Disclaimer: Yada, yada, yada. Not mine. I do however, lay all claim to Tom Felton. Also, I used Jane Eyre as a plot tool. Good book. If you haven't read it yet, I suggest you read it.
Chapter 4: Help comes from all the wrong places
And so here she was.
Sitting in a fluffy couch, sipping strong black tea (no sugar, very little cream, anything else was for the weak), and holding a civil conversation with a man who had previously been the bane of her existence. Hermione was currently engaged in a heated debate with Severus concerning Jane Eyre's real reason behind leaving Mr. Rochester. The irony of the situation struck her suddenly and she could not contain her laughter. Severus turned to her with a confused look on his face (as the point he had just been making had been rather serious) and that just made her laugh harder. Without a clue as to what was so funny, he joined in her laughter, a rich sound that echoed off the walls of the room. After about five minutes of uncontrollable laughing, the two settled down.
"So, what exactly were we laughing about? I know that my idea was not that stimulating, so what had you going off the deep end?"
"I was just thinking how ironic this all is. You belong to one of the most respected Pureblood families in the entire wizarding world, and yet here you are discussing muggle literature with a Muggleborn. Not that I mind," Hermione added quickly, "but it's just somewhat funny. Why do you know so much about muggle literature anyway? I would think that would be fairly low on the list of things to learn in a Pureblood family?"
"Well if you must know, wizards and witches don't make the best authors. They seem incapable of writing leisurely stories that actually make a person think. Muggles, it seems, write stories that really touch on human emotions and desires. I've always had the sense that Muggles wrote better stories about magic and witches and such than wizards could ever dream up. And it was not of course on the top of my parents' list for me to learn about muggle literature, but when you are a bored young child who loves to read good books, you turn to anything you can get your hands on for entertainment. Now, what interested you in such books when you were a young child?" Hermione had followed his whole tale, having been in much the same boat as a young girl.
"Boredom, of course. My parents had a large library when I was a child and we didn't have a television. Therefore, the only thing I could do was to read the books. Jane Eyre was always one of my favorites because I also could not wait to go to school."
"And when you got to Hogwarts was it worth the wait? Or were you greatly disappointed that last year you were here?" Severus asked quietly, almost afraid that she would take offense and rush from the room at once. Hermione looked him over carefully, wondering if she could really talk to him about her problem. Who better to reveal your darkness to, than a man whose life had been spent in darkness? But was she really ready to talk about what had plagued her these last six years?
"For the first six years, it was amazing. I was in an environment were all the things I loved were encouraged; reading, writing and thinking were expected. I had a library at my fingertips and access to some of the most amazing teachers in the world. It was an experience I would not have traded for anything. But that last year, that was when the problems really started. I can honestly say that that one year has tainted my time at Hogwarts so much, that I am unable to think about all the good things that happened when I was here without remembering the bad." Tears glistened in her eyes, but she refused to cry. She had stopped crying long ago. She didn't realize she had said that last part out loud until suddenly she was enveloped in a great hug and Severus was patting her hair gently.
"Sometimes, talking about it, and crying, is the only way for you to deal with what has happened to you. I would be glad to lend you my ear and shoulder if it would help you." That was the beginning of the end for Hermione. She broke down and sobbed uncontrollably into his shirt. Soon, Severus felt her relax in his arms and he realized she was sound asleep.
"Glad I could help you Hermione," he said quietly while he lay her down on the couch. He himself took up vigil in the armchair across from her and for the first time in longer than either cared to remember, they both got a good nights rest.
Alrighty, so likey or no? This took me a little longer than expected, but that's what happens when term papers are due. Now, however, I am on spring break and should have a little time to write. Okay, I don't have much else to say except if anybody has an issue with my having them together so quickly, than you'll have to pass this story by, because I feel it this way. Other than that, I'm out.
Kit-Kat