The SSHG Exchange Winter 2006 Answers
Did you have fun? Santa Claus answered a whole lot of SSHG fangirls' letters that year! Check your scorecard and see how you did.
1. Send Not to Know by subvers
2. To Make Much of Time by mundungus42
3. A Matter of Perspective by averygoodun
4. The Beauty of Grace by misstee123
5. Third Time's the Charm by ginny_weasley31
6. Tidings of Comfort and Joy by stormyskize
7. Falling by warded_portal
8. Questions Unasked by larilee
9. Lines Undrawn by arsenicjade
10. Better With Chocolate by deemichelle
1. The fire was burning low when Severus read the last words of the story to Hermione. The golden glow of the firelight showed the tracks of the tears which had trickled down her cheeks as he read of the Little Prince returning to his rose. Severus closed the book and put it aside, his eyes fastened on Hermione’s face. As if she felt his regard, Hermione turned her head and looked up at him.
“That’s so sad and so beautiful at the same time,” she said.
“Of course,” Severus said carefully, “we don’t know what happened when he returned to his planet and saw the rose again.”
“It was a joyful reunion,” she stated certainly. “She had missed him awfully, and he had come to know that of all the roses in the garden, he loved her for she was unique in all the world.”
Looking down into her eyes, the windows of a soul so certain of the course of love, he said, “Let’s test your theory,” and bent his head to press a kiss to her lips.
Send Not to Know by subvers
2. McGonagall peered closely at the glowering figure in the back of Dilys Derwent’s portrait. “Severus, is that you?”
“Yes, Minerva, it’s me. I’m stuck here, no thanks to your prize pupil.”
“Nancing Kneazles!” she crowed. “She’s hiding them in the paintings! What a master stroke!”
“It’s the height of folly,” growled Snape. “There’s peril in every portrait, and it’s all the more so for being unpredictable. I never had less respect for the visual arts than I have right now. Present company excluded,” he added hastily at Dilys’s frown.
“If it’s so dangerous, why would Miss Granger take the students there?”
Snape pretended to think about this. “Recklessness and an inflated sense of her own abilities?”
“I suspect she’s found a safe haven somewhere,” said the Headmistress thoughtfully. “Perhaps in the seventh floor corridor where all the songs are coming from.”
Snape stared at her. “You’ve heard the songs?”
“The Falcon!” called out Dilys, helpfully.
“I think a cuckoo would be far more appropriate,” commented Phineas Nigellus, encapsulating Snape’s sentiments perfectly.
To Make Much of Time by mundungus42
3. Love. Albus believed very strongly in that emotion. He said that anything and everything could be solved with rational thought infused with love.
I thought he was daft.
I still think he was daft, the old fool, but he may have been onto something. After all, how else can I explain the sight of Miss Granger kissing me? Or rather, how else can I explain the sight of Miss Granger kissing my visage, for she isn’t kissing me.
Not that I’d want her to. No. Not at all. But there she stands, snuggled against a man who is my exact double in everything but my past. And the only reason I can come up with for her to be accepting of his attentions is that he is obviously in love with her.
A Matter of Perspective by averygoodun
4. Somewhere, someone was moaning. They need to be quiet and stop their whinging. It was beginning to make her head hurt. Suddenly, it dawned on her that she was the one who had made that noise. Opening her eyes again, she looked up at the leaves above her. That was odd. There didn’t seem to be as much sunlight as there had been earlier.
Taking a breath, she lifted her right hand to look at her wrist. She needed to see how long she had been laying here. As she looked toward her wrist, that breath caught in her throat. Blood. On my hand. Oh, right. My head. She tentatively reached for the back of her head, and where it had been warm and sticky before, she now felt only hair and firm flesh.
She blinked hard, and sat up on her elbows. Her head hurt, and she wasn’t sure how long she had been there, but she was sure that she had hit her head on a small rock as she had fallen. Or had she? She knew that hitting your head hard could cause funny things to your memory. But there had been blood. She had the dried stuff on her hands as proof. So, not totally losing my mind, perhaps.
The Beauty of Grace by misstee123
5. No sooner had they set down their menus than Snape reappeared at their table, notebook in hand. He licked his pencil, and stood poised to take their orders.
“I'll have the mushroom soup to start, followed by the steak,” Percy said. “And so will Hermione.”
