Hermione was increasingly falling in love with Cape Town. It wasn't like she and Snape visited anywhere else in the city besides the alley where they usually apparated and the marina restaurants, but every time she thought about the location, she felt a little warmth in her heart. Snape gave her tips on how to successfully apparate for distances as long as that: it was the details.
"That chipped brick," - he pointed to the base of a building – "that window frame with the peeling paint, that pole with the lamp always flickering... These are the things I think about when I apparate here. Because I know they are unique, nowhere else in the world has that same half-painted door." - he pointed to each of the things while announcing.
This allowed her a new approach to apparition and she was confident that she would be able to get her license without difficulty when the time was right.
"Before I forget," - Hermione said as soon as they sat down at the restaurant table – "we need to reschedule tomorrow's date."
"Did something happen?"
"Not really. It is just the only time available that Professor Firenze had to see me."
"I was under the impression that you weren't taking Divination this year." - he commented casually.
"Since when are you aware of my timetable?" - she teased.
"Since I need to adapt my schedules to yours." - he replied and she blushed.
"I need to ask him some questions about Earth Magic. It is entirely your fault for encouraging me."
"If I had known that the result would be you canceling our meetings, I would not have encouraged you." - he joked. "You suck and are incapable of Earth Magic. Can we still see each other tomorrow?"
"I didn't say cancel, I said reschedule." - she laughed. She was never going to get used to the fact that Severus Snape had a sense of humor. "Those books in the Hogwarts library are horrible, you were right to say they are extremely dated. But there is an interesting part about the four elements and how the star signs affect the channeling ability of Earth Magic. I thought it was worth having a conversation about it with someone who understood the subject. The problem is that unlike a certain teacher who knows how to be extremely unpleasant in the classroom to the point of frightening any student interested in asking questions out of class, Professor Firenze has a busy schedule."
"I assure you that the reason the centaur has such a busy schedule is due little to his friendliness, and more to his silver hair and blue eyes." - Snape replied in an almost hurt tone.
"He did ask me to fill out a form with the reason for my appointment request... So, I suppose you are right. It makes little difference to me." - she shrugged. "Blond hair and light eyes are not my type."
"So, let's do this: no dinner tomorrow night. But you can find me in my office after talking to Firenze."
Hermione's complexion turned into a teasing look.
"Just to chat!" - he raised his hands. "I'm genuinely interested in Earth Magic, in case you haven't noticed."
"Miss..." - Firenze searched for the name at the top of the form – "Granger. How can I help you this afternoon?"
"Professor Firenze." - Hermione greeted. "I thank you in advance for taking the time to help me out."
"Astronomy." - he was still consulting the parchment. "I did not imagine that a student as unenthusiastic about Divination as you would be interested in the subject. Even less now that you can choose what to study for your NEWTs."
"Well," - she blushed slightly – "my questions are about astronomy, but not about Divination, so to speak."
He lowered the parchment and frowned.
"I have all the respect for the area," - she hurried to justify herself – "it's just not in my immediate interest."
"It's okay, Miss Granger." - the centaur pointed to a chair by the window. "I was just starting the conversation, no judgment."
"What brought me here," - she said, sitting down in the indicated chair – "was... Well, I don't even know where to start. So, I organized my thoughts into questions. Would you mind?" - she said, unrolling a parchment she was carrying.
He nodded, encouraging her.
"How much does the position of the stars on a person's birth date influence their magical abilities?"
"Miss Granger, Astronomy and Divination in themselves are not exact sciences. Maybe that's why you're not so fond of them." - he smiled kindly. "You have a reputation among teachers of being a student more than dedicated to your studies and of having a voracious hunger for knowledge through books. I fear that perhaps my answers are not as enlightening as you expect. The position of the stars influences much or nothing in the magical abilities of beings."
Hermione sighed.
"What is the relation between the star signs and the elements of nature?" - she proceeded to the next question on the parchment.
"It is a division that is often more categorical than practical. There are twelve star signs and four elements of nature. Twelve is a number divisible by four, so the signs are assigned in groups of three to each of the elements. But like the answer to your previous question, it influences a lot or nothing in the nature of beings."
Sensing that he was not going to give her the expected answers, she skipped several of the following questions and went straight to the point.
"Are people born under signs attributed to the earth element more likely to channel Earth Magic?" - she read one of the last questions on the parchment.
"Hmmm..." - he pondered crossing his arms over his chest. "This is indeed an interesting question. What is your knowledge of Earth Magic?"
"Very little, I'm just starting my studies in this area. I came across the definitions of signs and elements with regard to channeling Earth Magic and I was lost. Then, I scheduled an appointment with you."
"You did well, Miss Granger. I think what has confused you is the term 'channel'. I assume that your curiosity arose because you were born under an earth sign and have been trying to channel Earth Magic. Am I right?"
She nodded. She was aware of the distress she would get into if someone found out that she was studying Earth Magic after a denial by the Ministry of Magic on the subject, but she had the impression that Firenze was not the gossip type. And even if he did, who in the Ministry would listen to a centaur? She did not have this prejudice, but the treatment that Dolores Umbridge had given the herd of centaurs in the Forbidden Forest earlier this year made it very clear what the government's policy was towards these creatures.
"So, let's see if I can help you clarify your thoughts. Yes, you who were born under an earth sign have Earth Magic in yourself. Just like all other organisms on Earth."
She frowned in confusion and Firenze smiled.
"All other organisms?" - she asked, confused.
"All of them. From non-humans like centaurs, goblins, giants to animals like dogs and cats. From plants like the smallest of herbs to the tallest of redwoods. From wizards and witches to muggles."
"Muggles have Earth Magic in them?"
