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The Professor and His Pint-Sized Shadow	By : SeverelySnaped Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 9792 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Chapter Four: Tonight You Sleep in Your Bed

It was close to nine-thirty that evening when Miss Granger had brought Jonette back to the dungeons, showing the girl the pathway she usually took as it was lighted a great deal more than some of the others.
Hermione thought that the evening went well, for the most part, but there were a few moments where the little girl would tense up or look very close to crying. During these moments, Hermione found that asking the girl questions on some of the things they had previously discussed beforehand would get the girl to focus her mind on that instead of whatever she was feeling. However, at times it seemed like a losing battle.
She wasn�t sure if that was always the best solution. She didn�t want the girl to be sad, yet she didn�t think it was the best thing for the girl to bottle up her feelings. Maybe she and Jonette could find some time to discuss what she was feeling without everyone intruding on them. She wondered if Professor Snape would mind.

Best to ask him first, she thought to herself before looking back down at the small figure walking beside her. Such a small child for the age of six. Hermione tried to remember how she looked and acted around that age. The girl was polite, for the most part, but still withdrawn from the ordeal she had been through, and Hermione wondered what kind of girl she was before the war left her an orphan.
She was lost in thought when the little girl�s voice broke the silence. �I want to go home.�
Hermione cut a sharp look to the girl, and tried to keep the worry out of her eyes. She felt horrible knowing that the one thing this small child wanted wasn�t a possibility anymore.
�I know.�
The continued for a few more minutes in silence before the little girl spoke up again.
�This place is scary.�
�Hogwarts? I don�t think it�s scary.�
�It�s too dark .�
�That�s because we�re in the dungeons now, and as you know, the professor keeps his rooms down here.�
�Well, I don�t like it.�
�Then maybe you should let him know that,� she finished gently. �Did you have a good time tonight?�
Jonette nodded her head softly. �The cake was good.�
Hermione laughed. �The cake is always good. I keep trying to make myself forget how good it is sometimes, otherwise I will wind up as big as Hagrid.�
�The big man that smelled like a wet dog?� the little girl asked.
She laughed even harder. �Yes, the big man who smells like wet dog. He is very friendly though. And he will always help you if you just ask.�
�Dumbadore was nice, too.�

��Dumbledore,� she corrected, smiling. �Professor Dumbledore, to be in fact. He used to teach here before he became the Headmaster.�
�What did he teach?�
�Well, he taught Transfiguration mostly, and he taught Defense Against the Dark Arts off and on throughout the years as well.�
�Was Gunther kin to Dumbledore, too�like the professor and I?�
�I don�t think so.�
�I wonder if Gunther is sad, too.�
�Very much so,� Hermione finished with a grave feeling inside.
When they finally reached the potions classroom, Jonette watched as Hermione tapped one particular stone on the wall by the door before going inside.
�Why did you do that?� the little girl questioned.
�This lets the professor know we are here again, so if he�s in his quarters and not his office he will know we are down here. Now all we have to do is wait.�
�Do you come here a lot?�
The older girl nodded. �I do. I help the professor keep the potions in order and help with other experiments.�
After a few more minutes of random conversation, the side door opened. The professor stopped at his desk to return the papers he had graded previously before walking over to where the two girls stood.
�Well then,� he said, �not too much trouble I hope?�
Hermione shook her head. �Of course not, Professor. She was a perfect little lady.�
He nodded his head and turned to the little girl standing beside Miss Granger. �Good. Jonette, please sit down for a moment so Hermione and I can bottle this up and then we can return to our quarters.�
The little girl obeyed, watching the two of them walk to the other end of the room.
The professor lowered his voice so only Hermione could hear. �So no problems at all, then?�
�No, she seemed to be a bit withdrawn at times, if anything. She mentioned that she wanted to go home, but that�s to be expected.�
He nodded his head again in thought. �Well, I inherited the family home upon my brother�s death. Maybe she would feel a bit more at ease if she could visit there every so often.�
�Oh, I think that�s an excellent idea,� Hermione whispered back. �That way, she won�t feel as if she has to leave it altogether. But I was also wondering earlier, Professor, if you would mind me talking with Jonette about her feelings about all that has happened. I know she doesn�t know me that well��
�---no more than she knows me,� he cut in.