Hermione unwrapped her fingers one by one from the knife she suddenly found herself holding.
“And what would Madam like?” Snape asked. “If I might recommend the chef's salad... and perhaps the Beef Wellington to follow? It would complement the Lafite rather nicely.”
Hermione nodded. She didn't trust herself to speak.
Percy glared at the retreating back of their waiter before turning his attention back to Hermione. “I was brought up to be a proper gentleman. It is the job of the gentleman to order for his lady,” he admonished her.
“I know exactly how you were brought up, Percy Weasley. Or have you forgotten that I used to date your brother and I'm best friends with your sister?” Hermione said through clenched teeth. “It would do you well to remember that I am not stupid, I am not quiet, and I will not allow you to dictate what I will or will not eat.”
Third Time's the Charm by ginny_weasley31
6. Hermione took the opportunity to look at the pile of books that sat on the table near one of the chairs. There were two Potions texts and a book of Charms. She was surprised to also find a copy, in English, of the Ellery Queen novel she’d purchased for her aunt. Then she remembered that when he’d gotten the book down off the shelf for her, he’d said that the book, The Egyptian Cross Mystery, was one of Queen’s best. This implied that he’d read it, and others.
She was reading the dust jacket when Snape came out of the bedroom.
“I see you’ve discovered one of my secret vices,” he said.
“You mean, besides cooking?”
“When I saw the book you had selected for your aunt, I was reminded that I hadn’t read any of Queen’s books in a while. I looked through my library and found my copy.”
“I would have thought you’d had enough mystery in your life,” Hermione commented.
“I actually started reading them when I was a child. My father had a fondness for American mysteries. He read Ellery Queen, Dashiell Hammett, and Raymond Chandler, among others. I was reading The Maltese Falcon when other boys in my neighbourhood were reading The Beano and The Beezer.”
“My parents had dentistry journals,” she said.
“Something you could really sink your teeth into.”
“Oh, I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that; it is so far below your normal standards.”
Tidings of Comfort and Joy by stormyskize
7. The staff room reeked of sulphur, armadillo bile, and burnt hair. Snape would have known that smell in his sleep, and he barely managed to stifle the brittle laugh that rose in his throat. It was the sight of Professor Granger, the youngest Potions Mistress in the history of Hogwarts, that made him reconsider.
Snape began to understand why, in searching for the staircase that led to the library, he'd found himself in the hall outside the staff room. This was the second time this month the castle had gone out of its way to direct him where it believed he was needed. The first had been an ugly dust-up between two prefects. This situation seemed infinitely more complex. She was sitting in the overstuffed wing back chair by the window, his traditional place of refuge, with her hands wrapped around a huge mug of what appeared to be hot chocolate.
And wonder of wonders, she was sniffling.
Her hair had been pulled back and muscled into a chignon at the base of her neck, the inevitable few pin curls escaping around her face. Her cheeks were blotchy and her eyes puffy and red. And there was a bit of shrivelfig skin clinging to her sleeve. He crossed his arms over his chest, one hand coming to rest over his mouth as he studied her.
Falling by warded_portal
8. But the worst thing about his new life was the Monday to Friday, eight a.m. until noon, torment from the antics of the witch before him. She was always polite and rarely spoke as she performed some obscure research. Considering all the questions she had asked when she was younger, he almost missed her steady chatter. At least one could speak with her about something more than the weather and the slowness of the lift. But one habit she had developed was going to drive him barmy.
Glancing up, he watched as she stared at the book before her, totally engrossed. Her quill was in her right hand and she twirled it, absentmindedly. Eventually, as she turned the page with her left hand, she moved the quill to stroke her cheek.
His breath caught as he watched this unknowing, sensual display. One she would repeat often during the morning. Sooner or later, if she were truly immersed in her reading, the feathered end of the quill would be nibbled on by her small, white, even teeth as she pulled it across her pink lips, her large brown eyes darting back and forth as she read.
He couldn't stop staring whenever he caught her doing so; his mind filled with visions of soft sheets, feathers and those perfect pink lips opening under his. Then, remembering her passion for her studies, he couldn't help but wonder how that would translate horizontally, so to speak.
Questions Unasked by larilee
9. "I think he suspected. I was useless and Draco was there and Ron isn't stupid. And he whinged and gave Draco the rather menial tasks and set him to guard duty a bit too often."
