Chapter Eight
Would You Just Tell Me Already
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A.N. Okay, I rushed the last chapter, but this one is really well thought out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hermione awoke to find Severus lying in bed next to her. After a quick double take everything came back to her and she smiled contentedly. She looked at him lovingly, glad to be exactly where she was.
Severus moaned and turned on his side, facing her with his eyes still closed. 'Go back to sleep Hermione, it's Saturday.'
Hermione smiled, it was Saturday. She didn't have any classes all day, she could stay here with Severus and she didn't need to worry at all. Except she did have that test… 'Sev, darling?'
Severus grumbled inarticulately.
'Do you have a library?'
Severus groaned. 'Figures, I get her in my bed and she wants to know whether or not I have a library.'
'Severus Snape,' Hermione reprimanded. 'I've done nothing but sleep in your bed, and you're not to speak to me like that. Also, the reason I wanted to know if you had a library is because I need to study for the test that you are giving on Monday. If you don't have a library I'll have to go back to school and tell professor McGonagal all about how you are inattentive and I don't want to work with you anymore. My mother always told me how I should never date my co-workers.'
'Did she mention your professors?' Severus asked dryly.
'No,' Hermione said honestly. 'I doubt she would approve though. Whatever are we going to do about Christmas?'
'Stay at school,' Severus offered, turning over on his stomach and burying his face in his pillow. 'We can drink eggnog with Firenze, he throws the best New Year's Party every year, and shag on my couch.'
'Library,' Hermione said flatly.
'The last door on the left side of the hall,' Severus mumbled into his pillow. 'Now go away so I can sleep, you're very distracting.'
Hermione sighed and skipped out into the hallway, almost tripping over a house elf that was standing there. 'Oh, I'm sorry,' Hermione said and jumped back. 'Hello.'
'Allo,' the house elf said brightly. 'Would the young miss like anything for breakfast?'
'Oh,' Hermione said surprised. 'Yes please, some bacon and a glass of grapefruit juice if it's handy.'
'Of course miss.'
Hermione smiled at the little fellow, he was wearing a spotlessly clean pillowcase with a snake in the shape of an S embroidered across the chest in silver.
'Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Hermione Granger.' She curtsied to the little house elf.
The house elf blushed. 'I am Dennis,' he said bowing low.
'It's a pleasure to meet you Dennis,' Hermione said politely. 'Could you show me were the library is by any chance, I'll get lost otherwise. This house is so huge.'
Dennis started off down the hallway and Hermione followed him.
'The house has been in the Snape family for time out of mind, centuries and centuries. There was a lot of controversy surrounding how the house came into the Snape family, but I don't rightly know why. My grandfather probably knows, but he's not been 'all there' for a while now.' Dennis chatted away like a tour guide as he led Hermione to the library. 'Don't know what's going to be happening to the house now, the master doesn't have any children to give it to. One of the cousins will probably take it. Dark wizards, the cousins.' Dennis spoke the last bit in a whisper, as if he expected 'the cousins' to appear out of thin air. Hermione had to remind herself that this was, of course, entirely possible.
'Thank you,' Hermione said as she opened the huge double oak doors to the library.
Dennis bowed again. 'I'll send my daughter up with your breakfast Miss Hermione.'
Hermione nodded and went into the library. Severus' library was as big as the Hogwarts library; bigger even, if that was possible. However, while the Hogwarts library was filled with books on all sorts of subjects, Severus' was comprised mainly of very old books full of potions and dark wizardry. There was also a small section of very new books of muggle poetry, which included six or seven volumes of Robert Browning.
Hermione stalked through the library in search of a Latin-English dictionary. She'd almost given up when she spotted a battered looking copy lying on top of one of the lower bookshelves.
She opened the book and quickly found the words she was looking for, as they'd been magically highlighted to be printed in red ink. Amor meant Love, Vicint meant overcome, and Omnia meant in total.
