Chapter 6: Accidental Discovery and the Studying in Between
Hermione awoke the next morning to discover that Severus was already gone, although the bed still felt slightly warm, and she knew he must have only just left. She glanced at the clock; it was nine-thirty. "I'm getting too used to all this sleeping in," she mumbled, standing up and stretching.
She dressed quickly and splashed water across her face to wake herself, then went down the hall to wake Adrian. She discovered, however, that he was already up, and that there were voices talking back and forth. "But why do I have to learn Occlomissy thingy?" "Occlumency," said Severus carefully, "and you have to learn it because it is an important skill that every wizard should know. And it'll probably be on the Placement Exam." "Oh, okay!" said Adrian, "Then let's get started!"
Hermione gritted her teeth; she knew Severus was lying about it being on the test. Occlumency was a difficult skill that most wizards never learned; the fact that Severus himself even knew Occlumency and Legilimency was a feat in itself. She listened outside the door for another twenty minutes or so, then finally decided it was best to leave them in peace, and she went to the kitchen to nick an apple.
She ate in the library, walking along the shelves as she did so, gazing at the thousands of dusty volumes. She climbed up one of the ladders and pushed herself along the rows of books, glancing at each of them in passing, until she came to the end of the row. She noticed that this particular section was more dust-laden than the others, and she looked at the volumes carefully. They bore no names.
Setting her apple core down on the shelf, skin down, she pulled out the first book and opened it. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized why this section hadn't been visited in years; it was Severus Snape's private family journals, books, and photo albums. This was none of her business. She should put this away.
But her curiosity was dire, and she flipped past the first page of aged parchment to see the family crest embossed upon it. She went forward a few more pages, and saw a photo of Severus as a teenager at Hogwarts, and two adults whom, she guessed, were his mother and father, were standing behind him. The man had black greasy hair; the woman was beautiful but sad. She noticed that Severus didn't look remotely happy in the picture; he seemed to be edging more toward his mother than his father. His father only scowled at him and yanked him back to the center, where Severus continued to attempt to get away from him.
Hermione flipped ahead a few more pages; here he was graduating from Hogwarts, and he looked only slightly happier than the earlier picture. She noticed he was still basically the same Severus Snape she knew, only he was slightly shorter, as was his hair.
Hermione continued to look through the photo album for quite a while, having lost a sense of time, and did not move from her precarious position on the ladder rung until she heard someone clear their throat loudly. She let out a gasp of surprise and snapped the photo album shut, hastily trying to shove it back into its slot; instead she lost her balance, and fell backward from the ladder.
She let out a yell of surprise and fear, terrified of the impact, the words 'Broken neck' ringing through her head, when she hit the floor and bounced off of it. "ARGHH!" she shouted, and a minute later she felt a pair of hands seize her from behind.
She fell to the floor softly, and suddenly she remembered what Severus had told her about the floor being blanketed in a Cushioning Charm. Speaking of her husband, she looked up to see the man himself glaring down at her. "Having fun?" he growled. "I'm sorry," she said, looking away as she stood up, "I didn't...I didn't know that that section was your...was...was private." "Yet you continued to look anyway," he said, eyes flashing.
Hermione stared at the floor, wringing her hands, "I did, yes. I'm sorry. I won't do it again. I just couldn't help it. I don't know anything about you." At this Severus considered her carefully, "If you wanted to know something about me you could have just asked." She looked up, "Oh. I just assumed that...that you-" "That I'd snap at you and take ten points from Gryffindor?" he quipped, raising an eyebrow. She blushed, "No, of course not."
She sat down in one of the squashy armchairs by the fire, red embarrassment flushing her face. Severus sat down in the armchair next to her, and remained silent for a minute; finally he said, "Well, if there's anything you want to ask me, you might as well go ahead now that you've looked through my personal belongings." She winced, "I'm sorry." "I know you are; I'd just thought I'd rub it in as usual," he replied smoothly. She smiled, bordering a laugh, but remained calm, "Of course."
They were both silent for a minute, then Hermione said, "Sir...what were your parents like?" He sat back slowly, considering this, then said, "I didn't like them, and they didn't like me. Well, my mother might have liked me a bit but my father hated me. And the feeling was mutual for my part." "Oh," she mumbled, trailing off, feeling uncomfortable. "You asked and I answered," he added, "if you want me to tell the truth then it's probably going to be a lot harder than you'd like it to be. I don't sugarcoat anything."
