Chapter 3
A/N: Thanks so much for all the great reviews and follows! XOXO
"True love is like playing chess. A boy plays and is always afraid of losing his queen, and a girl risks everything just to protect her king."
Hermione sat in the dark corner on the rough stone of the bathroom, the lanterns floating by occasionally lighting the blurry stall around her. Ron was exactly like the children had been in her muggle school, mean and cruel. But her mom had always said they were jealous. She didn't think so, but that was what she was trying to tell herself.
Sev likes me, she told her tears, and she giggled for talking to herself.
Unlatching the wooden door, she stepped out in front of the talking mirror. "Alright now dearie?" the mirror asked her, the faint outline of a woman coming into view, "Sometimes it's good to have a little cry. Can't keep it all bottled up."
Hermione smiled as she rinsed her face with cold water to try and make her red rimmed eyes less noticeable. "I'm alright now, thank you."
She heard loud banging steps lumbering down the hall, making everything rumble and the water in the basin ripple. She tried very hard not to scream as a ten foot troll came into view, but apparently didn't succeed very well as he came swaggering into the bathroom.
Severus' worries were confirmed as he heard a scream echoing through the hall from the girl's restroom, and the sound of shattering wood and glass. Running the extra few feet he had, the girl he had come to care for cowering in front of the large creature came into view. His mind focused on those red rimmed caramel eyes full of terror, swirled his wand in an arc, and defeated the troll in one motion of a flurry of robes and roars.
"Hermione," his voice was loud in the sudden silence of the troll's fall, feet from the girl he was now crouched in front of. He was barely aware of the other Professors coming into view underneath the open doorway as he got an armful of small curly headed girl.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she cried, not entirely sure of what she was apologizing for. All that mattered was burying herself into the familiar spicy smelling robes and not letting go.
"Quit your apologizing girl," he answered in her ear, wrapping his arms around her waist and hoisting her up into his arms like a babe with it's arms and legs twined round him like a monkey.
She said nothing as they passed the other gaping professors, keeping her limbs wrapped securely around him until she had calmed. Even long after they had arrived in the hospital wing and Severus had settled her down with a big hand running through her curls, he refused to leave her until she stopped shaking.
~.O.~
Madame Pomfrey had insisted that Hermione stay in the hospital wing for the night to make sure her nerves were calm, despite her protests that she was fine now.
"Want some Hermione?" Neville was shy, but he was a sweet boy. Not at all like the mean ones like Ron. He held out a chocolate frog he had said Harry and Ron dropped off earlier along with some other candies, "My Nan says chocolate makes everything better."
Hermione grinned a little at that, but it fell flat when she saw the other boys in question came into view, looking slightly out of breath and disheveled, "Thanks Neville. She's right." She kept her head down as the boys talked to each other and read the card…
"Professor Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel."
"Nicolas Flamel," she whispered, biting into the chocolatey goodness of the squirming frog. "Ah, the Philosopher's Stone." She had read about his hundred of years old life in a book Severus had lent her.
"Um, Hermione?" she heard the hesitant voice of Harry Potter say from the side of the bed. She looked up and saw the tall boys looking down to her pajama clad body, Ron looking a little reluctant as Harry nudged him, whispering, "Go on, Ron!"
He pasted a smile on his face, "I'm sorry for what I said earlier, 'Mione," he said, shortening her name. "It was pointed out to me that it might of come out a little insensitive."
"Friends?" Harry asked hastily, as if she would changed her mind if she had a second to think about it.
She smiled at him, knowing she wouldn't expect much from Ron anytime soon, "Friends." she agreed, shaking his outstretched hand.
~.O.~
It was the first Quidditch game of the year, and everyone cheered in the House' stands, their breath sending up clouds up into the cold air. Hermione had always thought it was a bit early to start segregating children into different houses when they first arrived at Hogwarts; they tend to change as they get older and develop more skills.
"Go Harry!" People screamed around her as the boy in question started after the Golden Snitch, Hermione getting an earful as well from the half- giant beside her. The first time she had seen Hagrid, her first instinct was that he resembled a big teddy covered in all that hair he seemed to never brush, and that he was the most trusting person she had ever met which she wasn't sure was such a good thing.