'Love overcome in total?' Hermione said skeptically and then slapped herself in the forehead. 'Honestly Hermione, Neville's beginning to rub off on you,' she told herself flatly. 'This is Latin, it's different than looking up American slang in the bloody dictionary. It's Love Overcomes All.'
Hermione was in the process of smoothing out a crease in the front cover of the book when she noticed Severus' curly writing on the title page. She read it aloud, 'Love Conquers All.' She threw the book back down on the counter and muttered, 'Damn Slytherins,' under her breath as she stalked off
Hermione easily found a reliable looking book on healing potions called The Origins of Healing and Rejuvenating potions and their composition and application. Hermione settled herself into a leather armchair and began to read.
She'd hardly gotten through the first chapter when she was interrupted by the sound of one of the huge oak doors being opened. She looked up to see a very small female house elf wearing the same green pillow case as Dennis and carrying a silver tray. The house elf walked into the library very silently and set the tray down on the table in front of Hermione.
Hermione quickly abandoned her book in favor of the sweet smell of bacon that was assailing her nose. 'Thank you,' Hermione said politely.
The elf bowed, 'Cindy at your service.' she said brightly.
Cindy couldn't have been very old, eight or nine Hermione guessed, although she didn't know what rate house elves matured at. 'Are you Dennis' daughter?' Hermione asked.
'Yep,' Cindy said smiling happily.
'Does your whole family work here?' Hermione asked before taking a bit of the bacon.
'Yep,' Cindy said. 'Me mum and me dad, and me.'
Hermione wondered how house elves courted one another when they were separated into different families, but she thought it would be rude to ask.
Cindy was smiling brightly, but then her eyes got big and she ran to the door cursing herself for leaving the oven on.
Hermione shook her head and went back to her book casually picking at the bacon and sipping her grapefruit juice. She was only a couple pages in though, when she was once more interrupted by the door.
Severus came into the room very nonchalantly, his hair was wet and he wore a very revealing black silk bathrobe that was tied loosely at the waste so that it didn't cover his chest. Hermione surmounted that this had been done on purpose, and she wasn't entirely wrong on that point. He stopped to grab a piece of bacon and then sat down in the armchair next to hers, sitting sideways and pulling his feet up underneath him.
'I got a letter from Dumbledore this morning,' he said. 'He's going to be back on Monday morning, so I'm supposed to excuse you from class so that you can meet with him about the potion.' Severus smirked, 'He also said that I'm to treat you properly and not cause any trouble. I wonder what he would say if he knew that you were here quite at home sitting in my chair, eating my bacon and reading my book. Wearing my shirt no less.'
Hermione looked down, she was wearing his shirt, she hadn't noticed before. It was a black silk shirt, only slightly different than the one he'd been wearing last night. She didn't remember changing into his shirt, but since she was still wearing her pants she figured that she was okay.
Hermione looked at Severus in a very nonplused sort of way and went back to her book.
Severus smirked and leaned over her, his knees on his chair and his elbows resting on the arm of hers. 'You study too much darling.' He said sweetly. 'Besides, even if you don't get fifty out of fifty on my test you can still make up for it in extra credit.' Severus leaned forward and wriggled his eyebrows up and down.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. 'If you think you're going to get anywhere with a pick-up line like that I think you'd better go back to bed.'
'But that's precisely what I had in mind my sweet.'
Hermione smiled condescendingly and said 'I have all the credit I need thanks,' in a very sarcastic tone. 'But maybe you should give yourself some extra credit if you need the gratification.' She went back to her book.
Severus sighed and sank back into his own chair muttering, 'Welcome back ice queen,' under his breath.
'I'm the one who's supposed to have raging hormones not you,' Hermione said, not looking up from her book. 'Keep it in your pants for the next two months and we'll see. We will be done by the potion by that time and we won't have to worry about it. It shouldn't be that hard, it's not like you've been getting any lately.'
Severus scowled, 'What would you know about it?'
Hermione looked back to him and raised an eyebrow.
Severus huffed, defeated. Damn women. 'Fine, but I get to save your month of detention for November.'
Hermione rolled her eyes at him and stood up.
