AN: Thank you for all the support! It is very deeply appreciated!
"Tonight we will be preparing what will more than likely serve as the base for many of your meals," Severus strolled into the kitchen with his hands behind his back. "Rice."
Hermione looked at him as if he'd just ordered her to speak Mandarin Chinese.
"Is there a problem?"
"No," she replied. "But making rice is a little too advanced for me."
"Who told you that?"
"Classmates, Molly…"
"Molly thinks making rice is difficult?"
"Perhaps she doesn't," Hermione leaned against her counter. "But she did say it was beyond my capabilities."
"That has to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."
"She may have a point."
"No, she does not. If she had any patience at all she could've taught you how to make rice."
"There were very few times she was patient with me."
"That is unfortunate. I expected better from her."
"Who am I to question her?" She shrugged. "She can cook, I can't."
"No." He pointed to her. "You do not know how to cook yet. That does not mean you cannot cook."
"I'd like to think so."
"Stop thinking and start believing in your capabilities."
"I will," she replied. "I'll try to believe that Molly just lost her temper with me."
"What exactly was she upset about?"
"I had just burned a piece of toast in Arthur's new toaster."
"That is nothing to be upset about. Anyone could burn toast if they had it on the wrong setting."
"There are settings on a toaster?"
Severus' eyes grew.
Hermione laughed. "Don't worry, I'm well aware of the settings. If I remember right, Ron thought it would get done faster if he turned it up."
"So she blamed you?"
"Of course." Hermione sighed. "I was the screw up, not her little baby Ron."
"That is far from true."
She shrugged.
Severus floated closer to her. "You are not a screw up."
She gave him a small smile.
He relaxed. "You should never have been subjected to such insults."
"Perhaps,' Hermione exhaled. "Anyway she said I would be hopeless making rice, so I should step out of the way and allow her to make it."
"You are not hopeless," he answered. "All you need is precision and patience."
"That doesn't sound too difficult."
"It isn't. If you can demonstrate those qualities when brewing you can do so in the kitchen."
"Hopefully."
"There is no 'hopefully.' You will do it. Now," He pointed to a bottom cupboard. "Pull out a pot that will hold up to 500 mL."
Cookware clanked together as she shifted through her cupboard. She pulled out a pot and sneezed. With a slight chuckle, she showed it to him.
"I did not think pots could get dusty," he noted.
"I don't know if I've ever used it."
"Go ahead and wash it out. Then we can begin."
Hermione did as she was told.
"After this is done we should go about dusting your other pots and pans. Something tells me their condition is not much better," Severus continued.
"You would be correct."
"Then we can work on clearing off a spot on the table for you to eat. The way you balance your food over the edge fascinates me, and not in a pleasant way."
"I'll keep that in mind." She shut off the sink.
"Now, I need you to cast a drying spell so there is no water left at all in it."
"None?"
"No, we need to be precise in our measurements."
She tapped the pot with her wand. The water evaporated.
"Now, you need to get out a measuring cup."
She blinked.
"If we are being precise, we need measuring cups."
"Can't we just guess how much we need?"
"In this case, no. It will ruin the rice if we do."
She bowed her head.
"You don't have measuring cups, do you?"
She shook her head.
If he'd had lungs, she knew she would've heard him sigh. "Very well, pick them up tomorrow, preferably over your lunch break or just before I come. We can make the rice then."
"I'm sorry." She muttered.
"No, the fault is mine. If I'd realized how hopeless your situation was I would've told you to buy measuring cups."
Hot tears welled in her eyes. "I'm sorry this is such a setback."
"No, we can cook something else."
"But you needed me to fix rice, and I can't even fix that right." The tears trickled down her face. "You're relying on a woman who doesn't even have measuring cups to help you get into heaven."
"I have a century to try and leave the program. One day is not a horrible setback."
"Stop!" She crumpled onto the floor. "Stop being nice to me."
"Fine! Stop being hysterical and cook!"
"I can't!"
"There is no reason to begin weeping."
"Yes, there is." Hermione glanced up at him. "All you want to do is see Lily, and instead you're helping a woman who can't even buy measuring cups!"
"Lily?" His glow lessened.
She curled into a ball.
"How in Merlin's name did Lily get involved in all of this?" He asked.
Her breaths were uneven and punctuated by gasps. Still, she could feel the temperature rise as he drew closer.
"What exactly did Potter tell you about Lily?"
"He showed me the memories." She looked at him through her misty eyes. "I know everything you did was for her, the spying, the harsh teaching methods, the not allowing anyone to use the word 'mudblood'. All of it."
He twisted his lower lip.
"Even now, you are tolerating me in order to see her again," she cried.
"You think this whole mission is about getting to her?"
She sniffed.
He attempted to raise her chin, but his hands went right through her, leaving only warmth.
"I feel like I'm interfering with one of Britain's greatest love stories. If I wasn't so hopeless you'd be with the woman you loved, not dealing with a screw up like me."
"That is more than enough."
"Tell me I'm wrong!" Hermione gasped. "Tell me you don't love her!"
"I don't love her."
"Liar," she hissed.
"Why would I lie about something such as this when lying will only get me more time in Purgatory?"
She took a deep breath.
"Did Potter mention anything about my relationship with Lily last night?"
She nodded.
His voice softened. "Do you truly think Lily and I had an affair?"
