Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Hermione tipped her head up, staring at the peeling wallpaper. The Orphanage wasn’t horrible, in fact it was all that she knew. To be completely honest with herself, she was surprised that she hadn’t been thrown out by now. Almost twelve years was a long time to be somewhere, and she was the oldest child there. The Head of the Orphanage was Melinda–a tall, dark-haired woman who was kind but slightly detached. Hermione had seen many children come and go, some going to homes, others disappearing. It was strange, really. Her head tipped towards her bookcase, sighing as she slipped a worn novel from the shelf. One of the best things about being invisible was that she managed to obtain a large collection of books, her thirst for knowledge never seeming to be able to be satiated.
She pulled the book onto her lap, scanning the room for the soft tapping noise that had woken her up. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, her bookcase sat against the wall beside the bed. She had made sure the bookcase was sturdy after finding it near the trash and dragging it to her room. The desk that sat beside it was far too low and she often knocked her knees on it trying to study. The sheets weren’t ratted, but they certainly weren’t new. She had had them for years, black and plain as the relatively comfortable twin bed that she curled up on. A pale gray rug sat in the middle of the room and her eyes strayed to the window.
The tapping noise was coming from there, and she sat up, setting her book to the side as she strolled towards it. A black owl was perched just outside, and she stared at the envelope that dangled from its beak. Pinching herself to check and see if she was dreaming, she hesitantly stepped towards the window, slipping it open and yelped as the owl flew into the room. It sat on her bookshelf, dropping the envelope onto her desk. Hesitantly, she stepped towards it, her fingertips brushing against the parchment. It was sealed with wax, and she slipped her finger underneath, pulling the slip of parchment out, she gasped, sitting on the floor as her legs gave out from underneath her.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Hermione scanned the letter, slipping the other parchment behind it to study it, wondering just what in the world it was and what it meant. There wasn’t any way that she would be able to go to something like this. It had to be a joke. It had to be somebody messing with here. There wasn’t any way that it was real. Shaking hands dropped the letter onto the floor and she stared at it, before lifting her eyes to the black owl that was staring at her intently. She gulped.
She couldn’t deny that she had signs of…something. But it definitely wasn’t magic. That was something for fairy tales. That was something that didn’t exist in real life. Certainly not something that happened to an ordinary girl in an Orphanage that was never chosen by anybody.
She stood, grabbing onto the side of her desk as she folded the parchment up and placed it on her desk. Backing away from it slowly, as if it was going to burst into flames at the smallest touch, she slipped into her bed, eyes focused on the envelope. The owl shuffled its wings and Hermione stared at it. It said that it needed a reply by July 31st. That was tomorrow. Hermione stood, and with trembling hands, wrote a reply, slipped it into a folded piece of paper that served as an envelope and shakily handed it to the owl that took it and flew out her window.
If this was a joke, then she would have to find out who had an owl and just who she had wronged because she couldn’t for the life of her figure it out. Twisting her hands awkwardly, she sat down on the bed, and stared at the floor until the sun peeked through the window and an owl flew back through startling her.
Slipping the envelope from its beak, she glanced at the simple scroll with slanted writing.
I will arrive to escort you in two days.
Professor Snape.
Hermione gulped, tucking the parchment into her book and threw the blankets over her head, claiming to be sick when Melinda checked on her that morning. Underneath the blankets, she snapped her fingers, marveling in the small crackle of gold that fizzled out after a moment. She hadn’t dared utter that admittance to anybody, but as she hid underneath her sheet, she allowed herself to feel warmth from what she now knew was magic. Her magic.
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Two days came faster than she realized, and she was perched on the edge of her bed attempting to read when the soft rasp of knuckles drew her attention up. Melinda stepped through the door, a man following behind her who donned black robes and had a pointy nose. His hair was limp and hung against his shoulders, and she wondered faintly when the last time that he had washed it was. She lifted her chin and stared at Melinda; an eyebrow cocked as she waited.
“Hello, Hermione. You have a visitor.”
“Alright.”
Melinda sat in the chair at her desk and Hermione watched her attempt to swivel the small chair away from the low desk to no avail, huffing the petite woman stood up and smoothed her black hair down. Hermione glanced between the two. They almost seemed as though they could be siblings. Both had black hair and sharp features, and Hermione wondered briefly if they were related. Clearing her throat, Hermione stood, setting the book back down on the bed.
