Yuletide Potions VI
Hermione trudged home through the dingy slush, feeling the wind biting at her cheeks.
Again. Just like yesterday. And the day before.
Somehow, though, it seemed colder than ever. Or maybe it was just that she felt it more, seeing as she didn’t have any holiday plans to keep her mind off the frigid breeze.
She felt aged beyond her years. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It was Christmas, and it was supposed to be her and the bloody love of her life, drinking tea and enjoying each other’s company.
Just as she did every afternoon with Severus.
- - -
Severus scowled, rubbed a spot of frost from the windowpane and watched Hermione’s shoulders slump as she slowly walked away.
Towards her home. Not his. She wasn’t his family. Merlin, she wasn’t even his friend, was she?
She was absolutely no concern to him, other than the fact that her obvious misery was beginning to weigh even his fractured soul down.
He had pinched a smattering of Floo powder twice today, with every intention of somehow making Minerva do something. Fix her somehow. Without him having to be involved.
For some unknown reason, he had decided against it both times.
- - - - -
Entering her flat, Hermione looked around. There was absolutely nothing Christmas-like in sight.
Two hours later, ensconced in her old, grey robe - the one that Ron loathed -- she surveyed her efforts. She had managed some restraint, stopping with a tasteful tree and the wireless charmed to play only carols, just like at work.
Much better than her efforts at work, though she thought that Severus had shown remarkable restraint in his comments. Even now, the thought brought a smile to her face.
There. At least it looked more festive. And it was bound to rub off on her mood. Eventually.
- - - - -
Sitting on a work bench, Severus rubbed his temples and fished in his pockets for his reading glasses. He hadn’t had this many headaches since his days of preventing Longbottom from blowing them all up in the potions laboratory.
He grudgingly admitted that he was in awe of her Charms abilities with the wireless. Somehow she had forced the blasted thing to play only tasteful Christmas carols.
As music played quietly, he picked up the book Hermione had forgotten. “Memory Charms Reversal: Advanced Theoretical Approaches”.
Maybe, just maybe, he could take a look and find something she may have missed.
- - - - -
Hermione stood and stretched, reaching in her sleeve for her wand. She would never be able to sleep with that music playing. Just another reason to be glad to be rid of Ron. Apparently a side-effect of growing up Weasley was needing background noise at all times.
Just then, she caught the words to the carol.
“---and you’ll never be aloooone for Christmas. Not when I’m always here with youuuuuuu.”
“Shows what you know,” she murmured. “The only person with me on Christmas will likely be Severus. And that’s only if I show up to work that day.”
- - - - -
"---and you’ll never be aloooone for Christmas. Not when I’m always here with youuuuuu.”
Standing up and feeling the cold in his joints, he glared at the book. There had to be something there that he could use. He had made potions for both Poppy and Voldemort for years. He knew a little something about both breaking people and rebuilding them.
He closed his eyes and pictured Hermione when she realized that he was the one responsible for bringing her parents back to her.
She would be happy, and a happy Hermione Granger meant a less miserable Severus Snape.
http://community.livejournal.com/grangersnape100/893244.html Part 7