"Are you ready, Hermione?" asked Severus eyeing her trunk, and a cage with a ginger cat meowing. Hermione caught his eye and smiled.
"This is Crookshanks by the way," scratching his head lightly through the cage.
Snape gave Crookshanks an instant look of disdain but nodded.
"Very well, let us go before I change my mind." With that he took out the port key, which happened to be an old cricket bat. Hermione closed her eyes as she placed her had on the bat. That familiar feeling of being hooked in the navel started and before she knew it they were in the back garden of the Grangers home. Hermione looked around amazed at the condition of the garden.
"We placed a house elf here to look after your home while you at school," said Snape noticing Hermione's confusion. They entered through the back door to the smell of freshly baked bread and a house elf scrambling to meet them.
"Hallo, what is your name?" asked Hermione. The elf looked surprised for a moment.
"Nimbly, Madam," he squeaked. Hermione smiled broadly at him.
He was wearing a Hogwarts dishtowel that had been kept immaculate.
"I am Hermione and you obviously know Professor Snape," she indicated with a finger pointing at Severus. The elf nodded look nervously at the man and quickly started to attending to their lunch. Hermione wandered around the house. Memories of very happy moments lay within these walls. It was in her parent's bedroom that Hermione broke down. She flung herself onto their bed, the tears finally flowing freely. After a while she got up and went to the mirror, drying her eyes on her sleeve. She looked a t her image, her hair was still short but she could at least control it more easily. In fact the curls looked beautiful as they clung around her jaw level. She had finally gained some weight, and was looking slightly more like herself. She hadn't realised how tall she had got because Ron and Harry always towered above her. She sighed and went over to her mother's cupboard. Most of the clothes in there would fit her, and Hermione promised herself that she would come get some later. In the corner of the cupboard was a folder she had never seen before. Inside she found photos of a man she did not know, and some old letters. She realised they were from her real father. The last one was a week before she was born. Hermione quickly tucked it under her arm and headed to her room. Severus was just coming out of the bathroom after showering. He was wearing dark blue pants and a white buttoned up shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows. But what Hermione noticed most was his cologne, wafting through her nostril alerting her senses. She had never known he even wore cologne, but always smelt of soap. She smiled.
"Almost time for lunch," he said softly as he entered the guest room. Hermione nodded suddenly feeling the urge to have a cold shower. She raced into her grabbed her toiletries, glancing through her cupboard. Everything seemed childish, her skirts and blouses boring. She hurried back to her mother's clothes seeing if there was anything she could use. It was quite cold outside, even though the house was heated. She settled on a pair of beige pants and a cream cashmere jumper. After she showered she returned to dress. She looked elegant, somewhat more sophisticated. A dash of her mother's perfume, she was ready to go downstairs. It was only when she realised her feet were cold that she hadn't any shoes on. She found some cream socks and beige boots to match.
Severus Snape sat at the kitchen table twiddling his fingers. He looked around the room sensing the homely feeling but the image of the Granger's bodies flashed in his mind.
On the table there was a pot of beef stew, filled with potatoes, vegetables and dumplings.
Also waiting to be sliced was the fresh bread with rosemary and thyme. Snape had dismissed Nimbly, who was quite unsure what to do with himself. He looked up as Hermione entered the room, and thought his eyes were deceiving him. There stood a woman, no longer that child who annoyed him intensely in class. She sat down, looking at the food hungrily. Severus served her a bowl of stew while Hermione sliced the bread, slightly buttering the slices.
"Oh Nimbly did a wonderful job," she commented.
"Yes," Snape answered awkwardly trying to think of what to say next.
Hermione ate quietly enjoying her food. She glanced over at Severus a couple of times, to see that he too was enjoying his food.
"Um, why don't we go into London this afternoon?" she suggested. Snape stopped eating.
"I mean we could get on the bus, go walk around a bit, only if you think it's safe of course," she added. Severus had not even thought how they were going to pass the time; just that he was spending it with her.
"That is a good idea Hermione, I exchanged some gallons for pounds the other day just in case," he said quietly trying to think what he might have done with them.
"Oh, I have my own muggle money, and of course access to some of my savings, Dumbledore made sure of that," she said gingerly. Dumbledore had been name executor of the Granger's estate, making sure Hermione was adequately taken care of.
Nimbly appeared after they had eaten only to glad to take over the kitchen again. Severus suggested they eat in the dinning room that evening so Nimbly could get onto whatever it is that he does. Hermione slipped on a brown overcoat and shivered as Severus opened the front door. He in turn rolled down his sleeves and put on a navy blue jacket. Hermione was surprised how muggle like he looked. As they past the building where Hermione's parents ran the dental business from, she peered through the windows. Everything lay just as it had been when they left.
"You will need to decide what to do with that," Severus commented quietly.
"Oh, I think I already have, I will hire it out to a dentist who needs a place to start their practice. Maybe we should put in an advertisement in the paper, will you help me?" she asked.
"Of course I will, you need to decide on a rent though, I wouldn't know anything about that," Severus joked. He of course had never even been to a dentist being brought up in the Wizarding World, although Hermione could see that a few of his teeth needed to be attended to. She nodded as they waited for the bus, watching Snape from the corner of her eye.
* * * * * * * *
Harry cursed as he paced back and forth the length of Ron's room. He was desperately worried about Hermione spending Christmas with Snape.
"Its worse that spending it with the Dursley's," he told Ron angrily. Ron agreed with him but tried to tell Harry it was Hermione choice. She had grown quite close to Snape when they were held captive. She obviously trusted him, although Ron could not think why, he was still a greasy git in his mind.
Meanwhile back at Hogwarts, Draco glared glumly at Mark Ridgers, this is who he will have to spend time with over Christmas?