Chapter Five

It was after midnight when they both realised that the band was winding down for the evening on account of the holiday period. Hermione supposed they all wanted to get home to the warmth of their own families, and the thought caused a ripple of pain through her mind remembering once again that this time of year always reminded her of her own lack of family members. The only thing waiting for her in her apartment was Crookshanks, and some half dead plants.

Without saying anything, there was mutual acknowledgement that it was time to leave. Hermione stood up from her chair and very quickly was made to sit down again. The amount of wine consumed this evening had been vastly more than she had first planned on drinking, and her legs no longer appeared to be functioning correctly.

She let out a giggle as she looked at the professor and he had a smirk on his face as he witnessed her struggle. "Can't handle your liquor Ms Granger?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You've had a fair few drinks yourself tonight, Sir." she said, pointing a finger at him as she emphasised the word Sir whilst trying not to slur her words. She wrapped her burgundy scarf around her neck, fluffed out her hair and made to stand up again. She managed it, but continued swaying as she attempted to put her cloak back on. It was at this point that the professor stood up, assisting her so that she did not make an ass of herself.

"How are you still capable of standing unassisted?" She asked, astonished. "I've seen how much whiskey you've consumed tonight… you should be just as incapacitated as me." She finished, pouting a little. She wouldn't ordinarily be pouting like a child, but the fact that he seemed completely unaffected by the alcohol he had consumed, just didn't seem fair.

Just as she had the thought, she saw him trip over his own feet into the table next to them. "Ha!" she exclaimed…. "I knew it!"

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Severus grimaced, trying to suppress the feeling of embarrassment at having tripped over his own bloody feet. He did not often consume this much alcohol and when he did it was always in the confines of his own house. However the evening had not gone like he had planned, and the unexpected company and conversations that had flowed had seen him drink far more than he had intended this evening. Not that he was complaining… he just didn't like not being in full control of himself.

"Yes, it appears that I too have perhaps consumed a little too much this evening." He grumbled as she continued smirking at him.

Salazar… how am I going to apparate home in this state? He thought quietly to himself. Apparating in an inebriated state was ill advised, and many a wizard who had drunk far too much, had found themselves splinched when attempting the process. Perhaps some fresh…. frigid air will sober me up. And in any case, I should probably ensure the girl gets home safely.

He picked up his own black cloak, taking the time to button it up fully before raising the issue of her getting home.

"If I remember correctly, you mentioned that you do not live far from here. Given your state, please allow me to escort you back to the premises before I depart home? One would hate to hear that the gryffindor princess ran into trouble on account of being pissed. Imagine what the headlines in the Prophet would say."

"Merlin… as if I've never been featured in the Prophet before!" she responded, rolling her eyes but looping her arm through his anyway.

"I'll lead the way." She announced, and they headed for the door.

Outside, as Severus predicted, it was bloody frigid, with light snowfall drifting down from the skies. The two of them unconsciously clung tighter to the other as the cold air swept through them. He cautiously attempted a non verbal warming charm on himself, and when satisfied that he hadn't messed it up on account of being drunk, cast the same spell on her.

"You're welcome." He grunted, as they both stopped shivering.

"How far is this home of yours?" He enquired, as snow continued to fall.

"Just a few blocks." She responded, before tripping on an invisible obstacle and giggling as she clung to him for support. He rolled his eyes at her clumsiness but did not let her fall.

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They continued on in relative silence, walking the few blocks it took until they came upon the apartment complex that Hermione lived in. It seemed that the closer they got to her building, the more the happiness seemed to ebb away from her. Whilst she had left the bar, giggling and relatively cheerful, as they reached her building, she was quiet and subdued.

Hermione's apartment building was an old red brick structure, nothing fancy to look at. The steps that led up to the entrance were caked in snow and most of the windows were curtain covered and dark owing to the time of night they had both arrived there. There were a couple of street lamps glowing orange in the darkness, metal trash cans lined the curb and cars were parked along the road - it was very suburban, very muggle.

