Stolen Child
Chapter 11
How Can I Help You Say Goodbye?
Professor Severus Snape found him self in a rather strange position. One that was normally reserved for everyone but him. He was in an incredibly good mood. Of course he'd never let anyone know it, but on the inside, behind his terrible scowl, he was smiling. An entire storage shelf not only half filled with tiny vials of perfectly made dreamless sleep potion, but also half filled with similar vials of veritaserum, and the opportunity to knock thirty points from Gryffindor after finding two of the little brats snogging in the hallway had positively made his day. And the thought of visiting Ms. Granger didn't seem like nearly as much of a chore today.
Gritting his teeth to keep from whistling, or smiling, or anything else cheery, he marched through the hallways and up the many flights of stairs towards the infirmary. Bursting through the double doors in a flurry of black robes, he was half way across the floor before he noticed that the wooden chairs hadn't been set up like they had been the night before. And then he saw that Hermione was still in her hospital bed, laying on her said, facing away from him. He stopped and scowled angrily. How could she still be in bed, didn't she have any respect? Or had she just lain down? Either way he found her actions to be extremely rude and his good mood began to melt away.
Striding over to the side of her bed her glared down at her. "Ms. Granger, I hope you realize that I am taking a large portion out of my extremely important time for these little meetings, I don't have time for childish laziness." He folded his arms, his scowl deepened.
And so he was quite shocked when Hermione slowly sat up, and turned towards him, her eyes extremely red, her hair sticking out in all directions and glared at him long enough to bellow, her finger jabbing him in the chest , "BUGGER OFF!....you..you.YOU GREASY WANKER!" , before flopping back down on the bed, breathing hard.
Completely floored by her outburst, Snape obeyed his first instinct, and after one last withering look at the back of her head, turned on his heels and stormed off towards the doors. He was nearly to his goal when, through the angry roaring in his ears, he heard her heart wrenching sobs behind him. Against his better judgment he slowed to a stop. Never in all the time that he'd known Ms. Granger had she ever cried in front of him, accept of course in his nightmare. Even when he'd made an incredibly cruel remark about her teeth. It was obvious that she wasn't simply crying over something silly; but no one knew better than Snape, that he was not the best candidate to comfort someone, especially a crying girl.
Suddenly it felt as though he had been placed under the imperious curse, and completely against his will he found himself whirling around and carefully approaching her bed once again. Pulling up one of the wooden chairs he took a seat at her bedside. Professor Snape sat watching her shoulders shake violently, her body curled into a fetal position for several minutes, the sunlight streaming down onto her tousled hair. He had the sudden, completely wild urge to reach out and place his hand on her shoulder, and he was halfway through the motion before he could stop himself; he reasoned that obviously she would have be repulsed, not comforted. He was, after all, no Albus Dumbledore or Minerva McGonagall, he was Severus Snape, the dreaded, disgusting Potion's master. Instead he folded his hands in his lap and quietly waited for her sobbing to subside.
Finally her shaking subsided, the sobs ebbed away, and she was once again peaceful. "They're dead."
Snape jump slightly at the sound of her voice, even though it was even quieter than usual.
"Minerva told me today. My parent's died while I was..away."
Still completely at a loss for what to say, and looking as though he was a deer caught in a pair of headlights, Snape decided to simply keep quiet and let her speak.
Abruptly, Hermione sat up, still not looking at him. She crossed her legs Indian style, her arms wrapped across her middle. "I don't know what to think, though. All I know is words. Hermione, you're parent's are dead. Well then, I guess I should cry now, right?" Suddenly she leapt out of bed and began to pace around the infirmary, her bare feet slapping on the cold stone floor "All of these terrible things happened while I was away, and how am I supposed to react? Cry? Act depressed? Yell? Scream? Fling myself off the top of the castle?" She stopped in front of one of the large windows, staring out across the grounds. "Why couldn't this be easy? When Devon told me I could escape, that I had a real home. Gods, I thought it was all over. I wish I never found out the truth, I wish Dev had never told me." Hermione propped her forehead up against the window, her breath steaming up the glass, tears pushing past her tightly clenched eyes, and rolling slowly down her cheeks.
Hermione stood up again, idly reached up and pushed her hair behind her ear, and Snape was suddenly reminded of the dream he had of her, the one stored away in Dumbledore's pensieve, and he couldn't help but study the nape of her neck, and the line of her jaw, he'd have to compare the real life memory of her to the one stored away some day.
Hastily she drew herself up, taking a deep breath, and suddenly she looked as though she had never broken down. I'm sorry, Professor, I shouldn't be whining, bothering you with my silly problems." He could clearly make out the distinct bitterness behind her façade.
