Like I said, update on friday! Hopefully one tomorrow, if not, that Sunday for sure. Also, to give you guys a hint, I wrote my absolute favourite scene for this story last night, and it's in another 2-3 chapters. It gave me shivers, and my mum couldn't stop raving about it. You guys will absolutely adore it, I promise. Thank your for the favourites, reviews, and alerts. Maybe review some more? -cheeky I know, but I can't help it. Enjoy!
Hermione awoke to the smell of sandalwood, and another unnamed spice. She moaned softly, and breathed in deeply, the pleasant smell filling her nose. Turning over, she scooted back in surprise when her hand in contact with the very solid form of a body beside her. Sitting up, Hermione glanced over to see the oddly peaceful face of a sleeping Severus Snape. She quickly got out of bed, sides heaving in shock. Severus Snape had slept in the same bed with her? The last thing she remembered was reading on the couch. She must have dozed off, and Severus carried her upstairs.
Hermione tried to calm herself as she considered this new situation. The had slept in the same bed together, and from a quick check on her person, nothing had happened. The more she thought about though, the more Hermione was assured that Severus would never do something like that. It was too ludicrous to even think that the man would save her from being raped, only to do it himself. Although she didn't have the memories to prove it, oddly enough, she trust Snape completely.
Walking to the side that the man was sleeping on, she peered down at him. He looked so peaceful, the lines on his face were smoothed out, and his expression was – for the first time – one of contentedness, and not the usual scowl or bored look.
Severus woke up slowly, vaguely noting that he was no longer pressed against the bushy haired witch. Opening one eye cautiously, he nearly jumped out of the bed at the sight of Hermione's wild brown hair framing her openly curious face as she looked down at him. "Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked in an annoyed tone.
"Oh, I er, sorry," Hermione stuttered as she stepped back hurriedly.
Severus heaved a sigh and sat up, shooting Hermione a withering glance. The damned chit was looking at him in the oddest manner, and he wasn't sure if he liked it. "What are you blathering on about?"
Hermione scowled. Apparently Severus transitioned from peaceful sleeper to his normal self at the point of waking. She found she rather preferred the sleeping Severus to the lucid one. "I find myself in the slightly unbelievable circumstance of having to ask you what happened last night, again," Hermione said as she sat on the edge of the bed.
Severus slid his feet from under the duvet, and perched stiffly on the edge of the bed. "You had a nightmare," he said curtly.
"And that required us spending the entire night together?"
"No, normally it would not, but after injuring my knee several times, and breaking a vase in the sitting room, you only quieted when I held you. So I brought you upstairs, and I fell asleep in the process of keeping you quiet," he snapped.
Hermione was slightly taken aback. He had lain with her the whole night to keep her nightmares away? Hermione shook herself. Snape had probably drank something that had intoxicated him. "I should, er, well I'll be out of your hair soon," she said a bit sheepishly.
Severus turned to glare at the witch. "Where will you go? Back to the idiotic redhead's place?" He surprised himself by his concern, but Severus would rather put up with Hermione longer than eject her from his home and she have nowhere else to go.
"Er... well, I could always owl my parents," Hermione said hesitantly. Truthfully she couldn't owl her parents, because they didn't know she existed. After the war she had found them, but couldn't undo the memory charm she had placed on them. It had broken her heart, and Hermione still wasn't over it, and she was always on the look out for anyone claiming to be adept at memory charms.
"The parents that currently reside in Australia with no existing memories of their daughter?" Severus asked pointedly.
Hermione gasped. "How did you...?" She trailed off, surprised that he had any idea what she had done to her parents. As far as she could remember, she had only told Harry and Ron about it.
"Miss Granger," he began mordantly, "Dumbledore had me trailing you and your miscreant friends after the term before I served as headmaster began. I knew perfectly well that you had erased your parents memories to keep them safe. It was a very mature precaution, and Dumbledore was quite impressed." Severus didn't add that he too, had been rather impressed at Hermione's forethought. He wondered briefly if she had been able to undo the charm, but quickly forgot about it. It was none of his business, and he was sure she didn't want him, or anyone else for that matter, prying.
Hermione glared at him accusingly, "so you're saying you stalked myself and my friends?"
"Dumbledore had his reasons," Severus replied laconically.
"Oh, because that's the excuse for everything," Hermione said with a huff. "Stupid old manipulative codger," she muttered.
"While I fully agree with your sentiments, I believe you have an issue to resolve."
"I'll figure out something."
"I'm sure you will, but until you do, you are welcome to stay here," Severus said begrudgingly. Knowing full well he'd regret it, but he was unable to stop the words coming from his mouth.
Hermione peeked at Severus hesitantly. "Are you sure?"
"Miss Granger, I never say anything I do not intend to carry through, nor do I do anything without carefully considering it."
"I told you, it's Hermione, and you really don't have to be so formal all the time, you know."
Severus heaved a sigh, and stood up. "Very well then. Breakfast, Hermione?"
Following Severus out of the room, they entered the kitchen together and took seats at the large, ornate deep mahogany table. A question suddenly popped into Hermione's head, but she wasn't sure if Severus would answer it. Watching as Fergus placed two plates of steaming pancakes in front of them, along with a pitcher of syrup and two cups of tea. Bowing, the elf left and Hermione picked up a fork, pulling her plate towards her, and eyed it hungrily. "I, er, have a question," she stated.
"Out with it."
"What did you do to the two men whom tried to...well, you know," she said awkwardly, quickly grabbing the pitcher and pouring some of the syrup onto her pancakes. Covering her awkwardness with a large bite of pancake, she looked at Severus expectantly.
