Author's Note; Hey people! Okay, this is probably the longest chapter I've posted so far, but I'm hoping it'll make up for my pathetic chapter 7. Also, this is a game chapter, so I've posted two new songs for you to guess. Just tell me the names of the songs and who sings them, and you'll get major brownie points. Also, I hope I've depicted the family well enough. If not, tell me and I'll try to describe them better in future. Now for reviewer thanks;

Teala Snape

Pendragon

amazonsummons

DarkFire

SerenaDarienP

Sxy Sweetie

UNKNOWN

Romm

SiriusBlacksgirl4eva

Innocent Dreamer

Silindro, a.k.a. God of Fire

joani

Misty

Dragonlover85

Julia Huss

How Much You Never Knew

Chapter 8; "HERMIONE, MY DARLING GIRL!!!"

Hermione walked up the stone steps to her relative's villa; Keila at her side. Approaching the double doors, excitement swelled within her. She hadn't seen her extended family for years and now the moment had finally come! Glancing back at Snape, she could've smirked.

"You ready?" she asked him, smiling. His reply was a simple nod. But then, probably having though of a question, he asked,

"Do they speak English, or will you be translating for me?"

"Oh, don't worry about that Professor. They usually speak Italian, but since I don't speak it, they've always just switched to English for me. It's out of courtesy, you know. They're always considerate." This must have reassured him slightly, but he was looking quite pale in the porch light.

How funny it was to see him looking so... unsettled, not to mention needing help from her. She would cherish this moment forever.

it's funny how the tables turn

now it's you runnin' after me

didn't wanna spend quality time

didn't think I would ever leave

you got way too comfortable

now you say you want me in your life

'cause I packed up all my shit

I'm movin' in my new place tonight

Possibly, she could have felt sorry for him, but he had put her though so much anguish previous to this moment, that having sympathy was not an option right now. As quietly as she could, she creaked open the heavy oak doors and stuck her head inside. There was no one in the hallway, but she could easily predict that the entire family had waited up to greet her and Snape somewhere in the house. Maybe she should surprise them. Gesturing for Snape to follow her, she tip-toed into the house without making a sound. Keila must have picked up on the idea as well, because she too, was surprisingly silent.

Severus slipped into the house after Hermione. He couldn't exactly see much of its exterior, but his first impression of the inside was that it was surprisingly... lavish. Stepping into a mid sized hallway, a gust of warmth washed over him. There were mahogany hardwood floors, with wonderfully rustic, brick walls on either side of him, and a small lantern burned dimly on a shelf that was imbedded between a number of bricks. The faint light coming from the lantern bounced from the floor to the walls, and all the way up to a vaulted ceiling where he saw a balcony overlooking them. From what he could see of the ceiling that extended above the second floor, it held a row of sun windows which were currently allowing a stream of moonlight to seep through them. This house reminded him instantly of the rich, hearty feeling one would receive upon entering the great hall at Hogwarts, and he knew such a place was not to be taken for granted. Even if it did belong to a pack of swarming muggles.

Continuing after Hermione, he glanced into several of the doors they passed. Behind the first was a large sitting room with a welcoming fire burning in the hearth; The second, another hallway that stretched far enough to where he couldn't see what was at the end of it. Large paintings hung everywhere, and he could only make them out due to the tiny oil lamps that were positioned next to each of them. They shed very little light, and Severus had to admit, he was feeling quite at home in such an atmosphere. But of course, he really wanted to see more of the beautiful aspects of the house, not wander by their shadows. The paintings depicted mainly streets scenes, with jovial people eating at outdoor cafes and what. It all looked so inviting, yet unfamiliar. How strange it was that any place could be so like Hogwarts, but at the same time equally different. It irked him in the most unbelievable way, and he wanted to know more, to unravel the mystery of this new world. Up ahead, a myriad of wonderfully accented voices could be heard, and Severus was not surprised to see another genuine smile tugging at Hermione's lips. She ran up to the lit archway where the voices were coming from, and peeked into the next room. Giving him one last smile, she motioned for him to look in as well.

The scene inside was surprisingly convivial. About fifteen people of all ages sat at various tables and counters in the room, which Severus guessed was a kitchen, as numerous copper pots and pans were all around, either hanging from the ceiling above an island, or stacked on shelves. They were conversing merrily in Italian, and he was shocked to find such little resemblance in any of them to Hermione. She knocked gently on the wall, and everything that happened next was something of an unusually energetic blur.

