"I am having seconds thoughts!"
"Well I have been reluctant to the idea since you first brought it up Hermione.. lets postpone it for another year.."
"No.. it is really too late now.."
Hermione gave Snapes' hand a reassuring squeeze before they moved up the stone stairs of the old Georgian town house. She stirred his finger away from the decorative brass knocker, and instead guided it to the door bell, having him give it a clumsy push.
"Remember what I told you? Everybody and everything will be muggle, so don't touch anything you are not familiar with.."
"I am not a child!"
"yes but, just remember that no one except my parents are to know that I am a.."
"_I_ am not a child Hermione! I know!"
"Fine.." she cleared her throat. "Well then." Awkward tension fell between the odd couple as they stood on the threshold of her parents house, Hermione dressed in an ankle long brown skirt, and a simple grey top, covered by a long leather jacket. Snape, who was usually more than reluctant to wear any muggle garments, had gotten away with wearing plain black trousers, with a basic white shirt; the same clothes he usually wore under his wizard robes. . Reading the white painted plaque next to the green door "Dr.Granger dentist 'We will heal your root and clean your tooth'" Snape couldn't help but snort..
"What a ridiculous slogan" he remarked.
"My dad came up with it" she grinned.
"it's the silliest thing I have rea."
"hush..", she interrupted, "I think I hear someone."
A figure could be seen through fogged out colour stained windows at the door, and then the scraping of locks were sound, before the door swung open, it was a woman..
"Hermione!"
"Mom!"
Excited outbursts where shouted from the elderly Granger who hugged and kissed her unenthusiastic daughter frantically. Snape was rolling his eyes and muttering a remark about hysterical women, stepping back is in fear of catching something contagious.
"Oh it is so good to see you Hermione, did you get here alright? Katy and Douglas are here already, along with granddad. Jane and Granny will be here for dinner tomorrow, oh you must be all frozen, hurry inside, have you done something to your hair? Oh it is so good to have you back, dad is in the living room, and Gemma called for you earlier.." she said without barely taking a breath.
Snape lost track of the verbal at this point, and found himself feeling not unlike the tall pillars decorating the front staircase of the brick building, eyes idly following the cracks in the old cement work.
"Oh forgive my rudeness." a female voice suddenly broke his concentration, and he stared in to the large brown eyes of an elderly copy of Hermione. "You must be Severus, Hermione has told us so much about you.." he had to admit he found himself baffled at the pleasant tone of the woman, considering she was several years younger then himself, and this was their first encounter. Ether her family was exceptionally liberal minded, he thought, or excellent actors, for there was nothing in her manners, or expression, implying her surprise or doubtfulness to his age or appearance. "it is a pleasure to finally meet you"
"No, the pleasure is all mine, I can assure you" he replied, taking the woman's hand and tracing a kiss to the back of her palm, Mrs.Granger looking quite pleasantly bewildered, by this very old gentleman like manner, Hermione unable to hold back a snicker.
"Well.." the woman seeming suddenly short of words, and just side stepped with a hand gesture implying that they should move indoors.. and so they did, Hermione giggling and whispering up at Snape "don't you worry, I told my parents to tell all my muggle friends and family that you were -very- eccentric"
Snape murmured in annoyance as he stepped in to a starkly decorated hallway that lead to the dentist waiting room and office, as well as the staircase for the upstairs living space. His fine bone nose wrinkled in disgust at the minty, clinical odour, coming from several of the white painted doors. Mrs.Granger had taken their coats and luggage dragging them in to a closet for now, shouting from the bottom step of the staircase. "Wait here deary, while I inform your father that you and your friend has arrived" she chirped pleasantly, vanishing up and out of sight leaving the couple to their own amusement.
"Friend!" it finally struck him, and his expression became almost vicious as he glared in to the eyes of the confident girl, that was attempted an innocent smile. "Friend! You refrained from telling them, didn't you!" no wonder her mother had seemed so pleasant, in her eyes he was nothing but a school acquaintance, he drew a deep breath.
"Well.. I did tell them, a lot, about you" she began.. "I just left out the part about our. Relationship, beside, It will be far easier to tell them once they have had a chance to get to know you.." she replied in a far to pleasant and confident tone for his liking, appearing as usual to have it all planned out.
