Disclaimer: I don't own it, even though I wish I could...
An Unexpected Turn of Events
An Awkward Collision
The next morning Hermione woke slowly. She stretched leisurely to relax the sore muscles in her shoulders and neck. She woke smiling having had a wonderful dream in which she was an acclaimed potions mistress who had created a potion to cure the diseases that even wizards had yet to defeat. When she opened her eyes and noticed Ginny sitting at the foot of her bed, her eyes heavy with concern. It all flashed back.
Hermione didn't even ask if it was true, the look on Ginny's face told it all. Unable to hold in her emotions, her lip quivered as her eyes filled with tears. Ginny froze, not quite sure how to deal with tears – at home she was the only one who cried and when she did it was always in the privacy of her room. Luckily Crookshanks, just back from a night of mouse-chasing, took charge of the situation by prancing onto Hermione's lap. Not one to be ignored, Crookshanks meowed loudly until Hermione took notice. As Hermione petted Crookshanks her tears lessened until she was again composed.
Ginny softly cleared her throat, interrupting the moment before hurriedly blurting, "Breakfast starts in ten minutes."
Hermione looked at her thoughtfully, "Go on ahead without me."
"But – " A pointed look from Hermione caused Ginny to cut off her contrary statement.
"These are my last few minutes living here, let me savor them. Plus, I don't want to deal with the stares and speculation today. If Professor Snape asks will you please tell him that I will meet him as planned?"
Taking Ginny's nod as affirmation, Hermione walked out of the room and headed toward the communal showers. Ginny made eye contact with Crookshanks who flicked his tail in warning before she grabbed her backpack and headed off to breakfast.
Two hours later, Hermione rounded the corner and ran right into Professor Snape which started a sequence of events. Hermione stepped backwards while Professor Snape began to fall forward. In an attempt to prevent his fall, Snape leaned backward and shuffled his feet in an effort to steady himself. Mrs. Norris just happened to amble by at this time and recognized Snape (who has a secret love of cats and carries cat treats in his clothes). Filch's cat ran to Severus and rubbed his body against Severus' legs which caused the Potion's Master to trip. Hermione, who had watched the entire situation unfold, reached to prevent Severus' fall. Hermione grasped Severus' forearms and pulled him toward her to counteract his backwards momentum. Unfortunately Hermione pulled with too much force which caused her to topple backwards and fall taking Severus with her, while Mrs. Norris scampered away unscathed.
Hermione lay flat on her back, dazed from the impact of the unyielding cobblestone floor.
It took her a moment to notice that Severus was lying on top of her, his head cushioned by her…ample chest. She abruptly stopped breathing, holding her breath afraid of how he would react. After what felt like an eternity, but was in reality only a couple of seconds, Severus lifted his head. He slowly looked down Hermione's body as though he was unsure of where he was. Then his gaze traveled back up her body until he caught a glimpse of her face.
The reaction was immediate. Hermione watched as Professor Snape blushed from head to toe and tried to extricate himself from their tangle of limbs without touching her at all – a feat which of course proved to be impossible. The situation would have been comical if the pair had not been so embarrassed. Severus somehow scrambled to his feet without touching her and took a moment to collect himself before reaching down to pull Hermione to her feet.
"Are you alright?" Severus' question remained thick in the air, heavy with all that all that it encompassed.
Hermione could not quite meet his eye and quietly responded, "Not too much worse for wear."
As Hermione straightened her muggle clothes, Severus reached inside his blazer to grab a small vial. That was when Hermione noticed what her professor was wearing; well-cut black trousers, a form-fitting forest green button down shirt and a fitted grey blazer. "Wow…" Hermione thought, "Shit! Mustn't forget how skilled of a legilimans he is!"
Severus, oblivious to Hermione's internal dialogue, extended a small vial that contained a sky-blue potion in it. She took it and looked at him with her head tilted to the side, leaving her question unspoken. He quickly explained, "It will help to reduce the facial swelling that is the result of grief."
