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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
- 4
- 5
- 6
Chapter Five: Dinner and a Dog

Four weeks flew by and Jonette was quick to adapt despite a few mood swings, some of which Hermione thought were family traits for sure. Some evenings were spent discussing books they had read together, other evenings they took walks by the lake before it got too dark to be out of doors. She was in the children�s room during the day with the others, but Dumbledore agreed to watch her on a few afternoons so that she and Gunther could get to know one another better. Some evenings Hermione and Jonette explored the castle with Ron and Ginny, usually discussing Harry�s condition in-between.
He still hadn�t woken up, and while the three of them were used to it at this point, it still didn�t do much to stamp down the frustration they were feeling over the whole situation. It had been over a week and a half since they had seen him at St. Mungo�s and they were planning another trip for that weekend. Harry�s vitals were a bit better the last time they saw him, but the brain activity was low. As usual, Hermione pushed it out of her mind before changing the subject. If she kept thinking on it long enough, she would lose it entirely, and right now they all needed each other to be brave. They craved it and fed off of one another in that regard.
She threw herself into her studies for both schooling and soon-to-be staff member. Some nights Jonette was holed up in the library with her, with nothing else to do but read or fire off questions while Hermione did her best to be patient and not snap at her when the workload was heavy. Other nights she brought a sketch pad with her and a small box of paints and had the girl make pictures for her while she finished her homework and essays.
She tried similar activities when she assisted the professor on Tuesdays and Thursdays, where Jonette proved to get underfoot at times. A few times she was snapped at by her uncle and then spent the rest of the afternoon sulking or looking mad with those dark eyes and acting very much like a Snape, playing with a small toy in huffed tones or colouring quietly.
The professor and Hermione had their usual quiet discussions, now talking about Jonette half of the time between their usual brewing and research. There were times he would silently watch his assistant work, almost in a daze, noting her movements and pretty handwriting as she absently scribbled down notes as she went along. She had always been so mature, even as a little girl, he thought, smiling slightly and picking back up where he left off.
�So no lasting damage?�
�No�Dumbledore assured me that Gunther�s hair will grow back in no time. I have no idea of how they managed to find a pair of scissors in his office. He usually keeps the drawers highly warded.�
He snorted. �True, considering the old man hasn�t used a pair on himself in over fifty years, or so it seems.�
�Professor!� she chided lightly in a bossy tone. �You refer to him as �old man� much too often.�
He chuckled lightly. �I usually call him much worse when not in a lady�s presence.�
�You�re horrible,� she murmured without any real heat, faintly blushing when she realized he was referring to her in his last sentence.
�Among other things,� he said, placing his quill down and skimming through a text for a certain reference. �I�ve been putting off the visit to the manor for several weeks now but I think tomorrow afternoon would be a good time since my schedule is free and you won�t have any homework.�
�I�ll have potion�s homework,� she corrected. �You only let us have a Friday evening off maybe once every three months---and that�s if we�re lucky.�

�Well, you�re finding out ahead of time then, and I would appreciate it if you would not tell your classmates so that I may watch them drop dead of shock when they realize they have an entire Friday evening with nothing to do except be lazy, or get into trouble or wonder what evil plan I have hidden up my sleeve.�
�You�ve stopped carrying an evil plan up both sleeves?� she teased, capping her ink bottle and organizing her notes.
�That�s enough out of you,� he smirked, before noticing with a bit of embarrassment that he was slightly aroused and wasn�t sure what brought that on all of a sudden, though he wasn�t as blind as not to know that it had something to do with Miss Granger. He watched her put everything back into place and thanked the heavens that he was still wearing his robes.
He waited until she walked back over the table before speaking again. �So will you be able to accompany us to the manor tomorrow afternoon? If you don�t have anything planned, that is? Jonette could stand to do with a few more sets of clothes and I thought you may be able to help her out.�
�I don�t mind at all. I need to drop off a book that Professor McGonagall lent me, but I suppose I can do that on my way to Arithmancy.�
�Very well then. Meet me here around four o�clock and we�ll go from there,� he finished, gathering his notes and leaving the room rather quickly, trying not to blush himself.
