Disclaimer: See other chapters.
Author's Note: Hi guys just want to express my deep sympathies on account of Richard Harris' very sad passing away. In the upcoming films, Dumbledore will never be the same again.
On a lighter note, many thanks to all reviewers, it means a lot to me that you guys have helped me get over 100 reviews! Please keep it up!
VERY IMPORTANT – a couple of people have been wondering (understandably) about the fact that Hermione has been using magic during the holidays. I completely forgot about this when I was writing it, so please excuse me. To solve the problem I have decided that as Hermione is in her 6th year, she can be a prefect, and prefects can use magic whenever they want. I hope this is an acceptable theory, but I had to think of something, as she needs to be able to use magic for the rest of the story.
VERY IMPORTANT 2 – Hermione is not mad with Snape about him killing her parents because of the 'bond' they have formed. Please bear with me; things such as this will start to be unravelled in the next few chapters.
VERY IMPORTANT 3 (LAST ONE!) – I apologise to everyone who feels I put too much description into my story; this is simply because I like to know everything about a setting when I read a story, so I do it automatically when I am writing. Does everyone think I describe too much, or do some people like it? Please tell me.
I would also like to take this opportunity to apologise for the grammatical and spelling errors I make. I know they are inexcusable really. If you spot any please inform me of exactly what they are. I have gone back and altered all mistakes in past chapters, so they should be ok now.
Jerked from her state of self-assessment, Hermione started at the sharp knock on her door, which penetrated the enclosing silence. Cursing under her breath, Hermione quickly grabbed the towel and wrapped it around herself.
"Come in," she called nervously, holding the towel firmly in place. The door was pushed open, and there in the doorway stood Severus Snape. His eyes widened slightly when he saw her, but he quickly regained his composure, although he couldn't stop the slight blush creeping up his pale cheeks. Severus cleared his throat; unable to stop his gaze wondering up her long, tanned, well defined legs. Pulling himself together, he flicked his gaze up to her face, which was flushed prettily from embarrassment.
"Miss Granger, I hope you have found everything satisfactory?" he asked, sounding hilariously like a hotel manager. She nodded her head shyly. "Excellent. It is getting quite late, and I was wondering if you would like anything to eat." Hermione had not felt hungry – her mind had been too preoccupied, but now it seemed that her stomach was protesting painfully about its lack of substance. She nodded again, gratefully. "Well then, Miss Granger, please meet me downstairs in twenty minutes." Severus finished as he began backing out of the room.
"Thank you, Professor," she said, and just before he shut the door with a soft click, Hermione thought she glimpsed the smallest of smiles playing around his lips.
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Twenty minutes later, Severus stood at the bottom of the staircase waiting for Hermione, leaning casually against one of the banisters. He had changed out of his Hogwarts teaching robes, and he now wore a simple black cotton shirt with his usual loose black trousers and highly polished boots. Severus had been deeply immersed in his thoughts, but the light creak of a stair caught his attention. He looked up to see Hermione descending the stairs. She was wearing muggle clothes – a loose pair of bootleg jeans, a tight purple T-shirt and pink and silver trainers sporting a 'Sketchers' label. Her hair had almost dried, and it hung in wavy ringlets about her shoulders, her wispy fringe falling into her eyes. Hermione had now reached the last few steps of the staircase, and she looked in shock at her Professor. It seemed strange to see him out of his robes, but then, she realised he must be thinking the same of her as she took in his expression. Severus quickly plastered a scowl on his face.
"Miss Granger," he greeted her in icy, clipped tones.
"Good evening, Professor," she replied more confidently than she felt. He shot her a sideways glance at that. Almost unwillingly, her eyes met his with passionate intensity, and he sped off down the corridor to the left. He led her straight through a door at the end of the room into a small dining room. It was painted in deep burgundy, and the table in the centre of the room, which could only seat six people at most, was set for two. Snape motioned for her to sit down, and she found herself sat opposite him across the table. He looked uncomfortable, and would not meet her eyes.
*God, she looks beautiful,* he thought. *Stop it Severus! She is your student for Christ's sake!* At this point, he risked a look at her, and found her eyes still on him, so he again lowered his eyes. He wasn't used to these feelings, and his unbuttoned collar felt as though it were restricting his breathing. He squirmed uncomfortably in his padded seat, but was at that point rescued as Cosy burst through a door in the corner of the room carrying two plates crammed full of food.
