The Ties that Lead to Trust

Chapter 6~ Dinner in the Dungeons

Severus paced back and forth in his private lab considering the ramifications of his actions this morning. Not only had he just wed a seventeen, no eighteen, year old student, but the Ministry was going to see to it that they consummated the marriage. Once more he had managed to get himself trapped between magical law and law breakers, and all because Albus had asked him to with the same sympathetic backwards logic he always used. Severus knew it wasn’t as simple as it had sounded, but as always he went along with it since Albus had rarely led him wrong in the past twenty years.

He was wrong this time. On several counts.

Even with all the complications, Severus mused, the insinuation that he would treat his new wife with anything less than respect was insulting. Albus had told him to be gentle with Hermione when the time came. As if he made a regular practice of luring students down to his lab, ripping off their clothes and having his way with them up against the workbench. Just what kind of man did the Headmaster take him for?

Sitting heavily on his chair in front of the simmering cauldron, he sighed. All the work he needed to do for the day was finished and the slow wait for the next step begun again. An entire summer of carefully calculated efforts and patient recording was finally yielding a promising result. It was still to early to know, but in another few days he would see if his potion was successful. It had taken nearly two weeks to reach this point in the brewing, another six of trial and error to arrive at the particular formula he was using and nearly three years of researching in his infrequent spare time. All this, and Albus was telling him to be patient and not hurry up to get the consummation of his one and only marriage over with.

Though he didn’t know much about Hermione, he knew she was diligent and didn’t do anything by half measures, much like himself. However, he wasn’t sure who had been more surprised by the exceptional strength of the wand binding, himself or the ministry official. For himself, the binding was not a trivial agreement to be taken lightly, but he hadn’t anticipated her own commitment to be so strong. If nothing else in this whole affair was to be simple, at least a shared commitment brought some ray of hope for the future. A week was a short deadline, especially since he had never made it a habit of seeking friendships from anyone, colleagues or otherwise, but a week was better than nothing and Hermione was intelligent enough that they could, in all likelihood, have decent conversations.

After a quick review of the notes in his logbook, Severus closed it and put the barrier charm around his cauldron once more. Everything was done for the day and there was no use sitting there brooding about the intentions of intrusive matchmakers. He had the very real prospect of entertaining his new wife at dinner in a few short hours and no real notion of who she was outside of his classroom. He knew he had bigger problems than this, but Lucius, the Ministry and whoever else out there that was trying to make his life difficult would just have to wait.

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Hermione had a pleasant afternoon trying various colour schemes in her rooms with Professor McGonagall. Since she rarely saw her professors outside the classroom, it was eye opening to discover their private interests. She never would have figured McGonagall an artist, but Hermione discovered this afternoon that she was quite fond of oil painting as well as sketching in charcoal. By the end of the afternoon, her room looked warm and inviting with burgundy furnishings, dark blue accents and a couple of Minerva’s works displayed on her walls.

Overall the effect was comfortable and made her feel settled and at ease. That is until she thought about dinner this evening. If she was being fair with herself, she would admit that she was a bit surprised by the actions of one Severus Snape. It still seemed difficult to believe that she was married now, especially to her dreaded potions professor, yet he hadn’t been cruel to her as he had once been. She still remembered his snide comments during classes and the tooth enlargement incident in her fourth year. She was coming close to being able to laugh about it now, after all, she had managed to shrink her teeth to the size she wanted. Hermione knew she wasn’t a vain person, at least about anything but her teeth. She likely got that fussiness from her parents who had hounded her about brushing and flossing since she was small. The small jibes and jokes they tossed between each other over the past day had been sarcastic but not cruel. Hermione felt a sense of something, comradery perhaps or maybe even companionship with her new husband. Uncertain if this was a result of past work with the Order, the situation they were in, or simply the spells from this morning, she pondered the nature of their interaction thus far.

Severus had said that he was opposed to the situation itself, not her, and that she was a better option than a random individual off a list. Was that a compliment or was it simple logic? She had admitted to him that she had turned down other offers because they were too complicated. Did that make her selfish or just independent? The recent news from Lucius Malfoy put her on edge. Hermione had been seeking simplicity and her plans had blown up in her face like Neville Longbottom’s cauldron in potions class.

Thinking about classes reminded her that she hadn’t really spent any time with Severus outside of a classroom either. What was the proper protocol for getting to know your professor for the purposes of consummating what should have been a paper marriage? Hermione was certain there wasn’t much market for advice on such a topic, so the library would likely be void of any assistance. ‘How very frustrating’ she thought. The idea of having intimate relations with anyone made her nervous.

