Hermione couldn't help but feel she had been tricked as she sat on Ron's bed and waited for Dumbledore to take her to professor Snape's. What the hell? She would have been furious, had she not trusted Dumbledore so completely. She knew Snape wouldn't kill her or hurt her, but why the hell would the headmaster take her from one place that didn't want her only to send her to another?

"This is completely ridiculous!" Ron was ranting. "I don't see why he won't let you stay here. Mum and Dad already said they don't mind!"

"And correct me if I'm wrong," Harry muttered, "But I don't see Snape's house as being 'safe.'"

"You'd be better off in the streets." Ginny agreed.

"Or..." Fred started.

"Dead." George finished, only half-joking.

"I'll be fine..." Hermione sighed. "Snape doesn't hate me that much...I'll just stay out of his way."

"I'll owl you every day." Ron promised. "Or floo you." He gave her a tight hug, one that lasted longer than anyone elses. "I got your back." He whispered in her ear, before pulling away.

"I'll be fine." She assured, and really she wasn't scared. She knew Snape would never hurt her. He might be mean and snarky, but she was used to it and she was sure she could keep out of his way. And if she were being honest, she had to be one of the most tolerable Gryffindor's to him. She could behave.

"Hermione." Dumbledore walked into the room right as Ron had released her. "Are you ready to head out?"

She nodded and gave Ron one more smile before the older man out of the room and outside. And his gesture she grabbed his arm, steeling herself for the takeoff.

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Hermione groaned as they landed. Apparition was never fun, especially not when one's guts were already churning. She steadied herself before she looked around. They had landed in a rather large backyard, concealed from the outside with large shrubs and a black gate. But unlike in her yard, the gate didn't make it feel like a prison. In all honestly the yard was nice. It had a large garden, and a quick glance was all it took to see that it housed not only muggle plants but plants of the magical variety as well. That would certainly warrant some investigation, that is if Snape would allow it. There was also a rather nice gazebo in the center of the garden, and Hermione had to fight the urge to go to it right that moment. There was also a nice sized pond within the yard, and she couldn't help but wonder if she'd be able to take a dip.

"Yes, Severus has quite the backyard." Dumbledore nodded, letting her look for a moment more before leading her away toward a three-story home. "I must say the front yard pales in comparison."

"Did professor Snape inherit this house?" She asked, amazed at its size. There was no way a person could afford this on a teachers salary. Could they? Did wizard world teachers make more?

"Indeed he did." Dumbledore nodded. "When he was sixteen I believe. He was the only male within the close family."

Hermione kept quiet, as she walked up the steps to the door. She had been expected Dumbledore to knock, but instead he walked right in! But if anyone could get away with such behavior, she figured, it would be him. She stopped at the sight in front of her. The entry way alone was huge, but it wasn't cold and impersonal like she had expected. It was warm- almost like the Weasley's home. She was amazed, and impressed, and she had been wondering if the foyer had come like this, or if Snape had customized it. She had almost been expecting the place to be gloomy like the dungeons...

She had been lost in her questions when she noticed that Dumbledore was no longer at her side. She cursed herself before hurrying down the entryway. She found herself in a large kitchen, with no signs of Dumbledore. She sighed inwardly, and decided to look about. She was surprised at the amount of muffle appliances that lined the granite counters, and she wondered who had introduced her professor to such gadgets. She had been admiring the beautiful color of the cabinets, when her eyes were drawn to the refrigerator- or rather what was on it. She felt a bit snoopy as she looked, but Snape had known she was coming and he had had a chance to remove them. It wasn't cluttered with paper, but it was enough to make it seem that a family lived there instead of just one man. She looked at a muggle photo, that was being held in place by a blue magnet. She was surprised as she stared. There was a young man, in his early twenties, holding a blonde baby in his arms and grinning as if he had just won the lottery. The black-hair man was looking at the child, like a father would, and for a moment she pondered who it could be before the obvious struck her. It was Snape and Draco- it had to be. She was in his house, and that blonde hair was unmistakable. She found in hard to look away from the photo of a grinning Snape, but there was plenty else to look at. A grocery list on muggle paper let her know that milk was needed- or more specifically chocolate milk as someone had taken care to write in large red letters directly next to the black ink. She took in a parchment next, noticing how oddly it stuck out as it was the only non-muggle material on the fridge. A quick glance let her know it was Draco's school report- and that he had passed nearly every course with flying colors. She forced herself to move on from the kitchen, wanting to find Dumbledore again.

