Author's Notes: This chapter is about the end of the term, and starts to
bring Hermione a little farther into the plot. Harry will get more
attention in later chapters. Ron has gone as bad as he's going to go for
now. He's still oblivious to what he has done. A little bit more of
Snape's romantic side will be coming to the surface, now that he and Mira
have "gone public" with their relationship.
I've realized that with the plot developments I've got outlined, this is gonna be one heck of a long fic. Look for at the very least ten more chapters. I may go back over the summer and re-write it, correcting some grammar and other writing style errors, and turn it into three or four sections or "books". Let me finish it and see what I've got, and then I'll start working on it again. No major changes though. Just making it easier to read and helping the continuity along some.
Thanks to all of those who read and review. It's nice to know that there are people out there who are enjoying reading the story as much as I'm enjoying writing it.
Disclaimers: If you recognize it from the books and/or movies, then it's not mine in any way.
Chapter 41: End of Term Excitement
The fire burned itself out in the wee hours of morning. Professor Snape woke to the coldness and realized that he had fallen asleep and stayed much longer than intended. He woke Mira, and started to gather his clothes together. She lazily got up, pulled her robe over her head, and carried the wine goblet into the kitchen. The professor hastily dressed, transfigured the fur throw back into a Persian rug and moved the tea table back into place. Mira helped him button his tunic jacket, and made sure he was wrapped tightly in his cloak before lowering the security wards on the building so that he could apparate away to the front gate of the school grounds. He gave her a kiss and told her he would be in contact via owl the next afternoon, once the students had left for the holidays. Mira stepped back, and with a soft popping sound he was gone. She recast the security wards and crawled into her bed, where she slept very late. The shop was never open on Sunday; it was her day to be lazy, and she intended to make every hour left of the morning count.
The school was still sleeping when the professor arrived, and made his way down to his quarters. He rang for a house-elf, ordered a small pot of tea, and started a fire in his fireplace. He sat up for a little while, drinking tea, nibbling on ginger biscuits, and thinking about his life and the women who had been a part of it. He made a mental note to run an errand before Christmas, to procure a special gift for Mira. His belly warmed by the tea and his mind at ease with the state of his life, he retired to his bedchamber and napped until late morning.
After his nap, he compiled and posted a scroll with the final exam scores on the outside of his classroom door. Hermione Granger and some of the other students were sitting in the hallway, waiting for their marks to be posted. Without a word to the students, he shut and locked the door behind him, snorting over Granger bothering to waste her time sitting on the cold dungeon hallway floor. Her marks were always flawless; she had come within no more than two points of perfect marks each and every term. He raised an eyebrow in contemplation.
"Maybe the Granger girl would be willing to help Mira with some of the basic skills she's lacking? The little know-it-all will probably wet herself with excitement over being asked to tutor an adult witch."
He added that to his list of mental notes to follow up on at a later time, and walked back to his bedchamber to prepare for the end of term feast. The house elves all busy with preparations, he drew his own bath and laid out his formal academic robe. He savored the warmth of the water, and took the time to bathe properly, even using soap. He made another mental note to ask Mira where she bought nice smelling soap, as the plain bars offered from the school storage cabinets were waxy and smelled slightly medicinal.
He finished his bath and toweled off; then sat in front of the fire in his dressing robe, reading, until his hair was dry. Warm and dry, he dressed in his usual simple attire and pulled the heavy formal robe on over his head. Taking a moment to adjust the clasps and comb his hair, he glanced at the clock on the wall and realized he needed to hurry if he were to arrive in time for the faculty "pep talk" that Dumbledore gave before every end of term feast.
Back in the Gryffindor Tower, the students were busy packing, discussing the marks they earned in their classes, and readying themselves for the feast. The feast would start at seven o'clock, but the doors to the great hall would open at six; allowing the students an hour to visit with friends from other houses, say their goodbyes, and exchange gifts.
Harry and Ron were busy helping each other gather up their belongings and pack them in their trunks. Neville was sitting on the edge of his bed, holding the box of candy for Padma, with white knuckles and an uneasy look on his face.
Seamus Finnegan walked past Neville, on the way out the door, and clapped him on the shoulder. "Hang in there Longbottom!"
Ron took a break from packing and went over to Neville, giving him pointers on how to appear interested, but not too eager, when he approached Padma before the feast.
Harry looked up and chuckled to himself. "Oy, Ron! Speaking of girls, are you giving Hermione her present tonight, or when we come see you at the Burrow next week?"
"Oh, I'm giving it to her tonight, I really went all out on it, and I want to see the other girls' faces when they see what I bought for her. I bet even some of the Slytherin girls are going to turn green with envy."
