Little Problems

What a horrible day to be Severus Snape.

Diagon Alley was packed this morning, despite the current dreadful weather. Bodies clad in dark cloaks and robes hushed along with their business, shielding their heads from the pattering rain. Thunder rolled somewhere in the distance. Everything was far too tall and loud. Snape found it overwhelming.

He had awoken early this dreadful morning, another day in the wrong reality.

Speaking with Albus’s portrait had not proven very fruitful. The git was in a lovely mood, glad to have a friend over to share his morning tea with. Severus was less than mused with his antics. He knew the old man well enough to know he found the situation amusing and had decided to prolong his suffering by avoiding his questions and ignoring his anger.

“ Oh hello, Severus! You look different. Did you cut your hair? ” He had asked nonchalantly after Severus had to yell at the portrait to wake up. “ No? Perhaps you should. It’s getting quite long. ”

Old git .

Although he did say something curious just before he left.

“You should trust her. She can help you.”

He had assumed he was talking about Minerva. But of course, he trusted her.

“Hold my hand dear.” A sweet voice cut into his thoughts from his left. A dainty, feminine hand presented itself before him, palm offered.

Severus glanced up at the young woman and bit back a sneer. He wasn’t sure he had ever been called that by anyone so much. He only hoped he wouldn't have to endure it too long.

“So we don’t get separated.” She added when he didn't react, leaning down slightly so he could better hear her over the grumbling crowd. He avoided looking into those honey-speckled eyes. They made him feel oddly seen. Vulnerability is not comfortable for Severus Snape.

He hid his disdain under his gently waved raven locks and took her wrist again instead. Thankfully, Granger accepted this and wordlessly led them into the crowd from under the awning of the pub they had arrived in.

She wouldn't be calling me pet names if she knew who she was talking to. 

Severus felt a gentle warmth wrap around his own wrist. His eyes darted at the sensation with a frown. A feminine hand had wrapped itself protectively around it. 

He had been so sure that she knew, but after their interaction this morning and… This… 

He must have been mistaken. There was no way that Hermione Granger would ever want to touch Severus Snape on purpose.

But what other interest could she possibly have with him? Hermione had said she wanted to ‘ learn more ’ about him that day with Minerva. She never really explained why, and the way in which she gazed at him made him feel like his very soul was being inspected.

Was she another motherly hen like Minerva?

It would make sense for her age. Granger must be around her late twenties now and as far as he knew she hadn’t ever settled and started a family of her own. Is that it? Did she want to keep him? Severus shuddered at the thought. He got enough of the mothering from Minerva.

Perhaps I should just tell Granger outright and be done with the matter. After all, Minerva trusts her.

Given her intelligence, she is bound to figure it out eventually, especially after giving her his mother's maiden name.

Her intelligence…

It of course preceded her thanks to the daily prophet, who had announced her various accolades through the years thanks to her celebrity status. Their topics varied extensively from subjects, some in potions, transfiguration, and magical biology. She is, however, a notoriously gifted charms master.

Maybe she can tell me why the book would erase and rewrite my name.

This extensive set of skills could even provide the perspective he needs to clean himself of this mess.

Could she help him? Would she? He supposed that she already was, since he was here, getting a cloak for him that would help obscure his existence. He would only have to endure the embarrassment of the revelation. 

As for the cloak, it seemed to be working quite well for Granger herself. He noted that not one person had even glanced in her direction. Surely a reporter would be interested in seeing an eligible celebrity walking hand in hand with an unknown child during back-to-school shopping, yet they strolled undisturbed down Diagon Alley in peak season.

His onyx eyes wandered over the charming witch in her ornate dark red cape that shone gently with enchantments, her tawny hair bundled high atop her head. She looked quite elegant and expensive, a perfect example of Gryffindor royalty. Perhaps her time around the posh purebloods of the ministry had influenced her to a degree. 

It reminded him of the frizzy, haughty, little know-it-all with her nose in the air he taught at Hogwarts.

And now that she worked at Hogwarts and he was stuck there for the foreseeable future, she might just be his best option. As much as he hated to admit it, Minerva was right. The best way for him to become invisible is to blend in with all the other children. With the start of the term just around the corner, Snape had to prepare to face the fact that he was getting nowhere with retracing his steps.

