Friday, Early October
Severus had only just managed to finish bottling the last few potions before the weekend when the Mark burned with another summons. He hissed, gripped his arm and hurried to send them off with the owls before pulling on his robes and following the pull of the Mark.
This time he ended up outside Rowle House, a small, dark manor house which appeared to have seen better days, somewhere south of Birmingham. As he walked up the gravel path he heard others Apparate in, meaning he wasn't last at least. He sighed with relief. Being last was often painful.
A dirty and harried-looking house-elf opened the door and waved him into the big sitting room where his brethren were gathered, awaiting their Master. Rowle House wasn't big, and the room was dark and had also clearly seen better days, with dark wood panelling along the walls and heavy dark green velvet curtains draping the windows. He nodded at Lucius across the room and thought he spotted Reg as well, but just as he was about to move closer another set of doors opened and the Dark Lord strode in, looking almost regal clad in robes shimmering in a deep green whenever the candle light caught them. Everyone stilled, waiting for him to speak.
"Welcome, brothers," he began after a silence long enough to become uncomfortable. "Today we are going to talk about our future. Our bright future, once we have cleansed our world of the threat of Muggles, Mudbloods and those that oppose us. We are close now, close to a breakthrough, and I will lead you all to glory."
A few of the stupider Death Eaters cheered. Severus stayed very still instead, not willing to draw attention to himself, and pulled his Occlumency shields up a little tighter.
The Dark Lord continued. "Soon, soon we will take the fight to those who oppose us, for real. Soon we will be out in the open, making those that defy us bow to our superiority."
He continued at length. Severus felt oddly detached behind his new Occlumency walls, letting the words wash over him. He glanced around the room furtively, noting Warrington near the front standing with his mouth hanging open, nodding along to everything that was said. Bellatrix Black Lestrange stood nearby, looking elated and smiling in a way that was probably supposed to be seductive, every time the Dark Lord glanced her way.
"You are not ready yet, my loyal followers. You are still too weak, too sheltered and out of practice. That will have to change. There is room by my side for the best, the strongest. What do you say, are you up for the challenge?"
The room erupted into howls and cheers. Severus joined in as well, it wouldn't do to draw attention to himself. The Dark Lord nodded. He snapped his fingers and Beregolf Rowle, the current Lord Rowle, called for a house-elf. It was old and wrinkly, with rheumy eyes and long droopy ears, and currently wearing a very shabby piece of cloth that may have been green once, wrapped like a toga.
"How can Ornery serve, my Lord?" the elf asked in a creaky voice.
The Dark Lord stepped forward, not really looking at the elf, and snapped his wand at it to cast a Silencing spell. "Then come here and observe." He cast a slicing hex at the elf who soon writhed in pain on the floor in front of him, elven blood seeping out onto the shabby carpet. He released the spell after a long minute, and cast a Healing spell to seal the wounds again before waving at his followers to come up to try for themselves.
Bella was next up, of course, and had the creature writhing on the floor with a Bone-Twisting hex. Warrington also joined the line, apparently eager to hex something that wouldn't fight back since that was the only chance he had at scoring a hit, Severus thought, his lip curling in a snarl.
He spotted Lucius by the windows and went to join him. The elf wouldn't last long and that kind of violence against someone defenceless left a sour taste in his mouth.
"Lucius."
The blond man nodded at him. "Severus. How's the apprenticeship?"
Severus shrugged. "It's fine. I'd like a word with you and your wife if possible? At your earliest convenience." He was breaking all kinds of Slytherin Pure-blood protocol by asking.
Lucius frowned slightly, not saying anything. He looked around the room but no one appeared to be paying them any attention. "Come tomorrow then, at ten, don't be late."
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
Severus straightened his clothes after Apparating to Malfoy Manor again. He was still in his Apprentice robes, both since he had stayed at the workshop overnight and since they were the best ones he had. The elf brought him to Lucius' drawing room, bypassing the main levels where Abraxas Malfoy reigned.
"What is it, Severus?" Even though she was shorter than he was, Narcissa managed to look down her nose at him. She was clad in an ethereal pearl grey multi-layered robe that must have been worth more Galleons than he'd earned in his life. Lucius followed in matching grey robes, nodding at Severus but remaining by his wife.
