The Diary
folder
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
15
Views:
22,229
Reviews:
74
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
15
Views:
22,229
Reviews:
74
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter 11
****
The week with her parents, and then the week at the Weasleys flew by. Congratulations on her teaching position came from her parents, while the Weasleys were absolutely thrilled that Hermione would be close, and that her research was so monumental. Harry had told her that he expected to be top on her list when she started producing the potion that would halt the Cruciatus’ effects, since they were still busy rooting out some of Voldemort’s former supporters, while Ron urged her to eventually look at a way to prevent the deadly effects of the Avada Kedavra. After leaving the Weasleys, she had made a trip back to Norway, to let Ole know of her plans, and to pick up her skis – a present from Ole and his family.
****
Since it was still summer, Hermione was greeted informally by several of the faculty when she arrived back at Hogwarts. Minerva McGonagall (“Please, dear, Minerva – although the first names may take some getting used to - on both sides”) had taken her to her rooms; located near both the library and Gryffindor. “While you won’t have any house duties, I expect that you will still want to be closer to Gryffindor, than to the other houses.”
“Now, as faculty, you have three rooms, including a study, a bedroom area, and a bathroom. In addition, you will have a small office in,” she paused, “in the dungeons, close to your laboratory area, and you will have an additional office just off your classroom. As you know, you are not required to attend meals, although if you are available, it is preferred, as students may wish to approach you then.” She smiled. “I believe Severus attends dinner, simply so that he does not have to maintain regular office hours.”
Hermione smiled blandly, her mind flashing back to the last time she had been in Snape’s office, and the dreams that had made her wonder about him. Willing the images out of her head, she turned her attention back to Minerva. “I will have your things brought up for you, and you can get settled. I don’t know if your laboratory has been designated yet, you would have to talk to Severus about that. But if you have any questions, please ask any of us – we as so pleased to have you back, Hermione.”
****
She was back. Albus had made a point of informing him earlier in the day he had hired Miss Granger – Hermione – to fill the vacant Ancient Runes position. Apparently enticed by the contents of the Restricted section of the library, she had accepted. And she had just moved in. At least she hadn’t brought some Norwegian with her. And now he was supposed to find her lab space and a small office.
He willed himself to be something other than secretly pleased; it wouldn’t do if people were to know that he was actually happy to have Hermione here. He couldn’t ask for a better colleague with whom to discuss work, and, he had to admit, maybe now that they were on a more equal footing, maybe he could discuss some of those dreams with her, too… A thought flicked through his brain, and he chuckled; either he’d convince her that she was right when she thought he wasn’t so bad, or he’d have to buy some less expensive glassware – tossing 100 year old crystal around was not a cheap habit.
Hermione looked around her rooms; her bookshelves had been filled, her clothes put away, Crookshanks comfortably settled in. Her skis – beautiful hard wood objects carved by Ole’s son - were in the corner, waiting for the first snowfall.
She sighed. She had stalled long enough; it was time to go find Snape, and see about her lab space…. She decided to change out of her jeans and sweatshirt that she had been wearing when she was unpacking stuff; it wouldn’t do to show up at Snape’s door looking like a ragman.
****
She took a breath, and flashed back to the day, more than 5 years ago, when she had stood outside his door, contemplating her next move. More composed this time around, she still felt her pulse race; Snape was what the Arithmancers would call an unknown quantity. Today she had opted to go with a traditional Potion Master look, dressing in black, snug but not tight-fitting clothes, with a lightweight charcoal cloak, the Norwegian twist on the European Potion Master’s all black look. Maybe it was a little more formal than the situation called for, but it was not drastically out of place, and, if her memory served her correctly, it would be better to be dressed up, rather than down, when dealing with Snape. “Damn. I’ve got to remember to call him ‘Severus’.” She knocked on the door, and heard the familiar, irritated-sounding voice.
He couldn’t help but stare at her as she entered the room. He had seen her in the intervening years, and had seen the maturation of her body and her intellect, but not at this close range; while the rest of the world may have judged her to be average-looking, in his eyes she was beautiful. Brains had always held a lot more interest than beauty for him.
“Miss, er, Hermione.” He paused. Damn. He hadn’t thought about this enough. “Congratulations on completing your apprenticeship. I understand that you have been pursuing an interesting area of research.” HIs voice came out formal sounding and stiff.
She nodded. “Thank you, uh, Severus.” Oh, Thor’s balls! This first name thing is not as easy as it seems. “My research is not quite as far along as I would like – I don’t have anything that has shown to be more that mildly effective, at best, but I think that in time, I might be able to develop something more effective. I think that maybe I’m not correctly identifying all of the neurological response-“
She paused – she didn’t want to start off by immediately talking potions. “Sorry. It’s been a while since I’ve had a conversation with another Master that hasn’t immediately turned to work. I, uh, Pr-, uh, Minerva told me that I should talk with you about some latoratory space, and possibly an office, so that I can keep some of my Potions texts here.”