So the next day, Hermione had accompanied her young charge and the professor when they visited the family manor to pick up a few things, clothes mostly, and she helped her sort through the little girl�s belongings. The rest they could get later.
Professor Snape had not stepped inside the home to visit in many years and the mixed feelings running through him left him in a rather odd mood, indeed. While some things about the place seemed like ages had passed by, others were fresh on his memory as if he had never left. It still looked very much lived in, and there were still remnants of two empty cups of what seemed to be coffee sitting on the table. He had wondered what happened to the house elf who was in charge of clearing such things up.
Judging from the state of things, he wondered if they had to leave quickly. Was there an altercation here or did they all die elsewhere? Aside from the obituaries and a few colleagues telling him of his brother�s passing, he knew very little about the actual events that led to their demise. The house had an eerie quality now that had never been there before, and it unnerved him. He could tell that Hermione sensed it as well as she walked into the kitchen and saw the cups sitting there as if waiting to be picked up and refilled.
She looked up. �It looks as if�someone is still here�� She swallowed.
�Yes, it does.�
�I�m not trying to make��
He cut her off. �I know you�re not.� He seemed to understand her reasoning without letting her finish. �It is rather�macabre.�
She nodded. �Do you know what happened?�
�Actually, I know very little. I heard of their passing and a few bits and pieces here and there, but no actual facts of what happened. I�m at the point where I would rather not know, honestly.�
She nodded her head again but didn�t answer, choosing to look out the window. The two of them stood in silence until they heard Jonette�s voice cry out, shattering the silence with a very loud shriek. The professor and Hermione shared a quick glance before rushing to see what the commotion was all about.
�Vader! You�re here! You�re still here!� the little girl shouted. She continued to cry out, but it seemed muffled, and it didn�t take them long to find out why.
The girl was latched onto a very large black dog which reminded them both of Sirius for a moment, but only briefly because it was another breed of dog entirely. The animal looked extremely tired and thin, but it was obvious that it was a very muscular animal when fully nourished. How it survived in the house this long was amazing. The professor looked at his assistant and rolled his eyes, yet they were both slightly relieved; their hearts thumping furiously as they thought something might be wrong a split second before.
�Oh Vader�I missed you so much�so much�� she said, hugging the animal within an inch of it�s life. The dog didn�t seem to mind, wagging his tail furiously with all the energy he had left. He was making whimpering noises of his own and licking her face, obviously happy to see her.
�Please tell me we�re not taking that thing back with us,� the professor sighed in a low voice. Once again his headaches seemed to read his frustrations, however minor, and creep up slightly as if on cue.
�We can�t just leave it here, Professor. The poor thing looks starved as it is. If we leave it behind, she�ll be devastated.� After listening to the little girl talk to the animal, it was established that it was a �he.�
He pinched the bridge of his nose, �I know, I know. I just wish all of this didn�t come with so much luggage,� he sighed. �Where are we even going to keep the blasted thing?�
�It can always stay with Hagrid if Fang will allow it,� she started, knowing full well that he wouldn�t. �Yet it seems to be accustomed to being indoors. Jonette might not take too kindly to her dog being banished outside. He seems as if he�s been trained a good bit, by the look of him. Maybe it won�t be so bad.�
�Perhaps,� he conceded. �I just have a feeling this will be bringing yet more noise to my already-disrupted life.�
�Oh come now, Professor. If nothing else, having the dog around might help you in more ways than one. For one thing, she will sleep better knowing that he�s at the foot of her bed and from what I�ve read on this particular breed, they make excellent watch dogs.�
He didn�t argue the point, having being awoken several times due to the girls� nightmares over the past few weeks. Maybe if she awoke from a particularly bad dream and saw the dog, or �Vader,� as it seemed to be called, it would make her feel better.
