Chapter 4

Hermione was unsure how any of this was actually going to work, she wasn't sure how her benefactor was even going to reply back. She knew she had five days left before school and she hadn't cleaned out her trunk in two years. Hermione went over to it and started emptying the thing onto the bed. This was the first time she felt like organizing anything since her mother passed on. Everything she owned was in two trunks and she really needed to get it all together.

Mrs. Johnson had said she could store one trunk at the boarding house while she was away at school with no problems. She just needed to decide what she was actually going to leave here.

Hermione went through her clothes first. It was a sad state of affairs where her Muggle clothing was concerned. Her jeans were way too small now, she hadn't noticed. She had a growing spurt last summer and her mother hadn't been around to take her shopping. She tossed them over one of the corners. She would figure how to get some money out of her own things, she didn't want to have to rely on her benefactor for everything.

She set about onto the robes next. She knew there was a second hand shop, a robe shop in Diagon Alley. Hermione had several things that didn't fit anymore and she tossed them beside the pile of Muggle clothing. As well as uniforms that were too small as well.

Hermione grabbed her pen and small notebook and started writing down the amounts of clothes at least she knew she had to have. Her winter clothes still fit, at least the sweaters, her mother had always bought those bigger. She double checked all her toiletries and stuff and added what she needed to the list.

She was pleased with what she had gotten accomplished when she heard the tapping on the window. Her eyes widen as she saw the large black bird that sat on the outer window seal as it tapped the glass once more. She stood from the desk and slowly approached the window, it looked like a large crow.

She opened the window cautiously as she inspected the bird that had flown in. It wasn't crow, the feathers were too small. It was a raven, the longer feathers told her that much. The bird was black, sleek, and the size of an adult hawk with vicious looking talons. He perched on the back of the chair in front of the desk, then held out his foot towards her.

Hermione reached out for the small dark royal blue pouch attached to his foot. As she did, the Raven pecked at her hand with each attempt to remove the blue pouch. She already had several slashes from his very sharp beak.

"Damn you." She sat back on her bed looking at the black dreaded menace. She held her hand trying to steam the blood flow.

The Raven's call just seemed to egg her on, saying here come get it.

Knowing full well it had no manners of that of an owl. Hermione looked around for Crookshanks. She wondered where that cat was when she needed him.

I called him Raven and he sent me one to deliver for him. Maybe I should have called him a fluffy little bunny, at least then I'd still have some fingers left.

"You bite me one more time and I'll wring your neck." Hermione told the bird.

He cawed all the more, taunting her to do it. Then he flew over to her and started snapping at her head. Hermione covered her head and shrieked at the dreaded Raven.

Great! A bloody menace. He's probably just like my benefactor. Like pet, like master.

It was a ten minute battle, with bleeding fingers from the scratches and nips from the raven, but she had the blue pouch in her hands. Hermione got up and went over to the parchment. She was breathing heavily and had a nice flush of anger on her face.

Raven,

You foul, loathsome, evil, wicked, MAN! You don't even deserve the right to be a MAN, how dare you send that evil loathsome black menace. The bloody thing hates me, I swear, you send that creature back to me and I'll kill it.

Miss Granger.

Hermione had written the words and didn't even care that the blood from her hands went with it. Maybe the loathsome man who was her benefactor would realize how unruly the bird was to make a delivery. With that she went to get herself cleaned up so she could head to Diagon Alley to get some of her purchases out of the way.

X-X

Severus had just finished dressing into clothes he didn't really wear that much. It wasn't as if a lot of students ever saw him dressed in such a fashion, other than some of his Slytherins when he had been invited to the Manors. His raven black hair was pulled into a ponytail that was held by a silver snake band at the nape of his neck. The silk black shirt was slightly open at the front, not buttoned up all the way. He wore dark black Muggle jeans with dragon hide boots and his outer summer cloak was embossed with the Slytherin house design on it.

The note had appeared in front of him when he was about to leave his quarters via the Floo network to Diagon Alley. He read the missive and scowled at the blood that was on it. He pointed his wand to his raven's perch and summoned the bird.

"Damn you, Archimedes." Severus hissed. "It would serve you right if she killed you. Don't do it again."

He pocketed the note and turned to head over to his potion stores. Albus hated the raven as well, but at least it had stopped biting the Headmaster after two deliveries. He pulled out a jar of healing salve off the shelf wondering how much damage his raven had caused her. He left his potions cupboard and walked back over to his raven.

"I am going to send a box to her, and you will wait with it and behave yourself." Severus growled to the bird.

Severus went to his study and pulled open the drawers, he found the box he wanted and took his wand to write her name on it. He noticed quite a bit of things in his drawers that he very rarely got around to using. He pulled out another set of parchment and placed it in the box, along with a full set of quills. The staff at the school was always sending him quills with extra ink. He had five new sets that he hadn't even touched. He leaned back in the chair at his desk in his study and noticed the book on birds of prey. Severus smirked and stood up. He went and grabbed the book and tossed it to the desk and looked around his study. He had a few books he had double of and pulled those as well. If the other teachers weren't giving him books it was everything to write with. He sat back down at the desk and penned an apology to Hermione for his bird's decorum. He placed that inside the box as well as the healing salve. With that done he headed back out to Archimedes and banished the box along with his raven to Hermione's room at the boarding house.

