Authors Note: You may ask, and rightly, why the stinking hell I re-uploaded
this chapter. Well, a few changes have been made, and when I have enough
time (*cough*summer*coughcough*) I will rewrite this chapter and a few
after it, because frankly, it stinks! Oh, and I'm adding the Disclaimer
below, so that I can get rid of the one that was ahead of this chapter,
making me look like an idiot. Which I am.
Disclaimer: I hereby state that I own only those characters that do not stir up recognition in the reader's brain. Now, the fact may appear that the reader may or may not have met a few people I borrowed names from, but that's not really the point. More to the point, I am not looking forward to a copyright infringement with JK Rowling and the Warner Brothers Motley Crew. Thank you, and please don't waste your time reading this when you could be reading something so so so much better. Really, FF.Net it chock full of great writers. Check them out!
"I call this meeting together on the gravest of grave times." Dumbledore began but was interrupted by Robert Griffin.
"Why? What has possibly happened now?" He exclaimed.
"I will tell you in a moment." Dumbledore said sharply to him. "If you take a look around we have three people missing. Clara Van Kleeck, Alexandra Turkowski, and Hermione Granger," Harry and Ron looked at each other.
"Oh my God, not Hermione too!" Harry said.
"Yes Potter, Granger has been taken by the Dark Lord and we have only one choice." Severus Snape had glided to the doorframe and was mocking Harry from there. "We go into the lair of the beast and rescue all three of them."
"Thankyou Severus. Now kindly stop mocking Potter." Griffin had stood up and was glaring at Snape cruelly.
"You-!" Severus started but was interrupted by a loud boom and a scarlet cloud of smoke from Dumbledore's wand.
"Severus, Robert. Sit down! We are already split by Cornielus Fudge and do not need to be split by you two." He said crisply.
"I am sorry Albus." Severus said quickly. Robert muttered the likewise.
"But you are right, the both of you. We do need to rescue Clara, Alexandra, and Hermione. But Robert is also correct. You do need to stop mocking Harry, Severus." Dumbledore said gently.
"Alright. Fair enough." Severus said bitterly.
"Good. Now," Said Dumbledore, "We need a team of no more then five people to go and rescue our missing three."
Six hands shot immediately into the air and a seventh followed reluctantly.
Travis Stenstrom, Harry Potter, Robert Griffin, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Ronald Weasly, and Severus Snape. Five had to be chosen.
"Travis, you're going. Robert. You too. Sirius, Remus. And Severus." Dumbledore rattled of the names of the peoples who would be going.
"WHAT??" Harry yelled. "Ron and I are Hermione's best friends and we aren't aloud to come?"
"Yeah." Ron joined in, "We want to help Hermione, and you can't stop us!"
"You think two 18 year old wizards can possibly find their way to Voldsemort's lair, then rescue three other wizards AND make it back here alive?" Snape asked scathingly.
"Yes." They said in unison defiantly.
"No. Harry, Ron. You will by NO means attempt in accompanying anyone on this voyage," Said Dumbledore, "It is to dangerous."
~~*~~
Later in Dumbledore's office Severus and Albus were talking about how Severus was going to get where they were going.
"We could apparate." Severus suggested.
"I doubt that would work Severus." Dumbledore said patiently. "Voldemort would surely have thought of that. Though I am sure that somewhere near where you are trying to go, there is a extremely good point to which you and your team could apparate."
"Alr- Albus? What team?" Snape said loudly.
"What? Oh. Didn't I tell you? I suppose not. You are running the team that is rescuing Clara, Alexandra, and Hermione." Dumbledore said.
"Albus . . . You really must tell me these things before you appoint them to me." Severus said coldly.
"Alright . . . Did I forget to mention that you are leaving tomorrow?" Albus asked him, a sparkling light coming into those light blue eyes.
"Albus . . ." Snape groaned. "Fine. But only because you said so."
~~*~~
They set off. Severus in front, Robert bringing up the rear. They had apparated to a spot near the muggle London. Severus stopped.
"Does ANYBODY know where we are going?" He asked irritably.
"No . . ." was about all that anybody said.
Ooook . . . Severus thought. Where is Albus when you need him?
Severus turned to his "team" "Alright. None of us has any idea where we are going. Dumbledore is the only person I can think of who does. We shall take a vote. One of us will apparate back to Hogwarts as quickly as possible and speak to Albus. Who will go?"
Only two people wanted to go this time though he really couldn't think of why the rest of them wanted to stay here.
Travis and Robert wanted to go.
"Robert, you are capable of apparating all the way back to Hogwarts and then find Dumbledore?" Severus gave Robert a searching glare.
"Yes." Robert replied.
"Then get going you fool!" Severus snapped.
There was pop and Robert disappeared.
"Ok. Now lets set up camp somewhere near here." Severus ordered.
~~*~~
When Robert got back there were already three tents set up near the spot where he had left everybody. He could see Snape prowling along the tents. That greasy git. He thought to himself.
"SNAPE!" Robert yelled, "SNAPE! DON'T YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT ALBUS TOLD ME? SNAPE!"
Severus came gliding up to him. "Well?" he asked expectantly.
"We passed it. He says that where we are now is exactly one mile from it." Robert said in a rush.
"But there's nothing there!" Severus exclaimed.
"I know and I told him so, he said check underground. He said think like a snake. In other words, a snake burrow." Robert finished.
"Alright. We'll give them till the morning. Then we tell them. Let them recover."
~~*~~
Severus went to bed with his head buzzing. All he could think about was what You-Know-Who was doing to three young women.
He eventually fell asleep. It wasn't long though before he woke to the packing of tents.
"Robert!" he ran outside fully dressed, "Robert! What did you tell them?" He asked as soon as Griffin had reached him.
"I only told them that we missed the mark and had to pack up and retrace our steps." He said simply.
"Ok. Now as soon as we are done packing we'll set out. Go spread the word. Its just one mile right?" Severus said.
"Yeah. One mile." Robert replied.
~~*~~
One mile later.
"Is there supposed to be something here?" Travis asked incredulously.
"Yes. But there is most likelly a password." Severus stated.
"Everybody draw your wands. This is a dangerous area." Remus warned.
Sirius was the first to cry out the alarm. A deatheater had apparated right in the center of a grove of trees. There was a knoll right next to him and the deatheater strode twordards him.
"Death to mudbloods." He murmured. The knoll rolled and shivered until there was an opening large enough for eight grown men to fit into. The deatheater entered and immediately vanished because the hill was closeing.
"Alright! We know the password we can go in and rescue Hermione, Clara, and Alexandra!" Snape called.
There was a cheer of agreement after his words.
~~*~~
They entered the knoll, which from the inside was much bigger than the outside. Hold on Hermione, we're coming! Severus thought.
No sooner than had they entered the knoll then they were ambushed by a small group of deatheaters on their way out. They were a bit taken aback to find five armed wizards in their midst.
