It's always easier to run

Chapter 6

\'Make the most of your regrets; never smother your sorrow, but tend and cherish it till it comes to have a separate and integral interest. To regret deeply is to live afresh.\' - Henry David Thoreau
__________________

Hermione stomach dropped at the low voice, her entire body going numb under the harsh grasp on her shoulder. Slowly she swiveled to face her tormenter, her dark eyes widened in intense anger and agitation.

This just isn\'t fair.

Snape looked to her almost angrily, his hand dropping from her shoulder the instant she turned. He didn\'t care to touch her longer than he had to. She\'d been harder to track down today than he thought, but due to her completely messy state of affairs in her makeshift office (The laundry hamper with a desk squashed inside, and some funny, glowing box atop of it.) he\'d found several papers with the address to her University. He had to make sure she didn\'t make a run for it.

It had been a matter of moments before he\'d spelled himself there, and incidentally into the parking lot of the school. It had been pure luck that he found here now, getting into some strange car with an obvious Muggle. And now, as she looked at him with defiance he found he was seeing a new side of her. One that feared him at times, but for the most part despised him.

Their eyes were locked in mutual distaste a moment, the rain gently pattering around them sporadically. Hermione felt her cheeks burning with internal anger at Snape for coming out, trying to ruin her bloody life! Evidently he figured that by somehow humiliating her in front of Simon would make her want to return to Hogwarts. Foolish old man.

\"What do you think you\'re doing?\" came a strangled voice from the other side of the vehicle. Evidently Simon had caught the interaction between the two, and was now swooping over to Hermione like some fowl over her hatchlings. Snape turned a lazy eye on the young man -obviously middle class- and gave a forthright sneer.

\"And just who are you?\"

Simon put a protective arm around Hermione as Snape watched in silence, wishing that Granger hadn\'t become attached to a Muggle man. Things would be much more difficult if she had truly deep personal attachments in this horrid world. And so was the cause of his sneering at Simon\'s overly macho movements and blatant rudeness in not answering his question.

Snape flickered his dark eyes over to the young girl, watching Granger trying to formulate a plan in her mind. But how would she explain some strange man accosting her in the middle of the parking lot? Or the robes? She was shallowly breathing now, and ignoring Simon\'s whispered questionings. Snape was about to make a rude remark, to show the Muggle his place when Hermione\'s head darted up, and a victorious smile spread across her features.

Snape didn\'t like it.

\"Uncle Sylvester!\" She sudden broke out jovially, moving from Simon and wrapping her arms around the Great Bat\'s waist, his arms stuck stiff at his sides as she did so. Snape\'s dark eyes widened as he stared down at the girl, feeling her warm body against his. Her head was shoved under his nose, and he could smell the onslaught of some herbal scent.

Hermione had taken a deep breath when preparing to hug Snape then, a moment in time she wished fervently to forget. She had taken the approach of embracing him like she would have, her now deceased grandmother Iva. Iva had been a small, frail wisp of a woman when Hermione was old enough to recall her.

Hugging the older woman was a strange experience due to her mature frailty. It was like wrapping one\'s arms a skeleton hiding in a thin layer of skin, and with every squeeze Hermione had been sure she\'d crush her.

\"What do you think you\'re doing?\" Snape hissed, his eyes glued to her form against his. She was far too warm, and far too close for his comfort. He prepared to squirm as she gave him a terse squeeze before moving back a bit, a sneer almost on her face as she continued.

\"I wasn\'t expecting you until later tonight!\" she chimed happily, looking to Snape with a small smile on her face. Simon seemed a bit more at ease, evidently Hermione knew the strange man all in black. Hermione gave Simon a phony smile, looking to him adoringly as Snape resisted the urge to vomit.

\"This is my Uncle Sylvester, Simon.\"

Snape was silent, his dark eyes narrowing suspiciously at the grinning girl. She made a small motion with her head, and Simon tentatively stepped forward, giving Snape a shaky smile before offering a hand out.

\"Pleased to meet you.\"

Snape made no motion to shake the man\'s hand. This was due to the fact Snape was unsure of where it had been, and he most certainly didn\'t want to give the impression that he cared enough to exchange formalities.