Severus had made good time getting inside Gringotts and talking to the goblin that handled his accounts. The payment was already sent and would not be able to be traced back to him, should anyone at the school become nosey and go looking.

With business concluded he walked back out of Gringotts and made his way to Slugs & Jiggers Apothecary, he needed to finish picking up the last of the school supplies for the student's cupboards he had ordered. Severus had always bought after the student rush for supplies because the best ingredients came the week before school started.

X-X

Getting up she went to the bathroom and cleaned herself up as much as possible and then headed out to Diagon Alley. She took the trolley as far as she could go and had to walk several blocks to get to the 'Leaky Cauldron'.

Both of her hands were bandaged, and she went quickly through not looking at anyone. She didn't want to be seen right now and just wanted to get her things. Going out back she opened the wall between the 'Leaky Cauldron' and Diagon Alley. Stepping out, the crowds weren't that bad and she made her way slowly around. She was still weak from having been sick for the last two weeks.

She went to the second hand robe shop first and negotiated a price for her old robes as well as her old uniforms. It hadn't turned out to bad at all. She got the robes she would need for this year as well as the uniforms that fit her. Once she came out she decided she would go to the Apothecary next.

Inside the Apothecary she started gathering stuff that would fill her potions supplies back up to normal again. The smell was making her nauseous. At the back of the shop she found herself getting rather dizzy from all the different smells and everything went black.

When she woke, the light wasn't bright, but enough for her to notice the dark black eyes of her potions professor.

Hermione moved her hand up to head, her head was pounding. "Where am I?"

"The Apothecary's back room you idiot girl." Severus snarled at her. "What were you thinking coming in here like a fool after having been bed ridden for weeks?"

Hermione groaned, her head was pounding even more as and she covered her eyes. She wished she could cover her ears as well after hearing what Snape had said.

"I wasn't thinking." Hermione admitted.

"Obviously not."

She felt a vial being pushed into her hand.

"Drink that." Came the female voice. "I've got her now Professor Snape. Your package is ready on the counter."

"Thank you Athena, I shall take my supplies and leave. I'll see this bumbling idiot soon enough at school. Maybe she learned her lesson keeping out of Apothecaries while she still recovering."

Hermione sat up after she heard the steps going away and took a drink of the potion that was in her hand. She looked at the shop owner. Her head was starting to feel better, she didn't feel so dizzy now.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I was just trying to get all my things before school." Hermione apologized.

"What year dear? I'll finish gathering it for you so when you walk out you don't have to stay longer than you can." Athena asked.

"Sixth year."

Athena Jiggers called back to her after about ten minutes and Hermione went out. She paid for the supplies.

"I suggest you go home Miss Granger, and try not to shop until you are better." Athena Jiggers said.

"Thank you, I think I better." Hermione said.

She snatched up the package and quickly started walking towards the 'Leaky Cauldron', she didn't want to shop anymore not after making a fool of herself, not only in front of her Professor, but also the shop owner.

She left Diagon Alley and decided to head home anyway. She had felt eyes on her the whole way while she had been walking in Muggle London heading back to the boarding house. When she turned on her street she could have sworn she had seen someone following her, but couldn't be sure of it.

Hermione climbed the stairs to her room and when she walked inside she saw the same blasted crow sitting on her bed. Crookshanks was laying down and letting the blasted bird preen his coat like they were best friends. Hermione's anger only rose at seeing the bird there.

"What do you want?" She demanded of the Raven.

Looking up at her, he cawed, took flight and then landed over on the dresser where there was a box and then he flew out of the open window that Hermione had forgotten to close. She placed the potions ingredients down and then stared at the box. It had her name written on it with an elegant scrawl from her benefactor.

She went over to it and picked up the demandable thing and was ready to chunk it out the window but stopped. She couldn't help it, her curiosity got the better of her and opened it. Inside was a full set of quills, inks of various colors, parchment to see her through the school year as well as a few books. One she noticed right off was on birds of prey. She opened that one where the bookmark was and saw that it was on the Raven.

Miss Granger,

Please find this as an acceptable token for forgiveness from Archimedes. He hasn't delivered so much mail and sometimes he can be a bit rough when he doesn't know the other person. I have chastised him for his rude behavior towards you. Please use the healing salve, you'll find that your hands will be healed from his cuts that he has given you.

My deepest apologies,

Your Benefactor.

Hermione unwrapped her hands from the bandages and applied the salve then went and laid down her bed, Crookshanks tried to curl up around her and Hermione pushed the cat on the floor.

"Traitor." She hissed at him. He turned his rump towards her and put his tail straight in the air and ambled out of the room like he owned the place.