The next morning, the three students were gathered in front of the main
doors, all of their worldly possessions magically compressed to fit into
lightweight, amazingly small boxes. They were talking to each other
quietly, waiting for their professors to take them their separate ways.
"Hermione, Draco and I will both owl you constantly," Harry said as Draco nodded. "After all, you'll need some good company, especially considering your circumstances." Hermione grinned a little, and they all hugged each other once again. They were interrupted when Dumbledore cleared his throat, and all three turned to face their new guardians--Hermione could only pray that this was temporary. Wasting her entire summer with Professor Snape was a hellish idea, and it still made her shudder with horror.
"I'm afraid it's time for all of you to say goodbye, but only for now. Have excellent summers, all of you, and do remember to owl Draco and me." Dumbledore nodded at them, and the students all said final goodbyes, then walked to the outskirts of Hogwarts property to apparate. Before she disappeared from sight, the only thing Hermione could remember was Snape fixing her with those intense black eyes of his, telling her to relax, and gently taking her arm. Hermione surprised herself when she actually welcomed the contact. Before she could dwell on it, however, her entire body was swept away, and she was soon trying to regain her balance in front of an absolutely incredible gothic-style mansion. Without thinking about it, she had used Snape for support, and he had let her without complaint. Unnerved, she looked up at him and saw him looking down at her with.... concern? Hermione let go of him quickly and moved away.
Then she saw the house. She gazed up at it with unabashed appreciation, admiring the gargoyles and the arched windows, following with her eyes the green vines that crept up the aged gray stone.
"I see you like it Miss Granger," she heard Snape murmur behind her. "Welcome to my humble abode." She didn't miss the slight sarcasm in his voice--his home was anything but humble. But this time the sarcasm wasn't lined with any insult or malice. He still sounded like Snape, but somehow he seemed.... well.... nicer. Shaking her head and deciding that he was just being nice because her parents were dead, she followed him into the house. A strange smell washed over her as she entered, one with musk, leather, and slight tinges of vanilla and orange. It was a decidedly masculine scent which Hermione found very pleasant. She found herself wondering absently if Snape smelled like that. Luckily, that train of thought was halted by an excited cry coming from what must have been the kitchen.
"Master! You is back! Minny has missed you so!" a small, elderly house elf came bounding towards Snape, who seemed to have forgotten Hermione. He knelt to allow Minny to hug him, engulfing her in his long arms. Minny laughed, kissed his cheek, and squirmed away, grinning. Then she turned to see Hermione, and her eyes widened.
"My, my! Master has brought Miss! Or Mrs.?" she waggled her eyebrows at Snape suggestively, and for a moment he actually looked embarrassed. Hermione was suffering from new-aspects-of-Snape overload. Frowning, she looked between the Professor and his house elf, completely confused. It amazed her when Snape explained their situation gently to the house elf, in an almost tender voice. His ability to use that voice for something other than intimidation made her wonder what kind of person Snape was deep down. Maybe he wasn't such a creep after all? As Snape explained, she took time to admire the spacious foyer, with an elegant parlor on the left and the kitchens to the right. Two other house elves, younger ones, peeked around the kitchen door but retreated quickly when Hermione smiled at them.
"Miss?" Hermione turned to look at Minny and nodded. "Minny will give you nice room upstairs while Master shows Miss house, yes?" Hermione smiled and nodded, charmed by the spunky house elf who refused to be bogged down by obvious age. Before leaving them, she hugged Snape's leg and whispered up at him, "I am glad Master is back at home."
Snape turned to Hermione and gestured for her to follow him up the dramatic staircase. He paused at the top: they were in a spacious corridor.
"The left wing has nothing of interest for you," he said. "I myself have not been there often since my childhood. Your rooms will be this way." He led her to the right. They passed an extra bathroom, a sitting room, a closed door Snape didn't explain, some double doors he said he was saving for last, and finally, at the end of the hallway, they reached Hermione's room. Snape lifted a pale, graceful hand and rapped sharply on the door.
Minny yelled from inside. "Room is ready!" Snape grinned and threw the door open, gesturing for Hermione to enter first. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head with amazement. The room was bright and spacious, with two extremely inviting deep burgundy armchairs facing a fireplace. The wardrobe provided more than enough space, but there was also a chest of drawers and a very handsome mirror, polished to perfection. The bed was tall and wide, and Hermione wanted to sink into it immediately. It was a canopy bed, with a canopy she could adjust to her satisfaction. The coloring of the room was warm and earthy, the wood dark and strong. There was a door in the corner of the room that led to a bathroom, which was also huge. The tub was more like a large hot tub, and the bubble bath selections were even more impressive than those at Hogwarts. Only one thing was missing from this room...