Severus said, "Luciana's too young to have been the product of that evening's events."
"No, that was later, when I was tired enough that Draco's concern for me seemed like love, or at least, as good as. She was born legitimate."
"And what did Weasley have to say to that?"
"Ron never said much after Draco managed to find us the resources to save Bill and Fleur's life. I told you, between them, later, there was understanding. Maybe more. Ron witnessed for our marriage."
He could have told her that Draco's love had been more love than concern. He could have told her about the way Draco had talked about his wife even as he descended into incoherence. He handed Luciana back to Hermione. "Take Weasley the potion. Reasons aside, he provided Draco shelter."
"I'll return," she said.
"I do not promise to brew it again."
"I meant--"
"Does the line not get harder to cross?"
"It should," she said. "Shouldn't it? But then, so should your wards."
Lines Undrawn by arsenicjade
10. He was now on a mission. He walked the length of the pavement, keeping his eye on the bookstore all the while, until he reached the corner. This time, he quickly checked for traffic before crossing to the other side. He glanced through the window when he reached the bookstore. He saw the woman stop and talk to the shopkeeper.
“Bloody hell,” Severus said aloud, causing a woman passing by to cover her child’s ears and admonish him with a scowl that could have matched one of his own. Severus just rolled his eyes as he moved to the door and tried to slip quietly inside, unnoticed. He sidled along a row of fantasy books to get a better look at the woman. He caught an improved glimpse of her curvy backside when he knelt down and pretended to peruse the selection before him.
The woman wore a red see-through blouse over a white sleeveless top tucked into black Muggle jeans that hugged her arse nicely. A red belt emphasized her waistline perfectly. His eyes followed her pleasing legs down to her black boots and back up again. The woman was paying particular attention to the selection on the top shelf.
What a perfect opportunity, he thought to himself as he rose from his crouched position.
Severus stealthily slipped around the shelving and moved in behind the woman. He reached for the book she had been stretching towards and whispered in her ear, “Allow me.”
He felt her body stiffen at his words, so he stepped away from her, still holding the book. She turned with a stunned look on her face.
“Professor Snape?”
Better With Chocolate by deemichelle
1. Send Not to Know by subvers
2. To Make Much of Time by mundungus42
3. A Matter of Perspective by averygoodun
4. The Beauty of Grace by misstee123
5. Third Time's the Charm by ginny_weasley31
6. Tidings of Comfort and Joy by stormyskize
7. Falling by warded_portal
8. Questions Unasked by larilee
9. Lines Undrawn by arsenicjade
10. Better With Chocolate by deemichelle
1. The fire was burning low when Severus read the last words of the story to Hermione. The golden glow of the firelight showed the tracks of the tears which had trickled down her cheeks as he read of the Little Prince returning to his rose. Severus closed the book and put it aside, his eyes fastened on Hermione’s face. As if she felt his regard, Hermione turned her head and looked up at him.
“That’s so sad and so beautiful at the same time,” she said.
“Of course,” Severus said carefully, “we don’t know what happened when he returned to his planet and saw the rose again.”
“It was a joyful reunion,” she stated certainly. “She had missed him awfully, and he had come to know that of all the roses in the garden, he loved her for she was unique in all the world.”
Looking down into her eyes, the windows of a soul so certain of the course of love, he said, “Let’s test your theory,” and bent his head to press a kiss to her lips.
Send Not to Know by subvers
2. McGonagall peered closely at the glowering figure in the back of Dilys Derwent’s portrait. “Severus, is that you?”
“Yes, Minerva, it’s me. I’m stuck here, no thanks to your prize pupil.”
“Nancing Kneazles!” she crowed. “She’s hiding them in the paintings! What a master stroke!”
“It’s the height of folly,” growled Snape. “There’s peril in every portrait, and it’s all the more so for being unpredictable. I never had less respect for the visual arts than I have right now. Present company excluded,” he added hastily at Dilys’s frown.
“If it’s so dangerous, why would Miss Granger take the students there?”
Snape pretended to think about this. “Recklessness and an inflated sense of her own abilities?”
“I suspect she’s found a safe haven somewhere,” said the Headmistress thoughtfully. “Perhaps in the seventh floor corridor where all the songs are coming from.”