Snape felt something strange stir within him, he had seen himself in her position so many times before. Alone, bitter, screaming for help, but no one to hear his silent inner pleas. No one he could feel comfortable enough with to let loose, instead he'd simply let it run through his mind thousands of times, all the while enraged that no one else would reach out to him. It was then that it hit him, a cold rush flowing through his chest and face; she would fall into the same rut. Hermione Granger, the best student Hogwarts had ever seen would become cold, bitter, distant, filled with anger and terrible hate if no one saw what was happening, and she, trying to be strong, would hide it from them all, and push them away. And here he was, watching the seeds germinate. He felt himself rise from his seat against his better judgment, and felt his feet carry him around her bed to the window where she was standing. "Ms. Granger." His voice was low, completely devoid of warmth, but it was the best he could manage. "I." He paused for several seconds, trying to force himself to speak. "I'm.. sorry.about.your parents..and for your current situation." He gritted his teeth, and felt as though he might become ill. It had been literally years since he had apologized to anyone, the last one had been Albus Dumbledore.
Hermione stayed where she was for another moment before turning to face him. Her features had softened considerably, and she seemed to realize how difficult it had been for him to say that simple phrase. She opened her mouth to speak, but instead she simply nodded and lowered her eyes to the floor.
Apprehensive that she'd begin crying again, Snape simply stood there, his hands linked behind his back, staring down at the top of her head.
They stayed like that for longer than either of them knew, silent accept for sporadic sniffles from Hermione.
Finally, her head slowly lifted and she looked him in the eyes once again. It was then that he realized that they had not stood face to face this closely since before she disappeared, and indeed, she was a grown woman.
Hermione noticed this as well, she had always been sitting down, or across the room from him, and now that he was just a foot or so away, she could feel the warmth from him and his scent was stronger than ever.
Snape cleared his throat and backed away. "I must leave, Ms. Granger. It's late." He motioned with his head towards the windows behind her and the retreating sun. "I'll return tomorrow evening."
"I won't be here, sir. Madame Pomfrey is releasing me tomorrow." Hermione couldn't help but smile, she was incredibly thankful that she'd finally have a bit of freedom.
"Then perhaps we should arrange a different meeting place." He ran through the possible locations a few times in his mind, until he had decided on a suitable one. "My potion's classroom would be ideal."
Hermione mulled over it for a few moments and then nodded. "Sounds fine, although, I have no idea how to get there." She laughed softly, and then looked momentarily ashamed.
"Simple enough. I trust you'll be joining everyone for dinner in the great hall?" He waited for a moment until Hermione nodded. "Then I will show you the way. Mind you, I'll only show you once." His voice began to regain a bit of its sharpness.
Nodding once again, she pushed her hair back behind her ears. "Thank you, Professor." She watched as he turned, and she was suddenly had the urge to tell him one last thing. "Professor."
Snape stopped, and sighed, how many times was it necessary to stop him halfway out the door? After a moment he turned. "Yes, Ms. Granger" Her voice was filled with blatant annoyance.
"Sir, I'm sorry. For stopping you, and for calling you a.errrr.."
"Greasy Wanker, I believe it was." Snape folded his arms and glared.
"I'm sorry I called you a Greasy Wanker. It was uncalled for, you're neither." She couldn't help but smile.Greasy Wanker? Gods, that was the silliest insult she'd ever heard, not to mention incredibly perverted if you thought about it too long.
The Professor stood there, regarding her for another moment, and then he smirked, though Hermione could have sworn that it was a borderline grin. "I accept your apology, Ms. Granger. Good night."
"Good night, sir." As she watched him go, Hermione's smile was big enough for both of them, and as soon as the last bit of his pitch black robes disappeared through the double doors, Hermione climbed into her bed, and flopped down on her back, stared up at the ceiling, and began to laugh. "Greasy Wanker? Merlin, Hermione, that was awful!" :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
How Can I Help you Say Goodbye?
Patty Loveless
Through the back window of a '59 wagon
I watched my best friend Jamie slippin' further away
I kept on waving 'till I couldn't see her
And through my tears, I asked again why we couldn't stay
Mama whispered softly, Time will ease your pain
Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same
And she said, How can I help you to say goodbye?
It's OK to hurt, and it's OK to cry
Come, let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye?
~~~
I sat on our bed, he packed his suitcase
I held a picture of our wedding day
His hands were trembling, we both were crying
He kissed me gently and then he quickly walked away
I called up Mama, she said, Time will ease your pain
Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same
And she said, How can I help you to say goodbye?
