The Grangers - Answers
Were you on time for your dental appointment? Are you a Grangers Whiz Kid? Here's the answer sheet.
1. Next of Kin by apollinav
2. Emissary by labrt2004
3. Good as Gold by camillo1978
4. Silly Little Girl by bambu345
5. Meet the Parents by subversa
6. A One-Two Punch by deeble
7. Things That Go Bump in the Night by madeleone
8. In Aster Stars by meladara
9. When The Magic's Gone by April Grey
10. The First Faint Glimmer by Ladymage Samiko aka iqeret
Red Herring titles:
Limited Exposure by sunnythirty3
Little Book of Charms by Ramora WIP
1. Bonnie stopped to tie up the strings of her apron as Hermione grabbed one from the hook on the wall. Just then a Muggle, who Severus presumed to be Hermione's father George, descended the stairs. As tall as Severus and quite fit, George Granger was graying and had succumbed to the temptation of being a bit frumpy in his old age. He wore a tweed sport coat over a wool jumper and when he came near, Severus detected the scent of cloves and scotch.
George offered his hand and a genial smile. "George Granger. So, you are the feared Potions master, eh? Good on you! Not every day our little girl invites someone over. What's the occasion?"
Out of the corner of his eye he spied Hermione's back straighten as she became very still. "Hermione invited me," Severus lied. He'd been Shanghai'd. And he would get even with his dear little wifey when they got back to the flat. "I've been under the weather and she thought fresh air would do me some good. We're neighbors."
That was not an untruth. As long as Severus resided in the tent out back, they were neighbors. He was not about to say a single word on the subject of marriage. As far as they were concerned, their marriage would soon be annulled by the Wizengamot - there was no need to invite family drama.
"You should have called ahead," Bonnie scolded her daughter.
"Nonsense," George interjected. "I've plenty of extra gear - it's no trouble at all."
"Gear?" Severus asked, bewildered. What had that daft witch gotten him into?
Bonnie vigorously dried her hands off with a dish towel. "Supper will be ready by the time you boys come back."
Next of Kin by apollinav
2.“Dr. Granger?”
He spoke with a strange accent in clipped, economical tones.
I narrowed my eyes. Well, now I was slightly concerned. I’d originally had him pegged as some poor feeble-minded bloke who’d taken a wrong turn at the intersection, but this man was no village idiot.
“Yes, how can I help you?”
He inclined his head slightly and said, “I am here to deliver a missive to Miss Hermione Granger.”
Missive? Who says that nowadays? And why the devil would he be delivering a letter to Jeanie?
I raised the arm that I was bracing against the entryway slightly higher and asked pointedly, “My daughter?”
Black eyes flashed in a way that I didn’t like, but the voice remained neutral. “If you please, sir.”
“I’m sure you’ll understand if I insist on knowing what business you have with an eleven-year-old girl.”
“Certainly,” he replied stiffly. He was still standing awkwardly on our front steps, looking rather uncomfortable, and it occurred to me how very inhospitable I was being towards this caller. Manners be damned. I didn’t trust him. “However, I recommend that you assemble your entire family first-"
“Oh, you’re finally here!”
Astonished, I turned behind me and saw my daughter bounding down the staircase two steps at a time.
“Jeanie,” I barked as she sped to a stop before me, “do you know this man?”
Though she had raced to the door, she seemed to only really look at the stranger after I pointed him out. She glanced over him, tipping her head backwards to accommodate his considerable height, then wrinkled her nose. “No, Daddy, I don’t know him. I just know what he’s here for.”
Emissary by labrt2004
3. After thanking the vicar for the service (he seemed entirely oblivious to the disturbance during his sermon), Hermione and Mr Granger began to follow the crowd towards the door of the church. Behind them, Mrs Granger’s voice rose to pantomime cackle volume.
“Severus! I was hoping we might see you here. Happy Christmas!”
“Angela. You knew perfectly well I would be here because you asked me in the Post Office last week.”
