A Gift

Again, I am getting nothing but perverse pleasure out of this and my computer is still a piece of shit. LOL So if it\'s misspelled, SORRY! Really need to get me a beta or something.........LOL

As soon as the door closes she climbs out of the tub, her heart pounding wildly. She grabs her nearby clothes with a trembling hand, heading for her room to change. She leans against the door a moment, her forehead touching the coolness of the wood . \"Goddess!\" She gasps out, eyes closing but the image of him standing there still etched in her mind. \"At least he didn\'t say anything worse.\" She slowly moves towards the bed, realizing some of her trembling is from the cold. Instead of putting something on, she tosses her clothes onto a nearby chair and climbs into the bed. She glances out the dark window, wondering why he came in in the first place as she snuggles down into the warm blankets. Her eyes drift shut, the look on his face as he stared at her naked body flashing through her mind one last time before sleep overtakes her.

Intermittent dreams wake her through the rest of the night, the flash of naked body lying next to her deep in her mind. She slowly opens her eyes to the bright light of morning, the birds calling happily at her window. She sees her arms wrapped around another pillow, holding it as if she were holding another person. She growls in frustration and tosses the pillow across the bed.
\"Only a dream.\" She mutters to herself, swinging her legs over the bed and reaching her arms above her head to stretch. \"Just a simple harmless dream.\"
Without thinking, she pulls a robe on and steps out into the hall. Not a sound can be heard except the scrapping of her bunny slippers as she makes her way down the stairs and into the kitchen. Seeing Sarah hovering near the window in the small kitchen, she settles into a chair at the kitchen table and yawns.
\"Sleep well, Little One?\" Sarah smiles warmly to her.
Hermione rubs her face, looking at the ghost as if she were mad. \"You know very well I fell asleep in the tub and Snape found me.\"
\"Yes, that was a bit of a mess.\" She chuckles softly. \"But no harm has been done.\"
\"No harm?\" Hermione rolls her eyes. \"He\'ll never let me live that one down!\"
Sarah grins. \"Oh yes he will or he\'ll have to explain to everyone what you were doing here alone with him and how stupid he was for not checking to see if you were in there before deciding he needed to go in to pee.\"
Her eyes go wide fr a momnet. \"He did what?\"
Sarah laughs softly. \"Oh yes! He didn\'t even know you were there til after so.....\" She winks at the young girl.
A smile spreads across Hermione\'s face. \"So I\'ve got him behind an 8-ball on this.\"
\"Exactly.\" Sarah waves her to join her by the stove. \"Now come and help with breakfast. I\'m afraid I had to send Illiya for more healing potions so she will not be here to make breakfast for the two of you.\"
She laughs softly as she joins the ghost, picking up a few eggs and carrying them to a bowl. \"This could be more fun than I imagined.\"

He rolls over, pulling the blankets higher over his head. The smell of coffee wafts towards him, stirring him from his slumber. His eyes snap open, roaming the room as if he is ecpecting someone to jump out and attack him. Instead he sees everything from a view from the floor, memories from the night before flooding back to him. He groans and sits up, knowing Sarah must have floated a pillow and blankets to him as some point in the night. Neither helped to stop the aching in his back and neck. He slowly stretches, making sure not to pull anything newly healed very far. He stumbles while trying to stand, his right knee protesting to the abuse he had given it the night before. He reaches for the bathroom door and stops, the memory of a very naked student flashing through his mind. He knocks on the door softly, listeing for any movement. When he hears none, he sighs softly and steps into the empty bathroom for his usual morning routine.
Showered, shaved, and dressed again, he finally steps out into the hallway. He closes his eyes, breathing in the scent of coffee, eggs, and sausage. A light smile crosses his lips, the smell of his grandmother\'s cooking coming to mind. He silently makes his way downstairs, stopping in the doorway to the kitchen and watching the two women as they talk quietly.
Sarah looks up at him, her eyes narrowing. \"Severus! What have I told you about lurking in doorways!?! Come in and sit down this instant or I will make sure none of this reaches your lips!\"
He glances at Hermione, his back straightening as if someone had suddenly put a board there. \"Gran, I think it is time you stopped treating me like a child.\"
Sarah tilts her head to one side, eyes questing over him. \"Then I believe it is time you stopped coming here as helpless as one.\"
Hermione nearly chokes on her juice, looking anywhere but at her Professor. \"Excuse me.\" She whispers softly, picking up her plate to leave the table.
Sighing softly, he walks towards the table and sits across from her. \"Sit down, Miss Granger. It will do you no good to miss a meal beacuse my Grandmother does not see fit to keep her opinions to herself.\"
Saraortsorts as she floats out of the kitchen. \"Like you have room to talk! You didn\'t fall far from the tree, Severus!\"
Hermione hides her smile by getting up and filling his plate for him. She sets it down in front of him, surprised by the slight widening of his eyes in shock. \"I hope you like it. I\'m not much of a cook but Sarah did help.\"
He stares at the plate of sausage, eggs, and cheese mixed together. It was a breakfast he loved for his grandmother to make for him evertime he visited when he was a child but he doubted Miss Granger knew of it. \"Thank you. This is fine.\"
She settles down in her seat again and holds out a copy of the Prophet. \"I hope you don\'t mind. I\'ve already read it.\"
He eyes her for a moment, expecting her to start in on him about his disappearance last night and the incessant questions over his condition when he returned. Instead, she looks back at him silently, holding the paper for him. He takes it, snapping it open to look at the front page. \"I expect there is nothing of importance in here as usual.\"
Hermione picks up her fork and starts to eat again. \"Same thing, different day.\"
They eat in relative silence, each glancing at the other through lowered lids. Hermione finally shoves her chair away from her, picking up her plate, and walking over to the sink. He slowly lowers the papers, eyes following her intently.
\"You realize that is what house elves are for.\" He comments dryly.
\"And you realize my stance on them.\" She turns on the waer, letting the sink fill as she gathers the dirty dishes. \"I have not changed my opinion on their rights. Besides, doing dishes has never killed anyone.\"
One eyebrow slowly lifts, waiting for her usual speech concerning SPEW. The other brow lifts as he realizes after a few moments that said speech will not come. \"I thought you would have grown out uch uch adolecent fantasies by now. Perhaps being around Potter and Weasley has warped your mind.\" He goes back to the paper, eyes now intent on the words in front of him.
She slowly turns, her face suddenly unreadable. \"And I am glad to see that your acid tongue knows no boundries as you seem to use it on everyone equally. Even your family.\" She walks past him, not giving him another glance as she quickly makes her way back to her room.
He slams the paper down, fuming at her words. So Gryffindor of her to just spout off at the mouth and run. He finds himself thinking, his hands curling angrily around the paper. He looks down at the shredded remains of the paper and growls angrily. He thrusts the remains of his breakfast away from him, nearly knocking over his chair in his haste to stand, and stalks out of the house.