Neville looked down at the little box of candy, a glum look on his face. "Yeah, well you had a summer job and all, I was only able to hold back a little of my Hogsmeade money every month."
Ron shrugged his shoulders and turned to finish packing. "Cheer up mate, you know how girls like chocolate, she'll love your gift even if it isn't all that much."
In the girls' dormitory, Hermione was busily packing while ranting to Lavender Brown over her marks in Muggle Studies. "Lavender, I should have made a perfect mark. I mean, for Merlin's sake! I live it when I'm not in school. I'm telling you, Professor Gables must be mixed wizard-muggle because how else could he have mistakenly graded points off of my final exam?"
Lavender shrugged her shoulders and finished folding her school jumpers. Parvati picked up a catnip mouse from under her bed and tossed it towards Hermione. "Heads up Hermione, I guess Crookshanks must have hidden it under my bed." Hermione caught the toy and deposited it in her cat's wicker carrying basket. "Thanks Parvati!"
Parvati got up and sat on the edge of Hermione's bed. "So, are you expecting a special present from your sweetheart this Christmas?"
"I know he got me something, I overheard him bragging to Harry that I would love it."
"Oooh, something really special then. What do you think? Perfume, candy, maybe even jewelry?"
"Oh no. Ron had a summer job and all, but it was just working as an errand boy. And he's not really held back much on his trips to Hogsmeade, now has he? I mean, between him, Harry, and Neville, they must be responsible for keeping Honeyduke's in business!"
"So, what did you get for him?"
"Oh, he's been talking about starting an errand service all term, so I bought him a few books on small business management, and a memory manager book. That way he can get off on the right foot and organize himself properly."
"Er. those gifts are awfully practical, wouldn't you say? I know the thought is nice, but boys like things like candy, and joke shop tricks, and quidditch supplies."
"I got him some candy too. Nothing major though. Just some of those fancy barber pole peppermint sticks. I really hate that he has such a serious candy habit, but I felt that it being Christmas and all, no harm in indulging just a little."
"Well, I'm interested to see what Neville brings over to Padma. I got Harry and Seamus to admit that he fancies her and bought her a present. They wouldn't say what, but please, oh please let it be flowers or candy or something romantic like that. Anything else, and Padma will not be impressed."
The clock struck a quarter of six, and all the students hurried to finish getting ready for the feast.
In Hogsmeade, Mirabelle DelMare was struggling with a heavy file box in the storeroom of the tailor shop. Thwacking herself on the forehead with the palm of her hand, she pulled her wand out of her pocket and levitated the heavy box onto her desk. She flipped through the folders until she came to the one she was looking for. She removed a piece of parchment and busied herself copying some information onto a short scroll. Finished, she replaced the paper in the file, and levitated the file box back to its resting place. She carried the scroll out to the showroom and rummaged through a box of fabric sample scraps, and laid several out on the counter. She pulled a heavy book out from the shelf beneath the counter, and scanned over the pages until she came to a section with moving images. Smiling, she wrote a number down on the scroll, and made some brief sketches and notes. Then she selected two of the fabric scraps and rolled them up securely in the parchment, tying the whole thing off with a piece of twine. She placed the scroll in a leather satchel, along with a few other scrolls, and opened the owl window. Swiftfeather, the large eagle owl owned by the shop, woke up on his perch, hooting and flapping his wings. Mira set the satchel down on the windowsill, and the bird snatched it up in his powerful talons as he took flight into the darkness. He would drop the satchel of scrolls off at the tailor elf workshop and then be free to fly and hunt and do whatever owls do with their free time until he was ready to return home to his perch.
At six o' clock, the students started arriving in the great hall. Most were walking around mingling, saying goodbyes, and exchanging owl post instructions. Some of the muggle born and half muggle students exchanged addresses and phone numbers. Gifts were also being exchanged. Every minute or so, an exclamation of joy or a squeal of delight would erupt from one of the tables. Nervously, Neville wiped his sweaty palms on his robe, picked up the little gold box, and got up. Tenatively, he approached the Ravenclaw table. Several of the girls started whispering and giggling. He stood next to Padma, and handed her the little gold box with flowers tied on the lid.
"Uum, hi Padma. I remembered how much you liked chocolate and all, so I thought you'd enjoy this."
Blushing, the girl untied the ribbon bow and opened the box. She squealed with delight and the girls sitting around her erupted in a chorus of giggles. She jumped up and hugged Neville, who blushed deep pink. He stammered something about having a nice holiday and nearly tripped over himself retreating back to the Gryffindor table. Harry, Seamus, Ron, and Dean Thomas all gave him high fives, and clapped him on the back.
Harry leaned over and whispered to Ron. "Ron, it's nearly a quarter of seven, when are you going to give Hermione her present?"
