Disclaimer: I DO NOT own these characters, nor do I claim to. They are the property of JKR. I just like to let them run wild in my imagination (and on this page for all of you to enjoy, too!)
Hermione's disposition got a little sunnier when she apparated to the mansion Lupin suggested. She appeared just inside the gates in what looked like a very elaborate courtyard. The clean white snow blanketed the expansive grounds and twinkled here and there with the help of a few rays of sunlight that escaped through the cloud cover. It looked exactly like it should...Magical. The mansion itself was more than impressive. It reminded Hermione of a miniature version of Hogwarts. Constructed of heavy gray bricks, the elaborate inn towered an amazing seven stories. There were beautiful mosaics of stained glass windows; the different colors of glass mingling together in non-linear geometric shapes. On the topmost floor there were four sets of french double doors, each opening onto its own terrace. She spied someone walking around behind one set of french doors and she wondered if it was perhaps one of the men Lupin had been talking about. She quietly hoped that there would be at least one free room on the top floor, because she really would love to be able to do her work in a room with a view like those must have.
The two main entrance doors were made of a large heavy oak and had muted brass knockers on each one. Hermione struggled to lift one and clapped it down hard twice. The opposite door opened slowly on it's own, allowing her access to the most elegant foyer she'd had ever seen. The walls were lined with deep cherry wainscoting and the floors were covered in plush burgundy carpets. Rich orchestral violin music was being piped in from somewhere and the whole area smelled like a garden of fresh roses. Hermione made a mental note to tear Lupin to pieces when she returned. Why had he kept this place a secret for so long? To think! She could have been working from here ages ago, instead of being trapped in that horrendous disaster known as The Ministry of Magic's Headquarters. She approached the antique reception/check-in desk and rang the bell.
A squat old woman entered from the key room. She had gray hair pulled into a tight bun piled on her head and wore bi-focal spectacles on a chain around her neck. Lifting the spectacles and balancing them on the point of her sharp noise, she scrutinized Hermione carefully.
"Is there anything I can help you with, miss?" She asked a little too tersely for Hermione's liking.
"I was hoping to rent out a space for work while my office is unavailable."
She looked Hermione up and down; taking in her Muggle clothing (Hermione often dressed in Muggle's clothes when walking the streets of London so as not to draw attention to herself). The old woman clucked her tongue and spoke sharply again.
"You're not a regular?" It was more a statement that a question, really.
"No, actually. I've only just been here today." Hermione was beginning to feel extremely unwelcome.
"I'm sorry we're all full up..." the bespectacled witch turned her back on Hermione and marched back into the key room, calling out, "...and we don't take outsiders."
Hermione was furious. How dare she refer to her as an outsider! She worked for the Ministry of bloody Magic! She reached for the bell and began ringing it wildly, wanting to give the old bat a piece of her mind. Then suddenly, she remembered the way the woman had looked her over. Of course...she thought, I'm dressed in Muggle's clothes. She obviously thinks I'm a Muggle who just happened upon the place. The old woman re-appeared behind the main desk looking rather irritated.
"Young lady, I've told you! I've nothing for you here. Now if you'll please..."
Hermione interrupted her.
"But I'm a witch!" She cried a little too desperately.
The old woman narrowed her eyes at her, again examining her Muggle clothing.
"You don't look like a witch." She pulled the tiny spectales off her nose pointedly. "Prove it."
Bugger this, Hermione thought. She reached into her shoulder bag and removed her wand. She decided the only thing that would make this woman happy is if she were out of these ruddy Muggle clothes and in respectable witch's robes. She said a quick spell, flourished her wand over herself, and was instantly standing before the woman wearing her best black business robes. They had green velvet embroidery on the bottoms in an ancient Celtic design. The old woman looked her over again, seemingly unimpressed. However, she did at least look satisfied.
"Who sent you?"
"Remus Lupin. He's a dear friend of mine."
"Lupin, you say?" The woman tapped her finger on her chin, thinking. "Ahh yes. He is certainly a regular. Comes to us three days out of every month it seems. Good fellow. Doesn't really say or do a great deal. Usually just takes a potion and sleeps." She leaned in closer to Hermione and lowered her voice. "Rumor has it that he's a werewolf, being as he always seems to show up on the full moon cycles." She leaned back and talked normally again, "...but I don't meddle in anyone's affairs. To each his own, I say."
Hermione rather suspected otherwise. This woman had all the potential of a town gossip, as far as she could tell.
"So how long do you plan to be staying with us? Oh, and my name is Eunice, by the way." She reached for a dusty old ledger book, cracked it open and pulled a quill magically from behind her ear.
"Hermione." Hermione offered, smiling.
The woman looked up. "Pardon me, dear?"
"Hermione...my name is Hermione Granger-Weasley."
"Weasley?" The old woman raised her eyebrows. "Where's the red hair?"
"Oh...I'm just married into the Weasley's. I'm not related by blood or anything." Hermione shifted nervously on her ankles. Eunice was certainly a busy body.
"Right then. Okay...so how long are you planning to stay with us?"
"Two weeks. But I'm not planning on being here all of the time. I will just work during the daytime and then return to my home in the evenings. Just like a normal office schedule."
"You are aware the charges remain the same, whether you choose to overnight here or not...?"
