Winter's Shadow

Chapter 3

Hobgoblins

Snape woke up very early, as he usually did, in hopes of being alone to sort out why Albus sent him here of all places and to think about the conversation he had read. He was out of luck. As soon as he descended the stairs, he saw Hermione sitting at the dining room table surrounded by books. Looking up at him, she smiled oddly at him and politely asked if he would like some coffee or tea before breakfast.

When Hermione got up to prepare the coffee Snape noticed the girl was still in her nightclothes. Not that she would wear anything revealing--especially with company in the house, but it was not a sight that Snape was used to. It was a rainy day, so Hermione had not rushed into her bathing suit to go out by the pool. Snape politely took his coffee and sat down as an owl found its way in through an opened window. Snape took the Daily Prophet from the owl placing the money in the birds pouch and began to read.

Hermione watched him do this wondering if he was going to be this anti-social all summer. True, she was not the most sociable person in the world having a book in her face all the time, but this was ridiculous. She sat there with her head to one side staring at him hoping he would feel it and be forced to acknowledge the presence of another person.

Setting his cup down again, Snape noticed the girl was still staring. By the look of pure pleasure on her face, she was aware of how irritating she was being to him--and she called him the sadist. Finally, he looked away from the paper to Hermione.

"Yes, Ms. Granger? Do you have something of importance to say or has Potter's reminder of a school girl crush caused your intelligence level to drop?" Hermione's mouth fell open. He had been reading her conversation with Harry and Draco.

Instead of retaliating, Hermione stood up and left up the stairs to shower. Snape thought he had actually gotten to her, but then he did not know what awaited him when he would finally try out the internet. The real reason Hermione did not say anything. When he heard her door close, he smiled with satisfaction. Snape's smile quickly faded when he heard music coming from her room. Thankfully he could not quite make out the actually words or anything, therefore it would be easy to tune it out.

She fucking hates me

Snape's head jerked up toward the ceiling. What was that girl listening to? The song had been indistinguishable until that one line and now it was as if he was in the same room as her stereo. Sighing, Snape rolled his eyes and walked toward his temporary potions lab.

Hermione knew that Snape was similar to her in many ways so it would only make sense that he, too, would hold his silent mornings dear. She was perfectly willing to put up with the noise to annoy him. When she heard the muffled sound of a door closing, she knew he had gone down to the lab. Smiling to her satisfaction, she lowered the volume and replaced her CD with something less hateful. Now, a shower.

****

Hermione sat at the table and ate lunch alone. This was not something new to her; besides, she would be studying anyway. She was halfway through eating with her professor decided to appear again. He looked cranky so Hermione offered him food--always worked on Harry, Ron, and Draco. He glared at her though. She rolled her eyes at him--he just was not as intimidating when he was a guest in her house.

"There is a plate for you in the kitchen." He looked at her like she had snakes coming out of her head. Yes, she was his hostess, but that did not mean she had to serve him. He obviously thought otherwise.

"What?" She looked up at his glaring face. "I'm not your house elf; you are a big boy and can go get it yourself." She turned back to her work without so much as a flinch from the killing curses he was glaring at her.

Snape walked passed Hermione into the kitchen. True, this was not the potions classroom where it was so easy to intimidate students, but he was not sure if he liked this bold version of Hermione. It was rather unsettling to him. Sitting back down across from her, he continued to glare at her. She looked up and smiled at him knowing it would only serve to sour his mood even more.

'Maybe this summer won't be so bad.' Hermione had learned way too much from Harry, Ron, and Draco.

After he finished eating, he finally spoke to her.

"Ms. Granger, this muggle contraption will allow me access to magical books?"

"Yes, you may go on it anytime you like. Right now, I am the only name on the computer other than yours so it will be easy to know what to sign onto the internet with. I have given you the password Snape to sign in with and then you will be able to change it. Oh, the password for the books is next to the computer on a ministry letter head."

"Thank you, Ms. Granger."

"Hermione." He looked at her as she corrected him, but he said nothing more. This whole situation was beyond his understanding. A wicked smiled formed on Hermione's lips as Snape walked over to the computer.

She looked back down at her work so as to appear busy. Truthfully, she was watching to see his reaction to his name. Part of her wondered if that was such a good idea remembering that he had actually read her conversation, meaning he knew about her past crush on him.