"Just a few more minutes, I want to make sure everybody's settled down some so that nobody misses this."
A puzzled look on his face, Harry turned to Seamus and asked him what his family typically did for the holidays. Having missed out on happy family Christmases, Harry was curious about what to expect this year. Ron looked around, ran his hands over his hair, and stood up from the table. He walked over to where Hermione was sitting with Lavender and Parvati, and cleared his throat. When the girls looked up, he drew a small fancy box out of his robe pocket with a flourish.
"For you Hermione, a lovely gift for a lovely girl."
Hermione blushed uncomfortably. "Ron, thank you. But, I left your present back up in the dorms, I figured were exchanging gifts at the Burrow next week?"
"Well, I know we had decided that, but I also know you're going to a party with your parents after you get back home, and I thought you might want my gift before then, so you can wear it."
Hermione took the little box, and carefully untied the bow, setting the sprig of holly aside. She undid the wrapping paper, and opened the little box. With a very curious expression, she looked up at Ron. "A pouch? But you already gave me a pouch Ron."
"No, open the pouch. The present is in the pouch."
Hermione took the little pouch out of the box, and several girls leaned in for a closer look. She pulled out the hair combs and a series of gasps and "oohs and aahs" erupted from the girls.
"Oh, Hermione, they're absolutely gorgeous!" Squealed Parvati.
Hermione held her hand to her mouth. "Ron. I can't accept this from you."
Ron's face fell, and his brows creased. "Why not? I picked them out just for you."
"But Ron. These are bronze. Those are pearls set in them. Oh Ron, you must have spent nearly all of your earnings from summer on them."
"But you're worth every Galleon Hermione. Go on, put them in your hair, let everybody get a good look."
"I, I don't know, they're beautiful, but awfully formal. I don't think it's appropriate."
Parvati nudged her in the ribs. "Go on Hermione, put them on. Half the students aren't wearing their caps anyway."
Self-consciously, Hermione removed her black school cap, and pulled the hair off of her face with the jeweled combs. Several girls from the other tables stopped talking and started pointing and whispering. Just then, the headmaster stood and told the students to return to their seats, the feast would begin shortly. Ron strutted back to his seat, his chest puffed out like a rooster. Hermione felt all the eyes on her and heard the whispering over the combs. She looked down at the table, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Dumbledore made some brief announcements regarding the end of the school term. He wished all his students a happy holiday and said he would be anxiously awaiting their return. And for those who were staying on over the holidays, special plans were made to ensure that their Christmas would be just as happy. With a clap of his hands, the tables filled with trays and platters of all manner of delicious food. The students ate and drank until they were stuffed, and then lazily made their way back to their dormitories.
Ron put on a big show of taking Hermione's arm and escorting her back up to the Gryffindor tower. Still very much in shock over her gift and the attention drawn to her at the feast, she made the excuse of having had too much rich food and retreated behind the drapes of her bed, wondering just how Ron got the money to pay for those combs. What he said he had earned and what he had seemed to spend over the term just didn't add up. Maybe he borrowed it from Harry she thought. That troubled her, as everybody knew Harry had come into a small fortune through his parents. It just wouldn't be good for he and Ron to bring money issues into their friendship. She drifted off to sleep, still concerned over Ron's overspending on her present.
Morning came, and after some last minute packing and preparing, Professor McGonagall gave the announcement over the farspeaker system, that the carriages would be departing the castle to take them to the train station in an hour. Any students wishing to grab a quick bite to eat before the trip could find sandwiches and drinks in the great hall. Not wanting to deal with comments about her extravagant gift, Hermione lingered in the corner of the common room, engrossed in a book. She heard a little squeaking noise, and looked up to find a house-elf standing before her.
"Missus Granger?"
"Yes, I'm Hermione Granger."
"Message for you missus, from your professor."
The house-elf handed her a small scroll and disappeared through a previously unseen little door next to the fireplace. Hermione looked at the scroll, and noticed it was sealed with the Slytherin house crest. Realizing which professor the message must be from, she hesitantly broke the seal and unrolled the parchment. Her hesitation turned to confusion as she read the scroll.
"Miss Granger. You will report to the Potions classroom upon receiving this message. There is a matter I wish to discuss with you before you leave for the holidays." It was signed by Professor Snape.
Worried about just what he wanted to discuss with her, she closed her book, carried it to the dormitory and put it in her trunk. She grabbed her cloak and headed down to the dungeons. The door to the Potions classroom was cracked open, she could see light flickering from inside. Timidly, she knocked on the heavy wood door.
"Enter!"
She slowly opened the door, and entered the classroom. Looking around, she saw no other students, and the professor was sitting at his desk, writing on a scroll of parchment. He looked up, the scowl on his face softening slightly.