"Thank you, Cosy," he said gently as she beamed fondly up at him. She had made one of the few meals he actually enjoyed – roast beef with all the trimmings. He picked up his knife and fork and began to eat, as Hermione did the same. They both ate ravenously for a few minutes, but then their eating pace slowed, leaving more room for conversation.
"You have a beautiful house, Professor," Hermione ventured. Snape looked confused for a second, as if he didn't know what a compliment was, before giving her a sardonic smile.
"Thank you, Miss Granger," he said. "I have lived here all my life, although I do not spend much time here anymore," he continued earnestly. "My father died when I was young, and the house was left to me in his will. When I took up my teaching job at Hogwarts, my mother moved to the city, although she still visits me when I am here in the summer. If you would like, I will show you the rest of the house after dinner." She nodded enthusiastically, and they resumed a steady eating pace for a few minutes. Hermione bit her lip nervously as she looked over to her Professor's bent head. She reached for her glass of orange juice, took a gulp and decided just to ask him.
"Professor?" she questioned tentatively. His head shot up, and after swallowing his mouthful he quirked one eyebrow; telling her to continue. "I hope you don't think me rude, Professor, but, why – why does electricity work in your house? I didn't think it could work where there was a lot of magic!" Snape put down his knife and fork and sat back in his chair.
"Ah," he said with a small chuckle that sent a shiver through Hermione. "I was wondering when you would mention that. I had begun to think you hadn't noticed." He smirked at the surprised look on her delicate features. "You see, Miss Granger, before I was born, my parents bought this house from muggles. They had, of course, got electricity in the house, but my father, being very anti-muggle, had it disconnected. However, I have always found natural light and that of candles and charms unsatisfactory and a lot of hassle, so, when my father passed away and the house became mine, I tried to get it working again." He paused at this point to pick up his glass of red wine, and took a long gulp. "Unfortunately, the electrics were too old and disused to work again, so I begun developing some potions. I have found one, which if applied monthly to the fuse box will keep the lighting going. However, I am still in the testing process, and it needs to be refined before it will work properly, as you experienced earlier." Hermione sat, staring in awe at her Professor before she found her voice again.
"Sir – that's amazing!" she exclaimed. He exhaled dismissively, but she continued. "And you discovered it all by yourself?"
"Indeed I did, Miss Granger," he said sarcastically. She was still looking at him as if she had never seen a male of the species before, and it made him uncomfortable. He wasn't used to female attention; of any sort. Cosy then re-entered the room to take away their empty plates. As he looked up, Severus noticed Hermione looking at Cosy a little curiously. When she had left the room, he spoke. "I suppose you are wondering why Cosy is wearing clothes, Miss Granger." She looked a little guilty, and merely nodded her head. "After my mother moved out, I felt I had no need for a house elf as I prefer to do tasks myself." He shrugged. "So I gave her clothes. But for a reason I cannot comprehend, Cosy did not want to leave, so in the end I allowed her to stay. Therefore, as she is not enslaved, she can wear clothes. And as for her name, I certainly did not choose it!" Hermione giggled and looked at her Professor in surprise. She had not expected such an honest and gentle confession from him. Severus saw her frowning at him, and raised his tick, black eyebrows. "It appears I am not so much the cold-hearted bastard you thought I was, Miss Granger." He let out a harsh, almost pained laugh as Hermione gaped at him. She had never expected him to use such language in front of a student! "Anyway, would you care to see the rest of the house, Miss Granger?"
Hermione seemed to have lost the use of her vocal chords, so she nodded again, and stood from the table. Out in the hall, he showed her what was behind most of the doors, although he ignored a few. He then led her upstairs to the left side of the house. Walking down the corridor, he quickened his pace and strode straight to a huge, impressive door with a large brass knocker at the end of the corridor. He flung the door open dramatically, and beckoned for Hermione to enter first. She walked through the doorway into a dark room. The blinds had all been pulled down over the windows, but there was suddenly a burst of bright light when Severus flicked on the light switch behind her. Hermione's mouth dropped open in pure astonishment as she gazed around her. She was stood in a large room, which had tall bookcases to the ceiling everywhere. They were crammed full of books, and each one had a slide along ladder to reach the top shelves. Hermione spun on her heel to grin broadly at the man stood behind her.
