WHERE THERE IS SMOKE.
J.K.R.s sandbox, my crazy plotline.
"Miss Granger! If you would please be so kind, as to see me, after class!" The faces of Harry and Ron lifted up from the potions they were working on, the angry looks on their faces told all who looked, what they thought of Professor Snape's request to Hermione. Hermione, realizing that she was not in trouble, quietly acknowledged the command, ignored Harry and Ron, and continued to work on her potions assignment.
"POTTER! WEASLEY! I did not ask for either of you to see me after class, only Miss Granger, now GET OUT! That is, unless you wish to serve a detention, with me on Saturday afternoon, I think that Hufflepuff are playing Gryffindor then, are they not? If you are going to be in detention, I think that I may wager some Galleons on Hufflepuff!" Harry and Ron were not going to miss out on playing Quidditch, they glanced at Hermione, shrugged and said sorry to her as they left.
Professor Snape waited until they had left and then quietly said "Come with me please, Miss Granger" The sudden change in tone and the polite timbre of Snape's request surprised Hermione so much, that she followed him as he led her into his Office, making no comment at all. Taking the seat that Professor Snape offered meant that she did not have to stand, he was acting most unusually civil towards her, and it was to say the least, unnerving. As the house-elf that was called served them both with refreshments, Hermione was surprised to realize that her serving contained her favourite blend of tea, just the way she liked it and her favourite biscuits. She wondered what was coming next, she would have been wrong, no matter what she may have guessed or for how long.
"Please Hermione, do not interrupt me for there is much to tell you. Your questions can wait until after I have told you what I must, yes?" Hermione nodded and waved a hand to imply to Professor Snape that he could continue. "You do have some knowledge of my work for the Order of the Phoenix and therefore are aware that sometimes I am called to the Dark Lord's side, sometimes it is to listen to him boast, sometimes to get orders, sometimes to tell him what old Goat-Beard wants me, to tell him". Hermione sipped her tea and smiled at her Professors description of Dumbledore, this was stuff she already knew, so she wondered why it was being rehashed and began to become just a little worried, because she had suddenly realised that he was stalling.
"Tell me what you have to tell me Professor, Won't you? "Okay Hermione, I will; it seems that the Dark Lord has heard about both of our meetings on the Swiss ski slopes. I know the first meeting was the first day I was there and the last day for you. The second meeting was the first day of a weeklong stay for both of us. He is aware that we had dinner together several times, the fact that I was invited by your parents to eat with your family was irrelevant to us but telling to him, we ate together. He has been told of the intensity of the discussion we had in the la Rue de la Magie in Paris, as we both browsed the bookstalls looking for more items for our respective libraries, someone reported it in great detail to him, don't ask me who it was, he didn't tell me.
He seemed to take great delight at your reaction to us finding an antiquarian copy of the "Pneumatics of Heron of Alexandria" during the visit to Beauxbatons when we were visiting the local bookshops in Cannes. Yes, it is an original tome, and yes you can read it later on, but it was his reaction as he was telling me this, which at the time bothered me.
Delight!
It's an emotion that I did not know he was capable of showing. It was not what I was expecting from him, I will explain that comment later"?
"The Potions conference in Geneva early this year, we had actually sat next to each other during Two Presentations, on separate days, now you and I know that was just the way the individual booking of our seats came out that first time, I thought it prudent to not correct his misunderstanding and it was also a lot safer. And then, on the last day, when you argued so eloquently with the Esteemed Senior Potions Master de Gryndhaam of the Magical University at the Lamasery of the Blue Moon, about the different usages of and reactions to Yeti Ovaries, when either desiccated, fresh, young, old, wet, dry or powdered. He was impressed, he even turned to me and complimented me on my Apprentice, many people had listened to you talk and heard his praise of you. This was the reason that people moved to allow you to sit next to me at the last presentation of the conference, which by some chance, was actually given by him!"
"It seems also, that we were both, unknowingly in Florence on the same day, during the week of the Florentine Magical Display. Our paths did not cross that day and it was actually the Dark Lord himself, who saw us both there on the same day, he made an assumption that we, either had met or would meet later that day, although he did not approach either of us. We are known to have taken shelter in the so-called Merlin's Cave, Sinistra told that story, during that wild storm that hit Tintagel last year, remember? I gave you my cape to warm you up". "Yes that surprised me, you were acting human! Harry and Ron have never believed it, neither did the "ferret" believe it either, come to that!" said Hermione with a smile. "Professor, where is this chat going?" "The dark Lord hearing of the two of us having met once outside of Hogwarts, ignored it, apparently he began to get curious after hearing of the second and third reports of us meeting and started to have us, you and I that is, quietly investigated, many who gave up information, had no idea as to who it was for, what it was all about or even why it was needed. It seems that the Dark Lord has somehow gotten it into his head that, to use a Muggle term, "where there is smoke, there is fire."