"And how exactly did you figure that out Hermione! What part of my 'being' would ease their surprise.. my dashing looks? Perhaps it would be my charismatic and friendly manner? Or did you just expect them to be won over by my forever warm and approachable personality?"
"Oh hush, I am sure they will love you."
"Oh yes, for I am such a loveable person.."
"I love your person." she moved to wrap her arms around him, but he pushed her off.
"Don't!"
"You are so hard against yourself. you got plenty of great, uhm, personal, er, traits."
"Well, I am glad it isn't I, who will have to inform them, once they have knowledge of all my 'great' personal traits'" he muttered, hurrying to change the subject. "And by the way, there is another thing that confuses me, why are we left to wait in your own home like one of your parents patients. This place reeks of.. Mint, Methyl, mm, Flouroid, and some other hideous substance." he said, his nostrils flaring. His tone of voice was near a whine, something that didn't particularly suit him, and always left Hermione snickering, which in return flustered him further.
"They always do it to guests, its, well part habit I suppose. They don't like having people come up and see mess or plates and such, lying around." she explained, smiling as her mother came down the staircase again and waved them to follow.
The staircase lead up to another hallway with several plain wood doors. The walls were painted a pale yellow, and were covered in strange ethnical artefacts of mostly Indian and African origin, such as decorated mirrors, masks, and animal carvings. He halted to regard the figure of a tiger, and was about to comment when the head of a lady popped out through the door ahead, and shrieked.
"Hermione Deary!. Oh how you have grown!"
"Auntie Katy!" Hermione replied in a more controlled tone, forcing a grin as she got forcefully pulled in to a heavy embrace of an elderly man..
"Heya Uncle Dough." she coughed, squeezing her way out and smiling pleasantly at the two, backing toward Snape who stifled a look of disapproval.
"Let me introduce my old school professor, Severus Snape." she hurried to say, anything to shorten the greeting ritual..
"Oh my. I knew you were bringing a friend, but I had no idea it would be such a handsome fellow." said Aunt Katy, hurrying over to shake his hand. It was obviously her mothers' older sister, seeming similar in appearance, except heavier, and around his age, with the same almost trade mark, wild curly brown hair. Snape, forced a wry grin at the girly giggles and blushes of the woman as he kissed her hand the way he had her mothers.
"Well I have been reluctant to the idea since you first brought it up Hermione.. lets postpone it for another year.."
"No.. it is really too late now.."
Hermione gave Snapes' hand a reassuring squeeze before they moved up the stone stairs of the old Georgian town house. She stirred his finger away from the decorative brass knocker, and instead guided it to the door bell, having him give it a clumsy push.
"Remember what I told you? Everybody and everything will be muggle, so don't touch anything you are not familiar with.."
"I am not a child!"
"yes but, just remember that no one except my parents are to know that I am a.."
"_I_ am not a child Hermione! I know!"
"Fine.." she cleared her throat. "Well then." Awkward tension fell between the odd couple as they stood on the threshold of her parents house, Hermione dressed in an ankle long brown skirt, and a simple grey top, covered by a long leather jacket. Snape, who was usually more than reluctant to wear any muggle garments, had gotten away with wearing plain black trousers, with a basic white shirt; the same clothes he usually wore under his wizard robes. . Reading the white painted plaque next to the green door "Dr.Granger dentist 'We will heal your root and clean your tooth'" Snape couldn't help but snort..
"What a ridiculous slogan" he remarked.
"My dad came up with it" she grinned.
"it's the silliest thing I have rea."
"hush..", she interrupted, "I think I hear someone."
A figure could be seen through fogged out colour stained windows at the door, and then the scraping of locks were sound, before the door swung open, it was a woman..
"Hermione!"
"Mom!"
Excited outbursts where shouted from the elderly Granger who hugged and kissed her unenthusiastic daughter frantically. Snape was rolling his eyes and muttering a remark about hysterical women, stepping back is in fear of catching something contagious.
"Oh it is so good to see you Hermione, did you get here alright? Katy and Douglas are here already, along with granddad. Jane and Granny will be here for dinner tomorrow, oh you must be all frozen, hurry inside, have you done something to your hair? Oh it is so good to have you back, dad is in the living room, and Gemma called for you earlier.." she said without barely taking a breath.
Snape lost track of the verbal at this point, and found himself feeling not unlike the tall pillars decorating the front staircase of the brick building, eyes idly following the cracks in the old cement work.