For the third time in her life, somebody who was supposed to be dead clearly wasn’t playing by the rules. The nerve endings in Hermione’s skin prickled as adrenaline flooded her system - which seemed an extravagant response given the apparent haziness of the dead/alive divide in the wizarding world. She slid her hand into her coat pocket and felt for her wand as she turned to look down the aisle of the church and found Severus Snape standing right next to her mum.
“Hello, Severus!” said Hermione’s dad. “Have you been in the pub?”
Snape’s dark eyes lifted from Mrs Granger to Mr Granger and then widened as he noticed Hermione. The line between his eyebrows deepened, and a muscle in his cheek fluttered. Just as quickly, the frown was gone, and Snape was chatting to Mr Granger, both hands shoved into his coat pockets.
“Yes, I have. I had a wonderful evening watching the Matthews boys vie for the honour of groping Cheryl Pugh.”
Hermione’s father grinned.
“This is our daughter, Hermione. Hermione, this is Severus - the neighbour I mentioned.”
While Mr Granger was speaking, Hermione and Snape eyed each other carefully. Hermione realised that under his winter coat, Snape was wearing a v-necked black cashmere jumper and a white shirt. For an insane moment, she wondered whether anybody would mind if she banged her head repeatedly on the back of the nearest pew. She decided that, under the circumstances, acting as normally as possible might be safer.
“Hello, Severus. Pleased to meet you.”
Snape’s right eyebrow jumped, and for a moment his eyes shone with appreciative amusement.
“Likewise, Hermione. Welcome to Slapton Poppleford.”
Good as Gold by camillo1978
4. Her back was to a wall - metaphorical and physical. “Malfoy’s a double-agent? And you’ve been living here … here … for seven months?”
“You always did regurgitate information.” Dark eyes traveled over her recently matured features.
“Severus,” warned Constantinos Granger, his Grecian curls still damp from the shower.
Snape shrugged.
Hermione tilted her chin. “You expect me to believe …”
“I expect nothing,” he snapped, “but your parents do not lie.”
Helen tried again. “You can trust Severus --”
“Dumbledore did. He’s dead.”
“Which is why he left you this.” Constantinos flipped over an envelope, sliding it across the table.
Silly Little Girl by bambu345
5. Now, settled around the dining room table, the remains of their light lunch of salads still before them, the topic came around to the reason for their visit.
Jane Granger handed Severus a cup of freshly brewed coffee and resumed her seat, beginning to stir cream into her own cup. “Please, tell us -- what is the dire emergency that necessitated this meeting?” Her smile was encouraging, but it was possible to see the faint worry in her eyes.
Severus glanced at Hermione, his own courage quailing in the face of this question as it had never quailed under the red eyes of Lord Voldemort. Hermione, however, took the lead with the ever-vaunted Gryffindor courage.
“Mum -- Daddy -- Severus and I are engaged to be married -- and we would like to have the ceremony this Friday night.”
Severus realized that he was clutching the glass vial in his trousers pocket, which contained one of his more successful restoratives for persons who have fainted dead away. He was relieved to see that Jane Granger did not appear to be faint in the least; Herman, however, was looking a little bit green about the gills.
“Plainly, this is -- quite -- sudden?” Jane said, in a rather shaky voice.
“I know that it seems sudden, Mum, but it really isn’t,” Hermione said. “Severus and I have been ... involved ... for three years, now.”
Severus resisted the urge to cover his eyes with his hand. Somehow, the words they had rehearsed together did not sound terribly reassuring at this moment as she spoke them to her parents. Now she was telling them, in effect, that her nasty old teacher had designs on her when she was still a teenager. Dimly, he wondered why he had neglected to slip a migraine cure into his pocket.
Jane continued in her calmly reasonable tone, “But, Hermione -- surely you used to tell us that Professor Snape was your least favourite teacher?” She smiled kindly at Severus. “No offence to you, of course, Professor...”
