{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.}
Chapter 13
Getting To Know You
The matronly waitress led them to a private table in the back corner of the restaurant, handing out the menus with a smile showing that she assumed too much about the couple. Hermione immediately decided that she was obnoxious.
The table was situated in a corner where they could easily view the other patrons, yet was secluded enough that few would bother them or even notice their existence. Faint strains of Italian opera covered any irritating bouts of silence. It was a perfect place to talk.
Severus ordered a bottle of wine before the waitress could bustle away. It appeared after she had gone with a pop in the middle of the table along with two glasses. "You've never been to a wizard restaurant, have you?" he asked, noticing her reaction.
"No," she shook her head. "I don't think the Leaky Cauldron counts as one."
"Then you are in for quite a treat. Benito's is one of the best there is. Any of their Italian dishes are top-notch." Severus decided that he would at least try to be polite lest he receive another lecture from Albus. She would most likely tattle if he was not a perfect gentleman. "To order, just tap your wand on the dish you would like," he demonstrated, placing the tip of his wand over the veal saltimbocca. It appeared in front of him, steaming slightly and served with a side of pasta.
"What is that?"
"Veal Saltimbocca," he explained, but she was still obviously puzzled. "A thin slice of veal covered with fresh sage leaves, wrapped in prosciutto, and sautéed in a butter-wine sauce."
"Oh," she studied the dish critically. It did look good, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to try it. Maybe some other time she might, but not at the moment. With a flick of her wand she ordered shrimp parmesan, an obvious offspring to the favored veal and chicken. It materialized on the table within seconds. "Wow."
"Surprised, Hermione?"
"It's just something new."
Severus uncorked the wine and poured a splash in his glass. He swirled it around, checking the color and sipped it lightly. With a decisive nod, he decided that it met his approval. "Would you care for any?" He refilled his glass.
"I'm usually not much of an alcohol drinker," she admitted
"One glass never hurt anyone. It's a good vintage, but it is your choice."
"I suppose I'll try a little."
He poured a decent amount in her glass. "To Hogwarts."
She tapped her glass on his. "To Hogwarts," and took a sip. It was a dry red with a taste of rich plum, vanilla, and spice, complimenting her shrimp nicely. The dish itself was a marvelous combination of exotic flavors. She had tried chicken and veal parmesan, but the shrimp was in a whole new category. "This is delicious!"
"Of course it is. Did you honestly think I would bring you to a place with inedible meals?"
"Well…" she smiled, "Considering your previous behavior, I wouldn't be surprised. You might have done it just to spite me."
So that was how she thought of him. "True, except that I was told by a higher authority that I had better start getting along with you and taking you to a dingy, unpleasant place would do nothing to better our relationship."
He was making sense, Hermione decided to herself. "So where do we go from here?"
"I have the Bryony root, which we shall use in place of the Mandrake. I would like to start this section of the potion so we will at least have it begun and can free up time searching for the remaining ingredients."
"Which means we will have to do a bit of research and traveling."
"Correct. We will have to go to Rome for the myrtle, but that should not be a problem. My family owns a villa in that area which we can stay at while harvesting what we need."
"I've always wanted to go to Italy," she said wistfully.
"Why? It's just another country," his voice was serious.
"Severus!" she looked appalled. "How can you say that?"
"It is."
"But there's Venice with the canals and the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican! It was the home of the Renaissance, for Merlin's sake!"
"Yes. Many countries have canals and churches," he spoke solemnly. He was joking but she didn't seem to realize that. Well, she was a Gryffindor after all.
She glanced at him with an odd glint in her eye. "But Italy has cannolis and gelato."
Severus returned her gaze, sounding relatively surprised, for a Snape that is. "You never seemed like a person who enjoyed sweets."
"I usually don't. A few miles from where I grew up was a small Italian bakery run by an old lady and her daughter, and they had the most fantastic chocolate chip cannolis. Mom used to send me one every so often," she trailed off suddenly saddened by the memory of her mother and all the events connected to her.
"Are you alright?" he asked, concern evident in his voice. If anything, he didn't want to deal with a hysterical woman, especially in a place with a large crowd of people.
"I'm fine," she finished the last piece of her shrimp with a sharp spear of her fork and took a drink of the wine.
Snape tactfully changed the subject. "Would you care for desert?"
"No, thank you. The meal was rather filling."
He shrugged and pointed his own wand at the menu. A plate appeared in front of him piled with something Hermione quickly recognized as tiramisu. It looked heavenly and she could detect the faint, delectable scent of espresso. "Regretting you didn't order one?" he asked only after he noticed her watching him intently.
"I, well…yes. It looks delicious. I mean, I know I shouldn't, especially after the huge dinner, but…"
A second spoon appeared near his plate. The chefs had overheard her wishing. "Try some." She looked at him questioningly. "Go right ahead. I assure you that I did not poison it."
She took a small spoonful and licked it off. "Mmmm…" she sighed. "It's heavenly."
"Hence why I ordered it," he grinned in spite of himself. It was nice to see her eat for a change. At least she was having fun and not arguing with him like most of their past conversations. It was a nice change. She could be nearly pleasant when she put her mind to it, almost to the point of being tolerable.
The tiramisu was finished in silence. "Thank you," Hermione whispered. "I enjoyed the dinner."
"As did I," he stood up and helped Hermione out of her chair. "Come. I have an idea of something you may like." He escorted her out of the restaurant.
"You didn't pay," she realized as they stepped into the cool November air.
"They know me and know well enough to simply bill my account."
"Oh."