Instead he scanned the young man\'s hand breezily before turning his sights on the now worried looking Hermione Granger. Foolish twit probably thought he\'d go along with her idiotic plan.

\"Miss Granger.\" Snape said lightly, his irritation growing. \"A word.\"

He stalked off towards the fence that surrounded the tennis court. Several students passing to get to cars or go to classes whispered and pointed, not that he noticed. His attention was rapt on the dark haired girl trying to explain.

\"Miss Granger?\" Simon whispered to Hermione in a shocked tone, fixing his glasses nervously. \"Why would he call you that? Why didn\'t you tell me he was coming to visit? Why is he wearing a cape?\"

Hermione ran a hand through her unruly hair, wishing that Snape would just fall off the face of the Earth and piss off! Not only was he cutting into her and Simon\'s time together (which was minimal enough as it were), he was ruining her life in the process. She was furious, but couldn\'t show it unless she wanted another onslaught of questions from the terse looking Simon.

\"Simon,\" She said softly, noting Snape\'s disapproving glare from a few feet away. She shifted her attention back to the tall blonde man in front of her, shielding her eyes from Snape.

\"I should have told you but I didn\'t think you\'d have a chance to meet him. He\'s not staying with me for long.\"

\"He\'s staying at your flat?\" Simon said puzzled, his eyes searching her face. \"But there\'s only one bedroom.\"

\"I know.\" Hermione said, the blood rushing to her face. \"But, I...I moved some stuff around and- well it doesn\'t really matter-\"

\"Is he in some kind of cult?\" Simon interrupted, completely boggled and glancing at Snape uncomfortably out of the corner of his light eyes.

\"Cult?\"

\"I mean, with the robes and all.\"

\"No.\" Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose exasperatedly. \"What I\'m trying to say is, he\'s a bit strange.\"

\"I noticed.\"

\"No, I mean...clinically.\"

Simon looked to Hermione with a dramatic look of quizzical proportions. \"Clinically?\"

\"Yes.\" Hermione said emphatically, her hands absently tapping at her sides. \"What I mean to say is, he\'s not quite right in the head.\"

\"Oh.\" Simon said softly, almost as if he pitied the rude man. He took a sweeping look at Snape who scowled at him before looking back to Hermione. \"I suppose that explains the cape.\"

\"Yes well it\'s not really a cape...\" Hermione trailed off, and began speaking quickly at Simon\'s curious look. \"What I mean to say is, he\'s always been a bit eccentric.\"

\"What\'s exactly wrong with him?\"

\"Nasty fall one Christmas.\" Hermione said softly, as if the memory pained her. \"It was at my Aunt Marge\'s house. You remember my Aunt Marge don\'t you? Well, Uncle Sampson-\"

\"You mean Sylvester.\" Simon said, his light eyes crinkling behind his glasses.

\"What did I say?\"

\"Sampson.\"

\"Well I mean to say Sylvester. Well he was out on the balcony, having one too many sherries and the next thing you know...\" Hermione made a diving motion with her hand and sighed dramatically. \"Twenty eight stitches later....he just wasn\'t the same man.\"

They lapsed into silence then, only to be interrupted by Snape\'s irritated cough. \"Miss Granger.\" he warned lowly. Simon pushed his spectacles back up his nose once more in agitation, looking back to the quizzical Hermione.

\"Where did he get the name Granger?\" Simon said with a smirk.

\"A book perhaps?\" Hermione offered briskly, looking to Snape before glancing back at Simon. \"Look, evidently he\'s angry about something, probably tired. I should just take him back to the flat and get him settled. I\'ll call later on and explain everything you want to know.\"

\"You want me to come?\" Simon said gently, taking her hand in his and garnering a derisive snort from the left. Hermione looked to Simon gently, her lips curving into a small smile. This was why she loved Simon. No matter what, he trusted her. He protected her. He loved her.

\"No.\" She said softly, her eyes drinking him in a moment. His sweet face, his kind eyes. \"But thanks.\"

Simon nodded, and moments later he leaned in as Hermione\'s heart fluttered. It was as if the rest of the world -Snape thankfully included- didn\'t exist. She was a regular teenage girl about to get a kiss from a boyfriend she cared for dearly.