When she had been dating Ron, he had always wanted more out of the relationship than she was prepared to give. In fact, he had been more committed to the relationship than she. If it hadn’t been for the ludicrous marriage act, she would have let herself back away and try to be friends again. Hermione felt intensely guilty about this. She had been using him in a way, but at the time she felt justified and now it didn’t really matter anymore. Ron had always seemed happy when they were together, so perhaps it was best this way. But she was still woefully inexperienced. How did one go about becoming intimate? She had always figured it was a long process of combined affection and building trust. Hearing some girls talk about kissing a boy when they weren’t even dating made her blush, to say nothing of other things they did after a few dates. She hadn’t let Ron kiss her for weeks and slapped his hands every time he tried to take liberties with her breasts and backside.

Perhaps she was a prude, or just had never been with the right person, but she was finding it difficult to come to terms with the idea of taking off her clothes and going to bed with her new husband. This wasn’t to say she had never fantasized about being with a man, handsome and dashing like in a trashy romance novel. He would sweep her off her feet and make love to her outside beneath the stars... But imagining and doing were two completely different things.

Hermione appraised herself in the mirror beside her wardrobe. Her hair was now freed from its earlier confines and rioted over her shoulders in bushy waves. She had put on the casual robes she had purchased the summer before to help blend in the magical locations she apparated into. It had been dangerous to travel as a muggle born, let alone one of Harry Potter’s best friends. The plain navy robes were nothing special, but that had been the intention at the time. Surveying herself, she decided that another attempt at calming her hair would be futile and she left to meet Severus for dinner.

When she reached the entrance hall, he was already there waiting for her. As expected, the red dress robes were gone and the billowing black ones in their place. He seemed slightly agitated, but offered his arm to her.

“Am I late?” she queried.

Severus shook his head, “No, quite punctual as usual Miss... Hermione. I didn’t want to keep you waiting. Shall we?”

He gestured towards the stairs to the dungeons and Hermione felt her stomach clench with nerves, but managed to nod in response. They walked down several flights of stairs in the general direction of the Potions classroom, but she was guided down a different corridor lined with suits of armour. Partway down the corridor, Severus stopped abruptly and said, “Granite gate.”

Two suits of armour turned towards the wall and pulled at invisible handles. The stone wall opened without a sound to reveal a short hall with an ornate wooden door at the end. Severus opened the door and ushered Hermione inside. The sight that met her eyes was not what she had anticipated. Instead of a gloomy, cold interior, this room was warmly lit by wall sconces and a fire crackling merrily in the fireplace. The hearth was large with a mantle displaying awards and a painting of a landscape above it. Beside the fireplace she saw a comfy looking leather armchair and a coffee table with papers scattered across it. Drawing her eyes away, there were bookshelves lining the walls from floor to ceiling on one wall. The shock must have shown on her face for when she turned back to face him, he actually smiled. Not a smirk but a real smile. “I would kindly ask you to keep the location of my quarters to yourself. I don’t need the student body knowing where to direct their pranks. You, however, are welcome here at any time you wish. I take it you are a bit surprised by it.”

Hermione nodded, “You might say that. It’s by far much... friendlier than I expected. It’s nice.”

“You expected more of a dungeon?” he jibed, but forestalled any comment. “I’m sure you are itching to explore my collection of books. Go ahead. Would you care for something to drink?”

Hermione was already at the bookshelves running her fingers over the spines looking at the titles. She spoke distractedly, “Sure, anything.”

Severus disappeared through door on the far wall and returned a few minutes later with two wine glasses. Hermione had pulled out a small book and was flipping absently through its pages. Looking up from the book she said, “I had no idea you read Muggle literature.”

“You may want to look closer at some of those titles. There are several wizards who have sold to Muggles. There are, after all, far more people to purchase books in the non-magic world.” He handed her a glass.

Hermione in her distraction hadn’t thought to mention that she didn’t particularly care for wine, but twirled the liquid around and inhaled deeply. Severus was slightly surprised by the action and Hermione noticed the curious look on his face. “I vacationed with my parents in France a few years ago. My dad insisted on taking a tour of the wineries and vineyards and the people there seemed to have no compunctions about giving me a chance to taste along with my parents. They weren’t happy about it, but I admit my curiosity was more than satisfied after the first sample. What is this?”

“It’s French, but not wine. Made with fruit juices and cognac. You might be surprised.”

Hermione took a sip and smiled, “It seems today is my day for surprises. At least this is a pleasant one.”

Severus nodded in understanding and motioned towards the door he had left open. “Shall we have dinner?”

Inside the small room was a table set for two glowing in the golden light of a sunset. Through the window she could see... the window? “What is a window doing down here? Is it enchanted like the great hall?”

“Contrary to popular belief, I do enjoy natural light and had Albus help me create this window some years ago.” he said as he pulled out a chair for Hermione.

They were quiet throughout the meal. Hermione looked out the window as the light died over the lake and the stars began to dot the night sky, and Severus stared down at his plate, unsure of what to say. He was startled when she asked, “What sort of research are you working on?”

“Pardon?”

