By Tegan
Echoes
Chapter 11: Christmas Part I
Hermione entered Snape's room with a flurry of soot. The trip had been a short, but disturbing experience. She had felt brick walls brush against her, yet she had seen nothing, her vision clouded by smoke and ash. As her feet hit the floor, she lurched forward gasping, only to have her lungs fill with the black particles. She coughed violently, her throat burning. Eventually, she composed herself enough to glance up with watery eyes and was greeted with a rare look of amusement, as Snape watched her from the sofa.
The sides of his mouth twitched slightly, but soon, his face became blank again. He looked down at his book and asked rather harshly, "Why are you here?"
Hermione was confused and replied hesitantly, "I'm not sure what you...."
"Because I was expecting you last night," he sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
She paused wiping the dirt from her clothes and hair, formulating her response.
Hermione had meant to visit earlier, but Harry had other plans for her. There was obviously more bothering him than he would ever admit. Harry had kept her in the library under the pretense of needing a partner for chess, but Hermione suspected that he wanted her company for other reasons. Her concerns were heightened as she remembered Harry's tired and wistful words. They had played and chatted into the night, but their conversation had been far from lively.
When they had finally parted, Hermione had still needed to prepare and wrap Christmas presents. Harry's and Dobby's presents were finished in very little time, but Snape's would need more work. She had decided to finish his present later, so that she could spend time with him now. Though very tired, she had been anxious to see him and had left not expecting him to berate her for her efforts.
Hermione was tempted to point out that it was technically only early evening, if they followed Alaskan time, but she resisted the urge. She was far too exhausted to argue, and she dryly stated, "If you'd prefer, I can leave."
"I would have preferred that you showed when you said you would."
Her fists clenched tightly, as she held back a scathing retort. She moved to leave, but was stopped short by his voice softly calling out, "Come here, Hermione."
The pull of his voice was stronger than her annoyance at his condescending attitude, and she turned back, her arms crossed defensively.
She approached him tentatively, stopping so that her calves leaned up against his and stared wearily down at him. Even if she had been overjoyed by his words, she doubted if she could have forced a smile at the moment.
"You look tired," Snape stated, setting his book aside. He sat forward slightly, taking her arms in his hands, coaxing them apart and toward him. Hermione gave little resistance, and soon she was lying with her head in his lap.
"If you need more sleep, you should get to my rooms before three in the morning." His words were still sarcastic in nature, but his voice and caresses were now gentle and affectionate. Her senses tingled from his silky voice and the feel of the smooth cushions and his warm lap. Hermione whimpered in pleasure as his fingers drifted to her neck, and she stretched out farther on the sofa. She absently kicked off her shoes and they fell, clunking onto the thin rug.
"Mmm," she moaned closing her eyes and cuddling up against him, so that her face was buried in his stomach. She could smell his spicy cologne as it intermingled with his faint human scent through his shirt. Her arm moved behind him, and she relaxed. She mumbled something into his stomach, causing it to spasm slightly. Snape gently rolled Hermione onto her back, and she opened her eyes.
"Little buzzing fairies are more intelligible than you at the moment," he griped, a small smile appearing on his face.
Hermione saw the affection in his eyes and repeated, "Harry didn't want to go to bed, and I didn't have the heart to leave him." She paused, considering her words, "I think he's been having nightmares."
Snape responded by moving his fingers through her bushy hair, as it spread out across his lap. The crackling fire radiated heat from behind the hearth and molded with the sounds of Snape's breathing, relaxing her. His touches, which had sent tingles through her, now soothed, drawing her deeper into a warm abyss.
After a few short minutes, Hermione had fallen somewhere in between the state of dream and wakefulness when Snape called her name.
It took some effort, but slowly she opened her unfocused eyes. He was staring down at her, expecting her to answer the question that she had not heard. Her lips would not move, but a weak moan escaped her mouth. Snape leaned down and kissed her forehead, and soon she was asleep.