"I know," she said quietly, "it's just that...that I..." "Yes?" he said quizzically. "I don't think you deserve that," she rushed, "I mean, I guessed from the album that you didn't like your parents, and that maybe they didn't like you, but I just...I don't think it's fair. You deserve better." He almost felt shocked at hearing that; most people just blew him off about his parents and acted like it was his own bloody fault that he was a git. "Maybe you would have turned out differently if your parents had been different as well," said Hermione softly, "I mean you turned out all right as it is but...you might not...I don't know. I don't know anymore. I shouldn't have asked. I'm a fool."
Severus was about to reply when the door to the library opened, and in came Adrian. "Hullo!" he said brightly to Hermione, "I've just had Occlumency lessons with Severus!" "I know," smiled Hermione sadly, "I heard you. Did you have fun?" "Yeh! It's real interesting! This whole magic stuff has me positively gobsmacked!" Hermione let out a sigh, "That's good. We'll study some more after lunch, alright?" "Sounds fine to me," he said, flopping down on the floor next to her.
Adrian seemed to notice that they'd both been in deep conversation, "What were you talking about?" "Nothing," lied Hermione, "just school." "Oh," said Adrian, "that's neat." "So," said Hermione, breathing deeply, "how about we go to Diagon Alley today for lunch?" Adrian leapt to his feet, "Really? Can we really?" She glanced at Severus, who nodded his approval, "Of course," said Hermione, "I haven't seen Florean Fortescue in quite a while, and I'm sure he'd love to visit with us again." Adrian grinned gleefully, "All right! When are we going?" "We can go right now I suppose," said Hermione, smiling plastically. "Okay, I'll go get ready!" said Adrian eagerly, bounding off to his room.
She did not meet his gaze, "It'll be good to get him out of here for a little while," she spoke, "I know he's wanted to go to Diagon Alley for a while. Since our last trip, at least." "I know," said Severus.
They both stood at the same time, and Hermione was glad when Adrian returned a few seconds later, and five minutes later they had Apparated to Diagon Alley. She kept a careful watch over Adrian, who wandered freely in the street, looking in all the windows eagerly, and when they arrived at Florean Fortescue's he looked at the menu with hungry eyes, "Ice cream!" "You have to eat a meal first," said Hermione reproachfully, "you can't live off of ice cream." "I'll bet I could," he mumbled unintelligibly.
They ate in silence until suddenly Adrian, who had been observing Severus for quite a while, said, "How come you only wear black?" Hermione almost spat out her food, "Adrian!" Severus smirked, "Does the law require me to wear anything else?" Adrian thought on this for a minute, "Well no, but I was just wondering." "Because then I never have to worry about what I put on in the morning," he replied easily, "it makes it that much easier. And fashion is something I've never bothered with. It's too vain."
Adrian was quiet, then, "Why?" Severus thought on this, "Because...it just is." "But why?" said Adrian. "Adrian, it really doesn't matter," said Hermione, "now let it alone." Severus smirked slightly at Adrian's downcast look, "You want me to wear something besides black?" he quipped. "No, I was just wondering," he murmured, trailing off. Severus laughed, surprising Hermione, "Suit yourself." Florean Fortescue surprised them a minute later with three free sundaes, and they thanked him many times over.
They returned home an hour later as soon as Adrian was done goggling at the newest broom, the Sub Zero, and when they returned home Adrian and Hermione took to studying for the next few hours. After dinner, they began testing Adrian on the practical aspects of what he'd learned by asking him to demonstrate different spells.
He performed spectacularly, and Hermione couldn't be prouder, "Very good Adrian! You'll pass the Placement Exam, I'm sure!" Severus observed him, "I think your sister's right. You're moving along quite well for someone your age. You should outperform even a second or third year easily." Hermione beamed at Adrian, and he grinned back happily, "Great! Are we still going to keep studying?" "Probably should, just in case," said Hermione, "we'll see how far we can get before the test." "Yay!" said Adrian, "I love this! This is great!"
"Well for now I think we should retire," said Hermione, feeling exhausted, "we'll start up again tomorrow. If you want to read in your room for a bit go ahead, but I want you to be asleep by ten, right?" "I will, I promise," said Adrian, although Hermione had a feeling that he was going to keep on studying well into the night. She didn't protest, however, and a few minutes later she and Severus had adjourned to their room.
"Do you really think he's that good?" murmured Hermione. "Yes," he said simply, "he shows great potential. If he doesn't pass that test I'll be surprised, especially at the rate he's going." "Oh good," Hermione sighed with relief. Severus didn't say anything and instead unbuttoned his shirt and looked closely at his wounds, then cut away the bandages. "Healed?" asked Hermione. "Close enough," he replied, buttoning his shirt again, "I feel better."
