Chapter 2

All hail Scattered Logic. She is simply the best!

~*~

Severus directed a glare at the young woman on his couch. A Level 4: Fear. As his face twisted into the familiar expression, he knew how effective it was; he had been practicing in the mirror for the last few months. One had to be well prepared in order to achieve the correct reaction from one's prey. Severus was saving his masterpiece, Level 5: Pure Terror for a special occasion.

The only problem was that the current recipient of the Level 4 was unconscious.

He was furious. How had she found him? Where were her tagalongs, Potter and his idiotic sidekick, Weasley? And just why was she lying on his couch, plying her feminine wiles? If anyone had the right to faint at their meeting, it was him.

But at least he knew she was not faking. He has ascertained that she had truly passed out before he brought her up to his flat.

Severus let his features slide back into his normal bland mask. There was no use wasting a good glare on a person who was completely unable to appreciate it.

Why had she tracked him down? Did the silly girl think to gain a bit more glory than her status as a War Hero could provide? Bring back the notorious Severus Snape, Murderer of the beloved Dumbledore and most hated Hogwarts Headmaster? If she thought he would go easily, she had another think coming!

He had not worked so hard to set up his new life here to give it up. No one knew that the introverted herbologist, Tom Stevens, was actually the Severus Snape. Severus had found that setting up his little store in the middle of Muggle Sydney was the best form of disguise. He could cater to the new rage of natural living by supplying them with all herbal supplements and products (it did, of course, help that he did add a slight amount of magic to his products, ensuring they were always the best), while also catering to the needs of the magical community by brewing difficult potions and supplying rarer ingredients.

Oh, yes. He knew about his status as "War Hero." The spy in Voldemort's camp. Posthumously award the Order of Merlin Third Class for his many tireless years of hard work. Once he had thought that was all he wanted, the recognition. Now, he actually enjoyed his simple life here in Australia. He was... content.

Severus rubbed absentmindedly at the old puncture wounds on his neck as he recalled that night in the shack. He had known Voldemort was up to something. Luckily for him, he had been taking doses of antivenin before coming before the Dark Lord since the night Dumbledore... well, he had been prepared. It was simple enough to convince Potter and his friends that he was dead, use the Dittany he had hidden in his robes and disappear completely. No more Severus Snape.

Severus again turned his attention to the oblivious female. He bent closer to her in order to scrutinise her features. The last time he had seen her properly was the night Dumbledore... the night he had knocked Flitwick out and she and the Lovegood girl had been outside his office. That was nearly two years ago.

She was thin; he recalled how light she had been in his arms when he carried her up the stairs to his flat. And she was pale. Her hair surrounded her head in a frizzy mass that seemed to defy the simple braid she had obviously attempted to keep it in. Dark circles bruised the delicate skin under her eyes. In short, Miss Granger looked terrible.

Severus thought back to what he had read in the Daily Prophet. He still received that rag. It was the best way to keep up with what was happening back in England. Squashed into a tiny corner near the back of that worthy publication, there was a notification of a reward for any information on the whereabouts of one Miss Hermione Granger. What was not clear was who had put out a reward for information on her.

Now, for the first time, Severus wondered who had offered that reward. Was it friend or foe? There were undoubtedly Death Eaters out there who would be desperate to get their hands on one of The Chosen One's sidekicks.

Shrugging his shoulders at his endless questions, Severus walked to the kitchen to tend to his dinner before it burned.

~*~

A sharp pungent smell assailed Hermione's nose, bringing her back to lucidity. Irritably, she pushed the vile-smelling contents away, only to have it brought back again. Really, Ron was insufferable. Why would he think it was funny to shove that disgusting stuff in her face first thing in the morning?

"Come, Miss Granger. There is much to discuss, and I fear my temper is running short."

That voice! It could not be true: he was dead. She saw him die in the shack.

"Miss Granger, my patience is wearing very thin."

Hermione cracked one eye open very slightly, only to have her vision filled with the visage of a ghost. She slammed her eye shut again as she heard what sounded like a chuckle. Surely ghosts don't laugh? Once again that foul stuff was waved under her nose. Hermione grabbed the wrist that insistently forced that stuff on her. That wrist was warm, she could feel the warm skin and the hardness of bones under her fingers. She was touching Severus Snape!