"Professor – it's wonderful!" In the face of Hermione's clear appreciation, Snape let an almost inconceivable smile flicker across his tired and aching face.
"Thank you, Miss Granger. You may come here whenever you please, but I must ask you to use conviction, Miss Granger. There are some very dangerous books in these shelves." She nodded solemnly, and Snape answered her unvoiced question. "I will leave you to explore, Miss Granger, but do not stay up too late, you have had a long day." Hermione felt surprised – was that compassion in that almost caring voice?
"No, I won't Professor," she replied. "Goodnight." He nodded briskly and shut the door behind him, leaving Hermione to become accustomed with his library.
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About two hours later, Hermione was sat up in bed reading 'Most Potente Potions', from the library, when there was another sharp knock on the door.
"Come in," she called as she looked up from her book. Severus stood in the doorway and gave her an uneasy smile.
"I, erm, just came to wish you goodnight, Miss Granger," he said as he surveyed her. She was wearing a simple pair of cotton muggle pyjamas, and from where he stood it looked as though they has sheep on them. She had braided her long hair and pushed it behind her shoulder. She was reading 'Most Potente Potions' (from his library, he guessed) and was looking exasperated.
"Hermione," she snapped uncharacteristically. Snape looked at her in shock. "Please call me Hermione," she continued more softly. "I don't think I can stand seven weeks being called 'Miss Granger' everyday." She gave him a shy smile, which he returned.
"Oh, of course…..Hermione," he said slightly uncomfortably. "And, I suppose during the holiday, you may call me Severus, if that suits you." She grinned brightly at that. "Well, goodnight, Hermione."
"Goodnight, Severus," she replied and the door shut. Hermione sighed and leant over to turn the light out; too tired to read any longer. The room was plunged into darkness, and Hermione snuggled under the soft covers. She was asleep within minutes.
********************
The next morning, Hermione woke at eight am and got straight up. She had never approved of wasting the day in bed, and she suspected Severus shared her sentiments. So, she was unsurprised when she walked into the dining room a little later for breakfast and saw Severus already seated. He was sat back from the table, one ankle up on the opposite knee. He looked casual and relaxed in black trousers and a crisp white shirt. He was reading the 'Daily Prophet', and there was a steaming cup of black coffee on the table. When she entered he looked up and smiled grimly at her.
"Good morning, Hermione," he said softly, folding up his paper and sitting properly at the table.
"Good morning, Severus," she answered, sitting down at her place. On the table there was a jug of juice, a flask of coffee, a pot of tea and a small jug of milk. There was also a cereal box of 'Sugary Spiders'. Hermione looked at them dubiously.
"I wasn't sure what you would want to eat, so Cosy put everything out. And, erm, I'm afraid as I don't eat breakfast that was all I had left from when my sister and her children visited. There is toast, if you would rather." Taking a deep breath, Hermione grabbed the box.
"No, these are fine, thank you Severus," she said as she poured a bowl. Severus watched her as she took a mouthful. Her face contorted as she bit down – they tasted like lumps of sugar, and thinking about it, they probably just about were. Severus actually laughed lightly at this point, unable to hide his amusement.
"Toast it is, then," he said, as Hermione started giggling. When they had both quietened and Cosy had brought Hermione a plate of toast, Severus spoke. "Hermione, my mother will be arriving later this morning, and there are a few things I think we should talk about." She nodded in return, finished spreading marmalade on her toast, and looked up expectantly at him. He cleared his throat, and continued. "My mother, well to put it lightly, she is a little overprotective, and, I'm afraid that when she hears what has happened to your parents, she will probably act like that towards you." Hermione was actually quite pleased about this, as she had been worried that Severus' mother might hate her. "I apologise now if that makes you uncomfortable," he said, looking genuinely concerned.
"No, Severus, honestly, it's fine," she assured him, but he still flinched slightly as she addressed him by his first name. Suddenly, he pushed his chair back, mumbled an excuse about needing to tidy up, and left. Hermione looked at his empty chair for a moment in surprise, and then finished up her breakfast and left the room.