"That's good," said Hermione, "I was worried. If you need help-" "I don't," he interjected, and she glared at him; he softened slightly, "I don't need help, but if I do...I'll ask." "That's better," she muttered.
They were both asleep within the hour, feeling exhausted, and Hermione did not dream evil things for the first time in years. She felt good about herself when she woke up. She felt better than before. 'Maybe Severus slipped me something when I wasn't looking,' she thought sarcastically as she did her characteristic stretch.
She padded to the hallway and down to the library; Severus was already there, reading a book, and she almost froze in shock. Instead of wearing a black shirt, he was a wearing a dark green shirt. "Er," she said slowly. "Morning," he muttered, not looking up from his book. Finally he realized that she hadn't moved, "What?" he said indignantly. "I...nothing," she lied, sitting down across from him.
He picked up on the hint, "I just thought I'd do it to surprise Adrian," he grumbled, "just to be asinine, really." She nodded slowly, "Sure." "Oh come off it," he growled nastily, "it's not that big of a bloody deal." She shrugged and said nothing; maybe to him it wasn't, but to her it was the first time she'd ever seen him in anything besides black.
A few minutes later Adrian emerged, a sleepy cloud of hair haloing his face, and he rubbed his eyes, "I'm so tired..." He noticed what Severus was wearing, and suddenly he giggled, "Just had to rub it in, didn't you?" Severus smiled slightly, "Yes." Adrian laughed, "I like it!" Hermione smiled at him, "You would. Why don't you get your books, and we'll study in here?" "Okay, lemme go get 'em!" he said excitedly, dashing back to his room.
A minute later he had dumped all of his books upon the coffee table, and Hermione picked up Standard Book of Spells Grade 2 and flipped through it, "Let's see...where did we leave off..." "Shrinking Charms!" he said brightly. "Oh, right, of course," she said, chuckling, "here we are. Care to demonstrate?" Adrian pointed his wand at one of his books, "Clasia book!" The book shrank to the size of a coat button, "Very good," said Hermione, flipping forward another page.
This continued on for some time, and Severus watched with mild interest until Adrian encountered a problem with the Summoning Charm. "I just can't seem to do it!" he said angrily, trying to Summon another book. "You're waving the wand wrong, here, watch," said Severus pulling out his own wand. He demonstrated, and Adrian let out an "Ohhhh," and performed it again.
This time it worked.
Hermione awoke the next morning to discover that Severus was already gone, although the bed still felt slightly warm, and she knew he must have only just left. She glanced at the clock; it was nine-thirty. "I'm getting too used to all this sleeping in," she mumbled, standing up and stretching.
She dressed quickly and splashed water across her face to wake herself, then went down the hall to wake Adrian. She discovered, however, that he was already up, and that there were voices talking back and forth. "But why do I have to learn Occlomissy thingy?" "Occlumency," said Severus carefully, "and you have to learn it because it is an important skill that every wizard should know. And it'll probably be on the Placement Exam." "Oh, okay!" said Adrian, "Then let's get started!"
Hermione gritted her teeth; she knew Severus was lying about it being on the test. Occlumency was a difficult skill that most wizards never learned; the fact that Severus himself even knew Occlumency and Legilimency was a feat in itself. She listened outside the door for another twenty minutes or so, then finally decided it was best to leave them in peace, and she went to the kitchen to nick an apple.
She ate in the library, walking along the shelves as she did so, gazing at the thousands of dusty volumes. She climbed up one of the ladders and pushed herself along the rows of books, glancing at each of them in passing, until she came to the end of the row. She noticed that this particular section was more dust-laden than the others, and she looked at the volumes carefully. They bore no names.
Setting her apple core down on the shelf, skin down, she pulled out the first book and opened it. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized why this section hadn't been visited in years; it was Severus Snape's private family journals, books, and photo albums. This was none of her business. She should put this away.
But her curiosity was dire, and she flipped past the first page of aged parchment to see the family crest embossed upon it. She went forward a few more pages, and saw a photo of Severus as a teenager at Hogwarts, and two adults whom, she guessed, were his mother and father, were standing behind him. The man had black greasy hair; the woman was beautiful but sad. She noticed that Severus didn't look remotely happy in the picture; he seemed to be edging more toward his mother than his father. His father only scowled at him and yanked him back to the center, where Severus continued to attempt to get away from him.
Hermione flipped ahead a few more pages; here he was graduating from Hogwarts, and he looked only slightly happier than the earlier picture. She noticed he was still basically the same Severus Snape she knew, only he was slightly shorter, as was his hair.
