Touchstone

~Touchstone~

Chapter Eight

By Gin

Snape inhaled deeply. Even if he had to withstand the piercing screams from the Mandrake seedlings, (his headache wasn't as bad as he had anticipated) despite the fact that he did get dirt flung all over him from a particularly rowdy Venomous Tentacula plant, he had very much enjoyed his exercise outside today. Now he stood in front of his mirror, still dripping wet with a towel wrapped around his waist, staring at his reflection. He had been thinking all day about her again. 'Damnit.' Even while he was working alongside Cerelia he was thinking of ways to help Hermione. He knew she should visit Harry, but it could turn out to have a worse effect on her than without seeing him if she didn't see him at all. He'd ask Albus his opinion on that.

"Maybe I should see Harry first," he pondered aloud. That way if he looks completely horrible or if it looks like he just won't make it, he would know to not bring her to him.

He looked at his face and raised his eyebrow. 'Don't know why you're so concerned ole boy. Think you'll get brownie points for making her comfortable? What do you care?' he berated himself and straightened.

'I don't care.'

'Well, obviously you do if you keep acting this way. You think she gives a flying fuck about you?'

'No. I didn't say that.'

'Then stop acting so silly. She's a young girl who would never take an interest in you. You're no catch, and you're old enough to be her father.'

His expression fell and he raised his long fingers to his face and ran them along his chin. He knew he was no beauty, but he wasn't that bad. But surely, a girl like Hermione wouldn't find him attractive, even when the Appearance Detracting Charm was gone. Hell, he barely found anything good about himself. His nose was still by far too large, though he had grown somewhat fond of it; it was a Snape inheritance. And he didn't like his chin. However, he did like his voice. His voice always commanded attention and when he turned up the charm that voice could get almost anything he wanted- particularly from the ladies. He smirked, even some of the men...he shuddered remembering that ungraceful event many years ago. Also he did appreciate his eyes. They also seemed to grab interest, they added to his dark demeanour and allure. 'What allure?'

He scowled at his reflection and immature thoughts and left the bathroom to get changed. Snape knew they'd do some sort of ceremony for the Solstice, and he found himself hoping Hermione would be well enough to join them. Tonight everyone would dress simply, so he'd have to tone it down a bit. Plus he'd have to go barefoot, not that he really minded it; there were no students around he supposed. It was a part of the get-in-touch-with-Mother-earth ritual, and he could respect that. He selected a simple pair of black slacks and a loose, breezy, dark brown collared shirt. He unbuttoned the top button, then decided to re-button it. He toyed with it a few times before finally deciding to leave the top one undone. He groaned, frustrated that he was fussing this much over his appearance, quickly applied a drying charm to his hair, and went to brush his teeth and shave. The cat sat on the foot of the bed silently watching his complicated roommate. Snape happened to notice the animal watching him, almost mocking him, and gave him a look- which the cat returned. Snape shook his head and reached for his cologne, which he personally made.

~*~*~

Hermione had been asked if she felt up to coming down for the small feast tonight in celebration of the Summer Solstice. Madam Pomfrey had said she could attend if she didn't stay out too long and went straight back to bed afterwards. Hermione smirked, she almost felt like a little kid again. She hadn't been told to not stay out late since she was a teenager. Not like she ever needed to be told that anyway; she hardly had a life outside of Hogwarts.

Dumbledore, insisting she was welcome as long as she'd like and oddly enough winking, offered her a set of spare rooms in Gryffindor Tower until Poppy had deemed her healthy enough to not only leave the infirmary but the castle as well. So here she sat, with a towel around her head and a silk bath robe clinging to her wet form staring at herself in the mirror. She had been thinking of him all day. She enjoyed watching him that morning as he was strolling through the garden. He looked calm and relaxed and it had taken her mind off her then-present train of thought. He had come to see her just as she had been replaying the images of her parents' deaths. It was all so depressing. She had also been wondering where Crookshanks was. She made a mental note to ask Dumbledore about that later that evening.

Then there was Harry. She didn't think she could stand seeing him barely alive- she was so close to him. They had even dated in their seventh year. She unwrapped the towel from her hair and smiled as she remembered their 'first-time.' It wasn't great, and neither were the following times. She remembered feeling so embarrassed about it. But they soon learned that they could never be anything serious and instead opted for their close platonic relationship again. Luckily they never told Ron as he would have spazzed out on them for sure as they both knew Ron had had a secret crush on her before. Even though he told Harry he was over her, Harry knew it would still upset him to know his best friend was with his other best friend after having liked her for so long. She sighed. She missed them so much.

