I thank JKR for allowing us to play with her characters. As ever I make no money from this endeavour.
A/N: You have no idea how wonderful it is to reach 100 followers! Thank you.
No beta so please hop lightly over my mistakes :)
SS
She handed him a plain white box and smiled nervously. "I thought you might like this."
He eyed it suspiciously; aware of her expectant expression and not wanting to disappoint, he took the box and opened it, revealing its contents. He pushed aside several layers of paper tissue before he reached his gift. Inside was a deep purple waistcoat with a dark interwoven paisley pattern.
"I know you usually wear black, but I saw this the other day and I just thought it would be perfect for today," she commented, wringing her hands together. "I hope it isn't too... much."
Severus lifted it out of the box and held it up for inspection; it was a finely tailored item, one which wouldn't have been cheap. The more cynical side of him briefly wondered if she felt she had to dress him up in order to gain the acceptance of her parents. Never the less, he did like it, very much; even more so because it meant she had thought of him.
"You hate it don't you?" she whined, pitifully. "I knew should have kept to black."
"On the contrary, I like it very much." He reached over to grab her wrist, pulling her towards him and bestowing a gentle kiss on her forehead. "You are too kind."
"I just thought it would look splendid on you. I do like you in a waistcoat." Severus thought he saw a suggestive look in her eyes, a look which would never grow old to him.
He slid the waistcoat on over his white shirt and fastened the buttons before glancing in her direction and presenting himself for her approval.
"Oh my, you do scrub up well," she gushed, grabbing his jacket from the back of the chair and handing it to him, before kissing his cheek. "Come on, let's get a move on."
SS
They Apparated inside a shed at the bottom of her parents garden; Granger had thoughtfully informed him that her father had moved the lawnmower, as if the occasion necessitated such an action.
He noticed, as they walked up the path towards the back door, how immaculately her parents' garden was presented. The neatly trimmed lawn was surrounded by flowering plants, it was a sea of purple. He remained silent as they approached the door; the glance she gave him as he took in surroundings felt anything but reassuring.
"My mum likes purple," she whispered as she knocked on the door.
Severus swallowed as the door began to open; he understood now that her 'gift' had a purpose. He felt set up.
"Hermione, darling!" Her mother, wearing an apron over a purple floral print blouse, rushed forward and pulled her daughter into a warm embrace. "Your Dad is a just setting the table."
"Mum, this is Severus, Severus, this is my mum, Jean."
Granger's mother was a well presented sort of woman; her shoulder length, brown, hair had been neatly styled and was a far cry from Granger's wild mass. He was struck by how little she had changed from the photograph in had seen on Granger's mantle. Severus shifted his gaze up from her daughter to meet Jean Granger's own. He tried to read her expression, but was found wanting; if anything he noticed that she seemed to avoid looking him in the eyes, which seemed curious.
"Yes, well, welcome Severus, please do come in." She ushered him through the door. "May I take your jacket?"
"I would be most grateful." He slid the jacket off just in time for Mr Granger to trot through the door, into the kitchen.
"Let me take that," he offered, reaching out to take hold of the jacket. "Oh, nice waistcoat."
"It was a generous gift, from your daughter," he replied, casting a knowing glance at Granger.
"Severus, this is my Dad, Laurence."
"Call me Larry."
"I am delighted to meet you," Severus lied as he shook the man's hand, firmly. It wasn't that he didn't wish to meet her father, it was more the image of being marched out to the back garden at gun point that he couldn't get out of his head. Laurence Granger also appeared to be dressed up for the occasion, wearing a light blue cashmere jumper and neatly ironed grey trousers. Severus notice that he too, was avoiding eye contact, which was most irritating.
"Mum, I thought we were having a roast dinner?" Granger drifted over to the stove.
"Well, yes, we were, but your father and I were talking and we decided it might be nice to do something a bit..." she waved her hands around dramatically as if it meant something. "...to mark the occasion." Jean wiped her hands on her apron and reached for a pair of lilac oven gloves.
