Chapter Ten
Notes- Another huge song this time "Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga all copyright to her and her producers. By rights this chapter should be the last and I have only used ten songs but this chapter was so long that I decided to split it here is part one. Please review and as always enjoy
Love C.J.
Paparazzi, part one
"We are the crowd
We're coming out
Got my flash on it's true
Need that picture of you
It's so magical"
There was a loud pop in the front room of the flat that Hermione and Severus had been sharing for the last six months. Hermione was sat in the kitchen half watching the television with a large cup of black coffee balancing on the marble surface in front of her. She looked up at the clock as the pop sounded: it read twenty past six.
"Who is in my flat at six twenty in the morning?" She wondered. She put her head around the door of the kitchen to see into the small living room Ginny Weasley was stood in the middle of the room.
"Morning," Hermione smiled unconvincingly she meant it to be bright but she was confused to why Ginny was in her flat so early butterflies began in her stomach as her mind knew it was not going to be something good.
"Hi," Ginny replied cautiously. "I thought I would give you a heads up. Lavender just sent an owl. The Daily Prophet are running their front page on you and Snape this morning." Hermione exhaled heavily.
"We knew this day would come." She said quietly as she sunk into her sofa.
"Yes," Ginny agreed "but we all thought you had a little longer."
"I guess all good things have to end," she replied her voice detached and distant.
"Are you at work today?" Ginny asked.
"Yes," Hermione said still distant "in an hour or so."
"Are you going in?"
"Yes I can't just hide in the flat all day."
"What about Snape? What do you think his reaction will be." Ginny accepted her friend's choice indeed she thought the pair where well suited but she could not bring herself to call her former professor by his first name.
"Angry, protective, angry, moping and acceptance." The list lay down to Ginny just how well the pair knew each other.
"Do you know how the Prophet got hold of it?" Hermione asked Ginny. She shook her head,
"Lavender only just managed to get me the message you know how secretive they are about their news."
"Yes," she sighed.
"Your life is going to be different you know that?"
"Yes ,"came the dull response.
"I'll see you later."
"Yes are we we still on for meeting at yours half seven."
"Yes I am cooking."
"Goodbye," and with another loud pop Ginny disappeared.
"Who was that?" Severus asked as he walked into the front room buttoning his shirt as he did so. He saw Hermione looking deflated as she sat of the sofa.
"Hermione?" he asked sternly "what has happened?"
"Nothing," she replied lightly as she batted away the suggestion. He looked at her face,
"You are a poor liar Hermione." She closed her eyes and look in a large breath.
"Ginny came to tell me that the paper is running us on the front page this morning." He took a seat beside her.
"We knew this would happen."
"I know I just wish we had a little longer without what will follow."
"Me too." He took he hand in his and squeezed it.
"When are you at work?" He asked she turned round to look at the clock.
"Fifty minutes,"
"I guess you better get going."
"I'll meet you at your office around six." He leant in and kissed her passionately.
"What was that for?" she asked.
"Do I need a reason?" He asked. She stood up kissing him on the forehead.
Hermione had a hard day at work. Most of her work was light spell damage: a man with a missing finger, a child with blue ears and a man who could do nothing but whistle "Frere Jacques".
When she did leave St. Mungo's Hermione was tempted to put her jacket over her head in case another healer, receptionist or patient grabbed her. She was already twenty minutes late to her meeting with Severus.
Severus sat in his office with a quill in his hand writing upon some parchment with it as he waited for his girlfriend to turn up he looked at the clock. It was ten past six Hermione was late and it was making his nervous. Hermione was very rarely late. He hated the term girlfriend in his forties Severus felt far too old to have a girlfriend, most of his colleagues were either married or lifelong bachelors.
He sat fiddling with the quill in his chair a frown on his face as he looked up at the man sat on his large potions desk. This man was the complete opposite of Severus in every possible way. He wore bright robes with jeans underneath which contrasted with Severus' permanently dark clothing. He had dark blonde hair and a peppering of freckles across his nose, he was short and squat but not much older than thirty. He sat with a smile looking at the clock in the room, rather than a scowl. He was called Jenson Lynch. Jenson was the wizarding world's best PR guru, despite his young years. He had first been put in contact with Severus six months ago when the man had chosen to return to work as the head of the potion master's guild. There had been some pressure on the old organisation not to hire a man with such a bad reputation, they had ignored this and hired Jenson to smooth things over with the press.
