"What are you wearing?" Severus laughed. Hermione flushed. Hermione had been in the past for three days now and Madam Pomfrey had told her that her cloths were not even worth repairing and the elves had thrown them away. So it was to the lost and found for the time traveler. There had been only a few things that fit her and Hermione had picked the most harmless things she could find.
"Jeans? And a slytherin tee?" She shrugged, Severus laughed again. "What! I don't have anything else and if anyone can wear a SLYTHERIN shirt it aught to be me." She huffed. From her right a chuckle alerted her to Sly's presence.
"She's got a point you know" Severus obviously had not heard the man's arrival and jumped at the unexpected voice in their conversation. "But no matter you can buy new things if you don't care for the colours." The painting shrugged.
"With what imaginary money" Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Family money!" Severus's eyes widened. "You can stake a birthright claim to Slytherins vaults in Gringots."
"What about Voldemort?" She didn't want to share anything with him.
"Honestly?" Severus sniggered a little "His blood is likely dirtier than yours dark magic and all that. Plus how would he just walk in to make a withdrawal?" The painting chuckled at Severus's joke.
"He did walk the streets once. I broke into Gringots, Harry Ron and I. We rode out on a dragon, and he killed everyone in the bank he was so angry." Hermione started the memory off with a smile and then sighed heavily by the end.
"That'll never happen here." Severus said firmly. Both Slytherins looked at the boy. "I mean it! I wont' let it! And you're here now you said you were close to defeating him! Well do it now! Let's stop it now! So you can be happy." Severus said. Hermione felt like her lungs were getting smaller and she struggled to draw breath.
"I don't know if I can fight anymore Severus." She whispered. Realizing his mistake the boy surrounded her in his arms. Hermione was so little compared to the seventh year. She fit under his chin perfectly. She was perfect, his mind whispered.
"Oi! You two!" Sly called jokingly. Hermione wiggled out of his arms and laughed whipping her eyes. "But he's right you have all our families money, go buy something nice!"
"Hermione we can't just leave!" Severus said. "It's Christmas, Dumbledore'll notice if we miss a meal!" He frowned. Hermione could see the disappointment creep over him.
"Of course we can! When have you ever cared about Dumbledore moreover who has more of a right to be here!"
Sly and Severus both saw the magic crackle in her hair like static electricity and the two dark eyed men met eyes concerned looks on their faces. The boy shrugged.
"Fair enough how do we get out of here?" Severus asked.
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"How do you even know about this place?" Severus and Hermione were on their hands and knees crawling down the dusty passageway. Her laugh echoed back to him.
"Harry of course! Where do I get into all my misadventures?!" Her laughter made Severus grin. That and the lovely round bum in his face. How to tell the wonderful woman that she was offering him the most delicious view of her arse? Not of course! He'd save that memory for another time. Maybe tell her in the future.
"We're getting close should be able to stand soon, my back is killing me" She whispered. "You have to be quite too this tunnel ends in honeyduke's basement." It appeared, unsurprisingly that Hermione was right soon they were standing Hermione shifting the heavy stone away and hoisting herself out of the tunnel.
"Clever girl let's blow this joint!" Severus pressed his lips to Hermione's forehead quickly in praise before shifting the stone back into place. Hermione blushed then pulled her wand checking up the stairs to see if anyone was in the shop. There was a light crowd. Hermione hesitated. "Disillusioned let's go" Hermione felt Severus grab her hand and pull her up the stairs. The two dodged the man behind the counter and crawled to the other side and out the door as quickly as they could.
When they reached the shrieking shack Severus took off the charm and shivered.
"We should have brought a coat!" His teeth were chattering.
"Magic!" Hermione cast a heating charm on their shirts. "Now let's go!" grabbing his hand she disapperated without another word.
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"Hello Bogrod" Hermione had greeted the goblin before she realized her mistake. The goblin in question and several of his neighbors looked questioningly at her.
"We're hear to claim a birthright" Severus cleared his throat hoping to cover Hermione's blunder with their interest. Indeed many goblins ears perked.
"And which bloodline are you claiming?" Bogrod rasped. Hermione took a deep breath.
"Salazar Slytherin's" There was an ear shattering silence. It was as if the very air itself had stopped.
"You will of course be willing to prove it." Bogrod rustled in his desk drawer and pulled out what looked like a muggle stamp press. Hermione nodded. "Your hand Miss." Hermione extended her hand to the goblin. Severus held his breath.