Severus once again inclined his head in acceptance of her courtesy. Cautiously, he cast a glance over at Herman, who looked as if he had swallowed a dose of undiluted bubotuber pus. It had apparently blistered his tongue right out of his head, and it also appeared to be having a bad effect on his lungs, as he seemed to be having a difficult time catching his breath.
Meet the Parents by subversa
6. “You don't know him, Mum,” she'd said evasively when I inquired about the name of her mystery beau last week. Of course not, I've been cut off from almost everything in her life since she was eleven, but I ruddy well know of him! The Prophet has been my one daily link to Hermione, and in the past five years I've seen enough of Snape there to last me the rest of my life. Death Eater. Murderer. Why, everyone agrees that he only switched sides at the last moment when he thought Harry might win! It's an outrage that he's not in prison - free on a technicality just like those awful Malfoys …
Surely she doesn't believe the drivel he supposedly said at his trial? Those moving photographs of him were bad enough - never in my wildest nightmares did I expect to see him in person - with Hermione-
“I do apologize,” I say hoarsely, gathering my wits about me and standing aside to let them in the front door. “Please, come in. Sit.”
This is my punishment for thinking that Ron Weasley wasn't really suited for her.
“Mum …,” Hermione says, and I think I detect a slight warning in her voice. “This is Severus Snape. Severus, my mum, Helen.”
I am unable to say that I am pleased to meet him. “Hello,” I stammer instead.
“Good evening,” he replies. It is an arresting voice. I think of vampires and enthralled victims, bloody necks. “I take it from your horrified expression,” he adds with a flash of black humor and a twist of the lips, “that my reputation precedes me.”
A One-Two Punch by deeble
7. Hermione was surprised at her mum's cunning. On the drive up to Suzanne's cousin's home, her mum gave her some advice. "Now, Hermione, if you are able to dispel this spirit or whatever it is, don't make it look too easy. According to Suze, Angela has already had several so-called experts in to solve her little problem, all unsuccessful thus far. She is willing to pay a good price to have it taken care of and she can afford it. So just make it look as if you had to put forth a bit of effort."
"Mum! Are you suggesting I try to pull the wool over Angela's eyes?"
"Not at all, sweetie. Look at it this way. She has a job she wants done, and you may have the expertise to handle it. Don't sell yourself short. Your skills are valuable."
Upon arrival Suzanne was waiting there with Angela so Linda took them both away for an afternoon of lunch and shopping to give Hermione time alone to get a 'read' on the 'spirit.' It didn't take her long to discover that Angela's ghost was actually a female poltergeist named Matilda.
As Hermione walked into the kitchen she saw her banging pots and pans together, making an unbelievable racket. "Hello, there," greeted Hermione sweetly.
The poltergeist turned in shock. "You can see me?" she cried. She flew up to the ceiling in the far corner of the room and looked down at Hermione suspiciously. "You aren't one of the kind who lives here. You're a witch."
"Yes, I am. My name is Hermione. What's yours?"
They did nothing but talk for the next two hours. Matilda was at first snide and sarcastic, but eventually warmed up a bit. "So I suppose you're another one here to try to get me to leave. It won't do you any good you know. You can't force a poltergeist to leave a place they've moved into."
"Oh, I do know that indeed. I just want to try to understand you. Why do you stay here? Isn't it lonely for you? From what I've heard the owner doesn't come around much."
Things That Go Bump in the Night by madeleone
8. It had been a week now since her parents' return, and she was completely perplexed. Something in them had changed and she simply couldn't understand how it had come about.
She had noticed it the first day when her parents had nonchalantly spoken of magical things, such as the memory charm and Portkey, but it had quickly evolved into something much more apparent. The next day her mother, while working on cleaning the house, had asked her about magical household charms and had even gone so far as to ask for a demonstration. Hermione had been stunned when her mother had beamed as she watched the dust disappear from shelves and nick-nacks set themselves right. Since that day Hermione had been helping to complete the daily chores magically.
