an unlikely match...

“Ouch…damn that stubborn prick.”

Hermione rubbed her sore neck, sliding off of the large couch in the living room of the Snape Manor. She had been so tired and groggy last night that finding Austere proved to be near impossible. She had gone up hundreds of corridors and hadn’t even a glimpse of the room that he dwelt in. So she in tired desperation had stumbled across the living room and seen the couch as inviting. She’d woken up this morning with a pounding headache and a crick in her neck that pained her to touch. Damn Severus Snape. Damn him to hell.

She stumbled clumsily to the table across the room and grasped her wand. Showing a large green light atop of her she was dressed and clean and the crick in her neck was diminished. She still wore the angry and contemptible scowl of moments before hand though.

A sudden chime flew around the room from the grandfather clock she had stumbled into in the dark the night before. She grimaced, covering her ears and mentally counting the chimes. Seven.

Seven o’clock in on a bloody weekend morning. She did feel a flicker of hope at the notion that Ginny would be arriving soon. Perhaps her friend could save her from the abominations of one Severus Snape. She shook her head at that, even though they’d both graduated Ginny still feared and secretly loathed the Professor. Although if you asked Hermione it wasn’t all that much of a secret.

Standing and stretching angrily then, she shook off the morning chill and smoothed down her skirt and shirt. She took a deep intake of air that filled her lungs until her ribs stung, and then slowly released.

She bounded along the corridor she recognized all the way back to the room that she had been so gracelessly thrown out of only hours before. She eyed the oaken door contemplating her words.

She always had a plan that was reliable and deliberate and usually effective. But when around Severus Snape all previously planned insults and scathing comments usually turned into loud ugly screaming matches.

The door flew open as if he had been expecting her. He was clad in a mere black robe, looking at her through tired eyes. When he realized it was she, he straightened up, looking down on her superciliously. “What do you want?”

“So civilized Severus.” She said, taking the advantage of leaving formalities. She eyed him trying to make him uncomfortable, but to her dismay he seemed to be doing the same to her. She folded her arms and tapped her foot impatiently as he spoke.

“I take it you found your dear fiancée’s room?”

Hermione glowered, “For your information I did not. I got lost and had to spend the night on a horribly lumpy and uncomfortable sofa.”

She saw the beginnings of a smug smirk, theltalltale bemused look on his face still shadowing over him. He leaned against the doorframe, something Hermione noticed he did a lot. She wondered if she ever noticed him doing that in school…No, he’d always been so rigid. Hadn’t he? Memories of Snape in school were quickly fading and she wondered why.

Why remember such unpleasantness?

Hermione agreed with her internal speech, looking to Severus with obvious anger. “Would it have been too much for you to have shared?”

Snape shrugged airily, “No. I suppose not.” There was a dramatic pause before he went on. “But you see Miss Granger, I didn’t feel that sharing a bed with you would have been appropriate since you are quite engaged to my younger brother.”

He let that sink in, seeing her dark eyes scan his own before her saw the narrowing of her own. “You know precisely as to what I was referring. I’m asking why you couldn’t have just gone to another bed? You know this place much better than I.”

Snape still smirked, raising an eyebrow. “I suppose I’m just a selfish, greasy git, overgrown bat.”

For some reason this comment seemed to familiar to Hermione that she tried to recall when she had called him that. But…she couldn’t. Not even behind his back had she referred to him as that. She always had quite a bit of respect for him, even when he had terrorized her. She had been a good student, no detentions, always had work done, graduated top of her class. Why was this so familiar? A sense of de ja vu suddenly washed over her and she saw him look a bit uneasy.

Hermione scowled, “I suppose you are.”

Snape shrugged, waiting for her to make a point. She became flushed, not knowing why she had come to see him in the first place. Seemed almost pointless now.

“I don’t know why you hate me.” Hermione said darkly, her voice dropping, “But I wish you’d stop. In little over three weeks time I am to be your sister in law. We’re going to see a lot of each other whether you want to admit it or not.”

Snape frowned, “I barely see my brother as it is now. What makes you think your intrusion would be reason for me to rectify that accommodation solitude has presented to me?”

Hermione shrugged, “I suppose I thought that now that you’ve conversed with your brother, seen that you two get on quite well… that perhaps…perhaps you’d get on a bit better. See more of him from now on.”

Her eyes were downcast until he leaned closer, his warm breath against her forehead and she was suddenly entranced by his own glittering eyes. She tried to will herself to breathe but found it most impossible.

“Is that what my brother wants?” Snape drawled silkily, a hand finding its way around her wrist and drawing her closer. She was an inch away from his lips and she felt her pulse quicken. “Or what you want?”

Hermione moved back a step, untangling her wrist and looking to him with furious anger and disbelief. “Just what are you getting at?”
Snape gave an airy shrug, and suddenly his eyes were cold and black again. “Nothing Miss Granger. Nothing at all.”

Hermione scowled, looking to him warily. “I don’t remember us ever being this cruel to each other in school. Why now of all times?”

He looked suddenly on edge then, as if something she had said had struck a nerve. He leaned closer to her once more peering and giving her an obviously malicious frown. A look that Hermione with all of her Gryffindor pride and courage refused to back down from.

“There are many things you don’t remember Miss Granger.” He said her name harshly, his dark eyes flashing as his lips curled into a sneer. “Things you should thank me for letting you forget.”

Hermione was about to question what the cryptic message meant when Austere suddenly strolled by, newspaper in hand and looking to his fiancée and brother in surprise and suspicion. Hermione gave him a weak smile as Severus glared at him from the doorway.

“’Mione, luv.” He said, walking over to her brother and her and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. He gave Snape an ambiguous look. “What are you doing in Hermione’s room?”

Snape rolled his eyes, looking at the moron in front of him. “Honestly Austere. She was in my room and I asked her to leave.”

“Asked me?” Hermione cried outraged, “You bloody well threw me out!”

“You took over my room you spoiled little-“

“Severus…Hermione.” Austere said, trying to break the screaming match that had erupted. Hone one and Severus stood, inches apart, noses almost touching while Hermione stood up on her tiptoes, her face going red.

“Took over your room? I was placed in this room! And trust me, there is nothing of interest in it for me. I would have gladly switched.”

“You little- You’ve probably been sneaking about in my private drawers and such. Just as when you were a student!”

“I barely stole anything you git! If I did it was for the good of Hogwarts!”

“Oh yes, a polyjuice potion really defeated Voldermort.”

“My dear Lord you are an imbecile sometimes!”

“Oh very clever Miss Granger. Just as brash and quick to anger as you were when you were a student.”

“THAT IS IT! I am NO LONGER YOUR STUDENT SEVERUS SNAPE! So stop treating me like one!”

With that Hermione swept from the echoing hallway, past the maids and butlers that gave her almost…impressed looks. This whisp of a young woman had just told Master Severus Snape right off. She was a hero among the help.

“I apologize Severus.” Austere said grimly, looking to Snape as he glared after Hermione’s diminishing figure. “She’d got a bit of a temper…but you know that of course. You just seem to…bring it out of her.”

Snape sighed and then drew his eyes to meet those of his bumbling brotherbviobviously.” He hissed.

“Severus.” Austere suddenly burst darkly, looking to his older brother with interest. “I’d appreciate it you would join me for drinks tonight around eight. In father’s old study.”

There was an awkward pause as Snape seemed to contemplate this and Austere spoke lowly, and air of secrecy about him.

“It’s about something rather important.”