A/N and Disclaimer: I DO NOT own anything of Harry Potter! I'd like to thank the two that have already reviewed, AmSev and Tipry. Thank you! You've both made my day and this chapters for you two. Aaaaaaaand on with the story.

Chapter 2

Arriving at Spinner's End

Morning came all too soon for the girls and seeing as they were leaving that night, they got up to get some breakfast.

"I still can't believe we're going to be living with Snape!" Ginny exclaimed to Hermione as she met her in the hall by the Head Girl's room.

"I can, actually. And we don't even know for how long! I just know he's going to be absolutely horrible to us," Hermione said as they trekked down to the Great Hall by themselves, not meeting any other's gaze.

"Do you suppose we'll share room?" Ginny asked curiously.

Hermione eyed her, "Be lucky he won't stick us in a broom closet somewhere." She sighed but walked to the Gryffindor table. Then it hit her, as Harry or Ron weren't meeting either girl's eye, Hermione knew they'd already had a meeting with Dumbledore, too; probably this morning and told them of the news. But as they were forbidden to discuss it they sat in silence and couldn't really come up with a good conversation.

After a minute of awkward silence, Snape stormed in dramatically; robes billowing and floating behind him.

As he walked in between the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables he noticed the four Gryffindors that were the bane of his existence.

He slowed his pace and when he was just in earshot for them to hear him he drawled, "Well, I'm certainly relieved to see some peace and quiet at this section of the table. Though, I believe, the rest of the table should follow suit, as well. Then he turned on his heel and walked up to the High Table, leaving mutinous glares in his wake.

"This is awful!" Ginny burst out suddenly.

"Shhhhh!" Hermione chided frowning and then looked to Harry and Ron, who were sporting mixtures of surprise, remorse, and disgust. "We got Snape," she whispered as low as she could so they had to strain to hear her.

"We got McGonagall," Ron said as a sort of apology.

Ginny groaned and Hermione sighed. "At least you'll have each other," Harry pointed out in a way to cheer them up.

"Yeah, but that's about all we'll have. What's Snape gonna do? Go all sentimental and cuddle us?" Ginny chided. "No, he'll probably make us work or be his slaves!"

Ginny, if he hurts you, either of you; owl Dumbledore right away! Tell him to owl me, too. I'll kick his ass off this planet!" Ron roared as quietly as he could to still be serious and lethal. Ginny and Hermione exchanged fearsome glances and nodded; silently vowing they'd kick his ass personally off the planet.

After breakfast the four of them went out to walk around the Black Lake. They even visited Hagrid, but seeing as he had a cauldron full of pink, slimy eggs over a little fire for warming, they didn't stay long. Lunch was just as disdainful as breakfast but with the ever-growing thought that night was fast approaching, one could see why if in any the four Gryffindors' position. Lunch had faded into dinner and at the entrance of the Great Hall waited Severus Snape, a permanent scowl on his pale face.

He glared at the boys as if they were trying to steal some part of his property. They hurried past him and, now, the girls stood in front of the man that was to guard them for Merlin knows when. "I trust you two have already packed?" He said eyeing a group of Ravenclaws dashing into the Great Hall and be rid of his scrutiny. He turned to the two in front of him and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Sir," they said together.

"Good. Do you remember where to meet me?" He drawled clearly enjoying their discomforting they're having and will have. Although, he didn't like his discomfort of the situation either but he would neither voice nor show it.

"Yes, Professor Snape. We know where to go." Hermione said solemnly.

"Very well. Right after dinner, as soon as you've finished your meals; head down to my office, luggage and all." And with that he whipped into the Hall leaving two girls slowly arriving in his wake.

Dinner was a tense and awkward affair but when neither Ginny nor Hermione could push her food around on the plate and pretend to eat no longer, they reluctantly headed to their rooms to grab their luggage and head to the dungeons.

"It's like walking to our own hanging," Ginny said mournfully.

"Let's just hope that that won't happen," Hermione said giving a sideways glance to her friend.

They knocked on the intimidating wooden door that stood between them and their new supervisor. "Enter," said the fierce voice of Professor Snape. They walked in with a little hesitance and found him bustling around his office, checking on this and that. He turned to them as he shrunk his own luggage into a convenient little square and pocketed it. "What the bloody hell is that?" He said pointing to the floor behind Hermione.

The girls looked down and noticed he was pointing to Crookshanks, Hermione's cat. "That's my cat, Professor Snape. He'll be joining me since I'm to live with you," Hermione said defiantly and lifted her chin.

"That filthy beast is not coming with us," he hissed venomously.

"Crookshanks is neither filthy nor a beast. And he will be coming with me," she hissed right back, glaring at him in challenge.

Snape glared heatedly into her eyes a moment and said dangerously calm, "Very well, you will be responsible for its care. Now, let's be on our way."

He swept past them and opened the door for them. "Fine, I was planning on it anyway," she said as he brushed past in between her and Ginny. She sidled up to him and walked past him and into the hall. Calmly and frankly, she continued, "Besides, I wouldn't want you taking care of my pet. You might poison him!" She accused and looked at him intensely.

