A Maid in the Devil's Manor
folder
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
51
Views:
39,394
Reviews:
483
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
51
Views:
39,394
Reviews:
483
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.
Making Purchases
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
*******************************
Chapter 14 ~ Making Purchases
Severus and Hermione appeared at a public apparation point several blocks from the laboratory supply shop.
“Why did we apparate so far from the shop, Professor?” Hermione asked, looking about.
“I wanted you to see something,” Severus replied with an edge to his voice.
It was a typical Saturday morning in Hogsmeade. Wizards and witches were out early, and the sidewalks were crowded with people Hermione and Severus walked through the crowd. After only walking a block or two, Hermione was aware of people watching them, frowning, whispering and pointing, a couple even following them.
“What’s going on? Why are all these people looking at us?” Hermione asked the Professor, who was striding through the throngs of people, eyes straight ahead, taking no heed of the gawkers.
“This, Miss Granger is the beginning of the aftermath of Miss Skeeter’s article. There was a photo of us, and now we are recognized. Most of the people watching us believe the article. This is what it is like to be me, Miss Granger,” he said quietly.
Hermione was about to comment on this when suddenly their progress was blocked by a small, middle-aged witch with graying hair, who looked up at Severus with hatred in her blue eyes. Suddenly, she swung at his face. The Potions Master neatly caught her hand.
“My only daughter was killed two months ago in a deatheater attack. The Aurors got there too late to save her, and the deatheaters all got away. No one has been brought to justice for this…but you…you walk around free…helping them. You may have a medal, but you are no hero. You deserve to be in Azkaban…you should be the one dead…not my daughter!” the witch said, bursting into tears.
A small crowd had gathered. They were muttering. Hermione could hear words such as ‘Deatheater. Murderer. Child-killer.” It was horrible.
Severus looked down at the woman, still holding her hand. His black eyes were bright. In a soft voice, he spoke to the stricken witch. The crowd went silent so as to hear what the Potions Master was saying to the woman.
“Madam, you have my sympathy for the loss of your daughter. If there were anything I could do or say to bring you comfort, I would. But the fact remains that many have died, and will continue to die by the hands of deatheaters. I did my best to end Voldemort’s evil, and that required me to be in his service, but it wasn’t by choice. I was in service to the Order of the Phoenix. I am no supporter of deatheaters, madam. That ended long, long ago, probably well before your daughter was even born. Despite what you may hear or read, I assure you I hate their evil ways as much, or maybe more than you do. You have the death of one daughter to deal with. I have the death of thousands. Now I will release your hand and go my way. Again, I am sorry for your loss.”
Severus released the hand of the now speechless woman, and walked through the silent crowd as it parted before him, Hermione at his side. When they had cleared the crowd, Hermione looked up at him.
“That was awful,” she said in a low voice.
“That is my life, Miss Granger. I deal with people like that constantly whenever some article or column comes out about my role as a deatheater for the Order. I’m afraid that you too may have to suffer through the same thing. You too are viewed as a traitor to the wizarding world, by association. Though the charge is unproven, the onus is there. It is always there,” he said, a trace of bitterness entering his silky voice.
For the rest of the way, the couple was ogled and whispered about. Hermione was relieved when they finally turned into the supply shop. From the outside, Hogolesby’s Lab Supply was a small shop, but the inside of the store was magically resized. It was huge, and a researcher’s dream. Hermione looked back at the entrance. People were standing outside, looking in at them, all of the faces unfriendly.
The Potions Master walked up to the old clerk behind the counter, who greeted him warmly. Severus handed him the list and spoke to him in muted tones as Hermione looked around. There were only one or two other customers in the shop, apparently just browsing. The clerk looked at the list and his eyebrows raised slightly. He handed the list back to Severus, and nodded.
The clerk walked from around the counter and approached the two browsing wizards. He spoke to them softly, and they both looked at Hermione and Severus, then walked out the front door without a word. The clerk followed, closing and locking the door behind them. He turned the open sign around to read “closed” and drew all the window shades. Taking out his wand, he brightened the lights.
“All yours, Professor,” he said, returning to his place behind the counter, sitting down on a stool and opening a frayed magazine.
“All right, Miss Granger…go shop,” Severus said to Hermione with a small smirk. “Use your wand to mark all the items you wish to purchase. They will be tallied and marked for shipping.”
Hermione quickly forgot about the milling crowd of people outside the shop as she walked through the store, marking item after item with her wand. She was like a child in a candy shop.
She selected inventory/racking systems, laboratory glassware, orbital shakers, ultra-low temperature freezers, environmental chambers, circulating baths, biological safety cabinets, cell culture incubators, storage containers, dispensers, thermal cyclers, several centrifuges, a slew of concentrators, a particle processor, several microscopes, a couple of spectrophotometers and a few ph meters for a start.
Then she started on what she needed for the soil-testing lab. Then the terrarium lab.
