A/N- Here's a nice long chapter for you all, to make up for the fact that I won't be updating until monday or tuesday. This is one of my favourite chapters, honestly, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it! Thank you for the reviews last chapter, and all those who have favourited and alerted! Enjoy.

Severus looked down at the crying witch in front of with him absolute shock. Out of everything he expected that day, which wasn't much, Hermione appearing on his front doorstep in tears was last on the list. In fact, it wasn't even on the list. He lifted his hand towards her, but quickly brought it back down again. He had no idea what to do. How was he supposed to handle this? He had never had to deal with a crying witch before, much less one who appeared randomly at his doorstep.

Hermione looked up at him, and buried her head in her hands and started to cry even harder. Out of all the places she could have apparated to, she had randomly thought of Severus Snape's home. She knew why it had looked familiar, she had seen the premises during the trial. Hermione still had no idea why it had randomly popped into her mind as she angrily left the Weasley's, but whatever it was that brought her here, she sincerely wished it hadn't. She wiped her cheeks off, and tried to stand, but didn't quite make it, and he flopped back down. She needed to leave, she told herself sternly. Severus could barely stand working with her, much less deal with her turbulent emotions.

Severus watched the witch try to get up, and fail. He rolled his eyes, and stooped to pick her up. The least he could do was take her off the cold porch, he reasoned. He flicked his wand and the door closed behind them, and he walked to the sitting room, depositing Hermione unceremoniously on the couch. He turned and left. He needed Frannel to make some soup for the girl.

Hermione watched him leave, her tears momentarily stopped by the shock of Severus willingly touching her and bringing her into his home. She supposed she didn't give the man much choice. She peered at the room through her tears, slightly curious about what sort of place Severus lived in. When she had seen the property she hadn't been allowed inside. The couches were a dark color, and the walls too. The fireplace looked quite forbidding and very old. Hermione got the sudden, insane urge to giggle. The fireplace definitely suited Severus. She jumped when she heard his deep baritone from behind her.

"Miss Granger, there is soup in the kitchen," he said curtly.

She turned to look at him. "I – er, thank you," she stuttered.

Severus nodded, and went to take a seat in his armchair. He looked anywhere but at her. This was the first time in recent memory that he had been rendered speechless. Her tears had stopped, he noted thankfully, but she appeared to be in a very precarious emotional state. He wondered briefly what had happened to make her this way, but decided it was her business and he wanted none of it.

Hermione looked around, and wondered if she should ask Severus where the kitchen was, or if it was obvious enough that he didn't think he needed to tell her. Deciding it would be better to ask than get lost in his impressively large mansion, she looked at him timidly. "Er, Severus, could you possibly point me in the direction of the kitchen?" she said, as her stomach growled. She had left before dinner had been served at the Weasleys, and before Ginny and Draco could announce their engagement. Hermione felt a tinge of regret at that, she had been looking forward to this day for that reason alone, and Ron had gone and ruined it all.

Severus started. Of course she needed to know where the kitchen was, if she wanted to eat. He stood up, and gestured for her to follow him. He walked briskly to the kitchen, not pausing to see if she was following or not. He opened the door and walked in and turned to see she was standing there. Severus had no choice but to look at her, and he had to restrain himself from wincing. She was an absolute mess. Her hair was bushier than he had ever seen it, and her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and she seemed to have a slight case of the hiccups. He pointed lamely at the bowl of soup on the table, and took a seat.

Hermione quietly sat down, and picked up a spoon. She took a bite of the soup, and groaned. It was delicious. Her favorite too, she thought to herself in surprise. She didn't think Severus had any idea that her favorite was minestrone. She took another bite, and turned to look at him. " I – er, I'm sure you're probably wondering why I appeared at your house so – uh, abruptly," she began a bit sheepishly, focusing intently on the contents of the bowl in front of her.

"I was wondering no such thing, Miss Granger," Severus lied smoothly.

"Well I'd like to explain anyways."

"What you choose to say is your decision," he said indifferently.

"Well, er, at the Weasley's, Ronald sort of blew up at me."

"I am not surprised. His temperment never impressed me."

"Yes, well, he said some terrible things, and I stormed out without a second thought and apparated to the first place that came to mind."

Severus arched an eyebrow. "My abode was the first place to enter your thoughts?"

Hermione scowled. "Trust me, I was as surprised as you were. Even though you couldn't tell through my, er, actions," she said quickly.

"Ah," Severus replied as he continued to look at the interesting patterns on the table.

"But uh, thank you, for letting me in," she said awkwardly. "And, er, feeding me."

Severus merely nodded in acknowledgment.

"I'll be leaving after I finish, then," she said hastily.

Severus turned to glare at her. "Are you completely daft? It's after midnight, it's snowing outside, and you are obviously emotionally traumatized," he snapped. "I will not have my partner splinch herself because of some stupid redheaded prat. It's a miracle you made it here in one piece."

Hermione just blinked at Severus. Was he...inviting her to stay? At his house? For the night? She shook herself experimentally, wondering if she had heard wrong. "You want me to stay here?" she asked dumbly.