\"That\'s quite enough.\"

Just before Simon\'s soft lips could reach her\'s, Hermione felt herself being violently tugged by her shoulder from behind.

\"Come along.\" Snape hissed over his shoulder as he dragged Hermione off. Simon watched in agitation, not sure what to do as some tall man dressed in black, claiming to be her Uncle dragged her off.

\"See you tomorrow! We can have lunch then!\" Hermione called lightly, trying to appear nonplussed as Snape dragged her down the sidewalk at a mad pace.

Simon gave her a small wave of farewell as she swung around, walking with Snape and trying to surreptitiously break from his violent grasp. His fingers were long, and tapered, and dug right into the soft flesh of her upper arm.

\"Let go of me this instant.\" she growled angrily, trying in vain to tug his grip from her, but he held tightly. He swung her around to face him, their bodies bumping into each other\'s a moment before they both broke away irritated with each other.

\"You have some nerve.\" Hermione said angrily, her dark brows almost making a non-attached V on her forehead. Snape watched almost bemused as she continued passionately.

\"I can\'t believe what you just did, in front of Simon no less! Don\'t you see that you\'re ruining my entire life here? I changed my name for a reason Professor, I\'m not Miss Granger anymore.\"

\"No.\" Snape said sardonically, his lips pursing a moment in thought. \"You\'re Sandra Stapleton.\"

\"Yes.\" Hermione said daringly, challenging him to mock her. They continued in silence towards Hermione\'s car, the light rain turning into quite the torrent. She frowned angrily at Snape, as if he were responsible for the weather. She was pleased to note that his hair was hanging in his face, and that he looked thoroughly miserable, more so than she.

\"Where is your blasted mode of transport?\" Snape snapped angrily, blinking the rain out of his eyes. They rounded the corner of the building, coming to the student parking with a defiant Hermione rushing ahead of Snape.

\"Here.\" Hermione said irritatedly rolling her eyes as they came to the car. She went to the driver\'s side, about to unlock her door when she saw the look Snape was giving her rust bucket of a car. \"Is there a problem?\"

\"None at all.\" Snape said sarcastically, giving her a look of complete distaste.

\"If you\'d rather floo home, be my guest.\"

Snape gave her a shrewd look. \"In case you\'d forgotten Miss Granger, you\'ve a glass shield in front of your fireplace.\"

Hermione opened her door, giving Snape a look of false approval.

\"I hadn\'t forgotten.\"

\"Besides,\" Snape added lightly, ignoring her remark. \"I\'d rather not arouse Muggle suspicion.\"

\"Yet, you didn\'t mind using magic to find me now?\" Hermione said with a raised eyebrow, a look she found she used mainly when around him now. \"That\'s a bit of a double standard, is it not, Professor?\"

His face clouded. \"I had a job to do, Miss Granger.\"

Hermione rolled her eyes and unlocked Snape\'s door as she slid into the driver\'s seat, putting on her safety belt with a gentle sigh. Snape opened his own door uneasily, wincing as it squeaked shrilly.

After a painstaking, laborious process, Snape managed to get his long legs into the vehicle, followed by his torso, slamming the door after he was done. Watching this ordeal, Hermione found that Snape didn\'t remind her of a bat at all. More of a large spider.

Hermione started the car with a cough, waiting for it to warm up. She gave Snape a brief look of minimal compassion. \"Are you warm enough?\" she said icily.

Snape turned with a sneer, preparing to say something cutting as Hermione did the same, and she realized just how close they were. She could see the dark rim of his pupils in his dark brown eyes, could see the shine of his greasy laden hair and the small, almost unnoticeable scar that whispered along the very end of his left eyebrow.

He too seemed to notice their proximity, for he leaned back a bit, surveying her from a more comfortable distance. Age hadn\'t really done that much for the girl, he noted. Still rather plain dark hair, dark eyes, slight freckles that would come out in the sun he mused. Plain Jane. He suddenly recalled what had been said, and decided for a more civil response and said nothing.