Opening her eyes fully, Hermione gazed disbelievingly at the face hovering above hers. It really was Severus Snape. But how? Severus retreated, placing the phial of smelling salts in his pocket as she pushed herself up onto her elbows and sat up, cradling her head in her hands.

Oh, Merlin, she thought. I feel like I've been run over by a hippogriff. What happened?

Her thoughts were interrupted by an irritated clearing of a throat. Hermione looked up to see Snape back in his nasty Potions master disguise, complete with a scary glare. Hermione blinked up at him, then turned her head, placing it back into her hands. As her eyes were closed, she missed the glare sliding into a brief look of astonishment. No one had ever failed to respond properly to a Level 4, i.e. scuttling away as quickly as possible or cringing in fear. Miss Granger had simply ignored him!

Hermione started when something banged onto the coffee table. Opening her eyes, she saw a vial of milky white substance tottering on the table in front of her.

"Kindly drink the headache potion, Miss Granger, so we can discuss... things."

Hermione uncorked the potion and swallowed it in a single gulp, grateful for the immediate release of the pressure on her cranium. She then turned all her attention to her former professor, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and an irritated scowl on his face.

"Well, Miss Granger. I'm waiting."

"Waiting for what, sir?"

At Hermione's blank stare, Severus sighed irritably.

"Why are you here? How did you find me, and what do you want now that you have?" Severus sneered nastily into her shocked face.

"Professor Snape? I don't know what you mean."

"Don't play silly buggers with me, Miss Granger. I have no patience for it. And don't call me 'Professor.' I am no longer employed at Hogwarts, as you well know."

"Sir, I honestly don't know what you are talking about. I came to Sydney with Ron to get my parents. Only, they have gone missing and I can't find them, and Ron is an insensitive jerk, and I got lost, and now I find my dead professor is alive. I just can't... I can't."

Hermione broke off, closing her eyes and leaning back against the cushions, as the events of the past few weeks overwhelmed her. Severus looked down into her grief filled face and somehow knew she was telling him the truth. That did not explain how she had come to be here, in his little shop.

Severus moved over to one of the wingback chairs placed at an angle to the couch. While he waited for the girl to compose herself, he began to think on a few things she had just told him. Had she not said something about her parents being missing? Perhaps there was a little more to the question of the reward than he had originally thought. Miss Granger appeared to be more interesting than he had imagined.

He thought back to her schooldays. She was always an insufferable know-it-all, always flaunting her intelligence before the other students. She never did realise how much it intimidated the other students. Constantly waving her hand in the air, answering questions as if she had swallowed a textbook.

Although, Severus had never realised what the voluminous school robes had been hiding. Even though she was wearing Muggle clothing, he had to admit she filled them well. Her upper body was encased in a tank-top that moulded to her breasts, her round little buttocks filled her jeans, tapering down to a pair of long, slim legs. Yes, she was thin, but nothing a few good meals could not sort out.

Then, of course there was that hair. Masses of frizzy, bushy hair. At least some things did not change. Severus glanced at Hermione. It appeared that she had been growing it out. She probably thought the length would help to control some of that unmanageable mess. It hadn't worked.

Heaving a quick sigh, Severus leaned forward, pulling a tray he had set earlier on the coffee table towards him. He picked up a plate full of steaming food and placed it before Hermione, removing the stasis spell he had used to keep it warm.

Hermione's nose was again assaulted with the delicious smell of beef and potatoes. When her stomach gave a decidedly unfeminine growl, Hermione's eyes flew open to meet the amused ones of her former professor. She could have sworn his mouth twitched up in a smile, before his usual blank mask slid back into place and he turned his attention to his own plate.

Hermione glanced at her own plate, seeing it filled with juicy beef in a red wine sauce and roasted garlic potatoes. Hermione smiled slightly. She should have known a Potions master could cook as well. Within minutes her plate was empty. She had not realised how hungry she was.

Hermione set her plate on the table and stood.

"Sir, may I please use your bathroom?"

Silently, Severus nodded towards a door to his left.

Hermione quickly walked across the room, closing the bathroom door.

A chuckle escaped Severus as, a few seconds later, he heard a distressed shriek coming from Miss Granger. He knew just what had made her react like that.