Hermione nodded. "That's not a problem. This will all be paid for by the Ministry of Magic, anyway. Bloody bastards owe me this much."
Eunice re-observed Hermione for the hundreth time, and this time actually offered her a sly smile.
"I think you and I will get on quite well, dear. Sorry for all the trouble earlier, but I thought you were a Muggle. Every now and again, one of 'em seems to slip passed the gates. Not sure how really, but then again," she peered over the top of her specs, "...I'm not one to ask questions."
Riiiiiiight...Hermione thought to herself.
"Do you have any room preference?"
"Actually, I was sort of wondering if perhaps there would be any rooms left on the top floor. Remus highly suggested them."
"You're in luck, my dear. All except one of the rooms is vacant. Mind you, the other patron is a bit of grouchy bugger. I suggest we put you on the far opposite corner from him, so that you won't be in his way. Yesterday, I was up cleaning the rooms and he nearly took my head off. Nasty git. He can wallow in filth up their for all I care!" She huffed.
Hermione remembered the man she spied behind the french doors when she arrived outside earlier. She really hadn't wanted any type of conflict. That was her entire reason for coming here in the first place! To avoid conflict.
"You don't think my being up there is going to be a problem, do you?"
"I wouldn't worry about it too much. He normally keeps to himself...stays in his own rooms. Just try and stay in your area and you shouldn't have a problem." She shuffled out from behind the desk brandishing a key. "However, I will have to tell him that you will be staying up there. Wouldn't want him getting jumpy and hexing you into the next century, thinking you are some sort of intruder."
As they climbed the stairs, Hermione groaned. Great. That's all she needed...a new office flat with a grouchy maniacal wizard just down the hall.
"Is he dangerous?" She asked raising her eyebrows.
"I don't think so. Rumor has it he's some sort of war hero. I think it must have left him a little deranged...but pretty sure he's not dangerous. Of course, I don't tend to meddle in other people's affairs."
Hermione laughed in spite of herself. It seemed she was going to have to be more careful around Eunice than she was around the mysterious floor mate. One false move, and anyone who walks through the doors of that mansion will know every detail of Hermione's business; of that she was sure. When they reached the door to her new space, the old woman stopped to give her instructions.
"I'm not sure if Mr. Lupin told you, but you can apparate directly to your office if you would like. We prefer that you apparate to the front desk downstairs, but if you have this key with you, you will be able to apparate to this very spot in front of your door. You will then need to use the key to unlock the door. If you attempt to apparate up here without the key in your hand, you will simply show up in the lobby instead. You cannot apparate within the walls of your space at any time. You must always apparate or walk up to this door and then use your key to gain access. We feel it's the best way to keep everything secure. Do you understand how it works?"
"Yes, Ma'am," Hermione nodded. Even though she was a bit on the looney side, Eunice's voice still commanded respect.
"Great! Here is your key, and here is your temporary space. If you have any problems or need any assistance, ring the small glass bell on the far table. Someone will respond immediately." Eunice trailed back down the hall. "I'll alert the grouchy bugger to your arrival, so there shouldn't be any problems," she said, disappearing around the corner.
Hermione slid the key in the lock and turned it. There was no doorknob. The door simply opened as soon as the key clicked into place. The site behind the door was far better than she could have ever imagined. There was a soft fire burning in the fireplace, a dozen loaded bookshelves lining the walls, a plush burgundy sofa with two matching chairs sat flanking a Victorian rug near the fireplace, and a large walnut desk that looked as if it were as old as the mansion itself was situated just in front of the all glass french doors overlooking a blanket of white snow seven stories below. She thought she had died and gone to Heaven. After two weeks of working here she would never want to go back to her own office at the Ministry. Being here was like being on holiday. Hermione approached the desk and ran her fingers along the elegant carving around the edges. The wood gleamed beneath her fingertips as if the desk were brand new. She carefully laid her shoulder bag and briefcase atop the desk and began unpacking her things. The best part about magical bags is that they could hold just about everything anyone needed, unlike Muggle bags...what you see is what you get. She unloaded a quill cup and two ink wells and arranged them neatly on her desk. She then pulled out several stacks of parchment and filtered them into the drawers, feeling a little thrill run into her, on the thought of being able to move into a new place for a while. She finished unpacking the bag and began unloading her briefcase when she felt the air shift slightly. Someone had entered the room.
"My, my. This certainly is a shock. When they told me a Weasley was going to be occupying a room on this floor, I half expected to see someone with red hair." A voice drawled behind her.
Hermione stopped unpacking her briefcase and froze. She knew that voice. But how? Why? What was he doing here? Was he the "grouchy bugger" Eunice had been talking about? It would certainly make sense. Even though she had always harbored an innocent schoolgirl crush on him, she couldn't deny he could be an enormous git. She turned around. It had been nearly five years since she had seen that familiar face. She raised an eyebrow and spoke.
"Why, Professor Snape. What brings you here?"
Yeah, I know. You all probably saw that coming, huh? What can I say! I love that Snape! Please read and review if you get a chance. Let me know if I should continue this little sideshow or just stick to my other story "Infatuation" (which, yes, I am still sticking to even while writing this story...don't you worry!) I await your reviews with bells on! Cheers! TelevisionDiva
