Darkness descended through the house as night fell. The air was crisp as she could see a leaf or two falling from the crumpling leaves. Fall always came early at her house it was one of the many finer things about her childhood home. She sat on the back deck watching as the sun set behind the trees, imagining that her world was still in order. In a span of three days she went from the happy young adult with everything going for her and in the next moment? In the next moment her life had turned upside down and did a complete 360 turn.
She could see the stars starting to shine as she thought of her parents and tears began to slip silently down "Mum? Is it pretty where you are? Are you and dad safe?" She whispered to the darkening sky. At the question, she felt a light breeze play around her before disappearing and smiled with the hope that it was their spirits reassuring her. She heard the faint sound of the sliding door before she felt something being draped over her shoulders. The white and grey pattern of a throw cover started to warm her up as she watch her Head of House sit down in a lawn chair across from her.
Minerva had watched her star cub from her window, watching with sympathy as her strongest lioness crumbled with the breeze. The aged woman remembered a time when she was under watch of another whom had fallen victim to the same fate. Minerva's mind wandered back to when she sat idly watching a young Severus crying his heart out. His then, long black hair stuck to his face from the hour long sobs, making his face red and blotchy. She recalled his puffy red eyes, the way they stood out against his usual pale complexion and his over whelming need to hug himself fiercely.
Minerva had tried everything to coax the boy out of his depression, but it was to no avail. She watched as he self destruct with terror of what he had to do to avenge his family. They were all he had left who did not turn on him with disgust like Lily did.
Lily.
Minerva had been there for that confrontation too and she regretted not taking more care to shield the boy from harm. Severus had fallen into the dark arts, trying to suppress the anger and pain he felt. Going against those who belittled him, trying to prove his worth and before he knew it he was kneeing before the very madman who killed his parents.
"Would you like to eat our treats?"
Minerva, startled out of her memory, looked up to Hermione's slightly red face. The older woman could see the dry stains from her tears and vowed to herself that she would not let another one waste away. She gave a slight smile and nod to the girl and Hermione got up from her chair heading inside.
Upon entering Hermione saw Severus straighten up as he slammed the refrigerator door shut. She nodded a greeting as she walked over to him to open the freezer door. "We are about to settle with our ice cream, I would be grateful if you would come join us." Severus simply glared at her, seeming to try and determine if he would give in to her request or simply snarl at her and stalk off.
"Severus, I promise that I will never breathe a word of your human antics. Please join us; I'll go as far as to pretend you are not there, just how you like it." Minerva interjected with a tired grin.
Severus simply snorted at the comment, knowing full well that either way she would not leave him alone, but felt rather indulgent tonight. It was a rare occurrence for him, not that he would ever admit it, but he gave a swift nod and took the pint of ice cream from Hermione's hand.
Hermione seized the other two pints, closing the freezer door; she turned to a drawer full of silverware and grabbed three spoons. She handed Minerva her pint of ice cream and a spoon to each of them before walking out of the kitchen and down a hall with the other two in tow. She opened a door that the others had missed, on their exploration of the mansion sized home, and were startled to find that it was actually a midsized indoor swimming pool. The room was instantly illuminated by two crystal chandeliers and the pool lightened to a soft ocean blue. The whole floor was tiled in white and cream colors, designs of greens and blues scattered all around. Lawn chairs, patio sets and sofas were set around the edge; in a corner was a large sofa and love seat that faced a big screen TV. French doors faced the west side of the lawn and could easily see the flower garden her mum and dad worked very hard on each season.
Severus took in the scene subtly, while Minerva stared with open awe. Hermione, oblivious to the two, simply made way to the set of three lawn chairs that looked out the French doors and took a seat in the middle. This was one of her favorite spots in the house, especially at night when the stars came out to shine. The other two, after gawking at the beauty of the room, took a seat on either side, following her motions.
Hermione took the cap off her ice cream and pulled the plastic seal back while holding the spoon in between her lips. Placing the seal on top of the lid, she placed the lid on the ground to her side and leaned back into the bed of the lawn chair. She rested her head, savoring the feel and moment of complete silence before taking a spoon full of ice cream to her mouth. It was a 'calm before the storm' feeling and it was the only thing that was keeping her glued together. Hermione let her mind wander to the days to come; mentally preparing herself for the disaster she now called life.
Severus eyed the girl next to him for a few minutes before he went to work on his own ice cream. 'Is she going to be okay? She's taking this rather well considering seeing the memory of what happened. I mean, I went on a rampage of breaking everything until a simple 'repro' couldn't fix it. I guess I give her some credit, but we'll have to see with the upcoming days.' He was startled out of the quiet serene, as a black object whizzed past his large nose.
"Sorry, Professor. I merely wanted to dim the lights. This is one of the best views to see the stars." He glared at her and nodded before going back to his guilty treat, the room lowered to a golden brown as the lights seemed to glimmer in a soft candlelight glow. Music began to float, a light piano playing a sorrowful tune that caused Severus' person to involuntarily relax.
Time seemed to slow down as the world continued to move, the position of the stars in the sky were growing bright and fuller as the moon rose. As the night grew darker, the stars began to fade and the room, once filled with soft music, sat mute as light snores and even breathing filled the room. The three had finished their pints and were too caught up in their own worlds, their own private heaven and hell that they drifted off to sleep. The realm of fantasy and make believe, claiming their minds to their magic sands of sleep. The odd trio would never have allowed such a thing to happen willingly, to drop down their defenses and their carefully crafted castles of their minds. They had fallen under the rooms spell; they were too relaxed to care, too worn out to worry. Satisfied with the one moment they could finally breathe, they gave in, until the dawn grew bright and the call of another day was upon them.
A/N: Short I know but thank you for the reviews! I am glad for the point out and I will be sure to go back and fix real soon and to make sure to pay closer attention to certain spellings of words and bettering of grammar. I hope that this chapter, though short, was up to par! Thank you!