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A Blue Stocking Thing	By : Jeanette Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 2421 -:- 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.

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Anti-litigation charm; JK Rowling owns the Harry Potter Universe, to her we bow. Warner Brothers and Various Publishers also have their own rights. We are just playing in their backyard and we promise to clean up when we have finished.

This is in response to the REGENCY CHALLENGE on WIKTT.

To those who have read and enjoyed, I hope you continue to do so. Please drop me a line when reacreach that REVIEW button.

Now on with the story:

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Chapter Six: A Ride in the Park.

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Mrs Dursley, fully alive to the possibilities, readily acquiesced to Lord Snape's plan to take Miss Granger for a tool around the park. Her mind furiously considering Phyllidia's wardrobe for the event; after all it was self-evident that Lord Snape wished to spend more time with the her incomparable daughter, and that the invitation to Miss Granger was simply a ruse to fend of the gossip mongers.

Lord Snape, blissfully unaware of the plans bubbling in the vacuous space of Mrs Dursley's mind, enquired of a suitatimetime to pick the ladies up; that he expected the ladies to be Miss Granger and her maid was not something that Mrs Dursley even considered. The hour of four was fixed upon and as Miss Dursley had yet to waken from her swoon, Lord Snape took the opportunity to take his leave.

Mrs Dursley reached into her reticule after Lord Snape had left and drew out her smelling salts. It took only the shortest of time for the salts to work and bring Miss Dursley from her swoon.

"Mamma," Miss Dursley said as she artfully brought a gloved hand to her temple.

Her mother, who normally would have applauded such a skillful showing of fragility, snapped a trifle irritably "He is gone."

Miss Dursley, truly horrified by this communication, nearly fell back into a swoon; it was onhe she stern look her mother gave her that allowed her to rally her failing spirits.

Mrs Dursley spoke quickly into the silence. "You both must rest, it has been a trying morning for all. A light nuncheon served in your rooms will allow you both to recover you senses." Concern for her charges coloured her voice.

Miss Granger was somewhat annoyed at the 'recover your senses' comment, but as she was happy for any oppoity ity to spend time outside of the Dursley residence, she considered Mrs Dursley's suggestion to be eminently sensible. It was only after she had left the drawing room did Mrs Dursley relate the happenings of the morning to her daughter.

"Lord Snape has requested your company this very afternoon," Mrs Dursley said as Miss Dursley began to fully recover her senses. "He wishes to take you for a tool around The Park."

"Mamma," Miss Dursley squealed in delight, "is it really so?" Visions of her latest purchase, a shawl of pure Indian silk, sprang to her mind; how elegant and modish she would look sitting beside Lord Snape with her shawl and its matching bonnet.

"Yes my dear, though he also expressed a desire not to be exposed to our guegaingain this afternoon," Mrs Dursley continued conspiratorially. "It seems that he fears not only for the safety of his great coat but for his horses as well if the clumsy child is around.

"However, as I do not wish to upset the child with such a disquieting communication, we must find a way to ensure she remains in her rooms this afternoon."

"Mamma, I have a little laudanum left, maybe the addition of a few drops to her tea," Miss Dursley said demurely. After all, it would reflect badly on her if Miss Granger were to come down.

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Lord Snape, still blissfully unaware of the dastardly doings going on in the Dursley, returned home wondering how he had managed to get into such a situation; taking anyone for a tool around The Park would be seen by many of the Ton as tantamount to a declaration. 'How had that happened?' he asked himself somewhat rhetorically.

It had happened, if he were to be truthful, not because as a gentleman he owed Miss Granger anything apart from an apology, but because she had felt rather nice when he had fallen on her. The fact that she had been carrying Ars Chemica also worked in her favour; it was after all the first sign of intelligent life he had found amongst the debutantes of the Ton. Still to tool in the Park, particularly with a lady who had yet to make her bows, was going to cause comment. If the Lord had known how much comment he would have hexed himself into oblivion, or at least the company of 'The Beau Lockhart'.

Arriving punctiliously at the Conduit Street house at the appointed hour, Lord Snape ran a final eye over his countenance before mounting the step. Understated elegance best described him; neckcloth in the oriental style, black inexpressibles fitting his form in such a manner as to make it possible to observe no buckram padding, coat by Weston and fitting as well as his inexpressibles, and all accentuated by hat, gloves and quizzing glass, that essential weapon of the Ton.

"My Lord," the Dursley's ubiquitous butler bowed so low as to afford the Lord a view of the back of his legs, "the Miss will be down shortly. Shall I conduct you to the drawing room?"

Lord Snape was somewhat surprised by this communication but accepted it in good humour, after all the ladies were rarely able to understand the dictates of time.

