The next day couldn't arrive fast enough. Hermione had informed Molly that she was meeting Severus for lunch and she hadn't been best pleased. That she was considering doing so without another adult present was very irregular especially as the two of them were promised to other people. Hermione was having none of it. She said that although this was the case, she had every right to meet with her friends whether they were male or female. She insisted that it would be just like her and Lavender going out for lunch by themselves. The older woman hadn't been happy about it but she had eventually relented, letting Hermione get her own way.
It was about an hour and a half before she was due to meet Severus that she got herself into a panic. She had no idea what to wear. Her wardrobe doors were flung wide and she stood in her underwear looking over all the pretty things it contained. She didn't want to dress up too much, lest Molly take umbrage with her and insist it was more than what it was. Then again, she didn't want to let Severus think that it didn't matter to her either. In the end, she settled for a pretty cream dress that had flowers embroidered over it and red trim. Once it was on, she had enlisted the assistance of Lavender with her hair. She had even applied a little of the lip gloss she had stashed in her bag. A final glance in the mirror and she knew she was as ready as she could be. Before she left, she scooped up the parts of the broken time turner and placed them carefully in her bag.
The ride in the carriage seemed to take far too long. Every moment brought her closer to the little café where they would meet, making her heart thud along in her chest. The clatter of the wheels on the cobblestones and the rock of the carriage usually didn't bother her; today however, was another matter. It turned the nerves in her belly to sickness and she knew that by the time she arrived, she would look pale and ghastly. Not the impression she had wanted to give.
By the time the foreman opened the carriage, she felt a little unsteady on her feet. The moment she was on the ground again, she sucked in a deep breath and took a look around. She was sure that a warm cup of tea and some conversation between her and Severus would go down very well, it would restore her to herself in no time, of that she was sure. Informing the foreman that she would be returning in two hours, she crossed over the pavement to the café, determined to find a relatively secluded seat so they could speak without the risk of anyone overhearing. For some reason, she was sure that the both of them being seen together in this manner would become the subject of gossip, something she was keen to avoid.
Fortunately, there was a small booth at the back of the tea house that was vacant. She made her way over to it, carefully picking her way across the floor so as not to knock any tables. The moment she was settled in, she ordered a pit of tea for herself and a black coffee for him. Strange, she seemed to know exactly how he had it. Not a strange leap of the imagination, he did wear black, it made sense if he were to drink it too.
She passed the time by looking around the pretty little place, there were more than a few people inside the building and a couple taking advantage of the decent weather and sitting outside too. The interior was clean, bright and very welcoming. A kindly looking woman waited behind a counter, making sure the entire place was spotless; she wondered whether she was a witch or not. Hermione had been so caught up with getting to know what was going on that she hadn't even considered what was going on out in the Muggle world.
The door to the café opened and she let out a sigh, glad to see her friend step through the door. He was dressed in his usual black attire; would it have been such a stretch to see him wearing something else? She supposed it was. She gave a small wave, signalling him over. He settled in opposite her, stretching his legs out. His gaze was as black and formidable as ever. She swallowed, now that he was here, she wasn't entirely sure what she was going to say. Maybe this had been a bad idea after all. Perhaps she shouldn't have come.
"Good day Ms Granger," he said pulling the coffee over.
"Hello," she said, sipping her tea and falling silent again.
Well, this was a bit awkward. She placed her cup down and swallowed; she was the one who had called this meeting, she may as well get on with it.
"I trust you're well?" she asked.
"I am, better than you I think, you're pale," he said.
"The carriage ride wasn't very good, the roads here are awful," she said. He raised an eyebrow at that, maybe she shouldn't have said that.
"Ms Granger, I doubt you called me here to discuss the quality of the roads. Our conversations have always been interesting and challenging in the past, don't disappoint me now." His words were a little sharper than she would have expected but nowhere near as scathing as they had been in the classroom. She knew then that if she was going to get a complete explanation from him, she would have to be honest. That would mean telling him everything; how she got here and why she had no recollection of what had passed between them previously.