“Nice to meet you…Mr.?”
“Snape. Professor Snape.”
Hermione raised an eyebrow, throwing a glance at Melinda who didn’t seem at all shocked that the strange man wearing black robes was standing in her room. She smoothed her skirt and stepped towards the door, squeezing Hermione’s arm as she went to leave.
“Um, Melinda? You’re leaving me alone with a strange man in my bedroom?”
Melinda smiled at her, casting a glance at Snape before gripping the doorknob. “Don’t worry, my cousin is harmless.”
Hermione’s eyes widened and she snapped back to Snape standing in the middle of her room when the door clicked shut. She swallowed and pressed her nails into her palm. “Well. Are you the one who sent me the owl?”
Snape raised his eyebrow and sneered as he glanced around her room. “Well. It seems that my cousin has been keeping you…comfortable.” He glared at her bed, and she narrowed her eyes at him.
“Well. I could’ve had it much worse. Most kids sleep on the floor before coming here. Which, I have done multiple times so they could use my bed. I am thankful for what I have.”
Snape’s eyes seemed to flash at her remark, and she raised an eyebrow at her. “You are a peculiar little thing for somebody so young, aren’t you?”
“I’m not sure what you’re implying.”
“You will be packing up your things. You are no longer staying here. Say goodbye to Melinda and meet me downstairs in five minutes.”
“I-I’m sorry, what?”
“You will no longer be staying here, Ms. Granger. Pack up your things.”
Hermione sputtered, twisting her hands together in front of her. “I’m sorry.” She let out a laugh and blinked at him. “I must have heard you wrong. You said that I was no longer staying here, did you mean indefinitely or for the time being? I thought the letter said that..Hogwarts? Didn’t start until September.”
Snape raised an eyebrow at her. “Indefinitely, Ms. Granger.”
“You can’t just kidnap children. It is completely unethical and illegal.” She swore that he hid a smirk.
Snapping his fingers, she gasped as a piece of paper flew into his hand, a faint golden shimmering around it as he handed it to her. She took it carefully, her eyes casting downwards.
As of August 2nd, 1991
Hermione Jean Granger is now under the care and guardianship of one Severus Snape
Melinda Savorin
Director at Bloomsday Orphanage
Hermione gulped, handing the scroll back to him. He didn’t say anything further, instead turned and stepped into the hallway leaving her alone in the small room. Her eyes scanned over the belongings that she had, and she knew that it wouldn’t take her five minutes to pack all of her things. Tugging the slightly worn bag from her desk drawer she tucked her favorite books into it, grabbed a few letters from kids throughout the years she had grown fond of and the only photo that she had of her mother. Well, Melinda said that it was her mother.
The photograph was of a woman who was slender, her brown eyes were wide in fear, and she had slightly sunken cheeks. Hermione wouldn’t have believed that they were related at all–because even looking terrified and malnourished the woman was beautiful–if it weren’t for the mountain of curls that flowed down her back.
She slipped down the hallway, and ran her fingers along the wall, taking it in for the last time. Melinda, had kept a height chart for her as she grew by the stairs, marking the progress throughout the years. The rooms that she walked past held memories of children that came and went through the years, none of them staying as long as she did. Nobody had seemed to want her. Nobody had seemed to be interested.
She had watched afar for years as she passed by. It bothered her when she was younger, but as she got older, she realized that she didn’t mind tucking the scared younger children under her wing and giving them comfort no matter how long they stayed. Some of them ran, disappearing before she could even open her eyes the next morning, becoming nothing but a whisper in the night.
She descended the stairs, remembering falling down them when she was six and breaking her wrist. Melinda was standing at the bottom, whispering with Snape in hushed tones and they both stopped talking as soon as she was within earshot. Pity. Hermione would’ve loved to eavesdrop. She shrugged the backpack onto her shoulder and placed her hands on her hips.
“Ready.”
“That’s all that you own?’
“Yes. Problem with that?”