Her father, too, had displayed a new interest in her magic. Hermione had been taken aback one evening when her father had asked about the potions text she had been reading. For a second she hesitated to even answer, the response on her tongue formed through the instincts she'd developed over the last six years dealing with her parents. But when she looked at him the inexplicable interest and honesty on his face had reminded her of the change in her parents' views. She had cautiously explained a bit about the book to him, hedging against the chance that he may revert to his previous views at any moment. Instead, he'd politely inquired after any introductory texts on the subject that she had available for him to read. After a small fit of disbelief, Hermione had fished out her first year potions text and gave it to him. Since then he had read through and made notes on several of her potions texts; he had also expanded his reading into the subjects of herbology and magical creatures.
In Aster Stars by meladara
9. “So, Russ, can I call you Russ? Severus is a dead giveaway that you were a wizard, and Sev is still a bit too weird. But Russ, people will assume you’re named Russell.” Peter Granger was doing his best to extend himself to the man sitting in the backseat of the car with his daughter, Hermione. His wife, Liz, looked back at the two and smiled.
“So, when I heard that you were the one that had saved little Hermione from the Death Eaters and that they were planning to send you to some internment camp.” He snorted, “And they still call this England, I can’t believe we are locking people up based on an accident of birth. Anyway, I looked at that official and said that it would be over my dead body. Grangers pay their debts.”
Severus “Russ” Snape sat quietly in the back seat of the Rover. Hermione had a feeling that she was dreaming. Three hours ago they were prisoners of war and now her father was making a total arse out of himself in front of her potions master. Or should she think of him as her lover? Oh, no. I gave it up to Snape. Hermione looked out the window at the passing countryside. Only another hour of this and they’d be home.
Snape shifted in his seat. His legs were too long to sit comfortably in the back of the car and they were cramping. So Peter? Can I call you Pete? Awfully nice of you to take me in. By the way, do you know that I deflowered your know-it-all daughter? Only as a favor of course, just to help her be a better mudblood whore. Oh and I’m a killer too, if anyone ever belonged in a confinement camp, it’s good old Russ. Outloud he said, “Sure, Peter, Russ will be fine. Could you tell me a few more details about how the wizards lost the war to Lord Voldemort and how the Queen’s army then dashed in and made Britain safe for muggles again?”
When The Magic's Gone by April Grey
10. Still, it was Amelia who approached Severus, late that night when a noise downstairs awoke her.
She found him in the living room, staring out of the window at nothing. "It is very late," she remarked softly. He whirled, his wand drawn and ready, but relaxed when he saw only the trim woman standing in the doorway, her dark masses of hair curling around her shoulders.
"Dr. Granger. I could not sleep," he explained. "I am normally something of a night owl anyway."
"I see," was all Amelia said in reply. After a moment's silence, she continued. "I've been wanting to thank you for coming to stay with us."
A snort of disbelief escaped. "I sincerely doubt that," he said bitterly. "Especially if your daughter has been completely candid with you."
"She is extraordinarily candid," Amelia admitted staunchly, "but she is also fair and gives credit where credit is due. You are a good man, Professor, and I say once again: I thank you for staying with us."
"A good man? Hardly."
"I'll say it again if you like. I am aware of..." she hesitated slightly, "what you have been. And I am well aware of the sorts of things you may have done and seen. Muggles have shown no less talent than wizards in hatred and prejudice, in devising horrible, cruel things to do to one another. We may even be more ingenious at such things, not having the use of magic to make things easier. But I say you are a good man because of the shadows of those things that you carry with you, that darken your eyes. An evil man would not have them. And, when all is said and done, Professor, you are still human. And humans often make wrong choices."
She held up a hand to forestall any comment. "I'm not saying it's a simple matter, Professor. I'm simply saying people, life, are never black and white. And the shades of grey change constantly." At his continued silence, she stepped forward to join him at the window, looking out at the deserted street.
