Disclaimer: Harry Potter-verse is all JK Rowling's.
A/N: I love your reviews, thanks to you all! And I'm happy to see all your feminist comments outraged at Godric Gryffindor's lack of tact too ^_^
Oops, I had to re-write this chapter, it was too boring, sorry for the additional delay but I only want the best for you...
Did you check out my new story "Patronus Totalus"? I want to have you thoughts on the first chapter to know if it's worth continuing. Thanks in advance, and happy new-year you all!
Chapter 25: Spinner's End
The trip to London had seemed longer than usual. Maybe because he, a respectable Slytherin who only wanted a quite ride home, had been forced to share the compartment with the annoying Marauders, and they were undoubtedly the most fidgety,noisy and ill-mannered batch he had ever had the misfortune to meet. It didn't help that he despised them as much as they despised him. But, Lily and Hermione had insisted, and he was too much of a gentleman to refuse, of course. However, there was no way he was going to be happy about it, especially because he had to watch his bushy-haired friend fuss over Lupin's ridiculous injury and Lily sit much too close to the Potter-prat for his comfort.
The ride in the Evans' car had been awkward too: Hermione and Petunia had been glaring at each other since their first encounter on platform 9 ¾ .
"Don't mind her sister." Severus had whispered, hoping Hermione would hear him in the busy train-station.
"Don't worry, I know all about that hag, and I'm really itching to hex her horsy face into something worse, if possible." she had muttered back, her hand twitching in her wand pocket. He didn't know what that was about, he had no clue that she knew Petunia, of all people, in the future, and wondered what the muggle woman could have done to anger a teenage witch that much. Not that he doubted Petunia would become a terrible person later on, that was a given, but she must have done something truly horrendous and unforgivable for Hermione to be seething mad with anger at the first glimpse of her.
When Mrs Evans had finally pulled the car over in his gloomy run-down street, where most of the street-lights didn't even work, Hermione had looked uncertain for a moment and he couldn't blame her. Severus tugged her sleeve inviting her to get down.
He heard her answer Mrs Evans that she would be delighted to visit Mrs Evans and Lily during her stay here, pointedly leaving out Petunia, and he chuckled at the poorly veiled insult, despite his growing apprehension.
His shabby childhood house was dark and forbidding. It hardly looked lived in, to tell the truth, it even seemed abandoned with it's unkempt lawn, half hanging shutters, crooked mailbox and peeling paint. It was a fair imitation of a muggle haunted house, he thought. But, Severus was already walking up to the front door refusing to look at his friend's face that no doubt would convey her disgust and bewilderment. Slytherins, almost all of them, came from old Pureblood families who had, if not power, at least money and properties. But her mother had been disowned by the Princes when she had married a penniless muggle, and so, they lived in this decrepit old shack. Looking back, Hermione seemed uncertain, as if she wanted nothing more but to turn tail and run away as far as possible. He couldn't blame her.
"I-I asked Dumbledore if you could stay with Lily instead, you know." he explained, once she had caught up with him, his shoulders and head drooping in shame. How he hated this house and all it represented. "But, he refused. Said we couldn't involve them in the mission."
The witch said nothing. Probably too disgusted for words.
"Whatever you do, avoid my...father." he shuddered at having to call him that, he even choked on the word in revulsion. "He's not there most of the time, so it should be manageable."
"Don't worry, I won't cause any problems." she promised. Not the reaction he had expected, but he'd take that any time over hysterical cries of horror.
Taking a deep breath, he knocked twice on the battered door and the ominous sound reverberated in the seemingly empty house, before a slip of a woman with dark hair strayed prematurely with grey, and sharp features, opened it.
"Mother." he greeted her neutrally.
Her face lit up when her eyes fell on her son, and she grabbed his hand tightly in hers as if to make sure it was really him.
"This is my friend, Mira." he told his mother, if only so she would let go of his hands, which she did after squeezing his hand one last time. Facing the bushy haired witch, Mrs Snape's eyes widened for a moment before welcoming her and inviting her in. Hermione looked pleased, a shame it wouldn't last long, he thought.
"It's the first time Severus has a friend coming over. I was very surprised to receive his letter." her mother chattered on while fixing the tea in the dingy kitchen. Hermione seated herself in one of the rickety wooden chairs while he elected the stool next to hers.
Handing the two teens their cups, she carried on, a bit embarrassed this time, and Severus let her talk, only too happy not to have to break the news to his friend.
"Hum...we don't have a guest room. I hadn't realised Severus would be inviting a girl..." Mrs Snape looked briefly at her son as if it was the stupidest thing he had ever done. "I'm afraid you'll have to share his bedroom."
Hermione looked bewildered by the suggestion Then, she craned her neck towards the entrance and snapped it back, looking at her hostess.
"Surely, I can sleep on the sofa?" she said as if it was obvious.
His mother looked at Severus reproachfully and he shrugged it off. It wasn't as if Dumbledore had given him a chance to make other arrangements anyway, so he wasn't going to feel guilty about the situation on top of it.
"I'm sorry, dear, but that's impossible. My husband mustn't see you. He's never here during the day, but..." she didn't finish her sentence as she knocked over her teacup and fussed with a sponge, trying to clean the spilt liquid rapidly. Severus spied Hermione looking strangely at his mother who was flustering about in a very muggle way and he could just see the cogwheels turning in her head.
"Well, I guess that means you're not my dear son's girlfriend then?" she concluded with an exaggerated sigh, throwing the sponge in the sink and smirking at her son. Severus and Hermione were bright red with embarrassment but he was secretly happy to see his mother still had a nasty Slytherin streak for vengeance. He had let her break all the bad news after all and she was making him pay for it.
