(A/N: Twenty points to your house if you know where the Slytherin girl (who
asks Hermione if she really helped defeat Voldemort – Vivian Darkbloom) got
her name!!)
Disclaimer:
Chapter Ten
Severus sat silently at the Staff Table, occupying his customary seat next to the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. The entire school, except for the first years, of course, shuffled in noisily. He took a sip of wine, and watched as Minerva rose from her chair and went to assume her place at the doors to greet the new students. After a few moments, she returned, leading a scared-looking bunch of first years into the room. The Sorting Hat opened wide its brim, and began to sing its magnificent song. When it was finished, the sorting began. Severus could always tell the Slytherins apart from the rest of the group; they approached the hat with a slight swagger, as if to prove that they were unafraid. He watched as a small boy, who Minerva identified as "Steiner, Dmitri" walked to the hat, and with an arrogant glance, placed it upon his head. "There's one of mine," he murmured to Hermione, who looked at him skeptically until the Hat announced, "SLYTHERIN!"
Hermione clapped, and gave him an admiring look. "Very good," she whispered back. "Ten points, Mr. Snape."
Severus snorted, and they fell silent to watch the rest of the Sorting.
*~*
Severus dismissed the rest of his House to their rooms, retaining only the first years in the Common Room. He had them sit in the armchairs, while he himself stood in front of the fire imposingly. "You have been chosen for a great House. I expect that all of you will live up to the standards that Salazar Slytherin himself would impose upon you. I expect you all to bring glory to this House. I am quite willing to take points from Slytherin, should the need arise, and I can only hope that it will not." He crossed his arms, and continued. "As your Head of House, I am available to you. Should you wish to take advantage of my availability, my office is next to the Potions classrooms, down this corridor." He pointed down the corridor to his right. "Now, off to bed with you all. Miss Christie, please remain."
Dolores Christie turned around to look at him. The Potions master waited until all the other students had left, and he motioned down the hall. "My office please, Miss Christie." He led the way down the corridor, unlocking the door to his office and holding it open for her. He gestured for her to sit, and he did the same, removing a piece of paper from his drawer as he did so.
"Miss Christie, I understand that you are a half-blood wizard."
She nodded. "Yes, my mother was a Muggle, but my dad is a wizard."
Severus inclined his head slightly, and folded his hands on the desktop. "As you may or may not have heard, Slytherin House is not known for its loving welcome to half-bloods and Muggle-borns. I would advise you to keep silent about your Muggle mother, and if anyone gives you problems, feel free to see me."
"Thank you, Professor."
"That's all, then. You may go." Dolores Christie scraped her chair back from the front of his desk and exited the room. Severus sighed, rubbing his temples. It would not be easy for that girl. Suddenly a voice spoke from the shadows.
"That was a very decent thing you just did, Severus."
He jumped in his seat, and then, recognizing the voice, he calmed down. "Hermione, what the hell are you doing in my office?"
"I wanted to ask you a question," she said, and fell silent. He waited for a moment, and then:
"What question?" he asked, rather impatiently. "Sit down, sit down." Severus waved a hand at the chair that Miss Christie had vacated.
"After what happened, with Voldemort, I just wondered if you felt any differently, toward the other members of the coven."
Severus thought about it. "In what way do you mean?"
She bit her lip. "I'm not exactly sure," she answered. "But, I feel so different, as if I have a sort of bond with you, Minerva, and Albus."
He nodded. "I think I know what you mean," he replied. "My best guess is that because of the level of magic used to defeat Voldemort, we four have a special link…" He spread his hands. "I don't know for certain, though."
"Sort of like the bond that…" her voice faltered "that Harry had with his mother, that gave him protection?"
For once, Severus did not sneer derisively at the mention of Harry's name. "No, not that strong. And nothing that will give any of us protection. Most likely, it will give us a strong feeling when one of the four is in danger, or extremely upset over something. It's nothing to worry about, Hermione."
"But – but you do feel it too, don't you?" Hermione asked.
"I suppose so. I mean, for the first time in twenty years, I dreamed of people other than Death Eaters, and my past."
She smiled. "For the first time since Harry and Ron died, I didn't dream of them, and our days at Hogwarts. Well, I didn't dream of them exclusively," she amended quickly.
Severus nodded, understandingly. "Well, if it will make you feel better, we will check with Albus tomorrow. All right?"
Hermione smiled weakly. "Yes…do you think I could have a dreamless sleep potion?" she asked, wringing her hands.
Severus rose, and beckoned her to follow him into his private storeroom. It was a small room, filled with small potions bottles on the shelves which occupied every wall of the room. They were all labeled in their maker's small, spidery, slanty writing. Severus took out his wand, flicked it lazily, and a small bottle made of clear blue glass floated slowly down to him. He handed it to Hermione, who looked at the potion, and then back at him quizzically. "This isn't a dreamless sleep potion," she questioned.
