From Dire Circumstances

Chapter 1 - Take Her Home...

Albus Dumbledore peered over his half-moon spectacles, blue eyes sparkling in that most familiar way as he examined the scowling face of the younger man in the comfy chair across from him. The man was frowning deeply, his obsidian eyes as black as ever, the sneer he wore in his dungeon classroom still firmly set.

'Severus, I am afraid that I must impose another on you for this coming break,' Albus said slowly, knowing full well that the man was no fan of the Christmas season and was surly around students in general.

Severus Snape knew that it was coming. The war was already beginning to encroach on the Wizarding world, and it appeared that this Christmas break, he would be a host to one of the few students that were involved. Though Albus knows full well that they should not be! he thought angrily. It was putting so many more lives at risk than needed to be, and Snape certainly would not be taking any blame for the death of a student.

'So, Albus. Which of the infamous "Gryffindor Three" will I be playing host to this Christmas season? Who of them will be forced to endure an entire break with one as petulant as me?' Snape drawled with all of his usual sarcasm.

'Ah! Perceptive as ever I see, Severus. Yes, you will be hosting one of them. And as for the other two, they will be going with separate professors,' Albus said with a twinkle.

'As interesting as this conversation is, Albus, you have not yet informed me whom I will be hosting, exactly.'

Albus chuckled. He had decided to purposely leave out that minor detail until it was time for the two to depart the next morning. Severus wanted to know and, on finding out, would, without question, object completely to hosting a certain, attractive head girl, who was possibly the smartest to go through Hogwarts since Severus himself. However, it would be the safest place for a Muggle-born witch who was wanted dead by the Dark Lord and his followers.

'I will let everything unfold on its own accord, my boy. It should not make too much of a difference who, as I have heard that your dislike for each of them is equal.' The older wizard sighed. Although he did hope that all that would begin to change soon.

Severus simply nodded his consent curtly, although thinking that to host any of them would wear at his patience. 'If there is nothing more, Albus...' he trailed off.

'By all means, my boy. I will have the student report to your office at promptly 8 o'clock tomorrow morning for the Christmas break,' Albus quipped, waving him off in a dismissive manner.

Snape bowed out and left the office through the great mahogany doors he had entered. Albus couldn't help but laugh to himself as his godson strode out of the room with a foul disposition. 'Oh, Severus, how much you have yet to learn...' he mused to himself softly.

~ ## ~~ ## ~

Hermione Granger, head girl of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, left the Headmaster's office with a pounding head, unable to understand Dumbledore's reasoning for separating her from Harry and Ron for the Christmas break.

And of all people that she would be staying with, it just had to be Snape! What on earth was Dumbledore thinking? And why in the world would Snape agree to have her in his home, on the holidays no less, with the sacrifice of practically all his privacy? Hermione would have thought that he would put up at least some argument, but from what Dumbledore had said, Snape had been "most amiable".

Hermione passed around the corner, lost in her thoughts, running straight into another fast-moving form that was going in the opposite direction. Her bag fell to the floor, sending quills, parchment, ink, and textbooks almost everywhere.

'I am so sorry!' Hermione exclaimed as she dropped to her knees, without looking at the person she had run into, and scrambled to gather her things together. She was frantically trying to gain control of the situation, clutching at what were usually the contents of her bag, pointing her wand at the stone and whispering spells.

She looked out of the corner of her eye as the person bent down next to her and gathered together the things on her other side, pushing them into her bag. She deposited the rest into her bag and lifted it onto her shoulder before standing and turning to thank the victim of her inattentiveness. She took in a sharp breath.

'I should think that the head girl of all people would be paying more attention to where she is walking,' he drawled barely, raising a dark eyebrow.

Hermione swallowed the lump that was threatening to form in her throat before she spoke. 'Thank you for your help, Professor,' she mumbled into the stone of the hall, choosing to ignore his initial scathing comment.

'Must you really be so clumsy?' he asked in amusement. She didn't take his bait.

'I am dreadfully sorry, sir. I wasn't looking where I was going. I will be more careful next time,' she squeaked apprehensively, staring at her slightly scuffed black school shoes.

Snape decided to change tack and see if he could find out just who he would be hosting, and if Dumbledore wouldn't tell him... 'I assume you just met with the Headmaster about your arrangements for this Christmas break?' he inquired silkily; not politely, but not as gruffly as usual. She looked up in surprise.

'Yes, I just left his office.'

'Then you have been told who your guardian will be?' he asked, totally focused on finding out just which of the "Gryffindor Three" would be imposing upon his hospitality.

'Kind of,' she mumbled, then added, 'sir.'

'Well...?' he trailed off, indicating for her to continue.

Hermione looked straight into his inky black eyes. He didn't know, and she could tell. That was why the Headmaster had said that Snape had been "most amiable", and why he had not argued. She had ten seconds to decide whether or not she would tell her professor or just leave him to be surprised.

'Well, I don't know exactly who. Professor Dumbledore only told me where I should go. I was merely making an educated guess...' she lied, deciding on the latter. He would just have to kick up a fuss the next day. Hermione had no wish to increase the throbbing pain in her head.

'Assumptions can be a dangerous thing, Miss Granger,' he drawled coldly, turning on his heel and disappearing around the corner in a swirl of black robes.

Hermione stood, back hunched a little from the weight of her bag, alone in the dark corridor, feeling a little guilty. But she was absolutely sure that Snape would be able to exact some form of revenge in the three weeks she was being forced to spend with him. She felt her feet start to move on their own accord and decided to direct them towards the infirmary to get a cure for her migraine before retiring to bed.

~ ## ~~ ## ~

Snape strode away from the head girl and down the corridor, so that he could retreat to the comfort of his chambers. Miss Granger had not been specific on who she would be staying with but did not seem too disturbed, so it would therefore have been someone agreeable with her, which meant that it was not him.

This also unfortunately meant that he would be left with either Ronald-Bloody-Weasley or the Boy-Who-Just-Kept-On-Living. He would have preferred the Know-it-All to the other two dunderheads.

He grumbled something unintelligibly, flicking the wards off of his chambers with his wand and striding straight to the decanter of firewhiskey, pouring himself a large tumbler full. He tipped it straight down his throat and swallowed, feeling it burn his throat in a delightfully familiar way.

'FUCK!' he roared, kicking the nearest stable object over and listening to the disgusting crunch it made as it broke and splintered across the room. He slumped into the nearest chair by the fire, pouring himself another drink, hoping desperately that this had all just been a terrible nightmare of sorts.