Hermione continued to look through the photo album for quite a while, having lost a sense of time, and did not move from her precarious position on the ladder rung until she heard someone clear their throat loudly. She let out a gasp of surprise and snapped the photo album shut, hastily trying to shove it back into its slot; instead she lost her balance, and fell backward from the ladder.
She let out a yell of surprise and fear, terrified of the impact, the words 'Broken neck' ringing through her head, when she hit the floor and bounced off of it. "ARGHH!" she shouted, and a minute later she felt a pair of hands seize her from behind.
She fell to the floor softly, and suddenly she remembered what Severus had told her about the floor being blanketed in a Cushioning Charm. Speaking of her husband, she looked up to see the man himself glaring down at her. "Having fun?" he growled. "I'm sorry," she said, looking away as she stood up, "I didn't...I didn't know that that section was your...was...was private." "Yet you continued to look anyway," he said, eyes flashing.
Hermione stared at the floor, wringing her hands, "I did, yes. I'm sorry. I won't do it again. I just couldn't help it. I don't know anything about you." At this Severus considered her carefully, "If you wanted to know something about me you could have just asked." She looked up, "Oh. I just assumed that...that you-" "That I'd snap at you and take ten points from Gryffindor?" he quipped, raising an eyebrow. She blushed, "No, of course not."
She sat down in one of the squashy armchairs by the fire, red embarrassment flushing her face. Severus sat down in the armchair next to her, and remained silent for a minute; finally he said, "Well, if there's anything you want to ask me, you might as well go ahead now that you've looked through my personal belongings." She winced, "I'm sorry." "I know you are; I'd just thought I'd rub it in as usual," he replied smoothly. She smiled, bordering a laugh, but remained calm, "Of course."
They were both silent for a minute, then Hermione said, "Sir...what were your parents like?" He sat back slowly, considering this, then said, "I didn't like them, and they didn't like me. Well, my mother might have liked me a bit but my father hated me. And the feeling was mutual for my part." "Oh," she mumbled, trailing off, feeling uncomfortable. "You asked and I answered," he added, "if you want me to tell the truth then it's probably going to be a lot harder than you'd like it to be. I don't sugarcoat anything."
"I know," she said quietly, "it's just that...that I..." "Yes?" he said quizzically. "I don't think you deserve that," she rushed, "I mean, I guessed from the album that you didn't like your parents, and that maybe they didn't like you, but I just...I don't think it's fair. You deserve better." He almost felt shocked at hearing that; most people just blew him off about his parents and acted like it was his own bloody fault that he was a git. "Maybe you would have turned out differently if your parents had been different as well," said Hermione softly, "I mean you turned out all right as it is but...you might not...I don't know. I don't know anymore. I shouldn't have asked. I'm a fool."
Severus was about to reply when the door to the library opened, and in came Adrian. "Hullo!" he said brightly to Hermione, "I've just had Occlumency lessons with Severus!" "I know," smiled Hermione sadly, "I heard you. Did you have fun?" "Yeh! It's real interesting! This whole magic stuff has me positively gobsmacked!" Hermione let out a sigh, "That's good. We'll study some more after lunch, alright?" "Sounds fine to me," he said, flopping down on the floor next to her.
Adrian seemed to notice that they'd both been in deep conversation, "What were you talking about?" "Nothing," lied Hermione, "just school." "Oh," said Adrian, "that's neat." "So," said Hermione, breathing deeply, "how about we go to Diagon Alley today for lunch?" Adrian leapt to his feet, "Really? Can we really?" She glanced at Severus, who nodded his approval, "Of course," said Hermione, "I haven't seen Florean Fortescue in quite a while, and I'm sure he'd love to visit with us again." Adrian grinned gleefully, "All right! When are we going?" "We can go right now I suppose," said Hermione, smiling plastically. "Okay, I'll go get ready!" said Adrian eagerly, bounding off to his room.
She did not meet his gaze, "It'll be good to get him out of here for a little while," she spoke, "I know he's wanted to go to Diagon Alley for a while. Since our last trip, at least." "I know," said Severus.
They both stood at the same time, and Hermione was glad when Adrian returned a few seconds later, and five minutes later they had Apparated to Diagon Alley. She kept a careful watch over Adrian, who wandered freely in the street, looking in all the windows eagerly, and when they arrived at Florean Fortescue's he looked at the menu with hungry eyes, "Ice cream!" "You have to eat a meal first," said Hermione reproachfully, "you can't live off of ice cream." "I'll bet I could," he mumbled unintelligibly.