When she awoke, the room was dimly lit, and she was lying on a large bed with thick quilts covering her. She was slightly dazed, but felt encompassed and safe. Better still was the bliss she felt, as she became aware of the warm man sleeping next to her.
Unsteadily, she lifted her head to try and determine how long she had been asleep.
To Hermione, it felt only a few minutes, but she suspected she had slept much longer. Her movements stirred Snape awake, and he turned and wrapped his arm around her protectively.
"Don't leave," he murmured, his hold around her tightening.
"What time is it?" She weakly yawned.
"We still have a few hours." He paused to nuzzle his face into the crook of her neck. "Go back to sleep," he whispered warmly against her skin, sending shivers down her spine.
His gentle breaths continued against her neck, tickling her senses, and she giggled slightly. Hermione closed her eyes, relaxing against the warmth of his body.
She smiled, turning to face him and murmured, "Happy Christmas." His eyes glistened in the dim light, but his face contorted into a grimace as his mouth moved next to hers.
"Hmm," he groaned, his voice vibrating against her skin.
"You have little appreciation for the holidays, I see," she teased as she draped her arm over his neck.
"You are wrong. I have a great appreciation for the lack of little miscreants that the holidays bring. Christmas, however, I could do with out."
"Well, there is only me and Harry to deal with this year."
"I could definitely do without Potter," he grumbled and paused to kiss her neck, "but your presence is making this one of my better Christmases."
Hermione smiled at the implication of his words, and they stayed silent, lost in thought.
Slowly, Hermione's mind drifted to her family. She longed for their company, and wondered if they missed her as much as she missed them. An image of her parents waving happily to her flickered through her mind, and began to feel an emptiness build inside of her. It had been so long since she had spent time with her family that she was beginning to forget the details of her mother's mannerisms and father's gestures. She could no longer recall the sound of her mother's voice or the exact way in which her father laughed. Her memories were becoming hazy. The only clear images she could now picture were those from her many Muggle and Wizard photographs.
Hermione suddenly realized that Snape had no pictures in his rooms. She had been in his rooms as Hogwarts regularly during her time in the alternate universe, but could not remember seeing any photographs there either.
Before she could consider the prudence of her words, she had asked, "Why haven't you put up any pictures of your family?"
She felt his body stiffen beside her as he replied coldly, "I know what they look like."
"So, you have a family?" she continued cautiously.
He cringed slightly, but his voice was impassive as he answered, "Everyone has a family. Mine just happens to be dead."
Snape breathed out heavily and coaxed, "Hermione. Go back to sleep. You'll need your rest."
"Why?" She wondered what in the world he had planned.
He appeared pleased by this change of subject and answered nonchalantly, "It takes a great deal of energy and concentration to perform an advanced spell such as the Killing Curse."
Hermione's eyes shot open wide, and her body tensed. Killing things on Christmas was not her idea of a pleasant holiday.
She leaned up on her elbow, dread overtaking her exhaustion, and exclaimed, "Severus, I don't want to learn that."
His dark eyebrows rose slightly at her forceful response. "I'm surprised at you. I would have thought you'd at least be curious."
She shivered at the thought. "I'm not interested in using Dark Magic."
He sighed with disappointment and replied dryly, "It is only knowledge, neither inherently good nor evil. It is how you choose to use it that decides its worth."
Hermione stared skeptically at him, but his confident expression did not change. She fell back onto the bed, not knowing how to respond. If Snape had meant to soothe her back to sleep, he would have been sorely disappointed as his words had the opposite effect. Though exhausted, a sick, tight feeling now pervaded her body, keeping her awake.
Snape's arm moved around her waist, his dark eyes watching her as she stared anxiously at the ceiling. Gradually, his hand moved up to her face, running a line down her jawbone.
"You've never used the Killing Curse on anyone, have you?" She asked earnestly. Months ago, he had confided that he had never been directly responsible for anyone's death, but she needed the reassurance.
"Not as of yet." He leaned his forehead against her and sighed, "Why are you asking this?"
Turning the question back to him, she asked, "Why do you want me to learn the Killing Curse?"