Snape glanced at Melinda, sending her a disdainful look and Hermione narrowed her eyes. “She provided for me quite wonderfully, well as wonderfully as she could manage with a whole house of children on a normal basis, thank you very much. Now, are we going or not?”
Snape’s eye twitched and he turned, his robes billowing out around him as he headed for the door. Melinda stuck her tongue out at him as he turned away and Hermione stifled a laugh. She had never seen her act so young around her before. Melinda turned towards Hermione, reaching over to tug stray curls behind her ear.
“You are going to do wonderful. Remember that. No matter what happens, you will always have a home here.” Melinda lifted her hand, placing it over her heart as tears welled up in her eyes. “Now, get going. He doesn't like to be kept waiting.”
Melinda reached over, adjusting her bag before stepping away. Hermione nodded, biting her lip as she trailed after Snape. Turning abruptly, she hugged Melinda, her hand coming down to smooth over her hair. Hermione pulled away, and turned without looking back as she followed Snape through the doors.
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He had held out his arm to her, and she had taken it in confusion. That was her first mistake. He had spun, and she felt like she was being yanked around on a Merry Go Round, everything blurring together so fast that her head spun. She slipped when they landed and would’ve fallen if not for her hand grasping tightly onto Snape’s arm. She leaned over and retched into the bushes. Snape had waited before leading her to a quaint house which she noted was on a road called Spinners End. Hermione took in her surroundings, her nose wrinkling, as the threat of retching again tugged on her nostrils.
Everything looked abandoned, dilapidated houses were everywhere, bricks falling in and paint peeling. There was a strange odor that seemed to be wafting from somewhere and as her eyes scanned over the surroundings she wondered if it was from the river that was close to the abandoned mill. Her eyes landed on the house that they approached, surprised that it was the only one that looked as though it was not falling apart.
The outside was questionable but the closer that she got the more that she realized it looked relatively new. The outside was brick, and the door was thick and wooden, she also noted that it seemed to be two stories tall. She grasped her bag tighter, and followed Snape into the house, wrinkling her nose as she did.
It seemed unlived in and she glanced around in shock. It was dark and there was a faint musty smell as she scanned the room. There were a few black chairs, looking strangely comfortable as they were thick and plush even though she was fairly certain that they might be as old as she was. A fireplace was up against the far wall, surrounded by bookcases that took up any spare inch that they could in the small room. They were all packed full of books that she wanted to run her hands over and read.
There was an area that she guessed was the kitchen, as the wall opened up into it even though she couldn’t quite see from where she was at. Part of her debated about if she wanted to. She already wanted to clean the entire place. Gripping her bag, she stepped further into the house, glancing around uncomfortably. He seemed to be just as out of place in his own home as she was. He motioned his head, and she followed him between the bookcases through a door that she didn’t notice and up a small flight of stairs that led to the second story.
It opened up to a rather large room–well, large to her. There was a massive bed (a full, at least, possibly a queen), and bookcases lined the right wall. A small door led to something that she assumed was the bathroom and as she sniffed, she realized that it smelled like fresh paint and wood. Has this been redecorated? Snape motioned towards the space with his hand and eyed her curiously.
She stood, raising an eyebrow at him as she waited. “This will be your new room when you stay here and aren’t residing at Hogwarts. I expect you to keep it clean and organized.”
She bit back her comment about the rest of the house, and he seemed to be surprised that she didn’t make any remarks. “Thank you. This is far more than I have ever had. Although, I still am not sure why exactly I’m here in the first place.”
He stared at her for a moment before turning and leaving the room without a word. Hermione stared after him perplexed. Well, this was going wonderful. Stepping further into the room, her fingers brushed against the thick black sheets that adorned her new bed. They were soft and she realized that they weren’t as threadbare as the rest of the objects in the house. She set her bag down, afraid to unpack without an explanation and sat on the bed. It was plush and soft, and she fell back into it with a giggle. Whatever the reason, this was good enough for her.
Her magic seemed to hum in response as she settled herself into the bed.
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She woke up to the sharp smell of something burning, running down the stairs, she coughed at the smoke that was billowing out of the dining room and stepped into catastrophe. Snape was standing there, glowering at the stove and she raised an eyebrow at him. He glared back at her.
“What were you attempting?”
“Noodles.”