He cleared his throat, feeling very out of place. This situation wasn't exactly comfortable, neither the place nor the topic he was about to bring up. He didn't belong there, and both he and the couple in front of him knew it, even if they were too polite to say so. His clothes were too shabby, his manners too rough, and he could do nothing about his parentage.
"I found a recipe in my Master's potions texts, and think it may be of some use to you at some point. I've done the calculations on it but for… well, obvious reasons, I haven't tested it." Severus fished out the potion vial from the inner pocket of his robes and held it out to Narcissa. He didn't expect them to recognise it, but she plucked the crystal vial from his fingers and held it up to the light. The purple fluid sparkled in the ray of sunlight from the window. "It's, um, well it's to assist with pregnancy." He couldn't stop a blush from rising. "I don't know if you're thinking about… that… yet but just in case it will lessen the risk of miscarriage."
Narcissa gasped and turned her eyes on him. "How did you know? I haven't… we haven't said anything." She spun to look at Lucius who looked equally astonished even if he hid it better.
Suddenly lightheaded Severus stumbled over to a padded bench and sat down heavily. Another confirmation of Hermione's absurd predictions. "I didn't know, really. It's just that it's sort of expected of… well, couples in your position. The potion would increase your chances of birthing a live, magical child."
Narcissa held out the vial to her husband with a trembling hand. Lucius caught both vial and wife swiftly and let her bury her face in his robes while she sobbed. He whispered into her hair and patted her back gently.
Severus felt embarrassed about the display, and desperately wished to be just about anywhere else. He was just about to bolt, propriety be damned, when Lucius lifted his head to look directly at him. There were more emotions in the Pure-blood's face than Severus had ever seen, and he couldn't even begin to make sense of it.
"We've lost three, so far," Lucius said quietly.
Narcissa sobbed even more and nodded against her husband's chest.
The blond wizard continued. "We haven't told a soul. And here you come…"
Severus rose from the bench, wary. What was he implying? "Lucius… I just…"
But Lucius just twitched a smile at him. "No, not like that, Severus. What brew is this? How come our Healers haven't thought to tell us?"
"It was from a rare, ancient book, and I had to both decipher the recipe and work out what substitutions it needed to actually work," Severus said. "Old potions books are never correct, on purpose, to stop people from stealing the recipes. I think if brewed according to the textbook it would have had either no results or the opposite as intended, but I'm quite certain of my alterations."
"You haven't tested it though." Lucius frowned, gently dislodging Narcissa from his waist. "You offer us an untested potion."
Severus could only nod. With a shrug he continued, "As you say, Lucius. I brewed this without input from Master Pyrites. It's up to you, if you're not interested I'll just take it back. It would have more effect if you start taking it a few months before getting pregnant but it should still be beneficial to start up until the tenth week of pregnancy."
Without warning Narcissa flung herself on him, clinging tight to his neck. "I just found out yesterday that I'm pregnant again and I've been so afraid, Severus. It hurts so badly to lose another one. Will this really help?" She was stronger than she looked and her perfume made it almost hard to breathe even as he struggled to free his nose from her hair.
"Cissy, let him breathe," Lucius chided gently.
Severus breathed a sigh of relief when the blonde witch had released him and it seemed that no hexes were imminent. "Right, so you'll want to take a teaspoon first thing in the morning, with some water. It should help with nausea and other such symptoms as well to some extent. Once you're past the fifth month you won't need it any longer."
"Can I start now?" Narcissa asked him. She reached for the vial again and eyed it almost hungrily.
"As long as you haven't eaten in the past two hours, but you may have some trouble sleeping tonight if you take it now."
Narcissa called for a house-elf and asked for a glass of water and a spoon. Almost reverently she unstopped the vial and let the viscous liquid ooze out slowly, almost like syrup, onto the spoon. She looked at him for confirmation regarding the dose and when he nodded she shot him a smile before quickly putting the spoon in her mouth and putting the stopper back in the vial. She didn't seem to find the taste too revolting, taking her time before swallowing it down and then drinking some water afterwards. "It tastes a bit of anise with a hint of lemon, not at all bad. Should help a bit with the morning sickness, too."
"I added some ingredients that are supposed to be beneficial for a pregnancy." He didn't know what to feel, now that Narcissa had apparently approved of his plan. Dread? Elation? Worry? "Would you please keep a log of your symptoms? It would be useful to have some information if I can improve the recipe somehow."
