Chapter 9

All canon characters belong to JKR.

Thank you to June for being my beta.

Chapter 9

The morning had practically flown by for Hermione. She tried on every single outfit Ginny loaned her. After outfit number nine, she finally had the right one. It was a two-piece dark blue ensemble. The skirt was long, and had a slit on both sides up to her mid-thigh; and the blouse was sleeveless with a cowl neckline, showing just the barest hint of cleavage. Simple and casual, but it hugged her body in the right places. She looked at herself in the mirror and gave a spin. All she needed to do now was to fix her hair. She had conditioned it for several minutes to make sure it was soft and touchable, just in case, then pinned the sides back to keep it out of her face, but left the rest of it loose. With the hair done, the only thing left was a dash of make-up and she was finished. She looked at her watch; it was one fifty-five, which meant Severus would be knocking at any moment. She walked out to the living room, gave herself one more quick look, and then dabbed a small bit of vanilla musk oil behind her ears.

"Well, Hermione," she said to herself. "This is about as good as you're going to look tonight."

She took a deep breath, looked over at the door, and saw his shadow. He knocked, and she immediately felt that tickle in her stomach, the sure sign this evening was going to be hell on her nerves. She opened the door to find him dressed in Muggle clothing. Taken aback, she could do nothing more than just stare at him. He was wearing a suit, a double-breasted suit to be exact. It was dark gray, and the shirt he wore underneath was also gray, as was his tie; he had the monochrome look down to a science, and he made it look quite fetching. His hair was tied back, which made it easier to see his whole face. Not that he didn't look sexy as hell, with his hair hanging loosely, but now she could see him better. She had decided long ago that, although he was not conventionally handsome to other people, to her he was just what she thought a man should look like. He stood in front of her with his cape draped on his arm, much like the ones she remembered Lucius Malfoy wearing.

"Ready, Miss Granger?" he asked. He noticed her slightly studying him. She had never seen him in Muggle clothing, so he allowed her to gawk for a bit.

"Yes, I just need to get my cape and shoes, I'll just be two seconds," she said as she turned. 'Ohmygodomygodohmygod,' she thought as she walked quickly to her bedroom. Never had she imagined he would wear Muggle clothes, and never could she have guess he would look so devilishly handsome in them. She grabbed her cape from the wardrobe, and then slipped on a pair of strappy sandals.

While she was gone, Severus reached up and loosened his collar a bit. He was used to high collars, but not neckties. He only wore Muggle clothing when he was visiting Muggle London, so it always took a bit of getting used to. Of course, add to that the fact that Hermione had answered the door wearing the most delicious outfit he had ever seen. There was nothing really fancy about it, yet the moment he saw her, he felt as though he had fallen from the top of the Astronomy Tower head-first. He thanked the Lord in the heaven she had to go retrieve her shoes, for he needed those few moments to regain his composure.

When she came back, he stepped away from the door, allowing her to exit. After she warded the door, they walked silently out through the hidden tunnels of Hogwarts. Severus had shown her the tunnels only days earlier. During his years as a spy, they enabled him to go in and out of the castle without being seen. After a short walk, they reached the outside of the gates to the Apparation spot.

"I trust you have acquired your Apparating license, Miss Granger?" he asked as he turned to her.

"Yes, but I'm afraid I'm still a bit new to it. I got my license a couple of years ago, and haven't really done much Apparating." It was true: she rarely Apparated, and only did so when she visited her parents on holiday.

He took a step towards her. "Then we shall do so in tandem. May I?" He bowed his head slightly, and put his arm around her waist.

She was a bit surprised that he would willingly touch her in such a fashion, but there was no other way for both of them to Apparate in tandem. When he approached her, she nodded and allowed him to take the small liberty of holding her in such an intimate fashion. He was a head taller than her, and she easily rested her head against his shoulder. She took a deep breath; he smelled divine.