'Where are you going?'
'Back to school,' she said, kissing him on the cheek. 'It's nearly noon already, I have enough to explain as it is.' With this she left the library, with Severus muttering to himself.
'Damn bloody insufferable woman. It just figures. I don't know how I manage to get myself into these things. And she stole my book too.'
To top it all off, right at that moment, the mark on Severus' forearm began to throb.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A.N. Mwahahahaha another cliff hanger.
Thanks:
Amara Tsu: You're the best, has anyone ever told you that.dances around chanting, 'pure genius pure genius tra-la-la-la-la-la!' Seriously though, I giggle madly like a little school girl whenever I read one of your reviews. It also makes me get my fuzzy pink ass into gear and write another chapter, which is always good. I'm glad you liked Seamus on drums though, I had the hardest time picking out a drummer. Sorry about any of the mistakes in chapter Seven, normally I write a chapter out in my note book and then edit it while I'm typing but I wanted to get the chapter up before the week was over and I was typing it during my lunch hour in the bloody schools computer lab. Now I have to go back and copy chapter seven into my notebook otherwise it won't make any sense for my friend Sam who likes to read that version instead for some reason. I hate it when I establish deadlines for myself. I'm glad you think I can write good sarcastic remarks, I've never really been very good at coming up with them off the top of my head......It's always five minutes later after I've left. melts into a puddle on the floor I am not worthy.
Anarane Anwamane: TeeHee
Parody-of-an-Angel: Eww, Dobby and Hermione, gross. That cliff hanger is just for you.
Sarahamanda: Yup, thanks
Aindel S. Druida: Thanks, but I thought you said Severus was OOC. I personally think that he's a deeper character than everyone gives him credit for.
Dragon and Vampires: Hermione isn't really an ice queen, she just likes to give Sevvi a hard time.
Fireprincess804: Thanks, I always spell Lucius wrong. Lucius and Corduroy, if it wasn't for spell check I'd never spell corduroy correctly. Course, spell check doesn't usually work for names.
aquaflower: Thank you.
Would You Just Tell Me Already
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A.N. Okay, I rushed the last chapter, but this one is really well thought out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hermione awoke to find Severus lying in bed next to her. After a quick double take everything came back to her and she smiled contentedly. She looked at him lovingly, glad to be exactly where she was.
Severus moaned and turned on his side, facing her with his eyes still closed. 'Go back to sleep Hermione, it's Saturday.'
Hermione smiled, it was Saturday. She didn't have any classes all day, she could stay here with Severus and she didn't need to worry at all. Except she did have that test… 'Sev, darling?'
Severus grumbled inarticulately.
'Do you have a library?'
Severus groaned. 'Figures, I get her in my bed and she wants to know whether or not I have a library.'
'Severus Snape,' Hermione reprimanded. 'I've done nothing but sleep in your bed, and you're not to speak to me like that. Also, the reason I wanted to know if you had a library is because I need to study for the test that you are giving on Monday. If you don't have a library I'll have to go back to school and tell professor McGonagal all about how you are inattentive and I don't want to work with you anymore. My mother always told me how I should never date my co-workers.'
'Did she mention your professors?' Severus asked dryly.
'No,' Hermione said honestly. 'I doubt she would approve though. Whatever are we going to do about Christmas?'
'Stay at school,' Severus offered, turning over on his stomach and burying his face in his pillow. 'We can drink eggnog with Firenze, he throws the best New Year's Party every year, and shag on my couch.'
'Library,' Hermione said flatly.
'The last door on the left side of the hall,' Severus mumbled into his pillow. 'Now go away so I can sleep, you're very distracting.'
Hermione sighed and skipped out into the hallway, almost tripping over a house elf that was standing there. 'Oh, I'm sorry,' Hermione said and jumped back. 'Hello.'
'Allo,' the house elf said brightly. 'Would the young miss like anything for breakfast?'
'Oh,' Hermione said surprised. 'Yes please, some bacon and a glass of grapefruit juice if it's handy.'
'Of course miss.'