The First Faint Glimmer by Ladymage Samiko aka iqeret
1. Next of Kin by apollinav
2. Emissary by labrt2004
3. Good as Gold by camillo1978
4. Silly Little Girl by bambu345
5. Meet the Parents by subversa
6. A One-Two Punch by deeble
7. Things That Go Bump in the Night by madeleone
8. In Aster Stars by meladara
9. When The Magic's Gone by April Grey
10. The First Faint Glimmer by Ladymage Samiko aka iqeret
Red Herring titles:
Limited Exposure by sunnythirty3
Little Book of Charms by Ramora WIP
1. Bonnie stopped to tie up the strings of her apron as Hermione grabbed one from the hook on the wall. Just then a Muggle, who Severus presumed to be Hermione's father George, descended the stairs. As tall as Severus and quite fit, George Granger was graying and had succumbed to the temptation of being a bit frumpy in his old age. He wore a tweed sport coat over a wool jumper and when he came near, Severus detected the scent of cloves and scotch.
George offered his hand and a genial smile. "George Granger. So, you are the feared Potions master, eh? Good on you! Not every day our little girl invites someone over. What's the occasion?"
Out of the corner of his eye he spied Hermione's back straighten as she became very still. "Hermione invited me," Severus lied. He'd been Shanghai'd. And he would get even with his dear little wifey when they got back to the flat. "I've been under the weather and she thought fresh air would do me some good. We're neighbors."
That was not an untruth. As long as Severus resided in the tent out back, they were neighbors. He was not about to say a single word on the subject of marriage. As far as they were concerned, their marriage would soon be annulled by the Wizengamot - there was no need to invite family drama.
"You should have called ahead," Bonnie scolded her daughter.
"Nonsense," George interjected. "I've plenty of extra gear - it's no trouble at all."
"Gear?" Severus asked, bewildered. What had that daft witch gotten him into?
Bonnie vigorously dried her hands off with a dish towel. "Supper will be ready by the time you boys come back."
Next of Kin by apollinav
2.“Dr. Granger?”
He spoke with a strange accent in clipped, economical tones.
I narrowed my eyes. Well, now I was slightly concerned. I’d originally had him pegged as some poor feeble-minded bloke who’d taken a wrong turn at the intersection, but this man was no village idiot.
“Yes, how can I help you?”
He inclined his head slightly and said, “I am here to deliver a missive to Miss Hermione Granger.”
Missive? Who says that nowadays? And why the devil would he be delivering a letter to Jeanie?
I raised the arm that I was bracing against the entryway slightly higher and asked pointedly, “My daughter?”
Black eyes flashed in a way that I didn’t like, but the voice remained neutral. “If you please, sir.”
“I’m sure you’ll understand if I insist on knowing what business you have with an eleven-year-old girl.”
“Certainly,” he replied stiffly. He was still standing awkwardly on our front steps, looking rather uncomfortable, and it occurred to me how very inhospitable I was being towards this caller. Manners be damned. I didn’t trust him. “However, I recommend that you assemble your entire family first-"
“Oh, you’re finally here!”
Astonished, I turned behind me and saw my daughter bounding down the staircase two steps at a time.
“Jeanie,” I barked as she sped to a stop before me, “do you know this man?”
Though she had raced to the door, she seemed to only really look at the stranger after I pointed him out. She glanced over him, tipping her head backwards to accommodate his considerable height, then wrinkled her nose. “No, Daddy, I don’t know him. I just know what he’s here for.”
Emissary by labrt2004
3. After thanking the vicar for the service (he seemed entirely oblivious to the disturbance during his sermon), Hermione and Mr Granger began to follow the crowd towards the door of the church. Behind them, Mrs Granger’s voice rose to pantomime cackle volume.
“Severus! I was hoping we might see you here. Happy Christmas!”
“Angela. You knew perfectly well I would be here because you asked me in the Post Office last week.”
