Laurette shivered in the cold dungeon. She moved closer to the fire to try and get warm and to try and dry off. Her hair was drying in areas, but her clothes were still very much wet and uncomfortable. She sat with her knees to her chest before the flames.
Snape was only gone for a few moments. The flames turned green once again and he stepped through to return back to his office.
"I guess, I failed to ask. Did you wish to accompany Miss Granger?" He said as he looked down onto her, wondering why exactly she wanted to go to headquarters. He understood why she wouldn't want to go to the Weasley's home, but he thought the Granger household wouldn't be as chaotic. Molly would be busy with wedding planning after they all finally accepted Fleur into their family tonight when Bill's face was slashed by Fenrir Greyback, but Fleur still professed her love for her fiance. To be honest, prior to tonight, they had been a bit prejudice towards her since she was part veela.
Although he was relieved she did not want to go to either home. Both of those places were practically as unsafe as headquarters would be. Until the Death Eaters were caught, she truly needed to be somewhere that had a secret keeper. Severus could name a handful of Death Eaters that would love to take revenge on Laurette even though the war was over and they had lost.
Laurette shook her head. "I just want to be somewhere kind of alone to shower and just decompress after everything that happened today."
He noticed that she did look overwhelmed. He considered allowing her to use his personal quarters, but the space was limited. Severus would have to sleep on the couch, and he did not consider allowing a student into private quarters, especially his bed, to be appropriate behavior.
Before starting his alternative plan "You still need a medical examination."
She let out an irritated sigh. "Fine, can you just get it over with?"
Severus eyed her, "Stand." She did, and he held out his wand and slowly held it from her head to her toes.
A light around her entire body glowed green, but there were blue portions on various parts of her body, such as her arms, legs, and ribs. "You do have a minor concussion, but other than that, you don't appear to have any serious injuries. You will be in pain from the bruising tomorrow, and you need rest for the concussion to heal." He looked away from her body and back to her eyes. He always felt uncomfortable when he had to give an example such as that to an underage female.
"Since your injuries are minor though, you can recover elsewhere. My home would be secure. I am my own secret keeper, and I have guest quarters." He didn't know what other location to offer her. If she didn't want to be around many other people, the options were incredibly limited. He considered that he could have asked Minerva, but part of Severus wanted to watch over Laurette for himself. He knew what Death Eaters to be wary of until their capture.
"Sure," she shrugged. "I don't know where else I could go any way." He noticed a tone in her voice that was unfamiliar. He wondered if she was upset about something. He couldn't blame her if she was. Not only had she ended a war and was extremely worn through from the experience, she had just saved the wizarding world, yet she had hardly anywhere she could even go in the world that she just risked her life for.
"Can we go?" She said with a curt tone. Her wet clothes were really starting to irritate her, and truthfully, she did feel slightly disposable. She knew everyone was glad that she was alive, but she realized that no one except for Snape was making sure that she was okay and had somewhere to go.
"We will side-along apparate. Please hold my arm." Severus held out his arm, and she stood to take it. A moment later, she felt the uncomfortable feeling of being squeezed over and over again. It was hard to breathe.
At last, it stopped. Her legs were unsteady and she felt sick. However, Snape held her up while she regained her balance. "That was bloody awful." She stated when she finally felt somewhat normal.
"Side-along can be more bothersome than apparating independently." He stated with a calm voice, and they walked up the street a few paces.
Laurette looked around. It appeared to be a rough area. Some of the houses had boards over their windows. Each house looked as though it could use a fresh coat of paint and some gardening.
They approached one of the houses, and with many swishes and flicks of his wand, the door opened. Laurette stepped in, expecting the home inside to match its dated outside appearance, but she was surprised.
It was minimalistic, other than large bookshelves that covered many of the walls, full of texts, potions, and knickknacks. The rich green wallpaper accented the dark wood floors and cozy-looking furniture. She noticed the Potions Master removed his shoes, so she did the same. The rugs on the floor were plush as she followed him into his home.
"Here are my guest quarters." He opened a door to reveal a large room with the bathroom attached. Little did she know, this was once his parents' bedroom. Severus expanded his own childhood bedroom over the years and connected a bathroom to it as well, but for some reason, he was never wanting to sleep in his parents' room.
The walls inside the room were a faded turquoise color with a gold design. A large bed with cream-colored bedding was in the middle of the room. There was also a dresser with a TV on the wall across from the bed. A chandelier came down from the ceiling and there were also lamps in various places in the room. Further, there was even a fireplace with a small couch.
"The bathroom is there," he pointed to a door within the room. "You should be able to find any necessary toiletries under the sink. I will leave you to yourself for the time being." He noticed her clothes now. "Further, I will try and find some suitable clothes. I will spell them onto your bed when I find them."
"Thank you, professor." She spoke softly.
"You did very well today, Potter. Let me know if you need anything additional."