“Earlier you said you had some potions research you were working on. What sort of projects do you have on the go?” she asked, making direct eye contact for the first time that evening.

Severus felt comfortable with a reasonably academic discussion and began. “I’ve been working extensively on a new restorative draught for curse victims. Plenty exist already, but they are most effective on charm related injuries. What I’m trying to achieve is a similar potion for incidents of damaging transfiguration curses. When the body has been distorted, it tends to take longer to heal. I tried making an oral treatment, but it wasn’t as effective as I would have liked. I’ve changed my approach this time and am looking at a salve. There is still a great deal of work to do on it though.”

He continued to discuss his theories and various experiments of the summer as they moved back to the sitting room. Without breaking his train of thought, Severus transfigured the armchair into a sofa. Together they sat down and continued to talk, passing ideas and questions back and forth. Lost in debate, they pulled down reference books off the shelves and debated the merits of various ingredient preparation techniques.

“Fluxweed infuses its properties far too quickly if you slice it finely. Most recipes I’ve seen call for it whole, to be steeped over several days. Wouldn’t that help even distribution in a salve?”

Severus smiled wickedly, “And just what recipes call for whole fluxweed?

Hermione didn’t notice his tone, “Well in that motion sickness serum we made last year, also in Poly... oh...”

Hermione flushed and looked down at her lap. In avoiding Snape’s gaze she noticed her watch read eleven thirty. “Oh! It’s gotten quite late.”

Severus glanced up at the clock on the mantle. “It has indeed. Shall we pick up this conversation another time?”

She looked a little hesitant at this suggestion, “Well...”

“I am completely aware that you brewed Polyjuice Potion five years ago. I, however, have been patiently waiting for you to admit it.” Severus looked entirely pleased by her shocked look. “I had figured you were the one who stole the Bicorn horn and Boomslag skin from my stores since there was no mess left behind, quite unlike the rest of my classroom that day. Also, had you been caught you would have received mere months of detention instead of the expulsion your partners in crime would have faced.”

Highly embarrassed, Hermione managed a glance at her Potions professor. He didn’t seem angry, however. He seemed extremely amused. Mustering her bravery, she said, “It appears you have caught me. Will I suffer ‘mere months’ of detention now?”

To her utter astonishment, Severus Snape laughed out loud. “I would think turning yourself into a cat would be punishment enough. And yes, I am fully aware of the cause of your prolonged stay in the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey inquired about any potions that might have such an effect on a person. Once I had pieced together the story, I wondered how it was that you made such a mistake. Most Potente Potions clearly states that Polyjuice is not to be used for animal transfigurations.”

Hermione’s head shot up in defiance. “It’s not like I was trying to become a cat! I thought what I had was one of Millicent Bullstrode’s hairs. I didn’t even know she had a cat. I also realized the mistake right away, but I didn’t dare tell Madam Pomfrey what had caused it. Besides, Harry and Ron’s transformations worked fine.”

“Well that clears up the biggest question I had. I really couldn’t see how a student as talented as you managed to make such a glaring mistake. Most mistakes made with that particular potion are subtle and very lethal, but I’m sure you are well aware of that. My last remaining question is why were you three trying to turn yourselves into three Slytherins?” The look on his face was dangerous, but she couldn’t see a way out of answering this far past her initial admission.

“To interrogate Malfoy.”

Severus’ eyebrows shot up, nearly touching his hairline, “Quite ingenious. Surely more complicated than needed, but very ingenious. I am impressed.”

“You are?” Hermione said in disbelief.

He answered, “I don’t know anyone who could have managed that potion after little more than a year’s instruction. It would also seem that your knowledge of the potion and its ingredients is quite thorough, though I admit I would expect nothing less from you.”

Still aghast, she asked, “Is that a compliment?”

Severus stood and extended his hand, “Indeed it is. Shall I walk you too your room?”

Hermione took the extended hand and followed him through the door and back out into the corridor. As they walked together towards Gryffindor tower, she noticed once more the slender fingers intertwined with hers. His thumb was gently stroking the back of her hand in a subtle but tender gesture. It wasn’t much, she thought, but it was a start. When they reached the painting of a hippogriff that concealed the entrance to her rooms, Severus asked, “Would you like to see some of my research tomorrow? I would be interested in your input.”

Hermione blushed a little, “I’m not sure how much input I’ll have, but it would be fascinating. What time?”

“I usually start shortly after eight thirty. You know where the lab is. Come down anytime you wish.” Before she could answer, he leaned close and kissed her cheek. It was a short and innocent kiss, much like the one she received from her father a couple days ago, but it was a significant gesture. Severus gave her hand a small squeeze and softly said, “Goodnight.”

Hermione barely managed a quick goodnight in return, as he turned and disappeared down the dark hallway. Mumbling her password to the hippogriff, her door swung open and she went inside to bed, hoping for a peaceful rest.
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