One of them was quicker to his wits and had started yelling "IMPIRIO!" when Severus had already cast "EXPELLIARMUS!" ten wands (for that was how many deatheaters there were) flew towards Severus, Travis, Remus, Sirius, and Robert. They all caught two and in the next few minutes none of them were quite sure what had happened but when it was all over they had two large bundles that happened to be ten deatheaters.
The deatheaters had fought hard and Severus' mind was brought back to Hermione. She must have had it bad in here. I wonder if she knows we're coming. Then he suddenly realized that this was the third time from entering this place that he'd thought about Hermione. And they'd only been in there for five minutes. I can't possibly like her that way, can I? He asked himself. Well let's look back shall we? Came the irritating answer. Her first year what did you think of her? Look, we don't have time for this. HA! I knew you liked her!
~~*~~
They continued farther into the hill without much incident. All of them were now decked up in deatheater robes. They had figured that the three women would be locked in dungeons, which meant they would be in the center and on the bottom.
They made their way there easily enough, but now they faced the prospect of which cell and which key. They eventually found them.
"Sirius?" A highly female voice came from one of the cells when Sirius walked past it. He was in his animagus form and gave a gleeful bark. They had finally found what they were looking for.
"Hermione!" Remus called running over to her cell. "Are you all right? How did they treat you? Which key do you need?"
Severus walked slowly over and his stomach did a funny flip-flop thing that he had never before in his life experienced. "Ms. Granger." He acknowledged her with a nod.
"Professor Snape!" she said in surprise. "I didn't know you would be coming."
"I didn't either. But it doesn't matter. Which key is it to let you out? And where are Clara and Alexandra?" He said hurriedly.
"They're here. It's a big old one. Kinda rusty. And silver." She said picking up on the urgency of the situation.
"I found it!" Travis called.
He let the three of them out and Hermione stumbled forward. Severus caught her mid-fall.
The other two girls were not badly injured though they too stumbled into the arms of their rescuers. They had stolen three extra robes for the girls and they put them on while everyone else turned their backs. When they were finished the men surrounded the women and marched back up to the surface. When they got there the girls were far to tired to apparate and Remus and Sirius had already apparated so Travis took Alexandra, Robert took Clara and Snape was left with Hermione.
They looked at each other for a moment and then Hermione looked away. Severus picked Hermione up before she could say anything and apparated. She's only nineteen! He scolded himself. You're what, thirty-nine? I'm sure that would go over well!
They reached the Hogwart gates a few seconds after everybody else. They walked up to the castle in silence. Hermione took his hand to slow him down when they were almost at the oak front doors.
"You said, back at the cells, I mean, that you didn't know you were coming. Did you mean it?" She had just realized that she had absolutely nothing to say and had only stopped him to get a good look at him. Oh my god, she thought, I can't believe I've only just noticed how appealing Severus Snape can be.
"Yes. I did mean it. Why would I lie to you?" He said.
"Well, I was just wondering. You never seemed to like me before so I thought maybe it was still like that." She said it as though she hoped it wasn't.
"Hermione!" Harry and Ron had come outside to great their friend.
"I'll just leave you three to your lives, if you will kindly get out of my way, Mr. Potter." He said as though nothing had changed between himself and Hermione.
~~*~~
Hermione ran into the Great Hall. She ran right up to Dumbledore's chair and asked him straight out: "Where is Severus? I need to speak with him now."
"Miss Granger, he is currently unreachable." Dumbledore said evenly.
"I don't care. Where is he?" She asked stubbornly.
"He is in his rooms. Or you can check the dungeons." Dumbledore finally gave in.
"Thankyou!" And she ran out.
~~*~~
The dungeons. Who would want their room in the dungeons? She thought to herself, but her thinking was cut short because the very person she was seeking ran into her.
"Miss Granger!" He exclaimed.
"Pro-" She stopped. She really didn't know what to call him. Not Severus, not right now anyway. But he picked up on her indecision.
"You can call me Severus, if you like." He said kindly.
"Alright. Err . . ." Now that she had found him and knew what to call him, she had nothing to say.
"What are you doing down here, Miss Granger?" He asked, not really wanting to know.
"Please, just call me Hermione. I was err . . . looking for you, I guess."
"Really?" He was suddenly interested. Hardly anyone he knew would actually look for him, let alone tell him that.
"Well, yes." She said. She was visibly uncomfortable.
"Why don't we go someplace better to talk?" He offered.
"I suppose that would be better than a hallway." She said, somewhat relieved.
"Good." They walked along in silence, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence really. It was more a silence where you're with someone you wanted to be with and you didn't want words to ruin the moment.
~~*~~
They reached where they were going about three minutes later, and Hermione was rather surprised when they entered Severus' private rooms.
She gasped. The floors were a dark rich green carpet and the room was filled with silver light. The walls were decked with the universe as if it actually belonged there.
"What?" Severus asked, giving her a funny look at the same time.
"Its . . . Wow . . ." She was at a loss for words.
"Not what you were expecting?" He guessed.
"Definitely not." She confirmed.
"Good." He said.
"What exactly did you want to speak with me about?" She asked. She still didn't want to call him Severus.
He smiled.
"Why are you so bloody happy?" she asked irritably.
"Well . . . I'm sorry, but I really can't tell you."
"Why the hell not?" she was getting more and more angry by the minute.
"Well, it has to do with many things that do not concern you." LIAR! Yelled his brain. He told it to shut up.
"Yes, it does. I can tell. Do not attempt to lie to me Severus Snape." She said.
"You sound to much like Minerva McGonagall for your own good." He stated, still smiling.
She really didn't want him to stop smiling, it transformed his face to something much greater. Her stomach was flipping around and it was making her somewhat giddy.
"Good. At least someone in this school does. I know she still does, but you could use someone else to keep you in line!"
"Do I? I thought I was always very in line." He looked at her with mock sorrow. My god, she's beautiful! His heart cried out to him.
"Severus Snape, you can either stop mocking me now, or I can leave." She threatened.
"Do you want to leave?" He asked her.
"No. But that is beside the point."
"No. Its not." He said.
"Why not?" she asked
"Err . . ." It was his turn to look uncomfortable.
"That's what I thought." She walked over to the door. "Perhaps you can come talk to me when you have something to say." She closed the door behind her.
Are you just going to let her walk away like that? His heart asked.
Yes. For now. Let her cool down a bit. His head answered.
The only problem was that his heart hardly ever obeyed his head, and this time was no exception.
"Hermione! Wait!"
She turned around to glare at him. "Why? You have something to say now?"
"No. Well, I do, but I don't. Do you want to hear it?" He asked desperately.
"Alright." She gave in.
Hermione turned and walked back through the door which Severus had thrown open in his rush to get out.
"Ok. I don't know how to say this exactly." He started.
"Then maybe I should go until you do." She said.
He took her hand. "No. I have to tell you this now. I just really don't know how to say it." He sat down, forgetting that he was still holding Hermione's hand, he ended up pulling her down with him.
"Um Sev-" She started but he shushed her.