She found herself in a surprisingly warm and inviting living room, and she could hardly believe this was a home that belonged to Snape. Again, she was surprised at the muggle appliances. She glanced at the nice carpet before slipping of her shoes. It wouldn't do to track anything into the living room. Stepping into the room, she was pleased with how soft the carpet was. She was even more delighted when she touched a couch and found it was softer yet! The same with the chairs that were housed in the room. A fireplace sat directly in front of the couch, as was expected, but above the large fireplace a large television was mounted. She stared in wonder at it, wondering if Snape even really watched the thing. She hadn't had to wonder long, as she looked down at a coffee table to see a remote control- someone was using the thing than. She couldn't believe how homey the place was. A cup of juice sat on the coffee table in front of the couch, and a pair of socks sat on an end table by one of the chairs. She wondered at that, as Snape didn't seem like one to allow such things in his home. She had thought about moving them herself when she noticed the titles of a few books on the coffee table. Don Quixote, Les Mis, Canterbury Tales...all muggle books she loved. And then there was one non-muggle book. A book that had only just come out days ago. Judging by the book mark beside it though, and the fact that it had been on the bottom of the pile, the reader had already finished it. It was a thick book, but she knew she could probably accomplish the same feat if she'd be allowed to borrow it. She flipped open the cover as she sat on the couch, loving the sounds a new book made. She had been lost in her reading, unable to help herself, when a sharp cry had her jerking her head up. She gave a cry of surprise when she noticed a large black owl was eyeing her her shrewdly. "Hello..." She said weakly, reaching out a slow hand. She was rewarded with a loud noise of complaint from the beast and she quickly withdrew her hand. She shut the book and stood up when the bird cawed again, looking agitated. She sank down on the couch and and owl calmed down. She was at a loss for what to do. She didn't want to anger the bird, as it looked like it could easily tear a sizeable amount of flesh from her skin and she was also concerned it would anger Snape. She was being held prisoner by an owl.

"Thorn doesn't bite." A voice said.

Hermione turned her head cautiously (one eye on the bird) toward the sound. She was shocked to see Draco standing in the stairwell, leaning over the banister to gesture at the creature. She was all the more shocked to see Draco in muggle jeans and a muggle shirt. "What?" She asked, sounding stupid in her surprise.

"The bird." Draco said flatly, and Hermione was was amazed that the usual snobbery and disdain were gone from the boy's voice. "It won't bite you...it just acts like it will."

Hermione normally wouldn't have believed him, but Draco seemed sincere enough. And it was only a bite she'd suffer if she had been wrong. So she forced herself to hold a hand out to Thorn and pet her. She squawked, but much to Hermione's pleasure she didn't bite. She relaxed a bit, and started to rub the soft feathers.

"Hermione." That was Dumbledore's voice and she looked up to see her headmaster and Snape in the stairwell. "I was wondering where'd you gone off too." The old man smiled at her as he and Snape descended, leaving Draco watching in the stairwell. "I see you met Thorn...her bark is much worse than her bite you'll find...much like Severus's..." He muttered the last part, but Hermione's hearing was sharp and she heard it. Snape had glared at the statement, but otherwise kept silent until he and the headmaster were both seated in two of the chairs.

"I'm sorry, headmaster...I got a bit distracted is all." She admitted, hoping Snape wouldn't take it offensively.

"You don't seem to be the type that gets distracted." Snape drawled.

"I'm sorry, Professor..." She insisted, scratching the owl as she found it calmed her nerves. She wasn't sure why she was apologizing, but she wanted to be overly cautious not to step on any toes.

"Don't you have a cat?" Draco demanded, still leaning over the banister.

"What?" She asked, again sounding stupid.

"A cat." Draco repeated. "That half-tiger thing...?"