His thoughts of the matter were interrupted by the little girl tugging on his robes. �Can we take him back with us, Professor? Please? I�ll feed him and bathe him and��
He raised a hand, cutting her off mid-sentence and took a deep breath. �You�may be allowed to bring the dog back with you, but I will tell you this now. Any sign of trouble with the dog and he will stay with Hagrid, is that clear?�
Jonette nodded her head rapidly, grinning from ear to ear. �I promise! I will take care of him, I swear!�
�Very well then,� he sighed yet again. �Best we heading back, considering the circumstances. Miss Granger, will you see to it that she gets the animal settled in properly? I know you�re rather busy but��
�Nonsense,� she cut him off. �That won�t take long at all, Professor. However, we might want to stop by a store while we�re in town and pick up a few things for the dog. There may already be a few here we can take with us.�
�A wise suggestion, Miss Granger. Well Jonette, are you ready or is there anything else alive that we don�t know about that you wish to bring?�
She smiled, �No sir.�
With that, the three of them (four if you counted the canine) managed to find a leather leash in a side closet but not much else---no telling what happened to the dog�s feeding bowls---as it was rather late in the afternoon and none of them felt like digging, they abandoned ship soon afterwards and headed off to the nearest specialty store in search of supplies. It just so happened Jonette knew exactly where to go as she led them to a pet store in the area. When they arrived, two of the women working there fawned over the dog saying things like, �Poor thing!� and �You may want to pick up a few of these�� and �When was his last check up?�
At this, Jonette wasn�t sure and thus the dog was immediately ushered to the back room for inspection by the pet mediwizard on staff. The professor groaned as he realized it would be well past dusk before he stepped into his quiet study for his evening retreat.
Before long, the dog had been checked-over, bathed, groomed, injected with vitamins and fed and watered and God knows what else. Severus had to admit, the dog looked much better but he had already been there for an hour and a half and spent well over a hundred galleons (he cringed upon seeing the bill) and he was trying very hard not to think about that. They had the supplies they needed, including a new collar and tag, and as Severus attached the leash onto Vader�s collar, he let out a long breath. Going home. Finally.

He handed the leash over to Jonette and was amused to notice that throughout most of their walk (since they couldn�t Floo or disapparate with a dog, much to the potion master�s chagrin) that the dog seemed to be leading Jonette instead. He was beginning to think that Miss Granger was right---the dog did indeed seem to be a good idea on keeping Jonette in check. It watched her like a hawk the whole trip and if the little girl seemed to be interested in something she saw that was a bit off of their path, the dog gently tugged her along.
By the time 8:30 rolled around, Severus found himself finally content. Miss Granger had taken Jonette to the kitchens for a late supper and promised to have an elf bring a tray up to the professor, who was gratefully eating roasted potatoes and baked ham a bit quicker than he usually did. The day seemed to take a lot out of him and he poured himself a glass of wine before tucking in the rest of his meal.
He looked down and noticed the large dog watching him, tail thumping and ears perked up. Vader had stayed behind while the girls went to have their own supper. The dog seemed obedient enough, he mused, his brother no doubt either trained him himself or had him sent to a special school. And he seemed to obey Severus rather well compared to Jonette, who seemed to be the one being trained by the dog.
He took a good look at his last slice of ham. The dog, although recently fed still looked on the �starving side� and probably would for another week or so until it could gain a few pounds back. Severus, on the other hand, was a bit full at that point and no sense in wasting good food, he thought, holding the thick slice up and nodding towards the dog.
�I�m not placing this on my clean floor, however, you may take it from my hand. Bite me in any manner whatsoever and you will be keeping Fang company for the rest of your duration here.�
The dog gave him an odd look, no doubt thinking he was crazy, but stood up and gently took the ham from Severus� outstretched hand, wolfing it down in two gulps before surprising Severus by licking his fingers.
�All right now�that�s enough of that,� he said, standing up and moving over the to the washbasin to scrub his hands free of dog spittle. He retrieved his wine glass and moved to his study, sitting before the hearth and listening to the logs pop and hiss gently. Looking down, he noticed the dog had silently followed him in and was now sitting beside the chair, watching him with large, dark eyes.
�Do I remind you of your master?� Severus asked quietly, not expecting an answer. The dog placed his chin on the armrest and the professor began to softly stroke it behind the ears and scruff. Vader closed his eyes and softly thumped his tail again.