"Hermione, over the past few days I have been going through something and I think it has to do with you. I don't know how, but I would like it if you could help me with it." He said.
"Ok. What is it?" she asked, interested despite herself. Then she realized that she was sitting on him, and that he still had a firm grip on her hand.
"Well, every time I see y-this person, my stomach feels . . . strange, I guess."
"Like strange, how?" She asked.
"Umm . . . it feels like its flipping over and over. Does that help any?" He said.
"Yes. I suppose that if your stomach continues to do this every time you see this person, perhaps you should stop being around them."
"I don't really think that is an option." He sighed.
"Well, why not?" She said.
"Because she's sitting on me." He sounded as though this was the most obvious thing in the world, but it was still the last thing Hermione had expected.
"Oh my god, Severus, I'm sorry," She got up, "I really don't know what to say. I mean-"
"You shouldn't be sorry. I only wanted to know if you could help me. I suppose not. I'm sorry I put you through this." He got up and turned around, not wanting to see the look of complete helplessness on her face.
She walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, "Sev, you didn't let me finish. I meant that I don't know how to help you unless you tell me how I can."
He spun around. "What?"
"I said that I don't know how to help you unless you tell me how I can." She repeated.
"Oh. I don't rightly know either. Except that I was thinking along the lines of-" He went to kiss her but she backed up.
"I'm truly sorry Sev, but I can't, I can't." She started to cry for no real reason.
He guided her to the couch and she sank down on it. Severus sat down next to her. He put an arm around her and began to rock her back and forth slowly whispering things like "Don't cry, its okay. Its my fault not yours. I shouldn't have done that. It was too soon. I'm sorry."
She finally stopped crying and fell asleep in his arms. All she needed right now was a friend. He realized. Harry and Ron couldn't help her; they had gone back to the burrow to help the Weasley's.
~~*~~
Hermione shuddered awake to find herself wrapped up in Severus' arms. She shivered, even with carpet; a dungeon is very cold. She wrapped herself up more in her robes and pulled out her wand.
She wrote a shimmering note in the air for Severus. Then she left.
~~*~~
Severus awoke to find his arms empty and his rooms deserted and cold. He was walking back to the couch when he suddenly saw a large shimmering S floating next to his ear.
He kept walking forward and turned around. He saw to his amazement a note hovering in the air. It read something like this:
Severus, I'm sorry I didn't stay, but I couldn't. I'm very sorry about what happened yesterday and now that I think about it, I kinda wish it could have gone on. But what I can't get out of my head is that you are still in many ways my evil Potions Master. I can just imagine Harry and Ron's horror if they found out: "YOU DID WHAT?" "HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY KISS SOMETHING LIKE HIM?" I know it's not really very funny to you, but still. I'll come back tonight after dinner, but please don't pull anything like that again. You'll know when I'm ready. From your adoring friend,
Hermione Granger
Severus didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He decided laughing was a better idea. He spent the next three hours cleaning his rooms and getting them ready. He then sent an owl to Hermione.
After all that was finished it was almost dinner. It was only about a half an hour away. He read and re-read the note until dinner. Part of it was still echoing in his head: From your adoring friend. He had never had any real friends so that had come as a real shock to him. He started to walk to dinner and found that his mind was so preoccupied that his feet had walked right past it.
When he finally got there, dinner was just finishing and Hermione was nowhere in sight. He ate quickly and headed down to his dungeon to wait.
~~*~~
Hermione reached her rooms long before dinner was over. She found two owls on her bed. One was from Severus. She read that one first.
Hermione, After dinner would be perfect. I never really meant to be anything more than your evil Potions Master in the first place but things happen in strange ways. If you wish it could have gone on, then why did you stop it? Nevermind. I've decided I don't really want to know. I will talk to you later.
Severus, or as you kindly put it, Your Evil Potions Master
She laughed. It was very Severus. She turned to the other owl and was taken aback by its contents.
Hermione, I am sorry to say but the Dark Mark was found over your parent's home this evening. They say that half of your family was there at the time. The funeral will take place June 4th. I hope you will attend. You may bring anyone you like. I say again, I am sorry.
Albus Dumbledore
She ran to Severus' rooms crying all the way.
~~*~~
Severus was dozing on the couch when there came a soft knock at his door. He got up slowly and opened the door. He was extremely glad he didn't wait.
Hermione stood there in a looking at him out of large brown watering eyes. She didn't wait for him to say anything just threw her arms around him and cried. He stood there somewhat surprised.
She started sobbing "My family. Gone. I can't believe it!"
He moved her through the door and to the couch. She continued to cry. When she had finished crying she handed him the letter from Dumbledore. After he had read it twice through he could understand why she was crying. He held her again until she fell asleep. He picked her up and carried her to his guestroom. He was amazed at how light she was. He laid her down under the red and gold sheets, turned around and left.
~~*~~
Hermione woke up to find herself under red and gold sheets and surrounded by a large lion on one side and a ghost of a man on the other. She got up rather calmly for someone in her position and walked to where she thought the door might be. She found herself in a hallway and she suddenly knew where she was. In Severus' rooms. She walked over to Severus' bedroom door and quietly opened it. He lay in his bed, deeply asleep. She went over to him and leaned next to him and he stirred.
"Hermione?" He said, his voice and face groggy with sleep.
"Go back to sleep Severus, your guestroom just scared me. Go back to sleep." She cooed.
"Alright. Come here then." He opened up the covers revealing a bare chest and clothed legs.
"Thankyou." She slid in next to him. He quickly fell asleep again. She scooted close to him and he unconsciously wrapped one arm around her waste and the other circled her body. She sighed contentedly. I suppose this won't last long. She thought to herself. Then another voice answered the first one. Of course it will, if you want it to, it can last forever.
~~*~~
Saturday. Its Saturday. That was the first thing that popped into Severus' head. He started to roll over and almost squished Hermione in the process. She squealed.
"Severus!! Stop moving!"
"Sorry." He put his arms under him and pushed himself so that he was over Hermione with most of his weight on his arms.
"What do you want Sev?" She asked him warily.
"I really think this would be the perfect time to kiss you but I don't think it's a good idea." He sounded rather putout that he wouldn't get what he really wanted.
"Your right. Its not," She pushed herself up on her elbows so that their faces were about six inches apart. She leaned up a bit more and kissed him on the cheek. "But that was." Then she had to duck under Severus' arms and through the door so that he wouldn't catch her.
He eventually did catch her, but only after she had run him through all of his rooms. He caught up to her in the hallway separating the guestroom and his bedroom.
She had tripped and fell on her stomach. He flipped her over and started tickling her.
"Sev! Stop, please stop!" She was laughing so hard that her whole body was shaking. He mercilessly tickled her until she finally screeched "Sev! Stop it! I'll tell Minerva!"
"Not Minerva! Please!" he said.
"Yes, Minerva!" She said, still laughing.
"Alright." He finally stopped.
"Thankyou. We should probably go to breakfast." She stated.
