Hermione
Chapter Ten
Hermione
A groan emanated from Hermione as she woke. Her head felt as though it was on fire. Crooks mewed for attention and she blindly reached for him, scratching under his chin while she tried to open her eyes to the bright light of the morning. She lay there for a moment, contemplating if she should go back to sleep or brave the day. With a groan she rolled over and reached for her wand when her hand collided with something larger and rectangular. Shifting to get a better look at her nightstand she realized it was a present. She frowned wondering who could have possibly put it there without activating her wards. She began to open the gift when a note fell out. Immediately recognizing the spiky script she poured over it.
Hermione,
I hope this is better received than your other parcel. Happy Christmas.
Severus
Blushing at the reminder of the vibrator she still needed to lecture Ginny and Pansy over, she tore into the wrapping to see a beautiful cream colored edition on the creation of the fidelius charm. She hadn't known this copy existed, she opened the book to begin to devour it's pages when her head throbbed painfully. She sighed and put the book down when she noticed the vial next to her wand. His handwriting claimed it was a hangover relief potion. Guzzling it down she felt immediate relief. As she prepared for her morning run she thought about what she would say to him. Her behavior last night was appalling, Severus was put in a position where he felt he had to herd her like a child. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Obviously an apology was in order. She would have to thank him and apologize for acting so foolishly. Better to get it over with, she thought as she began the trek to the lake.
The cold morning air helped Hermione get her thoughts in order as she ran. She loved how Hogwarts always looked like a fairytale castle in the winter, the snow falling gently and the ice glistening over the lake. Unfortunately, Severus was nowhere to be found. She didn't encounter him on her run or in the great hall for breakfast. He wasn't sitting at his usual spot in the courtyard either. She frowned to herself as she checked in the library, hunting between the stacks. The rows of books towered high above her, the books whisking back and forth as the magic of the castle allowed them to sort themselves as they were returned. She had always thought that to be such a wonderful thing to watch as she browsed the shelves. As she neared the back of the library she sighed, thanking the man really should not have been this difficult.
She found him in the back by the windows, staring intently at a heavy tome in his lap. Mountains of books piled high around him and she couldn't help but notice the dark circles under his eyes as she approached. The poor man looked exhausted. Hogwarts' shenanigans must be taking quite the toll on his magic. Suddenly feeling self conscious she hesitated before clearing her throat. She gave a small wave as she approached, greeting him warmly.
"Hello Severus, Happy Christmas!" Snape looked up from his work, exhaustion one again evident in the depth of experience within his gaze.
"Professor Granger," he acknowledged curtly.
"Severus" Hermione replied, her voice slightly strained. "I hope I'm not interrupting."
"Not at all," Snape said, his tone grudging. "I was just finishing up for the night."
"I understand," Hermione winced before squaring her shoulders. "I only wanted to thank you for the Christmas present. It was very thoughtful."
Snape's expression softened slightly. He closed his eyes and cleared his throat before he mumbled back something that sounded like "That's good to hear." He spoke up slightly "I of course return the sentiment. The shoes will be quite helpful to me as I wait for the lake to thaw. Happy Christmas."
Taking the liberty of sliding into the chair next to him, she held his gaze and when he didn’t hex her she settled in more comfortably before examining the materials on the table. She noticed he was reading about the known magic that created the castle. "Is there anything I could assist you with?" She questioned, fingering the book closest to her on the table.
"Not unless you've suddenly died and come back to your mortal body with the ability to sense the castles magic, or more specifically the anomalies. It seems this task falls to me." He sighed, his voice hard. He closed the book before leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes.
"I understand I don't have the ability to sense the magic the way you do however I do think that we could benefit from trying a new method to study the bubbles in depth." She leaned in unconsciously as she explained. "I think it would be best if we studied them from the inside before you removed them. I know I've mentioned the time difference a bit but I believe there's more to it."
"Hermione-” He started to excuse himself when he turned to her abruptly with a sharp inhale. “Tell me more," he said, his voice softening slightly.
Hermione blinked once before launching into several nuanced theories and she spent the better part of the next hour explaining her idea to Snape, her enthusiasm infectious at the opportunity to make progress with their magical enigma. Severus listened intently, Hermione's initial discomfort melting away as he became engrossed in the conversation and began to ask questions of her. Soon their bodies were in closer proximity, their heads bent over a particularly helpful text as they cross referenced Hermione’s ideas and Severus’ research.