Narcissa nodded. Lucius took the vial from her and unstopped it carefully before lifting it to his face, sniffing it. "Severus, if this works…" He took a deep breath. "We will forever be in your debt. The Healers have told us the chance of a viable pregnancy are one in twenty, for us, and each loss is horrible. What about costs? We will of course pay for this, just name your price."
Severus shook his head and started to turn. It was a bit too much, this cloying gratitude. He wasn't used to it, and it wasn't the Slytherin way. When Narcissa reached out a hand, placing it on his arm, he flinched out of habit. Touch was another thing he wasn't used to, and he'd already used up his quota of hugs for the day. For the year, even.
"I… have to go," he muttered. "The vial will last you three weeks."
"At least give me a list of ingredients, I'll provide them for you," Lucius said urgently.
Severus hesitated. Some of the ingredients were quite rare, and he wouldn't be able to steal them off Master Pyrites forever. For some reason he hadn't wanted to mention the potion to his Master. Lucius had connections, and a deep Gringotts vault. "Fine, but don't send anything to me. It's better if I can pick them up here."
He left after leaving a list of ingredients with Lucius, feeling uneasy about the whole thing. He'd seen the potion in Pyrites' books quite some time ago, and then his older self had mentioned a few alterations in the notebook. Apparently he'd been tinkering with it for several years. After double-checking the calculations it had been easy to steal the ingredients and set up the potion in a small cauldron for a test brew. However, he had never really thought about the use of his potions and the impact they may have on peoples' lives. Seeing Narcissa Black-Malfoy, who was always so calm, collected, serene, and poised almost break down at the news was unsettling, and Lucius had also expressed more emotions than Severus had ever seen from the man. Plus, what if he failed? What if his potion didn't work? The Malfoys would definitely put a price on his head in that case.
It was odd to feel relief when returning to Spinner's End, but for some reason he did. His odd houseguest had managed to banish at least some of the ghosts of his childhood already, just by being there. He had noticed a few things looking better than ever, the bathroom sink was no longer cracked, doors no longer squeaked and the broken cupboards had been righted. It made a difference, he had simply gotten used to it, the years of steady neglect adding a patina of despair to the whole house.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
Saturday, Early October
The weekend arrived but Snape wasn't back when she woke up. Hermione needed to go shopping again for Hogwarts supplies and hoped he could accompany her, she still didn't feel comfortable in Diagon Alley and didn't want to go alone. She was planning to meet up with Regulus two or three times over the next week, but feared it wouldn't be enough. She thought — hoped — that she'd be able to keep her shields up for a meeting with Professor Dumbledore and doubted that he would put much force into an attempt, but having him rooting out all her secrets before she was ready to share would be almost as disastrous as letting Voldemort see them.
He arrived around noon, looking distracted for some reason. Whatever it was, at least he didn't appear to be hurt. He stood in the sitting room, looking at nothing.
Hermione rose from the couch where she'd been going over her lists again. "Could I borrow your textbooks? I'm going to Hogwarts for my NEWTs, it seems. I can't take the tests independently."
"What classes are you taking?" He shook his head quickly, as if to dispel a thought, before looking at her.
"Transfiguration, Charms, DADA, Herbology, Potions, Arithmancy, Runes, maybe History," Hermione began, ticking them off on her fingers.
He frowned. "Can you handle all that? I guess you can borrow my books if you're careful, I skipped History though. Don't know where my Potions book went, I lost it right before the NEWTs."
"I'll be careful, promise! Thanks!" Hermione had to stop herself from flinging her arms around his neck, as she would have done with Harry and Ron. She tamped down the sudden wave of grief that welled up. "Oh… I think I know where your Potions book is. More or less."
He looked surprised and suspicious again. "What? How could you know that?"
"Advanced Potion-Making, right? It's in the cupboard in Professor Slughorn's classroom. A… friend of mine received it on accident when he needed a book for Potions class." That blasted book had been the source of so much annoyance that year, and then the horrible thing with Draco there in the end. Still, she'd use it if she could get her hands on it. In some odd, completely backwards way, it felt as if she was owed using it.
Snape frowned and raked a hand through his hair in a gesture very similar to Harry's. "Figures. This is weird, you know that?"
"Tell me about it…"
He went to the kitchen and set about making tea again, and a toast for himself. Hermione had already finished breakfast but joined him for another cup of tea. He agreed surprisingly quickly to accompanying her to Diagon Alley, and soon they once again made their way through the crowds. The streets were busier now, with it being later in the day and a rather fine day for October. It still felt odd to see the crowds milling about, compared to the last year of the war when everyone had stayed off the streets as long as possible.