"Sorry, dearest, breakfast is over." Severus said.
Hermione put on a pouty face and said, "But Sevi, I'm hungry."
"Ok. I can make you breakfast, if you like." He offered.
"That would be wonderful!" She exclaimed.
As he made breakfast for himself and Hermione he realized that he had not called Hermione anything but Hermione. When he pointed this out to her she said:
"Well . . .You could call me Mione. My parents used to call me that. You can now." She started to sniff and Severus went over to comfort her. He knew the eggs wouldn't burn. The pan they were cooking in was enchanted.
~~*~~
After they had eaten they walked to Dumbledore's office together. When they reached it, it was completely deserted expect for Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix. They found a note on his desk.
I am at the lake with Hagrid. He says the squid is sick. Talk to you there.
Albus
"Ok. Onto the lake then!" Severus said.
When they got to the lake they saw Hagrid and Dumbledore bending over a rather haggard looking squid.
"Hermione, Severus." He acknowledged them both.
"Professor Dumbledore, sir. I think it would be better if I just left. Good luck to yer, Hermione." Hagrid said. Then he left.
"Hermione, I know that your parents death is still very raw, and if you like we could let one of the teachers or Severus here take care of you until your ready, something of a guardian. Do you want that?" Dumbledore asked.
"I would like it very much. But I have one question. If I chose Professor McGonagall but wanted to live in Sevs rooms, would that be possible?" Hermione asked.
"Yes. I suppose, but it would all depend on your guardian, if you chose one." He replied.
"Ok. I would like very much if Professor McGonagall could be my guardian, but I could live in Sevs rooms." She said.
"Hermione. We would all like it very much if you would stop calling us 'Professor' there is no reason why you should keep that up. Just call us by our first names. We are not your professors anymore. Merely concerned friends." Dumbledore stated.
"Alright Pro- Albus. But you still haven't answered my question. Can Minerva be my guardian, but I can live in Sevs rooms?" She said.
"I suppose there is nothing wrong with that. Severus, are you alright with that?" Albus asked him.
"Yes. I am fine with it." He said to Dumbledore. "Mione, can I speak with you for a moment?" he asked Hermione.
"Yeah, hold on a minute Sev!" She ran over to Dumbledore and hugged him. Then she walked away with Severus.
"What?" She asked him irritably.
"What do you think your playing at?" He said.
"Nothing. Why?" She said innocently.
"Minerva as your guardian, living with me. What are you trying to do? Make Minerva neuter me?" Severus looked extremely pathetic.
"No. But the thought was appealing." She laughed at the look of pure terror on his face.
"Albus!" He called. "This woman is trying to castrate me!"
Albus chuckled. "Well its about time someone did Severus." He said, still chuckling.
"Albus!" Severus said indignantly.
~~*~~
A few hours later Hermione had a legal guardian for two more years and had gathered her belongings from her old rooms to Severus' guestroom, which they would re-decorate together.
Hermione was leaning against a tree when Severus came up to her.
"Hi Sev." She said.
"Mione. Do you have any idea what Minerva has just said to me?" He asked.
"No. What?" She lied. She knew almost exactly what Minerva had told him.
"That if I so much as laid one finger upon you, she would personally see to it that Poppy (Madam Pomfrey) enjoyed the surgery that would deprive me of my manhood as a payback." He said. Hermione almost laughed out loud again, he looked almost green and was giving her this terrified look that said better that words "She's you guardian, you tell her nothing will happen"!
"Sev, I suddenly know why I want to live with you." She said.
"Why's that?" He asked.
"Because you're so bloody funny." She said.
"Am I?" she nodded. "I'll have to work on that, I'm not supposed to be."
She laughed. Then stood and kissed him on the cheek.
~~*~~
They decided that Hermione's room would look something like a forest. They would use only their wands in decorating and were already halfway through it when they heard a yell of "SHE'S WHAT?" from the Entrance Hall.
"It seems, my dear Mione, that Potter and Weasly are back." Severus said passively while enchanting one of the bricks in the wall to look like a willow branch.
"It appears so." She agreed before sending a jet of green paint at Severus through her wand. It hit him square in the chest.
"Mione. You know what this means right?" He said.
"Yep. It means that your gonna try to hit me with paint, and for your information, I wish you good luck." She ran through the door.
She knew that Sev was following her, but she had no intention of letting him catch her. She ran up to the Entrance Hall and straight into Harry's arms. She moved around behind him and ducked just in time, for a blast of blue paint had burst from the dungeon entrance.
"Hello Harry, Ron." She said. "I've missed you guys. Um, you might want to try and not laugh." She commented as she saw Severus' form coming up the stairs.
Ron almost did burst out laughing when he got a good look at Severus. She had to admit Severus looked pretty good in green.
Severus gave Hermione a death glare that said, "I'll get you later". Hermione laughed and ran up the stairs towards Gryffindor Tower.
Harry and Ron followed her. They hadn't entered the tower for a year and they weren't surprised that it hadn't changed much. They sat in the armchairs by the fire that they had ignited again with their wands, and talked like they hadn't talked for years. They talked about everything, the weather, how everything was going at the burrow, until finally it came around to Hermione.
"Hermione," Harry began, "Please tell me you aren't living with Snape." He pleaded.
They aren't going to like this, they really aren't gonna like this. She thought to herself.
"Yes. I am. And if you don't like it you can go talk to Severus about it." She got up and headed to the door ignoring their protests that she stay.
~~*~~
She walked back to the Entrance Hall half-expecting Severus to be there, ready to squirt her with paint. He wasn't so she continued down to the dungeons and found him sitting on the couch in his rooms looking as if he had never moved.
"Lo' Sev." She said rather gloomily.
"Mione, are you alright?" He asked.
"No." She said simply and sat down next to him on the couch.
"What happened?" he said, concerned.
"I really don't want to talk about it." She said. She leaned up against him. She knew it wasn't something that was world threatening, but for her, it was.
"Hmm . . . Do I have any Veritaserum handy?" Severus asked himself in a bemused sort of way.
"And pop out comes my evil Potions Master." Hermione giggled.
"No, I mean it." He said.
"You don't."
"I do."
"Don't."
"I d- Hermione, what is the point of this?" he asked her.
"Well, its supposed to make you forget about what you were arguing about." She added after a moment's pause. "Did it work?"
"No. Are you going to tell me or not?" He asked irritably.
"Alright." She gave in and relayed the whole conversation to Severus who was listening intently.
"Well, it seems that Potter and Weasly haven't forgiven me for all those detentions in your seventh year." Severus commented after she had finished.
"I suppose not." She said, leaning against him once more.
"Have you?" He asked.
"Have I what?"
"Forgiven me." He said.
"Would I be here if I hadn't? Besides, you hardly ever gave me detentions, except for the times that you found out that I had stolen your boomslang skin in my second year. But you found out in my fifth year. It doesn't matter. What matters is that I'm here now." She said.
"I agree." He held her to him.
