Chapter 3

Praises and chocolate to Scattered Logic. Without her this would not be worth the parchment it's written on.

~*~

Hermione closed the bathroom door behind her, leaning against the wood as she contemplated her situation. Severus Snape was alive and in the other room. How was it possible?

Opening her eyes, Hermione walked to the basin. She splashed some cold water over her face, relieved at how it was waking her tired brain. Hermione dried her face with the little towel hanging next to the basin and straightened up, glancing at her reflection.

A loud shriek escaped her. Hermione quickly stifled it with a hand clasped over her mouth. Her eyes, wide with horror, were bloodshot, with dark rings underneath, and her face was pale. But worse, much, much worse than that was the state of her hair. It surrounded her head in a huge frizzy bush. Even tying it in a tight braid had not helped. The hair had simply escaped its binding and done whatever it liked.

Hermione had not realised how humid and rainy it would be in Sydney in January, and hadn't thought to bring any Sleakeazy with her. Not that it would have mattered much if she had. She was so worried about her parents, and so busy trying to find them, she had hardly looked into a mirror in the past few weeks, let alone had time for primping and fussing with her hair. She was aware her hair was getting frizzier, but had paid it little attention.

Now, standing in Professor Snape's flat, she was very much aware of it. Maybe he didn't really notice what she looked like?

A knock on the door startled her out of her reverie.

"Miss Granger, there are some clean towels in the cabinet next to the basin, if you wish to make use of all the facilities. On the shelf above the sink you will also find a... umm... smoothing crème that may just help with your current situation." There was no disguising the amusement in his voice as he said the last sentence.

Hermione's face flamed. He had noticed. Well, it would have been difficult not to notice the bush that had taken residence on her head!

Sighing loudly, Hermione reached up and removed the little bottle of crème. She opened the top and sniffed delicately. It smelled divine! It had a subtle floral scent with a spicy undertone. Why would Snape have a smoothing crème in his bathroom? Unless... unless he had gone down to his shop while she had been unconscious on his couch.

Hermione turned on the taps of the little cubicle, pulled off her rumpled clothing and stepped under the warm spray. She massaged a generous amount of the crème into her hair and was amazed at how much smoother her hair felt. Snape really could make a fortune with this if he ever decided to mass market the stuff. It would put Sleakeazy out of business!

What she could not understand was why he was being so nice to her. He had given her dinner, provided a potion for her hair, and allowed her to use his shower. What was going on?

Stepping out, she dried herself off with the towel Snape had provided and dressed in her old clothes, casting a quick cleansing spell on her jeans and top, then a drying charm on her hair. Finished, she opened the door and entered the sitting room.

~*~

While Hermione was in the bathroom, Severus had been preparing his little flat for his uninvited guest. There was no way he was letting her leave here tonight. She may not have found him on purpose, but she obviously had no idea of the potential danger she was in.

Just as he placed the last pillow on the couch, the bathroom door opened. Severus felt his jaw drop. He never knew his crème could do that. Where Hermi...Miss Granger's hair used to stand out from her head in a bushy cloud, it now lay in silky waves down her back. And she seemed completely unaware of just how gorgeous her hair was.

Clamping his jaw shut, Severus gestured to one of the wingback chairs. As she seated herself, Severus handed her a glass of Firewhisky, smiling at her curious glance.

"I assure you, madam, I have no intentions of taking advantage of you in a drunken state. It is simply to help you relax."

Hermione nodded, bending her head to look at the contents of her glass. Severus had to control the urge to gather her hair in his hands and see if it was as soft and silky as it looked. Crushing the impulse, he stalked to the chair opposite hers and flung himself into the cushions.

Hermione cast a curious look at the makeshift bed to her right.

Severus, correctly interpreting her glance, stated, "Miss Granger, I cannot allow you to leave here tonight. I am still unsure of how you came to find me, but that is a discussion for tomorrow. I do not wish to have Potter and his sidekick, Weasley, descending on my head, for whatever reason, and therefore cannot allow you to run off and inform them of my whereabouts until I am certain of your motives. You are unable to Apparate without my assistance, as the wards are set only to me, and the doors are set with charms that will only open with a password that only I know. Your best option is to get some rest, and in the morning we will discuss this further."

When Hermione only sat there gaping at him like a fish, Severus stood and walked over to her. Glancing down at her, he reached out and gently closed her mouth.

"As much as I would like to play the gentleman, I am not one. Enjoy your night on the couch, Miss Granger."

With that, Severus swept out the living room and closed his bedroom door with a snap, smirking at the look of fury that blazed across her face.

Hermione shook her head slowly, amazed at the audacity of the man. She quickly finished off her drink, fighting the urge to choke as she swallowed too fast. Setting her glass down, she walked over to the couch, considering it for a long moment. Hermione whipped out her wand, transfiguring the lumpy, uncomfortable couch into a soft, feather bed. With a sigh of contentment, Hermione settled into her new bed and was soon drifting in the arms of Morpheus.

~*~

Sounds of rattling and a huge crash from the kitchen area had Severus awake and out his bedroom door in an instant. He was halfway through the living room before he remembered the presence of his unwanted guest. One look at her face, and Severus remembered his state of dress, or rather undress. In the warmer climate of Australia, he had taken to sleeping in the nude, and last night was no exception. A flush staining his features, Severus whirled and strode quickly back to his room, slamming the door behind him with a resounding crash.

Hermione stood rooted to the spot. For the second time in less than twelve hours, she stood gaping like a fish. When she woke this morning, she immediately thought of food. It was as if the delicious meal Snape served her last night had awakened her to the fact that she'd hardly been eating lately.