"Ah, Miss Granger. It's about time, I dispatched that house-elf nearly a half hour ago. I was beginning to think I would have to go fetch you myself."
"I, um, I came as soon as I got the message professor. I was reading in the common rooms, and the elf must have tried to find me in the great hall first."
The professor put his quill down, and gave her a dismissive wave of the hand.
"Yes, yes. Have a seat, there's something I need to discuss with you."
Hermione slid into a chair in the front row of worktables, and sat primly with her hands on her lap.
"If this is about my final exam, I know I mistook salamander bile for salamander brain, I must have been writing too fast, because I know the potion requires brain and not bile, but."
"Miss Granger! Enough! This is not about your final exam, nor is it about Potions class. I summoned you down here because I would like to ask a favor of you."
Hermione knitted her brows in confusion and rubbed her hands over the sides of her robe. "Sir, what exactly is it that you want me to do?"
The professor leaned forward and clasped his hands together on top of his desk.
"As I am sure you have already heard, I have a lady-friend who lives in the village. There has apparently been much gossip and speculation as to who and what she is. Her name is Mirabelle, she's a full-blooded witch, but was born and raised in the United States in a muggle style home. Her magical education consisted only of daily tutoring sessions every summer with a teacher from Beauxbatons while she was on holiday in France. In some respects, she is quite advanced, but in many others she lacks even the most basic of magical skills. I told her that I would arrange for a tutor to help train her up a little over the holidays. I know that your parents are muggles, so she will not experience any culture shock in dealing with you. And you not only are a bright student, but you also have a tremendous amount of patience, as evidenced by your continual insistence on helping Mr. Longbottom in my class. Now, I'm afraid that there cannot be any monetary compensation for this, but if you agree to work with her, I will make sure to have the headmaster note in your permanent record that you have done volunteer tutoring while a student here. I don't know what your holiday plans and commitments are, or if you are even interested. I don't need your answer today, the sessions couldn't even start until after Christmas day anyway. If you are interested, send an owl back to me, and I will contact Mirabelle so that you can meet with her and figure out a schedule."
Hermione sat at the table, shocked. Not only had Snape asked her a favor, he actually thought she was bright and patient enough to tutor a full-grown witch!
"That will be all, Miss Granger. You best be on your way before you miss the carriage and have to run to the station."
Hermione got up, mumbled a "Happy Christmas" to the professor, backed away from his desk, and hurried out of the Potions classroom. Distracted and not paying attention to where she was going, she bumped into two seventh year Slytherin girls who were talking by the staircase.
"Watch it mudblood! What's the matter? Can't see where you're going because your bushy hair is all over your face? Maybe it's a good thing your boyfriend bought you those hair combs, you need something to tame that mop you call a hairdo."
The larger girl sneered and blocked Hermione's way to the stairs. "Where are your little baubles anyway? Did they get repossessed by the jeweler already?"
Hermione shoved her aside, cheeks burning, and hurried towards the stairs. The other girl called out after her: "That's okay, we all know that you must have had to be really friendly to him this term to get him to part with his candy money like that. But you know what they say, some things are sweeter than candy!"
The two girls howled with laughter as Hermione ran up the stairs, tears streaming down her face. She found an out of the way alcove to wipe her eyes and gain her composure. McGonagall's voice came over the farspeaker system again, warning students that the carriages would be leaving in fifteen minutes, and they needed to make their way to the front of the castle.
Hermione ran back up to the dormitories, where she found Crookshanks sitting on her bed, shooting her a very nasty look. The house elves had already taken the trunks down and loaded them on the carts and sent them off to the train station. Hermione soothed her pet, gave him a handful of crunchy treats, and secured him in his carrier. She ran down the stairs and through the halls to the main entrance of the school.
Ron and Harry were sharing a carriage, Hermione found an empty seat with one of the Creevy brothers, who sneezed the whole way to the station. After catching her breath on the ride, Hermione met back up with Ron and Harry at the platform. Harry asked her why she was so late, and Hermione made up an excuse about being caught up in a book and losing track of time. She knew she wanted to accept the tutoring assignment, but felt no need to fuel the fires of the gossip mill any more by letting Ron and Harry in on it.
Before the train departed, Hermione gave Harry a friendly hug, and Ron shook his hand. Harry wouldn't be taking the train, Sirius lived close enough to Hogsmeade that he would be meeting Harry at the station. They made last minute plans to meet at the Burrow, and tentative plans to make a group outing to either Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade during the holidays. Ron and Hermione boarded the train and found a seat in the compartment Neville was sharing with Seamus. Neville was blushing and grinning ear to ear. Apparently, Padma had slipped him a parchment with owl post directions, and asked him to write.