Harry and Ron had never left her side after her family's attack. She remembered how angry they were for 'allowing' that to happen, as they said. She felt so grateful to have them-or, to have had them. Now all she had was Harry, or of much of him as remained, and this bizarre difficulty that was Severus Snape.

She blinked a tear away, cast a drying spell on her hair, and then rose to select something from the wardrobe. She felt guilty; some of her new clothes were things Minerva and Cerelia had bought for her in Hogsmeade after they collected some of her own personal items from her flat in London.

"New clothes always cheer me up," they had argued. However, they made her promise to think nothing of it, at least around them.

"Well, I suppose tonight is the first step in starting over. So what does one wear to a celebration of a Summer Solstice?" she wondered aloud.

~*~*~*

Back in Dumbledore's study, a very proud Headmaster and Mistress sat drinking tea, complimenting the other on the exquisite décor of the Great Hall for the evening.

"So, my dear Minerva. Is our young friend coming this evening?" Albus Dumbledore asked over his cup of tea.

"I believe so," she grinned.

"And the other one?" he smiled in reply.

Minerva set her own cup of tea down and responded with another wicked grin, "Of course." He chuckled mischievously.

~*~*~*

The enchanted ceiling glittered with the first stars that evening at dinner. Tonight was the Summer Solstice, and all the remaining faculty was dining together to celebrate. It was the first night they had all been together for dinner since the students had left and they welcomed the break and the chance to be together. Everyone had worn simple, yet oddly elegant attire for the occasion, in earthy colors. Of course Cerelia, being the most "in-tune" with Mother Nature, showed them all up, as she always did. The usually dumpy little witch glowed prettily under the several compliments directed towards that evening. There were only a few more faculty members than usual over the summer, owing to the horrific activities of just under a week ago, but after tonight most had decided they would return home to their lives and families.

Snape entered the Hall quietly, and took in his surroundings. Usually he absolutely could not stand Albus' idea of "colourful decorations," but tonight he mildly approved. There were dark green vines magicked to grow on the walls of the Hall, covering them. Small, round bulbs of light with small flowering vines were hovering in the air, giving the enormous room a soft glowing haze. Small butterflies were fluttering about adding to the outdoor theme, and the floor had been transformed into a rich green carpet of earth and grass. He looked around and swore he heard the sound of trickling water somewhere. The air smelled of the outdoors and he inhaled- it smelled like the woods his father used to take him and his siblings to when they camped out every year. He took a few steps through the door and reveled in the feel of the cool grass against his bare feet. Then he found it. He knew this embellishment would be too good to be true- there a few feet away from him was a pixie. Glowing bright pink and squeaking merrily against the fake backdrop of the room. It fluttered towards him and he narrowed his eyes. 'I'll do it...I swear I will you little bugger....' The pixie, paying no heed to the unpleasant grimace on the dark man's face came closer still until she was just a few inches away.

"Severus! Come in, come in!" the Headmaster had noticed his arrival and was beckoning to him, and looked away continuing his conversation with Minerva. Severus took this opportunity this to casually stretch....and flick the little pink bastard into oblivion, sending her flying into a wall. His lips twitched as he heard the tiny high pitched voice grow fainter and all of a sudden stop with very small thud and an "Ow!" Satisfied he sauntered over to Albus and appreciatively nodded.

"Well, I'm glad to see it passes muster Severus," he prodded. "However, I cannot take all the credit. Minerva also helped, and did most of the work." The Transfiguration teacher blushed and swatted at Albus with her hand demurely. Snape's lips twitched, he had long now thought they would have made the perfect couple, although he would never tell anyone he had actually thought it. Of course, that was to say if they weren't already. He grinned this time, and then stopped thinking of the one disappointment he found in the décor.

"Pixie..." he sneered lightly.

"What? Oh yes," Albus grinned brightly. "I'm sorry Severus, I just couldn't help myself. There's only one, so don't worry." Snape inclined his head, his eyes glittering darkly and nodded.