It's OK to hurt, and it's OK to cry
Come, let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye?
~~~
Sitting with Mama alone in her bedroom
She opened her eyes, and then squeezed my hand
She said, I have to go now, my time here is over
And with her final word, she tried to help me understand
Mama whispered softly, Time will ease your pain
Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same
And she said, How can I help you to say goodbye?
It's OK to hurt, and it's OK to cry
Come, let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye?
How can I help you to say goodbye?
Notes: ok, picking up the pace here, trying to move things along with these to *L* This is a fanfiction after all, not a novel ^_- . This Chapter is a bit shorter than I had hoped, but overall I like it, and I like where it ended.of course I could have had them going to sleep.but that would have been gratuitous *L*. Next Chapter, we'll see who survived Voldemort out of the teachers, and meet those who replaced the ones who didn't. Hermione gets to know the castle again, and maybe she'll see an old friend or two.
Sweetygirl420: glad to see you're still reading! Don't worry; I plan to spice things up very soon! ^_-
HunnySnowBunny: *LOL* thanks! Well, it's nothing big or impressive. We started dating when I was 13 and he was 16.we promised we'd marry each other a year later, eventually he gave me a ring (but rings don't mean anything to us, we just had to prove it to everyone else) Anyways, I'm 20, almost 21 (how old ru?), and he's going on 24. Like I said, nothing spectacular..like.uhhhhh.and arranged marriage or something *LOL* just high/middle school sweethearts. *LOL* journals were/are the shiznit, and they can seriously help a plot along *L*. What was your teacher's name? What subject? (charms? Transfiguration? ^_-) We had an English teacher in high school that looked exactly like Harrison ford, he was definitely the object of a few crushes *LOL* And SHITE! You made me realize an error that I made! *L* the Virginia thing was deliberate, but silly me, I forgot to use Ronald instead of Ron! *L* *smacks herself in the forehead* Duh! As for the meaning of Snape's dream, it'll come up soon, though it's not a premonition or anything. And I was considering the tutoring thing *L* but I'll just have to see :P...Have fun on your essay! ;)
N6ous: Thanks! And Thanks again for reading! I'll keep it up as long as I can type! ^_-
ISSDA: Gracias! Thanks for the review, and thanks for reading.and good lord, did I spell Gracias right? *LOL*
Chapter 11
How Can I Help You Say Goodbye?
Professor Severus Snape found him self in a rather strange position. One that was normally reserved for everyone but him. He was in an incredibly good mood. Of course he'd never let anyone know it, but on the inside, behind his terrible scowl, he was smiling. An entire storage shelf not only half filled with tiny vials of perfectly made dreamless sleep potion, but also half filled with similar vials of veritaserum, and the opportunity to knock thirty points from Gryffindor after finding two of the little brats snogging in the hallway had positively made his day. And the thought of visiting Ms. Granger didn't seem like nearly as much of a chore today.
Gritting his teeth to keep from whistling, or smiling, or anything else cheery, he marched through the hallways and up the many flights of stairs towards the infirmary. Bursting through the double doors in a flurry of black robes, he was half way across the floor before he noticed that the wooden chairs hadn't been set up like they had been the night before. And then he saw that Hermione was still in her hospital bed, laying on her said, facing away from him. He stopped and scowled angrily. How could she still be in bed, didn't she have any respect? Or had she just lain down? Either way he found her actions to be extremely rude and his good mood began to melt away.
Striding over to the side of her bed her glared down at her. "Ms. Granger, I hope you realize that I am taking a large portion out of my extremely important time for these little meetings, I don't have time for childish laziness." He folded his arms, his scowl deepened.
And so he was quite shocked when Hermione slowly sat up, and turned towards him, her eyes extremely red, her hair sticking out in all directions and glared at him long enough to bellow, her finger jabbing him in the chest , "BUGGER OFF!....you..you.YOU GREASY WANKER!" , before flopping back down on the bed, breathing hard.
Completely floored by her outburst, Snape obeyed his first instinct, and after one last withering look at the back of her head, turned on his heels and stormed off towards the doors. He was nearly to his goal when, through the angry roaring in his ears, he heard her heart wrenching sobs behind him. Against his better judgment he slowed to a stop. Never in all the time that he'd known Ms. Granger had she ever cried in front of him, accept of course in his nightmare. Even when he'd made an incredibly cruel remark about her teeth. It was obvious that she wasn't simply crying over something silly; but no one knew better than Snape, that he was not the best candidate to comfort someone, especially a crying girl.
