Chapter 7
"The First Flashback Chappie"
Author's Note #1: Ok guys! It's the first flashback chapter! Yaaaay! Finally, you can all begin to fully understand why Snape suddenly needs Hermione! Be proud of me… I've had to re-think this chapter and re-write it a couple times now.
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Professor Snape entered Dumbledore's office. The small office had changed since he had last been in there.
"Ah, Severus, you've made it. Please, sit." Dumbledore's eyes sparkled over his half-moon spectacles. "Lemon Drop?"
The Potions master shook his head. "What is it that you needed with me, exactly?"
Dumbledore popped a lemon drop in his mouth and sucked thoughtfully on it for a moment before responding. "It's about Miss. Granger. As you know, her parents have passed on as a result of a terrible accident. She is in pain, Severus. And I'd like for you to possibly help ease that pain." The Headmaster continued after the younger man raised an eyebrow. "I'm asking you to do me a great favor, Severus. She won't speak to anyone, not even Harry or Ron."
Snape's lip curled. "Like those two would actually understand what she's going through. Both of their brains put together wouldn't be able to…"
Dumbledore held up a hand. "Please Severus. Will you do me this favor?"
Sighing and giving an exasperated nod of the head, Snape agreed. "Fine, but what exactly do you want me to do? Invite her to my study and read her a bedtime story?" The sneer was back in the man's voice. "I'm not a bloody babysitter Albus. I'm a Potions Master."
Dumbledore smiled at this last statement. "I realize that Severus, as does Minerva." Snape's eyebrow arched once more. "Professor McGonagall has suggested that you will ask Miss. Granger if she would mind assisting you with a potion of some sort. See if the time you spend together will allow you to get her to open up a little bit."
The dark-haired wizard glared at his elder and stood up. "I must be going. I have a class shortly." Turned on his heel, and left the office, his robes flying out behind him.
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Minerva McGonagall strode down the corridors of the castle at a quick pace. She was on a mission to find Severus and explain that Hermione needed to get her mind off of her parents.
She stopped a few times to yell at random students, then finally reached her destination. Tapping rapidly on the door to the Potions classroom, she heard a glass shatter and someone yell a few obscenities, followed shortly after by Severus opening the door and glaring at her.
"Honestly Severus, it's just a knock on the door. I need you to do something for me." She replied shortly.
Sighing and letting the witch in, he closed the door behind him. "If this is about Miss. Granger…" But the Gryffindor head of house wouldn't let him finish.
"Terrible! Absolutely terrible! Severus her parents were killed. She needs to get her mind off of her parents. She won't eat, she doesn't sleep well, and she won't talk to anyone." Noticing that she had stopped to take a breath, Severus opened his mouth to speak again, but he was too late. "Please, do me a huge favor. Let her help you with a potion or something. Try and get her to talk. She's a bright young lady, and while I hate to admit it, Potions is her best subject. Having something to look forward to will help her. She needs to get her frustration out. Let her talk, cry, hit… do something to get it out."
"Minerva. Stop. As I was trying to tell you, I've already spoken with Dumbledore about this. She will assist me with a potion tomorrow morning. I will *try* to get her to talk, but I will make no promises. Now, if there is nothing else you wish of me, I've got a potion to REBREW." He emphasized the last word, hoping she would get the point.
She did.
The elder witch glared, turned, and stomped out of the dungeons, muttering under her breath.
Snape looked at the mess on the floor. "Ungodly Gryffindors…" Shaking his head, he went off to clean the mess.
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The potion had been going well. Hermione was a brilliant worker and did her best to do everything perfectly. The minute she entered the room she had noticed the books. A quick promise was made to visit the small library later and the couple began their work.
Upon finishing everything and letting the potion cool, the couple entered the library. Hermione was fascinated with the books, and even smiled when she saw the Muggle section. "You have Muggle books?" she asked curiously.
The Slytherin wizard asked her about her father when he was mentioned. It turned out that he read to her often. He watched as the brown-haired girl sat down with the book and read, slowly and softly to herself.
Snape sat down and listened. He blinked, and in that amount of time, the book had been slammed shut and tears had escaped the younger girl's eyes. She spoke, in a very confused and sad tone. It was now, he decided. He would put the plan into action now.
"Well, they're gone. Get over it, Miss Granger. Crying your sad little eyes out won't bring them back. Move on with your life." Snape's cold, harsh voice cut through Hermione like a blade.
It worked. Hermione was on her feet and hitting him in an instant. They flipped over and the smaller girl beat him with all her might. She punched, kicked, and took all her anger out on him for ten minutes before she wore herself out to the point of exaustion.
I What now? Hold her? Hug her? Tell her that everything will be ok? How very un-slytherin of me./I Snape's mind was going in circles. How on earth was he going to act all "nice" to her when they were back in class? He slowly moved them from the floor to the loveseat.
Slowly the minutes passed. The poor little Gryffindor had cried herself to sleep in his arms. Carefully, as to not wake her, he stood and walked to the fireplace. Somehow managing to grab some floo powder, he threw it into the fireplace and took the sleeping girl to the hospital wing.
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When Snape had come out of the fireplace with Hermione in his arms, everyone in the hospital wing turned and looked. Madam Pomfrey had insisted on tending to him, but he insisted that Hermione be taken care of first. Grumbling the entire time, she tended to the Gryffindor and made her way towards the professor.
"Poppy. Please. It's just a tiny scratch, I'll survive." He muttered at the medi-witch. She gave a stern look at the man and narrowed her eyes. She reached forward to examine him again, but her hand was slapped away. "Honestly. It's just a tiny little scratch! I've had worse before. Remember?"
In a huff of anger, the medi-witch stomped off to go care for a 1st year student who had a nasty fall off his broom.
Snape hung his head, contemplating his thoughts. A thousand things were going through his head at that moment. Deep in thought, he didn't notice Hermione had woken up until she spoke.
To this day, he still has no idea what on earth possessed him to move closer and read to her. It was a bit unsettling, reading to a girl and not being the usual greasy git that he usually was. IWho knows what kind of rumors would go flying around when people found out about this. I he thought.
But he read on anyway. Hermione smiled, her first true, genuine smile in weeks. He noticed she closed her eyes, the smile still on her lips. Little by little, she grew peaceful until she finally fell into a deep sleep.
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Authors Note #2: Aye! Longness! And that's only the first half of the flashback scenes! I still have the couple weeks between getting out and going back to do. *grumbles and goes to plan out the next chapter* Flashbacks are so… un-cool. Why on earth did I decide to do them? *smacks self*