"Is this...?" Granger began, clearly surprised as she lifted a lid on one of the several pans on the stove top.
"Indeed it is," replied Laurence proudly. "Shall we leave your mother to it and make our way to the living room.
Granger took Severus' arm and squeezed it as they walked; presumably the gesture had met to reassure him, unfortunately, it did not.
"Would you care for a drink? A glass of wine perhaps?" Laurence waved a corkscrew in the air cheerfully. "I've got white." He turned to open a mahogany cabinet removed a bottle."I've also got sherry, gin, or vodka."
"A sherry would suffice, if I may." He definitely needed a drink.
"Oh jolly good choice! Of course I wanted to offer you a Martini, but Hermione wouldn't let me." Laurence winked and reached for a sherry class.
"Dad!"
Severus turned to Granger and raised an enquiring eyebrow.
"It isn't important," she mumbled at him.
"Please take a seat Severus, I don't think dinner will be long; Jean likes to be punctual at all times." Laurence also poured himself a glass of sherry and gestured for them to take a seat on a brown leather sofa situated at the other end of the room, under the bay window.
"Hermione tells me you also work at the hospital."
As Severus sat in the corner of the sofa he was grateful that the initial topic of conversation was professional; his personal history wasn't the easiest to discuss at the best of times. "I do. I develop potions, remedies if you will, to be used at the hospital. Occasionally we might have something we can license out."
"Sounds like some top class stuff. It must be interesting?" Laurence asked, taking his seat by the ornate fireplace.
"It has its moments, I can assure you." Severus sipped at his sherry, it was very good.
"Do you miss teaching?" Laurence asked. "It won't be more than a few years until Jean and I retire; I am looking forward to it, but then I wonder if I will miss the practice and the patients."
"Teaching was something I fell into, it wasn't a calling; in fact, I am rather relieved not to be teaching. I do have an apprentice who works for me, but it isn't the same as room full of, largely uninterested, children."
"Hermione used to love school, didn't you Hermione?" Laurence teased.
"Yes and I'm sure Severus doesn't wish to talk about my school days, Dad," she admonished with a slight grimace.
Laurence laughed. "Yes, I suppose we have all moved on."
Severus looked down into his sherry glass.
"Severus is at the forefront of medicinal potions research, aren't you?" Granger offered proudly.
"Lunch is ready," Jean interrupted their conversation and called from the kitchen.
"Thank goodness, I am so hungry," Granger leapt from where she had been sitting and all but bolted out of the room.
Severus followed but stopped abruptly in the doorway to the dining room; she had been right, a roast dinner it was not. Instead, in the middle of an ornately decorated dining room table, was a large serving platter, brimming with every type of seafood he had ever seen and a few he was certain he hadn't tried. Had be been asked, he would have admitted to being slightly intimidated, something which didn't happen to him often.
"I've brought the wine," declared Laurence as he moved past Severus to enter the room. "Not a bad spread; what do you think Severus?"
"It looks quite overwhelming."
"You sit down here, next to Hermione," Laurence gestured to a chair on the other side of the table. "Jean has become rather addicted to those cooking programmes on the T.V., not that I'm complaining." He rubbed his stomach appreciatively. "I never know what's going to be for dinner these days."
Severus sat and placed his serviette across his lap; after which, Granger gave his thigh a supportive squeeze under the table, for which he was grateful.
"Blast! I've left the corkscrew in the other room." Laurence slipped out of the dining room, leaving Severus alone with Granger.
"I have no idea what these are," Severus whispered, gesturing at the cutlery. "I don't even now how to eat half of these things without using magic to get them open."
"This is a seafood fork," Granger smiled, pointing, "and this is used to crush the shell open. If it would make you feel more comfortable just use magic. Mum and Dad won't mind."
