Thank you so much for all your kind reviews. I would like to point out that I definitely do not expect all of you to review every single chapter, I simply wanted to know if there was anyone out there reading this story or if all of you just clicked on it and then decided it was no good. I will keep writing but as my muse doesn't always visit me when I want her to, I'm afraid I won't be able to post regularly. That said, I'll try to write as often as I can, which means that sometimes you'll get chapters two days in a row, like this week, and sometimes none for a week. Whilst I would like to reply to all your reviews, I figured you'd rather I post the next chapter, and so I only replied to the longer ones, hope you don't mind.
Oh, and I included a part from Severus' point of view in this chapter, if it is confusing (or if you prefer reading from Hermione's POV) just let me know and I'll go back to only writing from Hermione's POV.
Andrea xxx
VampiresAreCool: I get your point and I agree with you to some extent. I write certain stories that are just for me and I have no problem continuing writing those when I feel like it, regardless of the fact that I don't show them to anyone (and so get no feedback). However, when I do post something (which I find quite scary) I find it quite discouraging to get no feedback (I realise this is just something I should get used to but I find it hard sometimes…) and therefore think that the story might not be that good – and that thought makes it hard to keep writing even if it just for myself.
SalvationsSin101: Thank you very much, will keep writing.
Lostmariner4803: You've got a fair point, and rest assured, I don't expect you to review after every chapter
Veronica Mitchell: You are right of course, I think the reason why I was wondering if anyone was reading the story was because I am quite an impatient person :P And no, you won't have to worry about cliffhangers, I generally don't like them. (Plus, I have made the mistake before of writing a cliffhanger before actually knowing myself what was going to happen and that made writing the next chapter more than little difficult…
Sir-Anthony-Pers: Thank you so much for that compliment, I hadn't even thought of it that way. But of course you're right, people shouldn't feel the need to hide their scars.
CameronSister: Don't worry, I know the feeling. Whilst I am comfortable writing in English now, that wasn't the case before (check out my older stories if you want to see how my English has changed). If it's any consolation, reading HP fanfiction when I was younger boosted my English skills enormously.
DutchBaroness: You've got a fair point, I suppose it can be a bit like homework :P
Here goes:
Hermione found herself in a sitting room. It was neither big nor small; there was enough space for two sofas and two chairs. The furniture was in different shades of beige and brown, with a coffee table made out of mahogany in between the sofas. Books and magazines, most of which were half open, covered the coffee table. From the little she could see of the walls, she assumed they were deep green, but as the majority of them were covered by bookcases she really could not see much of them. There were no paintings or photographs. On the wall opposite the one they had entered through, there was a large window that showed a splendid view the lake. As it was an evening in November, it was almost pitch black outside and the only visible light was the moon reflected on the surface of the water. Apart from the door that they had entered through, which looked like any normal door from this side, there were four other doors, at least two of which Hermione presumed lead to Snape's bathroom and bedroom.
Snape took off his outer robes and hung them over the back of a chair. Despite relieving himself of a layer, he was still wearing a shirt, a waistcoat and a suit jacket. He seated himself in one of the chairs and gestured for her sit down on the sofa next to it.
"Tea?" he asked.
"Some coffee would be great if that is not too much of an inconvenience," she replied and sat down on the sofa. This felt very strange indeed. It was the first time she had ever been in a teacher's quarters and to be sitting here, with Snape of all people, was more than a little odd.
Snape called for a house elf and ordered some tea as well as coffee. It surprised her to hear that he was more polite than was necessary to the elf.
"Before we decide on a schedule, what does your schedule look like?" he asked.
"Well, I am free pretty much every night, as well as Saturday and Sunday during the day. However, I have homework and lesson planning to do as well so I would appreciate it if I could have two nights as well as half the day free on either Saturdays or Sundays," she replied.
"That is acceptable. How about we work on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday nights as well as Saturdays during the day? That will leave you with three nights a week as well as Sunday during the day to do your other work," he suggested.
"That sounds perfect," she accepted.
The house elf returned with their drinks and put them on the table in front of them. Hermione poured herself a cup of coffee and added some milk to it.
"Won't you have trouble sleeping after the coffee?" Snape asked her curiously as he took a sip of his tea.
"The caffeine doesn't get to me as much as it used to, and I much prefer the strong taste of it to tea. Plus, sleeping has never really been an issue for me," she explained and held the cup in her hands in an effort to warm up her hands that were always slightly cold during the winter half of the year.
"As I have told you, I first started on this project years ago and so I have done a fair bit of research already. This is just a suggestion, of course, but I think it would be wise if you were to catch up on some of it before we started the brewing. I would be happy to show you the books that I have found most useful."
"Yes, that sounds good," Hermione agreed. She had already thrown more than a couple longing glances at his books.
