Chapter Two

Disclaimer: Of course, they all belong to J.K. Rowling and I am not making money.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. The delay was mostly because of demanding real life and lack of a beta. Well, real life is still demanding but I do have betas now. Blue artemis and AmyLouise are two angels who made this story readable. Three cheers to them.

Chapter Two

Severus could feel the sensory charms even before he opened his eyes. The magic was strong, very strong. Dark Lord? He jerked up, remembering that he was attacked by Nagini. His body ached but this was the ache of the muscle unused for long, not the feral bite of the monster. He tentatively touched his neck. He could feel the thick scar of a wound long healed. Then he very vaguely remembered being whisked away by a Portkey. It was only then he looked around. He found himself in room which definitely belonged to a Muggle house. The presence of electric lights confirmed that. Why would Dark Lord keep him under sensory charm in Muggle house? Or was he just hallucinating?

A face appeared at the door. A small boy, not more than fourteen rushed in. No, wait a minute. It was a girl, a very thin and unhealthy looking girl with hair cropped off like a boy. She had a childlike face, narrow arms and legs. She wore a white tank top with spaghetti straps and too short denim shorts. A wand was protruding from the pocket, which she took out and started doing non-verbal diagnostic charms. Although only a couple of minutes had passed since he woke up, Severus already felt very, very tired. He leaned back in his pillows and closed his eyes. He was too tired to ponder the surreal situation where, after being bitten by Nagini, he found himself in a Muggle house under some strong sensory charms and now was being checked by an elfin girl. He drifted off again.

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When he woke up again, he found Minerva McGonagall sitting beside his bed and Poppy Pomfrey hovering over him. Minerva held his hand and told him with frequent tears how sorry the whole Order was for doubting him. He managed to get a grasp of the situation a bit from her though. The Dark Lord was dead; Potter lived once again; Granger had somehow saved his life, kept him alive and hidden for last twenty-two days and Kingsley, now Minister of Magic, had dropped all the charges against him. At this point Poppy stopped probing and scanning him and declared that he was fit enough to have a proper meal.

A few minutes later Severus found that by “proper meal” Poppy meant chicken broth, mashed potato and boiled vegetables. Apparently that was the right food for people who gained consciousness after twenty-two days. It took him a few more minutes to realize that the elfin girl with boyish hair was actually Miss Granger, and she had yet to speak to him. Since finding him awake, she was a flurry of activity. She informed Poppy and Minerva, assisted Poppy in diagnosing him, handed him his wand, took out phial after phial of potions and passed them to the medi-witch and then went to cook dinner. Now, he was sitting around the dining table with her and ready to crush her with his words alone for meddling with his life. He could tear her apart with his snarl. But when he opened his mouth, he couldn’t control the words that toppled from his mouth.

‘What happened to you?’

‘Oh, you mean my hair, sir? That’s nothing. After being on the run for almost a year, it was beyond repair. So I just cut it short. It's easier to handle too.’ She shrugged.

Her hairstyle was something Severus had never seen a witch sport before. Most of the hair was so short that tiny curls almost clung to her skull. Only two chin length tendrils framed her face. The ice seemed to break a bit with this simple conversation on her hairstyle. So he continued.

‘So, Miss Granger, would you like to share what happened in the shack and afterwards?’

She laid her fork on the plate and sat up straight. Without looking him in the eyes, she started to narrate.

‘Well, after you collapsed, we left. Once the boys reached the castle, I came back and gave you a bezoar to counter the poison in your system and took you to the Hog’s Head. Fawkes also appeared there out of nowhere. There, um, I left you with Fawkes. I came back after the final battle was over. I looked for potions in your office and found the anti-venom. Coming back I saw that Fawkes had healed your wound. Then of course I gave you the potions. I told Harry first, and he told Kingsley. Then Kingsley told the rest of the Order. No one apart from the Order yet knows that you are alive.’

‘And, what am I doing at your parents’ house?’ he asked as evenly as he could.

‘How do you know it was my parents’ house?’ She looked startled.

With a sneer, Severus replied, ‘Well, Miss Granger, I just happened to be the Dark Lord’s right hand, and he had some fascination on Potter’s best friend.’

‘I was really surprised to find the house unharmed,’ Hermione continued.

Severus interrupted, ‘The Dark Lord kept it under watch. He thought you or someone else would be bound to turn up at some point.’

‘Oh, okay. Well, I expected to see it completely demolished. Then I asked Kingsley to put it under the Fidelius Charm and moved you here. See, nobody would expect to search for you here, right? That was, of course, before Kingsley declared you untouchable. Um, do you want some yoghurt?’

‘I beg your pardon, Miss Granger?’ he asked with genuine confusion.

“For dessert, sir, I have some frozen yoghurt with blueberries. You want to try some, sir?”

Severus held back a sigh with a little difficulty and replied, 'No, thank you, Miss Granger.'

They settled down on the couches in the sitting room. Severus was denied any alcohol or coffee as his health was poor. So, he settled for tea, and Hermione seemed to enjoy her blueberry yoghurt very much. She was still wearing those ridiculous shorts but had changed her top for an oversized tee-shirt. Severus was still shocked to be alive and hadn't yet decided how he felt about this. He was so accustomed to occluding and keeping his emotions at bay that he kept up the appearance that nothing was wrong. If anybody walked in, they would have thought that Severus was in the habit of gaining consciousness in Hermione’s house and then drinking tea on the couch.

As if on cue, somebody did walk in. They turned out to be Potter, his side kick and Kingsley. Okay, now it was time for Potter’s outburst for his love for Lily. Bring it on, Potter, he thought to himself and kept acting cool. He took Kingsley’s proffered hand and shook it. Potter also offered his hand but the Weasley sidekick was busy getting the TV on. Hermione served yogurt to them and offered Severus once again, but he declined once more. The outburst still didn’t come. He seemed to be fidgeting around his neck a bit. Hermione gave him a gentle nudge with her elbow. He sighed and pulled out a pouch that he was wearing around his neck. He took a glass vial from it and presented to Severus reverently.

'Your memories, sir.'

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After the guests left, Severus excused himself and went back to his room. He sat on his bed and looked around the room properly for the first time. The walls were painted in very pale celery green and lined with a closet and bookshelves. He felt more like himself once the memories were restored. He decided on a quick shower before bed. Returning from the shower, he found Hermione sitting on the armchair. She stood up promptly and handed him a number of vials. He drank his potions silently. He laughed mentally. Severus Snape was drinking potions from someone’s hand and not even bothering to sniff them first. Well, who would care if he was poisoned, it’s not like he actually wanted to live. The ever-meddling Granger wouldn't be there next time.