�I probably sound and smell similar to your master, too. While I cannot take his place and I may not be as playful as he was with you, I can promise that you will be taken care of. Unless you piss on my carpets---or worse---and tear up my furniture or chew on my shoes. Then you will be chopped and dried and used for ingredients which I will always have a need for.�
The dog thumped his tail even more so, seemingly amused. Severus began rubbing the dog�s head a bit harder. �Your main job is to keep Jonette out of trouble. Do that and I will see to it that you eat steak once a week.� He looked down and sighed before muttering, �Dear God, I�m talking to a dog.�
Half an hour later the girls were back and Hermione was tucking Jonette into bed after her bath, a habit she had been doing for close to two weeks now. The whole idea of being any sort of parent, let alone an adopting one, still seemed foreign to him. However, he was getting just as used to Jonette�s presence in his quarters now as he was Hermione being a permanent fixture in his classroom.
He observed the girls from the next room, having said his own �goodnight� to Jonette some ten minutes earlier. He watched as Hermione smoothed the little girl�s hair down and pulled the covers up to her chin. She didn�t stay in there but just for a moment, telling her goodnight and to sleep well and that she would see her the next day. Vader had moved to lie down on the rug at the foot of the girl�s bed, quietly thumping his tail again when Hermione stopped to pet him goodnight.
Severus felt a jealous twinge all of a sudden, greedy of all the attention she was bestowing on the two of them, girl and dog, and would probably only get a small �goodnight� in return on his own behalf. For some reason, tonight he wanted more than a �goodnight� in a small voice or an �I�ll drop by to finish that project tomorrow.� He wanted some company, just for once, that didn�t consist of Albus� meddling questions or Jonette�s own endless sea of comments about anything and everything.
Before he realized what he was doing, he had poured two glasses of wine, almost moving in slow motion towards the young woman on the opposite end of the study who was just about to say something along the lines of a polite departure. She wasn�t even looking at him at the moment, so when she did finally look up, she was thrown off momentarily at her professor all but setting the glass in her hand.
�Would you care to share a glass of wine with me, Miss Granger?� he said softly, trying to steel the melting nerves that seemed to engulf his insides.
�Actually, that would be nice. Thank you,� she said, carefully accepting the glass without spilling it due to her own nerves. She kept telling herself to stay calm as he motioned her to have a seat on the sofa. She was expecting him to seat himself in the chair where he was earlier, but instead sat beside her on the sofa as well, although allowing some distance between them. Well, maybe a foot at the most.
She noticed his left hand mussing with the fabric on his pants around the knee, as if looking for any sign of fault. His robes were draped over the edge of one chair, she noted, and he was only wearing his black jacket with traces of his usual white shirt underneath.
Whether it was the wine or the crackling embers or the fact he was radiating a good level of pheromones at that point, he swiftly maneuvered into a neutral, safe conversation that quickly fed into another. Another glass of wine on both parties� behalf and one arm slowly moving around the back of the sofa and resting right behind her. From the safer topics to the more personal topics to�
�This is nice.�
She didn�t have to ask what he meant. He said it very slight and very softly and without sarcasm. She nodded her head slightly.
�Yes it is.� At this point, she was very much aware of his arm resting behind her on the sofa. She had been increasingly nervous around him lately and it wasn�t until now that she realized that he possibly had a bit of a crush on her. With this in mind, she almost started to fidget herself. The wine had dulled her nerves a bit, but only a little, she was still very much alert and�
She tensed up, realizing his hand was softly resting on her shoulder now. She was trying her best to remain composed. Well, as composed as she can be with her professor�s arm slowing draping about her while he started prattling on about staff meetings as if it were no big deal.
�You�ve been to enough of those already this year for various reasons to know how boring they are. They�re not going to improve, either.�
�I didn�t think they were that bad,� she countered. �Well, maybe when Flitwick went on about his cousins and how they tried to construct a treehouse that one time. What was that about, anyway?�
�Who knows�I�m usually going over my folder of notes at that point��
��or dozing off,� she snickered, slowly forgetting about his arm and relaxing a bit.