He smiled. "Very good. Ten points to Gryffindor."
Hermione raised an eyebrow in the silence. "Then what is it?"
"It's something of my own invention. It stops the dreams, but also puts the drinker to sleep."
Hermione suddenly felt very tired, and slightly dizzy. "Thank you," she whispered, and slumped forward. Severus lunged, and caught her just in time. He scooped her up into his arms, carrying her damsel-in-distress style, and laid her gently on the small couch in the corner of the office. He pointed his wand at her. "Ennervate."
She sat up, and putting a hand to her forehead, she moaned, and resumed her former position on the couch. "What happened?" she asked Severus weakly.
"You fainted," he said. "What have you eaten lately?"
Hermione looked down at her hands. "Well?" he demanded.
"Nothing, exactly," she said softly. "Well, I mean I have had water and a little soup, but I wasn't hungry. I assumed it was nerves, and it would not affect me if I didn't eat for a day or two."
Severus shook his head. "For the girl who had the highest marks Hogwarts has ever seen, you can be so stupid."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Just shut up, will you?"
Severus threw up his hands. "Apparently book smarts don't give you much in the way of common sense. Take it from someone who knows. Look at me!" He held up a thin arm, and turned it around. "Do you think that I was born this thin?"
Hermione shifted uncomfortably, but Severus continued his rant without regard for her comfort level. "It's not healthy, and do you think that you'll survive forever on water?"
She rose from her seat on the couch, and drew herself up to her full height. Considering she was standing in front of Severus, who was at least five or six inches taller than she, the effect was not very imposing. She looked him in the eye, and after a substantial pause, spoke again. "I didn't realize that it was any of your concern, Severus Snape," she said icily. Then her shoulders slumped, defeated, and she leaned forward to rest her head on his chest. One of his hands came up, and rested itself on the small of her back; while the other stroked her hair a little awkwardly. He spoke.
"You know, I think you may be right about that bond, Hermione," he said, thoughtfully. "Why don't you eat something, here where I can watch you eat it, and then I'll walk you to your rooms. You have your first day of teaching tomorrow, and that can be stressful, you know." He felt her giggle against his chest.
"Yes, especially because I have your Slytherin first years directly after breakfast."
*~*
Hermione awoke slowly the next morning, stretching luxuriously under the thin beam of sunlight streaming through her window. Today was her first day as a Hogwarts teacher! She only wished Harry and Ron could have been there to see her as well. She showered, dressed in robes of periwinkle blue, and headed to the Great Hall. Taking her seat next to the Potions master, she considered not eating, but remembering his harsh words last night, she wisely decided to have tea and toast. This was a sensible decision because Severus was watching her surreptitiously out of the corner of his eye. As he saw her begin to eat, he relaxed slightly, and turned back to his grapefruit and tea.
"Oh, excuse me," Hermione's voice interrupted his meal. "I don't believe that you are eating sufficiently. You are about, hmm, let me see, 6'2"? 6'3"? And you weigh what, about 150 pounds? You are far to thin, Severus."
Severus sighed. Leave it to that woman to pay him back manifold for his moment of weak kindness. "I am a fine weight, thank you."
"Severus, what exactly do you weigh?" asked Hermione.
"Haven't you ever heard not to ask a potions master his weight?" snapped Severus half-heartedly. "Oh, all right. I weigh 145. But the low weight runs in my family. I believe that my mother, at her heaviest, weighed only about 100 pounds."
She raised an eyebrow at him, unconvinced. "You are far too thin. It isn't healthy."
He rose from the table. "We will discuss this later. I have a class to prepare for."
Hermione rolled her eyes at his retreating back. Soon after, she rose and took herself back to her classrooms. She wanted to fit in a little more preparation for her first class as well.
*~*
"My name is Professor Granger," announced Hermione to her small class of Slytherins and Ravenclaws. "I think, that instead of having a real lesson today, we should do sort of a question-and-answer session. Ask me anything relating to the Dark Arts here that you would like to know." Nobody stirred for a minute or two, and then a small girl raised her hand. "Say your name please, before the question," she added, nodding at the girl.
"Vivian Darkbloom. Did you really help to defeat the Dark Lord?" the Slytherin girl asked.
Hermione sighed inaudibly. She supposed these kinds of questions were inevitable, but really…"Yes, Miss Darkbloom. I did. With the help of three other teachers, of course."
A Ravenclaw boy raised his hand. "John Marx," he informed her. "What exactly will we be learning this year?"
