Something to Talk About by Sara Lady Dalian
A/N: This is an immediate continuation of "Man to... Man?" and I suggest you read that story before you read "Something To Talk About." MtM was written from Severus' POV, but this story is from Hermione's POV.
I'm not entirely sure of the word length per chapter yet, but I do know that some are going to be longer than others. The story is mapped out so that each segment will take up whatever length it will take. There will be eleven chapters – well, there are two chapters that might be combined if they are too short (their content would allow that, I think).
This story, from chapter 1 to chapter 11, is very intense; it takes place in approximately twelve hours.
And, yes, this is only book two of a set – while this part of the story will be finished, the whole tapestry will not be finished. You may expect at least one more book past STTA.
This story is Snape/Hermione, so if that pairing squicks you, then leave now and only return when you are more enlightened.
Disclaimer: I will say this once. My initials are not JKR. End of Story.
Something amazing happens to a body when it is slowly awakened by the crackling pop and earthy smell of a well laid fire. Muscles slowly stretch, senses come awake gradually – as if they, too, also want to enjoy the moment, the lungs draw in fewer, but longer breaths so that the smells linger. And sometimes, when you are in a comfortable spot, you backside and hip snuggles down further, seeking a just right spot so that you can go back to sleep – after all, one of the few things more pleasant than waking in front of a fireplace is going to sleep in front of one.
However, such wasn't to be for one Hermione Granger.
The marvelous sensations of waking in front of that fire were quickly pushed aside in dismay when her memory of the previous evening filled the convolutions of her mind. She opened her eyes cautiously and blinked them a few times. Nothing was familiar. Slowly raising herself off the couch she was resting on, she saw her potions professor sitting in a darkly upholstered, winged back chair in the corner of the room, staring at nothing, but probably seeing everything. He had seen her wake up.
"Good of you to rejoin the world, Miss Granger." He seemed to pause here, as if expecting a reply – or apology.
"Professor Snape, I'm sorry." She ran her hand over her uniform skirt and pulled her robes more tightly around her chest, cold even in front of the fire. She quickly started to gather herself further up off the couch. "I'll go back to Gryffindor."
She saw him raise his hand. "That would not be advisable, Miss Granger. It is well after curfew. Either go back to sleep or stay up, but you should not be wandering the school at this time of night."
He nodded across the
room to a clock hanging on the opposite wall. Small brass hands
pointed to just after three in the morning. "Oh, my." She sat
back down on the edge of the sofa and gently rubbed her face. It
was, as the professor had said, much too late to be walking through
the halls.
Hermione studied his face. He had yet to look
directly at her – he was still staring at the fire, his jaw
alternately clenching and unclenching. His eyes were heavily lidded
and blackened underneath so that she knew that he had not slept that
night. His dark hair fell over one side of his face defiantly, as if
daring him to come out of his reverie and swipe at it.
He swirled a glass lightly, the amber colored liquid softly running up the sides. She watched, almost bound, as he raised the glass to his lips and sipped from its contents. He seemed to almost hold the moment that the drink passed his throat before lowering his hand and the glass.
This silent, still Snape was a stranger to Hermione. She had seen him in many moods, from sneering to fuming anger. She had never seen this silent, pensive man before. Something about him unnerved her.
"I can hardly ever go back to sleep once I awaken, so I will stay up, I think." Only because she was watching him did she notice the slight raising of his eyebrows. He still wouldn't look at her.
"As you wish, Ms. Granger."
His eyes still seemed to focus elsewhere, not in this room, nor in this timeframe. Hermione wondered what had garnered his interest – and then wondered if she would be able to survive the knowledge.
She scanned the room more thoroughly than she had at first. There was a small table in front of the couch with a few books, but not much else. The clock hung along side a glass cabinet displaying various types of phials. A large desk was under both these wall hangings – it was covered in neatly stacked parchments that looked as if they had been undisturbed for quite some time.
"I usually have some tea when I get up, Professor. Do you mind if I make some?" She hoped her voice didn't sound as tentative as it felt, but this early in the morning, in an unknown situation, with him of all people, even the most stalwart Gryffindor could be excused for feeling a little trepidation. Slowly raising her eyes, she found him finally looking at her. There was a small hint of something in his eyes. If he had been anyone else, she would have thought it humor, but he wasn't anyone else.
"If you must, Ms. Granger." He nodded to the low table before the couch.
She removed her wand from its pocket and swished it in a manner Professor Flitwick would have approved. A silent word later, the few books had stacked themselves and a sturdy tea service had formed on the small table. She sighed in anticipation as she picked up the mug. Some people, she heard, could function before they had their morning tea, but she hadn't been able to do that since before she came to Hogwarts.
It was with some reluctance that she turned her eyes away from the stack of unknown books. She scooted so that her back rested against the arm of the couch. Drawing her feet up under her, she tucked them so that they rested on her robe. Her eyes turned to the same fire he was watching. It was going to be a long morning.
Post AN: I've revised this somewhat and am more pleased than I was previously.
Post AN2: The beginning revised during Chapter 3 being written.
Ciao! Sara