With Severus fast asleep in the seat across from her, it left not much for Hermione to do but read and as hard as she try, watching Severus got her mind wandering past the words in her books; She hadn't once given thought to his home life, never having a reason to and maybe not caring about his upbringing as much as she should of as it could have explained the way he was when she knew him, and maybe given her a whole new perspective on why he was always so crass and secretive. Going there, it was only natural to begin wondering.
The form in front of her, choosing to wear his school robes home instead of dress down for the occasion led her to believe that maybe he didn't have clothes that fit him, never seeing him without at least school cloak covering him even on the days when students were allowed to wear whatever they pleased. Or, maybe he just wanted to make a good impression on his family, the uniform making him look sharp, demanding respect. Then again, Severus did say that they barely recognized him when he was around, and Hermione couldn't help but feel that maybe it was to help boost his own spirits; a reluctance of sorts to leave the castle behind, going home in his uniform gave him enough confidence to leave.
His mother, she imagined, would be dressed in a quilted robe, fraying at the ends, maybe a few lopsided curlers twirled in badly dyed hair, a cigarette hanging loosely from her lips as she shuffled around the house in a hypnotic state, eyes sunken in and dark from hours of trying to remember why she went into a room and not finding an answer. A wand, broken, held carelessly in a hand that sputtered and sparked as she tried to clean up pots and pans that were stacked high in the kitchen sink.
His father, Hermione could see an overweight and drunken blob snoring in front of a TV set, a greasy and sweaty tank top, stained a yellow shade of white from days of not changing, a cheap yellow chain around his neck, a fake Rolex falling off his wrist, the tabletops around him piled high with food wrappers and empty beer cans, ashtrays that were fully beyond their limits. Every once in a while, Hermione imagined him waking up with a snort and yelling lazily for his wife to get him another 'cold one,' focusing in and out on the television while he fought lethargy.
The parents she thought up seemed to fit Severus, the kind that would have forgotten his existence and abused his need for things that would help him grow, poor and empty, causing him to lose himself in studying and school if only to make a better life for himself.
She thought about his house, what walls would surround her for the next few weeks, and quickly thought up peeling wallpaper, a few holes that needed patching. Carpets stained and in dire need of a good vacuuming. It seemed small to her, just as broken as his parents, weeds and dirt taking over the yard, bushes overgrown, a cracked cement walkway that led from a rusting gate to their front door, of which was falling off its hinges. The screen door not even a door, more of a decoration placed aside, having fallen from its support a long time ago, resting against splintery wood shingles of the house.
Orange. The lights in the house that worked were flickering in a few rooms, a sickly shade of orange. Severus's room tiny and cramped, a squeaky bed and dusty mattress with a lopsided desk, but he'd have books crammed into every available space. A window fan on its last legs trying hard to move air through the room, blowing around a chain that turned on his only light in the middle of his ceiling.
Yes, that seemed about right, and it hurt thinking about it, but was unable to quit. By the time the train pulled into Kings Cross she had made up her mind that, along with her own things to do, she'd spend her winter break assisting and fixing all she could to make the house livable and at least make his mother beautiful again.
Gathering together what little belongings she had managed to get through the weeks at Hogwarts, she followed Severus off the train and onto the platform, scanning all the people around them to see if she could see the people she thought up standing there waiting for them, and almost lost Severus in the rush of greetings. Hurrying to catch up, she continued following him into the Muggle world and out of the station to the curbside where Severus hailed a cab.
"Your parents aren't greeting us?" Hermione asked as she scooted across the backseat to make room for Severus. He shook his head, telling the driver his address then turned to Hermione.
"They never do. Quite normal." He explained not seeming bothered by it, adjusting his own suitcase between his legs as the cab took off.
"Did you let them know I was coming?" She asked and Severus nodded.
"I sent an owl last night before bed."
The cab took them down streets Hermione hadn't been before and a few she only recognized by a shop or two that her mother had taken her to when she was young. The city soon grew dark, separate neighborhoods of houses gave way to row homes, and the air grew murkier. Severus stopped the cab at the end of a block, handed him some money, and tugged Hermione out of the car. She had expected some kind of squalor, but did not imagine a block of it. She watched the cab drive away, shouldered her belongings, and followed Severus down the street, letting him lead the way until he stopped and turned to a doorway of one of the identical row houses, sighing.
"Here it is." He said. "Home."
