CHAPTER 6: Severus Unbound
It was a bright and breezy morning outside when Hermione awoke and bestirred herself. After a wash and a brush, and a bit of Muggle makeup for camouflage, she entered the sitting room to find Severus, still in yesterday's bedraggled garb, hunting and pecking at the keyboard. "Didn't you sleep at all, Professor?"
"Miss Granger, you would not believe the rubbish these Muggles believe about Magic and wizardry! And the nonsense about Druids is enough to call down the Ancient Gods' wrath. Look at this page.and this!" Severus pulled up various pages he had stockpiled on the desktop.
"Severus, don't believe everything you see on the Web. Some of it is factual, but most of it is fictional, and nearly all of it is slanted to support one point of view or the other. Then there is the totally delusional segment, like that one." And she pointed at the Quizilla site. "What did it say your magic power is?"
"I got an error message, something about my computer not set up correctly. What time is it?" Severus blinked and rubbed his face.
"Eight-thirty. Time to get some breakfast. I'll wake Harry while you freshen up."
"What kind of costume am I wearing for breakfast, then?" Severus was not fond of any of the ensembles Hermione and Harry had picked out, but he figured that after a few days of orientation, he could go select his own.
"A sweater and denims and those trainers we got you will do." Hermione knocked briskly on the second guest room. "Harry, get up! We're going out for breakfast."
"You'll make somebody a fine wife, Hermione," said Severus under his breath, as he struggled with the bathroom fixtures in his home away from Hogwarts.
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After a filling if somewhat greasy English fried breakfast, the three set out to purchase comestibles to stock up the kitchen. "Remember that any perishable food will need to be eaten within a week, or frozen. Meats will only last 3 to 5 days under refrigeration. I am choosing mostly staples that can last for months without any special treatment. Do you have any preferences, Uncle? Do you know how to operate a can opener?" Hermione bit her lip. This was more difficult than she had imagined in her worst-case scenario. How much did Professor Snape need to know, and how much could he retain? How could someone who had every wish instantly satisfied by House Elves and his own magical abilities not be helpless in everyday Muggle life? Hermione wanted to make Severus' Muggle weekends useful, pleasurable, and painless. She also wanted to get out of the minder job as quickly as possible. She had her own life to construct, now that the exigencies of the War against Voldemort were over. Food poisoning, traffic accidents, mugging: there were endless possible bad outcomes to anticipate and prevent.
"We do not have to achieve perfection the first time, Hermione. It appears that shopping is a major Muggle activity, and I have sufficient funds to make a few mistakes without suffering unduly." Severus was touched by her concern. He was fascinated by both the endless variety and the basic similarity in the goods for sale and the shops that offered them. From the pushcart and the vegetable stand, to Harrods, every conceivable item in every conceivable price range and quality was for sale or rent, including people, he noticed. He marked purveyors of particular interest on his copy of the city map to revisit on his own, later. "Now, shall we take all these goods back to the flat, before our arms fall off?" Both he and Harry were loaded like beasts of burden, and having trouble passing through doorways.
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Back at the flat, Severus and Harry watched a rugby game on the telly while Hermione stored the groceries in the kitchen. "Bother it," she said, and with a bit of magic, she whipped up a hot and satisfying lunch. Harry was demonstrating the use of the remote control as she brought in the soup and sandwiches. "That reminds we, Severus, I want to show you how to telephone my parents. I will be staying with them tonight. It's my parents' anniversary and we are going out to celebrate."
"But Hermione, I was going to the Burrow tomorrow! Ron is coming home for a few days, and I have to be back at Hogwarts early Monday." Harry was not willing to baby-sit the potions professor by himself.
"Stay calm, Potter. I will be able to look after myself. Both of you go on and do not worry." Severus was amused by the young wizard's panic, the witch's disapproving frown. Perhaps Potter was getting some insight into the unending responsibilities that Hogwarts teachers bore for ten months of the year, especially involving those students raised by Muggles, who found their powers too tempting at times, and who made easy prey for the Old families' offspring. "Besides, I am planning on napping, to make up for that all-night session online."
"Better be careful, Severus. The Internet can be addictive. Although it isn't high technology, I have arranged for various Sunday newspapers to be delivered to your door tomorrow morning. Next weekend we can go to the library. Even with the Web, books are still important sources of information." Hermione checked her watch. "I had best be off, then. I shall meet you both back at Hogwarts Monday." She grabbed her bag and left for the Underground station.
"And if you are very good, we can go to the zoo," muttered Harry. He took the dishes back to the kitchen, and in a furtive fashion, whipped out his wand to clear up the mess magically. He returned to the sitting room, to find Severus had turned off the television and turned on the computer. "Right, I'll be at the Burrow, and you can Floo me there if you need anything. Have fun, Uncle!" And with a cheerio, Harry was out the door and on his way to the Leaky Cauldron to Disapparate.
Severus Snape hardly noticed. "I wonder if there are any potions ingredient suppliers with websites?" he muttered, as he pecked his way across the keyboard.