��and I know I am of no relation to her, but I thought it might be a good form of�therapy, perhaps?�
He thought again for a moment before inclining his head. �That�s an excellent suggestion, Miss Granger. I�m not exactly an expert in that area and��
�I�ve noticed,� she said off-handedly, corking up another vial of the potion before looking up to her Professor, who was now staring at her with a strange look on his face.
�Oh, I�m sorry�I didn�t mean for it to sound the way it did�I wasn�t trying to insult you or anything�I was just��
He raised a hand. �Miss Granger?�
�Yes sir?�

�Be quiet. No offense was taken. As I was stating, I�m not against help of any form with the girl whatsoever. But I�ve never wanted children and now that I am saddled with one, I�m going to have to swallow my pride a bit and admit there is much that I don�t know when it comes to having a small child to take care of.�
�Same here.�
He raised an eyebrow and she continued, �Well, just because I�m a girl doesn�t mean I know all about children and babies and fawn over every one I see. I�ve never planned on having any children of my own in the future, either. My parents� relatives were all scattered throughout Europe, so aside from a few neighbor children, there weren�t any others running around our house.�
�Which would explain why you were eleven going on sixty-eight when you started your schooling here,� he mocked dryly.
�Oh come on, I wasn�t that bad.,� she answered, and was met again with another look of false surprise. �Well, maybe just a bit,� she sighed. �But it�s not like I had any other option. Neither of my parents were the type to cater to small children, even though they were good parents, and frankly I�m surprised they even had me.�
�Well, accidents do happen�� he smirked, watching her face go from it�s usual colour to a nice shade of bright pink.
�Yes they do,� she spat a bit louder, though still keeping her voice down from the little girl. �However, they haven�t made that fact known to me if that was the case, so I don�t dwell on it.� This conversation was taking an entirely new twist that made her feel uncomfortably nervous. She didn�t miss the brief look of amusement on his face when he looked at her.
�So you will still help out with the girl?� he went on, moving forward with the conversation.
Hermione nodded. �I don�t see why not,� she said, looking at the girl. �She needs a diversion just like the rest of us.�
He understood her meaning completely. �Very well then. I will pay you every Thursday afternoon��
�Professor, I know you mentioned that earlier but it�s really not necessary��
��after you are through with your assistant duties and please do not interrupt me again, Miss Granger. �
�Yes sir,� she said, keeping her eyes on the bottle she was holding.
�You are not only helping me out with this but sacrificing your free time as well,� he continued, putting the last cork in place. �I know your own studies have increased a good bit since you will be joining the staff this autumn and with this being your final year, there will be more than a few moments where you are ready to crack entirely. When this happens, do let me know so that some form of arrangement can be made. Is that clear?�
�Yes sir.�
�Good. Since that is settled I will leave you to your evening. And thank you, Miss Granger, for keeping an eye on Jonette this evening.�
�Anytime, professor.�
�Goodnight�oh, and Miss Granger?�
�Sir?�
�Would tomorrow night be possible well? Same time, perhaps?�
�That�s not a problem at all, sir.�
He nodded his head and made a �hmm� noise in reply, and Hermione took that as her usual cue to leave. As she was leaving the room, she didn�t notice the dark eyes of her professor watch her leave with a new look of admiration in them, or could she have gauged the true level of appreciation he had so modestly spoken of earlier.
The professor was lost in thought as he stood there watching her leave. For the first time over the course of her time as his assistant, he never realized that they were more on �colleague� terms when it came to their conversations. He had never had such a relationship with a student that he could ever say that he almost respected as an equal, but for some reason it was different with the bookish Head Girl of Gryffindor. She held herself with such confidence, not just in the classroom but also when it was just the two of them working together, that he couldn�t help but to treat her in that sense. However, the thought that he was doing so never occurred to him until just now.
A small humming noise distracted him from his thoughts and he turned to see Jonette lazily tracing imaginary pictures on the table where she sat with her finger. The contrast between the older Miss Granger and this little girl was extremely evident to him at the moment. From one who was now completely independent in her own right, to one so small and innocent who could barely take care of herself for just one day. He watched her for a moment noticing how relaxed she seemed to be, as if all of the entire world outside her mind had been forgotten.
�This one will skip here�� she whispered to herself. �And this one will stand by the tree.� Whatever she was drawing seemed to amuse her. It was almost a shame to drag her back into his miserable reality, but it was inevitable.
�Well then, time for bed.� It wasn�t a command, but more of a statement spoken softly and with a hint of his own slight fatigue behind it. The girl looked up, losing all concentration from her imaginary world and up into the eyes of her uncle.