Hermione turned back to the steering wheel, clearing her throat as the car started off down the hill of the parking lot. The traveled in quite uncomfortable silence, both stewing about in equal levels of irritability, the rain only adding to their miserable state.

\"Why did you come for me?\" Hermione suddenly inquired as they continued down the street, heading towards her flat. She found that she hated the silence that they shared, as if she detested the thought of sharing anything with him. \"Where you that bored at home?\"

\"I was merely affirming you hadn\'t picked up and left permanently.\" Snape sniffed haughtily, something Hermione hated. He always had a superior air around him that made her want to smack him half the time. She wondered if she was this violent in thought all the time, or only when she was around the \"greasy git\", something she\'d never called him, but was willing to reconsider.

\"Albus would be quite unimpressed if I came back empty handed.\" he added ruefully. Hermione gave him a look of equal disdain before looking back at the road, shaking her head heavily at his blatant lack of tact.

\"And what makes you think I won\'t pick up and leave?\" Hermione said brashly, giving him a look that clearly showcased the severity of the statement. Snape shot back a look of detailed victory.

\"Now that I\'ve seen your little friend,\" Snape said mockingly, his lips curving into a smug sneer at the newfound knowledge. \"I highly doubt you\'ll be going anywhere for a long while.\"

Hermione clenched her teeth tightly as they drove on, and this time the silence was welcomed.

* * *

\"So I\'m to be your Uncle Sylvester?\" Snape said sullenly as they exited the car. Snape copied her motions, and slammed his door hard. \"You could have at least picked a more distinguished name.\"

\"You could have stayed home.\"

Snape glared at her, his temper obviously rising. \"The Miss Granger I remember had a much more civil tongue.\"

Hermione turned to face him, her breathing growing shallow and rapid. \"The Miss Granger you remember was a scared fifteen year old girl with parents that were still alive and friends she could trust.\"

With that she turned to face the door of the flat, her eyes becoming blurry as she pulled her keys from her pocket, raising them upward. Snape said nothing, watching her jingle with her keys at the door lock. She sighed huffily, growing frustrated at the lock, which seemed to be perpetually sticking.

After a moment of silent irritability, Snape reached out one long arm, and grasped Hermione\'s hand in his own. With such a motion coming from such a cold and untouchable man, Hermione was more than surprised. She expected him to perhaps slap her hand away from the lock so that he could do it himself.

So she was rather taken aback when his hand placed atop her own began guiding her movements, his fingers tightly against her own until the door unlocked with a loud snap. He kept his hand on hers a moment longer than expected, enough for Hermione to glance at his profile before he pulled back, his hand following suit, traveling up her wrist and falling to his side.

Hermione found that she had been holding her breath, and now as they walked into the flat, exhaled softly. She had felt a small jolt go through her when Snape touched her, and this unsettled her. She suddenly felt the onslaught of a migraine coming on, and was about to rectify the situation when Snape\'s voice crept under her skull.

\"I require accommodations.\"

\"I\'ll make you a bed.\" Hermione mumbled briefly, refusing to meet his eyes. She found it far too hard to concentrate on talking when she looked into them. Almost as if he had her glued to the spot with the gaze, she found she became rather immobile...unless they were arguing.

\"Are you hungry?\" Hermione then offered absently as they walked to the door of her flat. It may be that Snape was an immense nuisance, but her inner civility seemed to win over. She decided that perhaps if she were cordial, he\'d perhaps take pity and leave early? It was a small, glimmering hope, but one she clung to.

\"Where?\" Snape demanded, taking a sweeping look around the flat.

\"Where what?\" Hermione said momentarily confused before she nodded in acknowledgment that he was referring to her previous statement. \"I\'ll set you a bed up in the laundry room.\"

Snape gave a curl of his upper lip, showcasing his displeasure, and fair amount of incisors.

