THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE
I am so happy to read all your comments. It is so motivating. I initially only planned to publish chapters whenever I finish a later chapter, but you're all so good to me! I feel like I need to pay you back for all your kind words by posting like a million chapters a day.
I really hope I can satisfy everybody's needs for Sevmione :D
I am really happy that you like my depiction of the characters, I hope I won't disappoint you!
We're changing to Severus's POV for the first half of chapter 4! Let me know what you think and if I hit the right tone!
Enjoy no.4 everyone xxx
Song Recommendation
DANCING IN THE DARK - RUTH MOODY
It was late in the evening and Severus had stopped working on his current batch of wolfsbane potion an hour ago. It needed to rest for thirty-six hours at this stage and he had tidied up the work room and retired for the night.
His flat could be accessed via a staircase that led from the brewing room of the pharmacy upstairs. The Nancys lived on the second and third floors and the first floor was mainly storage space for the pharmacy. His flat took up only about a third of the floor. It had three rooms, a decent sized living area with kitchen, a small bedroom and a tiny bathroom.
He did also have a small balcony and when he heard a quiet hoot and looked up, he saw a rather large bird sitting on the handrail.
The door stood wide open to let the fresh spring air into his flat, but the bird didn't come in. He put down his book and got up.
"You're a very well behaved one", he addressed the owl, but he didn't recognise it. "What do you have there?"
He took the envelope and went to get a biscuit for the bird, but the owl wouldn't take it.
Severus nodded appreciatingly. "I'm not too fond of those either. Wait and I'll get you something else."
The envelope didn't say his name on it and for a moment he thought the bird might have just come to the wrong place. He turned around and looked at the owl again. It seemed very sure of itself, sitting there quietly and watching him. He decided to open the letter.
Thank you very much for the books, I really appreciate it. It wouldn't be the first time that you are missing potion ingredients because of me, I had to keep up the tradition. I did however acquire them legally this time.
Penny Haywood is teaching potions at Hogwarts now and she was very interested in a number of preparation techniques outlined in Volume Three, she plans on using some of the material in class.
The interview went very well, thank you for asking. I will be starting in the position from September.
Guillaume mentioned the new legislations regarding the wolfsbane potion. Congratulations on this achievement. I hope everything is going according to plan.
Hermione Granger
P.S. His name is George and he likes nectarines.
She actually bothered to reply to him. He didn't want her to reply, he hadn't even wanted to send her a letter in the first place. But he did. And she replied.
Judging by the impudent way she had phrased her letter, she probably thought she'd have a pen pal now.
He tossed the letter on his kitchen table and pinched his nose. He had known from the first day that this was a bad idea.
He would sometimes check for public lectures or talks at universities in surrounding cities. Usually he'd stick to the ones related to chemistry or medicine, for obvious reasons, but when he had read about Dr Hermione Granger, he couldn't help but be intrigued. It couldn't possibly have been the eternally insufferable know-it-all Granger.
How wrong he had been.
Without shame he had planted the idea in Clemency's head to go to see Dr Granger. He didn't need to do anything else. Experience had taught him that magic kind always recognised one another, and it would also have been too obvious to plant any more ideas in the girl's head. Unfortunately, a few days later the brains of the damned Golden Trio had come strutting into the pharmacy.
Of course, it was her. Who else should he have expected. She of all people wouldn't stop at showing off in all magical fields. She would also take over the muggle world.
The moment he had spotted her, he had simply wanted to shoot himself. He hadn't felt such anger or pain in a long time, and he had hated it. He had hated seeing her, he had hated what it did to him. The memories it had brought up were nearly unbearable.
He was happy here in France, nothing reminded him of those terrible years. Yes, he was still thinking about it from time to time, but that was completely different. He hadn't actually been faced with a living reminder, until that day.
He had to blame himself of course, he had basically invited her to Arraxy by the way he had set things up. But he was in fact intrigued. As much as he hated thinking about the dreadful time he had had in England, it was also his home. He had always thought it didn't matter much to him, but when he had read her name, he suddenly had wanted to know.
What was going on in England? How did the war change the society? What was going on at Hogwarts? Who was alive, who was dead?