She could feel his heart rate increase, as he took a deep breath. "Progress on my research has been slow, hindered by the fact that I can only perform two tests a day. If both you and Harry can learn the Curse, we should be able to develop a satisfactory potion much sooner." He paused, his face darkening, "and time is of the essence I'm afraid."
She nodded, and he kissed her reassuringly.
His reasons were sound, but she was still ambivalent about performing such Dark Magic. She felt Harry would have even more difficulty with the idea than she. Hermione soon realized that she desperately needed to leave, so that she could sort out her thoughts and fears.
"I need to get back to my room," she whispered hoarsely, pushing back her dread until she was away.
She crawled out of the bed, and his arm slid off her; yet his eyes followed her to the sofa as she put on her shoes.
Looking into the fire, she remarked more to herself than to Snape, "I wonder if we can get Dobby to clean the fireplaces. I'd rather not continue using them as they are."
Snape didn't answer, so she threw some of the silvery powder into the fire and called out, "Hermione's room."
Soon she was stepping through the blackened mist to her room, overwhelmed by dirt and exhaustion. It was late enough that she knew a nap would be futile. Harry would most likely come to wake her with in the hour.
Hermione decided a cup of coffee might help bring her out of her daze. She summoned Dobby for the simple task, but he did not respond.
She fell back onto her bed, unsure if Dobby's absence was due to her lack of concentration while performing the Summoning Spell, or if it was because of something more serious.
Hermione sighed and rubbed her sore eyes.
If she needed to be in top form today, she would most certainly fail. Even if she learned Avada Kedavra, she doubted if she would ever be able to use it on anyone, regardless of the situation. She sat up, shaking the grim thoughts from her mind and headed for the bathroom.
On the way, she peeled off her clothes, leaving them in a disordered heap. As she entered the bathroom, her mind barely registered the cold tile floor. She absently ran the water, ignoring the mirror as it snickered at her worn appearance.
She slid with a splash into the bath water and laid back, resting her head against the cool porcelain. The warm water enveloped her, relaxing her weary body. The steam and heat clung to her face making her eyelids feel heavy. Before long, she was deep into a dreamless sleep.
A loud knock on the bedroom door jarred her awake.
Hermione did not know how long she had been asleep, but when she awoke, the bath water had cooled and her skin was puckered and wrinkled.
"One moment," she muttered loudly, and she waddled over to the bathroom door, still dripping from her legs and hair and face. Hermione leaned her head against the door frame, eyes closed, as her hand searched blindly for the hook on which her bath robe hung.
She flung the robe around her and walked to her nightstand to gather some clothes, not wishing Harry to see anything that might hang out of her loosely fitted bathrobe.
Before her fingers ever touched the handle, the drawer wobbled and whimpered. Hermione's hand jerked away, and she yelped.
Harry began loudly knocking and calling her name, but Hermione ignored him, focusing her attention on the shaking drawer. She cautiously slid it open, her wand out defensively, to reveal a sobbing Dobby.
Harry shouted her name once more and pounded heavily on the door.
"It's all right Harry," she called out.
Turning her attention back to the pathetic creature lying wrapped in her underthings, she asked, bewildered by the sight, "Dobby, what are you doing?"
The elf awkwardly pushed himself up so that he was sitting, his legs spread and body shaking, her bra draped over his large bat-like ears. His enormous green eyes glistened with tears as he choked out, "Dobby didn't want to be in the way. Miss was gone, so Dobby hide here."
The door sounded again, and Harry shouted, "Hermione, if you don't open this door, I'll break it down!"
She yelled flustered, "I'm coming. Just hold on."
She turned back to Dobby and in a very soft, dark tone that surprised even herself, she commanded, "Do not mention that my room was empty."
Dobby became silent and nodded. His whimpering ceased for a moment, as he replied with a tiny squeak, "Dobby is keeping Miss' secret."
Hermione's body tensed with the awareness of having secrets to keep, but moved quickly to the door, cracking it slightly.
Harry didn't wait for an invitation, but rather forced his way in, a worried look on his face.
