The interior of the building was just as drab as the outside was. There
were a few bookcases that were obviously straining beneath the books that
were tightly crammed onto their shelves lining the far wall, and a
collection of overstuffed chairs facing a blackened, obviously uncleaned
fireplace in the middle of the room, one of which held a young man that
looked vaguely familiar. It took her a moment to comprehend exactly who it
was, and she was slightly shocked to see him.
He still had the same cold grey eyes that she remembered, but the blond hair fell down around his face, framing it, instead of the awful slicked back look he had gone for as a student. The narrow face seemed more rounded by a wiry goatee, and he looked, she shuddered to think of it, good. "Ah, uncle Severus, I see you managed to convince her to join." He drawled, and she knew that this was the same boy that she remembered as being her nemesis in her school days. There was no mistaking his arrogance.
"No need to talk of me as if I'm not in the room Malfoy." She said, and he spun on his heel to look at her.
"Granger," he said appraisingly, as he looked her over. "You haven't changed at all. Just as stupidly courageous as ever. Only now you don't have Potty and the Weasel to back you up." She glared at him, and she felt her arm instinctively pull back to slap him, when she felt a large, rough hand clamp down on her wrist. She spun around to see Snape glaring at her, and it took all of her will power not to use her free hand to slap him. Instead, she glared back at him, and shook herself free.
"Both of you, stop it, and stop it now. I have neither the time nor patience to put up with your schoolyard rivalries. This is war, and in war, fighting amongst yourselves is the easiest way to get us all killed." Snape said, his voice cold and callous, it had lost all of it's silky tone. She watched as both men retreated back to the chairs. She felt a trace of glee at the look on Draco Malfoy's face. Snape looked up at her, and sighed, almost in exasperation. "Miss Granger, are you going to take a seat, or are you going to stand there all night." Whatever glee she felt was gone as she sat down, knowing her look must have matched Malfoy's.
She watched Draco as he reached for the bottle and glass next to him, and poured himself a glass of what looked like brandy. He took a large sip, before he reached into the pocket of his suit and removed a silver cigarette case, he lit one with casual disregard for those around him, and she was slowly soothed by the comforting smell of smoke. It was one of those few smells that made her feel safe, both her parents had smoked, and the traces of it reminded her of her childhood home outside of Manchester, a warm, comforting place.
She eyed him up and down. Her first thought of how he looked was right, he was looking good. He wore a pale grey suit with black pinstripes and lapels, and a matching black tie over an emerald green shirt. She smirked at the obvious display of colors. "Find something amusing Granger?" Malfoy questioned.
"Just that despite the suit, you still manage to show your Slytherin colors." She said, and he looked down at her suit.
"Good thing you never chose to show your Gryffyndor ones, scarlet and gold makes you look like a walking sunset, and not in a pretty way either. At least green and silver look elegant." He said, eyeing her grey and black outfit. He rolled the cigarette between his thumb and forefinger as he did so, before taking a long drag on it, and blew the smoke out of his nose, turning his glance over to Snape. "So, Uncle Severus, just how much does the mudblood know?"
She all but strangled him at this comment. Snape's stern glare at the two of them stopped her. "Draco, perhaps you didn't hear my previous warning. The next time you go so far as to insult Miss Granger into attempting to physically harm you, I won't stop her. Your father, for all the cruelty in the man, was never good at disciplining you, I think you could use a good beating." She heard the faintest trace of humor in his voice. "as a mudblood-"she noted the fact that he used the term freely as well, although she knew better than to pounce on him, "-Miss Granger knows more about muggle culture than you ever will. As such, she is a valuable asset to our ranks. Add to the fact that her powers are on par with yours, and she is a powerful tool."
This time she couldn't stop herself. "Is that all I am Snape? A tool, a puppet? Because if that's all I'll be, I'll leave now. I walked through that door thinking I could do something, thinking I could change something, thinking I could help stop the vicious fighting against us. But if I'm only going to be a tool, to be exploited for what I have, you can bet your ass I'll do nothing to help." She lept from her chair sometime during her tirade, and found herself staring into the cold black eyes of Severus Snape.
"Temper Miss Granger, temper. If you can prove that you aren't all Gryffyndor bravado and unthinking courage, perhaps you can be more than a tool." She stalked back to her chair, and grabbed the silver case from it's spot on the table between her and Draco, and viciously ripped a cigarette from the case and found it sparking to life without her trying, and as she took a long drag on it, smiled as she felt the magic course through her once again.
Even if she was to be but a puppet in the struggle, it would feel good to do what she did best once again. And what she did best was magic.
END OF CHAPTER SEVEN
Alright, this chapter really didn't want to write itself...I had to force it out of me. But it will get better, I guarantee that. Also, it's been a while since I've actually read the cannon, but I don't remember it ever mentioning that Hermione lived in London, although that's what everyone else says. I decided to be different. I was sore tempted to make Hermione a ManU fan just to slap Draco for the gold and red comment. As is I already based her outside of Manchester, although if y'all remind me that she is in fact a Londoner, I'll fix that.