Severus watched Hermione pick and choose the equipment and supplies she needed with hooded eyes. She was flushed and excited, exclaiming over items, picking objects up and inspecting them before setting them down. She was in her element and enjoying having the resources to get what she needed. He had discretely told the clerk to hide the prices on all the items in the shop. This the clerk did with a neat little spell. Hermione never noticed. Severus was afraid that her inclination to thriftiness would hamper her selections. A number of items she was purchasing were not on the list. Watching her made Severus feel good. He had so much money lying fallow. His needs were few, and there was little to spend it on. It just continued to gain interest and grow. He imagined the Gringotts goblins would be shocked to see the amount of money spent in one day, after all the years his vault remained untouched.
After almost three hours, Hermione walked over to Severus, her amber eyes bright with excitement, and announced she was through. He thought she looked very fetching, even if she were in jeans. Severus nodded and leaned over the counter towards the clerk. He gave him the account number for his vault and the shipping instructions. He wanted delivery in one week, and would require set up as well. The clerk nodded and shook the Professor’s hand warmly. He was going to make one hell of a commission, and he hadn’t lifted a finger.
Hermione was all smiles when she left the shop, walking next to Severus and trying to explain to him all the items she had purchased, and how she would set up the lab, and how much she was looking forward to getting down to work. Severus just listened, a small smirk on his face as she chattered on. She reminded him of when she was a student in her early years. You couldn’t turn her off.
Hermione didn’t even notice the glowers they were receiving as they walked to the apparation point. It was only when they were about to apparate back to Snape Manor that Hermione told Severus she wanted to stop by her flat first. Severus agreed and locked arms with her. Together they apparated to her flat, reappearing on the walkway leading up to the front door. As they approached, Hermione noticed an envelope attached to the door. She pulled it off and opened it. Her amber eyes shifted over the parchment quickly. Her face dropped.
“What is it?” Severus asked.
“An eviction notice. I have to be out of the flat by the end of the month,” she replied with a sigh.
“Did the landlord give a reason?” Severus asked. Inwardly he was elated. Things were moving right along.
“No, but he didn’t have to. Two words. Rita Skeeter,” she said through clenched teeth. Suddenly her nostrils flared and she ripped the parchment to shreds, flinging the pieces high in the air and watching them drift to the ground. Angry tears formed in her eyes.
What was she going to do now? The end of the month was only two weeks away, and she was broke.
Severus stood next to Hermione silently, his black eyes fixed on her intently. He had to work hard to hide the wicked smile that threatened to break out on his face.
*******************************
A/N: Man oh man. Sev, Sev, Sev. You are a manipulative bastard. What did ya’ll think of the scene with the middle-aged witch? Sad, eh? Well Hermione has all her supplies and no home. Soon she'll have no job. What do you think her options will be? Heh heh. Snape's good. Please review.
*******************************
Chapter 14 ~ Making Purchases
Severus and Hermione appeared at a public apparation point several blocks from the laboratory supply shop.
“Why did we apparate so far from the shop, Professor?” Hermione asked, looking about.
“I wanted you to see something,” Severus replied with an edge to his voice.
It was a typical Saturday morning in Hogsmeade. Wizards and witches were out early, and the sidewalks were crowded with people Hermione and Severus walked through the crowd. After only walking a block or two, Hermione was aware of people watching them, frowning, whispering and pointing, a couple even following them.
“What’s going on? Why are all these people looking at us?” Hermione asked the Professor, who was striding through the throngs of people, eyes straight ahead, taking no heed of the gawkers.
“This, Miss Granger is the beginning of the aftermath of Miss Skeeter’s article. There was a photo of us, and now we are recognized. Most of the people watching us believe the article. This is what it is like to be me, Miss Granger,” he said quietly.
Hermione was about to comment on this when suddenly their progress was blocked by a small, middle-aged witch with graying hair, who looked up at Severus with hatred in her blue eyes. Suddenly, she swung at his face. The Potions Master neatly caught her hand.
“My only daughter was killed two months ago in a deatheater attack. The Aurors got there too late to save her, and the deatheaters all got away. No one has been brought to justice for this…but you…you walk around free…helping them. You may have a medal, but you are no hero. You deserve to be in Azkaban…you should be the one dead…not my daughter!” the witch said, bursting into tears.
A small crowd had gathered. They were muttering. Hermione could hear words such as ‘Deatheater. Murderer. Child-killer.” It was horrible.
Severus looked down at the woman, still holding her hand. His black eyes were bright. In a soft voice, he spoke to the stricken witch. The crowd went silent so as to hear what the Potions Master was saying to the woman.
“Madam, you have my sympathy for the loss of your daughter. If there were anything I could do or say to bring you comfort, I would. But the fact remains that many have died, and will continue to die by the hands of deatheaters. I did my best to end Voldemort’s evil, and that required me to be in his service, but it wasn’t by choice. I was in service to the Order of the Phoenix. I am no supporter of deatheaters, madam. That ended long, long ago, probably well before your daughter was even born. Despite what you may hear or read, I assure you I hate their evil ways as much, or maybe more than you do. You have the death of one daughter to deal with. I have the death of thousands. Now I will release your hand and go my way. Again, I am sorry for your loss.”