Hermione smiled at the little fellow, he was wearing a spotlessly clean pillowcase with a snake in the shape of an S embroidered across the chest in silver.
'Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Hermione Granger.' She curtsied to the little house elf.
The house elf blushed. 'I am Dennis,' he said bowing low.
'It's a pleasure to meet you Dennis,' Hermione said politely. 'Could you show me were the library is by any chance, I'll get lost otherwise. This house is so huge.'
Dennis started off down the hallway and Hermione followed him.
'The house has been in the Snape family for time out of mind, centuries and centuries. There was a lot of controversy surrounding how the house came into the Snape family, but I don't rightly know why. My grandfather probably knows, but he's not been 'all there' for a while now.' Dennis chatted away like a tour guide as he led Hermione to the library. 'Don't know what's going to be happening to the house now, the master doesn't have any children to give it to. One of the cousins will probably take it. Dark wizards, the cousins.' Dennis spoke the last bit in a whisper, as if he expected 'the cousins' to appear out of thin air. Hermione had to remind herself that this was, of course, entirely possible.
'Thank you,' Hermione said as she opened the huge double oak doors to the library.
Dennis bowed again. 'I'll send my daughter up with your breakfast Miss Hermione.'
Hermione nodded and went into the library. Severus' library was as big as the Hogwarts library; bigger even, if that was possible. However, while the Hogwarts library was filled with books on all sorts of subjects, Severus' was comprised mainly of very old books full of potions and dark wizardry. There was also a small section of very new books of muggle poetry, which included six or seven volumes of Robert Browning.
Hermione stalked through the library in search of a Latin-English dictionary. She'd almost given up when she spotted a battered looking copy lying on top of one of the lower bookshelves.
She opened the book and quickly found the words she was looking for, as they'd been magically highlighted to be printed in red ink. Amor meant Love, Vicint meant overcome, and Omnia meant in total.
'Love overcome in total?' Hermione said skeptically and then slapped herself in the forehead. 'Honestly Hermione, Neville's beginning to rub off on you,' she told herself flatly. 'This is Latin, it's different than looking up American slang in the bloody dictionary. It's Love Overcomes All.'
Hermione was in the process of smoothing out a crease in the front cover of the book when she noticed Severus' curly writing on the title page. She read it aloud, 'Love Conquers All.' She threw the book back down on the counter and muttered, 'Damn Slytherins,' under her breath as she stalked off
Hermione easily found a reliable looking book on healing potions called The Origins of Healing and Rejuvenating potions and their composition and application. Hermione settled herself into a leather armchair and began to read.
She'd hardly gotten through the first chapter when she was interrupted by the sound of one of the huge oak doors being opened. She looked up to see a very small female house elf wearing the same green pillow case as Dennis and carrying a silver tray. The house elf walked into the library very silently and set the tray down on the table in front of Hermione.
Hermione quickly abandoned her book in favor of the sweet smell of bacon that was assailing her nose. 'Thank you,' Hermione said politely.
The elf bowed, 'Cindy at your service.' she said brightly.
Cindy couldn't have been very old, eight or nine Hermione guessed, although she didn't know what rate house elves matured at. 'Are you Dennis' daughter?' Hermione asked.
'Yep,' Cindy said smiling happily.
'Does your whole family work here?' Hermione asked before taking a bit of the bacon.
'Yep,' Cindy said. 'Me mum and me dad, and me.'
Hermione wondered how house elves courted one another when they were separated into different families, but she thought it would be rude to ask.
Cindy was smiling brightly, but then her eyes got big and she ran to the door cursing herself for leaving the oven on.
Hermione shook her head and went back to her book casually picking at the bacon and sipping her grapefruit juice. She was only a couple pages in though, when she was once more interrupted by the door.
Severus came into the room very nonchalantly, his hair was wet and he wore a very revealing black silk bathrobe that was tied loosely at the waste so that it didn't cover his chest. Hermione surmounted that this had been done on purpose, and she wasn't entirely wrong on that point. He stopped to grab a piece of bacon and then sat down in the armchair next to hers, sitting sideways and pulling his feet up underneath him.