He still had the same cold grey eyes that she remembered, but the blond hair fell down around his face, framing it, instead of the awful slicked back look he had gone for as a student. The narrow face seemed more rounded by a wiry goatee, and he looked, she shuddered to think of it, good. "Ah, uncle Severus, I see you managed to convince her to join." He drawled, and she knew that this was the same boy that she remembered as being her nemesis in her school days. There was no mistaking his arrogance.
"No need to talk of me as if I'm not in the room Malfoy." She said, and he spun on his heel to look at her.
"Granger," he said appraisingly, as he looked her over. "You haven't changed at all. Just as stupidly courageous as ever. Only now you don't have Potty and the Weasel to back you up." She glared at him, and she felt her arm instinctively pull back to slap him, when she felt a large, rough hand clamp down on her wrist. She spun around to see Snape glaring at her, and it took all of her will power not to use her free hand to slap him. Instead, she glared back at him, and shook herself free.
"Both of you, stop it, and stop it now. I have neither the time nor patience to put up with your schoolyard rivalries. This is war, and in war, fighting amongst yourselves is the easiest way to get us all killed." Snape said, his voice cold and callous, it had lost all of it's silky tone. She watched as both men retreated back to the chairs. She felt a trace of glee at the look on Draco Malfoy's face. Snape looked up at her, and sighed, almost in exasperation. "Miss Granger, are you going to take a seat, or are you going to stand there all night." Whatever glee she felt was gone as she sat down, knowing her look must have matched Malfoy's.
She watched Draco as he reached for the bottle and glass next to him, and poured himself a glass of what looked like brandy. He took a large sip, before he reached into the pocket of his suit and removed a silver cigarette case, he lit one with casual disregard for those around him, and she was slowly soothed by the comforting smell of smoke. It was one of those few smells that made her feel safe, both her parents had smoked, and the traces of it reminded her of her childhood home outside of Manchester, a warm, comforting place.
She eyed him up and down. Her first thought of how he looked was right, he was looking good. He wore a pale grey suit with black pinstripes and lapels, and a matching black tie over an emerald green shirt. She smirked at the obvious display of colors. "Find something amusing Granger?" Malfoy questioned.
"Just that despite the suit, you still manage to show your Slytherin colors." She said, and he looked down at her suit.
"Good thing you never chose to show your Gryffyndor ones, scarlet and gold makes you look like a walking sunset, and not in a pretty way either. At least green and silver look elegant." He said, eyeing her grey and black outfit. He rolled the cigarette between his thumb and forefinger as he did so, before taking a long drag on it, and blew the smoke out of his nose, turning his glance over to Snape. "So, Uncle Severus, just how much does the mudblood know?"
She all but strangled him at this comment. Snape's stern glare at the two of them stopped her. "Draco, perhaps you didn't hear my previous warning. The next time you go so far as to insult Miss Granger into attempting to physically harm you, I won't stop her. Your father, for all the cruelty in the man, was never good at disciplining you, I think you could use a good beating." She heard the faintest trace of humor in his voice. "as a mudblood-"she noted the fact that he used the term freely as well, although she knew better than to pounce on him, "-Miss Granger knows more about muggle culture than you ever will. As such, she is a valuable asset to our ranks. Add to the fact that her powers are on par with yours, and she is a powerful tool."
This time she couldn't stop herself. "Is that all I am Snape? A tool, a puppet? Because if that's all I'll be, I'll leave now. I walked through that door thinking I could do something, thinking I could change something, thinking I could help stop the vicious fighting against us. But if I'm only going to be a tool, to be exploited for what I have, you can bet your ass I'll do nothing to help." She lept from her chair sometime during her tirade, and found herself staring into the cold black eyes of Severus Snape.
"Temper Miss Granger, temper. If you can prove that you aren't all Gryffyndor bravado and unthinking courage, perhaps you can be more than a tool." She stalked back to her chair, and grabbed the silver case from it's spot on the table between her and Draco, and viciously ripped a cigarette from the case and found it sparking to life without her trying, and as she took a long drag on it, smiled as she felt the magic course through her once again.
Even if she was to be but a puppet in the struggle, it would feel good to do what she did best once again. And what she did best was magic.
END OF CHAPTER SEVEN
Alright, this chapter really didn't want to write itself...I had to force it out of me. But it will get better, I guarantee that. Also, it's been a while since I've actually read the cannon, but I don't remember it ever mentioning that Hermione lived in London, although that's what everyone else says. I decided to be different. I was sore tempted to make Hermione a ManU fan just to slap Draco for the gold and red comment. As is I already based her outside of Manchester, although if y'all remind me that she is in fact a Londoner, I'll fix that.