"No, Miss Granger, I'm going to make you a bed outside under the pine," he said drolly. "You can use one of the numerous guest bedrooms for the night."

Hermione blushed. She honestly couldn't believe that Snape was offering her to stay the night. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

Severus nodded again. "When you are done I will show you to the room. I have a few spare clothes that you can transfigure into whatever you would prefer," he added.

Hermione bobbed her head, and finished the soup quickly. Severus saw that she had finished, and walked out. She followed quickly, not wanting to lose her way. He walked upstairs and paused at a door on the left side. "In here you should find everything in order."

"Thank you, Severus," she said as she walked into the room. It was small, but it looked comfortable enough. Severus flicked his wand, and a black men's nightshirt appeared on the bed.

"You may transfigure that to whatever you wish. Good evening, Miss Granger," he said stiffly as he turned and strode away. Hermione shut the door, and sat on the bed. She still couldn't quite believe what was happening. She looked at the nightshirt, and leaned down to touch it. She nearly gasped at how soft the flannel was, and immediately started to undress. Pulling it on, she marveled at how soft it felt on her skin, and hugged herself. She decided she wouldn't transfigure it, and climbed into bed. She stared at the ceiling, and attempted to bury the memories of that evening. She turned and closed her eyes, eventually falling into a fitful sleep.

Severus awoke with a start, as a piercing scream rent the house. What in the ruddy hell was that? He looked around frantically, and realized it was coming from down the hall. He stepped out of bed and strode to the door, yanking it open. He quickly morphed into his animagus form, and padded out of the room. He tread silently down the hall, and jumped back when another wail rang throughout the house. He snarled, the sound was much harsher on his feline ears. He tentatively nudged the door open, and took in the sight. Hermione was moaning and thrashing about, her face screwed up in what looked like pain. She screamed again, her back arched up violently. Severus hopped onto the nightstand and sat down. He had no idea what to do for her, so he just looked at her, his large yellow eyes glowing.

Hermione screamed again, and woke up with a start. She stared around wildly, and gasped for air, her sides heaving. She turned and nearly screamed again at the yellow eyes she saw atop the nightstand. She recognized the shape, and tentatively raised a hand towards them.

Severus has a cat? She mused. He didn't seem the sort to want to deal with having a pet. She picked the cat up by it's scruff, and it hissed, but allowed her to place it in her lap. "Hello, kitty," she said softly as she slowly petted it. "I didn't know Severus had a cat."

The cat didn't respond, of course, but just continued to stare at her, whiskers twitching, waiting for her to release her hold on him. Severus was fuming inwardly. He couldn't bloody well run off, she had a firm hold on him. He would've not let her grab him in the first place, but he was still of human thoughts, and didn't quite have the reflexes of a full feline.

Hermione rubbed behind his left ear, and in spite of himself, Severus purred. He arched into Hermione's touch, and hated himself for ever second he enjoyed her scratching behind his ear.

She settled back down, and placed the cat on her chest. "Would you like to keep me company?" she asked the cat.

Severus would have hexed her if he could have. He didn't think he would ever find himself in this position, but he had no choice but to relax on her chest. He could have clawed his way out of her grasp, but he didn't feel like adding more pain onto the amount that woman had suffered earlier. Plus she was still in the midst of a case of cold sweats from her nightmare, and he couldn't find it in himself to leave her just yet. He stayed perfectly still as her eyes closed and her breathing evened out. He found himself dozing off, and gave in to the calls of sleep.

Hermione awoke to something furry tickling her nose. She slowly opened an eye to see the rather bushy tail of a black cat twitching underneath her chin. The cat was sitting facing away from her, and she reached out to stroke its back. "Thank you for staying with me," she said softly. She had no idea why she felt the urge to speak to the cat as if it could respond, but it felt like she should, so she did. The cat stood up and looked around, eying her. It let her pet it one last time, and then it hopped off the bed gracefully, and padded to the door, flicking its tail one last time before it sped out.

Severus loped to his bedroom, and quickly transformed back into his normal form. He sat on the bed, looking around with a slightly dazed expression. He had just slept with Hermione Granger. Together, in the same bed. Even though he was in his cat form, it made no difference to him, though she had no idea. Still inwardly reeling from the shock of such a notion, he also noted that neither of them cast a Patronus that night, but both had slept soundly throughout the rest of the night without ever once stirring.

He growled to himself. It would have never happened if that pesky chit hadn't grabbed him by the scruff and forced him to lay with her. Sniffing, he told himself it wouldn't happen again, which was beside the point seeing as she would be leaving today. Severus knew the girl wouldn't be able to spend anymore time in his company than was necessary.

Standing up, he started to undress quickly, knowing Hermione was probably already looking for him downstairs. He pulled on his frock coat, wandlessly buttoning the many buttons with a whispered spell. He tied the cravat around his neck, hiding the scars he received on the unfortunate night of the Final Battle. Pulling on his black robes, he swept out of the room, quickly making his way downstairs. Entering the kitchen, he paused slightly when he saw the bushy head of Hermione sitting at the table.