Hermione turned to Snape and gasped, "This room is absolutely fantastic, but... where's the bookshelf?" Snape, who had been in the doorway watching her, stepped into the room and did something she'd never expected to see from him. He laughed, a low, deep rumbling laugh that emerged from the very depths of his chest. His black eyes glinted a bit, amused, and his face contorted into a smile which made him look almost.... handsome.
"What?" he raised an eyebrow at Hermione, who was frowning again. "You think I don't laugh? No offense, but your presence here is not nearly enough to ruin my time here at home." Hermione felt a little embarrassed, but she smiled. She liked this new Snape. "As for the bookshelves..." Snape walked across the room to another door, this one closed. Dramatically he threw it open and ushered Hermione through, almost excitedly. Hermione gasped audibly this time, unable to contain her excitement.
She was in the hugest library she'd ever seen. Books covered the walls of the gargantuan room from floor to ceiling, and rolling ladders accompanied each set of shelves for the ambitious book seeker. Muggle books, magic books.... everything Hermione could want was in this room. She turned to grin at Snape, her grief almost assuaged for the moment. He read the question in her eyes and answered.
"Yes, Miss Granger," he sounded jokingly reluctant, a parody of his normal self. "I suppose you can have free reign in here, as long as you don't damage anything." Hermione squealed delightedly and was about to disappear into the stacks when Snape stopped her with a sharp "BUT...." Hermione turned to look at him, and he was suddenly the old Snape again.
"There are a lot of dangerous books in those shelves. If you come across anything even potentially questionable that arouses your curiosity, I expect you to tell me what you are up to before you begin reading it. Some things are not for even the most intelligent minds to dive into without any preparation. I am trusting you Miss Granger--do not lead me to believe that my trust is misplaced. If you are ever considering anything remotely out of line, you would do well to remember just whose house you are in." Hermione looked at him, completely confused. One minute he was nice, and the next he was a bastard again. What was wrong with this guy?
"I'll leave you to unpack," Snape said neutrally. "Then I assume I'll know where to find you. No one has ever reacted so.... enthusiastically.... to my library before." The corner of his mouth twitched slightly upwards, and he spun on his heel, his cloak billowing behind him as he strode away.
"Hermione, Draco and I will both owl you constantly," Harry said as Draco nodded. "After all, you'll need some good company, especially considering your circumstances." Hermione grinned a little, and they all hugged each other once again. They were interrupted when Dumbledore cleared his throat, and all three turned to face their new guardians--Hermione could only pray that this was temporary. Wasting her entire summer with Professor Snape was a hellish idea, and it still made her shudder with horror.
"I'm afraid it's time for all of you to say goodbye, but only for now. Have excellent summers, all of you, and do remember to owl Draco and me." Dumbledore nodded at them, and the students all said final goodbyes, then walked to the outskirts of Hogwarts property to apparate. Before she disappeared from sight, the only thing Hermione could remember was Snape fixing her with those intense black eyes of his, telling her to relax, and gently taking her arm. Hermione surprised herself when she actually welcomed the contact. Before she could dwell on it, however, her entire body was swept away, and she was soon trying to regain her balance in front of an absolutely incredible gothic-style mansion. Without thinking about it, she had used Snape for support, and he had let her without complaint. Unnerved, she looked up at him and saw him looking down at her with.... concern? Hermione let go of him quickly and moved away.
Then she saw the house. She gazed up at it with unabashed appreciation, admiring the gargoyles and the arched windows, following with her eyes the green vines that crept up the aged gray stone.
"I see you like it Miss Granger," she heard Snape murmur behind her. "Welcome to my humble abode." She didn't miss the slight sarcasm in his voice--his home was anything but humble. But this time the sarcasm wasn't lined with any insult or malice. He still sounded like Snape, but somehow he seemed.... well.... nicer. Shaking her head and deciding that he was just being nice because her parents were dead, she followed him into the house. A strange smell washed over her as she entered, one with musk, leather, and slight tinges of vanilla and orange. It was a decidedly masculine scent which Hermione found very pleasant. She found herself wondering absently if Snape smelled like that. Luckily, that train of thought was halted by an excited cry coming from what must have been the kitchen.
"Master! You is back! Minny has missed you so!" a small, elderly house elf came bounding towards Snape, who seemed to have forgotten Hermione. He knelt to allow Minny to hug him, engulfing her in his long arms. Minny laughed, kissed his cheek, and squirmed away, grinning. Then she turned to see Hermione, and her eyes widened.