What must have been an aunt of Hermione's shrieked instantly--

"HERMIONE, MY DARLING GIRL!!!!"

--and Hermione was suddenly smothered by her. Everyone else suddenly piped up to greet her excitedly, and upon noticing Severus, they jumped at him, unpredictably, as well. He felt immensely suffocated, and truth be told, he hadn't gotten this close to anyone since the last time he had been in a fight. They were all chattering so fast (thankfully in English) and so loud that he could only narrowly catch what everyone was saying.

"GOOD TO MEET YA!" said a burly man with a jagged mustache, giving him a firm handshake, which felt more like an arm shake.

A skinny, black haired girl, around Hermione's age shouted, "WELCOME TO THE FAMILY!" and Severus could feel a few children hug each of his legs.

"The Pleasure is ours, Professor," spoke a more refined, elderly woman, who simply gave him a nod and a slight bow.

"WOO HOO, YOU _FINE_!"

"HAPPY TO HAVE YA!" said another middle aged man, who could easily have served as an uncle of Hermione's.

Wait, wait, 'woo hoo, you fine'...? That didn't fit. There were so many people, one could barely keep track. Looking down at the last person who had hugged him, he saw it was the same overly vibrant aunt that had tackled Hermione. Having dyed auburn hair, and a fairly tall frame, she was smiling at him appreciatively, and making no move whatsoever to hide her interest as her eyes traveled his body thoroughly. It was odd how not just some of the people here were greeting him, but how _everyone_ in sight had approached him like he was something worth while.

But right when he thought the party had ended, more pounced, and he was about ready to run off in search of hiding when the kisses came. Kisses from the women on his cheeks, forehead, nose, everywhere it seemed! Wincing, as two of her aunts kissed either of his cheeks at the same time, he chanced a glare at Hermione, who was in no position to glare back. Possibly a cousin, had picked her up over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes and was swinging her around in circles, all the while she squealed excitedly.

Being back on firm ground, Hermione pushed her way throw the crowd of her family, and up to Severus, who was trying his best to keep a smile plastered to his face, though such a task was difficult. Breathless, she announced to them all, who had stepped back a bit to admire them both,

"As you know, this is Professor Snape. Professor, no doubt you've become acquainted with my family by now." Wasn't that the understatement of the century. "Would you all mind introducing yourselves?"

The elderly woman, who was now sitting in a chair at a large oak table spoke up, "Of course we'll introduce ourselves, but come and have some wine with me, everyone! I've just opened a bottle I picked up in Franciacorta."

There were murmurs of anticipation as everyone resumed their positions, and left specific seats open for Severus and Hermione at the table near the wine. The burly man, with the uneven mustache opened a small cabinet near the oven, and proceeded with taking down goblets for the whole of the kitchen's occupants. Or, for most of the occupants. Severus noticed that Hermione was not offered a goblet, but a cup and saucer

which was filled with tea. The same went for the other adolescents he could see around the room. It was understandable of course, as students at Hogwarts were not privileged with alcoholic drinks either. The effect of it was often stated as 'too strong for young stomachs.' Nevertheless, Hermione seemed in no pouting state about this, as it was probably a custom in the family. Having been handed a goblet himself, Severus took a sip of the dark wine, and relished the crisp flavor it possessed. Then, the introductions began.

"Well," said the crazy, red haired woman, "I guess I'll go first. My name is Caprice, I'm Hermione's aunt, and this is my daughter Bianca." She put a hand on the shoulder of the black haired girl who exchanged a friendly smile with him. "And--" she gestured for the only little kids in the room, a boy and a girl, "these are my two adopted children. Her name is Mimi, his is Felix, and frankly, they're quite the little stinkers so watch out." Severus glanced down at them. They couldn't have combined their ages to become ten, and actually looked rather innocent, both with dark hair and big, brown eyes; However, he knew better than to doubt Caprice's warning, as he was very well aware of a child's ability to appear innocuous, yet be entirely malicious.

Now the brawny man stepped forward. His name turned out to be Costanzo, he was married to a woman named Laura, (she stood to the side of him, looking plain and keeping quiet, though Severus could only guess that she was fairly dominant in their relationship), and, they had three children. A pair of twin boys around the age of twenty, Guido and Dino, reminding him disgustingly of the Weasley twins had they brown hair with more muscles, and a pretty girl, Alessandra, who was slightly older than Hermione. She was currently pregnant, and being the gracious one she was, managed a feeble smile at him, though dashed to the bathroom immediately after.