This time he beelined for Slug and Jiggers and Hermione almost had to run to keep up. In no time flat he found two good cauldrons for her — one Standard Size 2 pewter cauldron and a smaller copper cauldron for advanced potions, brass scales and some vials, a large chef's knife, a paring knife and a small silver knife, and two stirring rods. Then he moved on to ingredients. Hermione chose to stay out of his way as he argued with the shopkeeper about quality of ingredients, pulled down jars and jugs, sniffed some and held up others to the light. He was clearly in his element, here, comfortably navigating the subtle layers of advanced potioneering while Hermione had usually just skimmed the top, accepting whatever the shop sold her.
After another detour to Madam Malkin's, for Hogwarts school robes, and to Scribbulus for quills and notebooks, she was all set. They discussed having an early dinner at the Leaky but since neither of them had a love of crowds or an abundance of Galleons, they decided to return to Spinner's End instead. She had bought some pasta, cream and bacon earlier and with Snape deftly chopping the onions they soon had a rather nice carbonara for dinner.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
The following week flew by quickly, with Occlumency practice taking up most of her energy along with more planning. She managed to meet up with Regulus three more evenings, and Occlumency was getting slightly easier with each session. They talked a little about other things but he hadn't asked again about her background, and she didn't volunteer any information. He hid behind Pure-blood politeness but Hermione thought he seemed a bit uneasy around her, but couldn't figure out if it was due to her being a witch, not a wizard, or due to her not being Pure-blood. She hadn't said anything about her background but it must have been obvious that she wasn't raised in those circles.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
Saturday, mid-October
Severus found that for some reason the week after he'd visited the Malfoys seemed to last forever. He'd left Spinner's End early the previous Sunday for another meeting with Reg, and then headed straight to the workshop. Master Pyrites had called on him to watch a couple over-night cauldrons, giving him time to think and work on his own brews in peace. The Veritaserum he'd started earlier was almost ready, and Master Pyrites had approved of his idea to bring some of it to the Dark Lord. They weren't called that Friday but he met up with Reg again, at the usual pub. It was getting easier to manage his Occlumency shields, and Regulus also seemed to have improved. He thought both of them would withstand a medium-strength attack by now, but it still wasn't good enough for coping with the Dark Lord. Severus fervently hoped it would be a while before he had to try, and Reg agreed. He needed to return to the workshop afterwards to check on a few potions, and so he didn't return back to Spinner's End until later Saturday morning, after having decanted the over-night brews and cleaned up the work area.
She was busy when he arrived, fiddling with bags and lists and books, but seemed oddly happy to see him. He put on the kettle again for tea and settled in his usual armchair with a book on medieval potions, but it was hard to focus with her fussing nearby. Still, it felt rather comforting to have company. He simply wasn't used to being accepted as company by anyone.
"Severus?"
"Hmm?" He didn't look up from his book.
"Regarding Occlumency… I have to meet with Professor Dumbledore next week and I really don't want him finding anything in my mind."
"So?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
She huffed at him, arms crossed in front of her. "Do you think you could help me out?"
That caught his interest. "You want me to go digging in your mind…?" He hadn't expected to get an invitation. The thought of using Legilimency on her to check what she knew had crossed his mind, but since he was still too clumsy to use it unnoticed he had resigned himself to wait until he'd had more practice.
She nodded but seemed skittish, almost about to bolt. "Only… only if you don't think you'll get in trouble with… with him if you see something? I don't want you to get hurt."
His heart soared but he was still confused. She didn't want to see him hurt? When had that ever been a consideration for someone other than him, and usually not even for himself? "Let's keep it simple, then. I guess it's mostly about basic shielding against subtle attacks? I won't try to use a lot of force but I haven't done this much."
They moved to the kitchen and sat opposite each other across the dingy kitchen table. He raised an eyebrow at her in question, and at her answering nod he dove in. "Legilimens!"
Her mind was different from his own, and from what he'd seen of Reg's. It was as if he stood in the nave of a circular room, but just as he was about to explore it mist started seeping in, obscuring his view. He tried to take a step but had no idea which direction would be the right one.