“Well. That’s refreshing.” Snape turned around and left the kitchen and she huffed in annoyance. The man was successfully avoiding everything that she said. Ignoring her rumbling stomach, she tucked herself into the massive chair after pulling an interesting book about snakes off of the shelf and read. When she was halfway through the book, Snape had perched himself awkwardly on the chair in front of her.
“Yes?”
“You are a witch. Being so means that it would be rather difficult to keep you at the Orphanage where you were residing. The Headmaster of Hogwarts–the school in which you will be attending has instructed me to take you under my wing.” He sneered, before staring at the book she was holding. “Even though you have horrid manners in asking to touch things that are not yours. Either way, you are under my care–a snippet of information that you will not release to anyone no matter the circumstances. The only people who will be aware of you living here are me, Melinda and Dumbledore. Are we clear?”
“Yes, I suppose.”
“Good. I am going to grab the food; I'll be right back.” He drifted away awkwardly, and Hermione stared at the chair he was just sitting in. He had somehow given her answers and none at all simultaneously.
She rolled her eyes and continued reading the book until Snape reappeared with boxed food. She stared at it with a raised brow. He deposited all of the boxes–to her surprise, there were quite a few–onto the dining table and sat down awkwardly, motioning to the chair off to the left of him.
Hermione sat, perched on the edge of her seat with her hands in her lap, waiting. He stared at her for a moment before flipping the cartons open to reveal food that made her stomach grumble.
There were all sorts of noodles, meats, and breads and she ignored her stomach's protests as she inspected it all. Snape was staring at her strangely from the corner of his eye. His face was blank when she looked at him.
“Have you never had Muggle Chinese before?”
“I'm sorry, what?”
“Muggle, it's the term for a non-wizard. Anything that isn't magical.”
“Is Chinese food magical?”
Snape blanched and stared at her with a strange look before scooping up a box and dumping some noodles on her plate. She stared at them, before picking up a fork. She waited as he dumped a few more steaming things onto her plate. Broccoli and beef it looked like, and then something that smelled delicious that he said was Teriyaki Chicken.
Twirling her fork around the noodles, she leaned in and tried a piece. Flavors erupted all across her tongue and she pulled back to stare at him with surprise. “Oh goodness. That's good. What did you say this was again?”
“Chinese food.” She noticed that his eyes had softened slightly as he watched her, and she looked quickly back at her plate. Stabbing a piece of beef and broccoli she brought it to her lips chewing with a passive face.
“This was alright. Not very fond of it.”
Snape shrugged in response, moving some things onto his plate but she noticed him eyeing her from the corner of his eye as she stabbed a piece of chicken. That one was by far her favorite and she realized that she had eaten almost the entire box before she was stuffed.
Waving his hand over the table, she watched everything vanish and her jaw dropped open.
“What did you do with it all?”
“Were you done eating?”
“Yes, but there was so much food there!”
He stared at her for a moment, blinking. “It's alright. We can get more. I wasn't sure what you liked. I don't normally order that much.”
Hermione nodded, seemingly uncomfortable as she sat up straighter. “Thank you, for dinner. May I....may I be excused?”
His eyebrow shot up and she watched him nod before pushing back from the table and carefully walking up the stairs.
Tucking herself into the unfamiliar bed, she didn't bother unpacking and instead let herself drift off to sleep. For once her stomach was full.
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Hermione woke up early, making her bed and scoping out the strangely lavish bathroom. She had never had one of her own and her fingers brushed over the cold marble of the sink.
It was simple, but elegant. A vanity mirror on top of a black marble counter, with a clawfoot bathtub off to the left. It was a beautiful bathroom and a strange emotion settled in her throat as she quickly exited.
Making her way downstairs, she perched on one of the armchairs, another borrowed book in her hands. Snape had come from a different direction than he did the other day, his eyes flicking to the book before backing up to her with a raised brow.
“It's in the exact spot that I got it from, between Care of Giant Snakes and Antidotes to Venomous Vipers. I finished it yesterday. I promise I'll put this one back as well when I'm done.”
Snape stared at her down his pointy nose and Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. “From snakes to Fantasy Novels?”
