74: In Which Hermione Returns to School
Snape was already in bed when Hermione slipped in. He wasn't asleep, however.
"How does this year's crop of dunderheads look?"
Hermione settled into his arms and sighed. "Pretty good, all things considered. Somewhat smaller than usual: only thirty-two children. That'll keep up until we get to Teddy's year where it bottoms out at thirteen. We're already starting to talk about putting the different years together for elective classes, and offering more of them."
Snape rose onto his one elbow to look at Hermione. "The class of 2009 has thirteen students in it?"
"More than half of which belong to long-time Slytherin Death Eater compliant families. No one else was in a 'let's have babies' kind of mood once word of Voldemort's return got out. 2010's not much better, with eighteen. And just to make things more interesting, once we've gotten used to mini-classes and how to deal with them 2015 will come along with a projected class of sixty-five."
"Good thing it's a magical castle."
"It'll make fitting them all into the place easier, but we'll be hurting for professors in eleven years."
"Anything interesting out of the Sorting Hat this year?"
"Blessedly, no. It did its usual brief history of Hogwarts routine, and then sorted the kids. Nothing ominous. Of course, there was the bit where Sybil stood up and told the entire assembly in a really low, creepy voice that a new evil was afoot and we'd all better be wary about the hidden corruption that was undermining our way of life, but what's new about that? It did scare the first years; they needed a bit of reassurance that Sybil's always predicting death and destruction."
Snape chuckled. "Let me guess, 'A New Darkness spreads its wings across the plain/Flee we must or watch horror reign/Death is coming for us all/We must band together or one by one fall."
"Something like that. You're better with the rhyme scheme."
"Thanks. It just came to me." They continued to chuckle a bit over Sybil and her wacky prophecies, and went to sleep.
"Hello Class, I'm Professor Granger. Welcome to Arithmancy. I know there are many misconceptions about this class: 'wizard maths,' 'numerology,' 'divination for nerds,' none of them are correct. What we do in this class is learn to see the patterns in our world and how to use them.
"As such we need to begin with the language of Arithmancy, and that is numbers. Can anyone tell me what a number is?"
The third years looked stupefied. Of course they knew what a number was. Why would anyone ask what a number was? It was so patently obvious what a number was that none of them raised a hand to attempt to answer the question. Hermione watched her new Arithmancy students do this every year. And every year, rather than embarrass one of them by making him answer, she continued on with her speech.
"A number is a symbol. It is an agreed upon shorthand so that we can communicate with each other more efficiently. That said; let us begin to study the symbols that created the symbols we now use, to gather more information about what these symbols want to tell us…"
Severus looked at his kitchen. Four months ago he would have walked in, grabbed his pans and ingredients, and gotten to making himself dinner. Now he was staring at his counter, feeling lonely. He hadn't eaten dinner alone for a few months, and he had gotten used to having someone around to chat over his day's experiences.
Get over it! She'll be home the day after tomorrow evening. Wednesday night home, and then more rounds Thursday night. Which means lots of solo nights this year... At least she's got the weekends off.
He began to get food out of the fridge and realized he had taken too much. He put her portion back.
You did this every night for years. It's not that hard.
He found his rhythm again. His hands remembered how to cook for just him, even if his heart didn't want to.
Once his dinner was cooked, he settled in front of the television and allowed it to lull him into contented, unaware numbness.
Later that night, after he settled himself into bed, he found himself missing her warmth and slight sounds.
Just four months. It's only been four months since she slept here the first time. He flipped over onto his stomach, hoping sleep would visit him more easily in that position. But it didn't come. He was awake and cranky.
This is why Hogwarts' Professors shouldn't get married. Too damn many nights sleeping alone! I bet Ginny's got some choice words on that subject as well. Maybe we'll have to discuss it sometime. Sometime when the Golden Duo is off at school…
Severus stretched and tried to think sleepy thoughts. It didn't help.