Not wanting to give up too easily he tried to focus on himself to find her memories of him. Images flashed by in the smoke, of himself glowering at her that first morning when he'd opened the door to his old room, of Regulus and the pub, and then also of an older but still recognisable Snape. He was snarling at her cauldron, stalking the classrooms, docking points. He caught snippets of Defence against the Dark Arts lessons, teaching silent spell casting, but the rest was Potions. A lazy wave at the board to bring up a new recipe, his older self quickly and effortlessly demonstrating a potion, a lecture, I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even stopper death.
He gasped when the mental equivalent of a door slammed shut right next to his face and he was ejected from her mind. It was strange and disconcerting, seeing his older self like that. He hadn't looked very happy, although that speech was good.
She frowned. "You saw too much. How can I block you better?"
"I don't know, the room was interesting but I would guess no skilled Legilimens would bother trying to go around opening doors at random," Severus said slowly, tracing his lip with a finger as he thought. "The fog wasn't bad but it didn't do much once I caught a strand. You need to make each memory more difficult to access, as if they're floating freely. I use water myself, dump memories in a lake or use other metaphors that seem to fit." He didn't bother mentioning that using water was his older self's idea, it sounded better if she thought it came from him.
She frowned again and nodded, glaring at the wall with such intensity he thought there'd surely be a hole in it. Not that it would matter much compared to the ones his father had left over the years. After a while she refocused her gaze on him and nodded. "Alright, let's try again."
He did the incantation silently, this time, to see what would happen. He slipped in easily but this time the structure was gone, replaced by what felt like a windswept outdoor place. This time when he tried to focus on himself only glimpses showed, quickly swept away by a strong wind. When he tried to focus on memories of the young man with the messy black hair and glasses so similar to the Potter Severus knew, he only got glimpses of Quidditch, breakfast, study sessions in what must have been Gryffindor Tower and other such mundane scenes.
A strong suctioning force behind him made it impossible to stay in her mind. He was swept up and deposited outside, blinking against the light.
"I thought I'd use an element I'm strong in," she explained. "Better?"
He rubbed his temple. "Much. What was that at the end?"
A smile lit up her face. "I thought that since I used air I could also use vacuum… and then it turned into a Muggle-style vacuum cleaner. Thanks for helping me, Severus."
"Sure," he muttered and went to put a kettle on, feeling out of sorts and embarrassed over her thanking him, and unsettled by her memories.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
Wednesday, mid-October
Hermione met up with Madam Bones in the Ministry atrium the following Wednesday. It was just after the morning rush, a few stragglers still Floo'd in to hurry to their offices but other than that the huge hall was calm and still. Hermione had Apparated nearby and was just making her way to their designated meeting spot by the large statue when she spotted Madam Bones arriving from the elevators. The older witch was elegant in dark burgundy robes, but she smiled when Hermione got closer.
"Ready?" Madam Bones asked.
"I hope so," Hermione muttered. She took a deep breath. "Thank you for joining me, Madam Bones, I really appreciate it."
They walked over to the Floos. A charm activated as they stepped close, igniting the fires.
"Remember, don't look him in the eye too long and if you find your mind straying to old memories, do all you can to push him out," Hermione said rapidly just before they reached the grates. Nerves were fluttering madly in her stomach.
Madam Bones snorted. "I can handle Albus, dear. And haven't I told you already to call me Amelia? Let's go, I'll be right behind you."
Hermione had almost managed to forget how much she hated Floo travel. Unfortunately it all came back to her by the time they finished tumbling through the network and were spit out on the Headmaster's lavish dark red carpet. The office was not much different from when Professor Snape had inhabited it. There were more gadgets, though, a bit more like it had been when she visited Professor Dumbledore's office for the Prefect meetings he set up at the beginning of the school year.
The Headmaster rose from his desk to greet them as she dusted off her robes and stood on unsteady feet. She couldn't stop herself from gawking at him. His hair and beard still had streaks of his former reddish-brown hair colour, and were noticeably shorter than she remembered. His robes were almost but not quite gaudy, sparkling silver thread creating elaborate patterns in the dark purple velvet cloth. He looked less worn, overall, and his blue eyes still sparkled with hidden mirth. She quickly averted her eyes from his, looking over at Fawkes on his perch instead.
He raised a hand, and two visitor's chairs came whooshing over from by the window to settle in front of his desk. Madam Bones… Amelia kept up the conversation, asking him about the latest decree from the Board of Governors and about some recent Wizengamot rulings.
