Chapter 14: Awkward Acquaintances
{"...Yeah... my head keeps spinnin'...You got me trippin'...There's something about the way you move...Yeah, every little single thing you do is like...One part angel and one part danger...But, oh, the kind of crazy I like...You got me losing my mind...I'm losing my mind!"}Losing My Mind, Daughtry
My Thanks To All My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy S.S.
Bathroom, Spinner's End, Cokeworth England, Muggle World...
Eyes of obsidian stared at the sallow pale faced wizard as his lengthy raven hair soaked from sweat and wayward water. His expression had been blank all his rage seeping from his cold stare into his shattered reflection in the mirror no doubt broken by his raging father after staring at himself in the same manner. Severus Snape had only managed to shatter the glass effectively cutting himself in the center of his knuckles in the process.
His son, Regulus had simply stared at the figure so closely resembling his late father it enraged him. He had spent the entire night glaring at his reflection as if hoping to see some kind of sign from his father, it was a foolish thing to hope for, given Severus Snape had been dead for nineteen years and he had not wanted much to do with his son when he had been alive.
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The Sitting Room, Spinner's End, Muggle World...
Regulus glared one last time at his reflection before making his way out to the sitting room. He crashed into his father's armchair and kicked his feet up at the fireplace. It was somewhat calming to watch as the flames danced about incinerating the ash turned logs. The raven haired wizard had been surprised to see a special issue of The Daily Prophet published for the morning in junction with The Quibbler.
Despite his lack of interest in it, the words from the cover seemed to jump out at him.
WIZARDING WORLD HEROINE AND AUROR HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER-WEASLEY, MOTHER OF TWO WAS INJURED ALONG WITH MINISTER OF MAGIC KINGSLEY SHACKLEBOLT FOLLOWING ATTACK FROM STRANGE SERPENT SIGIL MONKS.
Regulus skipped the part about the initial attack on Kingsley Shacklebolt and read what he could about Hermione Granger-Weasley. The paper went into detail about her impressive academic record as well as her service record within the ranks of the Aurors.
It said she had been married to a wizarding hero and best friend of Harry James Potter, Ronald Bilius Weasley. He nearly spit out his butter beer when he noted that the formidable and brilliant witch's husband had been that dim wit freckle faced fool Ron from the bar a few days ago.
"Fucking loser." said the younger Snape annoyed. "It figures, he gets a hot chick with brains and keeps her figure after two kids and he cheats on her...talk about a fucking dude-bro."
Regulus turned his attention back to the article on Hermione stating she sustained minor injuries and will be resting comfortably at St. Mungo's Hospital for a few days.
"Gee I sure am glad their not trying to finish the job." he muttered staring at Hermione in the photograph.
She had still been a good looking witch despite having given birth to two children. The wizard made up his rather perverted mind that he'd still do her.
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St. Mungo's Hospital, Muggle World...
Regulus had not been back to this place since his mother's passing. The eerily quiet halls and pristine white floors and walls did little to ease his already tense mind. He recalled so vividly the times he had come down the halls, hearing the constant clicking of his shoes against the heavily polished floor and seeing the lights reflected in the finish.
It had been no different now that he had been sober and well on his way to visit the ailing witch Hermione Granger. He had not given her "freckle faced fucktard" husband a second thought after figuring out just whom he had been.
The raven haired wizard had managed to get a clean out fit together and brushed his hair a bit, of course he wasn't sure how much good it would do before making the journey over. He picked up a few flowers not knowing too much about what kind to get a girl like her or any girl. It was difficult not to go all Casanova and pick out roses but given her marital status he needed something neutral.
Thinking quickly he grabbed a few white chrysanthemums hoping for the best.
At the moment, he had been holding the whole bouquet of them firmly unsure of what to say to the injured witch. He had known her to be pretty touch and had not wanted to offend her at least not this early.
Steeling himself, Regulus knocked then entered the hospital room. It had been quite simple to get the room number without going through the motions of being next to kin, he simply waved his hand and stoke the information from the clerks mind before continuing on his journey unimpeded.
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Room 204, St. Mungo's Hospital, Muggle World...
Hermione had been anxiously awaiting the moment she would be released from the hospital. The amber eyed witch was fuming due to her lack of planning when she rushed into the fray without backup in a bid to save Kingsley's life. The masked leader of that new Serpent Terror Organization had been a formidable foe.