He stood up, and pulled a chair over. “Please, take a seat. I am sure that I can find some room for you. If you’d like, I can also make some room in my vault for some of your more exotic ingredients, if that will be of a help to you.”
She looked at him. Who thisthis man? What happened to the Snape from her school years? The faintest flicker of a smile crossed his lips as he read her expression. “Hermione. We’re colleagues now. You’ll find that I may not be quite as much of a ‘black-hearted bastard’ as you once thought.”
Hermione blanched. Where the hell had he picked up that phrase – had he overheard them years ago, or was it just a coincidence? “Er.” She smiled. “I’m sorry Professor. I don’t think I can respond to that without putting my foot in my mouth.”
He smiled inwardly. She really had matured in the intervening years. Sure, she still got flustered, but she had more of a backbone to her now. They discussed her laboratory needs and office space for about a quarter of an hour, before he invited her to follow him. “I may have just what you are looking for.” They left his office, and went down the hallway, until he found the door he was looking for. He unlocked it, and Hermione stepped into a large, well-lit and already fairly well-equipped laboratory. “I am sure that you will have some specific instrumentation that you would like to add, but would you find this suitable?”
She nodded. The lab looked ideal. He walked to the far side of the lab, and stood in one of two doorways. “Will this,” he indicated to the one he was standing in, “work for your office? There is a fair amount of filing space, a large desk, and, well, I took the liberty of having the elves bring in a couch, as well. I, er, I know how it is nice to be able to take a rest when working on a long project. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No.” Her voice broke, as yet another image from her long-ago dreams flashed through her head. “No, this is wonderful. That’s very kind of you. Thank you.” He nodded, and then pointed to the other door.
“This door leads to my private laboratory. I felt that it might be best tve tve the two labs connect – so that we can share the vault space, and for those times, when an extra hand,an ean extra brain comes in handy.” He paused. He noticed Hermione’s look of complete and utter bafflement.
“That, uh, that sounds wonderful.” She stopped. “I’m sorry. This isn’t going to come out right at all, but I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you, uh, being, um, so, er….” She paused as she felt her face flush.
“Nice?” He supplied.
She looked directly at him, and saw the corners of his mouth twitching.
She couldn’t help but giggle. “Yeah. I didn’t think you had it in you.”
He turned away from her, and muttered, “I know…”
~~~~
A/N: Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews on this! I was planning on posting more of this yesterday, but for some reason my boss wanted me to do some real work, instead. (The nerve!) Anyway, I am really glad that you are enjoying this - this was the first fan fic I ever wrote, and I really had a good time with it.
The week with her parents, and then the week at the Weasleys flew by. Congratulations on her teaching position came from her parents, while the Weasleys were absolutely thrilled that Hermione would be close, and that her research was so monumental. Harry had told her that he expected to be top on her list when she started producing the potion that would halt the Cruciatus’ effects, since they were still busy rooting out some of Voldemort’s former supporters, while Ron urged her to eventually look at a way to prevent the deadly effects of the Avada Kedavra. After leaving the Weasleys, she had made a trip back to Norway, to let Ole know of her plans, and to pick up her skis – a present from Ole and his family.
****
Since it was still summer, Hermione was greeted informally by several of the faculty when she arrived back at Hogwarts. Minerva McGonagall (“Please, dear, Minerva – although the first names may take some getting used to - on both sides”) had taken her to her rooms; located near both the library and Gryffindor. “While you won’t have any house duties, I expect that you will still want to be closer to Gryffindor, than to the other houses.”
“Now, as faculty, you have three rooms, including a study, a bedroom area, and a bathroom. In addition, you will have a small office in,” she paused, “in the dungeons, close to your laboratory area, and you will have an additional office just off your classroom. As you know, you are not required to attend meals, although if you are available, it is preferred, as students may wish to approach you then.” She smiled. “I believe Severus attends dinner, simply so that he does not have to maintain regular office hours.”
Hermione smiled blandly, her mind flashing back to the last time she had been in Snape’s office, and the dreams that had made her wonder about him. Willing the images out of her head, she turned her attention back to Minerva. “I will have your things brought up for you, and you can get settled. I don’t know if your laboratory has been designated yet, you would have to talk to Severus about that. But if you have any questions, please ask any of us – we as so pleased to have you back, Hermione.”
****
She was back. Albus had made a point of informing him earlier in the day he had hired Miss Granger – Hermione – to fill the vacant Ancient Runes position. Apparently enticed by the contents of the Restricted section of the library, she had accepted. And she had just moved in. At least she hadn’t brought some Norwegian with her. And now he was supposed to find her lab space and a small office.
He willed himself to be something other than secretly pleased; it wouldn’t do if people were to know that he was actually happy to have Hermione here. He couldn’t ask for a better colleague with whom to discuss work, and, he had to admit, maybe now that they were on a more equal footing, maybe he could discuss some of those dreams with her, too… A thought flicked through his brain, and he chuckled; either he’d convince her that she was right when she thought he wasn’t so bad, or he’d have to buy some less expensive glassware – tossing 100 year old crystal around was not a cheap habit.