"No." Hermione wiped a tear away. "I don't believe a thing Rita writes. When Harry brought up the memories though, I couldn't help but think about how far you went for her, even putting up with me."
"First of all, I thought we'd established that my mission was more pleasant than I thought it would be."
She took a deep breath.
"Second, I am trying to get into heaven because I want peace, not because I want to be with any specific person."
"You mean you aren't doing this for her?" She squeaked.
"No."
She shook.
He knelt until he was on eye level with her. "Any love I had for Lily died the day I found out she'd spent a decade in Purgatory because she refused to forgive me from my mistake."
"She never forgave you?"
He shook his head.
"What a bitch." Her eyes were now dry.
"That's a bit of a strong word for her."
"No, that's the perfect word for her," Hermione's voice was stronger. "You were being tortured when you said those words. You were humiliated, yet she couldn't look past that."
"Do not justify what I said."
"I'm not, but at the end of the day, it's just a word, not a reason to end a friendship."
"With all due respect, you…" his voice faded as he considered the woman before him.
"What, I wouldn't understand the harm of that word, despite the fact that I'm a muggleborn?"
He knew better than to answer her.
"Let me tell you something," She sat up straighter. "Draco's called me 'mudblood,' yet I am friends with him."
"Would you have been friends with him if Ginevra hadn't married him?"
"Who do you think brought them together?"
Severus raised an eyebrow.
"Ginny and Harry realized within a year of dating they were going in different directions Their breakup was amicable, and they were much happier as friends. At the time, I was taking an advanced potions class in the university with Draco. We were working on a project together. Over time, we became friendly enough to start drinking together."
"Please tell me your relationship ended at friendship."
"Oh Merlin yes." Hermione laughed. "I never saw him as anything other than a friend."
"Thank Merlin."
"Still, we liked to hang out around campus, especially at the bars. One night we got plastered, and he admitted that he had loved Ginny since the day she stood up for Harry against him. If he wasn't contracted to kill Dumbledore he would have asked her out, but he believed he was too tainted for her."
"I remember him casting a few glances her way. At the time I thought he was afraid to be her friend for fear of upsetting his father."
"No, he wanted her as more. I knew he wouldn't do anything about it, so I took matters into my own hands. The next day I told Harry what I had heard and asked if it was okay if I encouraged Draco to ask Ginny out. I don't think he'd ever been as supportive of one of my plans."
"That was nice of you to ask."
"I didn't want him to think I was going behind his back, but it was clear he had moved on with Luna."
"It did not take him long to move on."
"Not really. Anyway, I gave Draco a few pep talks, got his courage up, and encouraged Ginny to open herself up to him. Thanks to my encouragement they have two beautiful children."
"I am happy that Draco befriended you then."
"I think he is too," she sat up straighter. "My point is though, if I could forgive Draco, build a relationship wth him, and help him ask out the love of his life, there is no reason Lily couldn't forgive you."
"You are much more forgiving than most though." His glow brightened.
"No." She exhaled. "I'm just someone who didn't see the point in fighting anymore."
"I had hoped Draco would find a friend like you. I am glad he did."
"I don't know if I'm always the best friend. Still, I do my best to show that I care."
"I like that about you." His voice was soft. "With the right people, you aren't afraid to show you care."
"You like me?" She cracked a smile.
"Don't put words in my mouth." His glow intensified. "I like things about you. That is different from liking you."
She giggled. He raised an eyebrow.
"For the record, I like you too." She grinned.
"I swear you are the worst judge of character imaginable," he muttered.
"No, I'm the best. Your problem is that you don't understand how valuable you are." She stood.
"I am worth very little." His glow turned blue.
"That is not true. You are worth more than you could ever imagine."
"If this deteriorates into one of those you should feel valuable because the Trinity loves you speeches I am going to turn green."
"I'm not thinking about them. All I'm thinking about is you and your worth independent of anything anyone says or does. It's just sad that no one has explained this to you."
"Nobody has ever found me worthy of such a speech." His glow turned yellow.
"They should have though."
"Perhaps."
A comfortable silence overtook the room.
"It would be inadvisable for you to cook rice without measuring cups." Severus turned his attention to the stove. "I propose we make spaghetti instead."
"I don't need measuring cups for that?"
"No, I can usually tell how much water is needed for it. Due to that alone, you can make spaghetti without incident."
"Okay." She put the pot under the sink.
"Now," he began over the running water. "The key is to let the water boil before putting the pasta in. You also need to have an idea of how soft you want to pasta so you know how long to leave it in."
"I want it as soft as Giovanni's makes it."
"You want it al dente then."
"You know about how Giovanni's cooks their pasta?"
"I was one of their regulars. They knew me by name and my order."
"What would that order be?"
"I always had spaghetti and a Sangiovese."
"I can almost see you sitting on a bar stool, wine glass in one hand and twirling spaghetti in another."
He leaned over her. "That's enough water."
She turned it off.
"What is your favorite order?"
"I can eat almost anything from there, but I always liked their chicken alfredo."
"When we're through, you will be able a chicken alfredo which will make them plead for the recipe."
"Really?" She set the pot on the stove.
"Indeed. They do a decent job with the recipe, but I devised my own which even Lucius admits he adores."
"Then I cannot wait until I present you with my measuring cups so we can continue our lessons."
"I look forward to each and every cooking lesson we have."
Had Hermione not been turning on the stove, she would have seen that for a second, his glow turned pink.