The first thing he had done that morning when he had reached his office and laboratory was to contact Jenson who had set up a meeting with all the press in the wizarding world. That meeting should have started six minutes ago and the press did not appreciate being kept waiting.
The two men were shook out of their thoughts by a loud pop in the centre of the room and Hermione Granger appeared. It took Severus just two strides to walk over to her and take her hand.
"Are you alright?" He asked concern etched on his face.
"I'm fine," she smiled "no one really said anything. A few funny looks and I had to dash into a different ward to avoid the newswitch selling papers but apart from that fine."
"Are you ready?" Jenson asked the pair seriously, suddenly the complete professional. "I will read your short statement then if you want you can answer questions but only if you want to." Hermione nodded and Severus did not respond which Jenson took as a green light. Hermione peaked out the window to the door of the guild where people were still entering the building.
The three walked down the large ornate staircase that dominated the hallway of the building. There was a podium sat at the far end of the long checked hall. The small group made their may to it and the moment Jenson stood at the podium the flashes started. Hermione saw signs from "The Prophet", "Witch Weekly", "Teen Witch" and "The Quibbler" amongst others. Although the last one didn't count as a sign. It was simply Xenophilius Loovegood with a piece of paper pinned of his back with the words "The Quibbler" in what looked like green slime.
"Mr. Snape and Miss. Granger wish me to read a short statement." Jenson said as he took a pause. Hermione felt Severus squeeze her hand and the pair stood side by side.
"Mr. Snape and Miss. Granger can confirm that they have been in a relationship for the last six months. They are happy in this relationship and their close family and friends are aware of this relationship. They are both happy in their respective careers and will continue to live apart for the foreseeable future." This was actually a lie but Jenson writing the statement earlier though it might look a little more respectable, Severus really did not care about respectability. "They would like to express their right to a private life as they are both private citizens."
"Thank you." Jenson looked at Hermione and Severus, he saw her shake her head just a fraction and he took it that the pair did not want to answer questions."Thank you ladies and gentlemen that is aall my clients will be making no further comments."
Hermione took Severus' hand who led her forward past the journalists and photographers. To Hermione she felt like she was in a bubble, protected by Severus she could see a flashes of the big old fashioned cameras to her left as Jenson hurried the pair out of the hall.
"Hermione?" She heard a voice say and despite herself she looked up. Her breath was caught in her throat as she did. The journalist in front of her looked like Colin Creevy if he had survived the battle of Hogwarts. She could see it wasn't: the nose was a touch too long and his voice wasn't right but nonetheless she found looking at him unnerving. Any emotions she felt for the man evaporated the moment he asked his first question.
"How do you feel dating a man who followed Voldemort when you helped bring him down?" She turned on her heel fully not intending to answer the question when the voice beside her spoke.
"Because she is kind and forgiving. Traits I am afraid are absent in your profession." Hermione almost hung her head.
"Don't goad them Severus," she thought. She knew he was not bothered what anyone wrote about him but she did care what people wrote about either of them. "Severus was a spy," she said firmly "he fought on the side of light with Dumbeldore longer than any other. He almost died a hundred times and saved countless lives yet does not speak a word about it. That is why I love him."
"Errr-" Jenson interrupted "She means no comment." The group them managed to leave the hallway exiting into the ante-chamber.
"Are you ok?" Jenson asked the pair as they exited the room into the private ante-chamber. Hermione nodded and Severus gave him a glower as though no one was allowed to ask about Hermione's well-being except him.
"Thanks Jenson," Hermione smiled at him.
"Just doin' ma job," the portly wizard replied as his apparated out of the room.
"Home?" Severus asked Hermione.
"No," she shook her head looking over her head she saw the journalistic crowd approaching. She took Severus' hand "trust me," she whispered and he smiled back as if saying "always".