Hermione tightened her fuzzy robe around her, trying to be modest, when in reality wearing very little. Luckily, Harry did not seem to notice.
As she double knotted her robe's belt, she glanced down and noticed that Harry was carrying two brightly wrapped packages.
"What happened? I heard you cry out," Harry exclaimed with concern in his voice, but froze mid-step, his mouth dropping open at the sight of Dobby.
"Dobby happened," Hermione muttered and went to sit at the bed, turning her eyes on the little elf.
"So what is wrong?" She asked trying to sound sincere, but feeling rather exasperated.
"Professor Snape is telling Dobby to stay away or he will pickle Dobby in a jar," and he once again began sobbing violently.
Hermione could easily picture Snape threatening Dobby in such a manner. Being certain he would never actually pickle Dobby, she found the image of Snape glaring down at the little elf, while holding a specimen jar, somewhat amusing and had to fight back the urge to smile.
She took in a deep breath, and comforted, "Oh Dobby, I think he just wants to handle the cooking." She lifted her bra off his head. As she did, Hermione watched Harry's face turn a bright shade of red.
"You've been a wonderful help with the laundry and cleaning," she paused pulling out two mismatched socks from her nightstand. "In fact, I got you something for all your efforts." She had added blinking stars with zig-zag patterns to one sock and leopard spots to the other. Both designs hurt her eyes. Dobby, however, acted as though he had never seen anything so lovely.
"Oh!" He squeaked, clutching the present against his chest. "Thank you, Miss. You is more great than Dobby thought!"
"Dobby will go try on his socks now Miss. Thank you," and with that he scampered out the door, his big ears twitching with excitement.
Hermione sighed and looked up at Harry, who was standing beside the bed. She watched as a wide grin appeared on his face.
"Happy Christmas," Harry chimed, as he held out two packages. "The larger one is from me. Ron gave me the other one, before holiday break, to give to you."
Hermione smiled, taking the presents and setting them down next to her. She slid off the bed and knelt on the ground, pulling out a soft package from underneath the bed.
"Here," she held out the present to Harry. "I had meant to give you your own chess set, but in all the confusion, I forgot to bring your gift along."
"That's OK. Mione," he said smiling shyly.
He seemed happy enough with his present, as he pulled the burgundy sweater over his head.
Hermione beamed warmly at her friend and turned her attention to her gifts.
Her smile widened as she lifted the cover from its box to reveal a shimmering model of the galaxy. The accuracy of this model would make calculating the stars' movements much easier for astronomy.
"Oh Harry, thank you!" Hermione exclaimed, holding the large ball in one hand, while her other arm hugged him tightly. "I want to go test it right away!"
"Open Ron's present first," Harry prodded.
Hermione hesitantly lifted the lid from the small box. A thin, delicate bracelet was housed inside. Though probably inexpensive, Hermione doubted it was within Ron's meager budget.
"He spent a long time picking it out."
"Yes, I'm sure he did," Hermione replied quietly.
Ron, though sometimes annoying, was missed more than Hermione could express through words; and at that moment, the tightness in her throat prevented her from saying much of anything.
She was pulled from her thoughts by Harry suggesting, "Let's go to breakfast."
Hermione glanced up at him sadly and nodded. "I need to change first."
And as she plodded to the bathroom to dress, a sinking feeling began to creep upon her. Instead of being with her family and celebrating the holidays, she would be working. She was not looking forward to using the Killing Curse. Furthermore, she had yet to give Snape his present. The more she thought of her gift, the less certain she was that it would be appreciated. This was not exactly the Happy Christmas she had anticipated.
Thank you all for reading and reviewing! It feels wonderful to read feedback.
I had a very hectic week, so I had to split this chapter in two. I know not much happened in part I, but I promise that there will be more "action" in part II. If I get no reviews for this chapter, I completely understand, as I know there is not much to comment on.
Even though there will be another sex scene in the next chapter, it will definitely be an R rated version, considering recent rule changes.
Oh well, I'm going to toddle off now and catch up on the fics I've ignored this week.