Once they were seated the Headmaster stilled, resting his elbows on the desk with fingers steepled just by his chin.
"So, you want to finish your NEWT year here?"
Hermione smiled nervously and nodded. "Yes, Headmaster. I find that with my parents gone I need to secure my future and gain my NEWTs. I no longer have access to my tutors, and coming here would be much easier than trying to sit them myself."
"I see," he hummed. "Miss Granger, was it?"
"Yes, Hermione Granger, sir."
His blue gaze held her captive and soon she felt the whisper of his questing probe in her mind. She had her walls up, however, a blank shield of something between ice and glass, and she felt him skittering around the edges before withdrawing. He nodded at her and smiled again, but it looked a bit more strained this time.
Hermione kept her focus elsewhere, trying hard not to fill the silence with anything that could give her away. Fawkes was whistling quietly to himself on his perch by the window, and Hermione could almost swear the bird nodded at her when she looked at him. Many of the portraits were unabashedly eavesdropping, including Phineas Nigellus Black, Dilys Derwent who had winked at her, and Heliotrope Wilkins who had offered her a curt nod when the Headmaster wasn't looking.
"Well, I must say this is unusual, Miss Granger," he said, eyeing her over his half-moon glasses. "We usually don't accept transfers after the start of the school year, and you have me at a bit of a disadvantage since I don't recall your parents, even if your name does sound a bit familiar."
Hermione attempted a smile. "Yes, Professor Dumbledore, now that they're gone I can divulge that they worked for the Department of Mysteries and we lived abroad most of the time. I didn't really have the opportunity to get to know a lot of people from here since I was home-schooled."
Amelia nodded. "They were good people, Albus. They will be missed. I've vowed to help Hermione finish her education, so I hope you can assist us here."
An elf popped in with a tea tray which got deposited on the desk. Professor Dumbledore nodded and busied himself with the tea cups. He levitated the tea pot over the cups wandlessly and poured them each a cup, adding a splash of milk and one sugar to Amelia's cup and just milk to Hermione's, just the way she always had tea. She smiled at him and accepted the cup which again was levitated wandlessly to her plate, ignoring both his display of magical power and the fact that he must have found her tea preferences in her mind. It made her uneasy, but she was relatively sure that she'd kept her secrets intact. Still, she fortified her shields a bit extra, only to discover that she'd missed something the Headmaster and Amelia were saying.
"… very grateful, Albus. In these days, one cannot be too careful, of course."
The Headmaster waved his hand dismissively and smiled at Amelia. "Nonsense, of course a bright young witch should finish her schooling here." He turned to face Hermione again. "After all, am I wrong to think you have a lot to offer us, here at Hogwarts and elsewhere?" His eyebrow rose in a faint imitation of the Professor Snape Hermione remembered, and she once again had to wrestle the grief and despair down.
She took a sip of tea to give herself time to think. "I hope so, Headmaster."
He looked at her over his half-moon glasses as if wanting her to meet his gaze, but she merely smiled vaguely, cast a glance at Amelia and then looked at Fawkes who was preening his red and gold feathers. She could feel another whisper against her mental shields before he withdrew again.
"Very well, Miss Granger. Welcome to Hogwarts." He smiled again and pulled up a piece of parchment. A quick flourish of his wand and the parchment started to fill with what looked almost like the Hogwarts letters Hermione had received over the years. "I will provide you with a list of items you should bring. What classes are you thinking of? You will be accepted pending a placement test to see if you are at an adequate level. After all, seven weeks of the term have already passed."
Hermione bit back a retort about adequate levels. "I was thinking Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, DADA, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Herbology. Do you offer any other classes aside from the core ones, Headmaster?"
Both the Headmaster's eyebrows had risen a considerable distance, and he looked at her with a bit more interest than previously. "That is rather ambitious, Miss Granger. Well, to answer your questions, in addition to those classes you mention we have Astronomy, Divination, History of Magic, Care of Magical Creatures, Alchemy and Muggle Studies. Oh, and Xylomancy, for those particularly interested in Divination. Then there are a few extra-curricular clubs available, the Duelling Club, the Frog Choir, the ever popular Managing a Magical Household, and of course the Quidditch teams if you're a good flier. Are you, Miss Granger?"
Hermione shook her head quickly. "No, Quidditch is not for me. But Alchemy sounds interesting, I haven't had the chance to study it before. Would that be possible for me, Professor?"