For the third time in her life, somebody who was supposed to be dead clearly wasn’t playing by the rules. The nerve endings in Hermione’s skin prickled as adrenaline flooded her system - which seemed an extravagant response given the apparent haziness of the dead/alive divide in the wizarding world. She slid her hand into her coat pocket and felt for her wand as she turned to look down the aisle of the church and found Severus Snape standing right next to her mum.
“Hello, Severus!” said Hermione’s dad. “Have you been in the pub?”
Snape’s dark eyes lifted from Mrs Granger to Mr Granger and then widened as he noticed Hermione. The line between his eyebrows deepened, and a muscle in his cheek fluttered. Just as quickly, the frown was gone, and Snape was chatting to Mr Granger, both hands shoved into his coat pockets.
“Yes, I have. I had a wonderful evening watching the Matthews boys vie for the honour of groping Cheryl Pugh.”
Hermione’s father grinned.
“This is our daughter, Hermione. Hermione, this is Severus - the neighbour I mentioned.”
While Mr Granger was speaking, Hermione and Snape eyed each other carefully. Hermione realised that under his winter coat, Snape was wearing a v-necked black cashmere jumper and a white shirt. For an insane moment, she wondered whether anybody would mind if she banged her head repeatedly on the back of the nearest pew. She decided that, under the circumstances, acting as normally as possible might be safer.
“Hello, Severus. Pleased to meet you.”
Snape’s right eyebrow jumped, and for a moment his eyes shone with appreciative amusement.
“Likewise, Hermione. Welcome to Slapton Poppleford.”
Good as Gold by camillo1978
4. Her back was to a wall - metaphorical and physical. “Malfoy’s a double-agent? And you’ve been living here … here … for seven months?”
“You always did regurgitate information.” Dark eyes traveled over her recently matured features.
“Severus,” warned Constantinos Granger, his Grecian curls still damp from the shower.
Snape shrugged.
Hermione tilted her chin. “You expect me to believe …”
“I expect nothing,” he snapped, “but your parents do not lie.”
Helen tried again. “You can trust Severus --”
“Dumbledore did. He’s dead.”
“Which is why he left you this.” Constantinos flipped over an envelope, sliding it across the table.
Silly Little Girl by bambu345
5. Now, settled around the dining room table, the remains of their light lunch of salads still before them, the topic came around to the reason for their visit.
Jane Granger handed Severus a cup of freshly brewed coffee and resumed her seat, beginning to stir cream into her own cup. “Please, tell us -- what is the dire emergency that necessitated this meeting?” Her smile was encouraging, but it was possible to see the faint worry in her eyes.
Severus glanced at Hermione, his own courage quailing in the face of this question as it had never quailed under the red eyes of Lord Voldemort. Hermione, however, took the lead with the ever-vaunted Gryffindor courage.
“Mum -- Daddy -- Severus and I are engaged to be married -- and we would like to have the ceremony this Friday night.”
Severus realized that he was clutching the glass vial in his trousers pocket, which contained one of his more successful restoratives for persons who have fainted dead away. He was relieved to see that Jane Granger did not appear to be faint in the least; Herman, however, was looking a little bit green about the gills.
“Plainly, this is -- quite -- sudden?” Jane said, in a rather shaky voice.
“I know that it seems sudden, Mum, but it really isn’t,” Hermione said. “Severus and I have been ... involved ... for three years, now.”
Severus resisted the urge to cover his eyes with his hand. Somehow, the words they had rehearsed together did not sound terribly reassuring at this moment as she spoke them to her parents. Now she was telling them, in effect, that her nasty old teacher had designs on her when she was still a teenager. Dimly, he wondered why he had neglected to slip a migraine cure into his pocket.
Jane continued in her calmly reasonable tone, “But, Hermione -- surely you used to tell us that Professor Snape was your least favourite teacher?” She smiled kindly at Severus. “No offence to you, of course, Professor...”