Snape stared at her. “You’ve heard the songs?”
“The Falcon!” called out Dilys, helpfully.
“I think a cuckoo would be far more appropriate,” commented Phineas Nigellus, encapsulating Snape’s sentiments perfectly.
To Make Much of Time by mundungus42
3. Love. Albus believed very strongly in that emotion. He said that anything and everything could be solved with rational thought infused with love.
I thought he was daft.
I still think he was daft, the old fool, but he may have been onto something. After all, how else can I explain the sight of Miss Granger kissing me? Or rather, how else can I explain the sight of Miss Granger kissing my visage, for she isn’t kissing me.
Not that I’d want her to. No. Not at all. But there she stands, snuggled against a man who is my exact double in everything but my past. And the only reason I can come up with for her to be accepting of his attentions is that he is obviously in love with her.
A Matter of Perspective by averygoodun
4. Somewhere, someone was moaning. They need to be quiet and stop their whinging. It was beginning to make her head hurt. Suddenly, it dawned on her that she was the one who had made that noise. Opening her eyes again, she looked up at the leaves above her. That was odd. There didn’t seem to be as much sunlight as there had been earlier.
Taking a breath, she lifted her right hand to look at her wrist. She needed to see how long she had been laying here. As she looked toward her wrist, that breath caught in her throat. Blood. On my hand. Oh, right. My head. She tentatively reached for the back of her head, and where it had been warm and sticky before, she now felt only hair and firm flesh.
She blinked hard, and sat up on her elbows. Her head hurt, and she wasn’t sure how long she had been there, but she was sure that she had hit her head on a small rock as she had fallen. Or had she? She knew that hitting your head hard could cause funny things to your memory. But there had been blood. She had the dried stuff on her hands as proof. So, not totally losing my mind, perhaps.
The Beauty of Grace by misstee123
5. No sooner had they set down their menus than Snape reappeared at their table, notebook in hand. He licked his pencil, and stood poised to take their orders.
“I'll have the mushroom soup to start, followed by the steak,” Percy said. “And so will Hermione.”
Hermione unwrapped her fingers one by one from the knife she suddenly found herself holding.
“And what would Madam like?” Snape asked. “If I might recommend the chef's salad... and perhaps the Beef Wellington to follow? It would complement the Lafite rather nicely.”
Hermione nodded. She didn't trust herself to speak.
Percy glared at the retreating back of their waiter before turning his attention back to Hermione. “I was brought up to be a proper gentleman. It is the job of the gentleman to order for his lady,” he admonished her.
“I know exactly how you were brought up, Percy Weasley. Or have you forgotten that I used to date your brother and I'm best friends with your sister?” Hermione said through clenched teeth. “It would do you well to remember that I am not stupid, I am not quiet, and I will not allow you to dictate what I will or will not eat.”
Third Time's the Charm by ginny_weasley31
6. Hermione took the opportunity to look at the pile of books that sat on the table near one of the chairs. There were two Potions texts and a book of Charms. She was surprised to also find a copy, in English, of the Ellery Queen novel she’d purchased for her aunt. Then she remembered that when he’d gotten the book down off the shelf for her, he’d said that the book, The Egyptian Cross Mystery, was one of Queen’s best. This implied that he’d read it, and others.
She was reading the dust jacket when Snape came out of the bedroom.
“I see you’ve discovered one of my secret vices,” he said.
“You mean, besides cooking?”
“When I saw the book you had selected for your aunt, I was reminded that I hadn’t read any of Queen’s books in a while. I looked through my library and found my copy.”
“I would have thought you’d had enough mystery in your life,” Hermione commented.
“I actually started reading them when I was a child. My father had a fondness for American mysteries. He read Ellery Queen, Dashiell Hammett, and Raymond Chandler, among others. I was reading The Maltese Falcon when other boys in my neighbourhood were reading The Beano and The Beezer.”
“My parents had dentistry journals,” she said.
“Something you could really sink your teeth into.”
“Oh, I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that; it is so far below your normal standards.”
Tidings of Comfort and Joy by stormyskize
7. The staff room reeked of sulphur, armadillo bile, and burnt hair. Snape would have known that smell in his sleep, and he barely managed to stifle the brittle laugh that rose in his throat. It was the sight of Professor Granger, the youngest Potions Mistress in the history of Hogwarts, that made him reconsider.
