The long and winding road to love

Everyone who read “A tale of two cities” knows what this title is all
about





Well… here it is; chapter 12. I’ve written till chapter 16 and I quite
like where this fic is going. What do you think?

Thanks to Maddy-Riddle whose reviews I find
extremely funny; GRACIAS! And also to my dear Dawniky who always supported me.

So…well… here it is; chapter 12… enjoy!

 

Chapter 12: Knitting the past

 

It was very early when he woke up that
morning and for those who love tea as much as Severus does, every morning
brings about the scent of ginger and mint. But that particular morning, the scenes
of the night before flashed in front of his eyes. He needed not a reminder; he
could remember perfectly well what had happened. 

 

It was the past, hunting for release. It
was the past trying to trace its way across the path of the present. A past that
ashamed him; a past he regretted constantly. But all the same, it was the cause
of his present situation after all.  If he had not joined the Dark Side in
the first place, the chances of becoming a professor at Hogwarts would have
been none and thus, marrying Miss Granger wouldn’t have been an option.

 

He got up, leaving Hermione on the bed-
witness of their passion- and walked towards the windowpane. He just stood
there, contemplating a land that belonged to no one but him, a land that had
brought him joy as a child; a land that had served as a refuge from his
father’s abusive treatment. The fields were as green and as fertile as the day
he had left Snape’s Manor, waving goodbye to his loving mother.

 

She had been sick for several months and
the bare sight of her pale complexion filled his eyes with tears. He loved his
mother more than he had ever loved anyone and knowing that death would soon
reach her, he left, blaming his father for everything.

 

He didn’t get to see his mother alive
again, nor his father for that matter. The bastard that had been responsible
for his birth had breathed longer than his dear mother and the thought of that,
boiled his blood with hate.

 

By the time Severus Snape had inherited
Snape’s Manor, a young sorcerer was slowly gaining power. His friend from
Hogwarts, Lucius Malfoy, was a faithful servant of Lord Voldemort and so,
murdering and torturing those who were innocent brought peace to his soul,
somehow. He did not do it for the money; he owned plenty. He did not do it for
the power; he needed none. He did it for the pleasure and even though he
regretted spilling the blood of those who were guiltless, nothing could be done
to change the past. The Dark Mark may not be visible, but the heavy cross he
carried on his back was evident enough to the keen eye.

 

And it was only a matter of time before
Hermione would discover the dark within him, if they continued with the kind of
behaviour that had plastered a e one on his wife’s face the night before.

 

Why did he care? Because he had feelings
for her, sentiments that might be improper to label as “love”, but sure enough
a connection between the both of them had been created even if it was only
based on sexual attraction.

 

He was staring down at the tree under
which he used to sit seeking shade in the summer, when his wife yawned widely,
obviously not entirely knowing where she was.

 

“Good morning,
my Dear,” he coldly said from the window, not daring to look her in the face.

 

“Good morning, professor,” She said as
icily, looking straight in his direction challenging him to look at her. She
might have been half asleep but all the same she knew how to handle this
situation. She had been through this before and she was now completely aware of
the power she possessed over him.

 

“Yes, Miss Granger, I was wondering if you ld gld give me the honour of your company for breakfast,” he politely asked,
searching for an old robe inside a wooden drawer, avoiding eye contact with
her.

 

“Of course, Severus,” she said, smiling
widely and standing up from the four-poster bed. She walked to where he was and
placed a sweet kiss on his cheek, “I hope you don’t mind me calling you Severus
after the names you called me yesterday,” she said grinning; she was enjoying
the look of fright that had taken over his face. What was she playing at? Who
had kidnapped the Miss Granger he used to shout at in Potion’s classes, the
girl that had blushed when he had first kissed her? But as he looked into her
brown eyes, he became curious as to how she would react if he touched her as he
had done the night before.

 

He looked down at her and placing a hand
on her most intimate spot, he caressed the softness of her shaved skin. She
shivered, not because it was cold but because she was scared.

 

“Hermione,” He whispered into her ear with
his mainly voice, “I am hungry. A nice breakfast would suit us both, wouldn’t
you agree?” he asked; the degree of politeness of the question had completely
aroused her. He felt her sticky juices on his fingers and thus, he decided to
withdraw his hand from that place that felt so silky and so spongy and made
life a lot simpler than it really was.

 

“Of course,” she said, regaining
composure.

 

“I will meet your downstairs, Hermione,”
he formally said, but the bare use of her name made the sentence a lot less
ceremonial.

 

And with that, he was gone.

 

---*---*---

 

Thirty minutes after that, she entered the
dinning room looking dashing in pink. She wasn’t very fond of pink but
Dumbledore’s wedding present was nice enough for her to wear.

 

He stood up from the chair he had been
waiting on her in and stretching his left arm as far as it got, he took her
hand in his. He escorted her to her place where a porcelain plate was resting,
surrounded by two forks and two knifes on each side. One glass filled with
pumpkin juice had been positioned next to a steamy cup of black coffee, which
he had previously poured for her. A smaller plate, however, was located far
away from the central plate with a piece of homemade bread on it.

 

“I hope you find everything to your
liking,” he said, while clapping his hands together three times. Immediately
their plates filled with the most marvellous food Hermione had ever tasted.

 

“Of course,” she said, ignoring him. The
food was fantastic enough for her not to pay attention to anything else. Hmilemiled at this, in spite of himself.

 

Once they were finished, he decided to ask
the question he had been meaning to ask her since she had disturbed his
thoughts that very morning.

 

“Miss Granger, dear Hermione, would you
mind joining me for a stroll through the fields?” he asked, stretching his arm
once again in order for her to grab him. She liked being near him; she liked
the scent that always seemed to follow him.

 

“Yes, Severus,” she said, placing her head
on his shoulder. And with that, they left the dinning room that had witnessed
their silent breakfast, for this was the time for them to talk. She needed to
know certain things about him, and with all the time they both had on their hands
the story would serve as some kind of entertainment as they were stuck in
Snape’s Manor for at least a couple of days more.