After the Fall

After the Fall

The Shattering of China

Hermione woke and stretched her arms over her head and her legs to the foot of the bed as far as she could. A smile crept over her face as she thought of how her mother used to say that she and Crookshanks looked the same when they woke. She sat on the edge of the bed, slid her feet into her slippers and grabbed her robe from its spot on the floor. Then, she hurried to the kitchen to put on a pot of water to boil for tea and to kick the heater that seemed to thrive on abuse. Standing at the stove, shivering and waiting for the water to get hot, she clicked on the rest of the burners, hoping to heat the room faster.

Finally, with the water heated and poured into the pot with two measures of Earl Grey, she poured a cup and hurried to her chair by the window. Today she planned to curl up and read her latest find from the resale shop down the way. She had never had the time to read modern novels before rejoining this world, and found a hidden delight in following her favourite author's works. Now she had an entire day to remain in her bedclothes, drink her favourite tea and read steamy tales of romance and adventure.

A glance at the window confirmed that the snow had stopped sometime during the night after covering everything in white. Her small room over the garage sat on a slope slightly above the city, affording her a good view of the waking streets. Today life would move slow and easy. No rush to work, or students hurrying to class; the streets would remain quite until the first of the church-goers ventured out of their home for Christmas mass.

She pulled her feet up under her and leaned to the side, looking out at the tall trees covered in snow as they stood as silent guards. A solitary figure walked below the snow-laden branches, seemingly intent on avoiding the street that ran just to his right. She shook her head and opened her book to begin to read, thinking Muggles strange in their delight of trekking off roads and stomping through drifting snow.

Having finished the first chapter, she stood to refill her teacup and saw the figure now standing in the parking lot under her window. She walked to the side of the window and peeked down, trying to see what he was doing, frowning as she puzzled at the sight, not knowing what it was that bothered her. There was something odd, something she could not put her finger on. A whisper of cold seemed to creep into the back of her mind and run cold fingers down her spine. She suddenly turned away from the window and pushed her back into the wall.

Around the man's feet, a patch of pavement showed. The snow had melted around his feet.

Hermione dropped her empty cup, not hearing the shattering of china as she ran to her room to dress and find her wand. She looked in the top drawer of the cabinet next to her bed, and then ran to pull down her carry case from the top shelf of her bedroom closet. She cursed her stupidity of forgetting where she had put it, and her stupidity of not keeping it handy.

By the time she was dressed and held her wand in her hand, and peeked out the window again, he was gone. She flicked her wand and repaired the cup then stopped cold, afraid to move.

"Shite," she said aloud and wondered if the Ministry could pick up this small amount of magic. "Damn, damn, damn."

She looked out of every window and opened the door to peek down the steps, holding her wand to her side. She thought over each step she had taken, each plan she had made and could find no way that she could have been found. Damn, she thought again, how bloody stupid to use magic over a broken cup.

She was no longer interested in her novel and instead grabbed her textbooks and laptop. Sitting on the floor, she began to study, trying to forget what she had seen and dismiss it as a crazy thought that crossed her mind. No one knew she was here; no one would be looking for her.

"Damn," she muttered as she stood up and snatched her coat off the hook by the door. She would not be able to ease her fear until she looked for herself to make sure whoever it was had gone.

Hermione walked quickly to the spot she had seen him, squatted down near the footprints, and searched the ground for evidence that he had walked away. She stood and turned in a complete circle, looking for any sign of someone still here, then searched the ground for other melted patches. Damn, she thought , searching the snow for other tracks. Finding nothing, she squatted down to the ground and looked closely at the melted spot. She wanted to set her wand to the place he had stood and put a tracing spell to it. If she knew where he had gone, she may know who he was. Afraid to expend more magic, she stood and looked around one last time.

Tonight she would stay up and watch. Tomorrow she would find another flat.

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Severus paced in his chambers until the sun came up, and then headed to the Apparation point to leave. He was not sure why he was doing this but did not stop to question. He had taken enough pain potions to still his tremors, and hoped it would be enough.

He had spun into a field he remembered from his youth. His mother would drag him here once a year for the town's festival. They would play games of tossing rings and throwing basketballs at hoops too small. She would slide her hand into her pocket as he tried to throw darts to win a prize, and then he would walk away with the biggest stuffed animal of all. He shook his head, remembering how they would leave the prize sitting on a bench, unable to take it home and let his father learn where they had been.

Now he looked around, surprised at how much smaller the field looked and how much different covered with snow.

He would find her, he had thought, just to assure himself that she was well. He had a need to know that she was safe, that this was her choice, that she had found a suitable position in this world. He stood looking up at what he knew was her window until he saw the light flick on and thought he saw a glimpse of her bushy hair as she sat by the window.

He had debated knocking on her door. Now that he was here, he felt foolish and ill at ease, with nothing to say. He cast a warming spell around himself and waited until the sun was full up, then looking up at her window again, decided he was acting foolish and decided to leave.

He looked around quickly and cast a silencing spell, then Apparated from the parking lot below her window back to Hogwarts' main gate. He noticed that the snow was not as deep here, nor the wind as cold. He looked around the grounds as he walked up to the castle out of habit, looking for students. Then, sighing, he looked up and saw a shadow cross in front of Minerva's window and knew she had seen him return.