Snape then looked around the room, nonchalantly trying to find a certain someone who had, apparently, not arrived. His shoulders slumped ever-so-slightly before he recovered and turned his attention back to Albs and Minerva. She was explaining everything she had transfigured in order to achieve tonight's ornamentations. It was about this time that Gamula Hooch wandered over to their little group and quietly greeted the Potions master, making sure he saw her give him the official dramatic once-over.

"Snape."

"Hooch." He tried not to smile. He knew she was just dying to get a jab in at him and figured she was told to take it easy on him tonight. 'To hell with that.'

"I thought I saw you outside this afternoon making a spectacle of yourself on that new broom you bought. Shameful really. That a person should be acting so inappropriately at a time like this...tsk tsk," he said shaking his head. Her eyes widened and she smirked. 'Here it comes.'

"Hm. Well, at least I'm outside living life to the fullest, instead of being holed up in my dungeon practicing how to glow in the dark," she leered, her eyes positively laughing. "And I can guarantee that if it was a spectacle I was making, it was an enjoyable one. Besides, when was the last time you had a broomstick between your legs Severus." She added tartly. She bit her tongue to keep from making another rather crude joke. Poppy had just joined them, grinning at Gamula's comment and told her to play nice.

His lips twitched again and he struggled to keep a calm face. One of his favourite pastimes was arguing with the Flying instructor. Well, that and baiting Minerva.

"I'll thank you to kindly keep your thoughts away from anywhere near the area in between my legs Madam Hooch," he said silkily. She couldn't help it this time, she laughed. As did the other staff members around them.

"Well, now that the pleasantries are over, perhaps we can get to the feast?" Albus suggested cheerily. He never grew tired of eating. It was at that moment that the door opened again, and a frail, but much more improved looking Hermione came in through the doors. It was with very strict internal control that Severus managed to keep his face from betraying his immediate reaction. Albus, Minerva and Poppy all smiled secretly.

'Damn she looks good....' He cleared his throat and quickly looked around to see if anyone had noticed his eyes widening and waited for her to join them.

She was wearing a simple pale green dress, with a chiffon layer over the top, the neckline plunging just enough to leave one curious, but not exposing too much. It had rolled straps that led to a mid-back length at her shoulders. The fabric was loose around her chest and the dress freely flowed down from just below her breasts, giving a wavy look to the gown, almost Grecian in appearance. Her hair had been artfully messed up into a golden clasp that ran over the top of her head to hold her curls that had small white flowers intertwined in, with the remaining locks spilling down her back. Snape swallowed.

Minerva was positively gushing; she had picked out that one. "Excellent choice my dear, you look beautiful," she said giving the younger girl a slight kiss on the cheek. Hermione blushed. She had been wondering if she had been overdoing it or not. But, from the looks of the other female staff members, she was appropriately attired.

She then was greeted by the other professors and finally her gaze settled on the dark figure standing off to the side of the crowd. She swallowed. 'Dear gods...' he looked absolutely delicious. She had never seen him so casual, and yet so....sexy! And his feet were bare. Well, naturally everyone's were, and she hadn't ever thought herself a foot person, in her opinion, but his feet were incredible! She then slowly dragged her eyes up. She noticed he had a rather lean body to which his slacks hugged agreeably; it was very nice. It was a crime to have that body hidden behind those huge school robes! When her gaze finally settled on his face he had quirked an eyebrow and was looking rather amused.

"I do hope I have passed your inspection, Miss Granger," he said quietly. Her cheeks flushed another shade of red, realizing how obvious her gaze had just been. She heard him smirk, and she silently berated herself but defiantly brought her eyes to stare in to his. They were gleaming and she realized that they weren't black as she had thought, but the darkest shade of brown she had ever seen. She was also having a hard time looking away from those dark pools. His lips twitched and he spoke.

"Perhaps we should join the others and make our way over to the table for dinner?" He was thoroughly enjoying himself at the moment.

She nodded and hesitatingly took the proffered arm and let him guide her to the High table. They ate a Glazed Corned Beef with Lentils and she noticed there were more breads and fruits than were normally present. Not that she minded; it was a nice change. Professor Sprout was seated on her right and Snape to her left. Hermione was so nervous; he was so close.

Sprout turned her attention to Hermione to exclaim how lovely she looked. "I almost talked Minerva out of it; I didn't realize how nice the colour really suited you. But I'm glad I didn't," she smiled warmly.

"Thank you. I must say, you look wonderful this evening as well. Are those real flowers?" Ceri nodded.