“I don't have a particular preference when it comes to books.” She shrugged, and he slipped into the kitchen, busying himself with tea. “Do you have Peppermint?”
It was a quiet whisper and she wondered if he had heard her, but she noticed that it was quiet for a moment. “Yes.”
“Could I have some, please?”
Snape didn't say anything, and she tucked herself into the book some more. She was almost halfway through it when a cup was sat next to her, steaming with sugar, milk and honey next to it.
She spooned three large spoonful's of sugar into her cup and muttered a thank you as she sipped it. Careful to keep it away from the book as she did. They sat like that, quiet as they both read and sipped their tea together before he stood, clearing his throat.
“We must go and get the supplies on your list.”
Hermione nodded, wringing her fingers together anxiously. “Erm. Well. I don't have any money. How are we going to get my supplies?”
“That wasn't the question or the statement, was it?”
“No.”
“Then come along.”
Hermione followed after him to the fireplace and his eyes flitted over her once before tugging her next to him in the fireplace and tossing the powder by their feet. He muttered something and green flames shot up, startling her. Hermione was surprised to step out into a different room after the flames had dissipated.
Her eyes were wide, scanning her surroundings. They were inside some sort of shop, a woman bustling around with pins between her teeth. Floating parchments were hovering all over around her, and with a flick of the woman's wrist, Hermione watched some of them disappear. Big blue eyes fell on them, widening slightly as they flicked between Snape and her before she stepped towards them, vanishing the pins from her lips.
“May I help you?”
“We are in need of robes.”
“Ah, yes. School robes, I presume?” The woman stepped towards Hermione and Snape gave her a small shove between the shoulder blades. She stepped forwards, cheeks flushing and attempted not to wring her hands together on the ends of her jumper.
A tape measure appeared, hovering in the air as it spun around her, taking her measurements. Her eyes followed after it in awe, watching it twirl and spin around her. The woman was watching her with a small smile, and then ushered her towards a small podium.
After a few moments, a black robe was draped over her, and she watched as it shrunk and formed itself to fit onto her body while the woman twirled a wand around her. Thirty minutes later the small, bundled package was sent to Snape's house, and they stepped out onto the street. After some insistence, she had a black robe draped around her shoulders covering her Muggle attire.
Snape led her through different shops, sending packages away with the flick of his wand. The amount of money being spent was lost on her, everything around her seemingly too expensive to touch. Floating quills, cauldrons of all shapes and sizes, parchment, ink, and books. So many books. She was lost in Flourish and Blott's when Snape was ordering her schoolbooks.
He found her with a raised eyebrow, and they left much to her disdain. Everything was beautiful, and she felt out of place all the way until she stepped into Ollivander's.
The old man behind the counter smiled at her, the smell of wood assaulting her nose. There were rows and rows containing slender boxes stacked on each shelf. He eyed her curiously before bringing one forward, and she gripped the wood giving it a flick of her wrist like he instructed. A small fire set ablaze on the top of his parchment that littered the table.
Embarrassed, she set it down.
He bustled behind the stacks again and they tried another, this time a stack of boxes fell from the shelfs onto the floor. The man-Olivander- gave her a look before shuffling off into the back again.
This time, he came out with a box and before he even opened it, her magic hummed through her veins. As soon as she took it in her hand, it felt like she was complete, like she had been searching for something and never knew a piece of her was missing.
Ollivander smiled at her. “Ah, curious indeed Ms. Granger.” Hermione's eyes snapped up from her wand, wondering how he knew her name. “10 ¾ inch Vine wood with a Dragon Heartstring Core. Interesting considering....”
Snape had stepped forward and Ollivander's words tuned out as she examined the long wood. It was light, in color and in weight. She clasped it, tucking it against her chest as they left the shop. It never left her hand the entire way back to Snape's house.
When they got there, she turned. Unsure of what to say before offering a simple smile. “Thank you, I'm not sure how I can repay you...thank you.”
Snape didn't say anything. Just pressed his thin lips together and nodded. Her room was packed, different parcels and packages scattered neatly throughout the room. A large black trunk was sitting at the end of her bed, and she carefully unwrapped everything, placing it into the trunk. Then, she curled up in her bed, holding the wand against her chest while her magic sang in her veins.