Chapter 04:
"Where are you going, Hermione?" Harry asked as he saw her get up from 'their' common room table to leave.
"Do you really need to ask that?" Ron grinned.
"I thought I'd go to the library to get ahead of schedule with my homework," Hermione answered, ignoring Ron.
"If you can wait two minutes, we can walk with you. Well...a short way anyway," Harry said. When Hermione agreed to wait, both he and Ron raced to their room to get their brooms.
"How is training going?" Hermione asked as they moved towards the portrait hole.
"It's going great," Harry answered. "With Ron's strategic abilities we're sure to win the House Cup again."
Ron grinned. "I know all those games of Wizard Chess would come in handy one day."
"Well, good luck and happy practise," Hermione said as she turned to the left.
"Thanks," Ron said as he and Harry turned right.
As Hermione walked through the corridors she shook her head. Who would have thought that Ron would become Quidditch captain for Gryffindor one day? Everyone thought it would be Harry, but I think Harry was right about Ron's thing for strategies.
Suddenly she stood still. What was that light, coming from that abandoned classroom? Thinking that it would most probably be two students, out for a game of tonsil hockey before bedtime, she briskly walked over to the door and opened it.
"What do you thi- oh, Professor Snape," she broke off mid-sentence. Instead, she stared at the situation in front of her. The Potions Master was sitting in the middle of the empty classroom on a leather and very comfortable looking chair. He had piles of magazines and books around him, and there were candles floating in the air, so that he had enough light to read.
Instead of reading, however, he was staring at her irritably and snapped: "Stop staring at me and close that door immediately."
Hermione stepped inside and closed the door. "Why are you sitting here and not in the dungeons, Sir?" she asked.
Severus looked annoyed. "That's none of your business, Miss Granger. Why are you here anyway?"
"I was on my way to the library when I saw light burning in here. I just wanted to check and see if everything was okay," Hermione explained as she stepped towards him.
"Well, you've checked, everything is okay, so leave now, before he..." Severus broke off.
"Before who does what, Sir? And why are you sitting here in an uncomfortable room when you could be in your own quarters?"
"Why are you on your way to the library when you could also work in your common room?" was the retort.
"Because too many people make too much noise... oh." Hermione fell silent as she made the connection.
"But who-"
"I'll give you one hint: he looks remarkably like me." Severus grimaced.
"You're hiding from your brother?" Hermione asked incredulously.
"The fact that we are twins does not mean we actually like each other."
"No, I suppose not," Hermione conceded.
"My brother seems to think that I can't do without his company one single evening, when in fact I'd rather not have his company at all, let alone all the time."
Merlin, why am I even saying this to her? It's none of her business!
"Miss Granger, you've seriously overstayed your welcome. Please leave now, before I feel the need to take points from Gryffindor for trespassing."
Hermione had only taken one step towards the door when there was a sound from the corridor.
"There's someone there," she whispered frantically as the steps came closer.
"Quickly, hide behind that curtain!" Severus hissed.
Hermione dashed for the curtains not a moment too late, because the second the curtains had stopped moving, the door to the classroom opened.
"Hello big brother, why are you here and not in your quarters?" Sylvester asked. Severus gave no reply, but only turned a page and kept on reading.
Hermione could almost hear Sylvester's shrug as he said: "Well, I don't mind where you decide to sit, as long as you're not doing the dirty with that Granger chit."
"What the hell do you mean by that, Sylvester?" the Potions Master asked coldly. "Why did you feel the need to drag Miss Granger into this?"
"Oh, come on, Severus," Sylvester snapped. "Don't pretend you're ignorant. I know full well you're not, so that charade doesn't work with me."
"I do not have the good fortune of understanding you, brother."
Sylvester started pacing the space in front of Severus.
"I know you like Miss Granger," he said. Hermione had trouble keeping herself from snorting. Yeah, right. And Filch does cross-stitching in his free time.
"I can even understand it," Sylvester continued. "She may be a bossy know-it-all, but I have nothing against her. Well – nothing apart from that unnaturally large mouth, but I'm sure you have found a good and more importantly pleasant way to keep it occupied. The point is, Severus, that while I don't mind your temporarily enjoying her services, I have no need whatsoever for the girl to become a Snape. I think you know what I mean, brother. No Mudbloods in the family."
Hermione heard a book being snapped shut and thrown onto the floor.
"While I find your insinuations rather amusing, I'd rather have you keep them for yourself," Severus said threateningly. "I have no desire to marry Miss Granger at present, but even if that were the case, it would not be of your concern. I will pretend I did not hear your scandalous remarks on Miss Granger and her mouth, but I will do so only once. The next time you won't be so lucky.
Now, Sylvester, let me give you some advice: keep your nose out of my business and especially out of my love life. It is nothing you need to be concerned about. If I were you, I'd spend my time trying to keep the job I got, because the way things are looking at the moment, you might not make it till the end of this year."
Sylvester blanched and was out of the door without another word.
"He's gone," Severus said several moments later. "You can come out now."
Hermione came from behind the curtain looking rather pale.
"Wh-why would your brother think, I mean..." she swallowed heavily.
Severus frowned. "My brother is an ignorant fool, Miss Granger. He is a stuck-up, arrogant fool, who has listened to my father's soliloquies a few too many times. It is true that my family is well known for its hatred of Muggle-borns. They have always tried to impress upon us the importance of pure blood, thereby conveniently forgetting that the first wizard by the name of Snape was a Muggle-born himself."
He looked at Hermione with something bordering on concern.
"Don't take my brother's comments too seriously," he said. "He is not worth that kind of attention."
Hermione only nodded, not really taking in what Severus was saying, because of a spinning feeling in her head.
"Thank you, Sir," she whispered hoarsely as she left for her dormitory.