Chapter 5 - January

January 10th

Christmas break was good and bad. It was bad because Harry and I couldn't be together. Again. He's so famous that people look at him everywhere he goes. It makes it very hard to have a secret rondevoo (I don't know how to spell it but it sounds so romantic! So French. Maybe after You-know-who is dead, Harry can propose to me in Paris. That would be so perfect.) It was sad not to see him everyday, but I didn't complain about it even once because a good girlfriend doesn't nag. Hopefully this is the last Christmas we'll have to spend apart.

I didn't go home this Christmas because Papa says that I'm getting too old to be a lay-about and that it's about time I did something useful with myself. At first this made me very sad. I must have looked a sight on the Express back to London with my puffy eyes and red face. I didn't share a compartment with Harry because I didn't want him seeing me like that. It would have ruined his Christmas if he knew how miserable I was and that he couldn't be with me to make me feel better. There was no point in both of us being miserable so I avoided him. I hope he wasn't too hurt.

Papa met me at Kings Cross and we went straight to Diagon Alley. I was very hungry and I asked if we could stop for some lunch, but Papa told me to stop nagging and said that I could stand to skip a meal or two. I suppose he's right. I should drop a stone or two before the wedding. Papa always knows what's best for me. He'll be so surprised and proud when Harry Potter asks him for my hand in marriage.

Papa thought I should start being useful right away and he took me to Eeylops Owl Emporium. He deposited me and my bags in the shop, wished me a Happy Christmas and left. Poor Papa. He must have been sad about spending Christmas alone. That's why he left in such a hurry.

In any event, there I was, standing in the middle of the shop with no idea why I was there, and the owner, Mr. Ely, was staring at me because he didn't have any idea why I was there either. Finally, Mrs. Ely comes out of the back and asks if I'm Hyacinth. When I said I was, Mr. Ely got very happy and told me to put on an apron and get to work cleaning the Owlery in the back. Mrs. Ely got very mad at him. She said, "Argus Ely! Where are your manners? This poor girl just traveled all the way from Scotland by train. She's probably hungry and tired and she hasn't even been shown her room yet! You'll carry her bags up to her room and then, after she's had a bite to eat you can put her to work. Shame on you, Argus Ely!"

I got really scared. It was the biggest nagging I had EVER seen. I thought something very bad would happen because if good girlfriends don't nag, good wives shouldn't either. I was so surprised when Mr. Ely laughed and said, "You're absolutely right, my darling." And then he apologized to me for being rude. Can you imagine! To make up for it, he took us both out to Fortesque's for an ice cream after the shop closed. It was so much fun. Almost as fun as being with Harry.

Working at Eeyolps was wonderful. I was only hired to clean up, but when Mr. Ely saw how good I was with the birds he let me do more interesting things like healing sick birds and checking over new arrivals. He taught me so many things I didn't know and told me that I was a very fast learner. He told me that he was very happy with the work I was doing with the birds. He never let me work with the customers though. He said I was one of those people who was more comfortable working with birds than people. I think he's right.

Anyway, the Ely's were very nice people. I had dinner with them every night and we talked about owls and crazy customers and all of the interesting gossip in the Tattler. Mrs. Ely even got some shears and cut my hair so it would be even again. My new hairstyle is very cute. I know Harry will love it.

Something else very surprising happened. Professor Lupin came into the shop. He works on Diagon Alley too, at Ollivander's. It took him a few seconds, but he remembered my name, which I thought was very nice. Harry must tell him about me. He and Mr. Ely were talking in very quiet voices in the back. I don't know what they said because Mr. Ely gave me something to do on the other side of the store, but I know it had something to do with the two special owls that I'm not allowed near. Only Mr. Ely is allowed to work with them. I'm not even allowed to talk about them because they're a secret. Mr. Ely is usually very nice, but he was very stern when he warned me about going near and talking about those owls.

Special, secret owls? Lupin has an owl. What would he want with two more? Unless…I wonder…

Severus rose abruptly from his desk and headed towards the hearth. He needed to speak to Lupin immediately. He took the Floo powder urn from the mantle and cursed. It was empty. Of course it was empty. Tonks would never leave him a means of escape. Severus paced the room like a caged animal; he had to find a way to contact the bloody werewolf. He'd need Tonks' permission, which meant he'd need a good reason. Why did he ever talk to the wolf? His potion. Lupin would need his potion next week; that would be his excuse. Now all he had to do was wait for Tonks to come crashing in for another unannounced visit. He returned to the diary.

January 10th (cont.)

We closed the shop a little bit early on Christmas Eve and had a party up in the Ely's flat, which is over the shop. Mrs. Ely made a splendid supper and we decorated the tree and sang Christmas carols. Mrs. Ely got a little sad when she hung a special silver ornament on the tree. She left the room crying. Mr. Ely told me that the ornament was a gift from their son who was killed a long time ago by You-know-who. I didn't tell her, but I knew how sad she felt because my boyfriend was killed by You-know-who too. I wanted to tell her that Harry Potter was my boyfriend and that he was going to kill You-know-who, but I didn't because that would be telling secrets, though Mrs. Ely seems like the kind of person you could tell secrets to. Mr. Ely went and talked to Mrs. Ely and in a few minutes she came back with a smile on her face. She was still crying, but she was smiling too. I felt very bad for Mrs. Ely.

