Chapter 4: The Meeting
The next morning Severus walked over to his desk, grabbed the envelope with Hermione's name on it and turn with the intention of walking out the door to go to breakfast. A knock on the very door he was about to open, stops him in his tracks. With a sigh, Professor Snape opens his chamber doors to see Professor Dumbledore before him.
"Are you going to tell her soon?" Dumbledore asks the moment the door opens and he makes his way into the room.
"I was planning on doing it after breakfast, but I want the day off. Can someone take over my classes today?" Severus inquires as he looks down as the envelope still in his hands.
"Sure, I can have one of the Order members step in for the day," Dumbledore replies, "I think it would be best if Miss Granger not attend classes today as well."
"I know… I want to be there for her. I mean… I know what it's like to lose someone," mumbled Snape, still refusing to meet Professor Dumbledore's eyes.
"I can understand that." Dumbledore says as he gets up and sees himself out, knowing the Potion's Master had a lot to think about.
Severus continued to look down at the letter, knowing that he had to make his way up to breakfast or else the young woman would not receive it.
Finally having made his way up from the dungeons and to the Great Hall, Professor Snape immediately sets out on looking for Hermione.
Spotting her sitting at the usual morning seat, he stops behind her. "Miss Granger, this is for you." Professor Snape tells her, handing the envelope over to the curious looking young woman before he continues his trek up the head table.
He watched her opening the envelope that will change everything.
"Hermione, what does it say?" asked Ron through a full mouth of food, which is how he typically talks when food is involved.
"It says that Professor Snape wants to see me after breakfast," Hermione tells Ron with furrowed eyebrows as she tries to figure out why the Professor could possibly want to see her.
"What does he want?" Harry questioned with a distrustful scowl on his face.
"I don't know." Hermione replies as she looks up at the head table, to see Professor Snape at his usual seat.
When Hermione had finished breakfast, she noticed that Professor Snape was heading towards her.
"Miss Granger, follow me." Professor Snape tells her tersely before turning his back on her and making his way back to the dungeons.
"Sure," said Hermione as she hurriedly gathered her school books before catching up to him, they walked out of the Great Hall together and down to his personal chambers.
When they reached the hidden entrance to Professor Snape's personal chambers, he spoke the password to allow them entrance. He walked in with Hermione trailing in behind and before doing or saying anything else, he went to get tea ready for the impending talk.
Hermione looked around in confusion, 'Why had Professor Snape brought her here instead of to his office?' Unsure of what to do, Hermione simply just stayed standing where she was near the entrance.
"You can sit down if you like." Snape says from the kitchen shortly before he returns with a tea tray. He places the tray down on a coffee table before sitting down across from the sofa she had sat down in.
"So what did you want to talk to me about?" asks Hermione apprehensively as she takes a sip of her tea to calm her suddenly jumping nerves.
"There are two things actually that I want to talk to you about." Snape answers with a pinch of her lips as he reaches for his tea cup still sitting on the tea tray.
"Okay," Hermione responds as she looks up at Snape waiting for him to start.
"I would like to be your friend. Do not say anything, just let me explain. I know my past treatment of you was in err and for that I do apologize. When Draco was picking on you, I should have done something and not just allow the situation to continue. I also know I have done you no favors by calling you rather frightful names and I am sorry. If you could find it in yourself to forgive me, to give a friendship with me a chance, I would be forever grateful." Snape says in his straightforward tone before he gets up from his position across from Hermione and sits down directly next to her on the sofa.
"Okay…I suppose we can try to be friends." She responds to him, a little taken aback by his forth rightness about the topic before she bits her upper lip, "What is the next thing you want to talk to me about?" Hermione asks as she takes a sip of her teacup.
"Well… Before I talk to you about that, I want you to know that you will have no classes today and that I'm here for you whenever you need to talk, night or day."
"Thank you, you are making me rather nervous about what the second issue is." Hermione tells him as she looks at her lap where he hands are clasp in nervousness.
"It is something you need to know. Yes, it will be hard for you to hear." Snape says as he looks at her bowed head.
"Then please, tell me," Hermione whispers, afraid to speak any louder as she looks up at Professor Snape.
"Two days ago, Death Eaters murdered your parents," Professor Snape tells the young woman before reaching out to grasp her suddenly shaking hands, "The Order has already arranged the funerals so you don't have to worry about anything except getting through this tragedy." Hermione just sat there crying in the arms of her Potion's Professor as he had put his arms around her awkwardly.