It took only seconds for them to appear next to the Apothecary. They both hesitated slightly in letting go. Severus let her go after a moment and stepped back.

"You look quite pale, Miss Granger. You really don't Apparate often, do you?" He looked at her as she placed her hands on her stomach, as though to keep it from running off.

She laughed a bit at herself, and then opened her eyes, not realizing she had them closed all this time. "Not as often as I should. I imagine the dizziness passes as one grows accustomed to this form of travel?"

"Of course," he said with amusement in his voice. "If you are well enough, we should get started. Come." He placed his hand on her back, between her shoulder blades, and guided her along.

As they walked into the Apothecary, the bell over the door rang, letting the owner know someone had entered. Severus and Hermione were standing at the counter, when a small elderly man came out from behind a dark red curtain.

"Ah, Professor, good afternoon. What can I do for you today?" The old man smiled at Severus, then looked at Hermione and nodded.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Wicket." Severus bowed his head slightly, then gestured his hand towards Hermione. "This is Miss Granger. She will be assisting me with some of my classes this year."

"Hello, sir." She smiled at the old man, who seemed to blush.

"We need to order some ingredients, and I will also be showing Miss Granger how the purchasing process works. Have you received the slippery elm I ordered last week?" asked Severus.

"Yes, just this morning, Professor. Shall I set it aside for you while you shop?" asked Mr. Wicket, as he handed each of them a wicker basket.

"Yes, that will be fine." Severus and Hermione then turned and walked to the far end of the store. "It's best to begin at one end, then work your way down the rows to the other side. Do you have the list we prepared?" he asked. Hermione nodded and took out her list, and thus they commenced shopping.

Along the way, Severus pointed out which plants were better than others for certain potions, as well as how to determine a fresh ingredient from one that has been sitting around for anywhere from several hours to several days. By the time they reached the other side of the story, it was six o'clock. Hermione couldn't believe they had been in there as long as they had. She had become so engrossed in her observations of Severus, as well as what he was showing her, that she had lost all track of time.

When they walked back to the counter, she noticed there were five full baskets, as well as the two they were holding. Apparently, whenever they filled a basket, Severus would go back to get a new one without her even noticing. Severus reached into his pocket, then handed Mr. Wicket a slip of paper.

"Hermione, I will show you how to fill the voucher next time you have to venture out for more ingredients. This has the account Mr. Wicket needs to draw the payment from. It also turns into a Portkey. When he is finished wrapping everything and putting the order all together, he will attach the slip to the box, then with a short incantation the box will appear in the classroom storage closet."

"I don't suppose you can have him charm the box so that the ingredients store themselves, can you?" she asked with a smile.

He quirked his lip slightly and looked at her. "Come now, Miss Granger, do not tell me that the highlight of your day tomorrow will not be pressing leech intestines into tiny bottles?"

Hermione crinkled her nose and shuddered. He sure knew how to spoil the fun, she thought. They thanked the store owner, then walked outside. The sun had gone down, and the skies were beginning to darken. Severus took her by the arm, and they began walking to a different Apparation point. They stopped just a few feet short of the Three Broomsticks.

"Is there any type of food you are in the mood for?" he asked as he began to take off his cape. "We can have dinner here if you do not wish to travel to London."

"No, I think London sounds wonderful. It's been a while since I had dinner there." She approached him, also removing her cape.

He shrank his cape to a small enough size and placed it in his pocket, then did the same to hers. He then stepped forward and held his arm to her.

"Shall we then?" He took her by the waist as he did before, and they popped out of sight. They reappeared in a semi-lit alley. Severus gave Hermione a moment to gather her bearings, then stepped back. "Are you all right?" He hoped she would not notice the fact that he had been uncharacteristically kind to her. It wasn't like him to inquire how someone was feeling, but he felt oddly protective of her in the state she was in.

Hermione took a deep breath and nodded, letting him know she was fine. They walked side-by-side out of the alleyway. As they walked up the street, Hermione wondered where her uncaring, ill-tempered Potions Master was. He had been nothing but kind to her all day. True, he had been courteous to her since they had begun their work together, but this evening he had been different.

