{Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe was created by J.K. Rowling and rights are owned by, but not limited to Warner Brothers and Scholastic Books. I, therefore, own no parts of this.}
This chapter is dedicated to my new Beta, Toreen. Thanks!
Chapter 6
New Perspectives
Snape mulled over the ingredients he had on his shelves and looked over his list once more. The Mandrake, fern, Vervain, and lily all had to be gathered from Hufflepuff's private garden, so he could not use what he had in his stock. He would also have to find Venus's Temple in Rome to get the myrtle. He would have to venture in search of the mulberry leaves since they needed to be picked fresh. The fennel seeds he had were gathered during summer solstice, when they would be the most powerful. Those he could use in the potion. The Angelica flowers, Lucerne, and sage he had in stock as well and would use as long as there were enough of them. A witch hazel stirring rod was easy and common enough to find on Diagon Alley.
The stones could be found there too, but the jade pentacle might be of difficulty. Dove feathers might also be of difficulty, for they were uncommon in the wizarding world. The phoenix feather he could easily obtain from Fawkes and dragon claws were already in his own personal stores. That left the unicorn blood. He knew he would never get close to a live unicorn with all the dark secrets he had, which meant that job would be Miss Granger's. He still thought of her as such even though he had been talked into calling her 'Hermione.'
The ingredients could be attained, if with some difficulty, but he would make it happen. Hogwarts depended on his success. Snape pocketed his list of what he would need to purchase and wondered briefly what had become of the girl. He had not seen her since this morning when she had found her way to the kitchens for a mug of tea. He assumed she would be back from her visit by now. It shouldn't take her that long to explain that her job would be keeping her away from her parents for a few months.
Severus stalked up the stairs from his dungeon laboratory, closing and warding the door safely behind him. He didn't want to take any chances. This project was too important to have it ruined by a careless house elf. The house was quiet as it usually was as he continued through the long halls. His wondering was quickly answered as he found Hermione huddled next to the Floo fireplace, sobbing into her hands. He stood watching for a few moments, not fully comprehending what exactly was going on.
Hermione didn't even notice his presence. All she could think about was her father's fury as he tossed her wand into the fire and held her from saving it. It replayed over and over in her mind as she clenched the charred remains tightly in her fists.
"Hermione?" a smooth voice cut through her thoughts and she looked up, glaring at the tall, dark man.
She didn't seem like she was going to speak, so Severus decided that it would best to get to the bottom of this quickly. He wouldn't bother with the typical 'are you alright?' since it was entirely too obvious that she was not. "What happened?"
The girl slowly opened her clenched fists revealing ashes and fire-blackened wood.
"Your wand?" he asked quietly. She nodded, tears still running down her face. "Your parents did that to you?"
"My father," she spat out through her sobs. "Mother's dead."
Snape understood almost immediately what the situation was. "He blames you for her death, doesn't he?"
Another nod from Hermione.
"It's not your fault. Despite all we try to do and all the people we try to protect, some still manage to slip through our grasp. Death Eaters have their own prerogatives as to who dies and who lives. Unfortunately for us, they tend to be different from our own."
Hermione continued to say nothing. She knew in her heart that it was not her fault, but her father still destroyed her wand and she would never forgive him for doing that.
"It is about time for you get a new wand any way. That one was looking rather worn after all its use. Come along. I was planning on going to Diagon Alley today." He reached down and gently pulled her up by her elbows. He noticed she was still crying, if less hysterically than before. There was only one way to deal with hysterical females that he knew of to work. Snape pulled her into a cautious hug.
Hermione didn't care that the most hated man in Hogwarts was embracing her because she needed some comfort. Her world had been turned upside and the last standing shard of sanity had been broken into little bits that could never be fully fixed back together. She needed a hug, and it didn't matter who was hugging her. She nuzzled into his chest, finding comfort in the familiar smells of potions that clung to his robes.
Snape felt awkward to have a young woman wrapping her arms around him and burrowing her head in his chest. He had never been hugged very often in the past. He honestly was not a huggable person, but some how she found comfort in him enough for her sobs to slowly come to an end.
She paused for a moment as her tears stopped and relished the moment. She had always wished to have a man to hold her, but it had never happened. Few of the boys at school had shown any interests in her and those who did turned out to be incompatible. Harry had found solstice in Ginny after the war and Ron became a confirmed bachelor, not quite ready to settle down with anyone. They had tried dating during their sixth year, but it just didn't work. So instead of fighting about it, they chose to remain close friends instead.