He considered his options as the witch led him through the crowd, stopping at the storefront of the magical menagerie. Severus looked up to realize this as they entered the door and she had released his wrist.

“Why are we here?” Severus asked in quiet confusion, letting his hand drop to his side as he glanced around the cluttered mess of animals and supplies.

“I just need to pick some things up for my pet. I won't be long.” He didn't follow when she went off gathering items from the shelves, instead, he opted to wander around, looking around at the various exotic animals in the shop.

Curious owls blinked down at him from their perches, toads sang from their enclosures and large lizards occasionally lumbered past his feet, claws catching unpleasantly on the worn wooden floorboards. He remembered liking pet stores as a kid, but looking around at this stuffy, dusty environment now only made him feel claustrophobic.

Something warm rubbed passed his leg. Severus looked down to find a black cat, purring loudly and staring up at him expectantly.

So, as one with any sense does in this situation, Severus pets the cat. A sparkle catches his eye as he absent-mindedly stroked the black cat. Something on his left sleeve caught the light.

He brought it up to his face to find it was a fine golden glitter. He furrowed his brows in confusion. 

No, this is organic. Severus Snape’s trained potioneer eye spotted a similarity to pixie dust, but it was far too reflective to be pixie dust. Where did this come from?

His own suspicion led his gaze up over to the Gryffindor queen who was currently making polite conversation with the shop owner. Snape’s continence softened involuntarily.

He’d never been one for anything sparkly, but right then, looking into her hair, his own eyes might have sparkled with wonder. 

A nebula of honey-brown curls danced with the light of the flickering chandelier, a nursery of stars nested within. She was covered in it, making her already shimmery cape sparkle. It is not an obscene amount, but just enough that it had not immediately been noticeable under dark lighting.

A terrible sense of child-like wonder attempted to seize him, but he resisted. He looked away, attempting fruitlessly to occlude away this strange sensation.

Has she always been this pretty? 

Just then, the bell at the door dinged in announcement as heavy dragonhide boots crossed the threshold into the shop. Severus glanced at the entrance and had to do a double take because the man in auror robes that had just entered the room was Draco Malfoy, a malevolent smile strewn across his face, eyes honed in on his target.

What luck.

“Granger!” He called out, making his way straight to her. Her shoulders noticeably dropped at the sound of his voice. At the very least he wasn't alone in his feelings.

Severus silently stepped into the shadows to avoid being seen by him. He was close enough to hear when Draco began speaking in a hushed tone.

“What are you doing here?” Draco asked in an almost accusatory voice.

Hermione squared her shoulders with a calming breath before turning to look at him with a withering glare from under her heavy lashes.

“You’re the detective. Why don't you figure it out?” She deadpanned with a shrug of her shoulder. Holding a basket of items clearly in her hand. Unperturbed by the sass, Draco continued.

“You’re aware Potter’s forbidden you from being without a chaperone near a scene.” Draco accosted her with a pointed finger. Severus could clearly see Granger’s agitation at the gesture from his spot behind some shelves.

Have these two really been bickering like this since they were eleven? 

“And you’ve taken it upon yourself to violate my privacy by using the crime scene wards to stalk me. I'll be sure to report this tragic lack of foresight to the resources department." She retorted back with that haughty energy that Snape recognized.

A crime scene?

“I’m here on Potter’s orders.” He stepped up far too close to her and whispered at her neck in a serious voice. Severus still heard.

“Nott has told Potter to sign a slip to grant him access to Miss Jones.”

Hermione pulled away her head to look at Draco with eyes wide.

“Turns out the only reason he's been “asking” now is because Harry’s added a ward that keeps people who haven't been given permission to enter, out.” There was an angry venom in his voice. 

Hermione was silent as she took in this information, lips slowly forming a frown.

“You should go. I’m here with someone.” She said finally. At this statement, Draco’s brow raised and he glanced around with a new glare, one not too dissimilar from an overprotective hound with a raised hackle.

“Your date took you to the pet shop?” He tried to jab but the searching glare around the shop was quite telling. 

Is he… jealous?  

“He’s a child.” Hermione snapped.

Draco reeled back his head to look at her with his brows raised.

“You’re a mum?” His silvery eyes danced with a newfound glinting curiosity. He returned to his search with renewed interest.