She wasn't to know how much it hurt his pride to admit to such a deficiency. He was reminded that she was brought up in the midst of middle class affluence, with all that it entailed, and he had been brought up in an industrial mill town by an alcoholic muggle and a witch trying to suppress her need to perform magic. He had bettered himself and slipped the noose of his parents creation; however, opportunities to dine on whole lobsters and other shelled sea creatures had still been few and far between.
"This little water bowl is to clean your fingers; it gets rather messy otherwise," she added, almost as an afterthought.
"Right, there we go. Wine Severus?" asked Laurence as he whisked back into the room.
"Yes, thank you." At least he was safe with wine; he knew wine.
"Hermione?"
"Of course," she smiled.
Laurence and Jean set about organising plates and bowls of accompaniments before taking their seats. "Dig in everyone," Jean instructed proudly.
"This all looks... interesting." Severus responded, honestly.
"Thank you Severus," replied Jean. "I hope it eats as well as it looks. Help yourself to a lobster, there's one each and don't forget the moules, the white wine sauce is to die for, even if I do say so myself."
Severus did as instructed and lifted one of the lobsters and set it down on Granger's plate, before serving himself. "Is there anything else you would like?" he asked, thinking it was rather comical to see a dinner plate with a single whole lobster planted in the middle.
"Some salad would be nice."
He served her first before himself, hoping it would delay the moment when would have to try and eat the blotchy red beast with dignity. He glanced over at Granger, who had already pulled both claws off and had already begun working on removing the tail.
"Use that bowl next to your Dad for shells," Jean instructed, before throwing what looked like half of her lobster in to said bowl.
It looked simple enough and as it turned out that he had very little problem with the lobster or the scallops. The crab legs had been a little more interesting, but the little seafood fork had done the trick and he was confident that he hadn't made a compete idiot of himself.
The dinnertime conversation had been very mundane and consisted of amusing dentistry stories, their interest in his occupation and Granger's manifestation of magic as child. Severus was beginning to feel that he might be able to get along with Laurence and Jean Granger.
"Let me clear these plates and I'll grab the trifle." Jean got up from her chair and expertly stacked their dinner plates and whisked them into the kitchen. "Hermione, can you give me hand," she called.
There were a few moments of silence before Laurence spoke. "So, Severus, our Hermione must be keeping your on your toes?"
He inwardly groaned, this was exactly the type of small talk he was hoping to avoid; open questions, leading to potential disaster. He wiped his mouth with his serviette before setting it back across his thighs."Indeed, though I have never been the type to back away from a challenge."
Laurence laughed heartily. "Yes, she's a challenge, alright. She was always one to know her own mind though, even when she was a little girl."
Severus decided it was best not to comment and skirted around the fact that he had known her, in a limited capacity, since she was eleven. "Would you mind telling me where I may find the bathroom?"
"Not at all; just down the hall, on the left."
On his way back he faintly heard the faintly hushed voices of Granger and her mother coming from the kitchen.
"... rather old... could do better... for a long time..."
"... like Ron... get... of... for good..."
Their voices were suddenly drowned out by the sound of drawers being opened and closed. Severus felt as if he had an pixie flying around in his stomach.
"Don't see why... make do... shouldn't settle..."
He'd heard enough and it was obvious that her mother disliked him. Since Granger had first asked him to meet her parents he had felt anxious; he knew it was unlikely they would take well to the news that their daughter had taken up with him, but he was still surprised to find her mother's distaste aired before he'd even left the premises. He'd been a fool to have hope. With a heavy heart, Severus returned to the dining room and took his seat.
"Hermione said you're from the north somewhere?" Laurence asked, pouring himself yet another glass of wine, oblivious to Severus' sinking mood.
"Not exactly the north," he corrected. "I was brought up in Cokeworth, in the Midlands."
"Oh that's a very pretty part of the country. We used to take Hermione to Stratford when she was little, introduce her to a bit of Shakespeare."