"This is me." She said, as her lips were turning blue.

"I think you should come up for a bit. You can't possibly be thinking of apparating right now, and I would hate to hear that the war hero of the second wizarding war ran into trouble on account of being pissed. Imagine what the headlines in the Prophet would say." she finished sarcastically, pleased with herself that she had managed to use his own words back at him.

She looked up at him and could see that he was obviously debating his choices. "Look, I know that neither of us planned our evenings this way, but for what it's worth, I've enjoyed the evening and would hate for it to end with you splinching yourself. I've got a couch that you can rest on for a while and you can leave whenever it suits. But it's bloody cold out here despite your warming charm.. so please make a decision."

He grunted and nodded his head, accepting her offer and she pulled him up the stairs and inside the doors.

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Severus followed her up two flights of dimly lit stairs, and down a hallway until they reached her front door. He could sense the muggle repelling wards that she had obviously placed on her entrance, but said nothing as she fumbled with the key. Eventually she took her gloves off, giving her more solid purchase on the key, slotted it into the lock and she opened the door.

"come inside." she said softly, flicking the muggle light switches on as she entered.

He grunted in acknowledgement and silently followed behind her, closing the door as he crossed the threshold. He scanned the sparse apartment with a raised eyebrow - This is how she lives? He could see in the living room a threadbare looking blue couch with a grey afghan strewn over the back, and a small coffee table in front of it. To the left of the door was an old formica dining table in mustard yellow with a half dead plant sitting in the middle. There were very few personal possessions on display, save for a bookshelf against a wall to the right, packed haphazardly with books stacked on top of each other and perched at the top of the bookshelf was an extremely large orange half-kneazle, staring him square in the eyes.

"Crookshanks! get down from there!" he heard her hiss at the cat. The cat flicked its tail before leisurely jumping down and sauntering off into the kitchen.

"You can put your coat down on one of the dining chairs if you like." she said as she wandered off into what he presumed was the kitchen. He unbuttoned his coat and placed it onto the chair before following the voice. As he arrived in the kitchen she was putting biscuits into a bowl on the floor whilst the orange beast seemed intent on tripping her over. He smirked as she let out a curse, and took in the rest of the small apartment. The kitchen was small, with a centre island bench with stools on the outer, and a sink that looked out over the street. He could see the snowfall was getting heavier and it reminded him of how cold it should be inside, but wasn't - she obviously had central heating, a concept he was familiar with having lived in the muggle world as a boy.

"I know it's not much, but I don't mind." she stated, looking at him again. "My bedroom is through that door there, and the bathroom is the door next to it." she pointed, showing him two doors opposite the kitchen.

He nodded in acknowledgement, but could feel the sense of embarrassment radiating off of her. He was in no position to judge - his own residence was still Spinner's End and he had made little effort to improve it, with it still looking much like it did when his parents owned it in the eighties. He cared very little for possessions and furniture, so long as he had an adequate laboratory for brewing and a place to store his personal collection of books.

"It's fine Ms Granger. I am not here to critique your interior design skills." he remarked, hoping to assuage her of any embarrassment.

she nodded in acknowledgement. "Well, it is rather late I suppose. I'll just fetch you a spare blanket and pillow and leave you to rest."

She then scurried off to what was the bedroom, before returning with a comforter and pillow and placing it onto the arm of the couch for him.

"Thankyou Ms Granger." He said, following her into the living room again.

"I'm sure I will be suitably sober in a few hours and able to apparate home. I shall let myself out and try not to disturb you."

"Oh. Well, you are welcome to stay as long as you need Sir. If you need anything else, please let me know."

He gave a slight nod of his head, and she left the living room and closed her bedroom door behind her. Once she was gone, he sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. This evening was turning out to be unexpected in more ways than one. He sat on the lumpy blue couch and removed his boots, leaving his socks on. He switched the light off and lay on the couch, forgoing the blanket and pillow and closed his eyes. I won't stay long. just enough to ensure a safe apparition home he assured himself.