Snape tentatively placed his hand on what Hermione called the mouse and clicked on the picture that represented the internet. When a box appeared with an arrow for him to choose which name he stopped and just stared at it. He saw StUdYfReAk, which he knew to be Hermione. It was the only other name there, as she had said, that took him by surprise. She had given him this name and he was none too happy about it.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" He turned to look at the culprit. She looked up innocent.

"What? You don't like the name I chose for you?"

"SexySevvy! WHAT were you thinking, Ms. Granger? Oh, never mind. I don't need to guess do I?" His voice was cold and calculating as he said the last part rather slow to ensure that Hermione heard every syllable. She only looked at him with a raised eyebrow almost daring him to say it out loud.

Snape turned to the computer again and used the guide Hermione had put by the computer on how to get to the magical books.

'Muggles do have some intelligence.' Snape was completely enthralled by the internet. Hermione had continued with her work while Snape continued on line. She figured she would know when he would discover the profile ability and what his said. She giggled slightly to herself at the thought.

It did not take, but thirty minutes.

Snape was in the middle of a magical potions book when a strange box appeared in the corner. He read it with growing wide eyes.

Hot4U: Hey, Sexy. I'll be your masochist.

"WHAT!" Hermione looked up and saw the little box. Suppressing a smile, she told him how to get rid of the box and told him that it was another person on line who wanted to talk to him. He clicked the box off like she told him how to and continued to read.

'And the games begin,' Hermione thought to herself.

It wasn't but about two minutes later when another box appeared and then another. Apparently, Snape's profile was a hit on the internet.

Sexxy16: what are those sadistic urges?

(click)

horn-e-grl: how deep does the sadist go?

(click)

sexxysadist: I am not a masochist, but have no problem converting.

(click)

hot4urchain: Sexy, exactly how long is that chain?

"BLOODY HELL!" Hermione nearly spat out her tea at Snape's outburst. She had heard every click along with a low growl from the Professor. Inside, she was rolling on the floor laughing. He turned to Hermione.

"What is wrong with you women?" Hermione raised her eyebrow at that comment. He just called her woman instead of girl. She didn't think he even noticed that slip. But, then there was another reason for it. Walking over to Snape, she saw another one pop up. It was one that had already written once.

Sexxysadist: I'll be your masochist in any dark dungeon and you can smother that love

Potion all over...

Hermione could not keep reading it without laughing. Snape, however, was appalled that someone would say that to someone they didn't even know and more so, that Ms. Granger was standing there reading it--laughing. He began to rub his head. This summer was going to be the death of him yet.

Hermione had one thought though. She reached out to grab the mouse from behind Snape at the same time he reached to retake it. There hands collided causing Hermione to stutter.

"S-sorry." Snape only froze. That was the most physical contact he had allowed himself in years--although he didn't exactly allow it, it was rather forced by a clumsy girl. He chose not to speak, as she was obviously upset. He moved his hand and allowed the girl to take the mouse. She clicked on this Sexxysadist's name and this whole other thing came up. In looking Snape realized it told one about the other. Hermione started to laugh as she pointed at the word "sex." That was no woman saying those things to him, but another man.

Looking at this he noticed some odd colored words that said "my profile." Hermione saw him take the mouse back and start moving the cursor over to those words. She began to back away not wanting to be right behind him when he saw what she had done. He clicked the words and suddenly another box appeared holding his screen name and information he did not put in about himself. His eyes grew wider with each word he read.

Snape stood so fast Hermione thought he would attack. He turned to her and rushed her getting directly in front of her. If she were not so much shorter than he, they would have been nose to crooked nose.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING? Might I remind you that you are still a student at Hogwarts! This sort of behavior is..." Hermione had had enough of this. She was not going to spend her summer with a sour man when she knew there had to be other layers to him. How was she supposed to survive the summer with this dark man?

"Is WHAT?" Snape looked at her threw narrow eyes. How dare she interrupt and then speak in such a tone. She didn't stop though. "I may be a student still, but this IS the summer and you have NO authority over my behavior." What was she doing? "And furthermore, PROFESSOR SEVERUS SNAPE," She poked him in the chest with each word of his name, "it's time you opened those black orbs you call eyes and look around. I am NO longer that eleven-year-old girl who cowered before the great bat of a potions professor! YOU have been a git since entering this house and continued to treat me as if I was a Neville Longbottom!" She was fuming and he was stunned. She began to poke him in the chest again, backing him up further and further. "I AM and have ALWAYS been the ONLY student at Hogwarts that could even be CONSIDERED your intellectual equal!" She stopped with her finger still on his chest. She had backed him up against the wall. Snape looked down at Hermione--this was a side he had not seen up close, let alone something he would allow in his classroom. But they were not in his classroom. She was glaring up at the tall man without a fear in the world.

