And Ye Shall Find
Title: And Ye Shall Find, fourteen - seventeen of ??
Challenge: hide & seek
Team: Spying for Maskèd Men
Words: 100x4
Rating: PG
Char: Snape, Hermione, Crooks, Bubo
AN: Saa… I was bringing my website up to date re. drabbles and re-noticed this series I'd started some time back. And found myself in a mood to work on it. This is linear, unlike 'Ghosts', so if you don't know/remember the earlier bits, here are the links: 1-5, 6-10, 11-13. For this series, concrit is particularly welcome; I want to see about polishing it properly.
~ ~ ~ ~
Morning brought… a strange sense of normalcy. Granger, hollow-eyed but otherwise opaque, cooked another 'something' in her kitchen. Bandaged and potioned, Severus found himself presented with robes and shaving kit. No magic, she'd told him.
It vaguely reminded him of pleasant days far, far back in his family memories.
But why had he stayed? Severus found himself unable to formulate a reasonable answer. Instead, he focused on his hostess, watching for… anything unusual.
Though he probably wouldn't recognise unusual; this tenseness had become normal. And did he really know the girl anyway?
"What is this place, Granger?"
A reasonable question.
~ ~ ~
Hermione wondered if she had actaully slept; she felt exhausted. To be expected, she supposed as she searched for breakfast-like things. Everything here was in tins; she'd known she'd never know when she'd be here. A safe house, she'd told herself.
Yet she still didn't feel safe.
It wasn't Snape; he was almost a comfort, another human presence to keep her from going mad. Or to watch her back.
No, it was the thought that maybe, maybe, she hadn't taken all the precautions.
The thought that She might come back.
No. Foolishness. She was stronger, smarter than this.
She was.
~ ~ ~
"What is this place, Granger?"
Hermione jumped at the sound of his damaged voice. Foolish. She plated the hash and seated herself.
And explained.
Her parents had saved money for university, she told him. Arithmancy had given her the odds; she'd opted to have a place to hide should things go wrong. Nothing here could be traced to Hermione Granger; the deed was in the name of an elderly maternal aunt. Her neighbours thought she worked for the oil companies, now booming, and traveled often. They kept an eye on the place for her.
Wizards couldn't find a magicless witch.
~ ~ ~
Snape digested both food and information slowly. No one knew where this place was, not her parents, not her friends. The only way to trace the connection was through Muggle means. He could find no flaw in her extensive preparations.
Which might mean only that he was too drained to think properly.
And that damned cat was staring, challenging him.
Even the bloody featherball upon the windowsill watched from half-closed eyes.
And Albus had always asked why he didn't keep a familiar.
She was uneasy, eyes darting at the least sound. He knew that feeling.
"You did well, Miss Granger."
Challenge: hide & seek
Team: Spying for Maskèd Men
Words: 100x4
Rating: PG
Char: Snape, Hermione, Crooks, Bubo
AN: Saa… I was bringing my website up to date re. drabbles and re-noticed this series I'd started some time back. And found myself in a mood to work on it. This is linear, unlike 'Ghosts', so if you don't know/remember the earlier bits, here are the links: 1-5, 6-10, 11-13. For this series, concrit is particularly welcome; I want to see about polishing it properly.
~ ~ ~ ~
Morning brought… a strange sense of normalcy. Granger, hollow-eyed but otherwise opaque, cooked another 'something' in her kitchen. Bandaged and potioned, Severus found himself presented with robes and shaving kit. No magic, she'd told him.
It vaguely reminded him of pleasant days far, far back in his family memories.
But why had he stayed? Severus found himself unable to formulate a reasonable answer. Instead, he focused on his hostess, watching for… anything unusual.
Though he probably wouldn't recognise unusual; this tenseness had become normal. And did he really know the girl anyway?
"What is this place, Granger?"
A reasonable question.
~ ~ ~
Hermione wondered if she had actaully slept; she felt exhausted. To be expected, she supposed as she searched for breakfast-like things. Everything here was in tins; she'd known she'd never know when she'd be here. A safe house, she'd told herself.
Yet she still didn't feel safe.
It wasn't Snape; he was almost a comfort, another human presence to keep her from going mad. Or to watch her back.
No, it was the thought that maybe, maybe, she hadn't taken all the precautions.
The thought that She might come back.
No. Foolishness. She was stronger, smarter than this.
She was.
~ ~ ~
"What is this place, Granger?"
Hermione jumped at the sound of his damaged voice. Foolish. She plated the hash and seated herself.
And explained.
Her parents had saved money for university, she told him. Arithmancy had given her the odds; she'd opted to have a place to hide should things go wrong. Nothing here could be traced to Hermione Granger; the deed was in the name of an elderly maternal aunt. Her neighbours thought she worked for the oil companies, now booming, and traveled often. They kept an eye on the place for her.
Wizards couldn't find a magicless witch.
~ ~ ~
Snape digested both food and information slowly. No one knew where this place was, not her parents, not her friends. The only way to trace the connection was through Muggle means. He could find no flaw in her extensive preparations.
Which might mean only that he was too drained to think properly.
And that damned cat was staring, challenging him.
Even the bloody featherball upon the windowsill watched from half-closed eyes.
And Albus had always asked why he didn't keep a familiar.
She was uneasy, eyes darting at the least sound. He knew that feeling.
"You did well, Miss Granger."