Harry stood on the platform, and waved at his friends when the train started to move. With a little over an hour to kill, he checked his trunk and other belongings at the station office, and strolled down the main street of Hogsmeade, to get a hot cocoa at the café.
I've realized that with the plot developments I've got outlined, this is gonna be one heck of a long fic. Look for at the very least ten more chapters. I may go back over the summer and re-write it, correcting some grammar and other writing style errors, and turn it into three or four sections or "books". Let me finish it and see what I've got, and then I'll start working on it again. No major changes though. Just making it easier to read and helping the continuity along some.
Thanks to all of those who read and review. It's nice to know that there are people out there who are enjoying reading the story as much as I'm enjoying writing it.
Disclaimers: If you recognize it from the books and/or movies, then it's not mine in any way.
Chapter 41: End of Term Excitement
The fire burned itself out in the wee hours of morning. Professor Snape woke to the coldness and realized that he had fallen asleep and stayed much longer than intended. He woke Mira, and started to gather his clothes together. She lazily got up, pulled her robe over her head, and carried the wine goblet into the kitchen. The professor hastily dressed, transfigured the fur throw back into a Persian rug and moved the tea table back into place. Mira helped him button his tunic jacket, and made sure he was wrapped tightly in his cloak before lowering the security wards on the building so that he could apparate away to the front gate of the school grounds. He gave her a kiss and told her he would be in contact via owl the next afternoon, once the students had left for the holidays. Mira stepped back, and with a soft popping sound he was gone. She recast the security wards and crawled into her bed, where she slept very late. The shop was never open on Sunday; it was her day to be lazy, and she intended to make every hour left of the morning count.
The school was still sleeping when the professor arrived, and made his way down to his quarters. He rang for a house-elf, ordered a small pot of tea, and started a fire in his fireplace. He sat up for a little while, drinking tea, nibbling on ginger biscuits, and thinking about his life and the women who had been a part of it. He made a mental note to run an errand before Christmas, to procure a special gift for Mira. His belly warmed by the tea and his mind at ease with the state of his life, he retired to his bedchamber and napped until late morning.
After his nap, he compiled and posted a scroll with the final exam scores on the outside of his classroom door. Hermione Granger and some of the other students were sitting in the hallway, waiting for their marks to be posted. Without a word to the students, he shut and locked the door behind him, snorting over Granger bothering to waste her time sitting on the cold dungeon hallway floor. Her marks were always flawless; she had come within no more than two points of perfect marks each and every term. He raised an eyebrow in contemplation.
"Maybe the Granger girl would be willing to help Mira with some of the basic skills she's lacking? The little know-it-all will probably wet herself with excitement over being asked to tutor an adult witch."
He added that to his list of mental notes to follow up on at a later time, and walked back to his bedchamber to prepare for the end of term feast. The house elves all busy with preparations, he drew his own bath and laid out his formal academic robe. He savored the warmth of the water, and took the time to bathe properly, even using soap. He made another mental note to ask Mira where she bought nice smelling soap, as the plain bars offered from the school storage cabinets were waxy and smelled slightly medicinal.
He finished his bath and toweled off; then sat in front of the fire in his dressing robe, reading, until his hair was dry. Warm and dry, he dressed in his usual simple attire and pulled the heavy formal robe on over his head. Taking a moment to adjust the clasps and comb his hair, he glanced at the clock on the wall and realized he needed to hurry if he were to arrive in time for the faculty "pep talk" that Dumbledore gave before every end of term feast.
Back in the Gryffindor Tower, the students were busy packing, discussing the marks they earned in their classes, and readying themselves for the feast. The feast would start at seven o'clock, but the doors to the great hall would open at six; allowing the students an hour to visit with friends from other houses, say their goodbyes, and exchange gifts.
Harry and Ron were busy helping each other gather up their belongings and pack them in their trunks. Neville was sitting on the edge of his bed, holding the box of candy for Padma, with white knuckles and an uneasy look on his face.
Seamus Finnegan walked past Neville, on the way out the door, and clapped him on the shoulder. "Hang in there Longbottom!"
Ron took a break from packing and went over to Neville, giving him pointers on how to appear interested, but not too eager, when he approached Padma before the feast.
Harry looked up and chuckled to himself. "Oy, Ron! Speaking of girls, are you giving Hermione her present tonight, or when we come see you at the Burrow next week?"
"Oh, I'm giving it to her tonight, I really went all out on it, and I want to see the other girls' faces when they see what I bought for her. I bet even some of the Slytherin girls are going to turn green with envy."
Neville looked down at the little box of candy, a glum look on his face. "Yeah, well you had a summer job and all, I was only able to hold back a little of my Hogsmeade money every month."