I suppose she wouldn't be thrilled if I told her she had to quit her job and sleep with me.
He shifted to his side, slightly more comfortable, but still no closer to sleep.
She's on rounds until one. He looked up at the clock. Three hours until she'd be done.
You could Floo to her room at the school, and sleep there with her. And be woken by her when she gets to bed late, and woken again when she wakes early. Which would be why you told her you'd stay here. Yes, but that was based on the assumption that you'd sleep better here. No point in staying here if all I'm going to do is count sheep.
He flicked on the lights with a wave of his wand and began to hunt through his closet. He still had his nightshirt from his professor days; he just didn't know where it was offhand. He looked from his closet to the door of his room. Go starkers! You'll Floo right into her room. Who would see?
If you enter that castle naked, some apocalypse will hit requiring you to run about naked. Better not tempt fate.
He began tossing clothing about. After several moments searching, which resulted in clothing strewn about the room, he said, "Bugger it." He grabbed a comfortable pair of trousers and his favourite jumper, and pulled them on. A moment later he had his floo power and favourite pillow in hand, and he was off to Hermione's office.
He entered her office and found it empty. He hadn't been in her personal rooms yet, but he hoped she wouldn't mind finding him curled up in her bed. Hopefully she'll think it's cute.
He knew from his own days at Hogwarts that the book shelf on the left side of the office opened into the professor's personal rooms. He also knew that most of the staff didn't bother to ward them. The student's didn't know they were there, and to do so would indicate an abysmal level of trust in your colleagues.
His rooms had always had five kinds of wards. Mostly to keep Dumbledore out and to provide him with a moment's notice should a fellow Death Eater try to break into his rooms. His wards had only been triggered the one time, so he assumed no one other than Crouch Jr. had entered.
He gave Hermione's door a brief look over, sensing no magic. He grabbed the underside of the third shelf, gave it a quick squeeze, and said the proper word. The door opened for him.
The room was dark. "Lumos." And then it wasn't.
It was much like her office and her home. Light colours, clean, almost sever lines, and very little clutter. The bed was a single, but a few waves of his wand took care of that. He settled between the sheets, and inhaled deeply. They didn't smell like her, he had been hoping they would, but it was the first night she was staying at the castle that year.
He gave his pillow a fluff, left his wand glowing gently, so she wouldn't be shocked to find him in her bed in the dark, and settled in to sleep.
Hermione always thought the first day of rounds was the hardest. She knew she'd get back into the rhythm of short sleep three times a week and the boredom of pacing about the castle. But the first night was always the hardest. Now her eyelids were protesting as she returned from her shift, having been relieved by Neville.
"At least it's not the early shift." She shook her head. "Until tomorrow."
She paused outside her office. A very faint glow oozed from under the door. Her heart beat fast, and her wand was in hand as she eased the door open to find her office empty, the light coming from the open door to her rooms. Before entering the office, she cast 'Hominen revielo.' No one was in her office. A second spell checked the room for magics that shouldn't be there. None came up.
Her shoulders unhitched slightly. Probably just Arnie making a second tour of his work, seeing that everything is ready for me. Somehow that reassuring idea did little to take the edge off her danger sense. For a moment she was tempted to find Neville, two wands, especially if one of them belongs to Neville Longbottom, are better than one. Yes, but if it is Arnie, you'll feel like a fool.
She crept silently towards her room. If it wasn't Arnie, she didn't want to give herself away. She eased herself past the board on floor that always creaked, and then peeked through the door, using her bookshelf to provide cover for most of her body.
The sight that greeted her melted the stress out of her muscles. Snape was lying in her bed, his favourite pillow tucked under his head. She walked to his glowing wand, and shut the Lumos spell off. She shucked her robes quietly, and slipped into her pajamas. When she slid into bed, and cuddled around him, he sleepily said, "I missed you."
"I missed you, too." She kissed his shoulder. He sighed and snuggled closer into her arms.