"Oh, the poor girl," several whispered as she left. "She's been feeling sick to her stomach all day."

Now it was time to meet the elderly, who could only have served as grandparents. The woman who had provided the wine turned out to be, unsurprisingly, Hermione's grandmother, Assunta. She presented to him her brother -- equally white haired, yet slightly younger looking -- Amato. "Now, I know he should technically be referred to as a great uncle, but everyone just calls him Grandpa anyway." she said, laughing.

Amato raised his goblet to Severus. "Yeah, guess I do jus' as fine a job at bein' a grandparent as Assunta here." Everyone smiled, and it was obvious that they adored the old man. "Well, that seems to be everybody right now, besides our hired help that'll pop in every so often. Wish you could've met our Bernardo and his daughter Gisella, but they is away in Milano tonight. I expect they'll be back tomorrow, and ya can meet 'em then."

"Why are they there?" Hermione asked.

"They're visiting friends of Clio's," said Caprice. She nodded, remembering Bernardo's disposition. The most reserved of all her uncles was a widower, as Clio had passed over a decade ago, and the single parent of Gisella whom Hermione liked very much. She was only a few years younger than her -- fourteen -- but you could hardly tell as her maturity exeeded her age.

Hermione grinned as she realized that Costanzo had pulled Snape into an affable conversation. Yes, that first impression of her family must've seemed overwhelming as he obviously wasn't used to such dangerous affection, but they were being quite cordial right now, and she hoped immeasurably that her Professor was enjoying himself. Or, at least finding them all to be tolerable. Listening in on their quiet chat, she could merely grasp that they were discussing his career as a potion's master. Everyone had resumed their earlier conversations, as it could've pained them all to stay silent, and she was left to swirl her spoon around in her cup. Not for more than a minute though, as a certain Miss Bianca sneakily stole her away from the kitchen. Beckoning to her with a finger, she led Hermione out glass doors on the far side of the kitchen that went onto a deck, and down to the vast backyard. Stepping out into the crisp night air after such a scene was like complete relief. Until of course, Bianca began babbling so rapidly that Hermione had to ask her to slow down.

"Oh my hell! Is he nice? I mean, you'd know as he's been your teacher for like... ever! But yeah, I'm just curious because Mum seemed to looooovvve his style in more ways than one. Seriously, she has not ogled a guy like that for ages. What do you think? Huh? You think maybe they might be... compatible, or something? Because yeah, it looks good. And shit! Besides that, how've you been! I got your letters last April, and wow, you're so lucky! All of those hot, magical men to choose from. I'd give a lot to be in your shoes." She wiggled her eye brows suggestively as they continued further down the lawn, getting nearer to the edge of their vineyards.

Hermione stared at her in disbelief.

Regaining her composure, she began her baffled explanation. "Okay, first of all, what is up with everyone suddenly thinking of him as a sex object? NO. No, no, no. Professor Snape would _not_ be a good choice for Caprice. In fact, he wouldn't be a good choice for anyone. He may be acting bearable on this trip so far, but at Hogwarts he's a mean, unjust, cruel... and Urgghh! He's just not nice to his students. Second, what do you mean 'hot, magical men?' A) they aren't hot. B) they aren't men. And C) there really isn't _that much_ of a selection."

Bianca simply brushed it off. "Oh, lighten up 'Mione. Mum isn't his student. She's a woman, and not too bad off in looks. Really, she needs a man. I am sooo sick of hearing her jabber to me about when she and my dad were still together." She paused momentarily to roll her eyes. "But anyway, what about the guys? I thought you really liked Ron and Harry, I mean, you described them and they sounded hot."

Hermione muffled a laugh with her hand. "Hot? That's hilarious. Sure, they're good looking boys and all, but I think I'd choose another word to describe them than 'hot.' Not mentioning the fact that I only see them as really good friends. Nothing more."

Bianca looked disappointed. "But what about that thing you had with Ron?"

"We never had anything. We simply liked each other for a few years, but nothing happened, so he found someone else to set his sights for. And, as it turns out, I'm really happy for him. He and his girlfriend, Padma, go really good together."

"Wait, wait. I thought you said he went to that Yule ball thingy with her a few years ago and they didn't hit it off so great. Don't you remember that letter you wrote me about it? You were all jealous and what."