Ron shrugged his shoulders and turned to finish packing. "Cheer up mate, you know how girls like chocolate, she'll love your gift even if it isn't all that much."
In the girls' dormitory, Hermione was busily packing while ranting to Lavender Brown over her marks in Muggle Studies. "Lavender, I should have made a perfect mark. I mean, for Merlin's sake! I live it when I'm not in school. I'm telling you, Professor Gables must be mixed wizard-muggle because how else could he have mistakenly graded points off of my final exam?"
Lavender shrugged her shoulders and finished folding her school jumpers. Parvati picked up a catnip mouse from under her bed and tossed it towards Hermione. "Heads up Hermione, I guess Crookshanks must have hidden it under my bed." Hermione caught the toy and deposited it in her cat's wicker carrying basket. "Thanks Parvati!"
Parvati got up and sat on the edge of Hermione's bed. "So, are you expecting a special present from your sweetheart this Christmas?"
"I know he got me something, I overheard him bragging to Harry that I would love it."
"Oooh, something really special then. What do you think? Perfume, candy, maybe even jewelry?"
"Oh no. Ron had a summer job and all, but it was just working as an errand boy. And he's not really held back much on his trips to Hogsmeade, now has he? I mean, between him, Harry, and Neville, they must be responsible for keeping Honeyduke's in business!"
"So, what did you get for him?"
"Oh, he's been talking about starting an errand service all term, so I bought him a few books on small business management, and a memory manager book. That way he can get off on the right foot and organize himself properly."
"Er. those gifts are awfully practical, wouldn't you say? I know the thought is nice, but boys like things like candy, and joke shop tricks, and quidditch supplies."
"I got him some candy too. Nothing major though. Just some of those fancy barber pole peppermint sticks. I really hate that he has such a serious candy habit, but I felt that it being Christmas and all, no harm in indulging just a little."
"Well, I'm interested to see what Neville brings over to Padma. I got Harry and Seamus to admit that he fancies her and bought her a present. They wouldn't say what, but please, oh please let it be flowers or candy or something romantic like that. Anything else, and Padma will not be impressed."
The clock struck a quarter of six, and all the students hurried to finish getting ready for the feast.
In Hogsmeade, Mirabelle DelMare was struggling with a heavy file box in the storeroom of the tailor shop. Thwacking herself on the forehead with the palm of her hand, she pulled her wand out of her pocket and levitated the heavy box onto her desk. She flipped through the folders until she came to the one she was looking for. She removed a piece of parchment and busied herself copying some information onto a short scroll. Finished, she replaced the paper in the file, and levitated the file box back to its resting place. She carried the scroll out to the showroom and rummaged through a box of fabric sample scraps, and laid several out on the counter. She pulled a heavy book out from the shelf beneath the counter, and scanned over the pages until she came to a section with moving images. Smiling, she wrote a number down on the scroll, and made some brief sketches and notes. Then she selected two of the fabric scraps and rolled them up securely in the parchment, tying the whole thing off with a piece of twine. She placed the scroll in a leather satchel, along with a few other scrolls, and opened the owl window. Swiftfeather, the large eagle owl owned by the shop, woke up on his perch, hooting and flapping his wings. Mira set the satchel down on the windowsill, and the bird snatched it up in his powerful talons as he took flight into the darkness. He would drop the satchel of scrolls off at the tailor elf workshop and then be free to fly and hunt and do whatever owls do with their free time until he was ready to return home to his perch.
At six o' clock, the students started arriving in the great hall. Most were walking around mingling, saying goodbyes, and exchanging owl post instructions. Some of the muggle born and half muggle students exchanged addresses and phone numbers. Gifts were also being exchanged. Every minute or so, an exclamation of joy or a squeal of delight would erupt from one of the tables. Nervously, Neville wiped his sweaty palms on his robe, picked up the little gold box, and got up. Tenatively, he approached the Ravenclaw table. Several of the girls started whispering and giggling. He stood next to Padma, and handed her the little gold box with flowers tied on the lid.
"Uum, hi Padma. I remembered how much you liked chocolate and all, so I thought you'd enjoy this."
Blushing, the girl untied the ribbon bow and opened the box. She squealed with delight and the girls sitting around her erupted in a chorus of giggles. She jumped up and hugged Neville, who blushed deep pink. He stammered something about having a nice holiday and nearly tripped over himself retreating back to the Gryffindor table. Harry, Seamus, Ron, and Dean Thomas all gave him high fives, and clapped him on the back.
Harry leaned over and whispered to Ron. "Ron, it's nearly a quarter of seven, when are you going to give Hermione her present?"
"Just a few more minutes, I want to make sure everybody's settled down some so that nobody misses this."