I didn't have any money or any time to go shopping, but I wanted to get the Ely's something for Christmas so I went through my bag for some parchment and some things to make a pretty Christmas card. That's when I found my friends. They were very angry with me. All of them except Bella. They said that I left them alone on Christmas and that I was a bad friend. Annie was furious with me. She cut the back of my hand with a quill she was so mad. She was mad because she said she knew that I almost told Mrs. Ely Harry's secrets. She said that Harry would get hurt and that it would be my entire fault. Me and my big mouth. She said that she gave me the cut to remind me what happens to boyfriends when girlfriends tell secrets. She doesn't want me spending so much time with the Ely's anymore.

Mary and Suzy noticed my new hair right away and they liked it. They didn't hate Mrs. Ely like Annie did, but they wanted me to spend my time with them instead of her. Bella thought it was nice that I had a new friend. Annie hit Bella and told her that Mrs. Ely was not a friend, only my boss and that they were my only friends. Them and Harry. Bella got very quiet and didn't say anything else. Annie warned me that friends don't tell secrets and that I had better not tell Mrs. Ely that they were visiting or else.

Mary and Suzy got mad at Annie at this point. They asked her how in the world I was going to explain the ugly cut on my hand to Harry when we got back to school. They told Annie that she was scaring me and that she should stop it. Then they told me that it wouldn't be a good idea to tell anyone that I was visiting. They said that our visits would have to be a secret because our friendship was special and that other people wouldn't understand. If we wanted to keep being friends it would have to be a secret.

After that, I didn't spend much time after work with the Ely's. I went to my room after dinner and spent time with my friends. I told them all about my day at work and we talked about Harry. Annie wanted me to snoop and find out all of the secret stuff at Eeylops. I didn't feel good about it, but I did it.

At the end of the break, Mrs. Ely took me out to a fancy lunch before she took me to Kings Cross to take the train back to Hogwarts. She told me that she was worried that I spent so much time alone in my room. She said it wasn't healthy for a girl my age to spend too much time alone. Then she did the nicest thing. She whistled and the prettiest little owl you ever saw came. Mrs. Ely gave her to me and said her name was Athene. She said I should owl her anytime I want if I ever feel lonely.

Her madness defended itself against sanity. How bizarre.

It's about time. Severus tucked the diary away in his desk drawer when he heard the heavy creak of the dungeon door opening. He was surprised at the lack of calamity that followed Tonks' entrance. Now, if he played his cards right, he could get some answers from Lupin about those owls. If his hunch was correct, he might have some answers about Miss Tilly.

Tonks hadn't suddenly become more graceful. Severus looked up and found himself drawn straight into the deep brown eyes of Hermione Granger.

"You shouldn't be here," he said quietly. He wanted her to leave immediately and he wanted to take her to his bedchambers and keep her there for the rest of their lives.

"Can we talk…privately?" Hermione gestured around the room with her eyes. She wanted to know if the walls had ears before saying another word.

"I am not under constant surveillance."

"Thank goodness." Hermione climbed into his chair and knelt, straddling his lap. He sat still and unresponsive as she ran her fingers though his hair and drew his mouth to hers. Her lips and fingers expertly pressed and moved against him. Gently, but insistently, she parted his lips with her own and ran her tongue lightly over his teeth. She tasted like cinnamon and tea. He moaned into her mouth as her tongue stroked the sensitive surface at the top of his mouth.

Good Gods, he thought. Did I teach her to kiss like this? Despite himself, he felt parts of his body that were stiff with tension relax under her ministrations, and parts of his body that were previously relaxed, stiffen with desire. The part of him that wanted to forget all of his troubles and get lost in her embrace, battled with a small but persistent part of his mind that urged caution.

"Stop." He grasped her by the shoulders and put her firmly off his lap. "You have to leave right now. Tonks could be here at any moment and it wouldn't do to have you here looking like…that." She was beautiful when she was flushed and breathing heavy with desire.

"What do you take me for, a fool?" Hermione straightened her robes and arranged her hair with her fingers. She reached into her book bag and took out a thick volume and dropped it heavily on his desk.

"What's this?" he asked.

"This is what we're discussing if anyone walks in on us. Everyone is having lunch in the Great Hall right now. We should have at least twenty uninterrupted minutes, but in case we don't, I might have to make Remus's potion next week and I have a few questions. I think that's plausible. Don't you?"

"Yes, very plausible. That would explain your presence Miss Granger. How would you explain sitting in my lap with your tongue in my mouth?"

"Well, Professor Snape, you stopped breathing and I was simply reviving you," she replied with an impish grin on her face.

"Somewhat less plausible. You have to leave."

"Tonks asked me where I was between dinner and rounds last night," said Hermione. Severus sat back in his chair and stretched out his long legs. He regarded Hermione seriously.

"I know. She asked me the same question. What did you tell her?"

"I told her I was here asking you a question about my N.E.W.T.S. What did you tell her?"

"The same. They found a potion in her system. Did you know that?"

"No, I didn't." Hermione shifted uneasily in her seat. "What kind of potion?"

"I don't know. Tonks is going to bring me the autopsy report and perhaps that will have some answers."

"A potion," Hermione mused. "That doesn't look good for you, Severus."

"Neither will finding you here, " he snapped. His expression softened. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right. I know you're under a lot of stress. I hate the thought of you having to be alone in your chambers with so much going on. It has to be hard for you."

"I'm used to being alone. It's no hardship," he lied. "I will be much easier for me if you leave and please, do not come back until this is over."

"But Severus, I know a way --"

"Don't nag me, Hermione. If we're caught, no one will understand our relationship. The potion looks bad enough for me; if you can't keep our relationship a secret, I'm finished."

Even as he spoke the words, they chilled him to the bone. He didn't mean to sound as if he had no faith in her intelligence or no desire for her company. Conflicted, he watched silently as she gathered her things and left without saying another word.