Extremely touched by his thoughtfulness, Hermione immediately unstoppered the vial and drank all of its contents. She couldn't help but grimace at the bitter taste. Severus chuckled and asked, "What were you expecting?"
Hermione wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She smiled sheepishly as she answered, "I don't know, something a little less…"
"Disgusting?" Severus said, finishing Hermione's sentence.
Hermione met Severus' eyes and the two burst out laughing. Hermione's youthful giggle harmonized with Severus' deep, boisterous laugh. Voices could be heard coming down the hallway. The duo's laughter and merriment cut off abruptly, their professional veneer quickly returning.
"Are you ready to leave Ms. Granger?"
"Yes, Professor. How are we going to get there?"
As the two strolled out of the castle, a comfortable silence settled between them even as students stopped to gawk and stare. Hermione followed Professor Snape through the castle doors, across the grounds and through the front gate. Severus led her into a wooded area and along a small stream before coming to a stop in the midst of an apple orchard. He turned to her and finally responded, "We are going to apparate to London, meet with Attorney Petrich and then, depending upon your preference, either stay at your parents' flat or get a couple of rooms somewhere in town for the night. After we attend the service for your parents we will return to Hogwarts by train."
Severus prepared to apparate, adjusting his tie and straightening his blazer before his wand entered his hand. As Hermione took his offered arm she softly spoke, "Thank you, Professor. I don't know how I would do this without you."
Uncomfortable with the unexpected gratitude, Severus gave a quick nod and with a flick of his wrist the pair landed in the empty alleyway behind Attorney Petrich's office.
Without even waiting for the nausea to settle (apparition is anything but comfortable), Severus glided down the alley toward the main entrance. Hermione wobbled a little before righting herself, the brick façade on the back of Attorney Petrich's office swam before her eyes. "You will not faint!" Hermione chastised herself.
When Severus made it to the street he turned to look for her and was by her side in a heartbeat. Cautiously he touched her elbow, "Ms. Granger?"
She jumped at the unexpected contact. Hermione looked up at him pitifully, her eyes full of all of her grief mixed simultaneously with her nagging doubts. Staring down at her, Severus was at a loss as of what he could possibly say, but he did not have to contemplate too long because Hermione quietly unburdened herself, "I can do this, right? My parents trusted me with this responsibility and I have never failed to rise to a challenge. But…I'm eighteen! I, I…I had a chance to make something of myself until –"
Professor Snape, misused to tears (besides those belonging to Neville Longbottom of course), took a minute to process the moment but found he could not allow her to disparage herself. Clearing his throat, Snape smoothly cut in, "Ms. Granger, I understand both your devastation at the unexpected loss and your misgivings about taking on an infant, however I cannot stand by as you belittle yourself and discount the impact that you will have on the world.
When Hermione did not respond Snape gently shook her. Her eyes focused and her lips lifted in a brilliant smile, "Thank you, Professor. I really needed that. Do you, uh, think that you could call me Hermione? At least for today?"
"Of course, Ms. Granger – er – Hermione. In light of the close contact that we will have over the next few months, I think that it is a good idea for us to stay on a first name basis – only when we are away from students though," Severus stuttered his way through his rambling response, obviously uncomfortable with the sudden relationship change.
Hermione struggled to contain her amusement, but could not help the giggle that bubbled up. The melodic sound broke the tension and Severus looked at her. At first he was shocked, "How can she possibly find humor in this situation?"
The incredulous look on his face only served to escalate her giggles into full-blown laughter. Within seconds, she was laughing so hard she need to clutch her sides. Her joy was infectious and Severus could not contain his own boisterous chuckle. A few minutes later as their laughter died down Severus offered Hermione his arm, "Are you ready Hermione?"
After a deep, calming breath Hermione straightened her shoulder, reached for Severus' arm and whispered, "Let's do this."
Thank you for reading!