No screen door, no weeds in a yard-as there was no yard to begin with-just a looming brick building that appeared on the outside more like a prison than anything. She followed him through the door, and was pleasantly surprised to see an inside that had been well kept, though still dark as it was lit only by candlelight. He began to lead her to a staircase, but they did not get far as a woman called out to him from beyond the living room they passed upon entering. Severus stopped, winced, and turned slowly.
"Severus!" The woman, dark eyes under thick eyebrows stared at them and Hermione could see where Severus got his stare from, was putting on an earring and adorning the outside of her wrist that faced them was a small star tattoo, she was tall and too skinny, slightly hunched. Her black, shiny hair was pulled back into a fancy twist, she had on a darkly colorful airy blouse tucked into a high waisted, simple black skirt that hugged her curves and showed off long legs that ended in a pair of matte stilettos.
"Hello, mother." Severus greeted. The woman smiled lightly flashing her eyes to Hermione, her hand dropping from her ear.
"You must be the young lady Severus wrote about. I'm Eileen." She didn't move to shake her hand, or even gave off an impression that she wanted to greet her son further in any way. "It's great to have you, please make yourself at home. Severus, I have to run out. Your father's at work, we'll both be home late." She grabbed behind the wall, pulling a small, black clutch from behind it, tucked it under her arm and kissed the air at him. They watched her leave and Hermione heard a breath being let out of Severus, long and slow.
"She seems nice." Hermione said, following Severus up the stairs and into a narrow hallway.
"She's not too bad." He agreed. "Always busy, though." He guided her into a room she took as his, candles burst in to life as he entered, the furniture in good condition, no squeaky window fan, no lopsided desk. For the most part, it looked like any other room she had ever been in, one that belonged to a normal teenaged boy. Severus pushed his luggage next to the wall and led her back out into the hallway, opening the door next to his and showed her in.
"The guest room. Sheets should be fresh, the window sticks a bit if you open it, just give it some elbow grease and it'll open fully." He let Hermione discard her bag, then took her down the hall introducing her to his parents room and the bathroom, the toilet room, then ended the grand tour downstairs with the library, living room and kitchen. The whole house small, but far beyond her expectations, her shock not also going unnoticed by Severus.
"Expected something different?" He asked bluntly and Hermione pressed her lips together in guilt. Severus smirked.
"I'm sorry." She said. "Your family and personal life was never known in my time and I only guessed what it could have been like for you."
"I'm sure you're not the only one."
Hermione looked around the living room, shelves on the walls filled with a few books and picture frames that were not magic by any means. Most of them were of an elderly couple, placed around an urn of tarnished silver. She pouted slightly, and then looked back to the kitchen.
"What does your mother do?" She asked.
"I'm not exactly sure." Severus answered blankly. "I've come to believe she doesn't work, actually. Spends most of her time in company of other well-to-doers, I prefer not to ask."
"And your father?"
"Real estate." He answered quickly. "He sells all over the country."
"Impressive." Hermione's eyebrows lifted. "Forgive me for saying this, but it's not at all what I expected. Better than what I could have guessed."
"Picture perfect family." Severus added, then shook his head. "Only to outsiders, I'm afraid. Their two loves in this world are money and fighting...by the way, don't be alarmed if you hear them going off in the middle of the night."
"Oh."
"And I wouldn't try stopping them either." He gave a direct and pointed look to Hermione who looked away quickly.
"Go easy on the magic around him." Severus added. "He's a stubborn muggle there if there ever was one, though he appreciates its properties of cleaning quickly, anything else sets him off."
Hermione imagined a slave driver, calling Eileen and Severus to his side and pointing out places in the house that needed cleaning, demanding it from his family who looked eerily akin to Harry's Uncle Vernon.
"That's horrible." She said. Severus shrugged.
"Unless it's beneficial to him, he will do all he can to not allow it."
"Beneficial?"
"If it doesn't earn him money or makes his life easier, he doesn't care about it. I think it's the biggest reason they fight all the time, he sees my mother and me as nothing more than an inconvenience."
"Why doesn't your mother leave?" Hermione asked carefully, but sincerely.
"She couldn't make it on her own." Severus said. "Her family disowned her after the marriage, all she's known is how to depend on my father to survive. As much as my father resents her, I have a feeling if she left he'd make life harder for her."
"And if you stayed, you'd probably end up taking most of that backlash." Hermione said, finishing his sentence. Severus remained quiet.
"Hungry?" He said, if only to change the subject. "I figured we can eat and then go check on Lily while it's still early."
Hermione agreed, though the sun was setting, Lily's disappearance from the school for the past week had concerned her and knew it would cheer Severus up from having to return home.