He smiled at her again, a bit more genuine this time, but Hermione's stomach sank when he shook his head. "I fear that is not a subject you can jump into in your seventh year, Miss Granger. Had you started here in your fourth year or even in your fifth we could have accommodated you."
Hermione nodded and tried to look gracious despite the bitter pang of disappointment. "I see. Thank you anyway, Headmaster."
The Headmaster nodded. "What classes did you take, Amelia? I cannot seem to recall them at the moment."
"Not Alchemy or Arithmancy, at least," Amelia answered. "The core subjects although I was rather poor at Potions. I did take Astronomy and Divination."
Hermione was happy to let Amelia and the Headmaster do the talking while she sat back and observed. It seemed they knew each other well from the Wizengamot meetings and other Ministry-affiliated work, and they had a quick chat about common acquaintances and other Ministry activities. Hermione did catch a few references to Order-related business, about some people whose names she'd read about or some events that she vaguely remembered hearing about, but did her best to stay politely detached while they talked.
"Well, that settles it then. I think it would be best if you start as soon as possible since term is already underway but we need to arrange your placement tests, and I suspect you will need to go shopping," Professor Dumbledore said as he rose from the chair.
Hermione and Amelia rose too, automatically. He seemed to be thinking about something, and a list flew into his hand. When he handed it over to Hermione she saw it was the seventh-year book list, and a quick scan showed that she had most of them already thanks to Severus.
"I suggest you come here Friday evening at six o'clock for dinner with us in the Great Hall," Professor Dumbledore continued and stretched his back slightly. "Ahh, that's better. We'll get you Sorted, you can settle in with your new House and then we do the placement tests Saturday and Sunday. Has Amelia described the Houses, by the way?"
"But… Friday?" Hermione bit her lip, suddenly panicking over the swiftness in which her world was to be overturned yet again. She took a deep breath. "Alright, Headmaster. Thank you. I'll be here Friday. And yes she has."
"Well, it takes great bravery to take your future in your own hands like this and join a new school. Perhaps you'd make a good Gryffindor," the Headmaster chuckled.
"We'll see, Albus, we'll see," Amelia said and led Hermione off to the Floo.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
Oddly enough, when she returned to Spinner's End to start packing her things, the thought that kept returning was that she wouldn't be able to see Severus again before she left. Gradually over the past few weeks he'd become Severus to her, rather than Snape.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
Friday, mid-October
The following Friday evening she Apparated to the path leading to Hogwarts, a little distance from the gates. Technically speaking she wasn't supposed to know the area well enough to Apparate in, but she didn't much fancy the idea of taking the Floo to the Three Broomsticks. As she walked closer she saw the lake glittering in the October sunlight, the Castle standing strong and inviting next to it. Some trees were already starting to shift colours, casting the forest in hues of yellow and orange still mixed with green. The sight made her heart clench, as the contrast between the Castle now and the last time she'd seen it, torn to pieces by the Death Eaters' assault, was almost too much to handle.
The gates were closed. As instructed, she placed the tip of her wand on the handle and stated her name, and soon she saw Hagrid approaching.
"Hullo," the half-giant said. "Yer 'Ermione Granger? The 'eadmaster said to expect you. Come in, come in."
"Thanks," Hermione managed. "I'm Hermione Granger, yes."
"Oh, sorry, 'm Hagrid. I'm the gamekeeper 'round here." His round open face looked down on her with that oh so familiar expression. His clothes looked a bit cleaner than they had last she saw him, though, with fewer patches and worn spots, and his beard seemed a bit shorter.
"Nice to meet you." She managed a feeble smile, but Hagrid only nodded, probably used to people reacting strangely to him.
"The castle is just up the path. Do you want me to walk you there?"
She shook her head. "No, thank you, I'm fine."
Hagrid nodded at her and started off towards the Forbidden Forest, while Hermione stood just inside the gates, looking up at the Castle. She didn't want company, not for this. Memories started to assault her, of the last desperate battle, seeing Harry in Hagrid's arms, duelling Death Eaters and various creatures on the lawn. She could barely stay afloat in the barrage of images her mind supplied. Other memories surfaced as well, of running to Hagrid's hut with Harry and Ron, of going to Herbology classes with Neville, and even the Pensieve memory of Severus under the tree by the lake, taunted by the Marauders.