"Grew them myself," the little witch beamed. "I have to admit, I do always look forward to the Summer Solstice. It was a wonderful idea of Albus to do this. We've never really celebrated it like this before. Usually I'm the only one who gets excited about it." Her smile then faded. "We definitely needed it, that's for sure." She added. Hermione smiled slightly.

The rest of the meal was eaten in relative peace for her. Well, a nervous peace; she didn't talk to anyone much more. It was most frustrating. She felt ungrateful for having her guilty feelings of being here, enjoying this night. She wondered what poor Harry was doing, and how the Weasley's were. She sighed and poked at her honey-rum-tart. Snape picked up on her quiet behaviour.

"I'm sure the House-elves would be happy to know you've mutilated their excellent honey tart instead of eating it." He grinned despite himself. She turned giving him a half-hearted smile and stared at him. He turned his head a bit more to look at her questioningly. She blinked and looked away. 'You did it again! Honestly Granger, it's not hard to not stare at someone. For the love of Merlin...' Snape's eyes sparkled.

'She was staring again wasn't she...' he thought and inwardly smiled. He let his gaze linger a bit longer than what should have been necessary for the sole purpose of agitating her.

Once dinner was over Dumbledore stood and glancing around the table, banished it, then looked up towards the Enchanted Ceiling. He slowly brought his gaze down to his friends and smiled kindly.

"Now my friends, if we could all prepare for the ceremony. If you would all please make your way to the circle on the main floor." He clapped his hands twice and a large circle lined with small white stones appeared on the grassy floor. Everyone obediently stood and stepped down from the raised platform and silently entered the stone circle. Professor Snape stood on Hermione's left again, but this time Lenea Vector stood on Hermione's right. She smiled gently at her former student, and was extremely pleased to see her out and about.

Hermione could feel the magic humming through the air and into her, it felt so wonderful. She breathed in deeply; perhaps things will look up, she thought idly. She happened to catch a snip of Snape's cologne as well and she quietly inhaled again. It was wonderful, a musky scent with a trace of some kind of herb or spice. Whatever it was, it was amazing. He absently brushed his arm against hers which sent small shivers through her. 'Get a grip Granger!' She silently commanded. The Headmaster came last, just following Minerva, completing the circle.

"Tonight is a very special night." He began. "We are surrounded by those who love us," he said expertly glancing at Hermione. "We are all very fortunate to be here together, and I think we all know this. These past few years have been very trying and only appeared to get worse, I know. And from the very bottom of my heart, I thank you, each and every one of you." He looked around at every face in the room before he continued, "No one could ask for a finer group of people. Now, however, is a time for celebration, renewal, and happiness. Tonight, we will be performing the Compages expurgo spell. To bind us to the earth, and honour it; and to bind us to each other, so that we may honour each other."

Dumbledore then clapped his hands once more, and the glowing bulbs above their heads slowly dimmed, while thousands upon thousands of dancing, glowing fireflies swirled around them. Severus watched in awe at the beauty surrounding him and glanced at Hermione. The little moving lights were playing on her face and his eyes softened. Dumbledore then held out his hands to the people on both his sides. Minerva and Poppy each took hold and continued the pattern until the circle was fully connected. Snape gently took hold of Hermione's hand, and she marveled at how warm and soft they were. His thumb slowly caressed her knuckles and she suppressed another shiver. Everyone but Albus, Minerva, and Poppy closed their eyes and the three, as one, silently murmured a little spell while keeping their gazes fixed on Snape and Hermione. Albus smiled and nodded and the two witches closed their eyes.

Everyone seemed to know to turn their faces towards the Heavens as Albus began his invocation of magic. Dumbledore began in a surprisingly deep, but commanding tone, his voice reverberating off the ivy-covered walls. It was if he was personally asking all of creation to listen to him and oblige. A warm tingle stretched throughout the congregation and an enormous sense of peace spread all through them as the Earth slowly regarded their presence. Hermione could feel the magic flowing through her veins suddenly come fully alive and respond to the words. His voice became louder then paused as the rest of the people present joined in the chant having known their cue. The very ground beneath their feet seemed to quiver in response to the powerful spell and everyone increased their grips on the people next to them. Earthly scents and fragrances permeated the air as a gentle breeze swept through. The soft tingle increased until it became almost pleasurable as everyone's strength was shared as a whole. Small little puffs of wind continuously swept past Hermione's face and body, and little buzzing sounds hummed in her ear. The spell was getting stronger and Hermione, being in a weakened state, gasped at the sheer power flowing through her, which caused Snape to grip her hand. She felt a pleasant calmness come over her as Snape concentrated beside her. Tears filled her eyes, her knees felt weak, and just when she thought she could take no more, the spell was lifted in a frenzied rush, followed by a deep silence, and yet there wasn't closure.