"Yes." - he replied simply.
"Forgive me, Professor. But my parents are muggles and as much as I love them... I know how to recognize magic when I see it. And they have none."
"Didn't your mother produce you in her womb, with the help of your father?" - he asked in a cautious tone.
"Yes, but..."
"And how exactly did this happen?" - he interrupted.
Hermione blushed again. Of course, she knew how it happened, but it didn't mean she wanted to have the talk about where babies come from with a teacher.
"Just like a seed that is planted in fertile soil and generates a bud, so people are generated in their mothers' wombs. Answer me, Miss Granger: if a seed is planted in fertile soil in the wrong season, will it sprout?"
"Hardly."
"And likewise, a seed planted in a woman's womb at the wrong season hardly bears fruit. Far be it from me to try to make you look just like a receptacle where a man deposits his seed, or an object incapable of anything other than generating another being within itself. But there is a reason why human women are more successful in channeling Earth Magic. You have all the tools you need to do this. You just lack practice."
It took Hermione a few seconds to realize that he wasn't going to say anything else, so she moved on to the next question on her list:
"Is there an interactive relation between the star signs? From people, I meant." - she added almost immediately. "Is it possible that people together can collaborate in channeling Earth Magic?"
"Yes, it is possible. But how it works is still debated. There are those who say that people of the same star sign have easier interaction, others say that people of signs who are under the same element interact better. And there are also those who say that four people united, with different signs one under each element of nature, manage to achieve almost miraculous feats."
"How does one master the elements of nature and channel Earth Magic?" – it seemed like a stupid question. So stupid that it wasn't even written on the parchment, but Hermione felt the need to ask.
"We'd all like to know, wouldn't we?" - Firenze smiled. "Anyone who claims to be aware of the exact method of mastering the elements and channeling Earth Magic will be lying. In the same way that the leaves of a tree, no matter how large their quantity, are not equal to each other, so are people. And because they are not the same, they will never achieve the same results in the face of the same practices. So, Earth Magic, while extremely powerful and useful, cannot be taught in a classroom. No teacher, no matter how skillful, could teach someone exactly how to channel and dominate something as raw and inherent of the organisms as Earth Magic."
Hermione spent some good few minutes just absorbing everything Firenze had just told her. Her head seemed to be spinning before all possibilities.
"I see that my 'help'" - he actually drew quotation marks in the air – "has raised more questions than answered the ones you already had."
She smiled flatly.
"If you are really interested in exploring this, I suggest you get in touch with the elements. Walk barefoot on the grass, shower in the rain, feel the breeze blow through the treetops and, with all due care, watch the fire. My best guess is that these activities will give you more answers than I could ever give you."
Snape was sitting at his desk grading the essays of the fourth-year Ravenclaw. He hated teaching, especially the Ravenclaws. Contrary to the popular belief that they were extremely intelligent and dedicated, the truth is that they distorted everything with the goal of driving him crazy; that was the only explanation.
If it weren't for that, how could an essay with the title "The importance of hex-deflection" contain as much gibberish nonsense as the scrolls in front of him?
"A hex does not need to be defended if it is performed well enough"
"Defending a hex is just postponing a problem to tomorrow that should be solved today"
"The best defense is a good attack"
These were just some of the phrases contained in the works that he was stressed about grading at the moment. A mild migraine was beginning to form in the area behind his eyes. He decided at that very moment that for Ravenclaw from now on, no more essays: only multiple-choice tests. He didn't have the sanity to put himself in that situation for an entire year.
Suddenly the door to his office opened with a loud bang and Hermione Granger entered the room. She threw herself on the couch on the side wall and put her arm over her eyes, posing as if she were about to start a therapy session.
No one would ever dare enter his office without even knocking on the door first. No one but Hermione Granger. It was the perfect metaphor for what they were living now: she unceremoniously entered his life and let herself rest in his presence as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"How was the discussion with the centaur?" - he started piling the scrolls. The essays could wait.
"My head hurts." - she moaned.
"Conversations with centaurs usually have this effect. The only person I know who can be as evasive as they are when talking is Dumbledore."
"This Earth Magic thing is wearing me out. And I haven't even started practicing yet, all of this is just field research. I think I'm going to need philosophy books more than magic books to get the concept into my head." - she pressed her eyes with her thumb and forefinger.
"I have some volumes on relativism that I can lend you." - he teased. "You can read them on your free time."
"Like on Christmas break?" - she asked hopefully.
"I won't tell you where we're going, and that's final." - he smiled.
"I hate not knowing things and not being able to plan..."
"Are you listening to yourself? A minute ago, you were complaining that everything is too much and when I spare you the burden of worrying you complain too?"
"I was just wondering what kind of clothes I should pack." - she pretended innocence.
"Pack as if you were going to your parent's." - two can play this game, he thought.
"If I were going to my parents' I wouldn't need to pack, as I have clothes there."
"Nice try. Pack as if you have no clothes at your parents'." - he intertwined his fingers and took them to his nape, tilting the chair slightly back.
"I have a cat, and he goes home with me on the breaks. Is this place you're going to take me pet friendly?"
"How inconvenient is the beast?"
"As inconvenient as a cat can be." - she shrugged.
"It was not the answer I was expecting." - he crossed his arms over his chest.
"It is the truth. I will not be held responsible for your expectations." - Hermione commented, stifling a yawn.
This was getting too dangerous. Not only for the speed with which Hermione Granger was getting comfortable in his presence, but for the speed at which he was getting comfortable in her presence. This is going to be a hell of mess when they need to break up. Because Severus Snape knew this was the truth: no matter how much fun it was, eventually it was going to end. Like everything in his life.