They lay like that until Hermione finally broke the silence: "Sev, we should probably go to dinner."
"Do we have to?" He asked pitifully.
"Yes. We have to." She said forcefully.
"Damn girl." He muttered.
~~*~~
Disclaimer: I hereby state that I own only those characters that do not stir up recognition in the reader's brain. Now, the fact may appear that the reader may or may not have met a few people I borrowed names from, but that's not really the point. More to the point, I am not looking forward to a copyright infringement with JK Rowling and the Warner Brothers Motley Crew. Thank you, and please don't waste your time reading this when you could be reading something so so so much better. Really, FF.Net it chock full of great writers. Check them out!
"I call this meeting together on the gravest of grave times." Dumbledore began but was interrupted by Robert Griffin.
"Why? What has possibly happened now?" He exclaimed.
"I will tell you in a moment." Dumbledore said sharply to him. "If you take a look around we have three people missing. Clara Van Kleeck, Alexandra Turkowski, and Hermione Granger," Harry and Ron looked at each other.
"Oh my God, not Hermione too!" Harry said.
"Yes Potter, Granger has been taken by the Dark Lord and we have only one choice." Severus Snape had glided to the doorframe and was mocking Harry from there. "We go into the lair of the beast and rescue all three of them."
"Thankyou Severus. Now kindly stop mocking Potter." Griffin had stood up and was glaring at Snape cruelly.
"You-!" Severus started but was interrupted by a loud boom and a scarlet cloud of smoke from Dumbledore's wand.
"Severus, Robert. Sit down! We are already split by Cornielus Fudge and do not need to be split by you two." He said crisply.
"I am sorry Albus." Severus said quickly. Robert muttered the likewise.
"But you are right, the both of you. We do need to rescue Clara, Alexandra, and Hermione. But Robert is also correct. You do need to stop mocking Harry, Severus." Dumbledore said gently.
"Alright. Fair enough." Severus said bitterly.
"Good. Now," Said Dumbledore, "We need a team of no more then five people to go and rescue our missing three."
Six hands shot immediately into the air and a seventh followed reluctantly.
Travis Stenstrom, Harry Potter, Robert Griffin, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Ronald Weasly, and Severus Snape. Five had to be chosen.
"Travis, you're going. Robert. You too. Sirius, Remus. And Severus." Dumbledore rattled of the names of the peoples who would be going.
"WHAT??" Harry yelled. "Ron and I are Hermione's best friends and we aren't aloud to come?"
"Yeah." Ron joined in, "We want to help Hermione, and you can't stop us!"
"You think two 18 year old wizards can possibly find their way to Voldsemort's lair, then rescue three other wizards AND make it back here alive?" Snape asked scathingly.
"Yes." They said in unison defiantly.
"No. Harry, Ron. You will by NO means attempt in accompanying anyone on this voyage," Said Dumbledore, "It is to dangerous."
~~*~~
Later in Dumbledore's office Severus and Albus were talking about how Severus was going to get where they were going.
"We could apparate." Severus suggested.
"I doubt that would work Severus." Dumbledore said patiently. "Voldemort would surely have thought of that. Though I am sure that somewhere near where you are trying to go, there is a extremely good point to which you and your team could apparate."
"Alr- Albus? What team?" Snape said loudly.
"What? Oh. Didn't I tell you? I suppose not. You are running the team that is rescuing Clara, Alexandra, and Hermione." Dumbledore said.
"Albus . . . You really must tell me these things before you appoint them to me." Severus said coldly.
"Alright . . . Did I forget to mention that you are leaving tomorrow?" Albus asked him, a sparkling light coming into those light blue eyes.
"Albus . . ." Snape groaned. "Fine. But only because you said so."
~~*~~
They set off. Severus in front, Robert bringing up the rear. They had apparated to a spot near the muggle London. Severus stopped.
"Does ANYBODY know where we are going?" He asked irritably.
"No . . ." was about all that anybody said.
Ooook . . . Severus thought. Where is Albus when you need him?
Severus turned to his "team" "Alright. None of us has any idea where we are going. Dumbledore is the only person I can think of who does. We shall take a vote. One of us will apparate back to Hogwarts as quickly as possible and speak to Albus. Who will go?"
Only two people wanted to go this time though he really couldn't think of why the rest of them wanted to stay here.
Travis and Robert wanted to go.
"Robert, you are capable of apparating all the way back to Hogwarts and then find Dumbledore?" Severus gave Robert a searching glare.
"Yes." Robert replied.
"Then get going you fool!" Severus snapped.
There was pop and Robert disappeared.
"Ok. Now lets set up camp somewhere near here." Severus ordered.
~~*~~
When Robert got back there were already three tents set up near the spot where he had left everybody. He could see Snape prowling along the tents. That greasy git. He thought to himself.
"SNAPE!" Robert yelled, "SNAPE! DON'T YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT ALBUS TOLD ME? SNAPE!"
Severus came gliding up to him. "Well?" he asked expectantly.
"We passed it. He says that where we are now is exactly one mile from it." Robert said in a rush.
"But there's nothing there!" Severus exclaimed.
"I know and I told him so, he said check underground. He said think like a snake. In other words, a snake burrow." Robert finished.
"Alright. We'll give them till the morning. Then we tell them. Let them recover."
~~*~~
Severus went to bed with his head buzzing. All he could think about was what You-Know-Who was doing to three young women.
He eventually fell asleep. It wasn't long though before he woke to the packing of tents.
"Robert!" he ran outside fully dressed, "Robert! What did you tell them?" He asked as soon as Griffin had reached him.
"I only told them that we missed the mark and had to pack up and retrace our steps." He said simply.
"Ok. Now as soon as we are done packing we'll set out. Go spread the word. Its just one mile right?" Severus said.
"Yeah. One mile." Robert replied.
~~*~~
One mile later.
"Is there supposed to be something here?" Travis asked incredulously.
"Yes. But there is most likelly a password." Severus stated.
"Everybody draw your wands. This is a dangerous area." Remus warned.
Sirius was the first to cry out the alarm. A deatheater had apparated right in the center of a grove of trees. There was a knoll right next to him and the deatheater strode twordards him.
"Death to mudbloods." He murmured. The knoll rolled and shivered until there was an opening large enough for eight grown men to fit into. The deatheater entered and immediately vanished because the hill was closeing.
"Alright! We know the password we can go in and rescue Hermione, Clara, and Alexandra!" Snape called.
There was a cheer of agreement after his words.
~~*~~
They entered the knoll, which from the inside was much bigger than the outside. Hold on Hermione, we're coming! Severus thought.
No sooner than had they entered the knoll then they were ambushed by a small group of deatheaters on their way out. They were a bit taken aback to find five armed wizards in their midst.
One of them was quicker to his wits and had started yelling "IMPIRIO!" when Severus had already cast "EXPELLIARMUS!" ten wands (for that was how many deatheaters there were) flew towards Severus, Travis, Remus, Sirius, and Robert. They all caught two and in the next few minutes none of them were quite sure what had happened but when it was all over they had two large bundles that happened to be ten deatheaters.