�Yes sir,� she said softly.
He was amazed at how obedient the girl was. Some of the children he had seen at the orphanage looked as if they needed to be restrained and hexed repeatedly. Thank God the child seemed to act like a Snape, even if he couldn�t stand half of his own blood line!
The two made their way to their rooms and it took him a better part of two hours trying to convince her that she would be sleeping in her own room tonight.
�Jonette,� he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, �you knew that you would eventually have your own room, and tonight is just as good as any other night.�
The little girl stood her ground, half scowling and half ready to cry at the slightest provocation. �This place scares me! Everything is so dark and��
�Are these rooms dark?�
�Not right now.�
�Well, did you normally sleep with the lights on before tonight?�
She stared at him and shook her head. �No.�
�Then how in the hell do you expect me to keep every last lamp and torch going all night?� he shot back, incredulously.
�I don�t like it.�
�Why not, if I might ask?�
�Because this castle is scary. You even said there were some bad places.�
�Only if you go looking for them,� he sighed again. �They�re not going to come looking for you.� He was not winning this argument at the moment, and he knew it.
�What if something does come and get me?�
�Like what?� he shot back, as if he couldn�t believe the whole argument. �A dragon? How�s he going to fit in that small space?� he said, pointing inside to her room.
To his surprise, she giggled again. Why was it that this child could find amusement when he wasn�t trying to be funny? Then again, he conceded, it was probably best not to question it and use it to his advantage.
�No,� she said finally. �But something smaller could.�
He sighed again. �Jonette, rest assured that Hogwarts has been home to thousands of children throughout the ages, and so far none of them have been eaten in their rooms.� Well, that he knew of.
�Has anything bad ever happened to a student?�
For once, he decided it was best to lie. �No. And nothing will happen to you, either.�
�Will you use bedtime magic on my room like Daddy does?� she asked, and he was sure she was referring to protection wards.
�Yes, yes. I will ward your room so well that you won�t even be able to move,� he said, only partially joking. He was getting more and more tired with each passing moment and didn�t want to spend the his last bit of energy arguing with another stubborn Snape, no matter how obedient he though her to be earlier.
Nodding her head, she stepped inside the room and took a good look around. There was rather large bed, bigger than the one she had at home, and a bedside table just next to it. There was a bookcase in the far corner, already lined with new books and a few of her own items that she brought with her.
Severus noticed the books lining the shelves as well, for the first time. The elves who were in charge of this project seemed to do a pretty good job in constructing a room fit for a small girl. There was a child-size study table with four chairs around it and several portraits on the walls. One was a ballerina lacing up her slipper, another was of a group of children listening to a storyteller. On the other wall opposite, was a masterful copy of the famous portrait, A Young Girl Reading by Jean-Honore Fragonard.
He watched her eyes take in her new surroundings and was pleased she didn�t seem disappointed. She walked over to the bed and picked up what he feared to be a live animal only to find out it was a stuffed black cat. She grinned and hugged it before running to him and wrapping herself around his legs.
�You went and got Genghis for me! Oh thank you, Professor!� she said, squeezing hard.
�I didn�t even �� he started, confused at first. He knew she didn�t bring the piece of fluff with her but now he was wondering how it got there. He watched the girl below him, hugging him with all her might, and he couldn�t believe how a child that small could be anything but afraid of him.
�Thank you,� she cut in, not even hearing a word he said, �I�ve missed him so much!�
He decided that it was best not to say anything else and proceeded to pat her on the head awkwardly.
�You�re welcome,� he said. �I trust it will help you sleep better knowing that Genghis is here now?�
She nodded her head and made a confirming humming noise, so he took that as a �yes.� She let go of his legs and smiled up at him.
�Well, now that you are somewhat content with your environment, I suggest you get ready for bed��
��and wash my face and brush my teeth and��
�Don�t make me deduct house points before you even begin your schooling here,� he cut in, trying not to glare, but the girl just smiled again.
�Will you come and tuck me in when I�m through?�
�Is that part of my agenda now?�
�What�s an �agenda?��
�Oh, never mind�be ready in five minutes,� he said, walking out of the room and leaving her to her task. Insufferable child. She would never know how lucky she had it. Compared to his childhood, hers� was a faerie tale. Well almost, he thought guiltily. She did lose her parents. His own mother and father, who would have never fall into the �model parent� category, managed to live long enough to see him to school. Almost too long in his mind.