Severus once again inclined his head in acceptance of her courtesy. Cautiously, he cast a glance over at Herman, who looked as if he had swallowed a dose of undiluted bubotuber pus. It had apparently blistered his tongue right out of his head, and it also appeared to be having a bad effect on his lungs, as he seemed to be having a difficult time catching his breath.
Meet the Parents by subversa
6. “You don't know him, Mum,” she'd said evasively when I inquired about the name of her mystery beau last week. Of course not, I've been cut off from almost everything in her life since she was eleven, but I ruddy well know of him! The Prophet has been my one daily link to Hermione, and in the past five years I've seen enough of Snape there to last me the rest of my life. Death Eater. Murderer. Why, everyone agrees that he only switched sides at the last moment when he thought Harry might win! It's an outrage that he's not in prison - free on a technicality just like those awful Malfoys …
Surely she doesn't believe the drivel he supposedly said at his trial? Those moving photographs of him were bad enough - never in my wildest nightmares did I expect to see him in person - with Hermione-
“I do apologize,” I say hoarsely, gathering my wits about me and standing aside to let them in the front door. “Please, come in. Sit.”
This is my punishment for thinking that Ron Weasley wasn't really suited for her.
“Mum …,” Hermione says, and I think I detect a slight warning in her voice. “This is Severus Snape. Severus, my mum, Helen.”
I am unable to say that I am pleased to meet him. “Hello,” I stammer instead.
“Good evening,” he replies. It is an arresting voice. I think of vampires and enthralled victims, bloody necks. “I take it from your horrified expression,” he adds with a flash of black humor and a twist of the lips, “that my reputation precedes me.”
A One-Two Punch by deeble
7. Hermione was surprised at her mum's cunning. On the drive up to Suzanne's cousin's home, her mum gave her some advice. "Now, Hermione, if you are able to dispel this spirit or whatever it is, don't make it look too easy. According to Suze, Angela has already had several so-called experts in to solve her little problem, all unsuccessful thus far. She is willing to pay a good price to have it taken care of and she can afford it. So just make it look as if you had to put forth a bit of effort."
"Mum! Are you suggesting I try to pull the wool over Angela's eyes?"
"Not at all, sweetie. Look at it this way. She has a job she wants done, and you may have the expertise to handle it. Don't sell yourself short. Your skills are valuable."
Upon arrival Suzanne was waiting there with Angela so Linda took them both away for an afternoon of lunch and shopping to give Hermione time alone to get a 'read' on the 'spirit.' It didn't take her long to discover that Angela's ghost was actually a female poltergeist named Matilda.
As Hermione walked into the kitchen she saw her banging pots and pans together, making an unbelievable racket. "Hello, there," greeted Hermione sweetly.
The poltergeist turned in shock. "You can see me?" she cried. She flew up to the ceiling in the far corner of the room and looked down at Hermione suspiciously. "You aren't one of the kind who lives here. You're a witch."
"Yes, I am. My name is Hermione. What's yours?"
They did nothing but talk for the next two hours. Matilda was at first snide and sarcastic, but eventually warmed up a bit. "So I suppose you're another one here to try to get me to leave. It won't do you any good you know. You can't force a poltergeist to leave a place they've moved into."
"Oh, I do know that indeed. I just want to try to understand you. Why do you stay here? Isn't it lonely for you? From what I've heard the owner doesn't come around much."
Things That Go Bump in the Night by madeleone
8. It had been a week now since her parents' return, and she was completely perplexed. Something in them had changed and she simply couldn't understand how it had come about.
She had noticed it the first day when her parents had nonchalantly spoken of magical things, such as the memory charm and Portkey, but it had quickly evolved into something much more apparent. The next day her mother, while working on cleaning the house, had asked her about magical household charms and had even gone so far as to ask for a demonstration. Hermione had been stunned when her mother had beamed as she watched the dust disappear from shelves and nick-nacks set themselves right. Since that day Hermione had been helping to complete the daily chores magically.