"Come closer. I'm going to take us somewhere else."
She stepped nearer to him and Severus pulled her in close. He noticed her scent was now tinged with Italian spices. They appeared a few seconds later in an empty, grassy field. "Where are we?"
"Shh," he motioned her to be quiet. A quick glance around showed no one else was in the area. "Just wait."
Within moments, the soft strains of music tickled her ears. A flute arpeggio flew gracefully over the long sustained note of a horn. The steady thrum of the tuba and bass held the bottom while clarinets and violas came in with a daring counter melody that was soon echoed in the trumpets. The saxophones added their own line, blending and balancing with the cellos while yet another melody was introduced by the violins and countered with the trombones. Through all of this the steady beat of the percussion was interlaced and ever moving.
Hermione stood in awe, trembling at the sound. "It's so beautiful."
"I know."
"What is it?"
"The playing of the starlight. Every night as the stars come out, the faerie folk welcome their return by music. It is believed that they can play the sunrise and sunset, coaxing the sun above the horizon and lowering it down when the day is done."
"Wow," she closed her eyes, letting herself get lost in the sound. A slight tremor fluttered through her unnoticed. The intricate music blocked out any feelings of the chilled night air.
Severus was less influenced by the emotions of the orchestra and noticed that his counterpart was shivering from the temperature change even if she did not realize it. He took pity on her, not wanting a sick woman to take care of, and slid his arm around her shoulders. It was the only quick way he could think of keeping her warm without disturbing her or the faeries. Yes, a warming spell could have worked, but the magic would interfere with the song.
She snuggled close, feeling his warmth without fully comprehending where it came from. The music had enthralled her, leaving her happily floating in a carefree world. All too soon for her liking the symphony came to a close, leaving only the silent night sky and the chirruping of the crickets in its wake.
Hermione slowly awoke from her daze, blinking her eyes to clear away the fog that surrounded her mind. "That was amazing."
"I know. I thought you might enjoy it."
"I did. Thank you."
"You are welcome," he glanced down at her and came to the conclusion that she was not aware of his arm around her shoulders. He kept it there, if only to keep her warm. He would have to remember that music seemed to calm and make her more manageable. She was as temperamental as himself which was not a good combination in any situation. At least she was being more tolerable.
Hermione sighed heavily. The music had been breathtaking even though she could not see the performers. Severus had wonderful tastes in both food and after dinner entertainment. She wondered how many other people had ever heard the faeries play for the starlight. It was actually rather romantic if she thought about it. Who ever would have thought that Severus Snape, the dreaded Potions Master, would have such a unique other side to him? In class, he acted like a mean, sarcastic, over-grown bat, but now, he was almost being nice.
She shook her head and allowed him to lead her down a path though a small patch of woods. The man was an enigma. For a few hours, he was insufferable and then he transformed to a gentleman. She figured by breakfast he would do something else to set her off again. Whatever Dumbledore had said to him was obviously working. The ancient wizard deserved a special thank you note.
Snape Manor came quickly into view over the tops of the trees. So that was why he knew about the faeries; they were on his property. She wondered if he had paid them to play like they had, but supposed he wouldn't have had the time to hire them before dinner. Maybe they were permanently hired or even enslaved in the worse case scenario. The wine was making her mind fuzzy and she giggled at the thought of Snape attempting to put human-sized shackles on a swarm of buzzing faeries.
"Hmm?" he asked her, wondering what she found amusing.
"How did you get the faeries to play?"
He smiled, though she couldn't see it in the dark. "I did nothing. They have always been there. My great-great-great grandfather offered them refuge on our lands at a time when they were being hunted. They have stayed ever since. It is one of the perks of this house."
"I see that."
Severus escorted her inside the house and up to her room. He wasn't sure what to say. She was a decent person when she was not talking nonstop, but Slytherin tact would not allow him to tell her that.
Hermione spoke first. "Thank you for the wonderful evening. I really enjoyed it."
"You are very welcome. Whenever you wish to go out of the house for a while, we can."
"I shall keep that in mind," she smiled shyly. "I'm sorry about earlier. My temper just got the best of me. I was taking everything too personally for my own good."
"It is quite alright. I know I am not the easiest person to deal with, but I do believe it would be for the best if we made amends."
"I second that. The Potion should be top priority, not us."
"That was my thought as well," he paused as she tried to cover her yawn. "I shall bid you a good night. You are obviously tired, as am I. We shall start the brewing process tomorrow by harvesting the mulberry leaves at sunset."
"Good night, Severus."
{Author's Note: The playing of the starlight, sunrise, and sunset was taken from a book called The Phantom Tollbooth. I honestly do not remember who wrote it, but it is a fantastic novel. I read it about six years ago and that is one of the parts that I still remember. And yes, the title from this chapter is from the King and I. It was appropriate, even though I dislike that musical. I apologize to anyone who does like it, but that is my opinion. I am now a Pretzel Wench at the Renaissance Faire! Yay for me!
SnapeRox, Stargazer Starluver, hpfan7878: Thanks!
Winter Fae: Here's something else for you to read!
Velven: I like portraying Dumbledore as a schemer. It makes life interesting. I did the scent thing on purpose, namely because I love how guys smell. They always smell good. Well, most of them at least.
RebelRikki: Exactly. The straw that broke the camel's back is correct. She had been harassed by both Madame Pomfrey and Sev earlier in the day, twisted an ankle, you know the drill. It all just builds up and it doesn't have to be a major thing.
Peace, Love, and Pretzels, Nataly Ravenlock}