Edited 2017-10

Everything except the storyline belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 10

The entire Friday morning, she was jumpy and nervous. She checked her quarters three times for forgotten items, unpacked and repacked her luggage, and then checked her rooms once more. At 13:50 she started her walk towards the main gates.

Along the way, she tried to put on a neutral face. She knew she was failing miserably, and that he would most certainly look right through it, but she felt she could only try. Approaching the gates, she saw a black-clad figure standing in wait. He turned to face her once she was within hearing range. She could see he was appraising her and put some more effort into keeping her face neutral.

"Professor," she greeted him.

"Miss Granger," he replied.

He held out his right arm for her. Hermione laid her arm on top of his, grasping him by the wrist. She was surprised when she felt his left hand covering hers, keeping it firmly in place. Hermione only had a short moment to ponder on his behaviour before the nauseating squeeze of Apparition transported them somewhere else.

They landed on the edge of a forest, next to a road leading into it. There was no house in sight. Hermione looked around in confusion.

"We will have to walk a little ways,' Snape commented. "The wards are not yet keyed to you and would have thrown you out. Among other things."

He set off into the forest. Hermione felt his wrist slip from her hand and only then realised she had still been holding it. Fighting her blush, she walked after her former professor.

"Do I want to know what you meant by 'other things'?" she asked after some time.

He glanced in her direction, a wicked smile on his face. Hermione guessed that she did not. After what had been about a two-kilometre walk, Snape came to a halt and motioned Hermione to do the same.

Without preamble, he started intricately waving his wand, murmuring and chanting spells along the way. Hermione admired his skill and his efficient but still elegant wandwork.

She was surprised when he ended it all with a blunt tap of his wand on her head. Some 200 meters in front of her, a cabin materialised.

"Oh," she exclaimed. "It looks … cosy," she thought.

The idea was so foreign in relation to Snape that her mind had some difficulty progressing it.

"Are you coming? Or are you just going to keep standing there?"

Hermione blinked and saw that he was already standing at the door. She ran over to him, an apology on her lips but he beat her to it.

"There was no need for running, Miss Granger."

"How does he manage to make me feel so inadequate with just one sentence?" Hermione thought.

"Put your hand on the door as I open it," Snape continued.

Hermione did as instructed and felt a tingle when the door opened. It revealed a small hallway. There was a rug on the floor, a staircase on her right, and three doors. She could appreciate how the wooden structure of the cabin was left visible as a part of the interior design.

Cosy, she decided, was still the most adequate word to describe it.

Elora popped into existence to take their coats.

"Welcome to Spinners End," Snape formally said. "You are now keyed to all the wards and are free to come and go as you please."

"Thank you," Hermione answered. "I have a feeling that you have quite the collection of wards on this place."

Snape looked at her. "I was a spy for a long time, Miss Granger, as you are well aware. It was necessary," he paused, "and old habits die hard."

"Of course," Hermione answered, feeling chided and worrying her bottom lip.

She heard him let out a small sigh. "Great job Hermione!" she thought to herself. "You're in his house for less than five minutes and you're already exasperating the man!"

Snape pointed to the door under the staircase. "Down there are my study and private lab."

He again looked at her, giving her a look that would have first years shiver in fear.

"First rule, Miss Granger: Do not go through that door unless invited or given my explicit consent. If I'm down there and you need me, you can knock, I will hear."

Hermione nodded, not trusting herself to comment.

"Through here is the kitchen."

She followed him through the middle door and smiled at the small but practical kitchen with a round table and a most stunning view of the forest. There was a door leading to a well-kept garden.

"Breakfast is at eight, lunch around 12:30 and dinner at 19h," Snape commented.

Again, Hermione nodded. He swept through the door at the other side of the kitchen.

"The living room."

He hardly gave her time to appreciate the comfortable looking sofa and lounge chairs in front of a large fireplace. She glimpsed a rug and a coffee table before he caught her attention again.

"And this will no doubt become your favourite hideout during your stay," he said. Hermione didn't know if he was being sarcastic or not. She, however, couldn't care less when he opened the door and revealed a two-story library.

He watched her eyes grow wide and full of anticipation as he opened the door to his library. She reacted exactly as he had expected, stumbling in her eagerness to get inside and take a closer look at the books. Endearing really. He suppressed a smile. Then he mentally slapped himself for both reactions.

He watched her walk amongst the shelves of books, her finger tracing the bindings as they had in his private quarters. Ever since he had given her the option of staying at his home for treatment, he was confused by his own indecision whether he wanted her to accept or not. Not that he would ever admit it out loud.

The happiness when she did accept, had thoroughly knocked him off balance. He had noticed how nervous she was. Then again, looking from her perspective, living with the snarky potions professor would not be a happy foresight. For the second time that afternoon, he let out a small sigh.

"I hope this will not become a habit,' he thought.

But somehow, with Hermione around, he sincerely doubted that he could escape it. He walked to the spiral staircase at the far side of the room.

"Come on Miss Granger, plenty of time later to soak up more knowledge like the sponge you are."

He didn't look back to see her reaction but ascended the stair. The sound of her movements told him she was following. Severus continued his tour around his house by opening the door to the hallway on the first floor. He pointed out the door to his own room.

"It goes without saying you are not to enter."

Down the hall, he pointed at the bathroom door.

"Shared, so please don't forget to lock it, Miss Granger."

He was delighted when a shocked look crossed her face and she started blushing.

"And this will be your room for the duration of your stay," he said while opening the final door. "Elora has already put your luggage in the room. I will see you at dinner."

With a curt nod, he turned and went down the stairs to the hallway below. He wondered how he was going to survive this situation.