Not hearing any sounds of life from Snape's room, she decided to search his kitchen for the makings of a good breakfast. She had soon rustled up all the ingredients to make pancakes. The only problem was that the pan was wedged at the back of the cupboard. When she had given it a mighty tug to release it, she had instead caused the whole cupboard of pots to come crashing down. As she stood there with the pan clutched to her chest, she heard the sounds of one enraged Severus Snape charging towards her. One stark naked Severus Snape.

Oh, what those teaching robes had been hiding from the student population at Hogwarts! By no means hugely muscular, Severus had broad shoulders, a well-defined torso that tapered down to slim hips and an impressive... umm... endowment. Hermione had just stood and gaped at this gorgeous, gorgeous man. Once he had turned around and fled, Hermione gathered her scattered wits one piece at a time as she concentrated on making the pancakes.

She knew she was not the only student at Hogwarts who had fantasised about the Potions professor. Whereas Lavender and Parvati had wondered at comparisons of nose lengths to various... appendages, she had dreamed about his hands. Those oddly beautiful hands with those long fingers that had worked nimbly with the ingredients. She had wondered what such hands could do to a woman's body...

Snapping out of her daze, she returned her attention to the pancake that was beginning to smoke slightly. She quickly flipped it over, nearly dropping it to the floor when Severus cleared his throat behind her.

Severus had been watching Hermione as she stood by the stove, gazing off into the distance. She was again dressed in the clothes she had worn yesterday, but with her hair pulled up into a ponytail high on the back of her head, leaving the rest to fall in waves across her shoulders. Apparently a good night's sleep had been what she required; the dark shadows under her eyes had all but disappeared, and her cheeks were stained with a becoming pink.

Seeing her come out of her thoughts, Severus cleared his throat, smirking when he made her jump and nearly drop the pancake she was flipping.

With a nervous little smile, Hermione turned to Severus (after this morning, she would never be able to think of him as Snape again) and handed him a plate of pancakes dripping with syrup. She smiled up at him as he nodded his thanks. She quickly removed the last cake from the pan and joined him in the living room. As there was no space in the tiny kitchen for a table, they had to eat off their laps as they had done last night.

Hermione ate quickly, waiting for Severus to finish and talk to her about the incident earlier. When he had finished, he handed her his empty plate, nodding his thanks once again. Hermione flicked her wand at the pile of dirty dishes, watching as they cleaned themselves and sailed back to their proper places in the cabinets. Hermione glanced at Snape from the corner of her eye. Apparently, he was going to ignore the episode and her too.

Hermione moved back to the living room, handing Severus a cup of steaming coffee. When he didn't even nod this time, she seated herself opposite him, staring at him until he turned his attention to him.

"Can I help you, Miss Granger?"

"Yes. I would like to leave now."

"As I told you last night, it is impossible for you to leave my company."

"Exactly. That is why I'm asking you to go with me to find my parents."

~*~

'How do I get myself into these things?' Severus groused to himself as he trudged up the suburban Muggle street, the strong smell of eucalyptus wafting in the air. He could not believe she had talked him into coming here with her. Just because she smiled beautifully at him and begged prettily did not mean he had to come. Truthfully, it was the sheen of tears in her eyes that actually convinced him.

That and the fact that he was becoming increasingly interested in Hermione and her complicated little life. However, no matter how many tears she shed, he was not going to wear conventional Muggle clothing. He would rather really be dead than be caught wearing jeans. So, clad in normal attire of black pants and shirt, they stopped at Hermione's hotel room to get her luggage.

Hermione walked into the hotel room she had shared with Ron, took a deep breath and looked around. It seemed he had finally listened to something she had said. He was gone. All his things were gone. She could not believe he had not at least fought for her. Maybe he had been as sick of the situation as she was. Well, she was not going to waste any more tears on him. She had to find her parents.

As she collected her things, Severus sat on the bed, watching at her constantly. Feeling self-conscious, Hermione picked out a top and skirt and retreated to the bathroom.

Since Hermione's back was to the door, she didn't realise she had not closed it properly, and Severus was treated to a delightful view of a long elegant back and smooth creamy skin before she moved out of his view.

While she was otherwise occupied, Severus shrank her trunk and placed it in his pocket. When she returned, he opened the door allowing her to precede him through so that he could surreptitiously admire her long legs displayed by the short skirt she wore.

Now, as they walked up the street, Hermione began telling him about her mind manipulation before she had set out with Potter and her consequent search for her parents.

Apparently, Hermione and Weasley had gone to the dental practice her parents had set up, but there was now a doctor's surgery in the rented space. When they had gone to the flat her parents were staying in, there was no sign of them either. No furniture, no clothing, nothing. Most of the neighbours had not been home that time, and those who were didn't even know who Wendell and Monica Wilkins were.

Now Hermione was determined to go back and interview all the neighbours she had not spoken to before. Someone had to know something.

Severus and Hermione climbed the stairs to the second floor where her parents' flat was. Hermione thought it made more sense that their closest neighbours would know more about the missing couple than ones that lived further away. Severus agreed with her logic, and so found himself knocking on the door to the flat closest to her parents'.

The sounds of a cricket match on the telly ended abruptly. Hermione wondered if Tony Greig was commentating today. She really hoped not; she couldn't stand him and his blasted keys!

An old lady opened the door, her eyes widening as she stared up at the dark man in front of her. Hermione cleared her throat, bringing the woman's attention to her.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but we are looking for Wendell and Monica Wilkins. They used to live in the flat next door to yours."

"Why, that accent! You must be Monica's daughter, Hermione. Please, come in my dear."

~*~

A/N: Thanks for all your wonderful suggestions, Reets. Hope you approve.