They ate in silence until suddenly Adrian, who had been observing Severus for quite a while, said, "How come you only wear black?" Hermione almost spat out her food, "Adrian!" Severus smirked, "Does the law require me to wear anything else?" Adrian thought on this for a minute, "Well no, but I was just wondering." "Because then I never have to worry about what I put on in the morning," he replied easily, "it makes it that much easier. And fashion is something I've never bothered with. It's too vain."
Adrian was quiet, then, "Why?" Severus thought on this, "Because...it just is." "But why?" said Adrian. "Adrian, it really doesn't matter," said Hermione, "now let it alone." Severus smirked slightly at Adrian's downcast look, "You want me to wear something besides black?" he quipped. "No, I was just wondering," he murmured, trailing off. Severus laughed, surprising Hermione, "Suit yourself." Florean Fortescue surprised them a minute later with three free sundaes, and they thanked him many times over.
They returned home an hour later as soon as Adrian was done goggling at the newest broom, the Sub Zero, and when they returned home Adrian and Hermione took to studying for the next few hours. After dinner, they began testing Adrian on the practical aspects of what he'd learned by asking him to demonstrate different spells.
He performed spectacularly, and Hermione couldn't be prouder, "Very good Adrian! You'll pass the Placement Exam, I'm sure!" Severus observed him, "I think your sister's right. You're moving along quite well for someone your age. You should outperform even a second or third year easily." Hermione beamed at Adrian, and he grinned back happily, "Great! Are we still going to keep studying?" "Probably should, just in case," said Hermione, "we'll see how far we can get before the test." "Yay!" said Adrian, "I love this! This is great!"
"Well for now I think we should retire," said Hermione, feeling exhausted, "we'll start up again tomorrow. If you want to read in your room for a bit go ahead, but I want you to be asleep by ten, right?" "I will, I promise," said Adrian, although Hermione had a feeling that he was going to keep on studying well into the night. She didn't protest, however, and a few minutes later she and Severus had adjourned to their room.
"Do you really think he's that good?" murmured Hermione. "Yes," he said simply, "he shows great potential. If he doesn't pass that test I'll be surprised, especially at the rate he's going." "Oh good," Hermione sighed with relief. Severus didn't say anything and instead unbuttoned his shirt and looked closely at his wounds, then cut away the bandages. "Healed?" asked Hermione. "Close enough," he replied, buttoning his shirt again, "I feel better."
"That's good," said Hermione, "I was worried. If you need help-" "I don't," he interjected, and she glared at him; he softened slightly, "I don't need help, but if I do...I'll ask." "That's better," she muttered.
They were both asleep within the hour, feeling exhausted, and Hermione did not dream evil things for the first time in years. She felt good about herself when she woke up. She felt better than before. 'Maybe Severus slipped me something when I wasn't looking,' she thought sarcastically as she did her characteristic stretch.
She padded to the hallway and down to the library; Severus was already there, reading a book, and she almost froze in shock. Instead of wearing a black shirt, he was a wearing a dark green shirt. "Er," she said slowly. "Morning," he muttered, not looking up from his book. Finally he realized that she hadn't moved, "What?" he said indignantly. "I...nothing," she lied, sitting down across from him.
He picked up on the hint, "I just thought I'd do it to surprise Adrian," he grumbled, "just to be asinine, really." She nodded slowly, "Sure." "Oh come off it," he growled nastily, "it's not that big of a bloody deal." She shrugged and said nothing; maybe to him it wasn't, but to her it was the first time she'd ever seen him in anything besides black.
A few minutes later Adrian emerged, a sleepy cloud of hair haloing his face, and he rubbed his eyes, "I'm so tired..." He noticed what Severus was wearing, and suddenly he giggled, "Just had to rub it in, didn't you?" Severus smiled slightly, "Yes." Adrian laughed, "I like it!" Hermione smiled at him, "You would. Why don't you get your books, and we'll study in here?" "Okay, lemme go get 'em!" he said excitedly, dashing back to his room.
A minute later he had dumped all of his books upon the coffee table, and Hermione picked up Standard Book of Spells Grade 2 and flipped through it, "Let's see...where did we leave off..." "Shrinking Charms!" he said brightly. "Oh, right, of course," she said, chuckling, "here we are. Care to demonstrate?" Adrian pointed his wand at one of his books, "Clasia book!" The book shrank to the size of a coat button, "Very good," said Hermione, flipping forward another page.
This continued on for some time, and Severus watched with mild interest until Adrian encountered a problem with the Summoning Charm. "I just can't seem to do it!" he said angrily, trying to Summon another book. "You're waving the wand wrong, here, watch," said Severus pulling out his own wand. He demonstrated, and Adrian let out an "Ohhhh," and performed it again.
This time it worked.