Hermione opened her eyes and noticed everyone had their faces still pointed upwards. She then noticed that the swirling lights had gathered into a huge, glowing ball in the center above their heads and was almost humming. Snape's eyes were still closed and his grip on her hand tightened once more as a huge surge of energy rushed through her; then the ball of golden light burst into tiny lights again causing gasps from the crowd.

The lights slowly dissipated and the room grew dark. Suddenly the dimmed flowered bulbs above them slowly grew in intensity and everyone let go of their hands and smiled breathing a bit heavily. It had been such a powerful moment. Hermione nor Snape neither noticed that they had not yet let go of each other's hands, as they were trying to get the intense emotions that had just flooded their senses back under control. When they did, however, Snape looked at her, the corners of his lips turned upwards, and slowly let go. Hermione blinked dazedly, 'Is that a smile?' She felt fuzzy and drained as she lazily stared into the deep pools of Snape's penetrating eyes. Their attention was brought back by the Headmaster's peaceful voice.

"Let us never forget this evening or the feelings of love and power it has brought." He finished and glanced at Severus and Hermione.

Snape noticed that look Dumbledore had given him and arched an eyebrow. Then he noticed Hermione was breathing heavily and...to tell the truth she really didn't look all that well. Her body was not ready for the extreme amounts of energy that had surged through her being. He turned to her.

"Are you tired?" he asked carefully. She nodded a bit. "Would you like to go back to the infirmary?"

"No, I'd like to go back to my rooms, actually. I think I can manage, though, thank you," she said weakly. She started to go to the doorway, nodding goodbyes to those around her when she swayed lightly. Snape was there quick as a flash and had his arms around her waist balancing her. Poppy rushed over to them to inspect Hermione.

"Yes dear, you had better go on up to your rooms. Severus, would you see that she makes it there safely? And Hermione dear, you would do well with a Sleeping Draught." She said kindly. Snape nodded, while Hermione looked utterly humiliated.

He quietly led her out of the Great Hall, and placed his hand under her elbow to steady her as they climbed the staircase.

"Where exactly are your rooms Miss Granger?" The fact that she had rooms at the castle suddenly made him feel better.

"Gryffindor Tower," she said quietly concentrating on not tripping on the hem of her dress as they continued to climb the stairs; just what she would need, another embarrassing situation.

He snorted, "Of course." There was a tense silence for a few moments while they walked, so he tried to initiate conversation. "So, did you enjoy yourself this evening? You must feel better being out of the Hospital Wing." His voice was bouncing off the stone walls of the empty corridor.

"It was a nice change of scenery. And that spell was...interesting. I'd never heard of it before tonight. Have you ever done it before?"

"I had heard of it, but no, I've not actually ever participated in that particular spell." She lightly stumbled and he steadied her, catching a whiff of her scent. 'Damn but she smells good too...' Being a Potions master had finely tuned most of his senses, including his sense of smell. Everyone had their own unique scent, which sometimes was a bad thing. Especially when you got a room full of hormonal boys gathered together. But other times it was very nice, most notably when he was around Hermione. Her scent completely drove him crazy- honeysuckle with underlying hints of citrus.

Hermione slowly led them to a portrait of a young Renaissance-style woman in a blue dress leaning over a book, reading by candlelight. Snape thought it oddly appropriate and waited for Hermione to give the password. The young woman in the painting smiled and once the portrait swung open she found herself offering to invite him in, which at the last second he agreed to. It had surprised both of them actually.

He stepped inside and much to Snape's chagrin the entryway and living room was done up in Gryffindor colours, but not to the extreme. She walked over to a large squashy armchair and offered Snape one as well. He politely waited until she had sat down before he sat as well. Despite the fact that she hadn't been in them long, the rooms still had that nice warm, lived in quality to them. They were rather comfortable.

"Would you like some tea?" she asked timidly.