The deatheaters had fought hard and Severus' mind was brought back to Hermione. She must have had it bad in here. I wonder if she knows we're coming. Then he suddenly realized that this was the third time from entering this place that he'd thought about Hermione. And they'd only been in there for five minutes. I can't possibly like her that way, can I? He asked himself. Well let's look back shall we? Came the irritating answer. Her first year what did you think of her? Look, we don't have time for this. HA! I knew you liked her!
~~*~~
They continued farther into the hill without much incident. All of them were now decked up in deatheater robes. They had figured that the three women would be locked in dungeons, which meant they would be in the center and on the bottom.
They made their way there easily enough, but now they faced the prospect of which cell and which key. They eventually found them.
"Sirius?" A highly female voice came from one of the cells when Sirius walked past it. He was in his animagus form and gave a gleeful bark. They had finally found what they were looking for.
"Hermione!" Remus called running over to her cell. "Are you all right? How did they treat you? Which key do you need?"
Severus walked slowly over and his stomach did a funny flip-flop thing that he had never before in his life experienced. "Ms. Granger." He acknowledged her with a nod.
"Professor Snape!" she said in surprise. "I didn't know you would be coming."
"I didn't either. But it doesn't matter. Which key is it to let you out? And where are Clara and Alexandra?" He said hurriedly.
"They're here. It's a big old one. Kinda rusty. And silver." She said picking up on the urgency of the situation.
"I found it!" Travis called.
He let the three of them out and Hermione stumbled forward. Severus caught her mid-fall.
The other two girls were not badly injured though they too stumbled into the arms of their rescuers. They had stolen three extra robes for the girls and they put them on while everyone else turned their backs. When they were finished the men surrounded the women and marched back up to the surface. When they got there the girls were far to tired to apparate and Remus and Sirius had already apparated so Travis took Alexandra, Robert took Clara and Snape was left with Hermione.
They looked at each other for a moment and then Hermione looked away. Severus picked Hermione up before she could say anything and apparated. She's only nineteen! He scolded himself. You're what, thirty-nine? I'm sure that would go over well!
They reached the Hogwart gates a few seconds after everybody else. They walked up to the castle in silence. Hermione took his hand to slow him down when they were almost at the oak front doors.
"You said, back at the cells, I mean, that you didn't know you were coming. Did you mean it?" She had just realized that she had absolutely nothing to say and had only stopped him to get a good look at him. Oh my god, she thought, I can't believe I've only just noticed how appealing Severus Snape can be.
"Yes. I did mean it. Why would I lie to you?" He said.
"Well, I was just wondering. You never seemed to like me before so I thought maybe it was still like that." She said it as though she hoped it wasn't.
"Hermione!" Harry and Ron had come outside to great their friend.
"I'll just leave you three to your lives, if you will kindly get out of my way, Mr. Potter." He said as though nothing had changed between himself and Hermione.
~~*~~
Hermione ran into the Great Hall. She ran right up to Dumbledore's chair and asked him straight out: "Where is Severus? I need to speak with him now."
"Miss Granger, he is currently unreachable." Dumbledore said evenly.
"I don't care. Where is he?" She asked stubbornly.
"He is in his rooms. Or you can check the dungeons." Dumbledore finally gave in.
"Thankyou!" And she ran out.
~~*~~
The dungeons. Who would want their room in the dungeons? She thought to herself, but her thinking was cut short because the very person she was seeking ran into her.
"Miss Granger!" He exclaimed.
"Pro-" She stopped. She really didn't know what to call him. Not Severus, not right now anyway. But he picked up on her indecision.
"You can call me Severus, if you like." He said kindly.
"Alright. Err . . ." Now that she had found him and knew what to call him, she had nothing to say.
"What are you doing down here, Miss Granger?" He asked, not really wanting to know.
"Please, just call me Hermione. I was err . . . looking for you, I guess."
"Really?" He was suddenly interested. Hardly anyone he knew would actually look for him, let alone tell him that.
"Well, yes." She said. She was visibly uncomfortable.
"Why don't we go someplace better to talk?" He offered.
"I suppose that would be better than a hallway." She said, somewhat relieved.
"Good." They walked along in silence, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence really. It was more a silence where you're with someone you wanted to be with and you didn't want words to ruin the moment.
~~*~~
They reached where they were going about three minutes later, and Hermione was rather surprised when they entered Severus' private rooms.
She gasped. The floors were a dark rich green carpet and the room was filled with silver light. The walls were decked with the universe as if it actually belonged there.
"What?" Severus asked, giving her a funny look at the same time.
"Its . . . Wow . . ." She was at a loss for words.
"Not what you were expecting?" He guessed.
"Definitely not." She confirmed.
"Good." He said.
"What exactly did you want to speak with me about?" She asked. She still didn't want to call him Severus.
He smiled.
"Why are you so bloody happy?" she asked irritably.
"Well . . . I'm sorry, but I really can't tell you."
"Why the hell not?" she was getting more and more angry by the minute.
"Well, it has to do with many things that do not concern you." LIAR! Yelled his brain. He told it to shut up.
"Yes, it does. I can tell. Do not attempt to lie to me Severus Snape." She said.
"You sound to much like Minerva McGonagall for your own good." He stated, still smiling.
She really didn't want him to stop smiling, it transformed his face to something much greater. Her stomach was flipping around and it was making her somewhat giddy.
"Good. At least someone in this school does. I know she still does, but you could use someone else to keep you in line!"
"Do I? I thought I was always very in line." He looked at her with mock sorrow. My god, she's beautiful! His heart cried out to him.
"Severus Snape, you can either stop mocking me now, or I can leave." She threatened.
"Do you want to leave?" He asked her.
"No. But that is beside the point."
"No. Its not." He said.
"Why not?" she asked
"Err . . ." It was his turn to look uncomfortable.
"That's what I thought." She walked over to the door. "Perhaps you can come talk to me when you have something to say." She closed the door behind her.
Are you just going to let her walk away like that? His heart asked.
Yes. For now. Let her cool down a bit. His head answered.
The only problem was that his heart hardly ever obeyed his head, and this time was no exception.
"Hermione! Wait!"
She turned around to glare at him. "Why? You have something to say now?"
"No. Well, I do, but I don't. Do you want to hear it?" He asked desperately.
"Alright." She gave in.
Hermione turned and walked back through the door which Severus had thrown open in his rush to get out.
"Ok. I don't know how to say this exactly." He started.
"Then maybe I should go until you do." She said.
He took her hand. "No. I have to tell you this now. I just really don't know how to say it." He sat down, forgetting that he was still holding Hermione's hand, he ended up pulling her down with him.
"Um Sev-" She started but he shushed her.
"Hermione, over the past few days I have been going through something and I think it has to do with you. I don't know how, but I would like it if you could help me with it." He said.
"Ok. What is it?" she asked, interested despite herself. Then she realized that she was sitting on him, and that he still had a firm grip on her hand.