"Bloody hell!" Ron cursed from her other side, and Hermione immediately saw what was going to happen. "Someone's jinxing his broom!"
Harry had dodged a Bludger that had just went past his head when his broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch. He held on tight as the broom was determined to shake him off, but his broom had started to roll, and jerk, and twist. Hermione ran her eyes over the crowd and stopped on Severus who was mouthing something while looking at Harry, Professor Quirrell doing the same above him. A chill went through her body as if ice had been poured over her. She knew something had felt wrong around him when he had started looking at her more after Severus had taken her from the bathroom and the troll a few weeks ago.
"Its-" she tugged on Ron's sleeve, but he apparently saw the two Professors as well.
"Snape!" his voice turned hateful towards the wrong man.
"It's Professor Quirrell, Ron!" she tried in vain to tell the boys as they walked with Hagrid back to the castle. After Harry had been stabled on his broom he caught the Snitch, but Hermione's attention was back on Severus who had met her eyes and mouthed later before he got up and followed a furious Professor Quirrell.
"Rubbish!" Hagrid interrupted their argument, "Why would either of the professors' do something like that?"
"Because we saw him come limping out of the room with the three- headed dog in it, that's why!" Harry blurt out in his temper, having agreed that the stuttering professor couldn't possibly have anything to do with trying to hurt a student.
"Three- headed- dog?" Hermione asked, confused as Harry turned to her and blushed.
"Hallowe'en," Ron told her out of the corner of his mouth just as Hagrid asked, "How do you know about Fluffy?"
"Fluffy?"
Hagrid was the one blushing now, "Yeah- he's mine- bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year- I leant him to Dumbledore to guard the-"
"So he is guarding something," Harry exclaimed triumphant.
"Now listen to me righ' now," he said gruffly, getting redder in the face by the minute. "Yer meddlin' in something you have no business meddlin' in. You forget 'bout that dog, an' what it's guarding, that's strictly between Nicolas Flamel and Professor Dumbledore." he stomped off towards his hut.
"Who's Nicolas Flamel?" Harry and Ron asked at the same time, turning to Hermione for the answers. As usual.
"He's the owner of the Philosopher's Stone," she replied, keeping her emotions off her face as well as those of her rival House.
~.O.~
Later didn't come until Christmas break, and she was so excited she almost knocked him down her hug was so fierce. Her parents were disappointed of course to not have her for the whole break, but consented to her keeping Severus company at Hogwarts as long as he had allowed himself into being roped into their tradition of going to a play a few days before Yule day. He had initially sneered at the request, but gave into Hermione's big eyed pleading. The boys had stayed at Hogwarts as well, but they had taken her library excuse with rolled eyes and a resigned 'see you later,' knowing nothing could pry her from her books for even a day. Severus hadn't approved of her making friends with them she could see as the first time they grouped together in Potions from his raised eyebrow, but she knew he wouldn't say anything as long as she was happy and not crying in bathrooms or deserted hallways anymore.
"Do you have to try to cut off blood circulation to my legs anytime you can?" he asked with his signature raised brow, his obsidian eyes that inspired fear into the hearts of others boring into her dancing ones.
"Yep," she said, popping the 'P' as she let go bouncing on her heels. "Can we go now?"
Severus lifted his eyes to the hall behind the small girl and checked to see if the children and Professors remaining between the holidays were still inside the Great Hall. "Let's go."
She took his hand like always and asked him the question that had been nagging at her for the few weeks since the Quidditch match, "Are you helping the Headmaster hide the Philosopher's stone for Nicolas Flamel?" She asked it with her childlike curiosity that could hide anything she wanted, but she knew that her Slytherin- like tendencies Severus had told her to keep hold of wouldn't work on the Potions master.
Severus stopped his silent feet to stare down at her just as Draco rounded the corner, "Happy Yule, Draco." Hermione smiled to him, knowing she would never have done otherwise in the presence of anyone else other than the man whose hand had tightened slightly round her's.