Snape began to understand why, in searching for the staircase that led to the library, he'd found himself in the hall outside the staff room. This was the second time this month the castle had gone out of its way to direct him where it believed he was needed. The first had been an ugly dust-up between two prefects. This situation seemed infinitely more complex. She was sitting in the overstuffed wing back chair by the window, his traditional place of refuge, with her hands wrapped around a huge mug of what appeared to be hot chocolate.
And wonder of wonders, she was sniffling.
Her hair had been pulled back and muscled into a chignon at the base of her neck, the inevitable few pin curls escaping around her face. Her cheeks were blotchy and her eyes puffy and red. And there was a bit of shrivelfig skin clinging to her sleeve. He crossed his arms over his chest, one hand coming to rest over his mouth as he studied her.
Falling by warded_portal
8. But the worst thing about his new life was the Monday to Friday, eight a.m. until noon, torment from the antics of the witch before him. She was always polite and rarely spoke as she performed some obscure research. Considering all the questions she had asked when she was younger, he almost missed her steady chatter. At least one could speak with her about something more than the weather and the slowness of the lift. But one habit she had developed was going to drive him barmy.
Glancing up, he watched as she stared at the book before her, totally engrossed. Her quill was in her right hand and she twirled it, absentmindedly. Eventually, as she turned the page with her left hand, she moved the quill to stroke her cheek.
His breath caught as he watched this unknowing, sensual display. One she would repeat often during the morning. Sooner or later, if she were truly immersed in her reading, the feathered end of the quill would be nibbled on by her small, white, even teeth as she pulled it across her pink lips, her large brown eyes darting back and forth as she read.
He couldn't stop staring whenever he caught her doing so; his mind filled with visions of soft sheets, feathers and those perfect pink lips opening under his. Then, remembering her passion for her studies, he couldn't help but wonder how that would translate horizontally, so to speak.
Questions Unasked by larilee
9. "I think he suspected. I was useless and Draco was there and Ron isn't stupid. And he whinged and gave Draco the rather menial tasks and set him to guard duty a bit too often."
Severus said, "Luciana's too young to have been the product of that evening's events."
"No, that was later, when I was tired enough that Draco's concern for me seemed like love, or at least, as good as. She was born legitimate."
"And what did Weasley have to say to that?"
"Ron never said much after Draco managed to find us the resources to save Bill and Fleur's life. I told you, between them, later, there was understanding. Maybe more. Ron witnessed for our marriage."
He could have told her that Draco's love had been more love than concern. He could have told her about the way Draco had talked about his wife even as he descended into incoherence. He handed Luciana back to Hermione. "Take Weasley the potion. Reasons aside, he provided Draco shelter."
"I'll return," she said.
"I do not promise to brew it again."
"I meant--"
"Does the line not get harder to cross?"
"It should," she said. "Shouldn't it? But then, so should your wards."
Lines Undrawn by arsenicjade
10. He was now on a mission. He walked the length of the pavement, keeping his eye on the bookstore all the while, until he reached the corner. This time, he quickly checked for traffic before crossing to the other side. He glanced through the window when he reached the bookstore. He saw the woman stop and talk to the shopkeeper.
“Bloody hell,” Severus said aloud, causing a woman passing by to cover her child’s ears and admonish him with a scowl that could have matched one of his own. Severus just rolled his eyes as he moved to the door and tried to slip quietly inside, unnoticed. He sidled along a row of fantasy books to get a better look at the woman. He caught an improved glimpse of her curvy backside when he knelt down and pretended to peruse the selection before him.
The woman wore a red see-through blouse over a white sleeveless top tucked into black Muggle jeans that hugged her arse nicely. A red belt emphasized her waistline perfectly. His eyes followed her pleasing legs down to her black boots and back up again. The woman was paying particular attention to the selection on the top shelf.
What a perfect opportunity, he thought to himself as he rose from his crouched position.
Severus stealthily slipped around the shelving and moved in behind the woman. He reached for the book she had been stretching towards and whispered in her ear, “Allow me.”
He felt her body stiffen at his words, so he stepped away from her, still holding the book. She turned with a stunned look on her face.
“Professor Snape?”
Better With Chocolate by deemichelle