The castle had been his home for most of his life and he would never say it out loud, but he missed it. Since Clemency had asked him for help with potions, there had even been a couple of times when he had thought that he missed teaching. He had banished this notion quickly. He had never been a good teacher and he hated stupidity. Unfortunately, there was a lot of it in educational institutions. But nonetheless, it had lingered in his mind for a long time now.
A soft hoot interrupted his thoughts and he glared at the bloody bird, who glared back even more terrifyingly.
"Oh, bugger off, would you?"
But the bird just kept on staring.
"I don't have any fucking nectarines."
It bobbed along the handrail.
Severus let out a growl that would have had any first year wet their trousers, but this was a bird, not a student. Reluctantly, he walked over to get some strawberries from the kitchen counter. The owl accepted them gladly and took off.
He had sent the letter to her out of guilt. It was a funny feeling and it seemed to be a characteristic feature of his. He was particularly drawn to feeling guilty over things. His entire life had been structured around it for more than two decades, possibly even longer. And now little Miss Know-it-all came here, stalking around in his habitat and making him feel guilty again.
He had made her come to Arraxy, and he hadn't been able to cope with it. Then he had met her in the café, which was in fact a coincidence, and he had lashed out at her at every given opportunity. To be fair, she was an easy object to tantalise, but it made him feel bad because she hadn't actually done him any wrong.
If he had learnt anything in France it was that, even though he sometimes just couldn't stop himself from being a bully, at least he should try and apologise.
And he did mean it. He wasn't actively trying to be a bully, it just happened. Small things would trigger it, and it usually had the desired effect. He was left in peace if he was mean to others, so he never learnt to react differently in a taunting situation. He just started to verbally slap people, preferably below the belt, because that was the most effective way.
To even things out with her, he had sent a letter and the books. He knew she would like the gift and it hadn't require any effort on his part.
Why he had asked her about her interview, he did not know. But she had given him some nice information on what was going on in Hogwarts. He stared at the letter that was lying on the table.
Fine, for Merlin's sake.
He took a pen and paper and began writing.
Miss Granger,
The sight of a human-cat hybrid made up for any indiscretion caused. In fact, as soon as I have been told that you had bought the last batch of saxifraga sempervivum, I have simply drawn on that memory to keep my calm.
I hope that Miss Haywood will read the paragraph on the saxifraga before actually trying to use it in class. I have only recently discovered the incredibly rare mineral it produces, and it ails me to think about how those dim-witted creatures would waste a valuable ingredient such as this.
The Paris Institute for Magical Mastery is hosting a symposium series during the first week of June. I believe Charms is on the list. Attendance is by invitation only. I will attach the symposium outline for the week. If you care for some of the talks related to Charms, I shall put your name on the guest list.
He did not know why he offered this. With a flick of his hand he erased the paragraph, but then made it reappear again. He did that a couple of times.
Did he really want her to come to the symposium? No. Did he want to know more about the events in Hogwarts and England? Yes. He decided to take the risk of possibly being utterly annoyed for the whole week.
We shall be presenting research results of the wolfsbane potion, too. The proceedings have been delayed a bit, the legislations most likely will have been made public the week prior and there will be an open talk.
S.S. Prince
P.S.: What a ridiculous name for a bird. He also likes strawberries.
He read over the letter again. Good heavens, it did not sound like him at all. He took the piece of paper and shoved it into the junk drawer of his kitchen table. He didn't need to send another letter. He made up for his bad conduct in February and that was that, time to go to bed.
The next morning, he was woken by the bloody bird. He liked to keep the door open when sleeping, so the obnoxious hooting travelled from the balcony straight into his bedroom. It was only touching on dawn and the flat still lay in darkness, but Severus could make out a hint of red in the early morning sky.
He got up and walked over to the balcony, staring at the bird through the closed door. It seemed like a contest on who had the most terrifying glance. Just when Severus realised, he was having an eye fight with a stupid bird and wanted to turn around, the owl pecked against the window. He grunted and opened up. The bird did nothing more.
"What?"
Nothing. The blasted owl looked at him arrogantly.
It's a bird you dope, it can't look arrogantly. But it did.
Severus went and got a bowl of strawberries.
No reaction.
"This is ridiculous." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm going back to bed."
Hoot.
"What?", he barked.
Hoot. The owl flapped its wings.
"You are as nettlesome as your owner. Leave!"
The bird didn't leave but remained quietly sat on the handrail.
