Knowing Miss Granger
Chapter 4: March: An Unsettling Thing
March 7th, mid-morning.
Hermione stared as Severus' hands moved above his cup; he spooned in sugar and cream and stirred his brew as he might a potion. He brought the steaming mug to his nostrils and inhaled deeply at the vapors of the heady aroma before sipping.
"I always assumed you took your coffee black," she said, as she brought her own cup, white with two, to her lips.
"You know what they say about assumptions Miss Granger." He continued to sip at the coffee, not bothering to take his eyes off his copy of The Daily Prophet.
"Yes, I do! I suppose I shall have to be more careful in the future! So, what shall we do today? It's a beautiful weekend, if you don't mind the snow. We could drop into Scrivenshaft's. I desperately need new parchments and quills. I've been so busy revising Hogwarts: A History, that I've let my supply get dangerously low. Did you know they're still using the same edition from when I was in school? It's horrifically outdated."
Hermione continued to chatter as Severus looked up from his cup and glanced out the window of The Three Broomsticks, allowing his mind to wander. Hogsmeade…he thought. It was a charming little town filled with the everyday hustle and bustle of Wizarding life. Students laughed and frolicked in the streets, giddy at being released from the confines of Hogwarts. Residents went about their business, shopping, visiting, what have you…still; even after all these years the place held little warmth in his mind. His hand drew to rub his neck absentmindedly as his eyes walked an invisible path that led to the little shack on the hill…
"Severus? Scrivenshaft's?"
"What? Ah, yes, of course. It would not be ill advised to pick up a few things myself." Downing his mug in one swift gulp he rose and helped Hermione from her chair.
"What were you thinking about, back in the pub?" Hermione asked as they walked down the ice-encrusted streets, the soft crunch of snow crushing beneath them. She chanced a tentative glance at Severus. His face was sullen, not that it was much of a change from his usual countenance, but she had grown accustomed to his features and knew when something was amiss.
"Nothing that matters now."
"It was about…then…wasn't it? You still think about…those times…a lot don't you?"
"More than I'd like," he said quietly…unsure if he was comfortable with the direction this conversation was taking.
"It's understandable Severus. It was the…the culmination of so much and well, you so narrowly avoided…" she trailed off, not really desiring to recall the memory either.
They'd stopped walking and were looking at each other. Hermione took Severus by the hand and squeezed it firmly. He glanced down at her hand wrapped around his, it was small and delicate, but it was also surprisingly comforting, and he allowed her to retain her grasp slightly longer than she should have before he removed his hand.
"I'm so glad we decided to go today," Hermione said as she hefted her bags to her other hand and stepped out onto the sidewalk. "What an incredible sale! I look as if I robbed the place! Now I can finish my revisions and send my notes to the publishers in time for them to issue a new edition by next term. What a glorious day!" She spun around like a whirling dervish, her bag thumping squarely against Severus' chest.
"Ompf!" He exclaimed, as her heavy bag crashed into him. "Miss Granger! Please! You're not a schoolgirl anymore! Stop prancing about like a giddy child and act your age woman." He gave her a stern look, a 'Professor Snape' kind of look. Something inside him told him to regret this, which he instantly did.
All of the happiness drained from her face. For a moment, he thought she might cry but instead she narrowed her eyes at him, turned sharply, and lurched down the street with quick, angry steps.
"Wait, Miss Granger…" Bloody girl! "Wait!" He caught up with her shortly, given his greater stride. "Please, Miss Granger, forgive me. I forgot my self for a moment. I did not…"
She didn't let him finish. "Do you see these Severus? Do you? Well? Hmmm?" She was gesturing at her substantially angry face, pointing at her eyes, her mouth, her forehead, various other areas of her visage. "Don't just stand there like a lump! Answer me man!""
"I, er…what? Do I see what?" He said, stammering, taken aback by the thoroughly outraged woman yelling at him.
"THESE!" she said, practically seething with disgust. Her packages slide from her fingers, slumping on the ground as she brought both her hands up to her head to indicate every inch of her face. "These…horrible lines! How can you not see them everywhere? They creep around my eyes, they're forming parentheses at my mouth, and etching trails along my forehead; they make me PERFECTLY aware of my age! I do not need you to remind me of it!" She stood before him, radiating with rage, her breath ragged.