"My, my! Master has brought Miss! Or Mrs.?" she waggled her eyebrows at Snape suggestively, and for a moment he actually looked embarrassed. Hermione was suffering from new-aspects-of-Snape overload. Frowning, she looked between the Professor and his house elf, completely confused. It amazed her when Snape explained their situation gently to the house elf, in an almost tender voice. His ability to use that voice for something other than intimidation made her wonder what kind of person Snape was deep down. Maybe he wasn't such a creep after all? As Snape explained, she took time to admire the spacious foyer, with an elegant parlor on the left and the kitchens to the right. Two other house elves, younger ones, peeked around the kitchen door but retreated quickly when Hermione smiled at them.
"Miss?" Hermione turned to look at Minny and nodded. "Minny will give you nice room upstairs while Master shows Miss house, yes?" Hermione smiled and nodded, charmed by the spunky house elf who refused to be bogged down by obvious age. Before leaving them, she hugged Snape's leg and whispered up at him, "I am glad Master is back at home."
Snape turned to Hermione and gestured for her to follow him up the dramatic staircase. He paused at the top: they were in a spacious corridor.
"The left wing has nothing of interest for you," he said. "I myself have not been there often since my childhood. Your rooms will be this way." He led her to the right. They passed an extra bathroom, a sitting room, a closed door Snape didn't explain, some double doors he said he was saving for last, and finally, at the end of the hallway, they reached Hermione's room. Snape lifted a pale, graceful hand and rapped sharply on the door.
Minny yelled from inside. "Room is ready!" Snape grinned and threw the door open, gesturing for Hermione to enter first. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head with amazement. The room was bright and spacious, with two extremely inviting deep burgundy armchairs facing a fireplace. The wardrobe provided more than enough space, but there was also a chest of drawers and a very handsome mirror, polished to perfection. The bed was tall and wide, and Hermione wanted to sink into it immediately. It was a canopy bed, with a canopy she could adjust to her satisfaction. The coloring of the room was warm and earthy, the wood dark and strong. There was a door in the corner of the room that led to a bathroom, which was also huge. The tub was more like a large hot tub, and the bubble bath selections were even more impressive than those at Hogwarts. Only one thing was missing from this room...
Hermione turned to Snape and gasped, "This room is absolutely fantastic, but... where's the bookshelf?" Snape, who had been in the doorway watching her, stepped into the room and did something she'd never expected to see from him. He laughed, a low, deep rumbling laugh that emerged from the very depths of his chest. His black eyes glinted a bit, amused, and his face contorted into a smile which made him look almost.... handsome.
"What?" he raised an eyebrow at Hermione, who was frowning again. "You think I don't laugh? No offense, but your presence here is not nearly enough to ruin my time here at home." Hermione felt a little embarrassed, but she smiled. She liked this new Snape. "As for the bookshelves..." Snape walked across the room to another door, this one closed. Dramatically he threw it open and ushered Hermione through, almost excitedly. Hermione gasped audibly this time, unable to contain her excitement.
She was in the hugest library she'd ever seen. Books covered the walls of the gargantuan room from floor to ceiling, and rolling ladders accompanied each set of shelves for the ambitious book seeker. Muggle books, magic books.... everything Hermione could want was in this room. She turned to grin at Snape, her grief almost assuaged for the moment. He read the question in her eyes and answered.
"Yes, Miss Granger," he sounded jokingly reluctant, a parody of his normal self. "I suppose you can have free reign in here, as long as you don't damage anything." Hermione squealed delightedly and was about to disappear into the stacks when Snape stopped her with a sharp "BUT...." Hermione turned to look at him, and he was suddenly the old Snape again.
"There are a lot of dangerous books in those shelves. If you come across anything even potentially questionable that arouses your curiosity, I expect you to tell me what you are up to before you begin reading it. Some things are not for even the most intelligent minds to dive into without any preparation. I am trusting you Miss Granger--do not lead me to believe that my trust is misplaced. If you are ever considering anything remotely out of line, you would do well to remember just whose house you are in." Hermione looked at him, completely confused. One minute he was nice, and the next he was a bastard again. What was wrong with this guy?
"I'll leave you to unpack," Snape said neutrally. "Then I assume I'll know where to find you. No one has ever reacted so.... enthusiastically.... to my library before." The corner of his mouth twitched slightly upwards, and he spun on his heel, his cloak billowing behind him as he strode away.