It didn't matter that the man happened to be close to twenty years older than she or that he had taught her for seven years at Hogwarts. Right now, he was giving her something she needed badly and didn't want it to stop. After what had happened earlier with her father, she had every right to need a hug. She found herself enjoying the feeling of his arms wrapped around her and shook the thought out of her head. Severus Snape would never want a girl like her. She was too young for him and a Gryffindor! Slytherins and Gryffindors did not associate unless they absolutely had to.
Severus felt the girl pull away from him and instantly thought that he had gone too far. She would surely hate him now, like all the other women in his past. One touch and they were gone. How did he manage to scare them all away?
Hermione looked up at the tall man, wiping the remains of her tears away. "Thank you," she spoke softly, feeling ashamed for her outburst.
Snape didn't see any trace of the hatred or anger he had expected to find in her face. If anything, he found respect, calm, and contentedness. That had been unexpected. He had thought he would have scared her off by now, but it seemed the opposite had happened. He managed a polite, slightly uncomfortable smile. "You're welcome, but don't make a habit of it."
Hermione smiled back. That was the Snape she knew, the one with the sarcastic comments. "I'll try not to."
"Get yourself cleaned up. We need to go to Diagon Alley to pick up a few things before we begin. Can you be ready in a half hour?" He hoped she wasn't one of those females that took hours upon hours to fix themselves up.
"I can be ready in fifteen minutes if you need me to be."
"That will do." Snape turned away in a swish of black. He didn't want to be around her any longer than he had to. She was too enticing for her own good. How dare Albus have the gall to partner him with a female? And a relatively attractive one at that? She wasn't quite his exact type, but close enough. She was a bit on the thin side for his tastes and could use a few more curves. He had been without a woman in his house for too long. Now he was willingly hugging the only one around! How dare he break his bounds so soon? He should have known better than that! He would have to keep himself under tight restraints for the next few days until he got use to the idea of having a female inhabiting his domain.
Hermione watched him until he turned down a corridor out of view. She was thankful that he had been willing enough to embrace her when she needed someone to do so. He looked shocked when she had smiled at him afterwards. Obviously, he had been expecting a different reaction, maybe of disgust or horror, but certainly not happiness. She guessed he didn't have much luck in the women department, judging by what she knew of his temperament and appearance.
It took her only ten minutes to clean her face and change into a set of robes. She transferred the remains of her wand into a small satchel, which was placed in her purse with her Gringotts key and the small amount of money that she had.
By the time she was finished, Severus was already waiting in a chair by the fireplace. He had cleared his mind of any thoughts he had of her. It didn't take long for him to recover his normally composed state of mind. She was still an insufferable know-it-all with frizzy hair despite everything else. He knew people whose parents had done much worse to them, so he had no reason to care about what happened to her. She was only a Gryffindor. "Are you ready?"
"Yes."
He threw in a handful of powder from a canister on the ledge. The flames turned green and he gestured for Hermione to go before he did. "Ladies first."
She gave him another smile, not knowing he couldn't stand when she did that. One hug had been one too much for him. "Thank you." She stepped into the fireplace, shouting, "Diagon Alley," and disappeared. Snape stepped in shortly after.
Diagon Alley was busy as usual. People bustled about with carts and satchels, selling everything imaginable, each with a destination in mind different from the others and in a rush to get there. Hermione gazed around, hoping she could find someone she recognized, but her hope was unattainable as she saw no one remotely familiar that she could talk to.
"If you don't mind," Snape's deep voice spoke above her right shoulder, "I have a few tasks that I need to accomplish today."
His tone told Hermione that he obviously did not want her present when he went where ever he needed to go. "I'm sure my destinations are different from yours," she assured him.
He nodded thoughtfully. At least she did not insist on following him. "Will 3 o'clock give you enough time to find what you are shopping for?"
"It should be more than enough."
"Very well. I will meet you back here at three."
Hermione turned to leave, heading towards the towing bank of Gringotts.
"Oh, Hermione," Snape called to catch her attention, recalling something he had forgotten to tell her. "Be sure to purchase some nicer day robes. The places we will have to travel to respect quality."
"But I don't-"
"You need money for them?" Severus asked, cutting her off. He knew she was independent but had been living off the meager wages of a Ministry researcher and did not want to pressure her into taking a bit of his more than ample inheritance. "The Snape family has more than enough for all who is left living. Since you are currently living as a member of my household, I will grant you access to one of my accounts."