~Tell her she's beautiful.~
What?
~Tell her she's beautiful you clod. Women are inescapably insecure about their age and appearance; she's obviously dealing with the fact that she isn't a young girl anymore for the first time! You of course, go and remind her, oh so delicately, of that fact.~
I will NOT tell her that! It's inappropriate, against my character, and I do not think of her that way, regardless of if she contains some amount of beauty…besides, I…
~Shut up. Just shut up and say it…idiot.~
She continued to stare at him with incredulity branded into her expression. The lines she so loathed were barely perceptible in his opinion. "Miss Granger…" he said softly, "I think you to be quite youthful and if I may be so bold, beautiful." Every nerve in his body flashed with heat as his turncoat mouth let the word escape his lips. It was as if an alarm bell had been set off in his head and its siren screamed MISTAKE!
She stared at him, her expression solidly unchanged. Finally, after he judged what must have been a number of years passing, she raised one eyebrow, then, another. "Beautiful?" she said, evident in her tone that she expected him to expound.
His brain compiled a list of activities that might be less uncomfortable than this. The words, Nagini, Avada Kedavra, Crucio, Voldemort, Potter, and Azkaban quickly ran through his mind in various interchangeable combinations. "Yes, beautiful." Dash it all Snape! Stop saying it!
"How so?"
The small bit of color his face naturally contained drained. He was as white as any ghost Hogwarts had ever seen. Then, as suddenly as it had fled, he felt his traitorous blood rising, causing him to flush right to the tips of his ears. "I just mean, you are, you realize of course, much younger than I. You have, your eyes, colored...rather prettily…your hair, yes, it's…nice." You're babbling like an idiot man! Then again, you are of course…an idiot.
"It's a nest." She replied tersely.
"No, it's…it gives you character. It…reflects you." He was somewhat surprised to find that upon looking, he found this to be perfectly true.
"Reflects me?" The look in her eye gave him enough assurance that his continuation would not lead to an untimely and violent demise.
"Your hair, Miss Granger, is an unsettling thing." She did not seem to think this was a compliment from the look on her face, but he continued anyway. "From a distance, it's a soft, unassuming mass, but the closer you get to it, the more…the more you don't know how to react to it. It's wild and unmanageable…rebellious even. No matter how you might attempt to tame it, it inevitably breaks the weak restraints not meant to hold it. It's unnerving in a way, how bold it is, and how…in being so, it's anything but…unattractive. As I said, it reflects its owner." He chanced the last part, peering at her with an air that floated between 'forgive me' and 'please allow me to stop talking.'
"Oh," she whispered, as she ran her fingers to her mane and twisted it up into a loose bun, securing it with her wand. She picked up her packages and gave him an appraising glance. "Care to drop into Honeydukes?"
AN: Oh potion…what are you doing to him? Poor boy, being forced to admit things he'd rather not, realizing things he'd rather not realize!
debjunk and MsTree: How long does this potion last? AH, A very good and important question! Unlike Veritaserum, which has a reliable lifespan of about an hour once taken; the Sinusmosserum is what might be referred to as a "contractual potion." Technically, the lifespan is an hour...meaning the request must be made within that time frame, however, once that has taken place, the magical properties of the potion hold the drinker in contract to the agreement. Think of it as as a liquid combination of Imperius and the Unbreakable Vow. (Well, Imperius light...same great taste, less filling; and the Unbreakable Vow without that nasty death issue.) Or in other words, until the request is attempted to the best of the drinker's ability, he or she will remain under the power of the potion. *pulls out black market copy of Advanced Potion Making, Prince's Edition, (thank you Knockturn Alley!) No notes were given in regards to an antidote.
For a bit more info, I suggest Newt Scamander's Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them for insight on Runespoor and their argumentative nature. HP wiki gives some interesting info on moonstone and Google up a bit on ginger...my my...truth serums, argumentative snakes, love potions, and magical success...what a randy little mix!
Oh, one quick note, I've written a one shot called "Failure" which is a bit of a departure from what I usually do, though, Severus is undeniably the central theme. It's short, it's different, and I'd really like to hear your opinions on it. I would appreciate it if anyone was willing to take a look and provide a review...thumbs up or down, I'm just interested in how it's perceived. Thank you all for the great reviews and questions, please keep them coming!!!! You all make writing so much fun!