While they were at the Apothecary, he had been patient in his explanations of the process she needed to learn when picking out ingredients. He had been courteous while they walked alongside each other, and was the ultimate gentleman. Whatever anybody thought of Severus Snape, one thing was clear: the man knew how to treat a lady on a date, and she had long since decided that was exactly what this was.

The night was clear and cool, and she wondered where he was taking her. She hadn't answered his question as to what she was in the mood for, and she hoped his taste in food was as good as his taste in clothes. They stopped in front of a small white building, with blue awnings.

"Al Casbah! Oh, I've been wanting to come here for ages." She looked at him and smiled when she saw he was once again smiling. "Do you come here often, Professor?"

"Yes, I do. I find the food at Hogwarts a bit bland sometimes, so I come here once in a while to resuscitate my taste buds." He opened the door for her, and she walked inside. The lighting inside was very low, and the air smelled like spices. Hermione was in heaven. A tall man approached them and instantly held out his hand upon recognizing Severus.

"Mr. Snape, how wonderful to see you!"

"Hello, Coman," Severus greeted him warmly.

Coman smiled and looked at Hermione. "Two for dinner, I see."

"I'm sorry, but this was a bit of a last-minute outing. I'm afraid we do not have reservations," said Severus.

The man shook his head and held up his hands. "Please. You, sir, need no reservations here. Give me a moment; I will check and make sure we have a table suitable for you."

Coman turned and walked down the aisles of tables, clapping his hands and shouting at several waiters. After only a few short minutes, Coman came back and escorted Hermione and Severus to a table located near a dark corner; he knew Severus liked his privacy, although he didn't know the reason. After so many years as a spy, Severus was accustomed to having a full view of his surroundings. Best to see the danger coming, than to get caught by surprise; that was the spy's philosophy.

They sat down and Severus ordered his favorite Shiraz. Soon the wine arrived along with several appetizers. Severus poured a glass of wine, then handed it to Hermione; she took a sip and found she rather liked red wine. They ordered their food and waited in silence. She leaned back and wondered how to begin a conversation with him that had nothing to do with school, or potions, or anything even remotely business sounding. Then she thought of the perfect topic. After their food came, she began her quest.

"Professor, you have a very beautiful raven."

"Thank you, Miss Granger." He smiled. He thought it amusing that she was trying to start a conversation and Osiris was the only thing she could think of.

"I've never seen a raven that large. Is he a family bird?"

"Yes, you could say that," he said, then looked at her curiously when she laughed. "What, may I ask, is so amusing?" he asked, one eyebrow now rising to its limit.

"Well, when he showed up this morning with your note, I was afraid I had missed an appointment with you. Not expecting him to understand, I offhandedly asked him if you were angry when you wrote the note. And I think he actually understood me. He shook his head and gave me this look that reminded me of you when I was in school."

Severus almost choked on his curried beef. He thought quickly. She lived in the dungeons now, and of course would be spending quite a bit of time there. She would soon notice the ever-constant presence of Osiris. It wasn't unusual for other professors to keep familiars with them, but other birds, not including Fawkes, were usually kept outside in the Aviary. Hermione was curious; she had already noticed Osiris to be rather intelligent for a bird; give her enough time and she would soon figure it out. Severus debated on whether to trust her with the true nature of Osiris' existence. He studied her as she cut her kibbe into small pieces. She had always been a trustworthy person; she would never have been part of the Order if not. That was actually one of her many good qualities; Hermione Granger knew how to keep a secret.

"Miss Granger, since we will be working together, I would like to feel that I am able to place a certain amount of trust in you. Am I correct in making that assumption?" He reached for his wine glass and took a small sip.

"Of course, Professor," she said as she put down her fork and knife, and then placed her hands on her lap. "You know I would never break your confidence. But, I think if either of us are to feel we can trust one another, don't you think we should at least be able to address each other on a first-name basis?"