"Merry Yule, Hermione, Uncle," he replied, giving the latter a confused look as his eyes flickered to Hermione who gave nothing away and continued on, knowing he was interrupting something.
"Draco," Severus said as well, briefly nodding at the blonde boy before continuing on with Hermione in silence, contemplating his answer until they got into his private potions lab after clueing Hermione into his wards.
"Do those dunderheads know too?" he gave her his answer in his own question, he told her to get his ingredients and then sit in front of his brewing table on the high stool.
"Don't be mean, Severus. They saw you coming out of the room with Fluffy in it," she watched his elegant hands work, looking back up as he gave an undignified snort along with a black scowl.
"Bloody dog should be called Slobber is what he should be," he grumbled, giving her moonstone to crush.
She giggled, knowing he wasn't cross with her knowledge so much as the boys'. Hermione watched her professor's movements closely, each one was for a purpose; rather he was picking up an ingredient, giving her one to chop or grind, but other than that he stood perfectly still. Like a statue with a black blemish on his pale left forearm.
The first time Severus had told her about the Dark Lord, she was horrified. She thought that witches and wizards were are peaceful people, but that was her childish naivety she saw now. The only difference was that the wizards had the advantage of magic, and the man in front of her had more than a normal wizard which had made him to perfect weapon to whichever side of the war he chose to give his loyalty to. He hadn't told her certain things she knew, like his complete reason for joining the Death Eaters, but she knew enough and she wouldn't pry. One time she made the mistake of asking what he had to do; he had gotten this look on his face and she knew then that he hated himself for what was required of him, so she did what she did best. Hugged the life out of him, pushing all the affection she had grown for him in such a short time; hoping he would never get that look on his face again. He had said she was too young to hear such things, tugged on one of her plaits, and sent her off to get herself some ice cream.
"I can hear the wheels turning in your head, girl," he said, yanking her out of her thoughts, smirking, "Spit it out."
"You weren't even looking at me," she chastised him lightly, knowing he could feel her thinking from across the room with his back turned. "I think Professor Quirrell is trying to get the Stone."
He paused in his brewing, glancing up to look at her through his thick eyelashes, and then continues, "Why?"
"I saw him at the Quidditch game when Harry's broom started going weird," she bit her lip, "And he doesn't feel right. It's like a cloud surrounds him."
"Stay away from him outside of classes," he told her, putting his cauldron to simmer for a few hours and then rising to put away his ingredients.
Hermione pulled a shiny square box out of her school robes and held it out to him as he came back from organizing the last of it, "Happy Yule, Sev."
He stared at her for a moment, and then the box for two, and pulled out an identical box in gold from his own, "Happy Yule, girl."
She wouldn't open her present until he opened his and he rolled his eyes as she bit her lip. A lot of thought had gone into the bracelet she had made for him, and it wasn't easy. On a thin cuff, a Goblin made iron disc the size of a quarter sat nestled inside the durable leather, a calligraphic S engraved by Hermione's wand as well as the words Love Always, Hermione carved into the inside of the leather. He said nothing as she gently took it from him to lace the four strings together, securing it with a permanent sticking charm only he could sever.
She was getting anxious, almost hopping on her feet, "Do you like?" she asked, seeing him run his long fingers over the smooth disc. "I put some protective charms into it. Mum gave me the idea- she gave Daddy a Hindu protective necklace a few years ago, it wasn't real of course but I thought that since I have magic I can use it to protect you now."
"Why would you think I need protection Hermione?" he asked.
"Because the Dark Lord will be back, and a baby isn't going to weaken him again." She told him, refusing to say Voldemort as he had told her his Dark Mark burned even now, so many years later as when he was still at full power.
He just stared at her worried face, his eyes abnormally softer than normal with a ghost of a smile on his lips contradicting his swirling eyes. "Your turn."
She smiled in relief and blushed with his praise, squealing a bit as he raised her up back on her stool and picked up his gift he urged towards her once more, "I love presents!"
A/N: Thanks for reading! Until next time… Love and kisses! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
11. 24. 17
