A Tale of Two Grangers

Hermione's happiness after her success was short-lived. She knew that Severus's bathroom would need cleaning before she used it (considering the state of his kitchen), so she cheerfully set her magic to scrubbing the tiny, dull room. The shower floor was surprisingly clean, without a hair or speck of mildew, but the rest of the facility was as disgusting as one might expect from a young, single male. She feared permanent nose wrinkles by the time she was done.

The real problems, however, didn't make themselves plain until she was actually in the shower. There were no shelves for her toiletries, so she had to prop them on the floor and curse every time she knocked them over. The towels were in the cabinet as promised, but she forgot to clean them until she discovered that her washcloth was filthy. The feeling of dust clods smeared across her wet skin horrified her. Then, only five minutes into her shower, the water (which was much too soft) suddenly turned ice cold. She was only able to stay in for five minutes more until her teeth were chattering loudly.

Hermione turned off the water and leaned out of the shower to grab a towel and her wand. Just as her fingertips brushed the edge of the counter, her foot slid across the slick, tiled floor. She yelped as her body swung forward and the shower curtain she grabbed tore from the rod above. Her head narrowly missed the toilet seat. A loud thump marked her landing, and her vision blurred when her cheek hit the floor.

She barely had time to react when the bathroom door flew open. "What in Merlin's name are you doing to my bath—" The door slammed shut as abruptly as it had opened.

A few moments passed before she heard anything. She tried to clear her head, but the room seemed to swirl around her every time she moved.

"Miss Granger, are you in need of assistance?" his voice called shakily from behind the door.

She answered with a moan. She felt dizzy enough to throw up, and she didn't want to risk opening her mouth.

She heard a muffled sigh. "I'm going to open the door. Can you cover yourself?"

Oh certainly, let me just transfigure a robe while I lie here and vomit, she thought.

He waited for a moment, then spoke again. "I won't look then. I'm going to open the door now."

He waited another few seconds, then opened it. She was just able to look up at him, and almost laughed. His eyes were squeezed shut, his head turned away, and he began groping for the towel cabinet.

"There's one on the counter," she informed him weakly.

He nodded and felt for the towel, then unfolded it and threw it over her. "Does that cover you appropriately?"

She would have rolled her eyes if it didn't make her feel even woozier. "I don't care if you see my bum, just help me off the damn floor. It's freezing down here."

He frowned. "I have no wish to see any such thing." He leaned down to help her, opening his eyes as little as possible. He gripped her hands and pulled her up, and she thought she might lose breakfast over the whole floor for a moment. Then, she sat on the closed lid of the toilet and breathed slowly until the room slowed a bit.

"I'll get you a wit-sharpening potion. Stay there."

He left the room as quickly as if he were on fire. Hermione smiled to herself, feeling better already, and adjusted the towel to wrap around her still-naked body. She considered dressing before he returned, but thought better of it. I'll probably fall over, and besides, I think he deserves a bit of a show, being my knight in black armor and all. She almost laughed to herself, but he suddenly made his presence known by coughing just outside the door.

"I'm decent, Severus."

He walked in, apparently doubtful of her claim as his head was still turned away. He extended a small bottle of what looked like water, but was quite thick and slid against the glass. She took it and swallowed it all at once, and was surprised to find that it tasted and felt like she'd swallowed a small amount of very clean, cool air. She immediately felt as if she'd never fallen, except for aches in her head and ankle.

He turned to go, but she stopped him. "Severus, I think I twisted my ankle. Will you check for me?" She tried to sound as innocent as possible. Had this Severus been familiar with her checkered history of honesty, she was certain he would have ignored her.

Luckily, he wasn't. He turned and looked down at her foot, which she had extended and arched toward him. Her pale, pink toes pointed directly to his groin, and she was sure he could see the towel ride up her thigh.

Severus stared at her leg for a full minute without speaking. His face was completely blank, and she started to wonder what on earth he was doing. She cleared her throat, and he finally blinked.

"Your foot looks perfectly fine to me, Hermione," he said hoarsely. Without another word, he turned and stalked into his study, closing the door behind him.

She grinned and stood to dress. "I asked about my ankle," she murmured, "but close enough."

---

Dirty bird! Poor Sev.

I know the story is moving a little slow, but I promise it will speed up soon. Just have to get some of this character development out of the way, and what's an HG/SS without a little sexual tension built up? :)

One last note: Thanks to my reviewers! You guys rock! I am more motivated to leave reviews for others now that I know how addicting it is to check for them. :) Oh yes, and more motivated to earn more for myself by updating, of course.