"Oh forgive my rudeness." a female voice suddenly broke his concentration, and he stared in to the large brown eyes of an elderly copy of Hermione. "You must be Severus, Hermione has told us so much about you.." he had to admit he found himself baffled at the pleasant tone of the woman, considering she was several years younger then himself, and this was their first encounter. Ether her family was exceptionally liberal minded, he thought, or excellent actors, for there was nothing in her manners, or expression, implying her surprise or doubtfulness to his age or appearance. "it is a pleasure to finally meet you"
"No, the pleasure is all mine, I can assure you" he replied, taking the woman's hand and tracing a kiss to the back of her palm, Mrs.Granger looking quite pleasantly bewildered, by this very old gentleman like manner, Hermione unable to hold back a snicker.
"Well.." the woman seeming suddenly short of words, and just side stepped with a hand gesture implying that they should move indoors.. and so they did, Hermione giggling and whispering up at Snape "don't you worry, I told my parents to tell all my muggle friends and family that you were -very- eccentric"
Snape murmured in annoyance as he stepped in to a starkly decorated hallway that lead to the dentist waiting room and office, as well as the staircase for the upstairs living space. His fine bone nose wrinkled in disgust at the minty, clinical odour, coming from several of the white painted doors. Mrs.Granger had taken their coats and luggage dragging them in to a closet for now, shouting from the bottom step of the staircase. "Wait here deary, while I inform your father that you and your friend has arrived" she chirped pleasantly, vanishing up and out of sight leaving the couple to their own amusement.
"Friend!" it finally struck him, and his expression became almost vicious as he glared in to the eyes of the confident girl, that was attempted an innocent smile. "Friend! You refrained from telling them, didn't you!" no wonder her mother had seemed so pleasant, in her eyes he was nothing but a school acquaintance, he drew a deep breath.
"Well.. I did tell them, a lot, about you" she began.. "I just left out the part about our. Relationship, beside, It will be far easier to tell them once they have had a chance to get to know you.." she replied in a far to pleasant and confident tone for his liking, appearing as usual to have it all planned out.
"And how exactly did you figure that out Hermione! What part of my 'being' would ease their surprise.. my dashing looks? Perhaps it would be my charismatic and friendly manner? Or did you just expect them to be won over by my forever warm and approachable personality?"
"Oh hush, I am sure they will love you."
"Oh yes, for I am such a loveable person.."
"I love your person." she moved to wrap her arms around him, but he pushed her off.
"Don't!"
"You are so hard against yourself. you got plenty of great, uhm, personal, er, traits."
"Well, I am glad it isn't I, who will have to inform them, once they have knowledge of all my 'great' personal traits'" he muttered, hurrying to change the subject. "And by the way, there is another thing that confuses me, why are we left to wait in your own home like one of your parents patients. This place reeks of.. Mint, Methyl, mm, Flouroid, and some other hideous substance." he said, his nostrils flaring. His tone of voice was near a whine, something that didn't particularly suit him, and always left Hermione snickering, which in return flustered him further.
"They always do it to guests, its, well part habit I suppose. They don't like having people come up and see mess or plates and such, lying around." she explained, smiling as her mother came down the staircase again and waved them to follow.
The staircase lead up to another hallway with several plain wood doors. The walls were painted a pale yellow, and were covered in strange ethnical artefacts of mostly Indian and African origin, such as decorated mirrors, masks, and animal carvings. He halted to regard the figure of a tiger, and was about to comment when the head of a lady popped out through the door ahead, and shrieked.
"Hermione Deary!. Oh how you have grown!"
"Auntie Katy!" Hermione replied in a more controlled tone, forcing a grin as she got forcefully pulled in to a heavy embrace of an elderly man..
"Heya Uncle Dough." she coughed, squeezing her way out and smiling pleasantly at the two, backing toward Snape who stifled a look of disapproval.
"Let me introduce my old school professor, Severus Snape." she hurried to say, anything to shorten the greeting ritual..
"Oh my. I knew you were bringing a friend, but I had no idea it would be such a handsome fellow." said Aunt Katy, hurrying over to shake his hand. It was obviously her mothers' older sister, seeming similar in appearance, except heavier, and around his age, with the same almost trade mark, wild curly brown hair. Snape, forced a wry grin at the girly giggles and blushes of the woman as he kissed her hand the way he had her mothers.