"Oh...right." She nodded, Crookshanks had been outside when she had run away. She knew he'd be okay on his own for a few days, with how smart he was. She'd have to ask Dumbledore if he could take her to go and get him. "Crookshanks."

"Where is he?" Draco demanded, looking around- almost as if he were excited.

"Ummm...he's at my house." She shifted uncomfortably, not sure when the polite time would be to ask Dumbledore to take her.

"I'll go and get the cat. Albus- will you show her around?" Snape asked, already standing.

"Um, sir...maybe I should go with...Crookshanks is picky about who he likes..." She didn't think Snape would be happy if her cat ripped up his flesh. And she didn't think her cat would be happy if Snape man-handled him.

"I assure you, I'll be fine." Snape insisted, already heading out of the living room.

Hermione gave the headmaster a bewildered look, but the elderly man just smiled. "Severus is great animals, believe it or not. Both he and Crookshanks will be fine." He assured. "In fact he is very fond of animals, whether or not he'll admit it."

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"I can show her around." Draco offered, remembering that Severus had told him to be kind to Hermione.

"Oh would you?" Albus asked, looking relieved as he leaned back in the recliner. "My old bones could use a rest."

Draco nodded and walked down the steps and into the living room. "Do you want any tea or something?" He asked Albus, not wanting him to get up and get it himself if he was so 'tired.' Albus was very much a grandfather too him just as Severus was very much a father to him. He also knew that Albus was being 'meddling' much as he always was, but still...he could get the man some tea.

"Oh do be a lamb and fetch me a pepsi, won't you?"

Draco smirked, damn that man had a sweet-tooth. He nodded as he headed into the kitchen and grabbed a can from the fridge, and the thought occurred to him that he hadn't asked if Hermione wanted a drink. That was certainly rude, and Severus would surely scold him for neglecting a guest. He grabbed a second can- she was muggle-born, she would be used to such a drink. And if not he supposed he could make her some tea...it didn't take very long if he used the microwave thing. Hoping for the best he made his way back to the living room, nearly tripping over Granger's shoes. Scowling, he shoved them aside. She was just lucky it hadn't been Severus who tripped up on the shoes, or they'd have been thrown out into the yard. He opened the can before handing to Albus, who was now reclined fully and reading from Canterbury Tales.

"Ah, thank you little Dragon." Albus grinned, gratefully taking the beverage.

Draco blushed slightly at the nickname Severus had given him since birth, and hoped Hermione would forget she had ever heard it. "Would you like one?" He asked, holding a can out to her. For a second he thought she wouldn't take it, but after a moments hesitation she grabbed the can and gave a small smile.

"Thanks..." She opened the can and stood up, clearly she was ready for the tour.

"You're welcome." He gestured for her to follow, before leading her from the living room and into the dining room. They hardly used it for dining, as Severus much prefered to eat in the living room. But they did use it for various other things- like when they played a game of chess or scrabble. But still, it was part of the house.

"This is the dining room." He explained, though it was quite obvious. He allowed her to look around, and was silent as she took in the inviting area. She was fingering the oak table, clearly admiring its smoothness as she looked about at the large windows. Draco had always loved that about this room- all the natural light that came in really did make being in there a pleasure.

"It's lovely." She breathed, a bit of shock in her voice. Draco could hardly fault her, Severus did have a certain reputation about him.

"Thanks." He nodded, and gave her a few more moments before leading her out of the dining room and showing her to an office. It was simple yet that was to be expected. Severus didn't really use the room that much, save for when he was dealing with Ministry reports or grading papers and didn't want to be disturbed. The whole room was pretty much just a nice large desk and a few chairs.

Next, came a bathroom. He opened the door and led her inside. There was easily enough room for four in the clean room, which made it easier for him to point out various things. "This is the only bathroom on this floor." He explained, leaning against the glass doors of the shower. "It's big, but pretty basic." Not unlike the bathrooms upstairs, but they'd get to that in just a moment.

"Ready to see the library?" He asked, smirking as a large grin spread across her face. He had already known she would want too, which was exactly why he had saved it for last on the tour of the bottom floor.