A week had passed since Severus had received Hermione's letter. The darn bird would turn up once or twice a day and he had simply resolved to leaving his flat and going downstairs to brew some potions, label some batches or prepare ingredients that could be pre-prepared.
He was currently filling chamomile extract into some vials to be stored away whilst Guillaume sat on a workbench going through April's finances.
"You're late", Severus remarked.
"I know. It's been a busy month."
"We are two weeks into May."
Guillaume huffed and put the papers down. "I need to hire someone to do it for me."
"My offer still stands."
"You are doing enough, Septimus. I am not going to bother that mind of yours with numbers and tedious paperwork."
"I don't mind it."
He didn't. He did the finances and stock takes at Hogwarts himself and he always thought it was a good way to get a pause from brewing, and pathetic students for that matter. It demanded the same accuracy but in a different way.
He told Guillaume that much.
"If you need a pause from brewing, please just take an actual break. Go and get some coffee, like us normal people do." The man smiled at him.
Severus didn't reply to that and a moment later Clemency walked into the work room.
"Hermione sent another letter. She said she might come and visit us during the second week of June. Her parents apparently have a holiday home near Grasse and are spending three weeks there. She is staying with them for that week."
Guillaume and Clemency shortly discussed Hermione's letter, but Severus was only listening with half an ear.
Miss Professor Doctor was going to come again to play the squeaky wheel.
Right, if she decided to come anyway, he might as well send that bloody letter. She was going to be a nuisance either way, but at least he would appear like he cared for her to come to the symposium.
And maybe he did, a tiny bit. It made him feel smug about himself, showing her that he had a perfectly pleasant life here in France. Because he knew, sooner or later she was going to spill the beans and at least then, they all would know that he was capable of more than murder and betrayal.
His mood sank instantly, but he was good at pushing those memories into the back of his head by now. He labelled the last vial and stored the whole lot away. Then he left quietly to go and send a letter. For once he wasn't annoyed with the grey creature waiting for him on the balcony handrail.
Hermione felt absolutely miserable. George had asked her how George the Mighty was doing. Unfortunately, she hadn't seen the bird in over a week now, so she had to tell a blatant lie. She very nearly gave up the hope of it ever returning.
That was why she dropped the hot tray with cupcakes onto the floor when she saw the owl sitting on the kitchen windowsill that evening.
"Holy -"
She let out a loud sigh when she realised it was George. The Mighty.
She opened the window and tried to stroke the birds feather, but it looked absolutely disgusted at her gesture.
"I am glad you're back."
She noticed the letter and took it off the owl's claw. Then she opened the fridge and got some nectarines out.
"Look what I've got here. They're nice and fresh, I bought them this morning."
She gave him the fruit. Pecking it with his beak, he didn't seem too pleased. Crookshanks wandered into the kitchen and let loose an angry hiss. The massive bird batted its wings and Hermine quickly pulled back her hand.
I am not made for an owl.
Crooks hopped onto the kitchen worktop and hit out against the bird, bravely hissing and trying to defend Hermione. George looked bored.
It is a bird, please stop humanising it.
"Stop it, Crooks!"
She tried picking up the cat, but the cupcakes on the floor didn't make it very easy to move around in the small kitchen.
"Crooks, get off!"
George elegantly straightened his wings and took off. Crookshanks looked very pleased with himself and stalked back into the living room.
Hermione picked up all the cupcakes and binned them. She wasn't usually this fussy, but her kitchen was in dire need of cleaning and she didn't want to eat cat fur. Switching on the kettle for some tea, she sat down and opened the letter.
She couldn't trust her own eyes. Correspondence with Snape was the weirdest thing in the first place, but actually thinking that what he wrote was amusing and… nice…
No, she was surly misinterpreting something. She got up and poured herself a cup of tea.
Let's try again.
He made fun of her Polyjuice potion fiasco, but to be fair, he had a point there. Still, it was very uncharacteristic.
He ridiculed students. Right, that was something she could associate with Snape.
He offered to put her onto the guest list of a private symposium. Now, that was already worryingly not like Snape at all, but it was even made worse by the fact that he seemingly would be presenting at the event himself. This was extremely suspicious. Why would he invite her?