"You WILL refrain from treating me as an imbecile first year you would not consider wiping your boots on." At those last words, Hermione turned and ran up the stairs to calm down. She could not believe she just said any of that, that she had backed the infamous potions master into a wall, or that he let her.

Snape leaned against the wall still watching her go. Where did that Hermione come from and where could he get one? Mentally slapping himself for such a thought, he mumbled to himself.

"She's a student, Severus."

****

Hermione closed her bedroom door and leaning on it, she took a few deep breaths. Had she just done what she remembered doing? Yes, she had and thank Merlin this was not his potions classroom. She decided it would be best to stay upstairs for a while, as the professor was most likely in a foul mood.

As Hermione lay in her room reading a book, she began to feel a bit bad about what she had done. True, it was not all her fault--he did not have to be such a git. The fact remained that she did create that profile and then she told him off for getting angry about it. But was that really why she did it? Probably not, after all, he had hit a sore spot earlier in the day at the mention of her past crush on him. There was no use in playing the blame game. She felt bad and she knew what she was going to do about it.

In the potions lab Snape could hear the clattering of dishes above. Hermione was in the kitchen and apparently cooking. He had to admit the girl was skilled in potions, as in all her subjects, but who knew the girl could cook. As he corked several containers for Madam Pomfrey, the scent of Hermione's cooking wafted toward Snape's nose. The activation of this particular sense jogged a memory of Hermione's earlier words to him about not being his house elf. Finishing pouring the last of the potion he opted to clean up for the evening.

Hermione had been working for a while on dinner. She had wracked her brain to picture all the meals at Hogwarts when Snape was present. She needed to know what his favorite meal was and figured the best way to know was to remember what he ate most often. This was a better option than asking him, as it would raise only more suspicion about her feelings for him.

As Snape ascended the basement potions lab Hermione was stepping back into the kitchen. He looked around the kitchen to digest all he was seeing to ensure he was seeing correctly.

"Professor, I wanted to apologize for my earlier behavior in all points." Snape turned to look at the Hermione with cool black eyes. "I wanted to make it up to you, so I tried to remember what I saw you eat most often at school and going on the assumption that would be your favorite, I cooked it for you for dinner." Snape politely said thank you although his expression was unreadable. Hermione instructed him to sit in the dining room while she finished up.

Sitting down, Snape picked back up his Daily Prophet. Upon doing so, however, he noticed Hermione's summer potions essay sitting on the table. In a strange sense, Snape felt the need to return Hermione's favor. Being one to always stay ahead of her work, Snape knew the girl would appreciate his input on her essay. True, it was not due for quite a while and was well aware that it was a work in progress, but as it had to do with theory behind the potions he believed the girl would be most grateful.

He was wrong.

During dinner Hermione noticed him scribbling constantly on a piece of parchment. She just figured that he was a work-aholic. Dinner was actually pleasant, but probably because Snape was too busy to torture the girl. Hermione noticed her potions essay when she was getting the dishes up. It sat on the dining room table next to Snape. There was red ink all over the paper. Snape had looked at it and in doing edited it as he saw fit--questioning her description of such a potion, questioning the reliability in the theory, questioning the morality of the use of such a potion, everything down to the entire structure of her essay.

'How dare he!'

Hermione was not one to want a professor to see her essay before the due date or before she was prepared.

"I thought I would return the gesture you showed by preparing my favorite meal, as such, I believed you would appreciate my input."

"Your input? It's my first draft and everything you comment on is trivial in comparison to the whole!" Snape looked at the girl as if she was the most ungrateful child he had ever witnessed.

Meanwhile, Hermione was fuming at the idea of him looking at it before she was prepared. She hated the thought of any professor seeing anything but her best and this first draft was not her best, yet the comments were entirely too trivial. Looking at her Professor she said her final words before exiting the room.

"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."

Puddle of Mudd "She hates me"

Ralph Waldo Emerson's response to the petty criticisms he received from critics looking at a part of the work instead of the whole--a basic can't see the forest for the trees speech.