"Very well," he sighed after the exchange. "But we must be careful. The anomalies are still unstable, and we do not know what dangers they may hold or how extended exposure to them could affect you."
"Have you felt any anomalies today? I recall you said yesterday that you had dispatched one on your way to the party?" Hermione mentioned, blushing when she remembered her behavior.
"None yet, I suspect there will be one tomorrow if not tonight." Severus responded while he began packing up his research, his wand flicked as he returned each tome.
"Severus, I feel l must once again apologize for my behavior." Hermione gazed at him, her brown eyes widened as he turned towards her, his expression closed off.
"Do stop apologizing. If you insist on apologizing for every tedious emotional outburst you Gryffindors display we'll never get about our day." He stood and finished charming the books to return to their designated spots on the shelves before gathering his remaining pile to his chest. He turned towards Hermione with a sigh and bid her goodnight with the promise to send her a patronus if there was an anomaly. Not sure what to make of Severus, Hermione went up to her chambers for the night.
~~~~
The next morning was overcast and the snow seemed to have piled higher overnight. Glad she didn't have any errands to run and that she had managed to get a full night's rest she decided to take advantage of the emptiness of the castle to get her run in.
At breakfast Minerva called her over and asked about the anomalies and how their research had progressed.
"It's coming along slowly headmistress. We're going to try and engage with the bubbles and see what that brings about before the students return." Hermione explained quickly.
"That sounds quite dangerous, do be careful Hermione. Although between you and Severus I'm sure you're both taking the necessary precautions." Minerva waved her away.
Hermione sat, pondering ways to induce an anomaly when Severus walked in briskly and beckoned her towards the entrance before turning back the way he had come in. She downed her tea and followed.
Severus led the way, his long strides eating up ground as Hermione half ran to keep up. As they made their way through the castle she grew excited about the possibility of more information.
"It's just through here." Severus called back to her as they neared the astronomy tower. She looked to Severus as they approached. When he nodded she walked forward into the bubble as Severus followed behind her.
"I'm curious if your presence within the anomalies will effect the time difference we've noted." Hermione mentioned as she brushed against the walls of the anomaly, the surface pushing back as she trailed her finger along it.
Severus stiffened, narrowed eyes tracking her finger. He cleared his throat. "As you are well aware by now, I can feel whenever you touch the surface, it is quite sensitive."
A flush crept up Hermione's neck. "Of course, I was just checking if it behaved similarly while we were both on the inside." She quipped back, feeling suddenly tense.
Severus quirked an eyebrow at her before saying "I believe it would be best if we stick to the agreed upon experiments." She nodded, a blush staining the back of her neck as she began to pull out her notes to record their findings. As the hour progressed they managed to record several new theories but lacked the ability to fully test them without risking damage to themselves or any passersby. After a few experiments Severus began to close the bubble. As he pocketed his wand he turned towards Hermione and cleared his throat.
"I am quite famished. Would you like to take lunch together so we can continue discussing our theories?" Hermione nodded her acceptance and the two of them walked side by side to the great hall. Severus was muttering to himself, lost in thought and Hermione couldn't help but glance over at him as they made their way. Had he always been that tall? He wore his normal black ensemble that billowed about him as they walked. Bat of the dungeon indeed- Hermione smiled softly to herself at the thought. The shadows from the torches added to the effect as he strode through the corridors, bringing forth a wide grin from Hermione at the familiar sight. She halted suddenly, just short of running into Severus at the entrance of the great hall where he had stopped.
"It seems, Hermione that your theory was correct. Time does indeed pass differently inside the anomalies." Severus noted darkly. The great hall was still bustling with morning activity, the tail end of breakfast littered the tables and people were scattered about. It was as though barely any time had passed at all. Hermione looked to Severus who was taking in the room, disbelief evident in the perpetual scowl once again gracing his face.
"This could explain your de-aging as well." Hermione said, nodding to herself. "As well as your impatience with my frustration in the delay when rescuing me." She began her walk up towards the professors table and gestured for Severus to join her as she continued, he seemed lost in thought as they made their way.
"We can continue our research and I think a few of our tests are really quite promising." Severus remained quiet while she thought through their next steps out loud. Hermione noticed his distance and excused herself before she talked him to death. She placed her hand on his arm, wanting to make sure she had his attention before she announced "I'm headed to the library to make copies of today's notes, I'll bring copies up to you later?"
"Of course, of course." He mumbled back. His eyes zeroed in on her hand. Hermione missed the way his eyes moved to track her form as she left.