Suddenly it felt as though he had been placed under the imperious curse, and completely against his will he found himself whirling around and carefully approaching her bed once again. Pulling up one of the wooden chairs he took a seat at her bedside. Professor Snape sat watching her shoulders shake violently, her body curled into a fetal position for several minutes, the sunlight streaming down onto her tousled hair. He had the sudden, completely wild urge to reach out and place his hand on her shoulder, and he was halfway through the motion before he could stop himself; he reasoned that obviously she would have be repulsed, not comforted. He was, after all, no Albus Dumbledore or Minerva McGonagall, he was Severus Snape, the dreaded, disgusting Potion's master. Instead he folded his hands in his lap and quietly waited for her sobbing to subside.
Finally her shaking subsided, the sobs ebbed away, and she was once again peaceful. "They're dead."
Snape jump slightly at the sound of her voice, even though it was even quieter than usual.
"Minerva told me today. My parent's died while I was..away."
Still completely at a loss for what to say, and looking as though he was a deer caught in a pair of headlights, Snape decided to simply keep quiet and let her speak.
Abruptly, Hermione sat up, still not looking at him. She crossed her legs Indian style, her arms wrapped across her middle. "I don't know what to think, though. All I know is words. Hermione, you're parent's are dead. Well then, I guess I should cry now, right?" Suddenly she leapt out of bed and began to pace around the infirmary, her bare feet slapping on the cold stone floor "All of these terrible things happened while I was away, and how am I supposed to react? Cry? Act depressed? Yell? Scream? Fling myself off the top of the castle?" She stopped in front of one of the large windows, staring out across the grounds. "Why couldn't this be easy? When Devon told me I could escape, that I had a real home. Gods, I thought it was all over. I wish I never found out the truth, I wish Dev had never told me." Hermione propped her forehead up against the window, her breath steaming up the glass, tears pushing past her tightly clenched eyes, and rolling slowly down her cheeks.
Hermione stood up again, idly reached up and pushed her hair behind her ear, and Snape was suddenly reminded of the dream he had of her, the one stored away in Dumbledore's pensieve, and he couldn't help but study the nape of her neck, and the line of her jaw, he'd have to compare the real life memory of her to the one stored away some day.
Hastily she drew herself up, taking a deep breath, and suddenly she looked as though she had never broken down. I'm sorry, Professor, I shouldn't be whining, bothering you with my silly problems." He could clearly make out the distinct bitterness behind her façade.
Snape felt something strange stir within him, he had seen himself in her position so many times before. Alone, bitter, screaming for help, but no one to hear his silent inner pleas. No one he could feel comfortable enough with to let loose, instead he'd simply let it run through his mind thousands of times, all the while enraged that no one else would reach out to him. It was then that it hit him, a cold rush flowing through his chest and face; she would fall into the same rut. Hermione Granger, the best student Hogwarts had ever seen would become cold, bitter, distant, filled with anger and terrible hate if no one saw what was happening, and she, trying to be strong, would hide it from them all, and push them away. And here he was, watching the seeds germinate. He felt himself rise from his seat against his better judgment, and felt his feet carry him around her bed to the window where she was standing. "Ms. Granger." His voice was low, completely devoid of warmth, but it was the best he could manage. "I." He paused for several seconds, trying to force himself to speak. "I'm.. sorry.about.your parents..and for your current situation." He gritted his teeth, and felt as though he might become ill. It had been literally years since he had apologized to anyone, the last one had been Albus Dumbledore.
Hermione stayed where she was for another moment before turning to face him. Her features had softened considerably, and she seemed to realize how difficult it had been for him to say that simple phrase. She opened her mouth to speak, but instead she simply nodded and lowered her eyes to the floor.
Apprehensive that she'd begin crying again, Snape simply stood there, his hands linked behind his back, staring down at the top of her head.
They stayed like that for longer than either of them knew, silent accept for sporadic sniffles from Hermione.
Finally, her head slowly lifted and she looked him in the eyes once again. It was then that he realized that they had not stood face to face this closely since before she disappeared, and indeed, she was a grown woman.
Hermione noticed this as well, she had always been sitting down, or across the room from him, and now that he was just a foot or so away, she could feel the warmth from him and his scent was stronger than ever.
Snape cleared his throat and backed away. "I must leave, Ms. Granger. It's late." He motioned with his head towards the windows behind her and the retreating sun. "I'll return tomorrow evening."
"I won't be here, sir. Madame Pomfrey is releasing me tomorrow." Hermione couldn't help but smile, she was incredibly thankful that she'd finally have a bit of freedom.
"Then perhaps we should arrange a different meeting place." He ran through the possible locations a few times in his mind, until he had decided on a suitable one. "My potion's classroom would be ideal."