It was a bright and breezy morning outside when Hermione awoke and bestirred herself. After a wash and a brush, and a bit of Muggle makeup for camouflage, she entered the sitting room to find Severus, still in yesterday's bedraggled garb, hunting and pecking at the keyboard. "Didn't you sleep at all, Professor?"
"Miss Granger, you would not believe the rubbish these Muggles believe about Magic and wizardry! And the nonsense about Druids is enough to call down the Ancient Gods' wrath. Look at this page.and this!" Severus pulled up various pages he had stockpiled on the desktop.
"Severus, don't believe everything you see on the Web. Some of it is factual, but most of it is fictional, and nearly all of it is slanted to support one point of view or the other. Then there is the totally delusional segment, like that one." And she pointed at the Quizilla site. "What did it say your magic power is?"
"I got an error message, something about my computer not set up correctly. What time is it?" Severus blinked and rubbed his face.
"Eight-thirty. Time to get some breakfast. I'll wake Harry while you freshen up."
"What kind of costume am I wearing for breakfast, then?" Severus was not fond of any of the ensembles Hermione and Harry had picked out, but he figured that after a few days of orientation, he could go select his own.
"A sweater and denims and those trainers we got you will do." Hermione knocked briskly on the second guest room. "Harry, get up! We're going out for breakfast."
"You'll make somebody a fine wife, Hermione," said Severus under his breath, as he struggled with the bathroom fixtures in his home away from Hogwarts.
********************************************************
After a filling if somewhat greasy English fried breakfast, the three set out to purchase comestibles to stock up the kitchen. "Remember that any perishable food will need to be eaten within a week, or frozen. Meats will only last 3 to 5 days under refrigeration. I am choosing mostly staples that can last for months without any special treatment. Do you have any preferences, Uncle? Do you know how to operate a can opener?" Hermione bit her lip. This was more difficult than she had imagined in her worst-case scenario. How much did Professor Snape need to know, and how much could he retain? How could someone who had every wish instantly satisfied by House Elves and his own magical abilities not be helpless in everyday Muggle life? Hermione wanted to make Severus' Muggle weekends useful, pleasurable, and painless. She also wanted to get out of the minder job as quickly as possible. She had her own life to construct, now that the exigencies of the War against Voldemort were over. Food poisoning, traffic accidents, mugging: there were endless possible bad outcomes to anticipate and prevent.
"We do not have to achieve perfection the first time, Hermione. It appears that shopping is a major Muggle activity, and I have sufficient funds to make a few mistakes without suffering unduly." Severus was touched by her concern. He was fascinated by both the endless variety and the basic similarity in the goods for sale and the shops that offered them. From the pushcart and the vegetable stand, to Harrods, every conceivable item in every conceivable price range and quality was for sale or rent, including people, he noticed. He marked purveyors of particular interest on his copy of the city map to revisit on his own, later. "Now, shall we take all these goods back to the flat, before our arms fall off?" Both he and Harry were loaded like beasts of burden, and having trouble passing through doorways.
********************************************************
Back at the flat, Severus and Harry watched a rugby game on the telly while Hermione stored the groceries in the kitchen. "Bother it," she said, and with a bit of magic, she whipped up a hot and satisfying lunch. Harry was demonstrating the use of the remote control as she brought in the soup and sandwiches. "That reminds we, Severus, I want to show you how to telephone my parents. I will be staying with them tonight. It's my parents' anniversary and we are going out to celebrate."
"But Hermione, I was going to the Burrow tomorrow! Ron is coming home for a few days, and I have to be back at Hogwarts early Monday." Harry was not willing to baby-sit the potions professor by himself.
"Stay calm, Potter. I will be able to look after myself. Both of you go on and do not worry." Severus was amused by the young wizard's panic, the witch's disapproving frown. Perhaps Potter was getting some insight into the unending responsibilities that Hogwarts teachers bore for ten months of the year, especially involving those students raised by Muggles, who found their powers too tempting at times, and who made easy prey for the Old families' offspring. "Besides, I am planning on napping, to make up for that all-night session online."
"Better be careful, Severus. The Internet can be addictive. Although it isn't high technology, I have arranged for various Sunday newspapers to be delivered to your door tomorrow morning. Next weekend we can go to the library. Even with the Web, books are still important sources of information." Hermione checked her watch. "I had best be off, then. I shall meet you both back at Hogwarts Monday." She grabbed her bag and left for the Underground station.
"And if you are very good, we can go to the zoo," muttered Harry. He took the dishes back to the kitchen, and in a furtive fashion, whipped out his wand to clear up the mess magically. He returned to the sitting room, to find Severus had turned off the television and turned on the computer. "Right, I'll be at the Burrow, and you can Floo me there if you need anything. Have fun, Uncle!" And with a cheerio, Harry was out the door and on his way to the Leaky Cauldron to Disapparate.
Severus Snape hardly noticed. "I wonder if there are any potions ingredient suppliers with websites?" he muttered, as he pecked his way across the keyboard.