A puzzled look on his face, Harry turned to Seamus and asked him what his family typically did for the holidays. Having missed out on happy family Christmases, Harry was curious about what to expect this year. Ron looked around, ran his hands over his hair, and stood up from the table. He walked over to where Hermione was sitting with Lavender and Parvati, and cleared his throat. When the girls looked up, he drew a small fancy box out of his robe pocket with a flourish.
"For you Hermione, a lovely gift for a lovely girl."
Hermione blushed uncomfortably. "Ron, thank you. But, I left your present back up in the dorms, I figured were exchanging gifts at the Burrow next week?"
"Well, I know we had decided that, but I also know you're going to a party with your parents after you get back home, and I thought you might want my gift before then, so you can wear it."
Hermione took the little box, and carefully untied the bow, setting the sprig of holly aside. She undid the wrapping paper, and opened the little box. With a very curious expression, she looked up at Ron. "A pouch? But you already gave me a pouch Ron."
"No, open the pouch. The present is in the pouch."
Hermione took the little pouch out of the box, and several girls leaned in for a closer look. She pulled out the hair combs and a series of gasps and "oohs and aahs" erupted from the girls.
"Oh, Hermione, they're absolutely gorgeous!" Squealed Parvati.
Hermione held her hand to her mouth. "Ron. I can't accept this from you."
Ron's face fell, and his brows creased. "Why not? I picked them out just for you."
"But Ron. These are bronze. Those are pearls set in them. Oh Ron, you must have spent nearly all of your earnings from summer on them."
"But you're worth every Galleon Hermione. Go on, put them in your hair, let everybody get a good look."
"I, I don't know, they're beautiful, but awfully formal. I don't think it's appropriate."
Parvati nudged her in the ribs. "Go on Hermione, put them on. Half the students aren't wearing their caps anyway."
Self-consciously, Hermione removed her black school cap, and pulled the hair off of her face with the jeweled combs. Several girls from the other tables stopped talking and started pointing and whispering. Just then, the headmaster stood and told the students to return to their seats, the feast would begin shortly. Ron strutted back to his seat, his chest puffed out like a rooster. Hermione felt all the eyes on her and heard the whispering over the combs. She looked down at the table, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Dumbledore made some brief announcements regarding the end of the school term. He wished all his students a happy holiday and said he would be anxiously awaiting their return. And for those who were staying on over the holidays, special plans were made to ensure that their Christmas would be just as happy. With a clap of his hands, the tables filled with trays and platters of all manner of delicious food. The students ate and drank until they were stuffed, and then lazily made their way back to their dormitories.
Ron put on a big show of taking Hermione's arm and escorting her back up to the Gryffindor tower. Still very much in shock over her gift and the attention drawn to her at the feast, she made the excuse of having had too much rich food and retreated behind the drapes of her bed, wondering just how Ron got the money to pay for those combs. What he said he had earned and what he had seemed to spend over the term just didn't add up. Maybe he borrowed it from Harry she thought. That troubled her, as everybody knew Harry had come into a small fortune through his parents. It just wouldn't be good for he and Ron to bring money issues into their friendship. She drifted off to sleep, still concerned over Ron's overspending on her present.
Morning came, and after some last minute packing and preparing, Professor McGonagall gave the announcement over the farspeaker system, that the carriages would be departing the castle to take them to the train station in an hour. Any students wishing to grab a quick bite to eat before the trip could find sandwiches and drinks in the great hall. Not wanting to deal with comments about her extravagant gift, Hermione lingered in the corner of the common room, engrossed in a book. She heard a little squeaking noise, and looked up to find a house-elf standing before her.
"Missus Granger?"
"Yes, I'm Hermione Granger."
"Message for you missus, from your professor."
The house-elf handed her a small scroll and disappeared through a previously unseen little door next to the fireplace. Hermione looked at the scroll, and noticed it was sealed with the Slytherin house crest. Realizing which professor the message must be from, she hesitantly broke the seal and unrolled the parchment. Her hesitation turned to confusion as she read the scroll.
"Miss Granger. You will report to the Potions classroom upon receiving this message. There is a matter I wish to discuss with you before you leave for the holidays." It was signed by Professor Snape.
Worried about just what he wanted to discuss with her, she closed her book, carried it to the dormitory and put it in her trunk. She grabbed her cloak and headed down to the dungeons. The door to the Potions classroom was cracked open, she could see light flickering from inside. Timidly, she knocked on the heavy wood door.
"Enter!"
She slowly opened the door, and entered the classroom. Looking around, she saw no other students, and the professor was sitting at his desk, writing on a scroll of parchment. He looked up, the scowl on his face softening slightly.
"Ah, Miss Granger. It's about time, I dispatched that house-elf nearly a half hour ago. I was beginning to think I would have to go fetch you myself."