Hermione pressed her thumb firmly into the press and hissed a little as a tiny blood sample was drawl. The case shook and glowed green.
"Welcome Miss Slytherin." Bogrod said in a low voice filled with awe. "You will of course have to fill out some papers." He put away the tester and pulled out a form for the girl to sign.
"Severus can you sign here?" Hermione asked after some time.
"Why?" He was confused surely nothing required a witness.
"So you can open the vault if need be"
"Hermione! Are you crazy?" Severus hissed in her ear. "Putting me there would align our families. Essentially tell the wizarding community we're engaged! You'd be doing me a favor raising my status but you can't! You don't even know me!"
"But I do Severus. Who cares we don't actually have to be engaged to we? This will be good for your apprentiships!" Hermione could see that sink in to his mind. He wanted to be a potions master so badly. "Severus I have no reputation to ruin. It will be okay just sign!"
"You are mad" He muttered scrawling his name on the parchment.
"Thank you Miss this way to your vault this will of course take some time to get to and open." Bogrod lead the two threw a side door that lead to the vaults Hermione knew. The door that lead to her old vault was on the other side. Close to the top, she reasoned.
"How do they open new accounts here?" Hermione wondered allowed.
"Expansion charm allows for new vaults and unused vaults such as yours are shuffled to the bottom. Unfortunately it could take 40 to 60 business days for your vault to be moved closer to the surface, should you desire such." Bogrod answered her question despite being asked.
"The more you know" Severus said looking impressed. The ride to her vault took a good ten minutes even at the break neck speeds of a Gringots cart. When they finally drew to a stop Hermione couldn't help but wonder how far under the city they were. There was no light save the carts headlight and Bogrod's lantern.
"You need only place your thumb here and you'll get a key so next time we don't need to keep drawling blood." He explained. Hermione put her thumb against the lock and hissed at the tiny bit she felt. Moments later she felt something pressing against her thumb and drew back to see a tiny key poking out of the lock. She took it and slipped it into the pocket of her jeans.
The door swung open with a groan that made her wonder who was the last of her relatives to enter this vault.
Bogrod clicked his fingers and the torches in the vault were light. Severus and the Goblin hung back.
"Severus come look at this!" She called. Hesitantly the boy entered not gracing the curious goblin with a look. Severus took in a sharp breath when he saw the room. "Look at this bed Severus!" She said. Severus focused on her standing by a bed frame.
The wood was a dark cherry colour. It was four-poster Queen size likely. It had ornate animals carved into the posts. Drawling closer he noticed she was running her fingers over a Snake and Lion playfully carved.
"A lion Miss Slytherin?" He chuckled.
"I'm a Gryffindor after all" if he was surprised he hid it.
"I wonder what Grandda would say about that?" Severus had to laugh imagining an outraged founder of his house and a laughing Godric Gryffindor.
"Wonder indeed." A voice spoke and the two jumped. Hermione even squealed a little. "That's be over here behind a bookcase" the voice was annoyed. Severus ventured over and pulled a life size frame out form behind the bookcase knocking dust free into the air.
"Wow." Both living people in the room spoke before thinking.
"Salazar I presume?" Hermione asked. It was amazing how much this man looked like his son.
"Indeed. And you must be a child of mine somehow. A Gryffindor you say? What a shame." He sneered. Hermione immediately noticed the differences between this man and his son.
"Raised by muggles too. Now you will leave me be or I'll pour turpentine all down your front." She snapped. Severus looked surprised but quickly stowed the man silencing his portrait with a little flick of his wand.
"No need to be so harsh." Severus said whipping dust off his hands.
"He's the man who tried to kill Sly!" She pointed out. "And he's the reason Voldemort's around." She glared. "Do you know how much trouble has come from that man? If not from him from his children!"
"He's not all bad" Severus muttered.
"How can you say that Severus!" She was shocked. Clearly Hermione didn't see what he was getting at.
"Well there's you" He said softly. Hermione's face showed all the shock she felt. Such a Gryffindor, the thought. "I like to think you're an okay contribution on his part."
"Well, I" She was at a lose for words. Severus smiled. "Let's get some money, some books maybe and be gone."
The pair decided to take the entire bookcase. They arranged with Bogrod to have the books shipped to them at the school no questions asked. Some where less than stellar Hermione's ancestors had collected over the years. Hermione was equally fascinated and nervous to see what some of the Latin ones were.
Before they left the vault Hermione sent one last look around the huge room filled with things they had barely gotten a change to look at. Her eyes rested on the bed frame, Severus noticed. Then they left.