Letting out a breath she had no idea that she had been holding, she nodded. "I can trust you can't I?" she asked. It seemed a touch unnecessary but she needed to hear it out loud.
"You always have done before, why would that change?"
She pressed her lips together and resisted the temptation of pushing her hand through her hair – it was currently fixed in some sort of elaborate design and she didn't want to look like a banshee just yet. "Truth is… I need your help," she said.
"If this is about Krum, the answer is still no," he said, somewhat waspishly. She shook her head.
"I have no idea how to fix that problem, no idea how that even happened." Instead of carrying on talking, she pulled out the broken parts of the magical device and placed them carefully on the table. "Do you know what this is?" she asked, dearly hoping that he did.
She watched him carefully as he picked over the small parts she had set on the table. He nodded, "This was a time turner," he said.
"Yes, it was a badly made one too. I was sent to recover it from an ancient witch by the minister of magic. She was only too glad to part with it, Instead of heading back to the Ministry though, I took it home. It was falling to pieces in my hands and I know I should have left it as it was but I couldn't resist. I used it. Next thing I know, I'm not in my London flat any more but here, dressed like this, two hundred years in the past." She said. She dared not look up when she finished speaking, not wanting to see the scorn or disdain in his eyes. Instead, she picked up her mug of tea and took a long sip.
When she finally did look up, his face showed no ire at her; he just looked as though he was thinking hard about something, "So you have no memory of what happened before you arrived?" he asked slowly. She shook her head. Hermione had no idea what it was he was thinking about but it looked as though it was serious.
"I have no way to return to my time either, that I know about," she added. He looked up from his coffee then, his expression ponderous.
"No wonder you're so anxious to get away from Krum," he said. She chuckled, of all the things he could have said, he chose to comment on her choice of life partner.
"I don't want to go to Bulgaria," she said.
"Who would," Severus said, "Now I'll never know why you accepted his proposal," he added with a soft sigh.
"Did we argue over something?" she asked, "I've seen letters but there's nothing in them of substance. I get the impression that we have been friends for a while; but then something caused a rift between us. I've asked but no one seems to know, or want to tell me," she explained.
He remained silent for a moment, carefully watching his face. Of course, he gave nothing away there, "We did fall out." He confirmed, "But it seems so silly now I look back. It was a mere trifle," he said. She nodded, not entirely convinced but unable to argue otherwise. She took another sip of her tea, hoping that she had made the right decision by going to him. "I will help you with Krum," he said after a moment.
"You will?" she asked.
"But you have to do something for me in return," he said.
"Of course."
"You must tell me everything you can remember of the future," he said.
Now, that didn't seem like too bad an idea, it would give them plenty of reason to spend time together, that much was certain. She nodded. "I'd be happy to," she said. "There is a lot to tell," she added.
"You can come by the Manor and tell me all about it," he said. She wasn't sure, but she thought she saw the ghost of a smile on his lips.
"Are you sure Ms De La Cour will be alright with that?" she asked, not wanting to openly cause a rift between the pair of them.
He shook his head, "She will not be a problem," he said. She believed him, it was his house after all and they were friends. She might want to be more than that but would never openly push for it while she was still in the picture.
"Then that's fine," she said, draining her mug. "The moment Krum had gone, I'll tell you all you want to know." The way she said it made it sound a little bit sinister, it wasn't meant like that at all.
"I believe we have a deal then Ms Granger," he said with a nod. She watched him finish the coffee before rising from her seat.
"We do, I should head back," she said. She could make out the footman milling about outside. With that, Severus nodded. He too, rose from his seat and offered her the crook of his arm. She took it, feeling her cheeks colour and he walked her out of the shop.
"I shall be in touch," he said when she was safely stashed back inside the carriage.
"Thank you," she said, smiling. The smile was returned with the briefest of twitches. He signalled the driver and before she could say anything else, she was being driven back to the Weasley's place. They were half way home when she recalled that she had not picked up the parts of the Time Turner.