Dedication for this chapter goes to my Tall Decaf Cappuccino buddy! May we live long and foamy!
Chapter 10
Hermione's footsteps thundered on the stone of the castle, it didn't matter that she was wearing soft bootie knitted slippers, the aggression in her stomp radiated loud enough to reverberate off the walls. Her mind was hissing profanities at Snape, practising for when she confronted him. The castle had a cold chill to it, but Hermione didn't notice besides her breath condensing in midair she wouldn't have noticed the cold, she was so angry with him, furious was not the word. Never in her life had Hermione wanted to curse someone badly it hurt. Slamming into the dungeons she flew down the stairs, she wasn't overly sure where Snape's chambers where, but Hermione felt certain that it would be down here with the damp and the rodents.
"What are you doing down here Gryffindor?" an ethereal voice shouted at Hermione. She barely flinched and confronted the Bloody Baron who looked at her suspiciously with under his feather plumed velvet hat.
"Looking for Professor Snape," she stated back trying to keep the irritation out of her voice, the ghost had been a notorious killer in his previous life, Hermione was not sure whether he felt any repentance for what he had done, but at this moment in time she did not give a royal stuff!
"Hmmmm", he mused "Down to the bottom and take a left you will have to get past his portrait though."
"And who is that?"
"Ermmm…Ivan the Third", he muttered now beginning to glide away.
"Ivan the Terrible?" Hermione's voice faltered slightly at having to face the wicked Russian.
"Correct Gryffindor," The Bloody Baron had floated off around the corner leaving Hermione stood stock still in a puddle of water. "Ew,"she started and continued towards Snape's door. The portrait loomed tall and terrible much like it's name sake, she advanced slowly suddenly not quite aware as to whether Ivan was sleeping or merely sitting in wait.
"Dobryj vyechyer," the portrait said as Hermione got closer, she stopped in front of the Tsar taking in his beard and powerful chin.
"I wish to speak to Professor Snape," she said as loudly as she dare.
"Ohhh now why would a juicy girl like you be wanting my master?" he said the latter two words with disdain Hermione noticed with interest.
"Surely a great and powerful Tsar such as yourself wouldn't be beholden to someone? Even if he is as aggressive as Professor Snape," she sweet talked the portrait, all the time quaking in her little booties.
"And right you are luscious girl! I merely guard his pointless carcass from attack, though if he'd have been in my army I would have pitched him off the clock tower many moons ago", Ivan grumbled turning to look at Snape, who Hermione presumed couldn't see what was occurring.
"So would you see fit to let me past? I do need to speak to him as a matter of urgency,"
"And why would I do that, it is far better to watch the sweat pool on your brow, If I only I were real I could taste it, a small lick to the side of your eyes."
Hermione took a step back, "well yes but."
"Oh to taste the flesh of a young girl again I would."
"Ivan you disgusting piece of excrement desist your sick ablutions this instance and let Miss Granger into my chambers", the voice from the other side of the ordered.
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief; she felt gratitude flooding into her anger. Why would Snape have such a disgusting portrait guarding his door?
Ivan swung open to reveal Professor Snape's stone living room, a fire danced merrily in the hearth in his velvet chair Snape was sipping whiskey and staring at her a look of disdain written all over his face
"Why are you putting yourself at risk by attempting to bargain with Ivan?" he drawled.
"I came to speak to you about that ridiculous note you sent me," stomped "and my question to you is why do you have such a disgusting portrait?"
"Deterrent to others obviously", Snape shrugged.
"Deterrents not the word, fear of rape is a better reason," Hermione said stiffly. Snape gazed at her with his onyx eyes. "My note?"
"Why are you sending me such garbage Severus?" she said using his name to his face for the first time.
"I hardly think my choicely worded note is garbage," he stated simply.
"I think it is! Why are you implying that I am a shit spreader Severus? She seethed.
"I dislike other students interfering in my business".
"I presume you're referring to 'our' business Severus and I would love to know who you think I have told?" Hermione crossed her arms.
"It irritates me that you sit around gossiping with your little Ravenclaw friend about my business," Snape stood up fists clenched. "As you know from Ivan I am a very private person and I foolishly put myself in your hands and you've gone and gossiped behind my back thus threatening my job and reputation!"
"Your reputation? I'm the one putting my education at risk by even being here, you're perfectly within your right to expel me here as I stand for being out of bed, however I risk facing the Bloody Baron and your revolting portrait to come and see you!"
Hermione sat down on the rug in front of the fire, Snape sat back down in his chair his face red with the heat.
Hermione sighed and let the tears of rage fall down her cheeks "And for you're information I told Luna that we had become friends as I see you as an intellectual equal and would hope one day you would see me as so?"
Snape didn't move for a minute, he continued to drain his drink and stare at the fire trying to keep his eyes from witnessing Hermione's tears that were all down to him.
"I do," he muttered gruffly only just loud enough to be heard over the crackling fire.