"Thank you, but no," she said firmly. "I have enough to buy a few sets on my own."
"It is your decision." Snape planned on moving a small sum of his money to her account no matter what she said. He would not have his partner dressed in rags, especially with some of the people they would need to contact. His colleagues were ones who took utmost pride in appearances and often judged the outcomes of decisions based partially on looks. It did help that Hermione was a relatively attractive young woman, but good clothing made the impression even better.
"I appreciate the offer, but I believe I can deal on my own."
"Then I will see you at three," Snape disappeared into the crowd in a swirl of black. Hermione watched him go, wondering why he acted the way he did. She didn't think he was just trying to be nice. That was not Snape-like at all. She guessed that they would probably have to go rubbing elbows with the Pureblood class, which would explain why he requested she get some nicer robes, but the offer to pay confused her. She blamed it on his Pureblood riches.
Her first stop was Gringotts, where she forced as always to ride the rollercoaster into the dark depths below to locate her vault so she could take out enough to get a few new robes and a wand. There was enough in there to easily pay for what she required with some left over. It wasn't much, but now that she didn't have to pay for amenities, it wouldn't have to get as carefully saved.
Hermione exited into the bright midday sun, blinking a few times as her eyes adjusted to the change in light. The crowded streets were still busier than ever and where ever Severus had disappeared to, it wasn't within her line of sight. Her next stop was Ollivander's. She sighed, knowing that she needed a new wand to replace the burned one, but not wanting to relinquish the memories attached to her very first wand.
The silvery bell chimed as she entered the deserted shop. She was surprised to see no students here for their first wands, but then reminded herself that it was November and all the kids were at Hogwarts already.
"How may I help you, Miss Granger?" Mr. Ollivander's voice broke through her thoughts. "I haven't seen you since you got your first wand here, eleven years ago. Maple, 11 inches with a unicorn hair, rather supple, it was destined to make you a powerful witch and so it did."
Hermione smiled at the wizened man, "Yes, it was a good wand, but I'm afraid there was a bit of an accident with it."
"Oh?"
"My father…threw it into the fire…he was angry with me and it was his idea of revenge," she explained slowly, not certain how to explain it exactly.
"I'm sorry. Then I suppose you are searching for a replacement? You've come to the right place. May I ask what you are currently studying?"
"Potions," she answered happily.
"Very good. It takes a strong wizard or witch to study Potions and achieve success, but I can see that you will go far." He pulled a box off the shelf. "Ash with Phoenix feather, 12 ¼ inches, quite pliable."
She gave a swish and flick and promptly exploded a vase.
"No, definitely not that one. How about yew with a hair from a unicorn tail, 16 inches, nice and swishy?"
This was tried as well with the same success, though it sent a box zooming across the room with a loud thunk into the back wall.
"Not that one either. Hmmm…let's try another unicorn hair, this time with mahogany, 16 inches again and rather springy, shall we?"
The wand put a crack in the mirror behind Mr. Ollivander's desk.
"Very difficult today, Miss Granger. How about a dragon's heartstring this time? I've got a rosewood, 12 ¼ inches, slightly pliable."
She swished it feeling the immediate warmth spread through her body. "This is it. This is the one."
"Wonderful! That will be seven galleons, four knuts."
Hermione paid eagerly; glad to once again have a wand of her own. She placed it up her sleeve where she usually kept her old one and went on her way to Madame Malkin's. Severus had asked her to get a few nicer day robes. Obviously he had taken charge of the project while she was with the man she no longer called her father. She had figured that they would have to travel in order to attain some of the more difficult ingredients, but he seemed to have already decided where they would be headed.
Madame Malkin's Robes For All Occasions was busier than the wand shop. Hermione poked around, not exactly certain of what she was searching for. She figured that looking through the shop might give her a better idea. All he had said was nicer day robes. He didn't say how nice they had to be, just nicer than ordinary day robes and not as fancy as dress robes.
"Are you looking for anything in particular, dear?" Madame Malkin asked politely.
Hermione looked up from the material she was fingering. "Actually, yes I am. I need to buy a few sets of nicer day robes."
"I know just what you need!" the matronly witch exclaimed exuberantly. "We just received these new styles yesterday and if you are looking for nicer ones, these will be perfect."
"Alright. Where are they?" Hermione glanced around expectantly.