Hermione started when Severus briskly yanked a chair out, and sat down. She hated how the man was able to walk so silently. She bit back a giggle, it was as if he had the silence of a cat. "Good morning," Severus," she greeted him in a friendly tone.

Severus nodded in her direction, and glanced towards the kitchen door. "Frannel," he boomed, as he waited patiently for the little elf to appear. When he did, Severus gave him hurried instructions as to breakfast, pausing only to ask if Hermione wanted anything in particular.

Mutely, Hermione shook her head, surprised at the fact that her colleague had a house-elf. Frowning to herself, she wondered how long he had owned the elf. She chose to ignore the niggling annoyance she felt at seeing the elf promptly obey the dour man's whispered orders. In the time since SPEW, her attempted campaign at raising awareness for the horrid conditions that elves lived and worked in, she had come to the realization that elves really did enjoy working for their respective masters, and she had let it go for the most part. Hermione still endeavored to treat any elf she came upon with a copious amount of kindness, though.

The elf glanced at her on its way out, and she flashed it a small smile. Turning to Severus, she looked at how well groomed the man looked at eight in the morning. Feeling slightly remorseful for her rumpled look, she opened her mouth to speak. "I didn't know you owned a cat."

Severus arched an eyebrow. Inwardly he was quickly running through ways to explain his appearance to the girl. He couldn't very well say he owned a cat, because he didn't plan on transforming into his animagus form any more, and especially not while she was in the house, lest the woman force him into sitting placidly with her again. Heaving a sigh, he decided on the most honest answer without giving himself away. Being unregistered, he had never let anyone know he was an animagus, and the only person who knew was now dead. "I don't," he replied curtly.

"Well, then one has somehow entered your house, because I found a black cat sitting on the nightstand beside my bed last night, and it slept with me the whole night," Hermione countered, surprised by his answer.

"I would not know how it entered," he replied smoothly as he summoned the morning paper from in front of the door. "But I assure you, I do not own any animals aside from my raven."

Hermione frowned. "You may want to check your wards then, because there was definitely a cat."

"I will do so," came the stiff reply. They both glanced at the kitchen door as Frannel came out carrying two trays of steaming porridge and various other foods. Watching as the elf placed the trays on the table in front of the couple. "Thank you, Frannel," Severus said, not unkindly.

"You have a house-elf," Hermione stated obviously.

"I do."

"And you treat him kindly."

"Miss Granger, what are you attempting to get at?"

"Nothing," Hermione lied, as she looked at the dour man in front of her. Finding herself looking at him in an entirely new light, she leaned back as she studied the potions professor. Hermione was slowly figuring out that there was much more to Severus Snape than he let anyone know, and she found that she liked what she was finding.

Severus could feel Hermione's amber eyes burning a hole through his skull, but he pointedly ignored it, choosing instead to grab a spoon and take a bite of the porridge. Swallowing, he nodded in Hermione's direction. "The porridge is exemplary, I suggest you try it."

Hermione took his advice, and heartily agreed after she finished the first bite. Quickly taking a few more, she took a swig from the mug of coffee the elf had also put out for her. "Your elf is a very good cook."

"I agree. I inherited him from a distant aunt, and apparently she enjoyed her repast to be cooked to a certain degree of excellence."

"He manages the job quite well," Hermione said, biting back a giggle. Severus's stiff tones and manner of speaking amused her. Wondering if he ever relaxed, she swiftly finished the porridge. Taking her mug in both hands, she leaned back and sipped the hot coffee, enjoying the taste of frothy French vanilla. "You like vanilla coffee?"

"Vanilla is what I prefer."

"Oh. Me too," she replied, finding it a bit odd that they once again shared tastes. Looking around, she suddenly felt at loss. Was he expecting her to stay? Or leave? Hermione cogitated inwardly, surreptitiously shooting Severus a glance as she took another sip.

"Do you have anywhere to go?" Severus asked softly, but still retaining his somewhat cold tones.

Hermione glared at him. "Damned legilimens," she muttered, looking at the foam gathering around the edges of the cup she held in her hands.

Severus scoffed. "I did not need to pry into your mind to know you are wondering how long you are welcome here."

"How long am I welcome here?"

Inwardly chastising himself for what he was about to say, Severus heaved a sigh. "As long as you would like. As you can see, I have more spare bedrooms than I know what to do with, and excellent food."

Hermione gaped at the dark haired man. "Are you inviting me to spend the rest of the holidays with you?"

"No, Miss Granger, I am merely pointing out enticing facts about my home at random," Severus replied dryly. As soon as the words were out he found himself regretting them. What possessed him to offer her hospice for the seemingly unending week left of the holidays? Of course Granger wouldn't accept, she was probably itching to get out of his dour company, as well she should. Severus found himself slightly disappointed at that thought, for whatever reason.

"I would love to," Hermione replied softly, as she gave Severus an undecipherable look.