Her father, too, had displayed a new interest in her magic. Hermione had been taken aback one evening when her father had asked about the potions text she had been reading. For a second she hesitated to even answer, the response on her tongue formed through the instincts she'd developed over the last six years dealing with her parents. But when she looked at him the inexplicable interest and honesty on his face had reminded her of the change in her parents' views. She had cautiously explained a bit about the book to him, hedging against the chance that he may revert to his previous views at any moment. Instead, he'd politely inquired after any introductory texts on the subject that she had available for him to read. After a small fit of disbelief, Hermione had fished out her first year potions text and gave it to him. Since then he had read through and made notes on several of her potions texts; he had also expanded his reading into the subjects of herbology and magical creatures.
In Aster Stars by meladara
9. “So, Russ, can I call you Russ? Severus is a dead giveaway that you were a wizard, and Sev is still a bit too weird. But Russ, people will assume you’re named Russell.” Peter Granger was doing his best to extend himself to the man sitting in the backseat of the car with his daughter, Hermione. His wife, Liz, looked back at the two and smiled.
“So, when I heard that you were the one that had saved little Hermione from the Death Eaters and that they were planning to send you to some internment camp.” He snorted, “And they still call this England, I can’t believe we are locking people up based on an accident of birth. Anyway, I looked at that official and said that it would be over my dead body. Grangers pay their debts.”
Severus “Russ” Snape sat quietly in the back seat of the Rover. Hermione had a feeling that she was dreaming. Three hours ago they were prisoners of war and now her father was making a total arse out of himself in front of her potions master. Or should she think of him as her lover? Oh, no. I gave it up to Snape. Hermione looked out the window at the passing countryside. Only another hour of this and they’d be home.
Snape shifted in his seat. His legs were too long to sit comfortably in the back of the car and they were cramping. So Peter? Can I call you Pete? Awfully nice of you to take me in. By the way, do you know that I deflowered your know-it-all daughter? Only as a favor of course, just to help her be a better mudblood whore. Oh and I’m a killer too, if anyone ever belonged in a confinement camp, it’s good old Russ. Outloud he said, “Sure, Peter, Russ will be fine. Could you tell me a few more details about how the wizards lost the war to Lord Voldemort and how the Queen’s army then dashed in and made Britain safe for muggles again?”
When The Magic's Gone by April Grey
10. Still, it was Amelia who approached Severus, late that night when a noise downstairs awoke her.
She found him in the living room, staring out of the window at nothing. "It is very late," she remarked softly. He whirled, his wand drawn and ready, but relaxed when he saw only the trim woman standing in the doorway, her dark masses of hair curling around her shoulders.
"Dr. Granger. I could not sleep," he explained. "I am normally something of a night owl anyway."
"I see," was all Amelia said in reply. After a moment's silence, she continued. "I've been wanting to thank you for coming to stay with us."
A snort of disbelief escaped. "I sincerely doubt that," he said bitterly. "Especially if your daughter has been completely candid with you."
"She is extraordinarily candid," Amelia admitted staunchly, "but she is also fair and gives credit where credit is due. You are a good man, Professor, and I say once again: I thank you for staying with us."
"A good man? Hardly."
"I'll say it again if you like. I am aware of..." she hesitated slightly, "what you have been. And I am well aware of the sorts of things you may have done and seen. Muggles have shown no less talent than wizards in hatred and prejudice, in devising horrible, cruel things to do to one another. We may even be more ingenious at such things, not having the use of magic to make things easier. But I say you are a good man because of the shadows of those things that you carry with you, that darken your eyes. An evil man would not have them. And, when all is said and done, Professor, you are still human. And humans often make wrong choices."
She held up a hand to forestall any comment. "I'm not saying it's a simple matter, Professor. I'm simply saying people, life, are never black and white. And the shades of grey change constantly." At his continued silence, she stepped forward to join him at the window, looking out at the deserted street.
The First Faint Glimmer by Ladymage Samiko aka iqeret