He had been much quicker than she and moved with a casual grace that was only matched by one other that she had known before. The loss had been a stinging blow to her sense of Gryffindor pride as well.
It had been very rare that Hermione ran across someone whom could do anything better than she could, the last of which had all been killed during the second wizarding war. She has expected an all talk tyrant much like Voldemort had been in his day. She grew sick and tired of the despot opening his mouth to make threats as opposed to actually doing anything. It was nerve-wrecking to see the entire wizarding world cower over a few threats.
Of course she had not been alive long when the despot had been a true wizard of action felling every form of resistance with little to no effort and violent and not to mention demonstrative attacks.
She had been so focused on her loathing that she had missed the knock at the door. When she finally did look up she found herself staring into the concerned obsidian eyes of Regulus Snape dressed rather nicely for a neanderthal American yank and carrying flowers, white chrysanthemums in particular.
"R-Regulus." she said truly shocked to see him. "What are you doing here?"
Regulus stepped toward her, the awkward looking wizard had not known if he had a right to hug her or shake her hand given that they had not exactly been friends but mere acquaintances from a series of embarrassing encounters.
"I-I don't exactly know the protocol for doctors visits with people you barely know but I got you some flowers...you are a girl...uh woman and...well...these are...flowers." he said fumbling over his words.
Hermione seemed to take pity on him given their last encounter had been just as awkward as the first two only it ended with her slapping him.
"I...Thank you." she said politely.
He handed the bouquet to her and stepped back folding his arms across his chest. She smelled them finding they had been quite a lovely addition to her little collection. She had yellow roses from Ron, sunflowers from Harry and a daisy or two from the children and now she added Regulus' white chrysanthemums into the vase.
"L-Look...I'm uh...sorry about what happened to you." he said still finding speaking on a personal level awkward. "You ah...don't seem all that banged up...I mean injured...it's...I mean injured...you don't seem to be hurt so badly."
Hermione seemed to be amused at his attempt to be a decent human being.
"I suppose I understood your meaning the first time, but thank you for your concern." she replied. "It is of course strange but appreciated none the less."
"Okay...now...uh...this is not going the way envisioned it in my head." he replied. "For one your still fucking hot so that's a plus but I read in the paper today that you've got kids...what are they like fucking adopted or something?...cause there is no way you can have two kids and still be that fucking hot."
Hermione smiled finding his naturally repulsive vulgar comments were less awkward than him trying to be civil. She supposed that made him honest to a fault all things considered.
"No Regulus, my children are not adopted." she said sweetly. "I had them the old fashioned way believe it or not."
"But you look fucking hot?!" said Regulus with his mouth agape. "What the fuck kind of fucktard cheats on a hot fucking chick like you and who the fuck would stop at two kids with you for a wife...I'd never let you leave the bed if we were married."
Hermione couldn't help but giggle at his brutally honest yet vulgar compliment.
"From what I saw, you'd probably hurt yourself trying to keep me in bed all day." she said with a hint of heat behind her amber eyes.
"That's just great, she's a fucking tease too." said Regulus more so to himself than anyone.
Again Hermione laughed.
"Do all Americans speak with such a vulgar vocabulary?" she asked inquisitive.
"Not all of them." replied Regulus in a serious tone. "I guess I've just got bad genes."
"You do not." replied Hermione. "I bet your mother was brilliant and you already know how I felt about your father."
"Yeah." replied the younger Snape. "You had the hots for the old man...you got so pissed off that you slapped me."
"You had it coming." said Hermione in her defense.
"Maybe." replied Regulus with a hint of heat behind his obsidian eyes. "Anyway Hermione, I just wanted to see how you were doing given what happened...I gotta take off but please be careful who you piss off next time."
"I could say the same to you." she replied with a smile.
Regulus smirked reminiscent of his Potions Master father.
"I'll keep that in mind." he said before taking his leave.
Hermione turned her attention back to her collection of flowers. Being the well read and knowledgeable witch that she was, she had known all too well the significance of white chrysanthemums. The very flower Regulus had chosen to bring her.
"The symbol of loyalty and devoted love." she said recalling the book she read's definition of white chrysanthemums.
She had been puzzled as to why Regulus had chosen to bring those flowers to her out of a whole selection. They had not known each other that well and it was highly unlikely that he had any real feelings for someone he had barely met. She dismissed it as him simply picking a flower he believed a girl or woman might be delighted by.
It was a sweet gesture on his part no matter the reason.