Slowly she made her way up the winding path, letting the memories wash over her. She couldn't fall to pieces now, here, and especially not later when in the presence of others. That would have to wait. Still, there was something comforting in returning to Hogwarts, a familiar place even if everyone there would be new to her. She walked up the stairs to the main entrance, half expecting Harry and Ron to run up to meet her. Taking a deep breath, she called up her Occlumency shields again, letting her memories fade and her emotions sink down into the mist.
The doors opened. Everyone was seated already, waiting for food to arrive, and all eyes turned to look at her when she stood in the doorway. The floating candles lit up everyone with a muted glow, looking every bit as magical as they had the first time she'd seen them.
"Today we welcome a new student," the Headmaster was saying. "Come in, Miss Hermione Granger. Miss Granger will join the seventh-years and finish out her schooling here with us. Please, everyone, make her feel welcome here at Hogwarts."
She felt horribly exposed when she walked down the central aisle. This year, Gryffindor's table was next to the wall, then Hufflepuff, then across the aisle were Slytherin and then Ravenclaw. She didn't recognise a single face, other than some of the teachers. The Hogwarts ghosts were drifting through the walls, watching over the Hall from up high. She could see Nearly Headless Nick, the Fat Friar, a few of the lesser ghosts and even spotted Peeves zooming past under the rafters.
Once again she was placed in front of everyone, but unlike her Sorting when she was eleven she was alone this time. The silence was constricting, and every eye — save for those of a few Gryffindor first-years, she noted — was on her. Once again she took a seat on the chair, and Professor McGonagall put the slightly less grimy Sorting Hat on her head. The band was tight, or maybe the Hat itself caused the feeling of pressure in her head as it started speaking with her.
Oh, hello again, Miss Granger. I know you, I know you indeed. Phineas, Dilys and Heliotrope have been talking about you, you know. Where shall I put you, this time?
Hermione felt confused. She was a Gryffindor, wasn't she?
The hat chuckled. Oh yes, a Lioness indeed, but you have other traits as well, you know. You certainly have enough cunning to make a good Slytherin, and your grades would make you an automatic Ravenclaw. But what House would make your quest easiest to fulfil, hmm?
She hadn't even considered the notion that she might end up in a different House. Gryffindor tower was her home, after all. Wasn't it? The hat hummed in her mind, probably sensing her thoughts.
Ah yes, I know now. The hat lessened its grip on her head slightly. "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"What?!" That couldn't be right, could it?
Dazed, disoriented and disbelieving she turned around to face the Professors. She could already see the interest fade in the Headmaster's eyes, and Professor McGonagall was looking at her plate, clearly not caring. Professor Sprout and Madam Pomfrey smiled at her at least. Professor Slughorn didn't seem to notice, but Professor Vector was looking at her with a frown, as if trying to work out an interesting puzzle.
Her robes had already changed, a yellow stripe now adorned the outer robes along with a Hufflepuff crest. Professor Sprout came around the table to catch her in a half hug and lead her down to the Hufflepuff table, where the cheering had already begin.
"This is Hestia Jones and Martinus Doge," Professor Sprout said as she led Hermione down to where the seventh-years were seated. "They're the seventh-year Prefects here so please feel free to ask them anything you like." Martinus, a sandy blond wizard, smiled and waved at her from across the table.
Hestia Jones bounced up from her seat and gave Hermione a handshake while smiling widely. She was a short witch with dark hair set up in a plait, her Hufflepuff Prefect badge gleaming on her robes. "Welcome, you can sit here with me."
Food had appeared on the table and to Hermione's relief some of the attention on her lessened as people started to dig in. Hermione didn't have much of an appetite but still took some shepherd's pie and tried to fend off the questions barrelling in from every direction. Everyone wanted to know who she was but she stuck to the simple story she'd come up with together with Amelia, and the others luckily didn't pry when they heard her parents were dead.
Names and faces blurred past as she was bustled along the corridors to the Hufflepuff common room, not far from the kitchens where a stack of barrels disguised the entry. They showed her how to enter by tapping a barrel in the rhythm of "Helga Hufflepuff", and soon they were through.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
A/N: This concludes the first part of this story. Thanks everyone who has commented or followed so far! Bet you didn't see Hufflepuff coming? It does make sense, promise.
I'm still working on the next part with Hermione at Hogwarts, and want to make sure I don't have any loose ends before starting to post so the next chapter will probably be delayed a short while. Hopefully it will be worth the wait!