Hermione looked around her rooms; her bookshelves had been filled, her clothes put away, Crookshanks comfortably settled in. Her skis – beautiful hard wood objects carved by Ole’s son - were in the corner, waiting for the first snowfall.
She sighed. She had stalled long enough; it was time to go find Snape, and see about her lab space…. She decided to change out of her jeans and sweatshirt that she had been wearing when she was unpacking stuff; it wouldn’t do to show up at Snape’s door looking like a ragman.
****
She took a breath, and flashed back to the day, more than 5 years ago, when she had stood outside his door, contemplating her next move. More composed this time around, she still felt her pulse race; Snape was what the Arithmancers would call an unknown quantity. Today she had opted to go with a traditional Potion Master look, dressing in black, snug but not tight-fitting clothes, with a lightweight charcoal cloak, the Norwegian twist on the European Potion Master’s all black look. Maybe it was a little more formal than the situation called for, but it was not drastically out of place, and, if her memory served her correctly, it would be better to be dressed up, rather than down, when dealing with Snape. “Damn. I’ve got to remember to call him ‘Severus’.” She knocked on the door, and heard the familiar, irritated-sounding voice.
He couldn’t help but stare at her as she entered the room. He had seen her in the intervening years, and had seen the maturation of her body and her intellect, but not at this close range; while the rest of the world may have judged her to be average-looking, in his eyes she was beautiful. Brains had always held a lot more interest than beauty for him.
“Miss, er, Hermione.” He paused. Damn. He hadn’t thought about this enough. “Congratulations on completing your apprenticeship. I understand that you have been pursuing an interesting area of research.” HIs voice came out formal sounding and stiff.
She nodded. “Thank you, uh, Severus.” Oh, Thor’s balls! This first name thing is not as easy as it seems. “My research is not quite as far along as I would like – I don’t have anything that has shown to be more that mildly effective, at best, but I think that in time, I might be able to develop something more effective. I think that maybe I’m not correctly identifying all of the neurological response-“
She paused – she didn’t want to start off by immediately talking potions. “Sorry. It’s been a while since I’ve had a conversation with another Master that hasn’t immediately turned to work. I, uh, Pr-, uh, Minerva told me that I should talk with you about some latoratory space, and possibly an office, so that I can keep some of my Potions texts here.”
He stood up, and pulled a chair over. “Please, take a seat. I am sure that I can find some room for you. If you’d like, I can also make some room in my vault for some of your more exotic ingredients, if that will be of a help to you.”
She looked at him. Who thisthis man? What happened to the Snape from her school years? The faintest flicker of a smile crossed his lips as he read her expression. “Hermione. We’re colleagues now. You’ll find that I may not be quite as much of a ‘black-hearted bastard’ as you once thought.”
Hermione blanched. Where the hell had he picked up that phrase – had he overheard them years ago, or was it just a coincidence? “Er.” She smiled. “I’m sorry Professor. I don’t think I can respond to that without putting my foot in my mouth.”
He smiled inwardly. She really had matured in the intervening years. Sure, she still got flustered, but she had more of a backbone to her now. They discussed her laboratory needs and office space for about a quarter of an hour, before he invited her to follow him. “I may have just what you are looking for.” They left his office, and went down the hallway, until he found the door he was looking for. He unlocked it, and Hermione stepped into a large, well-lit and already fairly well-equipped laboratory. “I am sure that you will have some specific instrumentation that you would like to add, but would you find this suitable?”
She nodded. The lab looked ideal. He walked to the far side of the lab, and stood in one of two doorways. “Will this,” he indicated to the one he was standing in, “work for your office? There is a fair amount of filing space, a large desk, and, well, I took the liberty of having the elves bring in a couch, as well. I, er, I know how it is nice to be able to take a rest when working on a long project. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No.” Her voice broke, as yet another image from her long-ago dreams flashed through her head. “No, this is wonderful. That’s very kind of you. Thank you.” He nodded, and then pointed to the other door.
“This door leads to my private laboratory. I felt that it might be best tve tve the two labs connect – so that we can share the vault space, and for those times, when an extra hand,an ean extra brain comes in handy.” He paused. He noticed Hermione’s look of complete and utter bafflement.
“That, uh, that sounds wonderful.” She stopped. “I’m sorry. This isn’t going to come out right at all, but I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you, uh, being, um, so, er….” She paused as she felt her face flush.
“Nice?” He supplied.
She looked directly at him, and saw the corners of his mouth twitching.
She couldn’t help but giggle. “Yeah. I didn’t think you had it in you.”
He turned away from her, and muttered, “I know…”
~~~~
A/N: Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews on this! I was planning on posting more of this yesterday, but for some reason my boss wanted me to do some real work, instead. (The nerve!) Anyway, I am really glad that you are enjoying this - this was the first fan fic I ever wrote, and I really had a good time with it.