"I stunned them."
"What about the law against magic use in front of muggles?"
"I returned after you were safely inside my house to revive them and Oblivate them. The law did not need to be involved. Especially since I didn't modify their memories exactly how they were before," Severus added with a slight twitch of his lip.
"What did you change?" Hermione inquired suspiciously.
"Well, they will not be perusing abandoned alley ways for lost women to take advantage of anymore. Leave it at that."
"I see. Well, thank you," she said as she stuffed a bite of pancake in her mouth. Choosing to ignore the slightly out of line actions Severus had taken, as Obliviating muggles was a terrible, but necessary precaution, altering ones memories was over stepping the line just a bit. Hermione was relieved though, as one of the insignificant fears she had been experiencing was being afraid of going back out on the streets, in case the same men came upon her again. It was comforting, to say the least, that they wouldn't do that any longer.
Severus nodded, and took a bite from his plate. The two ate in relative silence, as Hermione had no idea what to say to the man. Giving up on trying to make conversation, she went upstairs and transfigured her clothes into something more presentable. Grabbing her cloak, she whisked downstairs and was all most out the front door when Severus's deep baritone voice stopped her.
"Where are you going?" he asked curiously as he walked towards her, his robes still billowing imperiously behind him. Hermione found that slightly entertaining. Apparently some things never change.
"I'm going out to buy an owl," she said curtly. "I need one in order to start mailing prospective employers. I can't very well be jobless if I expect to sustain myself on my own."
Severus looked at her intently. "You worked at an apothecary previously, correct?"
"I did, yes."
"What did you do?"
"I stocked shelves, and gathering ingredients, organized, took inventory, served customers," Hermione rattled off the list of duties she had done whilst working for Windson, inwardly wondering why Severus was asking her these questions.
Severus nodded, "I am in need of an assistant at my own apothecary. If you are as capable as you say, I would have no issue granting you a temporary position, with full pay of course; whilst you find other work or whatever you plan to do," he said briskly.
Hermione stared at him, almost slack jawed. What had she done to elicit the generosity of Severus Snape? The man had never been anything more than brusque and withdrawn, often leaning more towards downright mean with her. But now, in the course of two days, he had saved her from being raped, and possibly killed, as well as offered her hospice for however long she required it. And now a job?
"Miss Granger, really, you should shut your mouth. It was an offer of employment, nothing more than anyone else would have offered."
"I – I would love to work at your apothecary," Hermione stuttered. "But I still need to buy an owl. As ill as Ronald has treated me, I am still responsible for letting the people whom care about me know where I am."
"Very well, the wards have been modified to let you come and go at ease," Severus said smoothly, and promptly turned around and headed towards the sitting room. Taking a seat, he sighed, burying his face in his hands. It was like he was watching his own death, the way he kept throwing himself at the witch's feet. His attraction to her grew every moment he spent in her company, and he had no idea how to stop it, or even what to label the strange attraction. It wasn't lust, per say, it was something more. Like an irrefutable pull towards the girl. Unable to deny it, and knowing any advance he could possibly make would be denied, Severus felt as though he could live comfortably with the girl as long as she needed. He knew she would do well at the apothecary, and he desperately needed someone to assist in the gathering of ingredients. It would do, for now, but he didn't know how much longer he could spend in her company without needing to be a thousand miles away from Hermione in order to get a clear head. She was intoxicating to him, and Severus hated it.
Later that evening, Hermione returned, bustling into the room and tearing her scarf from her face as she took a seat on the couch.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Severis asked disinterestedly, not taking his eyes from the book he held in his hands.
"No, not exactly," Hermione sighed. "I was able to rent an owl, and send what I needed to send, but I really need to acquire a bird of some sort, and soon."
Severus nodded, seeing the sense in the witches words. "There is an owlery somewhere close, I'm sure."
Hermione huffed slightly as she stretched out on the couch. "I couldn't find it then. It's okay though, I didn't want to be out too late, anyways."
Severus didn't comment, but he sensed the slight trepidation in Hermione's words. She was obviously timid about being out alone at night, and Severus found he didn't blame her at all. It will take her some time to become confident again, and he didn't begrudge her the fear of being caught in the same situation again.
Hermione settled down comfortably, and began to read, becoming lost in the muggle novel that Severus had on hand. The two read in comfortable silence for a couple hours, the soft rustling of paper was all that could be heard, aside from Severus's quiet mutterings at what he was reading. Hermione found that funny in a way, as when she was researching something, she had the tendency to mutter incoherently under her breath exactly the way Severus was doing.
Closing her book, Hermione yawned loudly. Severus merely arched an eyebrow, it was only eleven at night. It wasn't terribly late by his standards, he just remained silent and continued to read. Looking up eventually, he glanced at the clock on the mantle. It was almost two in the morning, he noted with some surprise. Glancing over at the couch, he huffed in irritation. The damned witch had fallen asleep again. Sighing he got up, and waved his wand, transfiguring the couch into a comfortable looking twin bed. Carefully, he pulled the quilt over Hermione, and then flicked his wand at his chair. It instantly transformed into a queen sized bed, and Severus quickly divested himself of his heavy robes, and climbed in.
It was easier than walking all the way upstairs, he sternly told himself, and besides. He didn't want Hermione tearing the house down with her screams, and whilst tomorrow he would talk to her about devising a sort of method to stop her nightmares, he decided that if his presence was all that was needed to give her a peaceful sleep, he didn't mind. Too much, at least.