Hermione mulled over it for a few moments and then nodded. "Sounds fine, although, I have no idea how to get there." She laughed softly, and then looked momentarily ashamed.
"Simple enough. I trust you'll be joining everyone for dinner in the great hall?" He waited for a moment until Hermione nodded. "Then I will show you the way. Mind you, I'll only show you once." His voice began to regain a bit of its sharpness.
Nodding once again, she pushed her hair back behind her ears. "Thank you, Professor." She watched as he turned, and she was suddenly had the urge to tell him one last thing. "Professor."
Snape stopped, and sighed, how many times was it necessary to stop him halfway out the door? After a moment he turned. "Yes, Ms. Granger" Her voice was filled with blatant annoyance.
"Sir, I'm sorry. For stopping you, and for calling you a.errrr.."
"Greasy Wanker, I believe it was." Snape folded his arms and glared.
"I'm sorry I called you a Greasy Wanker. It was uncalled for, you're neither." She couldn't help but smile.Greasy Wanker? Gods, that was the silliest insult she'd ever heard, not to mention incredibly perverted if you thought about it too long.
The Professor stood there, regarding her for another moment, and then he smirked, though Hermione could have sworn that it was a borderline grin. "I accept your apology, Ms. Granger. Good night."
"Good night, sir." As she watched him go, Hermione's smile was big enough for both of them, and as soon as the last bit of his pitch black robes disappeared through the double doors, Hermione climbed into her bed, and flopped down on her back, stared up at the ceiling, and began to laugh. "Greasy Wanker? Merlin, Hermione, that was awful!" :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
How Can I Help you Say Goodbye?
Patty Loveless
Through the back window of a '59 wagon
I watched my best friend Jamie slippin' further away
I kept on waving 'till I couldn't see her
And through my tears, I asked again why we couldn't stay
Mama whispered softly, Time will ease your pain
Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same
And she said, How can I help you to say goodbye?
It's OK to hurt, and it's OK to cry
Come, let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye?
~~~
I sat on our bed, he packed his suitcase
I held a picture of our wedding day
His hands were trembling, we both were crying
He kissed me gently and then he quickly walked away
I called up Mama, she said, Time will ease your pain
Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same
And she said, How can I help you to say goodbye?
It's OK to hurt, and it's OK to cry
Come, let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye?
~~~
Sitting with Mama alone in her bedroom
She opened her eyes, and then squeezed my hand
She said, I have to go now, my time here is over
And with her final word, she tried to help me understand
Mama whispered softly, Time will ease your pain
Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same
And she said, How can I help you to say goodbye?
It's OK to hurt, and it's OK to cry
Come, let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye?
How can I help you to say goodbye?
Notes: ok, picking up the pace here, trying to move things along with these to *L* This is a fanfiction after all, not a novel ^_- . This Chapter is a bit shorter than I had hoped, but overall I like it, and I like where it ended.of course I could have had them going to sleep.but that would have been gratuitous *L*. Next Chapter, we'll see who survived Voldemort out of the teachers, and meet those who replaced the ones who didn't. Hermione gets to know the castle again, and maybe she'll see an old friend or two.
Sweetygirl420: glad to see you're still reading! Don't worry; I plan to spice things up very soon! ^_-
HunnySnowBunny: *LOL* thanks! Well, it's nothing big or impressive. We started dating when I was 13 and he was 16.we promised we'd marry each other a year later, eventually he gave me a ring (but rings don't mean anything to us, we just had to prove it to everyone else) Anyways, I'm 20, almost 21 (how old ru?), and he's going on 24. Like I said, nothing spectacular..like.uhhhhh.and arranged marriage or something *LOL* just high/middle school sweethearts. *LOL* journals were/are the shiznit, and they can seriously help a plot along *L*. What was your teacher's name? What subject? (charms? Transfiguration? ^_-) We had an English teacher in high school that looked exactly like Harrison ford, he was definitely the object of a few crushes *LOL* And SHITE! You made me realize an error that I made! *L* the Virginia thing was deliberate, but silly me, I forgot to use Ronald instead of Ron! *L* *smacks herself in the forehead* Duh! As for the meaning of Snape's dream, it'll come up soon, though it's not a premonition or anything. And I was considering the tutoring thing *L* but I'll just have to see :P...Have fun on your essay! ;)
N6ous: Thanks! And Thanks again for reading! I'll keep it up as long as I can type! ^_-
ISSDA: Gracias! Thanks for the review, and thanks for reading.and good lord, did I spell Gracias right? *LOL*