I'm some kind of house elf! You self-absorbed prat! You just break that bloody door down for all I care! It's your house!" I flung myself into the bathroom and sat in the tub. I curled my knees up and placed wards and locking spells on the door. I started to silently cry again. How could I bear to live with this man; and for an undetermined amount of time? I need to get out.

I heard the bedroom door bust open and his angry footsteps approaching the lavatory.

"You insolent chit, how dare you talk to me in such a manner! You have books here in your room to keep you occupied. I only have one job that involves you and it's to ensure that you are safe. I am not to be your babysitter or a distraction for you. I have more important things to do than to keep you busy. The only place you are forbidden to go is the west wing. Now, please come to dinner," he said all of this in a deadly whisper, but the last phrase was forced from his lips.

"No thank you!" I said defiantly.

"Fine, have it your way! If you don't eat with me, you won't eat at all!" he shouted. He turned on his heel and slammed the door shut.

I took down my wards and opened the door a crack and looked to see if he was truly gone. He was, so I stepped out and went to my bed and pulled back the covers. I slipped under the duvet and curled up in a ball and fell asleep, hoping that I would think of a way to leave this wretched place.

TBC

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! They all made me feel better; I was having a crappy time. :) I don't know how long this will end up being, but it definately isn't over yet! Not until the fat lady sings...(I might just find a place to incoorperate that too...lol). My goal is to update weekly, but I don't know if that is exactly plausible. I won't promise anything because life happens.

-Ryann