'I got a letter from Dumbledore this morning,' he said. 'He's going to be back on Monday morning, so I'm supposed to excuse you from class so that you can meet with him about the potion.' Severus smirked, 'He also said that I'm to treat you properly and not cause any trouble. I wonder what he would say if he knew that you were here quite at home sitting in my chair, eating my bacon and reading my book. Wearing my shirt no less.'
Hermione looked down, she was wearing his shirt, she hadn't noticed before. It was a black silk shirt, only slightly different than the one he'd been wearing last night. She didn't remember changing into his shirt, but since she was still wearing her pants she figured that she was okay.
Hermione looked at Severus in a very nonplused sort of way and went back to her book.
Severus smirked and leaned over her, his knees on his chair and his elbows resting on the arm of hers. 'You study too much darling.' He said sweetly. 'Besides, even if you don't get fifty out of fifty on my test you can still make up for it in extra credit.' Severus leaned forward and wriggled his eyebrows up and down.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. 'If you think you're going to get anywhere with a pick-up line like that I think you'd better go back to bed.'
'But that's precisely what I had in mind my sweet.'
Hermione smiled condescendingly and said 'I have all the credit I need thanks,' in a very sarcastic tone. 'But maybe you should give yourself some extra credit if you need the gratification.' She went back to her book.
Severus sighed and sank back into his own chair muttering, 'Welcome back ice queen,' under his breath.
'I'm the one who's supposed to have raging hormones not you,' Hermione said, not looking up from her book. 'Keep it in your pants for the next two months and we'll see. We will be done by the potion by that time and we won't have to worry about it. It shouldn't be that hard, it's not like you've been getting any lately.'
Severus scowled, 'What would you know about it?'
Hermione looked back to him and raised an eyebrow.
Severus huffed, defeated. Damn women. 'Fine, but I get to save your month of detention for November.'
Hermione rolled her eyes at him and stood up.
'Where are you going?'
'Back to school,' she said, kissing him on the cheek. 'It's nearly noon already, I have enough to explain as it is.' With this she left the library, with Severus muttering to himself.
'Damn bloody insufferable woman. It just figures. I don't know how I manage to get myself into these things. And she stole my book too.'
To top it all off, right at that moment, the mark on Severus' forearm began to throb.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A.N. Mwahahahaha another cliff hanger.
Thanks:
Amara Tsu: You're the best, has anyone ever told you that.dances around chanting, 'pure genius pure genius tra-la-la-la-la-la!' Seriously though, I giggle madly like a little school girl whenever I read one of your reviews. It also makes me get my fuzzy pink ass into gear and write another chapter, which is always good. I'm glad you liked Seamus on drums though, I had the hardest time picking out a drummer. Sorry about any of the mistakes in chapter Seven, normally I write a chapter out in my note book and then edit it while I'm typing but I wanted to get the chapter up before the week was over and I was typing it during my lunch hour in the bloody schools computer lab. Now I have to go back and copy chapter seven into my notebook otherwise it won't make any sense for my friend Sam who likes to read that version instead for some reason. I hate it when I establish deadlines for myself. I'm glad you think I can write good sarcastic remarks, I've never really been very good at coming up with them off the top of my head......It's always five minutes later after I've left. melts into a puddle on the floor I am not worthy.
Anarane Anwamane: TeeHee
Parody-of-an-Angel: Eww, Dobby and Hermione, gross. That cliff hanger is just for you.
Sarahamanda: Yup, thanks
Aindel S. Druida: Thanks, but I thought you said Severus was OOC. I personally think that he's a deeper character than everyone gives him credit for.
Dragon and Vampires: Hermione isn't really an ice queen, she just likes to give Sevvi a hard time.
Fireprincess804: Thanks, I always spell Lucius wrong. Lucius and Corduroy, if it wasn't for spell check I'd never spell corduroy correctly. Course, spell check doesn't usually work for names.
aquaflower: Thank you.