"Well, every time I see y-this person, my stomach feels . . . strange, I guess."
"Like strange, how?" She asked.
"Umm . . . it feels like its flipping over and over. Does that help any?" He said.
"Yes. I suppose that if your stomach continues to do this every time you see this person, perhaps you should stop being around them."
"I don't really think that is an option." He sighed.
"Well, why not?" She said.
"Because she's sitting on me." He sounded as though this was the most obvious thing in the world, but it was still the last thing Hermione had expected.
"Oh my god, Severus, I'm sorry," She got up, "I really don't know what to say. I mean-"
"You shouldn't be sorry. I only wanted to know if you could help me. I suppose not. I'm sorry I put you through this." He got up and turned around, not wanting to see the look of complete helplessness on her face.
She walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, "Sev, you didn't let me finish. I meant that I don't know how to help you unless you tell me how I can."
He spun around. "What?"
"I said that I don't know how to help you unless you tell me how I can." She repeated.
"Oh. I don't rightly know either. Except that I was thinking along the lines of-" He went to kiss her but she backed up.
"I'm truly sorry Sev, but I can't, I can't." She started to cry for no real reason.
He guided her to the couch and she sank down on it. Severus sat down next to her. He put an arm around her and began to rock her back and forth slowly whispering things like "Don't cry, its okay. Its my fault not yours. I shouldn't have done that. It was too soon. I'm sorry."
She finally stopped crying and fell asleep in his arms. All she needed right now was a friend. He realized. Harry and Ron couldn't help her; they had gone back to the burrow to help the Weasley's.
~~*~~
Hermione shuddered awake to find herself wrapped up in Severus' arms. She shivered, even with carpet; a dungeon is very cold. She wrapped herself up more in her robes and pulled out her wand.
She wrote a shimmering note in the air for Severus. Then she left.
~~*~~
Severus awoke to find his arms empty and his rooms deserted and cold. He was walking back to the couch when he suddenly saw a large shimmering S floating next to his ear.
He kept walking forward and turned around. He saw to his amazement a note hovering in the air. It read something like this:
Severus, I'm sorry I didn't stay, but I couldn't. I'm very sorry about what happened yesterday and now that I think about it, I kinda wish it could have gone on. But what I can't get out of my head is that you are still in many ways my evil Potions Master. I can just imagine Harry and Ron's horror if they found out: "YOU DID WHAT?" "HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY KISS SOMETHING LIKE HIM?" I know it's not really very funny to you, but still. I'll come back tonight after dinner, but please don't pull anything like that again. You'll know when I'm ready. From your adoring friend,
Hermione Granger
Severus didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He decided laughing was a better idea. He spent the next three hours cleaning his rooms and getting them ready. He then sent an owl to Hermione.
After all that was finished it was almost dinner. It was only about a half an hour away. He read and re-read the note until dinner. Part of it was still echoing in his head: From your adoring friend. He had never had any real friends so that had come as a real shock to him. He started to walk to dinner and found that his mind was so preoccupied that his feet had walked right past it.
When he finally got there, dinner was just finishing and Hermione was nowhere in sight. He ate quickly and headed down to his dungeon to wait.
~~*~~
Hermione reached her rooms long before dinner was over. She found two owls on her bed. One was from Severus. She read that one first.
Hermione, After dinner would be perfect. I never really meant to be anything more than your evil Potions Master in the first place but things happen in strange ways. If you wish it could have gone on, then why did you stop it? Nevermind. I've decided I don't really want to know. I will talk to you later.
Severus, or as you kindly put it, Your Evil Potions Master
She laughed. It was very Severus. She turned to the other owl and was taken aback by its contents.
Hermione, I am sorry to say but the Dark Mark was found over your parent's home this evening. They say that half of your family was there at the time. The funeral will take place June 4th. I hope you will attend. You may bring anyone you like. I say again, I am sorry.
Albus Dumbledore
She ran to Severus' rooms crying all the way.
~~*~~
Severus was dozing on the couch when there came a soft knock at his door. He got up slowly and opened the door. He was extremely glad he didn't wait.
Hermione stood there in a looking at him out of large brown watering eyes. She didn't wait for him to say anything just threw her arms around him and cried. He stood there somewhat surprised.
She started sobbing "My family. Gone. I can't believe it!"
He moved her through the door and to the couch. She continued to cry. When she had finished crying she handed him the letter from Dumbledore. After he had read it twice through he could understand why she was crying. He held her again until she fell asleep. He picked her up and carried her to his guestroom. He was amazed at how light she was. He laid her down under the red and gold sheets, turned around and left.
~~*~~
Hermione woke up to find herself under red and gold sheets and surrounded by a large lion on one side and a ghost of a man on the other. She got up rather calmly for someone in her position and walked to where she thought the door might be. She found herself in a hallway and she suddenly knew where she was. In Severus' rooms. She walked over to Severus' bedroom door and quietly opened it. He lay in his bed, deeply asleep. She went over to him and leaned next to him and he stirred.
"Hermione?" He said, his voice and face groggy with sleep.
"Go back to sleep Severus, your guestroom just scared me. Go back to sleep." She cooed.
"Alright. Come here then." He opened up the covers revealing a bare chest and clothed legs.
"Thankyou." She slid in next to him. He quickly fell asleep again. She scooted close to him and he unconsciously wrapped one arm around her waste and the other circled her body. She sighed contentedly. I suppose this won't last long. She thought to herself. Then another voice answered the first one. Of course it will, if you want it to, it can last forever.
~~*~~
Saturday. Its Saturday. That was the first thing that popped into Severus' head. He started to roll over and almost squished Hermione in the process. She squealed.
"Severus!! Stop moving!"
"Sorry." He put his arms under him and pushed himself so that he was over Hermione with most of his weight on his arms.
"What do you want Sev?" She asked him warily.
"I really think this would be the perfect time to kiss you but I don't think it's a good idea." He sounded rather putout that he wouldn't get what he really wanted.
"Your right. Its not," She pushed herself up on her elbows so that their faces were about six inches apart. She leaned up a bit more and kissed him on the cheek. "But that was." Then she had to duck under Severus' arms and through the door so that he wouldn't catch her.
He eventually did catch her, but only after she had run him through all of his rooms. He caught up to her in the hallway separating the guestroom and his bedroom.
She had tripped and fell on her stomach. He flipped her over and started tickling her.
"Sev! Stop, please stop!" She was laughing so hard that her whole body was shaking. He mercilessly tickled her until she finally screeched "Sev! Stop it! I'll tell Minerva!"
"Not Minerva! Please!" he said.
"Yes, Minerva!" She said, still laughing.
"Alright." He finally stopped.
"Thankyou. We should probably go to breakfast." She stated.
"Sorry, dearest, breakfast is over." Severus said.
Hermione put on a pouty face and said, "But Sevi, I'm hungry."
"Ok. I can make you breakfast, if you like." He offered.