"Certainly." Knowing she was tired he offered to summon up a tray. "May I?" he asked, she nodded. Snape then conjured up a set of tea and scones. He poured them both some tea and offered milk to Hermione. She poured a bit in and quietly sipped at it, unnervingly aware of how terribly quiet the room was.

"So...did you enjoy tonight?" she asked nervously chewing her bottom lip, hoping to break the uncomfortable silence.

He looked at her calmly, his eyes exposing a warm glint. "Yes, for once I did. I otherwise would have been spending it in my rooms poring over some new Potions journals." He lied. He knew damn well he probably would have spent it getting pissed.

"Oh. Which journals do you subscribe to?" Hermione also had a few she regularly read.

"Potions Today, Modern Elixers, and Ars Alchemica. Do you know any of them?" he asked interestedly.

"Yes. I also have subscriptions to Potions Today, and Ars Alchemica."

He looked faintly bemused. "I didn't realize you were still interested in the subject." She nodded.

"I still enjoy working with potions, though I rarely get to. Plus I like to be up-to-date with any new discoveries. I've even seen a few articles written by you. I thought they were rather interesting. Particularly interesting was your article about your stand on the uses of that new invisibility potion. I had never thought about it in that way, it really was intriguing. I had only thought that it would be quite useful if carefully monitored." As she was speaking these words she felt herself calm down, in familiar territory. She also knew he could respond intelligently and that they could carry on very interesting conversations. She felt almost excited to talk to him. Before the war, she had had some very fascinating discussions with him, mostly about literature and science. Still, it was more than what she got out of anyone else and she really enjoyed talking to him.

He inclined his head slightly. "And what did you think about that particular piece? I had wanted to voice my opinion about it for so long. Especially after having listened to inexperienced fools making claims about an area of research, they had no idea about, for months. Do not ask a celebrity their opinions on anything of value."

She softly laughed. "Well, I imagined that if the potion were correctly made it wouldn't have such awful side-effects," she saw his eyes widen about to respond when she hurried on, "of course, any potion can have awful side effects if administered wrong also." He relaxed and steepled his fingers waiting for her to continue. "And then, there was your opinion that it should be an illegal substance. But, Invisibility Cloaks are not illegal, so why should the potion be?"

He met her gaze coolly and explained. "Well, as you mentioned, it can do serious bodily harm if made and/or administered wrong. You could lose sight of a particular area of the body, or even lose it if the dosage is too highly concentrated. If that is the case then vital organs could disappear and people could go blind, deaf, mute or even die from it. Although, those who die would most likely deserve to if they're foolish enough to not measure extreme caution when using such a potentially dangerous substance," he added only half kidding. "And with an Invisibility Cloak there is always the possibility that if they are not careful, they could be exposed. With a potion, they are more likely not to be caught. Plus, the cloaks are so rare and expensive that not many people have them, so trouble is not commonly caused because of them, whereas a potion could be sold in stock and given to almost anyone. And think what could happen if that potion were damaged."

She started to understand now and couldn't believe she hadn't thought about that already. She supposed she was just so excited to have access to such a substance. Trust someone like Severus Snape to find the bad in it.

"Don't get me wrong," he continued, "I think it is an extraordinary finding. I just think it should be dealt with in caution. Potions are very delicate creations." He looked thoughtful for a moment.

"What?" she asked smiling.

He returned his gaze to her. "Oh it's nothing. I was just thinking how true that statement is. You wouldn't believe how many times I came near to poisoning my younger brother trying to create or make potions in my childhood. Well, older childhood. Father didn't like the idea of a nine year old playing with toxins." The thought of a nine year old Severus playing with potions in a lab made her giggle- it sounded so typical.

"I didn't realize you had a brother. How much younger is he?" She smiled, curious as to what sort of family the Potions master came from.

"Two. I had two other brothers. The youngest is Launce. I'm five years older than him. My older brother, Devon, was seven years my senior. However, he passed away when I was eight." His face grew dark and he looked away. She felt sympathy for him. Clearly it was a touchy subject, and she could relate.

"I'm very sorry." She paused then tried to lighten the mood a bit. "I never had any siblings, but I always wanted a sister," she smiled.

He brought his gaze back to her and frowned. "No. You don't, trust me. I have two of those as well. My life has been harder for it I assure you," he said that, but didn't put much feeling into it.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Goodness. Quite a large family you have, then. What are their names?"