His steel eyes caught the onyx gems that watched the pair from a dark corner. A sudden, but genuine, smile graced Draco’s devilish features. To Snape’s horror, he stalked right to him. Granger opened her mouth and reached out to stop him, but Draco had reached him in just a few cool strides.

Has Draco always been this tall? A flutter of fear bloomed and vanished just as quickly in his chest as the large, dark-clad man approached him. Severus steeled his nerves and attempted to occlude away his trauma.

Severus had almost forgotten that fear. Almost . But this isn’t him. This was just Draco. 

That sensation was immediately turned to disgust as Draco Malfoy kneeled down to Snape’s level, a bright crooked grin on his face. Snape was instantly reminded of the troublesome brat in potions class. He didn’t bother hiding the distaste on his face.

“Hello, what’s your name?” He asked with the practiced cadence that adults often reserved for children.

Severus ground his jaw shut, unable to hide away his discomfort. It must have been obvious on his face because Draco started talking again in what he must have thought was a reassuring voice.

“S'alright. Your mummy’s a friend of mine.” He motioned his blonde head back behind himself at the rapidly approaching witch. 

 “I have a boy around your age too. His name is Scorpius. What’s your name? Who’s your papa?” Draco’s eyes narrowed slightly as he asked the last question. The color drained from Snape’s face and he found himself hoping Granger would hurry up and pull the dreadful man away by his ear.

He seems to have gone a bit mad from his two-year imprisonment. He thought as he looked into the dark exhaustion on his face. It was a look often associated with those who have spent a significant amount of time around dementors.

“Draco!” The man finally looked up at her use of his first name, the tips of his ears slowly turned a bright shade of pink against his normally pale skin as he looked up at her chastising figure, hands on her hips and frown on her face. 

Snape’s skin crawled with an uncomfortable emotion at the way those silver eyes trailed up the witch’s figure.

Draco stood to his full height, towering over both of them. Fear once again knocked loudly within Snape’s chest. Nothing about this situation was inherently frightening, but Snape wanted to run away from this tall, dark man. But it's only Draco Malfoy.

“Send for me by patronus if you need, Granger. I’ll be around.'' Despite the permanent slyness engraved into his marble face, his voice was low and soft. His darkened steel eyes searched hers for a moment and the corner of his lip turned up a smudge higher before he turned and rounded out the door. As soon as it shut behind him, Hermione turned her attention back to her charge. He attempted to soothe the fluttering in his chest with a few quiet breaths.

“I’m so sorry, did he frighten you?” She looked over him with a surprising amount of concern. Had his panic been that obvious? He felt his cheeks warm in embarrassment. 

“No.” He said, boring his eyes down into the worn wood beneath his boots. 

He felt her come up closer and a finger gently rounded the shell of his ear, pushing a lock of hair back with it. Severus held his breath.

“He’s an intense man, but he means well. As hard as that is to believe.” Severus looked up to match her gaze, finding it soft and caring. 

She’s comforting me? 

A wave of nostalgia washed over him. A series of memories passed through his mind.

Accepting a free pastry from the kind bakery lady who called him sweetie. His grandmother, cleaning a cut on his foot in the sink for him as a kid as she comforted him. Professor McGonagall, hugging him in his 2nd year when he received news that his grandmother had passed. An image of his mother, holding him as a baby. All pleasant memories.

Snape’s eyes wandered up into the stars in her hair with growing realization.

Jobberknoll luster. The bird on the bell was a jobberknoll.

“Let me pay for my things and we can get out of here and get you fitted. Alright?” His eyes darted back down to her face and he nodded, attempting to wake himself from the glitter-induced daydream.

As she turned to pay, Severus rubbed roughly at his nose with a clean portion of his sleeve, trying to rid himself of the accursed dust. 

Jobberknolls produce a dust which like their feathers have memory restorative properties. The dust is vastly considered useless, since it is hydrophobic and merely tickles the nose with nostalgia.

Hermione spoke with the clerk cheerfully, oblivious to the fact that Severus was trying to quietly blow sparkles out of his nose. 

When she offered her hand once more to leave, Severus took her wrist again and followed her out into the crowd once more.

He kept his attention on the wet cobbled ground under their feet. The much larger people around them made him feel far too small to look around. It continued to feel incredibly wrong to have to look up at everything. 