She nodded, and he left the room. She couldn't believe how luxurious his home was. Moving across the room, she entered the bathroom. It was similar dark academia styled aesthetic like the rest of the home, but there was a bit more of an industrial feel to this room.
The tiled floor felt warm under her feet, and she wondered what kind of spell allowed for that. There was no shower, but there was a clawfoot tub. A nearby shelf had large cream-colored towels. She touched one, and they were warm as well.
Looking under the wide sink's cupboard, she found a magnitude of potions and even muggle toiletries. After reading the labels, she kept out a few that she would use on her hair and body. Soon the tub was full of warm water, and she undressed to slip inside the water.
When she undressed, she could see a massive bruise already forming on her shoulder and hip from where she landed on the ground from Hagrid's arms. Her ribs ached as well, as though it was troublesome to take a full breath.
Nonetheless, she slid into the tub. The water soothed her. She couldn't even remember the last time that she took a bath. The most recent time that she could think of is when she had the egg in the prefect's bathroom during her fourth year. She vowed to always have a bathtub when she became older and had her own place to live.
When her fingers felt like prunes, and she truly wanted to go to bed, she brought herself out of the tub and wrapped herself in a fluffy ivory towel. The towel was warm already, and she knew there had to be some sort of spell on them to always feel that way.
Peeking outside, she looked to make sure no one was in the guest room. Snape had said he would spell the clothes onto her bed, but she wanted to make sure she was alone before stepping into the room with only a towel.
A pair of grey cotton pajamas were folded on the bed. She put the long pants and long-sleeved shirt on, forgoing any undergarments since she didn't have any except for what she was wearing previously. Looking in the dressing table mirror, she adjusted the collar and pressed some of the water out of her hair with a towel.
She went back into the bathroom to hang her damp towel, and when she returned to the bedroom, there was a plate with a sandwich and teacup that had appeared on her bedside table. She made a note to thank the professor tomorrow, she was incredibly hungry, and a sandwich in bed with tea sounded divine. Further, a vial was next to the plate. It was labeled as a pain-relieving potion. She quickly downed that, her body already ached as though she had run a marathon today. She didn't even want to think about how she would feel tomorrow.
Laurette couldn't remember falling asleep. When she awoke, she opened her eyes in the luxurious room to see the empty plate and teacup sitting on the table next to her. She sat up, and she realized her entire body hurt dreadfully.
A smell of breakfast met her nose. Crawling out of bed, she at least put on her bra from yesterday. She winced as she moved her arms to clasp it behind her back. She needed another pain-relieving potion. Slowly, she went down the stairs. When she put her bra on, she noted that the entire side of her body was bruised from her massive fall onto the stone courtyard ground. She was lucky that she landed in a way where she didn't smash her head on the ground.
"Hungry, Potter?" He asked when he heard her enter the room by creaks in the floorboards.
"I didn't know you cooked." She stated. Last summer he had used magic to create all of their food.
"Yes, I don't mind it when I am in the comfort of my own kitchen." He eyed her as she slowly moved into a chair at the kitchen table.
He still wore his black dress slacks with a white collared shirt. She wasn't necessarily surprised. That is what he wore each day last summer as well. The only time she saw him in something different was last year when he dressed as a muggle to take her to the train on the first day back to school.
He slid eggs onto a plate in front of her and he took another pain-relieving potion vial from his pocket. She murmured thanks as he flicked his wand for the toast to start buttering itself once it came up from the toaster.
He poured the tea, and they both sat down. Laurette couldn't believe the eggs. They were even better than those at school. He seasoned them in a way that she'd never had them before. She complimented the meal to which he offered his thanks.
"Your owl arrived this morning-"
"She did? I'm so relieved. I knew she probably left the castle, but I didn't know if she'd find the place with the fidelius charm on it.
"Additionally, I suggest you make a list of anything you will need for a few months. I do not know when Diagon Alley will be safe for you, and your possessions were lost in the destruction of the castle. My school assigned house-elf will be stopping by later today with some of my items that I will need for the summer. I do not foresee myself returning to the castle until the fall term."
He then eyed her before continuing, "You will need to make a list for my elf, and she will stop at Gringotts and purchase everything for you. I suggest you take the time to think very carefully about anything that you may need until another living arrangement is made for you." She blushed, thinking of the more intimate items she would need to include in such a list.
"Parchment and a quill can be found in the library when you are done eating." He added.
"Where will I be spending this summer?" She asked, feeling as though she was likely a burden to everyone.
"It may take upwards of a week or two for the majority of the Death Eaters to be taken to Azkaban to await their trial. Your safety will likely be less of an issue than it has ever been in your life once the more dangerous individuals are captured. I cannot imagine why you couldn't live wherever you wanted after that. However, you cannot legally be unaccompanied until you are of age. It could technically be considered neglect by ministry standards."
"My birthday isn't until July 31st. It's only May May 3rd. Who am I supposed to live with for almost three months?"