"Right over here, if you would be so kind to follow me." Hermione was lead to a corner of the shop she had not yet explored. "Here you go. Take a look at these ones and find a few you like. Feel free to try them on and once you've made a decision, I can size them up properly."
"Thank you." Hermione looked over the new robes in front of her. They were not quite dress robes, but not quite normal everyday robes either. She knew she looked good in darker colors and that she didn't think Severus would appreciate anything too vibrant like the magentas and lemony yellows. She found a deep crimson that reminded her of red wine made out of a soft, silky material. That one immediately pulled off the rack to be tried on. She found a forest green in the same sort of material with a slightly different cut to it as well as a slightly thicker plum colored robe.
She took the three into the dressing rooms and quickly decided that she would get all of them. Who knew where they would be going or what she would need? It would be better to be prepared than to be without. Madame Malkin expertly fitted each one to her and she was finally finished with what she needed to get done. A quick look at her time piece showed her that it was almost 3 and time to meet up with Severus at the Floo fireplace.
Snape had been finished for a few minutes few Hermione had reappeared, carrying a bag with her purchases. His had already been Floo-ed back to the Manor. She looked tired but happier than she had been a few hours before. He felt his stomach rumble and realized he had eaten anything since breakfast. A glance at the clock told him that there was enough time to get a bite to eat before they started the potion. The first couple steps were relatively easy after all.
"Hello, Hermione," he greeted her in his normal, unemotional tone. "Find everything you needed?"
"Yes, of course I did. The wand took a bit, but I eventually found the right one and I purchase three new sets of nicer day robes which I hope should be sufficient."
He nodded. "That is acceptable. Neither of us has had any food since breakfast. I would propose that we eat something before we return to the Manor. Floo-ing on an empty stomach is not pleasant."
She didn't realize that she was hungry until he had said something about it. "That would be wonderful." And so, for the second time, Hermione and Severus had lunch together at the Leaky Cauldron.
{Author's Note: Yeah, I know took me long enough with research for chapter 5 and I didn't put any Author's Notes there because I didn't want to ruin the flow of the poem, which was actually a random strike of inspiration but it came out cool. I actually have a few good reasons that I stopped writing for a few weeks, namely I have been busy: a) It was production week of the school musical (Titanic) which meant I stayed after school from 3pm to about 6:30, 7:00 pm one week and then from 4:00 pm to 10:30 pm for the first three days of the following week and then Thursday was the in-school performance and Friday and Saturday were the shows complete with cast parties afterwards until 2 in the morning; b) My eighteenth birthday was March 13; c) I was officially announced as Valedictorian of the graduating class of 2004 at my high school; d) the weekend after the play I went to visit Clarkson University, which is where I am planning to attend for college. Yeah…enough was happening there and then we can always throw in two doctor's appointments to get physical papers filled out for college plus a dentist appointment and the usually allergy shots and the overload of homework since we are getting very close to AP exams.
RebelRikki: Yes they do have castles and they will visit one of the castles sometime during the fic. As for Chapter 5, I did fix a few lines, but that was the work of me, some sort of sugary substance, most likely chocolate, and my trusty rhyming dictionary. It was honestly written in a night, but the research on all the ingredients took a whole lot longer.
Karen Detroit: Nope, haven't heard anything about the next book. I hope it comes out soon, but more likely it will take a while. Hermione's personality is honestly based a lot on me since I am told I am one of the smart kids, which is true. I hope your muse comes back. I miss reading your fics.
Chibidaima: Potion work will start soon. I hope the recipe helped stave off your interest in that for a while.
Toreen: Thanks again for the beta offer! I really appreciate it!
Kira: Good, that was the reaction I was hoping for. I tried checking out your blog, but the page did not want to come up. My computer decided that it no longer existed.
Lyn: Thanks! I like relationship progressions, too, hence why I am attempting one.
Belle Mortis: I get your point. Don't worry; there will be a good amount of SSHG.
Daintress: Thanks! I know Snape seems a bit of ooc, but I have an idea and my Snape is a bit confused and his reasoning was a safety concern, which made sense to me, but probably no one else. He will get back in character eventually.
Yeoldecrazy1: Thanks! It's nice to know my plot is original considering I've had stories with original plots and characters and posted them and was then told it was very similar to a story that I had never read.
Angel2707: Thanks! I'm glad you are still enjoying it!
Squiggle: Thanks! If you want, I set up a list to send out update notices for this fic. Just leave me your e-mail address in a review and I will send a notice when the next chapter is posted.