After a short while McGonagall left to go back to Hogwarts and Hermione and Snape were left alone. Neither of them knew what to say so they sat in awkward silence for a while.
Eventually Snape sighed and stood up.
"I should introduce you to Celia I suppose. She is in her bedroom, she always is. I have tried to coax her out of there, but she refuses to come out."
Snape had a pained expression on his face that hit Hermione straight in the heart.
"I will do what I can to help her, I know we don't really have the most stellar history between you and I behind us, but I hope you can trust that at least."
Snape looked Hermione in the eyes.
"You were my student, a pain in the arse at times that is true. But with everything that was happening you were only the slightest of inconveniences; generally when I needed to save yours and the boys lives, or grade one of your essays that was ten times longer than required. But you were a child and I was mainly focused on my assignment and staying alive. You stealing an ingredient or two was hardly a thing I noticed, and certainly nothing I would hold a grudge for."
Hermione felt both reassured and oddly annoyed by that. She had apparently not been more than a blip in his time at Hogwarts and he had been such a presence in her young life, and now knowing all the things he had done for the light side, she had an immense respect for him. That had been for the Snape she had assumed was passed though, the man in front of her was far more complex in every way compared to the image she had previously held.
"Well, I should meet Celia then" Hermione said.
As they walked up the stairs in the massive hallway Hermione could not decide what she thought of the mansion. It had beautiful features but it seemed so gloomy and dark. Tapestries covered almost all walls and dark carpets were laid over most of the floor.
When they reached the second floor they turned down a corridor to the left with several rooms along one side and a view outside the windows towards the front of the mansion on the other.
When they reached the second to last door Snape stopped in front of it and pointed towards the last door.
"That is my room. I thought it would feel comforting for Celia to have me so close, but now I am not sure. I am hardly the type to instill calm and comfort in anyone, let alone a child."
Hermione stepped forward and put a hand lightly on Snapes arm.
"But you are here for her, it will probably take some time, but I am sure she will trust you eventually."
Snape just sighed and walked up to Celia's door and knocked on it. There was no answer but he slowly opened the door anyway. It was obvious he was not expecting and answer.
They both stepped in, and at first Hermione could not see anyone in the rather large room. There was a big four poster bed with green drapes, a large dresser and nightstands next to the bed. Except for a door to what Hermione assumed was an en-suite bathroom there was nothing else. But then she saw a small girl crawled up on the large windowsill just sitting there still with her arms around her legs looking out of the window. She looked younger than her age and the dark almost black eyes looked enormous on her. Celia's hair was black and slightly wavy and reached all the way down her back. She was pretending to not notice her visitors, but Hermione could see her glancing their way slightly.
Snape took a few step forwards but made sure not to get too close as he could see the girl flinching a bit.
"Celia, this is Hermione Granger, she is to be your Governess."
There was no reaction at all from the girl. Hermione walked closer and stood next to Snape.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I understand you have only been here for a short while, so I imagine things are very new to you and very confusing. Magic must be the most confusing of all. I knew nothing of it at all until I started showing signs myself. It was really scary at first. But I hope we will become friends and get to know this place together. It is almost lunchtime so I will go unpack my things, then I will come back here. I understand you take your meals in your room, so I will join you. "
There was still no reaction so after a short while Hermione and Snape exited the room and gently shut the door behind them.
Hermione exhaled.
"I understood the girl had been through a lot, but I have never met a child that seems to so shut out the rest of the world. I have no idea where to start to make her trust me."
Snape leaned against one of the windowsills in the corridor looking rather sad.
"I don't know what to do either, but thankfully I know you are stubborn enough to try everything. And promise me that if there is anything I can do or get, to just ask me, anything at all."
Snape looked so sincere that it almost brought tears to Hermiones eyes. She took a step forward and hesitated slightly but then took his hand gently. Snape looked down on Hermione and she gave the hand a slight squeeze.
"We will do what we can. She is still so young, she can overcome this in some way. We will just have to be patient with her."
Hermione might have imagined it, but it felt like she got the slightest of squeezes of her hand back before Snape released it and walked down the hallway.