*******************
Hermione spent the rest of the morning in a secluded corner of the library sat at a table intently reading books. She had even found a fiction section in Severus' library, and had picked one of her favourite books, 'Jane Eyre', by Charlotte Bronte. Hermione had always dreamed of marrying a dashing hero like Mr Rochester in her childhood.
All this while, Severus had been bursting in and out of the library, carrying huge piles of books and replacing them in the shelves. He hardly even glanced at her whilst doing this, and after the first few times, Hermione didn't even look up when he kicked the door open.
At approximately 11.30am, there was a loud dong of a doorbell, which resounded around the house. Hermione left the library and hurried downstairs, smoothing her hair. When she reached the foyer, she could see Severus' back and she noticed he had put his black robes back on. There was a brown leather suitcase in his hand, and his head was bent. She could hear him talking softly to someone. When he heard her coming down the stairs, he turned, and gave her a brief yet encouraging smile, before moving to the side. This revealed to Hermione a short, grey haired woman. Severus' mother. She had on bottle green robes, which hung to the floor, and her grey hair was scraped up into an ornate clip. She wore quite a lot of make up on her friendly, open face, and Hermione could catch a whiff of her perfumed scent from where she was stood a few metres away. When she spotted Hermione, she broke into a broad smile.
"This must be Hermione!" she exclaimed as she crossed the distance between them in seconds. Hermione smiled nervously at her and was caught off guard when she scooped her up into a warm hug. As she drew back, Severus' mother continued. "It is a pleasure to meet you, my dear. I am Selina Snape, Severus' mother." Hermione looked down at the old woman who only came up to her shoulder and opened her mouth to speak, when she was interrupted. "Now, come on, my dear, you must tell me everything about yourself!" Selina continued as she grasped Hermione's arm and started dragging her towards the sitting room. Hermione threw Severus a desperate look over shoulder, which turned into a frown when she saw him almost bent double in silent laughter.
"SEVERUS!" Selina screeched from the doorway. Severus immediately straightened and put a serious expression on his face.
"Coming, mother," he called. This time it was Hermione's turn to crumple in silent laughter.
A/N: hi everyone, hope you liked this chapter. The next one is quite funny I think. I know Severus is OOC, so please don't tell me this (unless you like it of course!)
LV02. thanks, hope you liked this chapter too. Urs is gr8 too btw!
Vanillalips, ok, I get ur point, but hermione's reaction is ment to be like that because of the bond. It will become clear v soon! When you say snape's confession, you mean the bit in the pensieve, right? Well that is short because it is not a main part of the story, just another thing to make hermione feel better about snape. Basically, there's not much detail there because it's not important. Thanks for your review.
Cherry 7-up, thanks for reviewing, soz about the errors, I'm terrible!
Lav, lol, many thanks.
Kaira, hey babe! Thanks so much for being my 100th review. It means so much. *mwahhh* big kisses! I know, why is jk so mean to poor sev? Glad you like it, and yeah, where are the banners and party poppers?!
Lea, sorry it's been a few days! Glad you like it. I will email you, but you only left the first bit of your ad (up to the @ bit) I know, I have no excuses now!
Flyeagle, love ur chapter! God, plz update soon, I can't wait! Thank you sooooo much for your review!
Tracy, glad you enjoyed them both!
Janice, many thanks for reminding me about the no magic in the summer thing, oops! I hope you feel that my 'explanation' is ok. Sorry if you find the descriptions too long, it's just me being a perfectionist!
Viscera, thanks for your review, so glad you like it. Yeah, I love that story too! Will email you when I get it set up.
LadyofSeverus, hiya! Thanks for review – had a late night last night then?!
H20-polo-player, thanks for reviewing again, please keep doing so, I love getting reviews from you! Glad you think my writing is getting better (I actually kinda agree) thanks for the good luck wishes!
Darkfire, lol, I know, very!
Diosadeorquesta, thanks very much for coming and reviewing! Please update dark prince soon – I love it so much! Hope you get the time to finish off reading soon!
Many thanks to Silvermoon, Kaira, Dark Knight, History17, H20-polo-player, Marisa Raven and Ladyofseverus for putting me on their favourites lists!
Please review!!!!!!!