Hermione smiled slightly. Finally, a boy she could relate to! She set into explaining about the first year curriculum immediately, and with gusto.
Disclaimer:
Chapter Ten
Severus sat silently at the Staff Table, occupying his customary seat next to the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. The entire school, except for the first years, of course, shuffled in noisily. He took a sip of wine, and watched as Minerva rose from her chair and went to assume her place at the doors to greet the new students. After a few moments, she returned, leading a scared-looking bunch of first years into the room. The Sorting Hat opened wide its brim, and began to sing its magnificent song. When it was finished, the sorting began. Severus could always tell the Slytherins apart from the rest of the group; they approached the hat with a slight swagger, as if to prove that they were unafraid. He watched as a small boy, who Minerva identified as "Steiner, Dmitri" walked to the hat, and with an arrogant glance, placed it upon his head. "There's one of mine," he murmured to Hermione, who looked at him skeptically until the Hat announced, "SLYTHERIN!"
Hermione clapped, and gave him an admiring look. "Very good," she whispered back. "Ten points, Mr. Snape."
Severus snorted, and they fell silent to watch the rest of the Sorting.
*~*
Severus dismissed the rest of his House to their rooms, retaining only the first years in the Common Room. He had them sit in the armchairs, while he himself stood in front of the fire imposingly. "You have been chosen for a great House. I expect that all of you will live up to the standards that Salazar Slytherin himself would impose upon you. I expect you all to bring glory to this House. I am quite willing to take points from Slytherin, should the need arise, and I can only hope that it will not." He crossed his arms, and continued. "As your Head of House, I am available to you. Should you wish to take advantage of my availability, my office is next to the Potions classrooms, down this corridor." He pointed down the corridor to his right. "Now, off to bed with you all. Miss Christie, please remain."
Dolores Christie turned around to look at him. The Potions master waited until all the other students had left, and he motioned down the hall. "My office please, Miss Christie." He led the way down the corridor, unlocking the door to his office and holding it open for her. He gestured for her to sit, and he did the same, removing a piece of paper from his drawer as he did so.
"Miss Christie, I understand that you are a half-blood wizard."
She nodded. "Yes, my mother was a Muggle, but my dad is a wizard."
Severus inclined his head slightly, and folded his hands on the desktop. "As you may or may not have heard, Slytherin House is not known for its loving welcome to half-bloods and Muggle-borns. I would advise you to keep silent about your Muggle mother, and if anyone gives you problems, feel free to see me."
"Thank you, Professor."
"That's all, then. You may go." Dolores Christie scraped her chair back from the front of his desk and exited the room. Severus sighed, rubbing his temples. It would not be easy for that girl. Suddenly a voice spoke from the shadows.
"That was a very decent thing you just did, Severus."
He jumped in his seat, and then, recognizing the voice, he calmed down. "Hermione, what the hell are you doing in my office?"
"I wanted to ask you a question," she said, and fell silent. He waited for a moment, and then:
"What question?" he asked, rather impatiently. "Sit down, sit down." Severus waved a hand at the chair that Miss Christie had vacated.
"After what happened, with Voldemort, I just wondered if you felt any differently, toward the other members of the coven."
Severus thought about it. "In what way do you mean?"
She bit her lip. "I'm not exactly sure," she answered. "But, I feel so different, as if I have a sort of bond with you, Minerva, and Albus."
He nodded. "I think I know what you mean," he replied. "My best guess is that because of the level of magic used to defeat Voldemort, we four have a special link…" He spread his hands. "I don't know for certain, though."
"Sort of like the bond that…" her voice faltered "that Harry had with his mother, that gave him protection?"
For once, Severus did not sneer derisively at the mention of Harry's name. "No, not that strong. And nothing that will give any of us protection. Most likely, it will give us a strong feeling when one of the four is in danger, or extremely upset over something. It's nothing to worry about, Hermione."
"But – but you do feel it too, don't you?" Hermione asked.
"I suppose so. I mean, for the first time in twenty years, I dreamed of people other than Death Eaters, and my past."
She smiled. "For the first time since Harry and Ron died, I didn't dream of them, and our days at Hogwarts. Well, I didn't dream of them exclusively," she amended quickly.
Severus nodded, understandingly. "Well, if it will make you feel better, we will check with Albus tomorrow. All right?"
Hermione smiled weakly. "Yes…do you think I could have a dreamless sleep potion?" she asked, wringing her hands.
Severus rose, and beckoned her to follow him into his private storeroom. It was a small room, filled with small potions bottles on the shelves which occupied every wall of the room. They were all labeled in their maker's small, spidery, slanty writing. Severus took out his wand, flicked it lazily, and a small bottle made of clear blue glass floated slowly down to him. He handed it to Hermione, who looked at the potion, and then back at him quizzically. "This isn't a dreamless sleep potion," she questioned.