"Such a shame and you're such a pretty girl too." Hermione started to sputter a denial but the older woman just continued talking as if she hadn't spoken to anyone in ages and was enjoying the opportunity to do so. Severus sadly realized it was probably the case. "Maybe I can change your mind if I tell you a few choice stories of little Sevvie before he went to Hogwarts?" Mrs Snape proposed snidely. To the young man's horror, this was turning out to be a nightmare. And Hermione, that traitorous fiend, was nodding enthusiastically. He tried protesting, of course, to save his honour, but the two women ignored him and were happily chatting away and laughing, and he couldn't help but enjoy the homey feeling it procured him.
°0°0°0°
After an early dinner, Severus's mother sent the two friends up, reminding them to keep quiet. Hermione looked worried, with her brow furrowed and her teeth biting her lower lip, but she didn't ask him any personal questions, for which he was grateful. Maybe she didn't dare ask in front of his mother and she would badger him about it as soon as his bedroom door was closed. That would be so likke her... He groaned at the thought. However, if they were lucky, they could just avoid the feared patriarch all holidays, complete their mission, even visit Lily and, before they haad time to realise it, it would be time to go back to Hogwarts already. That cheered him up and gave him enough courage to open the door to his pathetic bedroom and let her in.
A single bed stood in one corner, her mother had put fresh sheets he noticed; a battered chest of drawers containing his few his second-hand clothes; a small table he used as a desk and a rickety wooden chair like the one in the kitchen was the only furniture. Several stacks of books lay in the other corner of the room, their various spines were the only touches of colour in the room.
To her credit, the witch didn't complain, didn't gasp in shock, or even whine, but threw her bag down next to the table and scuttled over to examine the books. Severus mused that she would have been happy with only the books in the room. She was really strange for a girl, even Lily was not that much of a book worm and he found it..endearing.
"Wow, you read a lot of muggle romance!" he heard her stifle a giggle.
"N-No...those must be my mother's." he lied, scowling "She must have stored them here." It was only half a lie after all, they had been her mother's before he secreted them all away for his own enjoyment.
"Well, you should read them if you really haven't. Jane Austen is one of my favourite authors, her heroes are so dreamy."
The wizard frowned in disapproval, he had found the novels fascinating but he hadn't found the heroes 'dreamy'. Actually, her characters were so flawed, he would hardly call them heroes at all. At least, it explained her horrendous choice of male friends, him included.
Hermione suppressed a yawn but her eyes were riveted to the bed longingly. It had been a long day, he conceded.
"Let's get some sleep, I'm knackered" he offered so she wouldn't feel bad. "Take the bed, I'll stay on the other side of the room, don't worry."
"What?" her voice shot waspishly. "What are you talking about?"
She hadn't seemed to mind sharing the room so much when her mother had informed the young witch but she was probably having second thoughts now.
"I could always try sleeping in a cupboard, or maybe outside?" he suggested. It wouldn't be the first time, it was cold, but he'd survive. There was a dog house down the road whose occupant had been accommodating in the past, but he was probably too big to fit now.
"What?" she repeated, a baffled look on her face. "Whatever are you talking about? You really think I would chase you from your own bed? What kind of a wicked hag do you take me for?" she asked incredulously.
"Well, I sure as hell can't make you sleep on the floor! I'm not that crass." he shot back.
She still looked puzzled.
"No, I mean, there's only one bed so it's only logical we share it." she explained as if he was a bit thick.
Hermione, ever-logical, even if it defeated all sense of self-preservation, moral conduct or intimacy in the process. He should have known , she had already fallen asleep once in his arms after all. Still, he looked dubious.
"The bed is awfully small you know." and he blushed just at the thought of being that close to her.
"Oh, that's easy to fix." she said, flicking her wand. The bed enlarged to not quite a double-sized bed.
"Circe! Are you crazy, witch?!" She had used magic out of school, Merlin help them! A ministry owl would be flying in any minute now, charging her for use of under-age magic.
"Huh?...Oh! No, don't worry, I don't have a trace." she said flicking her wand again to cast a warming charm on the room. "Since my wand doesn't exist yet. Technically. You didn't think Dumbledore would send me on a dangerous mission with nothing to defend myself, did you?"
His lack of response was answer enough for her and she huffed in annoyance.
"Why didn't you just transfigure a bed?" he inquired despite himself. Any other wizard, especially a Slytherin, would jump on the occasion to slither in bed with a beautiful witch but he had to point out a solution to save the witch's honour. He simultaneously slapped himself for his stupidity and congratulated himself for his gallantry.
"I could, but although it would look like a bed, it wouldn't be half as comfortable as a real one. Remember the last lesson in Transfiguration with the chairs..." she explained sheepishly and blushed. He only nodded, he wouldn't have minded a hard bed that much, really, but it would probably be a waste of time to protest any further and he was getting very sleepy.
"And imagine how happy your mother will be if she catches us both in bed." she teased, erasing the last of his doubts and making him blush furiously. She really didn't seem to mind at all... strange witch.
He quickly changed into his washed out pyjamas behind yet another transfigured privacy screen while Hermione did the same on the other side. It was lucky she was so good in transfiguration, it would make their stay a lot easier.
She was already in bed, pressed against the wall when he joined her. He hesitated at first, he had never shared a bed with anyone before. Today had definitely been a day for first-times, he told himself, and quickly slid in between the cool blankets when Hermione rolled her eyes at his hesitation. He had thought he would never be able to fall asleep with a girl next to him, but the day had been long and tedious, and he fell into a deep slumber as soon as his head had touched the pillow, not even hearing his friend's sleepy: "Good night, Sevvie."