This was his first time outside around people since the accident, and so far it has been far too overwhelming. Strangely enough, he found a grounding comfort from the calm pulse beneath his fingers.

“Here we are.” The witch took them into an expensive-looking tailoring shop. A sign out front indicated that it was called The Moons Rose. Upon entering, a blonde woman at the counter greeted them with a blank smile.

“Miss Granger! What a wonderful surprise! Come in come in. Who have you got with you here?” Her voice was strangely cheerful, an unnerving contrast to the fake smile plastering her face.

Coolly, Hermione strolled up to her and slid an envelope across the counter.

“No questions today, Jan. Just a cloak fitting for the little sir. Same threads and enchantments as per usual.”

“Of course.” The woman’s face didn’t falter. She accepted the envelope with a swipe of two fingers and vanished behind a curtain behind the counter.

“Did you bribe her?” He found himself asking in a whisper when she was gone.

“It’s not really bribery when silence is a service they offer.” She said nonchalantly.

Severus glanced around suspiciously at the strange shop. Various feathered hats and extravagant technicolor coats, scarves, and beautiful cloaks lined the shelves and were displayed around the room. This flashy overbearing style was far different from any other clothing store he had been to in Diagon Alley. The architecture looked relatively new as well.

“What sort of garment store is this?” He asked in a very Snape way, with a lifted brow as he gazed curiously at the strange kaleidoscope spectacles on display in a glass box on the counter. They almost appeared to reflect light that was not there.

She giggled. A novel sound.

“Not to worry. Nothing nefarious. This place belongs to a close friend of mine. I worked with her in Egypt for a time. She works with highly guarded magical techniques, so it makes sense that some clients may not want others to know that they own it.” He looked up at her with vaguely perceivable interest.

“Do you hide people often?” 

“Every so often. Veterans from the war mostly. I bring them here for a fitting so that the press will leave them alone.”

After a few moments, a short smiling young man appeared around the curtain with a flourish.

“Miss Granger. Young Mister. This way if you please.” He directed them into another room with a courteous invitation of his hand. Severus found himself sighing with relief that the person who would be touching him was neither tall nor imposing. 

Of course, that wouldn’t have been a problem if he could just occlude…

“Thank you, Mister Johns.” 

He followed her into the room, which was separated by an extravagant purple curtain. Inside was a bench, a large floor-to-ceiling mirror, and a sectioned-off changing area with the same purple curtains. The man directed Severus to stand at the center of the room in front of the ornate mirror. 

He felt a bit naked when Hermione left his side to sit on the bench. 

I don’t need protection. He repeated to himself as he lifted his chin and stood where the young man had indicated. Mister Johns pulled out a roll of measuring tape, which zipped out and followed the edge of his body at the position he placed it at.

“Is it alright if-” The young wizard’s fingers came up towards the scarf he kept around his neck to hide his scar. 

He watched his own arm shoot up and still the man’s wrist with a dangerous grip. Taken aback, Mister Johns withdrew his arm. He made eye contact with Hermione to their right but Severus kept his gaze at the ground.

Severus reached up and undid the scarf himself, allowing both people to view the gnarled flesh beneath.

There was a moment of silence, where Severus felt his heart might beat out of his chest. 

What had happened to that stoic, tall, impervious man that yielded to no one? He was gone. Now he was Snivelus.

Snape felt a quick gentle caress as his hair was lifted up and tied behind him by nimble feminine hands. In front of him, the young man handed the measuring tape to her. Snape’s black marbles stayed glued onto the well-polished floor even as Hermione gently nudged his chin up with a knuckle to measure his neck. She was swift and respectful, careful around the raised skin of his scar. 

Why is she still touching me?

Once Mister Johns had the measurements he needed, he briskly left to find his fit, leaving Severus alone with Hermione. He heard her sit back on the bench to his right.

When he turned to regard her, he wasn’t sure what sort of expression he was going to find. Perhaps disgust. He certainly hadn’t been expecting to see her leaned forward with keen interest, her gold-tinted eyes sparkling with wonder.

“How… how is that possible?” She breathed. Her eyes studied his face with a wondrous intrigue. Snape shrugged away from her scrutiny almost involuntarily.

No one had ever looked at him like that.