His mother was genuinely affectionate with him as a small child. His father, on the other hand, was an alcoholic nightmare. A force to be reckoned with, both sober and drunk. When sober, however, he was fairly quiet and kept to himself. There was no coddling of Severus as a young boy except the occasional pat on the head when he felt that he did something well. Maybe even a slap on the back if he had a rare moment of pride. But those moments were too few and too far in between the never-ending collection of empty bottles which only fueled the older man�s rage.
Over the years, his father turned his mother into a pathetic, beaten, despondent creature whose soft and affectionate side for her son seemed to disappear as the years went on and he grew older. She was too afraid to speak out against his father and the few times she did proved horrific.
Severus had witnessed a few of these drunken beatings, though nine times out of ten, he heard them but did not see them with his own eyes. As he got older, however, he realized that his mother was not the only target of his father�s alcoholic rages. He was a mere nine years old when he was the recipient of a rather brutal beating for spilling a flask of dragon�s blood in the basement. Whereas a simple cleaning spell would have cleaned the mess up entirely, his father was livid.
When the first blow took him by surprise, the young boy was almost too stunned to comprehend. He had been spanked before, yes. Jerked by the scruff of the collar or grabbed by the wrist. But on this day, he received the first black eye of his life. And it hurt�dear God, how it hurt! By the end of the year, these random acts of violence become more and more frequent to the point where Severus took in more of his father�s fist than his mother did.
His younger brother, Sendrick, witnessed even less. After Severus went back to school for the start of his third year, his father had died of liver failure shortly afterwards, which to Severus was both a blessing an a curse. His father was just getting to the point where age was taming him down a bit and he didn�t seem quite as bad when drunk anymore. Maybe he didn�t have the energy, maybe he just didn�t care. Whatever the reason, things seemed to be looking up, albeit for a moment.
After his father�s death, their mother kept a string of equally unstable male companions throughout the years, but kept most of it away from Sendrick�s young eyes. As Sendrick grew older, he never understood why his older brother was so bitter when speaking about their upbringing, even though he knew there was more to the picture than he was being told. However, he chose to sweep all past unpleasantness under the rug and forget about it, whereas his older brother let it stew inside him for so long. He would never know just how bad things used to be.
As the Professor stared at that carpet outside the young girl�s door, he vowed that she would never have a childhood like his. He may not be as warm and open as her own father, but he was by no means a monster, either.
He gave her a good ten minutes before checking in to see how she was doing, noticing the door was cracked as if she were still a bit afraid to shut it all the way. Standing by her bed with the silly stuffed animal in hand, she was still gazing about the room with eager eyes. Dark eyes and hair so much like his own.
After clearing his throat, he asked, �May I come in now?�
�Yes, sir.�
He noticed Jonette was tugging at the heavy duvet that covered the bed and he moved her aside so he could do it for her. After the covers were pulled back and settled, she crawled up and made herself comfortable. He pulled the duvet over her head, in a rare joking moment, and she quickly pulled it off.
�Hey!�
He gave her a look of mock innocence. �Oh, I�m sorry�I didn�t see you there.�
He was pleased when she giggled and he stepped over to ward the doors and windows before nox�ing the lamps. The fireplace provided the only light in the room and he made sure to tell the elves to re-stoke it every two hours.
�Well, you are all settled then,� he said, turning towards the door.
�Tell me a story?�
He sighed. He knew that his brother was probably the type to tell her a story, and that if he had any heart whatsoever he would comply. But tonight he was exhausted.
�Jonette, we both had a long day and I�m very tired. Will it be all right if we saved the story for another time?�
She looked a bit disappointed but nodded her head. At least she wasn�t whining about it. He turned to the door once again and she looked at him from her sea of blankets.
�Can I hug you goodnight, then?�
He paused mid-step and turned to look at her. It was such a simple request that he gave the girl a small smile before replying, �Of course.�
As he leaned over the bed and felt the small child wrapping her arms around him, he truly wished he could have gone back in time to a different childhood. One that was happy and carefree and every other type of sugarcoating that most children got to have at that age. However, he knew that life was also cruel and unfair to the chosen few who only grew up with horror stories. He made a silent vow to himself that no matter what, nothing would ever harm this child in his arms as long as he was alive.
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The Professor and His Pint-Sized Shadow