He looked at her as all three of them continued up to the doors of the great castle and drawled with an air arrogance, "All too easy, my dear. Poison's not my game. I go for more treacherous means to get what I want. If I were to kill that wretched beast or the two of you, you simply wouldn't be dead and over with it. No, make no mistake in that."

The girls glanced at each other and gulped. They, then, turned back their attention to their precarious Potions teacher; who was striding in front of them. "W-what would you do?" Ginny asked, terrified of the answer; or perhaps lack of as Snape just keep walking until they got to the Apparition Point just outside the gates of Hogwarts.

Snape gestured for them to take either side of his arm and right before he Appariated them to Spinner's End he said bitterly sweet in to Ginny's ear, "Why, Miss Weasley, I'd make you beg." And with a pop they appeared in a back alleyway beside a great house.

As soon as they appeared in the passage Snape released the girls and sauntered over to the house. Hermione looked at Ginny who was an unnatural shade of pink and white. Sensing her friend's inquiry, Ginny ventured, "I... I can't decide if I should blush or be scared." She laughed nervously.

"Then maybe you shouldn't do either one and just walk!" Snape called from the corner he had just disappeared around causing both girls to jump and their hearts leap into their throats.

They all entered the house and Ginny and Hermione gasped at its exquisiteness. Snape turned at the noise and, from the side, watched the girls' reactions to his home.

The first floor was grand. On the left a living area filled with lavish sofas and chairs that begged to be sat upon, promising fluffiness into oblivion. The furniture was made of mahogany wood with tiny golden swirls laid into the wood. A great grandfather clock stood in the corner and loomed just as eerily as Professor Snape. The room smelled of pine and walnuts. The kitchen and breakfast nook, to the right, had black marble countertops and rouge cabinets. The dining room had a long polished wood table in the middle with two serpents entwining around a crystal ball as the centerpiece. The chandelier in the dining room was magnificent in itself; with tiny crystals promising to sparkle and shine someone to their grave. The silver sconces that lined the room were curved snakes balancing a plate on their heads.

The girls joined back up with each other, as well as their teacher, in the foyer. They gazed at each other and then at their observing professor, who was leering at them with a stern gaze. "Is the house to your liking?" he spat. They nodded. "Very well, now I shall show you to your rooms. Follow me." He said and continued up the stairs, which had moss green carpet running down it that looked suspiciously like the style of the infamous Red Carpet.

"Great! Just one big Slytherin theme house!" Hermione snorted to herself and stopped at the top of the stairs. She looked around and noticed there were three doors in a manner kind of that of a game show. One door that was directly in front of the staircase and two that was on opposite ends of the hall. "Hermione Granger, which will it be? Will it be Door Number One, Door Number Two, or Door Number Three?" Hermione sarcastically played the game show in her head.

"This is my room," Snape lectured pointed to the door in front of the stairs. "There will be no need for either of you to ever be in there. On either side of my room there is a doorway that leads to those two rooms." He indicated the other two rooms in the hall. "They will be locked from my side of the door so you cannot enter."

"I won't be sharing a room with Hermione? And what if we don't want you in our rooms, anyway?" Ginny blurted before she could catch herself.

Snape rounded on her and she ducked her head. "And pray tell, Miss Weasley, why you would want to keep me out of your room?" he asked, thinking it was due to they were girls and they wanted to write in their diaries or other little girlish things. Snape snorted at this, "Silly little girls and their childish fantasies and pretenses."

"I… well, um. We are girls. We need our privacy." Ginny managed to choke out.

Snape narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. He towered over Ginny and she looked down to avoid his dissecting gaze. "Don't worry Miss Weasley. I have no desire whatsoever to bother you in your need for privacy. As for your first question, Miss Granger will have her own room. I do not want to be kept awake at night by silly giggling girls. I also insist that you two not spend every second of the day hiding away in your rooms or I will invade your privacy. And trust me I will do that in an indiscreet manner." Ginny gulped and flushed, Hermione squirmed and swallowed, and Snape stood and glowered. "Now, I will leave you two to squabble over the bedrooms." He smirked evilly. "I want you two up bright and early so do not spend too much time disputing. Good night."

"Good night," they said simultaneously. Snape turned and departed into his room. After he shut the door both girls walked to the left and then to the right then sighed.

"Hermione, will you sleep with me tonight?" Ginny whispered. "I'm scared."

"Oh, Ginny there's no reason to be scared," Hermione said coming up behind her friend and enveloped her in a reassuring hug. "But I'll sleep with you if you want me too."

"Thanks, Hermione. You really are my best friend." Hermione gave her one last squeeze of a hug and they walked to the bed and, after unshrinking their belongings, got ready for bed. Ginny lay on her side as Hermione encased her from behind. "Good night, Hermione."

"Good night, Ginny," Hermione said snuggling closer to her friend and wrapping her arm around the slightly smaller female.