From the time Hermione left the hospital wing until the second week of the official holidays she tried her hardest not to be a burden. Not that that plan worked out. She had broken down when she first saw her house, before the funeral, after the funeral, the final time she left to go live with Severus (which still seemed odd to her) and every night when she went to bed. She knew that both Severus and Tonks were fully aware of Hermione's distress but they seemed to want to give her some space which she fully appreciated.
She had hardly had to do anything when they had left Hogwarts. Tonks and Severus had taken care of the funeral arrangements, the official adoption process and packing up her families stuff. She had been pleasantly surprised to find that Severus had moved everything from her old room into this new one in almost exactly the same positions as it had been. He and Tonks had also taken the trouble to put all her family photos in her room. It had been a nice gesture and had boosted Hermione's spirits. As did Severus's efforts to try to turn this house into a home.
He had painted the entire inside of the house a light beige colour and the exterior a pale yellow. Her own room had been painted a light purple and appeared to be the cleanest in the house at first. As time had passed all of them looked cleaner and strangely welcoming. Much like their owner Hermione knew it had been changed for her, just like his attitude seemed to have changed because of her. He always said good morning no matter when she chose to show herself. The first time she had fallen down the stairs he had rushed over worried for her safety, and then proceeded to threaten that if she fell again that he would start levitating her up and down them. When she realised he was joking she had burst into laughter and a small genuine smile had graced his features. That had occurred at the end of her first week here, the last official one of school and Severus's changes had finally dawned upon her. He wasn't the evil git everyone thought he was or the aloof teacher she had considered him to be. He had opened his home to her and in doing so had opened himself. After that she had noticed the pain wasn't as strong anymore. It was still there, she suspected that it always would be but she hoped that with a bit of time and the care of others that it would be dimmed.
Tonks had also become a regular fixture in the house she had been almost every day. The most hilarious time had been when Snape had removed the bookcase that led downstairs to a hidden basement. By the time that they were finished it had become a library/study/potions lab. Unfortunately Hermione had discovered that Severus had been serious about the levitation. Tonks who was possibly even more clumsy then Neville when he was nervous, a feat neither Severus nor Hermione thought possible, had fallen down the stairs, dropped a bookshelf and fallen down the stairs again before Severus had started levitating her up and down the stairs. Something she had found most undignified. Hermione had stayed out of their way and had made lunch and tea for when they were finished which they had been deeply grateful for. She had noticed at this point, the end of her second week that Severus and Tonks had become fast friends and that Hermione herself was slowly becoming part of this strange group.
At the beginning of the third week the three had hit their first major hurdle and apparently passed it. Tonks had shown up at Spinners End for breakfast. She did this at least once a week on alternating days to irritate Severus. His remarks about her incapability's to prepare her own food and her deliberate attempts to get in his way and cause trouble for him were hilarious. As Severus was cleaning up after breakfast Hermione had been rudely snapped back to reality by a sudden influx of owls into the kitchen. Her little paradise that Severus and Tonks had helped create had been shattered. No fewer than twenty owls had streamed inside the house and there were more coming. Hermione had fled to her room. She knew that they contained her class's holiday homework and demands for her to do it. Ten minutes later Tonks called for her to come back down. She did not sound angry and Hermione realised she cared what they thought about her situation. She did not want to admit that she could not handle her classmates or that she had created a spell to make her own writing look like theirs. Slowly and full of dread she had trudged down stairs. To see two concerned looking faces sitting with a pile of opened mail in front of them. Hermione took the seat across from them and waited.
Severus began the conversation by getting straight to the point. "How long has this been going on for?"
Hermione saw no point in lying but was surprised at how small her voice was when she answered, "Since the Chamber of Secrets incident."
Severus looked at her carefully and did his best to keep his tone even, "You have singlehandedly completed homework for the first, second and third year students of your own house and members of Ravenclaw and Slytherin for the last part of the year without getting caught. He studied her before he continued, noticing that she looked scared. "How?"
Hermione's head snapped up at that question Snape was eyeing her carefully waiting to see her response; Tonks sat by waiting to see what would happen.
"Well I invented a charm to change my handwriting to look like someone else's. I knew one existed but I knew it could be tested for so I made my own. Mine also changes the words and sentence structure so that the writing doesn't look similar but I swear I am the only one who knows and I created a counter for it."
Severus paused for the space of a heartbeat and forced himself to continue along the lines of the homework issue and not ask about the spell. "Why did you do this Hermione?"
For a moment Hermione considered lying but looking at Tonks and Severus she couldn't do it. Before she knew it she was telling them the truth in a hurry desperate for them to understand. She didn't care about the pleading note in her voice. As long as they understood.
"Well after the Chamber incident and Voldemorts defeat Harry and Ron stopped talking to me and they were my only real friends. All I wanted to do was talk to them and the next thing I knew I was doing their homework for them and then their new friends as well. Before I knew it there were so many and I didn't know how to say no to them and when I tried they threatened to curse me in the corridors and make sure nobody ever talked to me again. I couldn't take it so I just let it slide hoping that the holidays would distance the problem and that maybe considering the circumstances that they would give me a break. Though I was obviously wrong."
Hermione's head dropped to look into her lap. She waited for the yelling, the detention giving, all of it. It never came. Severus's response shocked her.
"Alright. You also obviously felt that you couldn't tell any of the teachers about the problem. I take it that they threatened you about that too." At Hermione's nod he continued. "Well Hermione this ends right now. Tonks and I are going to write to the other heads of house and give them a list of the students who have been involved and that they are to be told in no uncertain terms that they are to complete their own homework not blackmail others into doing it for them. I will write to the Slytherins myself and we will see to it that they do not hassle you next year. Also before the inevitable question, you are not being punished because the others blackmailed you."
Hermione looked up relived and then snapped back with," I wasn't going to ask that. I was going to ask whether there was any use in writing the Slytherin's seeing as most of them have had at least one parent in Azkaban since the beginning of the holidays and the rest are being taught about muggles."
Severus was quick with his response, "Yes there is. Many will be embarrassed at being caught and their parents will be livid. They won't be hassling you next year."
Indeed Severus had testified at the end of term as to who was or wasn't a death eater for Voldemort. He even tried to have a prisoner freed who he believed was innocent. Many had been arrested and were either imprisoned or put into classes to teach them about muggles and muggleborns. Hermione hoped that it would help but wasn't entirely convinced.
After Hermione nodded her assent Tonks finally broke her silence. "So are we done with the serious part?" When they both just looked at her she continued. "Excellent. Now we can talk about the cool bit. So how does this spell of yours work?" She turned to face Hermione with a look of pure glee.
Severus quickly followed with, "Also have you invented any others?"
Once Hermione got over the fact that she wasn't getting in trouble and that they were genuinely interested in her spell work she tore out of the room to retrieve her notes. They spent the rest of the day looking at her work and helping her with what she had accomplished so far. From that point on they were much more like a family. Until the Friday of the second week of the holidays. The three had been hanging out and learning more about each other. On Thursday when an owl arrived to ask both Severus and Tonks to attend the ministry the next day they brushed it off.
Hermione spent the day reading and finishing the last of her homework. She was relieved to find that no one from Hogwarts had tried to contact her since Severus had sent the letters. She became slightly worried as the day wore on and they didn't return. Neither Severus nor Tonks returned until just after five that evening both looked slightly harassed. Severus went to the kitchen and started cooking while Tonks got some drinks out. Both then turned to Hermione who had followed them into the kitchen. Severus sighed before he spoke.
"Hermione, we need to talk."