He smiled. "Very good. Ten points to Gryffindor."
Hermione raised an eyebrow in the silence. "Then what is it?"
"It's something of my own invention. It stops the dreams, but also puts the drinker to sleep."
Hermione suddenly felt very tired, and slightly dizzy. "Thank you," she whispered, and slumped forward. Severus lunged, and caught her just in time. He scooped her up into his arms, carrying her damsel-in-distress style, and laid her gently on the small couch in the corner of the office. He pointed his wand at her. "Ennervate."
She sat up, and putting a hand to her forehead, she moaned, and resumed her former position on the couch. "What happened?" she asked Severus weakly.
"You fainted," he said. "What have you eaten lately?"
Hermione looked down at her hands. "Well?" he demanded.
"Nothing, exactly," she said softly. "Well, I mean I have had water and a little soup, but I wasn't hungry. I assumed it was nerves, and it would not affect me if I didn't eat for a day or two."
Severus shook his head. "For the girl who had the highest marks Hogwarts has ever seen, you can be so stupid."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Just shut up, will you?"
Severus threw up his hands. "Apparently book smarts don't give you much in the way of common sense. Take it from someone who knows. Look at me!" He held up a thin arm, and turned it around. "Do you think that I was born this thin?"
Hermione shifted uncomfortably, but Severus continued his rant without regard for her comfort level. "It's not healthy, and do you think that you'll survive forever on water?"
She rose from her seat on the couch, and drew herself up to her full height. Considering she was standing in front of Severus, who was at least five or six inches taller than she, the effect was not very imposing. She looked him in the eye, and after a substantial pause, spoke again. "I didn't realize that it was any of your concern, Severus Snape," she said icily. Then her shoulders slumped, defeated, and she leaned forward to rest her head on his chest. One of his hands came up, and rested itself on the small of her back; while the other stroked her hair a little awkwardly. He spoke.
"You know, I think you may be right about that bond, Hermione," he said, thoughtfully. "Why don't you eat something, here where I can watch you eat it, and then I'll walk you to your rooms. You have your first day of teaching tomorrow, and that can be stressful, you know." He felt her giggle against his chest.
"Yes, especially because I have your Slytherin first years directly after breakfast."
*~*
Hermione awoke slowly the next morning, stretching luxuriously under the thin beam of sunlight streaming through her window. Today was her first day as a Hogwarts teacher! She only wished Harry and Ron could have been there to see her as well. She showered, dressed in robes of periwinkle blue, and headed to the Great Hall. Taking her seat next to the Potions master, she considered not eating, but remembering his harsh words last night, she wisely decided to have tea and toast. This was a sensible decision because Severus was watching her surreptitiously out of the corner of his eye. As he saw her begin to eat, he relaxed slightly, and turned back to his grapefruit and tea.
"Oh, excuse me," Hermione's voice interrupted his meal. "I don't believe that you are eating sufficiently. You are about, hmm, let me see, 6'2"? 6'3"? And you weigh what, about 150 pounds? You are far to thin, Severus."
Severus sighed. Leave it to that woman to pay him back manifold for his moment of weak kindness. "I am a fine weight, thank you."
"Severus, what exactly do you weigh?" asked Hermione.
"Haven't you ever heard not to ask a potions master his weight?" snapped Severus half-heartedly. "Oh, all right. I weigh 145. But the low weight runs in my family. I believe that my mother, at her heaviest, weighed only about 100 pounds."
She raised an eyebrow at him, unconvinced. "You are far too thin. It isn't healthy."
He rose from the table. "We will discuss this later. I have a class to prepare for."
Hermione rolled her eyes at his retreating back. Soon after, she rose and took herself back to her classrooms. She wanted to fit in a little more preparation for her first class as well.
*~*
"My name is Professor Granger," announced Hermione to her small class of Slytherins and Ravenclaws. "I think, that instead of having a real lesson today, we should do sort of a question-and-answer session. Ask me anything relating to the Dark Arts here that you would like to know." Nobody stirred for a minute or two, and then a small girl raised her hand. "Say your name please, before the question," she added, nodding at the girl.
"Vivian Darkbloom. Did you really help to defeat the Dark Lord?" the Slytherin girl asked.
Hermione sighed inaudibly. She supposed these kinds of questions were inevitable, but really…"Yes, Miss Darkbloom. I did. With the help of three other teachers, of course."
A Ravenclaw boy raised his hand. "John Marx," he informed her. "What exactly will we be learning this year?"
Hermione smiled slightly. Finally, a boy she could relate to! She set into explaining about the first year curriculum immediately, and with gusto.