Meanwhile, Miss Dursley was putting the finishing touches to the note that she would be presenting to Lord Snape, her mother had suggested that it would be best if Miss Granger at least showed some modicum of good breeding, lest that fine Lord be given a disgust of the household in which she resided. For such a note to exist, either Miss or Mrs Dursley must write it, for Miss Granger currently slumbered under the effects of a rather large dose of laudanum.

Miss Dursley had taken excessive care with her toilette: her hair was styled a la Grecque, shortened around the face with wispy curls, the length bound up at the back; the high waisted dress with short sleeves of pale green lawn was set off to perfection by her pelisse and shawl of Indian silk. Her d�colletage was assisted by the use of a discrete bust improver, modest rather than so obvious as to push her assets toward her chin; and the final touch were her gloves, bonnet and shoes, they were of the finest quality, demure and suitable for a young lady of quality. The completed note in her reticule, Miss Dursley descended the stair with her maid in tow.

Lord Snape turned as a vision of loveliness walked into the room, a pity that the vision was not the one he wished to see. "My Lord," she addressed him as she approached, "Miss Granger is not feeling all the thing and has asked me to deliver this to you."

Lord Snape took the proffered note. It appeared that Miss Granger was a sufferer of the megrims and had requested that he take Miss Dursley and her maid rather than waste what appeared to be a beautiful afternoon. That Lord Snape would rather sit with all his connections and have them berate him about his singular state could not in fact be alluded to and so he was unfortunately forced to take the beauteous Miss Dursley with him. 'Merlin let the Park be quiet', he thought in the dark recesses of his mind where he also found himself imagining the consequences of accidentally being a little harsh on the reigns; this thought was quickly quashed, as he was overly fond of his cattle.

"Miss Dursley." Lord Snape offered her his hand and led her to the elegant black phaeton waiting in the street.

Ron, seated on the box, was distressed to see his Lord coming down the stair with that hen-witted girl, Miss Dursley. Still, manners and the fact that Lord Snape would likely turn him into a toad and present him to Mr Neville Longbottom, held sway over his tongue. Assisting Miss Dursley's maid to mount the box he was struck dumb as that person gave him the cut direct.

Lord Snape, well used to his rather transparent tiger, was not at all surprised to see a look of disquiet cross the young man's features, in fact he rather thought they mirrored his own looks. The lady at his side however failed to see anything amiss with her escort and was instead intent upon savouring the feel of Lord Snape's hand as he handed her up into unto the perch.

Lord Snape took up the reigns and with quick, precise movements, he encouraged his cattle to move off.

The sight was a joy to behold, four blacks in perfect time striding out under the hands of a master, a beautiful lady in green, and an elegant lord. It seemed as though all of London had lined the streets just to see them pass by. The fact that Mrs Dursley was not quite Haut ton had not prevented her from intimating to a few close friends, who were permitted entrance into the houses of the Ton's hostesses, that Lord Snape would be calling to take her beloved daughter for a tool. By the time Lord Snape feathered his cattle into Oxford Street, the Ton was alive to the gossip that he may well be ready to fix his attentions.

Due to the press of onlookers Lord Snape was kept busy keeping his high steppers in line, which given the black mood into which he was descending this was probably a good thing otherwise Miss Dursley might very well have found herself flayed alive on the brunt of his temper.

Miss Dursley however found nothing amiss in his abstraction; she fully believed it to be her company that so overwhelmed the Lord. Accepting it was her role to fill the conversational void created as Lord Snape guided the phaeton through the crowds along Oxford Street she prattled on about all and sundry matters. It was as they were approaching the Cumberland Gate of Hyde Park that matters took a serious turn for the worse; Miss Dursley spoke of Miss Granger.

"My Lord you need not furrow you brow so," Miss Dursley said as she noticed nsignsightly crease mar the perfection that was Lord Snape's brow. "Mamma and I were able to see to it that Miss Granger would not make a fuss over missing her outing."

"I thought she had come down with the megrims, Miss Dursley." Lonapenape said as the carriage turned fully into the Park. "That in essence was the communication I received."

"My Lord you need not pretend on my part, Mamma relayed all that happened to you this morning as a result of the dreadful girls impudence, that you were forced to make an apology to her, I do not know how you could have born it." Miss Dursley said with sweet sincerity. "Have no fear, Mamma came up with a scheme to rescue you."

What that scheme was Lord Snape was not to know for he saw ahead of him a sight guaranteed to send stronger men into retreat. Riding up the path, with no indication of age or infirmity, from the Grosvenor Gate came Lord Snape's Great Aunt.

"Severus, what in Merlin's name are you doing with that mushroom?" For the first time in his adult life Lord Snape found himself on the wrong end of the quizzing glass of Dowager Duchess Gryffindor, Minerva McGonagall. "Well Severus, I am waiting."

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TBC Jeanette

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A Blue Stocking Thing