Severus released the hand of the now speechless woman, and walked through the silent crowd as it parted before him, Hermione at his side. When they had cleared the crowd, Hermione looked up at him.
“That was awful,” she said in a low voice.
“That is my life, Miss Granger. I deal with people like that constantly whenever some article or column comes out about my role as a deatheater for the Order. I’m afraid that you too may have to suffer through the same thing. You too are viewed as a traitor to the wizarding world, by association. Though the charge is unproven, the onus is there. It is always there,” he said, a trace of bitterness entering his silky voice.
For the rest of the way, the couple was ogled and whispered about. Hermione was relieved when they finally turned into the supply shop. From the outside, Hogolesby’s Lab Supply was a small shop, but the inside of the store was magically resized. It was huge, and a researcher’s dream. Hermione looked back at the entrance. People were standing outside, looking in at them, all of the faces unfriendly.
The Potions Master walked up to the old clerk behind the counter, who greeted him warmly. Severus handed him the list and spoke to him in muted tones as Hermione looked around. There were only one or two other customers in the shop, apparently just browsing. The clerk looked at the list and his eyebrows raised slightly. He handed the list back to Severus, and nodded.
The clerk walked from around the counter and approached the two browsing wizards. He spoke to them softly, and they both looked at Hermione and Severus, then walked out the front door without a word. The clerk followed, closing and locking the door behind them. He turned the open sign around to read “closed” and drew all the window shades. Taking out his wand, he brightened the lights.
“All yours, Professor,” he said, returning to his place behind the counter, sitting down on a stool and opening a frayed magazine.
“All right, Miss Granger…go shop,” Severus said to Hermione with a small smirk. “Use your wand to mark all the items you wish to purchase. They will be tallied and marked for shipping.”
Hermione quickly forgot about the milling crowd of people outside the shop as she walked through the store, marking item after item with her wand. She was like a child in a candy shop.
She selected inventory/racking systems, laboratory glassware, orbital shakers, ultra-low temperature freezers, environmental chambers, circulating baths, biological safety cabinets, cell culture incubators, storage containers, dispensers, thermal cyclers, several centrifuges, a slew of concentrators, a particle processor, several microscopes, a couple of spectrophotometers and a few ph meters for a start.
Then she started on what she needed for the soil-testing lab. Then the terrarium lab.
Severus watched Hermione pick and choose the equipment and supplies she needed with hooded eyes. She was flushed and excited, exclaiming over items, picking objects up and inspecting them before setting them down. She was in her element and enjoying having the resources to get what she needed. He had discretely told the clerk to hide the prices on all the items in the shop. This the clerk did with a neat little spell. Hermione never noticed. Severus was afraid that her inclination to thriftiness would hamper her selections. A number of items she was purchasing were not on the list. Watching her made Severus feel good. He had so much money lying fallow. His needs were few, and there was little to spend it on. It just continued to gain interest and grow. He imagined the Gringotts goblins would be shocked to see the amount of money spent in one day, after all the years his vault remained untouched.
After almost three hours, Hermione walked over to Severus, her amber eyes bright with excitement, and announced she was through. He thought she looked very fetching, even if she were in jeans. Severus nodded and leaned over the counter towards the clerk. He gave him the account number for his vault and the shipping instructions. He wanted delivery in one week, and would require set up as well. The clerk nodded and shook the Professor’s hand warmly. He was going to make one hell of a commission, and he hadn’t lifted a finger.
Hermione was all smiles when she left the shop, walking next to Severus and trying to explain to him all the items she had purchased, and how she would set up the lab, and how much she was looking forward to getting down to work. Severus just listened, a small smirk on his face as she chattered on. She reminded him of when she was a student in her early years. You couldn’t turn her off.
Hermione didn’t even notice the glowers they were receiving as they walked to the apparation point. It was only when they were about to apparate back to Snape Manor that Hermione told Severus she wanted to stop by her flat first. Severus agreed and locked arms with her. Together they apparated to her flat, reappearing on the walkway leading up to the front door. As they approached, Hermione noticed an envelope attached to the door. She pulled it off and opened it. Her amber eyes shifted over the parchment quickly. Her face dropped.
“What is it?” Severus asked.
“An eviction notice. I have to be out of the flat by the end of the month,” she replied with a sigh.
“Did the landlord give a reason?” Severus asked. Inwardly he was elated. Things were moving right along.
“No, but he didn’t have to. Two words. Rita Skeeter,” she said through clenched teeth. Suddenly her nostrils flared and she ripped the parchment to shreds, flinging the pieces high in the air and watching them drift to the ground. Angry tears formed in her eyes.
What was she going to do now? The end of the month was only two weeks away, and she was broke.
Severus stood next to Hermione silently, his black eyes fixed on her intently. He had to work hard to hide the wicked smile that threatened to break out on his face.
*******************************
A/N: Man oh man. Sev, Sev, Sev. You are a manipulative bastard. What did ya’ll think of the scene with the middle-aged witch? Sad, eh? Well Hermione has all her supplies and no home. Soon she'll have no job. What do you think her options will be? Heh heh. Snape's good. Please review.