"You may borrow any book you like, though I would appreciate it if you didn't take any of the books outside of this room. You are, however, welcome to come here and read whenever you want," he offered, apparently having followed her eyes to the books. He stood up and walked over to a shelf, pulled out a volume and turned to another bookcase and repeated the process. Ten minutes and twelve books later, there was a neat pile of books on the floor.
"These are the ones I have found most useful. I suggest you start with Magical scars and how to heal them in order to get a basic idea of how the healing process of normal magical scars usually works. After that you may choose the order."
"Thank you."
"Since I assume you want the real object of our project to remain a secret, I think the best idea would be to tell people that you are helping me create a variation of another potion. The Wolfsbane would be a good cover, I have been meaning to start research on it again anyway, I just haven't found the time."
"Yes, that sounds good," she nodded gratefully, not wanting to say "thank you" yet another time.
They sat in companionable silence for a couple of minutes, enjoying their drinks. Hermione was surprised that she felt this comfortable in his company. Of course she was still disturbingly aware of her scars but at least they were not the focal point of her mind. She didn't feel as self-conscious as she had thought she would.
"Would you mind if I started reading now?" Hermione asked shyly, hoping he would not find her rude. To her surprise, his lips curled into something that could almost be considered a smile.
"Yes, you may," Snape replied and handed her the book he had recommended that she start with. He picked up one of the magazines, Potions Monthly Asia, from the coffee table and began reading.
Severus' POV
It was well past eleven when Snape's internal clock told him that it was getting late. He put back the magazine he had been reading and looked at the student laying on the sofa in front of him. She had spread out on the sofa gradually and was now lying down, with her head resting on an armrest. Her shoes had been kicked off more than an hour ago and were on the floor. For some unknown reason, it pleased him to see her this comfortable, especially seeing as how awkward she had looked in his office when she had removed her glamour charm.
As she was focusing all her attention on the book in her hands, he seized the opportunity to get a proper look at her scars. He had made himself look away rather quickly before, not wanting her to feel as though she was an animal in a cage when she showed her scars. He himself was all too familiar with that particular feeling and it was not something he would wish upon anyone, especially not his partner. The pink scar on her right cheek was thin and it was obvious to him that Bellatrix Lestrange had used a very sharp cutting hex. Whilst it did not take up a large part of her face, it was very visible, in sharp contrast to her otherwise pale skin. He saw the beginning of another scar on her neck and wondered if she had other scars on her body.
It was strange for him having a student in his chapters. He had really made an effort trying to act civil and hoped that he had not been rude. It would make their work so much easier if they could act as equal partners. The insult he had dealt her in detention concerning her family, or rather lack thereof, had not been something he had actually wanted to say, it had just slipped out, out of habit. When she had slapped him, he had been too stunned to react with anger and then the situation had just seemed hilarious all of a sudden and so he had laughed. Whilst he knew he would find it hard not to taunt her, since it had been a habit of many years, he knew that their work would not progress if they did not get along. Hence he had to been in control of his temper.
To his surprise, the Gryffindor girl was proving to be more mature than he had given her credit for. Whilst he found it slightly disconcerting, it would certainly make their partnership a lot easier. It seemed that their attitude to work was fairly similar. He was not surprised that she had wanted to begin her research straight away; he would have done the same.
It took him another five minutes of looking at her before it occurred to him that he should send her on her way, as it was almost midnight.
"Hermione," he said tentatively, trying to get her attention. When she didn't respond, he raised his voice slightly and tried again. "Hermione, it is late."
Hermione put the book down and looked at him surprised. She was obviously not aware of how much time had passed and he found himself smile inwardly; he was the same when he was reading an interesting book.
"It is almost midnight, you have been reading for more than three hours. You should go back to your quarters," he said and watched her sit up and put her shoes back on.
"Yes, of course, sorry, I wasn't aware that it was this late," she replied with a sheepish look on her face and put the book on the table in front of her.
"No need to apologize," he muttered, annoyed at her constant gratitude and apologies. If they turned out to be a habit of hers, he would have to have a talk with her, he decided. He stood up.
"Good night, Sir, I mean, Severus," the Gryffindor said with a small smile and walked towards the door. She stopped for a second and put her glamour back on.
He noticed that she tensed a little, as if she prepared to face the world outside of these walls.
"I will see you tomorrow, Severus."
He simply nodded at her and watched her leave the room.
Snape stood near the door for a couple of moments, contemplating the evening. He was happy that he had managed to convince her to remove the glamour charm, but was rather surprised that she had not put on more of a fight. Then again, why would she feel the pressure to look good in front of me, he thought. He was well aware of the fact that he was not good looking in the slightest. While he sometimes wished that were not the case, he had long since learned to accept his physique and to be grateful that it had served him as well as it had. He sighed and decided to go to bed. It always took him at least an hour to fall asleep; regardless of what time he went to bed, so he figured he might as well head towards the bedroom.