There it was. She knew the only way to ever have any type of a non-business relationship with him was for them to be comfortable enough to call each other by their first names. She had been Miss Granger for her seven years at Hogwarts as a student ... a student and a child.

"You have a point, Miss.... Hermione." She flashed him with a smile, which temporarily left him wondering what he had been about to say. He quickly recovered and went on to tell her the true nature of Osiris. "Now, you see, the thing is, Osiris is not so much a family bird, as he is a family member. He is Osiris Dominicus Snape, my cousin ... and as you may have already guessed, an Animagus." He waited for her eyes to get back to their normal size. He knew the wheels in her head were churning with untold questions, so he held his hand up to stop her from asking the obvious. "He cannot turn himself back to human form."

"Why? What happened to him?"

"When Osiris was twenty-three years old, he met a woman from the Orient. We never really knew much about Kito, just that she came from that part of the world. He was madly in love with her for about two weeks. In those days, my cousin fell in love on a regular basis and rarely had a relationship that lasted more than a month; that was an oddity for him. When he broke things off with Kito, she was devastated. To say she took it badly would be a gross understatement. She began following him and showing up at his home at odd times. He was cruel to her, though. He ignored her for the most part, but sometimes he would find her following him and he would publicly humiliate her." Hermione was on the edge of her seat. Severus took a sip of wine and continued his tale.

"After almost two months of stalking Osiris, she realized that he would never love her again. One day she followed him to his home. He had let his guard down after not seeing her for several days. As he walked to the door of his home, she came out from behind some bushes and held a knife to her own throat. Before Kito slit her own throat, she cursed him to live the reminder of his life in his Animagus form. I'm sure she had hoped his form to be something easily killed, or some lowly creature crawling about or who knows what."

Hermione gasped. "That's horrible; I've never heard of such a thing." She leaned back against her chair and took a sip of her wine. "And there is no way to turn him back?"

"I'm afraid not," Severus said. "Curses uttered by the dying are extremely difficult to break, but those wielded by a dying scorned lover can never be broken. Osiris came to me that same night. I tried for years to restore him, but found it to be irreversible. Albus tried as well." Severus shook his head. "There is no cure for my cousin. About seven years ago, he simply asked me to stop trying. He has resigned himself to his fate, and I think he has learned to make the best of it. At his request, I have never told anyone of his true nature, of course other than Albus."

"Why did you tell me?" she wondered aloud.

"You would have figured it out anyway, as you are going to be spending much of your time in the dungeons. And since I did not notice you arriving with an owl, I thought at some point you may ask me if you could use Osiris for messages. I did not want you to think I would not allow you to use him to carry your post, since it would be his choice to carry your post, not mine. You would need to ask him yourself."

"How do you communicate with him? Do you use Legilimency?" she asked.

"Yes. At first, it was the only way, but eventually he gained the ability to write with his beak. His writing looks a bit odd, and it's a bit difficult to read, but it works. He writes, however, only in rare instances. His normal means of communication is Legilimency, and since only Albus and I knew of his true nature, he rarely needs to communicate by any other way. If you ever need to communicate with Osiris, he would most probably have to use his somewhat limited writing skills."

Hermione couldn't believe what she had heard. It was not an oddity for a wizard to get stuck in their Animagus form for a few days, or even weeks, because of one stupid thing or another. The most common reason was getting too drunk to be able to think straight and turn themselves back. But to be cursed, and never again be able to take on human form ... that was a first for her.

They ate the rest of their meal in conversation. Severus had asked her if she still had that crazy cat, and she laughed and nodded. Crookshanks was living with her parents at the moment, and she planned to bring him to the castle once school began. She thought Crooks would love living in his new rooms, not to mention stalking those dark corners in the dungeons. She only hoped Osiris and he would get along.

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I'll have the second part of the date posted tomorrow.