She looked at the attached outline. It looked interesting. She had heard of a number of international events like this one, but she had never been to any of them. It was rather tempting, and she would have immediately taken anyone up on the offer, if it hadn't come from Snape.
Don't be silly, cut him some slack. He's not all bad.
She didn't know where that thought came from, but she remembered their short conversation in Geneva, or rather him questioning her and she replying to him. He had been nasty as soon as the conversation had been about him, but when they had talked about academics, he had been perfectly pleasant.
Do it. You were going to go anyway.
She went across the hallway into her study and sat down to write her reply.
I am glad that I could endow you with a memory that still lifts your spirits to this day.
I am certain of Penny's competency and I can assure you that there is no use of unjustified nastiness in her classroom to ensure proper substance handling.
Take that, cranky old man. Now, let's be nice again.
The symposium outline looks very interesting, I'd be delighted to attend. I had conveniently planned to stay in France for the second week of June, I will simply extend my stay to two weeks.
I am glad to hear that despite the initial delay the legislations regarding the wolfsbane potion are going ahead and that you can still progress with the presentation of your results. I am looking forward to it.
See you in a fortnight,
Hermione
She gave George, who was conveniently back on her windowsill, the letter and he took off. Being rather giddy, she didn't feel like going to bed and began baking a new tray of cupcakes. She suddenly was very excited to go to France again.
"I think she's got a French lover", said Ginny and they all laughed.
"Don't be ridiculous." Hermione glared at her, her voice carrying her signature no-nonsense tone.
"She's right, Ginny", said George seriously, sipping on a drink and looking deep in thought as he sat there, in a massive armchair.
Surprised at his comment, Hermione said: "Thanks, George."
"Tell me of one other soul on this planet, that would go to Paris to attend a private symposium with a bunch of smart-Alecs."
She shot him a stern look, foreboding severe consequences, should he not shut up.
"Just saying…" He ducked his head and tried to hide a provocative smile. "But you're right, if anything, Paris is the capital of academics." Wiggling his eyebrows, they all burst out into laughter again.
She rolled her eyes and got up to pour herself another drink, although she did have a smile on her face too.
They were all at Ron and Penny's place that Saturday night. Neville and Luna were off duty from the castle and Harry and Ginny had sent their three little ones to Mr and Mrs Weasley for the weekend. Their youngest one, Lily, was eight months old now, and one could tell that they enjoyed having a night off for a change.
"When are you leaving then?", asked Ron.
"Well, the first talk I want to go to is on Tuesday, but I need to sort out my mum and dad's place in Grasse. They haven't been there since last year. I think I'll be leaving Monday morning."
"How are your parents doing by the way", Ginny asked when the others started conversations amongst themselves.
"They're very well. Mum's been asking for you. She wants you to join our morning yoga sessions a bit more often." Hermione grinned.
Her mother and Ginny got along very well, and although Ginny was known to be very outright, she didn't have it in her heart to tell Jane Granger that she hated their yoga sessions.
"It's just so… I don't know, stretchy!"
To underline her words she imitated funny looking yoga postures and they started giggling like little schoolgirls.
"You seem very enthusiastic about going to France." Ginny gave Hermione that best friend look.
"I'm not seeing anybody there, Gin. You know I would have told you!"
"Yes, but I also know that you are not telling me something."
The two girls didn't notice Luna approaching.
"I hope you find what you are looking for in France, Hermione." Luna smiled and her voice had that dreamy quality.
Hermione wasn't quite sure what to say. "Erm… Thanks, Luna."
"I'll leave you two again, I didn't want to interrupt your conversation at first, but I think I did at just the right point." She wandered off into the kitchen.
Hermione and Ginny silently watched her leave.
"You have to tell me what her classes are like, once you're at Hogwarts. I would actually pay to see that."
Ginny shook her head, then she turned towards Hermione again. "So?"
"Listen, Gin." Hermione knew, if she wanted to, she could escape this conversation, but Ginny was her best friend. "Please rest assured, I am definitely not seeing anybody romantically. Actually, even the thought of that makes me sick", she tried to banish the picture from her head. "I came across something unexpected and going to that symposium seems like a good way of finding out what is going on. Besides…", she pretended to be offended now, "… why does it suddenly seem like such a surprise that I want to go to an academic talk?"
Ginny grinned. "Because, if it were just for the academic talk, you wouldn't have been able to shut up about it."