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Shopping with Severus hadn't been as awful as she thought. In fact she had fun. Aside from the fact she was reliving the 70's fashion.
"You mean to tell me this isn't nice in the future?" Severus held up a blouse with shoulder pads.
"Never!" She giggled. He laughed and put in on the rack.
"Alright Doctor, what is cool then?" He challenged. Hermione spent the afternoon putting together outfits she deemed wearable and Severus making absurd suggestions.
The pair finally made it back to the school just before dinner. When they sunk back into the castle they shrunk all their purchases and put them in their pockets. No need to be ratted out by shopping bags.
"Where have you two been?" Dumbledore demanded when they showed up at dinner.
"Around" Severus answered stiffly. He hated be talked down to by this old man. The other staff remained silent. It was best to only step in after they'd gotten their little row out of the way. Otherwise the anger the two were brewing would be shot at whoever was foolish or brave enough to interrupt.
"I am headmaster of this school I demand to know" He ground his teeth.
"Fine we've been shagging in the forest all day." He sneered. Hermione choked on her pumpkin juice. She coughed trying to hide her giggles.
"Hermione you will tell me." The man turned his blue eyes to her they were piercing. In another time she would have been afraid of them.
"Tell you what?" She said innocently. Severus smirked. "I don't kiss and tell headmaster." She said coolly taking another sip form her cup. She heard a professor to her left snigger a little.
"I a headmaster…!" Dumbledore began to rant.
"And I am a student who pays to be here" Severus cut across him equally angrily if not more so.
"Detention for interrupting your headmaster student." Dumbledore spat. Hermione was suddenly filled with rage at the old man. She took several calming breaths trying to suppress her emotions. "You however, are no student, you are a guest and should tread lightly." He hissed.
Hermione lost it.
"Are you threatening me old man?" She growled. Severus' anger seemed to be sapped from him. Now he was concerned for Hermione. Her hair was filled with blue magic sparking from strand to strand.
"Do you have any idea who you are speaking too? If anyone has a right to be here it's me. In fact you are my guest!" She rose from her chair to her feet.
"Your guest! That's rich!" Dumbledore clearly did not see the danger here. His irritation at Severus had transferred to the witched.
"MY GUEST!" She spoke loudly but not loud enough to rattle with windows slightly as they did. Severus suspected it was her magic.
"Dumbledore you might want to…" Severus held up his hand trying to defuse the situation.
"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" He shouted.
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Hermione's voice shook the floor. Everyone gasped. Dumbledore seemed to falter a little he realized he's stepped in it. "I am Hermione Slytherin" Her voice was a whisper but the castle shook again more violently this time. "I am going to save your miserable life." She sneered. "Now unless you desire me to tell your staff everything I know about you, you have better sit down and eat your dinner you camp git!" She had lost the anger, and the school no longer shook, she was herself again. She squeaked "camp git" at Dumbledore and Severus could help but think how adorable she was.
"Right. Sorry" The old man muttered the wind clearly taken out of his sails.
Later than Night Hermione had been shown to a set of rooms on the third floor just for her. As soon as the elf showing them had popped away Hermione opened the door and walked in. Severus stood at the door a little shocked. Hermione poked her head back around the picture with a grin.
"Are you coming?" She smiled. He relaxed a little and followed her down the hall shutting the door behind him. She ran and jumped into the queen sized bed laughing. Severus shrugged and launched himself onto as well. She laughed when his landing beside her made her bounce slightly.
"Let's get some sleep" She was inviting him to stay without actually inviting him.
"Don't you want to change?" they were still in their cloths form the day.
"Tired Sev" She muttered. Severus's heart clenched hearing her sound so sleeping and saying his nickname.
"Sleep then love" He pulled her so she was half on his chest. She smiled into his chest.
"Severus hmhkjkhkjklansdf" Severus looked down at her in confusion then chuckled. She had started her sentence and then fallen asleep she was already drooling slightly on his shirt. He rolled his eyes. He hadn't even gotten to take his boots off. He wiggled reaching for his wand. Finally he got it up from between the two of them. He took of his boots and her trainers and both their socks. Satisfied his feet were cool he settled back into the pillow again.
How did he end up here? He wondered. I had the fight with bloody Potter and was late for dinner. He realized. Well good things do seem to come from prats, Salazar and Potter both brought him Hermione. He would never do it again and never to their faces but right before sleep claimed him he set a silent prayer to the stars for the berks bringing Hermione to him. Thank anyone for Hermione.