Severus sipped his tea, "Likely that will be up to the Order. Traditionally, that is something that Albus would decide seeing you severed ties with your blood relatives."
"So I'm just supposed to save the wizarding world then have no say what happened to me for three months?" She sounded tense. Severus recognized the same tone she used last night when he wasn't exactly sure what she was feeling. He was starting to pinpoint it now.
"If you have a preference, I can disseminate it in the next meeting." He replied calmly.
"I guess whoever wants to take me in," she sighed and began picking at the remains of her food.
He eyed her, "If you do not have a preference, I can also pass that along."
She did have a preference. Part of her craved to be near Severus Snape. Over the past year, they had somehow grown closer. Laurette even considered his voice to be relaxing, well, depending on what tone he was speaking in. Laurette considered herself to feel closer to Snape than she had in the year that Lupin was her professor and aided her in the patronus charm.
But she said nothing in response to his statement, and he rose from the table, "I need to work in my lab this morning. I suggest you make that list and rest. Rest is unfortunately the only real treatment to a concussion such as yours.
She nodded, noting that she did feel tired and her head actually ached in areas. He departed from the room, and she sat alone. Decidedly, she moved to his library and found a quill and parchment. Dipping the quill in some ink, she made a list of all the belongings that would need to be repurchased.
She thought about her destroyed invisibility cloak. While she was disappointed because it belonged to her father, now that she knew the Deathly Hallows was a true story, she felt it was fitting for it to be destroyed. After the battle, she had snapped the elder wand in half. Little did she know, the resurrection stone was also destroyed in the burning castle.
The list began with a new trunk and a cage for Hedwig. She requested various Gryffindor clothes as well as just leisurewear. The pajamas Snape provided were still what she was currently wearing. She wrote down her bra size, 34B, in case the elf would need that for those sorts of purchases.
When she couldn't think of another item that she would need, she folded it in half, placed it on the kitchen table, and she went upstairs to take a nap.
Later in the morning, Severus came upstairs from his basement lab. He saw the note and glanced at it quickly, feeling flustered when he read about her bra and even panty size. With a snap of his finger, his elf appeared, and then she disappeared with the list, promising that she would be back as soon as possible.
Severus moved upstairs and slowly creaked open the shut guest room door, after there was no response to his light knock, and he saw that she was back in bed asleep.
Miraculously, it did only take the elf a couple of hours to purchase everything on the list. When the elf returned to Snape's home, her arms were full of packages, and the trunk and owl cage levitated behind her. Severus was not one to use his elf frequently. However, he recalled some of the items on the list, and he did not want to be handling Laurette's more intimate items, so he asked the elf to unwrap and put everything into the trunk.
He poured himself a cup of tea as the elf worked to neatly place everything in the new trunk. He glanced momentarily, and then looked away as the elf folded what appeared to be lacey intimates of various dark shades.
At last, the elf was done and sent back to the castle. Again, Severus went up the stairs and lightly knocked on the door. When there was no reply, he gently pushed the door open, with the trunk levitating behind him. As gently as he could, the trunk was set down in the room for her to find when she awoke.
It wasn't much longer when he heard the steps creak, and he knew Laurette was descending down the stairs. She no longer had his spelled-down-to-size pajamas on. She wore a black shirt with denim pants, the cuffs rolled up.
He was sitting in the library, and when she saw where he was, she entered the room. She couldn't help but look around at the books that covered the walls from floor to ceiling. He glanced up from whatever he was reading to watch her eye a book that bordered on dark magic.
She reached to pull a book from the shelf, but when the book was halfway out of the bookshelf, she instantly felt a presence behind her, and a long finger pushed the book back into the shelf. She turned, looking more up than anything, and his obsidian eyes met her green ones.
"No reading with a concussion," he replied blatantly. Then he added, "And that one is a bit too dark for a sixteen-year-old…" She gave him a pout as she watched him return to the sofa and reopen his book.
"What are you reading?" She asked as she took a seat at the other end of the couch.
"Return of the Native," he spoke as he turned a page.
"I've never heard of it," she added.
"Probably because we don't study classic British literature at Hogwarts, Miss Potter."
"Oh," she said, feeling a bit deflated and full of boredom.
"Would you like me to give you a synopsis?" He raised a brow as he looked over at her. Not knowing what else there would be to do to stay busy in his home, she nodded.
Briefly, he described the premise of the novel, and he was surprised when she showed to be intrigued.
"Are you very far into it?" Laurette asked as she leaned over to see how thick the section of read pages were.
Severus looked at her closely, knowing she felt like a dejected orphan of the wizarding world, he flipped his book back to the beginning, and he began to read aloud. It was by no means the first time reading the novel, one of his favorites, so he didn't mind going back the one hundred odd pages.
As he read aloud, he glanced over, and he saw her curl up comfortably with a pillow. They remained that way for an hour or so. She listened intently, feeling his voice calm her as he narrated the story.