"I, um, I came as soon as I got the message professor. I was reading in the common rooms, and the elf must have tried to find me in the great hall first."
The professor put his quill down, and gave her a dismissive wave of the hand.
"Yes, yes. Have a seat, there's something I need to discuss with you."
Hermione slid into a chair in the front row of worktables, and sat primly with her hands on her lap.
"If this is about my final exam, I know I mistook salamander bile for salamander brain, I must have been writing too fast, because I know the potion requires brain and not bile, but."
"Miss Granger! Enough! This is not about your final exam, nor is it about Potions class. I summoned you down here because I would like to ask a favor of you."
Hermione knitted her brows in confusion and rubbed her hands over the sides of her robe. "Sir, what exactly is it that you want me to do?"
The professor leaned forward and clasped his hands together on top of his desk.
"As I am sure you have already heard, I have a lady-friend who lives in the village. There has apparently been much gossip and speculation as to who and what she is. Her name is Mirabelle, she's a full-blooded witch, but was born and raised in the United States in a muggle style home. Her magical education consisted only of daily tutoring sessions every summer with a teacher from Beauxbatons while she was on holiday in France. In some respects, she is quite advanced, but in many others she lacks even the most basic of magical skills. I told her that I would arrange for a tutor to help train her up a little over the holidays. I know that your parents are muggles, so she will not experience any culture shock in dealing with you. And you not only are a bright student, but you also have a tremendous amount of patience, as evidenced by your continual insistence on helping Mr. Longbottom in my class. Now, I'm afraid that there cannot be any monetary compensation for this, but if you agree to work with her, I will make sure to have the headmaster note in your permanent record that you have done volunteer tutoring while a student here. I don't know what your holiday plans and commitments are, or if you are even interested. I don't need your answer today, the sessions couldn't even start until after Christmas day anyway. If you are interested, send an owl back to me, and I will contact Mirabelle so that you can meet with her and figure out a schedule."
Hermione sat at the table, shocked. Not only had Snape asked her a favor, he actually thought she was bright and patient enough to tutor a full-grown witch!
"That will be all, Miss Granger. You best be on your way before you miss the carriage and have to run to the station."
Hermione got up, mumbled a "Happy Christmas" to the professor, backed away from his desk, and hurried out of the Potions classroom. Distracted and not paying attention to where she was going, she bumped into two seventh year Slytherin girls who were talking by the staircase.
"Watch it mudblood! What's the matter? Can't see where you're going because your bushy hair is all over your face? Maybe it's a good thing your boyfriend bought you those hair combs, you need something to tame that mop you call a hairdo."
The larger girl sneered and blocked Hermione's way to the stairs. "Where are your little baubles anyway? Did they get repossessed by the jeweler already?"
Hermione shoved her aside, cheeks burning, and hurried towards the stairs. The other girl called out after her: "That's okay, we all know that you must have had to be really friendly to him this term to get him to part with his candy money like that. But you know what they say, some things are sweeter than candy!"
The two girls howled with laughter as Hermione ran up the stairs, tears streaming down her face. She found an out of the way alcove to wipe her eyes and gain her composure. McGonagall's voice came over the farspeaker system again, warning students that the carriages would be leaving in fifteen minutes, and they needed to make their way to the front of the castle.
Hermione ran back up to the dormitories, where she found Crookshanks sitting on her bed, shooting her a very nasty look. The house elves had already taken the trunks down and loaded them on the carts and sent them off to the train station. Hermione soothed her pet, gave him a handful of crunchy treats, and secured him in his carrier. She ran down the stairs and through the halls to the main entrance of the school.
Ron and Harry were sharing a carriage, Hermione found an empty seat with one of the Creevy brothers, who sneezed the whole way to the station. After catching her breath on the ride, Hermione met back up with Ron and Harry at the platform. Harry asked her why she was so late, and Hermione made up an excuse about being caught up in a book and losing track of time. She knew she wanted to accept the tutoring assignment, but felt no need to fuel the fires of the gossip mill any more by letting Ron and Harry in on it.
Before the train departed, Hermione gave Harry a friendly hug, and Ron shook his hand. Harry wouldn't be taking the train, Sirius lived close enough to Hogsmeade that he would be meeting Harry at the station. They made last minute plans to meet at the Burrow, and tentative plans to make a group outing to either Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade during the holidays. Ron and Hermione boarded the train and found a seat in the compartment Neville was sharing with Seamus. Neville was blushing and grinning ear to ear. Apparently, Padma had slipped him a parchment with owl post directions, and asked him to write.
Harry stood on the platform, and waved at his friends when the train started to move. With a little over an hour to kill, he checked his trunk and other belongings at the station office, and strolled down the main street of Hogsmeade, to get a hot cocoa at the café.