He was not surprised to find Minerva waiting for him at the bottom of the staircase as he headed down to the dungeons.

"I did not hear the wards sound last night when you left," she snipped with an accusatory tone in her voice.

"Nor should you have." He began to walk past her when she stepped in his path, folding her arms across her chest and scowling at him.

"Severus Snape, when it is just you and I in this castle you will inform me when you are going out. I will not impose on you at any other time, but on this I must insist."

"Fine."

"I do not do this for any other reason than to...."

"I said fine, Minerva, now if you will let me pass I plan on returning to my chambers." He glared at her.

"Dinner will be served in my quarters at six this evening," she hissed at him, then turned on her heel and began walking away.

"Was that an invitation or a bit of information you were imparting on me?"

"Take it for what you will ,Severus, but you either join me or go without dinner. We have only one elf on duty today and I will not expect him to make two separate meals."

"In that case I will accept your kind offer," he said, then dropped his arm, bent at the waist and offered a formal, mocking bow.

"They are correct, you know. The students. They all say you are a git." She turned on her heel and walked stiffly up the stairs.

Severus felt a twitch at the corner of his mouth watching her walk away. She would no more come out and say, she wanted company than he, and he would no more kindly accept an invitation than would she would offer one.

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Minerva hung up her robes and tall hat before Transfiguring a table and two chairs in the sitting room. She then took the potted fern, set it in the corner and turned it into a Christmas tree. She pulled out her wand and with a couple of flicks decorated it in red and gold bulbs with sprigs of holly on each branch tip. Nodding at her job well done, she called the elf and gave the order to bring dinner at precisely six.

At one minute before the appointed time she walked to the door, where she paused for just a moment, then opened it to Severus' first knock. Stepping aside to let him in, she hid her grin by coughing into her hand. He stood staring at the tree with a sneer plastered on his face. Bringing his wand up slowly, he flicked all the red bulbs to green and got rid of the holly.

"Really Severus, do you think green bulbs on a green tree are a little much?"

He folded his arms, took a step backwards and tilted his head to the left, and then to the right, studying the tree before answering Minerva's question.

"No."

"Oh, Severus." Her wand came up and replaced the holly as he changed the bulbs to white.

"Minerva?"

She sighed, changed the holly to sliver ribbons, and nodded her acceptance.

"Fine," she said.

"Yes, fine." Severus turned from the tree and walked to the table, pulling out Minerva's chair and waiting for her to sit as he politely pushed it in.

"I have had word concerning Ted Lupin." Minerva lifted the domed cover from her plate and then reached over to do the same with Severus'.

"He seems a little young for a First Year." Severus picked up his fork and started his meal.

"He is only seven, he will be eight soon."

"As I said, he is a little young for a first year."

"Yet it seems his tuition for his entire stay here at Hogwarts has already been paid."

"Strange."

"Yes, Severus, do you not find it peculiar?" She looked at him, raising her eyebrow.

"I am sure this has happened before."

"Not since the first war ended, or we thought it had ended." Minerva picked up her fork and poked at the chicken on her plate before laying down her fork and looking at him again.

"I believe we will have a wedding to attend soon. It appears Neville is purchasing a house in Hogsmeade."

"First, I will not attend a Longbottom wedding, and secondly, you can forget about forcing it, Minerva. I refuse to sit in a room full of Longbottoms, Potters, Lovegoods and Weasleys."

"I did not mention that I thought it to be Luna. Wherever did you get that impression?"

He laid his fork down and pinched the bridge of his nose. "No reason other than twice I saw her in the greenhouses mooning over him. A sickening sight, I must say. Add that to Mr. Longbottom's inability to concentrate these past few months and it seems a small leap to know something has been going on."

"I received the final count for next year." She smirked and picked up her fork again. "It appears the count will remain unchanged."

"That should insure Mr. Longbottom's continued employment." Severus rolled his eyes at the ceiling. "Perhaps this is only a taste of hell I am being offered. And here I thought I was done accepting self-imposed pain."

"Not for many years, I am afraid." Minerva looked at him closely. "Have you heard anything from St. Mungo's?"

"Nothing as of yet. However, Poppy has found a potion that will clear my head enough to allow me to function while on the pain potion." He laid down his fork and reached for the glass of wine that she sat in front of him.

Minerva looked at the Christmas tree and smiled. "It is like Hermione's wrapping. Is it not? Devoid of houses?"

An owl tapping at the window brought them both to their feet and to the window. It was unusual at this time of the year to send owls at night, and to send one today must be a matter of some importance. Minerva took the missive from the owl's leg, read the tag and handed it to Severus with a raised eyebrow.

He held his teacup in one hand as he held the note up to the light with the other. He scowled as he read it, then sat heavily on the windowsill, looking up a Minerva, and held the note out to her as his cup slid to the floor.

She took it from him, unable to read his face, and unrolled it slowly, reading it as she did, then gave him a broad smile.

"Well, it seems Poppy has sent you quite a Christmas present, hasn't she? I am so pleased for you, Severus. Your cure, and on Christmas day."

"Indeed." He took the note back, looked at the shattered shards of china on the floor, and wondered when that had happened.