He studied her quietly for a moment.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry. It's none of my business," she said chastened.

He grinned- she was so easy to unnerve. "No no, it's quite alright. Not many people know I have such a large family. My oldest sister, Lavinia, is two years younger than me, and the baby of the family, after Launce, is Amerigin. She's the more...shall I say, 'free spirited' of the family?" He chuckled quietly. "She fancies herself a poet and a romantic and goes off on wild expeditions and trips. Father was so proud of that wild spark she had; Mother tended to feel more conservative about her actions, but nonetheless tried not to voice her opinions about them. Oddly enough, Amerigin's name means poet. So did Devon's. He was an intense boy as well. My father urged the arts and literature on us while we grew up. Mother encouraged it, but wasn't as passionate about them as our father. She was more into business affairs. Her family members are very wealthy antique furniture and artifact traders. They deal with the 'high society tycoons' of Europe." He said this rolling his eyes.

"Your sister sounds very interesting. Are you close?" she said tucking her feet under her, soaking up all this wonderful new information about him.

"On a more childish level, or as childish as I'm willing to go, we are close. However, even though I admire my baby sister's passion, I think she needs to settle down and do something constructive."

"Well, maybe she feels it is constructive? As long as she's happy..." Hermione couldn't help but sometimes wish she could be that way. "What about your other sister, Lavinia?"

"Vinia or Vinnie as Amerigin calls her, which annoys her to no end," he added grinning, "was the more practical of the two. They did their sisterly thing I suppose, but they aren't very close. Vinia is more like Mother. As soon as she graduated from University she married a French wine connoisseur's son, who is exactly like her. His family owns a large vineyard just outside of Paris. They have two children, a boy and a girl. The little girl was a bit of a surprise, but both of them were born late. I think Merrin is seven now. I haven't seen them in awhile come to think of it. And they're incredibly smart. Her and her older brother Tristan, he's eleven, may well rival their uncle in intellect one day," he said almost smugly. Hermione grinned; it was almost unbelievable to think of Severus as a gloating uncle to someone's children. Her mind started, 'Did I just call him Severus?'

"Does Tristan go to Hogwarts?"

"No, they live in Paris and he attends Beauxbatons, and I suspect Merrin will as well. However, I believe Launce's sons will attend Hogwarts in a couple more years. He has twins, Elyot and Elijah."

"So Launce has twin sons. Does your family generally have twins or is it on their mother's side."

"No, Mother is a twin. Well, I suppose Launce's wife, Morgan, could carry the gene, I don't really know. I also have not seen them in awhile. The war kept me rather busy. Plus, I don't visit them regularly. There are...family differences." He looked almost sad. Hermione's heart hitched painfully for him.

"I hope everything will be alright..." she desperately wanted to know if it was about him or his being an ex Death-Eater, and if they knew what a good man he really was, but she didn't want him to feel she was prying.

"Oh, for the most part it is." Feeling the conversation was on shaky ground, he switched back to his family's story. "Anyways, Launce and Amerigin were rather close, being the youngest of the family. I studied quite a bit with Lavinia, she's rather smart herself, but I was fairly close to Launce. Plus, Vinia and I used him as our test subject most of the time," he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Hermione laughed.

"I bet you were perfectly evil." His grin widened and he nodded. She wished she could see what kind of little boy he had been. Was he a quiet child? Well, when he wasn't poisoning his brother. And what happened to make him turn out the way he was? It sounded like it was a basically normal family. She was almost certain from the way he had acted when he mentioned his brother that it had something to do with that.

"I admit I had a hand in the pre-mature graying of my parents' hair." He snickered. "No, my siblings and I weren't that bad. As Snape's we were expected to uphold the family name with dignity and all that. Most frustrating for Amerigin I assure you." She laughed and stared down into her now cold tea. There were so many questions running through her mind.

Hermione yawned as the clock struck midnight. Getting up, Snape felt guilty for keeping her up later than he should have. He too felt a little tired, but he didn't care. He thought he could go on talking to her forever without sleeping. Hermione also cursed her body; her mind wasn't ready to go to sleep yet either. She too stood up to walk Snape to the door.

"Oh yes, I'm supposed to see to it that you take that Sleeping Draught," he said turning around grinning coyly. She arched an eyebrow, which he emulated, causing her to smile again. He was quickly learning to love that smile, being the one she was smiling at.