"Really?" Hermione looked up; she dared to wipe the tears from her cheeks and made her eyes lock Snape's.
"Well why wouldn't I? Your quite intelligent when away from your dunderheaded friends and I enjoy," he seemed to strain over this word, "conversation with you."
Hermione smiled to herself pleased that he found her as an equal, her mind jumped to the potion bubbling away upstairs, another reason for him to think her of intellectually sound mind.
"How do we stand?"She dared to begin to ask him.
"We stand as we did last night and this morning," Snape said slowly seemingly thinking it over with a twist of his glass.
"Friends?" Hermione held out her hand to Severus who, after a moment took it and squeezed it. Hermione smile at him, Snape dragged her hand towards him and pressed his lips to her skin eyes shut.
"So," she said teasingly, "how long have you fancied me then?"
Snape looked shocked at her brazen remark "Why Miss Granger I don't believe I've ever fancied anyone, what kind of question is that for an intellectual and what a colloquialism!"
He tented his fingers and surveyed her over them; she sat by his knee now crossed legged.
"I'm curious...ever seeking knowledge Severus," she smirked.
"A while", he replied cagily hoping she would drop the subject and be satisfied with his answer.
"How long's a while?" she pushed.
"Slughorn's Christmas Party," he rushed the answer.
"Noo!" Hermione rocked back and forth laughing, "When I was escaping Cormac Mclaggen and his tentacle hands?"
"The moment you put that revolting Dragon Ball in your mouth and I knew you to be of superior intelligence, only a clever woman would do something so stupid and have it work", Snape laughed his velvet chuckle.
Hermione blushed red at that, "It really was foul however I was smart enough to spit it out, as I remember Cormac was not!"
"Hmm how I remember the smell permeating from my shoes that night", Severus pulled a face. "Anyway A modicum of base charm and wandering hands was never going to capture your affections Hermione."
"So its Hermione now is it?"
"I believe that to be the name your parents gave you." Snape smirked.
"Does evasiveness take many years to master Professor Snape? It seems your ability to be infuriating can appear out of nowhere." Hermione retorted imitating his smirk.
"Touché' Miss Granger, however infuriation implies a deeper emotional attachment. It leads me to believe that any feelings you suspect I have are reciprocated if not surpassed. But then given your age and inexperience I imagine all feelings seem far greater and more intense than they actually are in the cold light of day."
"That's a very cynical assessment of our situation." She said quietly.
"Our situation being?" Snape laughed again.
"A roundabout apparently." She said with impatience. "Or a broken bloody record!"
"It may be broken but I feel with our combined skills it will be easily fixable", Snape bent down so his face was closer to Hermione's, she blushed with the proximity.
For a second she imagined he almost looked amused, amused perhaps too great a word. But he was definitely thawing; his steely persona seemed to want to warm yet only for her.
"Well they do say most things are fixable."
"Are you saying you would like me to fix you?" she asked.
"If only it were possible," he replied.
The irritation had vanished from her voice and a contented silence seemed to drape around them.
"You know Hermione there are very few people who can sustain a conversation with me, let alone sustain my interest in pursuing it. That alone tells me you are far more exceptional than anyone at Hogwarts would have you believe." He paused then added. "Everything becomes so remarkably straight forward."
"Then perhaps more is fixed than you think?" She suggested but he shook his head lightly, he undid his shirt buttons on the sleeves and rolled them up, the dark mark still brazen on his arm.
"There are some things that can only become a fixed moment in time, there is no remedy. But as a situation can change a person, so can a person change any situation. Here is proof."
Hermione stared at the Dark Mark she had never seen it up close before, it was hard not to feel revulsion for what it stood for, however she felt sadness towards the man who bore such an albatross. It was proof of what he just explained, that mark symbolised a fixed moment in time, a time that could not be erased. But like any mark, scar or burn it could be born and remembered as a time he would not return to for anything. Yet did it not make the present seem all the more poignant.
Severus looked down at Hermione and allowed a hand to fall onto her hair, petting the strands she shut her eyes not unlike Fawkes, the present brought such a fatigue, that he only wanted to allow himself to submit because of the young woman who now sat before him. Perhaps he had carried this tiredness round for as long as he could remember yet treat it as something tedious and obsolete so it was boxed away in a place deep within his mind until now.
"I love the feel of your hands, so unlike a potions master's," she purred breaking his reverie.
In all his life he never saw a sight further beyond the power of magic than what played out before him as Hermione slipped further into the trust of his touch.
"Magic Miss Granger, does not allows come from a wand", he gave her a knowing smile and suddenly her mind cast back to her mum's skin cream, she let the thought go knowingly.
Whichever of them relented to sleep first they were never sure, the hypnotic comfort of this cocoon like bubble they seem to be in, offered no other option that to give way. Hermione's eyes began to flicker with the late hour, warmth of the fire and Snape's soothing touch. Yet as muscle and bone relaxed, her head rested on Snape's knee and soon they fell willingly to sleep.