Chapter 3

Rose watched her mother who had a face of extreme concentration that went just as fast to a face of extreme resignation. Rose wanted to know what was going on but decided not to push her luck. "Rosie hun," her mother began her voice all but dead Rose nodded as her only response. "Did the tall man you ran into wear all black." Rose nodded again, "Did he have long black hair?"

"Yes mama, why do you ask?" Rose said trying to figure out her mother, difficult often even for the intelligent eleven years old.

"It's nothing sweetie I was just clarifying, now please be on your bet behavior. We're here and I don't want the teachers to start off with a bad pinion of you." Hermione said brushing of her daughter's inquisition and straightening her skirt out before opening the doors and walking to the only table adorning the hall.

"Hermione dear welcome, and you too Rose please come and sit. Staff welcome our new Transfiguration teacher, you all remember Hermione from your classes please help her adjust nicely. Also meet Miss Granger's daughter Rose Weasley, she will be joining us here until term starts where she will then officially become your student." Minerva said reintroducing Hermione and acquainting Rose with the staff gathered around the table. Rose smiled and waved before turning to Hermione who was trying not to look too off put by the fact that the only two seats left were between Minerva and Severus and she wasn't about to let Rose sit next to the dark Potions Master.

Hermione led Rose to the table and pulled out the chair for her to sit next to Minnie before turning to her own seat to find Severus holding her chair out for her. This must have shocked more than just her because she heard scattered gasps from around the table. Snape wasn't known for his courteous nature. Hermione decidedly ignore it though it still bothered her, why on earth was he being nice and sat as he pushed her to the table gently before taking his own seat. The table filled with food just as they always did when school was in session.

"So I heard what happened." the low baritone from beside her said as she was piling food onto her plate. Hermione froze but keeping her composure slowly put down the serving spoon she had been using to put mashed potatoes on her already over full plate. "Is it true? Did you leave him?" she merely inclined her head coolly in the affirmative her eyes not leaving her food she held her breath waiting for his usual snide remark, the ones he saves specifically to make her feel like a lesser person. "He cheated right?" she just nodded again. "You did the smart thing, not unusual for you but it was the smartest thing I've ever known you to do." With that her professor went back to his food.

Hermione was shell shocked but didn't show it as she too went back to her food and made light conversation with her daughter and Minerva. "Mia dear, how have you been faring?" Minerva asked "I mean are you and Rosie settling well and did you nap well?"

"For me it's just like being back in school just a little different and my nap was comfortable, as for Rose she'd have to tell you she went to the library while I slept soundly in our rooms." Hermione said with what she hoped was a hint of a chuckle in her voice nudging her little girl with a smile on her face. Rose was behaving very well politely answering questions and refraining from shoveling her food into her face.

"Oh I've been just fine Auntie it's like home here too me since I've visited with mama so often" Rose said a huge grin on her face before going back to her overfull plate.

Severus tried to keep the amusement off of his face he knew he'd flustered Miss Granger even if she tried to hide it but it was sure that she was taking it all very well and very much in stride. She must be hurting more than she let on they were together a good 12 years immediately after the boy decided not to finished his education like the girl he married and took off straight for a job offered to him with his Order of Merlin at eighteen they were wed and at nineteen they had Rose. At thirty Hermione was still in her prime and it had to be killing her going through this.

As for the child she seemed to be taking all of it very coolly and logically almost with a sense of detachment. Either her father wasn't around much, which Severus was not about to doubt or he'd just never made a strong enough impression on her. The point was that she didn't seem very affected at all by the whole thing. He'd have to find a way to talk to the girl at a later point, mama bear would probably be watching the little scamp like a hawk for a while. Rose, her name he remembered, was a refreshingly, albeit know-it-all-like, honest child and with what he broke the ice with Hermione with, he knew with the resigned look on her face, that Rose had probably told her mother that it was her that spilled the beans about the divorce. Honest but detachedly uncaring except for how it's affecting Hermione, damn it he had to stop doing that, Miss Granger. He had to commend Rose for that she was caring and honest and knew that what happened between her parents was wrong and took the side of the entirely innocent party.

When dinner was finished Severus hurried down to his quarters and sat before his fire thinking and planning, he wanted a full understanding of the situation not just what he could glean from Minerva. And being Severus Snape he would find a way to get the information he wanted within bounds. He figured he'd start with Rose because Miss Granger was less than likely to willingly provide any information on the subject. But her little girl seemed to have a bit of a loose tongue and he knew now one place the little one would be likely to be found often. The same place one often found Miss Granger when she had been a student, studying even when it wasn't particularly needed, the girl really was a clone of her mom in so many ways, and just the thought brought a kind of a small smile to the face of the Dungeon Bat.