��or dozing off,� he agreed. �Though I must admit, it is something I try very hard not to do.�
She started laughing a bit harder. �No you don�t. If you could bring a blanket and pillow and get away with it, you would.�

He snorted and nudged the back of her neck playfully with his knuckles. �Don�t give me ideas. I just might do that at the next staff meeting and tell them you suggested it.�
She smiled, taking another sip from her almost empty glass. The atmosphere was extremely cozy now, and she was starting to enjoy herself. Feeling bold, she leaned over and took his glass from his hand while he watched her with raised brows. She stood up and proceeded to refill both of their glasses, draining the bottle entirely before casually striding back over to where he sat and set the glass back down in his hand.
Sitting back down in her own spot, which was a lot closer to the professor than she remembered, she smiled at him. �This really is a good vintage.�
Whatever he was expecting her to say, it wasn�t that, and he failed at biting back another short bark of laughter.
�Yes,� he agreed, �it does come from a good batch, or so I�m told. I believe it was 1949, if I read the label correctly.�
�So not as vintage as Flitwick�s treehouse,� she teased and he snorted again. He was really starting to enjoy her company more so than he had earlier. He had a slight buzz at that point, and then wondered how far gone she might be at the moment. The thought sobered him, albeit momentarily, because he was hoping she wouldn�t think he was trying to make her tipsy on purpose.
�You�re not getting drunk on me, are you Miss Granger?� he mused lightly.
�It would take a few more than three glasses for me to get totally bludgered,� she grinned. �But I can�t lie and say that I don�t feel a bit fuzzy at the moment.�
He seemed surprised for a moment. She was awfully articulate still, and taking another sip from her glass he noticed how she held it rather steadily.
�Well, I am shocked. Could it be that our Head Girl is quite the pub princess?�
She shook her head, trying to swallow as she grinned as if to keep herself from choking for a moment. She finished swallowing and looked at him.
�My parents have a rather wide assortment of all types of wine, including a few bottles left that my Uncle Basil had made. I grew up practically drinking the stuff with every Sunday dinner.�
His brows shot up again, and he tried to fight off a grin, suddenly wondering what she was like when really drunk. Was she the staggering type? Or was she the sleepy type? Or was she the feisty type or the intellectual type or�?
He decided it was best to save that for another time as he was enjoying things the way they were at the moment.
�Now don�t tell me there weren�t times when you took advantage of the situation?� he mocked.
She laughed and nodded her head. �On time, two years ago, one of my older cousins came by and we drained two bottles of Dad�s best merlot. He wasn�t thrilled when he found out, but thankfully, didn�t find out until nearly three months later.�
�So the two of you managed to stay out of trouble that evening?� he asked with interest, taking another sip.
�Well, mom still hasn�t found out what happened to her parrot,� she looked away, trying not to giggle.
He chuckled, �So you annihilated the bird?�
�Um�we�re not exactly sure,� she started. �It was this large, noisy thing that liked to bite and I could have sworn the thing hated me. The night my cousin and I opened those bottles it would not shut up, and threatened to tell my parents everything if I didn�t go immediately to bed.�
He laughed again and she continued, �Well, I�m sorry, but I�m not going to bed at seven in the evening, nor am I going to be dictated by a bloody bird of all things, so as it got louder, I grew madder and next thing I knew I cast a banishing spell on it.�
Oh, he was really laughing now, his arm wrapped around her and she didn�t realize it until that moment. How long had his arm been like that? Oddly enough, she realized that she didn�t mind.
�So somewhere out in the cosmos, or wherever it is that the thing landed,� she went on, �is a very confused parrot with an attitude problem.�

He was almost wiping tears from his eyes at that point, yet suddenly very glad that she hadn�t cast a similar spell on him in school when he was being a total prat to her and her friends.
A few more minutes passed with light talk soon followed by two empty glasses. He didn�t want the night to end like this, not at this particular moment. He wanted to do something more, but he wasn�t sure how to proceed. With Jonette in the other room, he couldn�t walk Miss Granger back to her dorm like he used to on a few late nights.