"Actually, I think I used up what little Poppy gave me last night," she said a little sheepishly. He blinked.

"Well. I am a Potions master am I not? What good would I be if I didn't have any on store? I'll bring you some, would you mind waiting for a few minutes while I go get a it?"

"Not at all," she smiled

"It'll be just a moment then." And with that he swept off down the corridor and down the many stairs to the dungeons. He realized how fast he was walking and stopped, straightened then resumed a forced slower pace. Once at his rooms he went into his lab, and shrunk a few bottles of the Sleeping Draught and placed them in his pocket. He turned back to the main door when something caught his eye and he sighed. Turning back, he decided it was time to give something back to Hermione.

~*~*~*

Hermione was anxiously walking by the door. It was ridiculous; he'd only been gone a few minutes and he was coming right back. 'But then I have to sleep...' she thought unfairly. She had really enjoyed his company tonight. She had gotten to see past his defenses and saw how very pleasant he could be. If you could describe Severus Snape as pleasant anyhow. She smirked and started to run her fingers through her hair, but remembered it was done up. She walked over to the little mirror on the wall by the door, and removed the golden clasp that had been binding her hair all evening. She ran her fingers through her chocolate curls and shook them loose.

"Hm, not bad Granger. Kind of like a forest nymph." She rolled her eyes and then a knock sounded at the door. She straightened and turned towards it smiling.

"Back so soon-"she stopped, her eyes widening. "Crookshanks!!" The cat leapt excitedly from Severus' arms and mewing furiously at Hermione. She was hugging and kissing him, cuddling him tightly as her familiar purred and nuzzled, obviously very happy to see his Mistress. Snape watched with a mixture of feelings; he was glad she had her cat back, but he almost felt jealous at being dismissed so easily by the animal he had come to enjoy.

'Ridiculus.' he thought. Then he noticed she had done something to her hair. His own eyes widened slightly and his jaw dropped a fraction of an inch; she looked like a goddess straight out of a Greek epic. Her long curls were trailing down her back and falling around her face with a soft messy look to them. He had to take a step back, afraid the urge to grab her and kiss her senseless would become too strong. He licked his lips and closed his mouth.

"I uh, I've been forgetting to return him to you. He's quite an annoying house guest," he lied. Crookshanks looked at him as if to say, 'Oh please.' Hermione quirked her eyebrow again, still smiling.

"You've had him all this time?! Oh, I'm sorry if he was a burden. He's a little high-strung, but all around a good boy- aren't you Crookshanks," she cooed.

"So that's his name. No one at the castle knew it; I've been calling him cat. I've taken good care of him so don't worry about that." At this the cat jumped from Hermione's arms and rubbed up against Snape's legs. Hermione's jaw dropped in shock- he never acted like that around men! Snape gave in and smiling, stooped down to rub Crookshanks' head, the cat's purring increased ten-fold.

"Ok, so you weren't that annoying. But I suppose it isn't your fault with a name like that..." the cat playfully nipped his finger and Hermione huffed. He grinned at her mock annoyance- a grin she absolutely melted from- and stood up reaching into his pockets. "Here's the draught, I brought a few extra bottles should you need them. Will that be enough?"

"I'm sure it will, but if not I can brew some more," she said politely looking into his eyes. "Thank you." He met her gaze and nodded.

"Anytime," he said quietly. They stared at each other for a few moments before Crookshanks mewed- he hadn't had dinner yet.

Snape clumsily shook his head and glared down at the cat. "Oh, he might be hungry..."

"Oh, yes. Alright. I'm sure I can find him something...even though he is a cat and can very well catch his own meal," she said frowning at her familiar. The cat simply went back to rubbing against Snape's shins.

"Well, I'll leave you alone then. You need your rest. Goodnight Miss Granger."

"Hermione. Goodnight professor." she said quietly.

"Severus. And goodnight....Hermione." She suddenly realized she loved the way he said her name. They stared at each other again, before Snape cleared his throat, nodded, and turned down the hall and to the dungeons once again.

Hermione stood looking at her doorway until he was gone, when she slowly shut it and leaned her forehead against the door sighing loudly. Crookshanks twined himself around her ankles. She peered down at him.

"Oh alright!" and she turned towards the little kitchen in her rooms to find something he could eat, thinking she really had better take that Sleeping Draught- otherwise there was no way in hell she'd be able to shut her mind off tonight.