"That would be wonderful!" She exclaimed.
As he made breakfast for himself and Hermione he realized that he had not called Hermione anything but Hermione. When he pointed this out to her she said:
"Well . . .You could call me Mione. My parents used to call me that. You can now." She started to sniff and Severus went over to comfort her. He knew the eggs wouldn't burn. The pan they were cooking in was enchanted.
~~*~~
After they had eaten they walked to Dumbledore's office together. When they reached it, it was completely deserted expect for Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix. They found a note on his desk.
I am at the lake with Hagrid. He says the squid is sick. Talk to you there.
Albus
"Ok. Onto the lake then!" Severus said.
When they got to the lake they saw Hagrid and Dumbledore bending over a rather haggard looking squid.
"Hermione, Severus." He acknowledged them both.
"Professor Dumbledore, sir. I think it would be better if I just left. Good luck to yer, Hermione." Hagrid said. Then he left.
"Hermione, I know that your parents death is still very raw, and if you like we could let one of the teachers or Severus here take care of you until your ready, something of a guardian. Do you want that?" Dumbledore asked.
"I would like it very much. But I have one question. If I chose Professor McGonagall but wanted to live in Sevs rooms, would that be possible?" Hermione asked.
"Yes. I suppose, but it would all depend on your guardian, if you chose one." He replied.
"Ok. I would like very much if Professor McGonagall could be my guardian, but I could live in Sevs rooms." She said.
"Hermione. We would all like it very much if you would stop calling us 'Professor' there is no reason why you should keep that up. Just call us by our first names. We are not your professors anymore. Merely concerned friends." Dumbledore stated.
"Alright Pro- Albus. But you still haven't answered my question. Can Minerva be my guardian, but I can live in Sevs rooms?" She said.
"I suppose there is nothing wrong with that. Severus, are you alright with that?" Albus asked him.
"Yes. I am fine with it." He said to Dumbledore. "Mione, can I speak with you for a moment?" he asked Hermione.
"Yeah, hold on a minute Sev!" She ran over to Dumbledore and hugged him. Then she walked away with Severus.
"What?" She asked him irritably.
"What do you think your playing at?" He said.
"Nothing. Why?" She said innocently.
"Minerva as your guardian, living with me. What are you trying to do? Make Minerva neuter me?" Severus looked extremely pathetic.
"No. But the thought was appealing." She laughed at the look of pure terror on his face.
"Albus!" He called. "This woman is trying to castrate me!"
Albus chuckled. "Well its about time someone did Severus." He said, still chuckling.
"Albus!" Severus said indignantly.
~~*~~
A few hours later Hermione had a legal guardian for two more years and had gathered her belongings from her old rooms to Severus' guestroom, which they would re-decorate together.
Hermione was leaning against a tree when Severus came up to her.
"Hi Sev." She said.
"Mione. Do you have any idea what Minerva has just said to me?" He asked.
"No. What?" She lied. She knew almost exactly what Minerva had told him.
"That if I so much as laid one finger upon you, she would personally see to it that Poppy (Madam Pomfrey) enjoyed the surgery that would deprive me of my manhood as a payback." He said. Hermione almost laughed out loud again, he looked almost green and was giving her this terrified look that said better that words "She's you guardian, you tell her nothing will happen"!
"Sev, I suddenly know why I want to live with you." She said.
"Why's that?" He asked.
"Because you're so bloody funny." She said.
"Am I?" she nodded. "I'll have to work on that, I'm not supposed to be."
She laughed. Then stood and kissed him on the cheek.
~~*~~
They decided that Hermione's room would look something like a forest. They would use only their wands in decorating and were already halfway through it when they heard a yell of "SHE'S WHAT?" from the Entrance Hall.
"It seems, my dear Mione, that Potter and Weasly are back." Severus said passively while enchanting one of the bricks in the wall to look like a willow branch.
"It appears so." She agreed before sending a jet of green paint at Severus through her wand. It hit him square in the chest.
"Mione. You know what this means right?" He said.
"Yep. It means that your gonna try to hit me with paint, and for your information, I wish you good luck." She ran through the door.
She knew that Sev was following her, but she had no intention of letting him catch her. She ran up to the Entrance Hall and straight into Harry's arms. She moved around behind him and ducked just in time, for a blast of blue paint had burst from the dungeon entrance.
"Hello Harry, Ron." She said. "I've missed you guys. Um, you might want to try and not laugh." She commented as she saw Severus' form coming up the stairs.
Ron almost did burst out laughing when he got a good look at Severus. She had to admit Severus looked pretty good in green.
Severus gave Hermione a death glare that said, "I'll get you later". Hermione laughed and ran up the stairs towards Gryffindor Tower.
Harry and Ron followed her. They hadn't entered the tower for a year and they weren't surprised that it hadn't changed much. They sat in the armchairs by the fire that they had ignited again with their wands, and talked like they hadn't talked for years. They talked about everything, the weather, how everything was going at the burrow, until finally it came around to Hermione.
"Hermione," Harry began, "Please tell me you aren't living with Snape." He pleaded.
They aren't going to like this, they really aren't gonna like this. She thought to herself.
"Yes. I am. And if you don't like it you can go talk to Severus about it." She got up and headed to the door ignoring their protests that she stay.
~~*~~
She walked back to the Entrance Hall half-expecting Severus to be there, ready to squirt her with paint. He wasn't so she continued down to the dungeons and found him sitting on the couch in his rooms looking as if he had never moved.
"Lo' Sev." She said rather gloomily.
"Mione, are you alright?" He asked.
"No." She said simply and sat down next to him on the couch.
"What happened?" he said, concerned.
"I really don't want to talk about it." She said. She leaned up against him. She knew it wasn't something that was world threatening, but for her, it was.
"Hmm . . . Do I have any Veritaserum handy?" Severus asked himself in a bemused sort of way.
"And pop out comes my evil Potions Master." Hermione giggled.
"No, I mean it." He said.
"You don't."
"I do."
"Don't."
"I d- Hermione, what is the point of this?" he asked her.
"Well, its supposed to make you forget about what you were arguing about." She added after a moment's pause. "Did it work?"
"No. Are you going to tell me or not?" He asked irritably.
"Alright." She gave in and relayed the whole conversation to Severus who was listening intently.
"Well, it seems that Potter and Weasly haven't forgiven me for all those detentions in your seventh year." Severus commented after she had finished.
"I suppose not." She said, leaning against him once more.
"Have you?" He asked.
"Have I what?"
"Forgiven me." He said.
"Would I be here if I hadn't? Besides, you hardly ever gave me detentions, except for the times that you found out that I had stolen your boomslang skin in my second year. But you found out in my fifth year. It doesn't matter. What matters is that I'm here now." She said.
"I agree." He held her to him.
They lay like that until Hermione finally broke the silence: "Sev, we should probably go to dinner."
"Do we have to?" He asked pitifully.
"Yes. We have to." She said forcefully.
"Damn girl." He muttered.
~~*~~