"Yeah, I remember, but he was jealous too because I went with Viktor Krum. Besides that, the both of them have matured. Ron's realized that there's more to understanding the female species than meets the eye, and she's realized that there's more to the world than hair and make-up."

"Okay, so tell me. What happened to Viktor, Mr. Quidditch? That's how you say it, right?" Hermione nodded, but sighed as well.

"We broke up due to... erm... our diverse views on relationships."

"Isn't diversity a good thing in relationships?"

"Well, yeah, but... he wanted me to... you know."

"Have sex?" Bianca had always been embarrassingly forward.

"Well, yeah, and I wasn't exactly ready." she shrugged.

you was at my house, I was sittin' on my couch

you was really buggin' so I told you to get out

I had been misjudgin' you, ya had a lot a nerve

you too damn old to be so immature, I hope you learn

you said I move too slow, I showed ya to the door

you said you'd call me later, I said don't call no more

it is cool if you can't wait for me, I'm glad you let me know

'cause ya showed me your true face baby, the first time I said no

"Tell me truthfully. Were you not ready because, one, you were afraid, _or_, and this choice I believe to be the most likely, you didn't want to get attached because of this subconscious fear you seem to have thinking that if you're in a relationship it automatically makes you weak."

"Well," she said, looking guilty, "It isn't exactly... subconscious."

"Ooh, we're never gonna get you hooked up, are we. Hermione, you need a man!"

"You think everybody needs a man."

"So! They probably do."

"Not the men themselves, Bianca!" She gasped, mockingly shocked.

"Hermione, you know what I mean."

Both girls had a laugh, and finished catching up on the time they had missed.

*************************************

Severus had been talking to Costanzo for nearly twenty minutes before he realized that Hermione wasn't sitting next to him anymore. Where the hell did she go? She can't just leave me here alone with her family! Scowling inwardly, he figured the best thing to do was act as though he didn't notice her absence, though he couldn't help but glance at the few exits around the room every two minutes. Costanzo wasn't fooled.

"Don't worry, Professor. She'll be back. If I'm not mistaken, I believe that our devious Miss Bianca has momentarily whisked her away for a private chat to talk about only God knows what."

"Of course," he said, agreeing, "And please, it's Severus."

"Severus, eh? I like that. A good sturdy name's what every man needs." Looking around, they both saw that everyone was beginning to file out, in need of sleep. "Well, looks like we outta hit the bunks as well. Come on, I'll show ya to your room. And don't worry, I'm sure Hermione and Bianca'll be in later." Resigning from his look-out duty, Severus stood up from the table, grabbing his trunk, and followed Costanzo into the dark hallway, where they followed more hallways, and eventually a few staircases, until he stopped in front of a large, Oak door. "Well, here's your key. I hope you enjoy your stay, Severus. We're always pleased to have new guests."

Amazingly, Severus could tell he was being sincere, and had been since that first meeting. "Thank you. I'm sure I'll find my stay nothing short of magnificent. Besides that, I appreciate you and your family's generosity concerning my well-being."

Costanzo let out a hearty laugh. "No problem. See ya in the mornin'," he said, leaving Severus alone to stand in front of his door. That wasn't so hard was it? Her family isn't that bad, actually. Wait -- except for that wild woman. Was it ... Caprice... ? Shaking his head, he turned the tiny, silver key in the lock until he heard a little 'click.'

Stepping into his room, he gazed around admiringly. Not bad. It nearly mirrored the Slytherin common room, though smaller without couches, making him feel perfectly at ease. Opening his suit case to pull out some boxers he could change into, he gasped as a fluffy, ginger cat jumped out at him unexpectedly, bumping his chin.

"Damn cat!" he cursed. He had completely forgotten about the situation with Crookshanks, and suddenly found himself in an unknowing ordeal. Maybe I should just hand him over to Hermione in the morning. Yes, that'll be the easiest choice. He felt a surge of pride as Tes stepped out of the trunk gracefully, and not at all like that buffoon had. At least his animal had some form of class. Taking out Tes' food and water dishes, he filled them with cat food and water from a bottle he had packed. Both cats instantly ran to the dishes and began filling up greedily, constantly pushing each other's noses out of the way. Alright, maybe she wasn't exactly the classiest cat around, but still... more so than the other one.

Finally getting a change of clothes, he slipped into them, and turned back his bed sheets. It had been a _very_ long day, and he was in no mood to repeat anything of the sort any time soon.