\"That\'s much too small.\"

\"My God, you haven\'t even been here two whole days, and already I feel suffocated!\" Hermione bickered sullenly, shaking her head heavily as she set down her keys on the kitchen table, tugging at her jacket and placing on the back of her chair. \"I don\'t see why you have to stay in my home at all.\"

She walked over to the fridge, taking out a bottle of water and closing her eyes a moment in fluid thought. Snape watched this quietly, his interest peaked as she did so. She was much more manageable when quiet. Suddenly her eyes popped open and she turned her eyes on him, almost startling him.

\"And just to tell you, I am strongly against any type of magic nonsense in my home.\" Hermione said roughly, realizing too late she sounded like Harry\'s Uncle Vernon. \"It\'s part of my past, and if you do feel the utter compulsion to use it, I\'d appreciate if you didn\'t do it in front of me.\"

She paused a moment, \"But I suppose you can\'t really use your wand while you\'re here.\"

\"No.\" Snape said with a whisper of a nod, almost as if approving her conclusion. \"That would be quite unwise.\"

\"Spies?\"

\"Indeed yes.\"

Snape viewed as the girl\'s eyes seemed to brighten a moment, as if they had come across a topic they could both become engrossed in. Hermione herself was about to question Snape on what had happened to the school since she\'d left, but firmly clamped her mouth shut, and Snape viewed the dimming of her eyes.

\"Why are you fighting it?\" Snape questioned somberly, his voice always so deceptively soft but powerful. Hermione remembered it well from her youth. Now she looked up to him with a look in her eyes, almost in question before she darted her gaze away. She didn\'t want an answer.

\"Why can\'t you just stay in some Wizarding motel?\" Hermione finally offered tiredly as she poured herself a drink of water, gulping it hurriedly. It felt as if her head was shrinking. \"I mean, you could always just check in on me in the morning or whatever you deem necessary.\"

\"As much as I would relish that idea,\" Snape drawled with an obvious frown, \"That has been deemed unacceptable by the Headmaster.\"

\"And why is that?\" Hermione said as a more massive headache crept up on her. She absently looked around the kitchen for her aspirin, surprised that it wasn\'t in her usual spot. She whirled around, completely forgetting what they\'d been talking about.

\"Did you move my things while I was gone?\"

\"If by things you mean that mockery Muggles call medicine, then yes. I did move them.\" Snape crossed his arms with a flourish, looking more and more like his old self. \"Straight into the rubbish bin.\"

\"Why would you do that?\" Hermione demanded angrily, feeling as if she were trapped in some horrid sitcom. The theme to \"The Odd Couple\" suddenly rang through her mind, and she tried in vain to keep her breathing regulated.

\"Those are my things, I need them.\"

\"You don\'t need them.\" Snape said coolly, an air of calm about him as he spoke. \"What you need is a potion.\"

At this Hermione\'s movements ceased, and with great hurry she raised her hands in front of her, as if shielding his words away from her. Snape watched as her water bottle fell to the floor, but she did little to retrieve it.

\"No.\" She said lowly, so low Snape wasn\'t even sure he\'d heard her properly.

\"Pardon?\"

\"I. Said. No.\" Hermione said through gritted teeth. She closed her eyes tightly, clasping her hands over her ears and muttering to herself. \"I refuse to be sucked back into that stupid mindset. Not everything can be helped by magic.\"

\"Now stop.\" Snape said severely, irritated at her adolescent behavior. Hermione ignored him, muttering under her breath loudly as she shut her eyes, her hand still forcefully covering her ears as Snape watched, minimally horrified.

\"Magic isn\'t everything. Magic isn\'t everything. Magic isn\'t everything.\"

Visibly irritated, Snape grasped Hermione\'s wrists, dragging her hands away from her ears. He held them tightly at her sides, looking down at her with severity. She was so close, she felt the soft huffing breath from his mouth against her forehead. Snape observed that she wasn\'t fighting him, and he found he was floundering for words, anything to stop her desecrating magic\'s name. He finally ground out an angry retort, and one that he almost immediately regretted.

\"Just what can\'t magic do then, Miss Granger?\"

Hermione raised her head and eyes to meet his, and he was surprised to see her eyes had sprung new tears, ones that made her eyes glassy and dripped down her cheeks. Her voice cracked as she spoke, shaking and choked with emotion.

\"It can\'t bring back my parents.”