If only he knew how dissimilar the two places were from each other. Before Severus could reply, the two women returned, Jean carrying a large bowl of trifle."I know it is a little old fashioned, but I saw Nigella the other night and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to give this one a try," she said proudly. "Not only that, a little bird told me that this was someone's favourite dessert."
Severus looked over to Granger who was smiling so proudly he thought she might overexert herself. "I wanted to make today special," Granger whispered in his ear. "I know you missed out on the roast, but I hope this makes up for it."
"You're too kind." Severus replied to Jean, evenly. "I am fond of trifle." Trifle was the ultimate comfort food as far as he was concerned; there was something homely about sweet custard over layers of booze soaked lady fingers, topped off with jelly, that he couldn't resist. But why was this woman torturing him with her false kindness?
"This one has a bit of a twist; I soaked the cake in cherry liqueur and filled the jelly full of whole cherries, so we'll see how we get on." Jean set the bowl down the middle of the table. "Dad, do the honours, will you."
It was honestly the best trifle he had ever had the pleasure of savouring; whilst he had been somewhat sceptical about the cherry liqueur, he had to admit, it was sublime. Severus dabbed his serviette across his lips. "Jean, I thank you for lunch, the trifle was a particular highlight." He had resolved to make an effort, for Granger.
"Mum, that was amazing!"
"Well, I am pleased you both enjoyed it." Severus noted that Jean appeared a little nervous."Shall I get everyone a coffee?"
SS
"That wasn't so bad now, was it?" Granger asked cheerfully, as she closed the door to her flat. "I think I'd call that a success!"
Severus raised a sceptical eyebrow. "Mmm," he replied, taking off his jacket.
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing," He hung the jacket on the back of one of the dining chairs and sat down to remove his boots.
"Severus, if something is the matter, I would rather know about it." He looked up to see Granger standing in front of him with her hands on her hips and a concerned look upon her face.
Eager not to ruin her mood he decided to reveal some, but not all, of his scepticism. "Did you notice that neither of your parents looked me in the eye all afternoon?"
"Is that all?" Granger smiled, seeming relieved. "I know why that might be... and I am sorry."
"Excuse me?" He pulled off the second boot and placed the pair neatly under the table.
"I told them you could read people's minds. I said it was how you survived working with the Death Eaters." Granger moved away and walked through to the kitchen; he followed. "And before you say anything, I know it isn't strictly 'mind reading', but my parents aren't going to appreciate the difference."
For a few moments he was speechless, before he responded with a brusque,"I see." Severus wasn't sure he felt about her parents being aware of such a skill. Was it something they really needed to know? Would they forever been suspicious of him when having a simple conversation? "Perhaps it would be worth your time to explain legilimency more fully and relieve them of their paranoia."
Granger reached over to a small earthenware jar next to the kettle and removed two teabags. "I assume you'll want tea?" she asked, casually. He nodded. "I'll speak to them next time I see them; I honestly don't think it's a problem."
Severus lent against the door frame and crossed his arms defensively across his body. "Perhaps that's because it isn't my parents who are suspicious of you and think you're out to read their innermost thoughts over dinner?"
She actually laughed. "They're not 'suspicious'; I actually thought they rather liked you, especially Dad."
"Well, your father is a bit of a drinker, so I don't think his opinion really matters at this juncture," he countered. "Did you happen to notice how many glasses of wine he drank over dinner? Perhaps he was having to drown his sorrows at the thought of his little girl taking up with a man almost twice her age."
"Now you're just being silly," she sighed, pouring hot water in to each of the two mugs. "If they were that bothered they would have said something to me, which they haven't, so you'll just have to learn to accept that my dad is rather fond of you."
He decided there was nothing to be gained in pressing the issue.
"Anyway," Granger stepped over and wound her arms around his waist, "my opinion is the only one that matters."
As she tilted her head up and kissed him hungrily, he thought she might just be right.