More than anything, he wanted some more time with her as he enjoyed her company immensely. When he noticed her glancing at the clock, he felt a disappointment stir within him. Not really sure why he had to act all of a sudden, he brought his right hand up to her face and lifted it up closer to his.
She smiled shyly but if she was going to say anything, he wouldn�t know because his eyes lowered to her mouth soon followed by his own mouth. Her eyes softly closed and in a way he could tell his kiss was welcome, although still not sure where to proceed after that. He decided to just go with the moment and let her lead.
Hermione was aware of his left arm tightening around her, bringing her closer to him as he continued to kiss her. Slow, soft kisses at first followed by firmer, more persistent ones. When she opened her mouth for air and felt his tongue touch hers, she almost forgot to breathe. Was kissing always this intense?
Her hands were around his neck on their own accord and her fingers were playing with the hair on the nape of his neck, sending all kinds of shudders through him as his kisses demanded more, intensifying with each second. Slowly they had eased back on the sofa with him nearly on top of her, legs intertwined and hands roaming.
Suddenly he stopped, looking at her. �Hermione, I don�t want you to think that�I�ahhh� asked you to have a drink with me�because I was trying to get you intoxicated or��
She looked at him, flustered and sputtering and trying to vindicate his reason for kissing her, and she leaned up and pulled him back down, proceeding to kiss him again.
�I don�t recall giving you permission to stop, Professor�� she whispered in his ear, letting the last word drift off as tried not to groan out loud. Oh this was too much, he thought, feeling her hip up against his erection. The feeling was too much for him to handle.
Soft spells were whispered between kisses while one thing led to another and his hands were now stroking the bare flesh of her thighs. Buttons were undone and certain clothing removed and within moments he was sliding into her and she was urging him on, whispering to him and stroking his hair and chest.
Their coupling was fast and intense and beyond pleasurable. He held back long enough to work her up a good bit before stopping altogether, not giving her the satisfaction of release just yet. After a few more times of this and the way her nails were starting to dig in his back, he knew that if he wanted to come out of this unscathed that he had better give in.
He was thrusting faster now and the both of them could tell the other was close, and when they finally came, even their cries seemed to almost fit together in some strange fashion.
Minutes passed and they both lay there panting, sated and very much exhausted. Both were trying to calm down their rapidly beating hearts while trying to stay composed after what just happened. She realized that her shirt was still fastened. Aside from a few brushes across her breasts, they had been so rushed that neither had removed it nor her skirt.
He was beginning to feel embarrassed. Maybe he shouldn�t have rushed her into this so soon, or maybe he should have taken his time. Maybe he should have brought her to his bed.
�Hermione,� he started, �look�I�m�sorry.� He tried to look away and she moved his face to look at her.
�Why?� It was very soft and for some reason made him feel a bit better.
�Because you deserve�more�.than just�more than just�a quick shag on someone�s sofa��
She smiled softly, her shyness all but gone at this point. �Well, I�m not going to lie and say that I didn�t enjoy it.�
He smirked a bit and then looked away again. �You may not feel that way in the morning.�
�Well, if it makes you feel better it is morning already. One o�clock to be exact. And I still stand by my reasoning.�
He looked at her then, feeling a bit braver. �I know this is�a bit backwards here�� he mumbled, ��but would you consider having dinner with me some evening?�
�I�d like that.�
�I�ve�always�enjoyed your company. More so than I would have ever admitted to you��
�I�ve been rather fond of your company as well,� she said, looking away suddenly. His hands turned her face this time like she did moments earlier, and he leaned down to kiss her again.
�What do you suppose we tell Jonette?� he asked suddenly, stopping altogether.
�I say after the first few dinners, we bring her with us on occasion.�
�Planning out the next few months, are we?� he teased.
�Well, we�ve always been the type to plan ahead.�
�I�m not asking you to commit to me��
�Nor am I asking the same of you,� she cut him off. �However, no one can tell us we can�t enjoy a few evenings out of the castle.�
He smiled. �No. No they can�t.�
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The Professor and His Pint-Sized Shadow