“That's extraordinary.” She spoke genuinely in a low voice, lowering her head towards him to further gaze into his soul with those honeyed eyes. He averted his eyes back onto the glossy floor.

“I can’t reverse it.” He said simply like it would explain everything.

“Oh Severus, why would you ever want to reverse it?” She spoke with wonder. The sound of his name felt strange from her mouth, especially in that soft gentle tone he could have sworn shouldn’t be there now that she knew his identity.

“You’re actually quite adorable like this.” She said with a smile, causing the little boy's face to turn red in sudden embarrassment.

“I didn’t want it.” He said it a little harsher than he’d meant to, looking up to match her gaze defiantly. An embarrassed anger threatened inside him.

He looked away again when her continence fell to one of gentle concern.

“You revealed this to me on purpose.” She was inviting him to speak, he realized. Severus steeled himself with a breath and looked up and into her eyes.

“There are few people of skill that I could trust with this information… I need help.” Severus felt his chest clamp around his heart. He willed his breathing to be shallow and slow to keep the sensation at bay. After what felt like ages but was in reality only a couple of seconds, Hermione responded.

“I am your guardian, am I not?” The reassuring smile that she gave him lifted a terrible weight from his heart. A soft sigh of relief left unbidden from his lips. 

“Fake guardian.” He attempted to correct with a half-hearted frown, but the snarky comment only made Hermione’s smile turn playful. She tilted her head at him like a cat would a mouse.

“For now.” Severus had little time to decipher this alarming statement before Mister Johns returned to the room with a rack of loudly clanging rack of hangers with a collection of beautiful robes. Hermione casually turned her attention to the intrusion.

“I see the Madame has been hard at work! These are beautiful.” Hermione stood to flip through the cloaks, robes, and capes that the wizard had brought in. The man beamed with pride in response.

“My Master will be happy to hear her craft is appreciated.” The man pulled the first cape out of its place at the front of the rolling rack.

“This one is my personal favorite of its collection.” He displayed the cape with a practiced flourish over his arm. Hermione inspected it with sparkling eyes.

“Just my personal suggestion.” He added with a careful smile at the grim little boy who watched the interaction with scrutinizing onyx gems. He wasn’t listening though. He was staring at Miss Granger with a furrowed brow.

“I’ll let you try them on at your leisure.” The bell by the changing room will call me back.” Mister Johns directed at the boy before leaving Hermione with the colorful cape. 

Severus waited for the sound of his footsteps dull to silence past the curtain before stepping forward to stand before her with a frown as she nonchalantly perused the selection of garments.

“I think Mister Johns is right. You’d look lovely in this first one-“ but he interrupted her.

“What exactly are your intentions with me, Miss Granger?” He whispered in what would have once been a dangerous tone.

She glanced down at him with a careful expression.

“I intend to make you my new subject of study.” She whispered back quietly.

The certainty of this statement caught him off guard. 

“Try this on!” Severus stared down at the ornate cloak of pine, turquoise, and sky blue that was thrust into his arms.

Has everyone gone mad? He looked up with a frown and opened his mouth to argue with this vague claim on his person, but the gentle furrow of her brows and subtle glance at the curtain silenced him into realization.

The bell signaling someone’s arrival had rung. Someone’s out there.

“Off you go!” She urged with her hands. Severus didn’t need to be told a third time. He narrowed his eyes at the curtain, searching for just a second before hiding away into the changing room.

Looking into the smaller mirror within the dressing room, Severus pulled away at the slightly damp, ill-fitting cloak that he had shrunk to size by spell. A stranger stared back at him. He was pale and looked ill from lack of sleep, his hair being tied down into a loose ponytail only further dissociated the wimpy little boy before him from the man known as Severus Snape. 

He undid the clasp of the colorful cloak in his hands and pulled it over his shoulders. 

The fabric was surprisingly light and beautifully designed. An ombré of blues and greens spanned its length from dark to light. He admired it for a moment before his eyes fell back upon himself. The discolored, raised skin of his neck drew the eye far too easily for any enchanted cloak to hide.

With a frown, he reached up and pulled the muggle hair tie away and let his long raven hair fall to conceal the ugly skin. 

As much as he hated to admit it, Dumbledore’s portrait was right. He did need a haircut.