The Tune Of Time

Chapter 16

Severus found himself in a sitting room. He took in a defensive position as her saw her raising the wand but she simply extended the wand to him. he realized it was his own wand. He snatched it from her rather rudely.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"Would you rather I left you to be caught by the Aurors?"

"How do you know?" he said. The witch was clearly not an auror otherwise he would not have received his wand back. She had clearly helped him by getting him out of the place. But he could not stop being paranoid in the unknown place. In all his years , he had learnt by experience that when people helped him, they expected something back in return. And she had helped him knowing he was a Death Eater. His eyes darted to her arm to see if she had the mark.

"I'm not one of them." She said as he placed the kettle to heat.

"one of us, you mean?" he said , taking in his surrounding. The room was decorated in red and brown. Two adjacent walls were covered with book shelves that touched the ceiling. Severus liked the place. He had imagined himself once leaving in such house with the woman he loved but that had been a dream too distant to be true.

"why did bring me here?" he asked again.

"I already answered that." She passed him a cup. He knew better than to trust strangers and sniffed the cup to identify any poition that could have been mixed in it.

"Come on Sev, I know better than to give potion to a potion master. Besides if I wanted to harm you I wouldn't have saved you."

"You could have taken me anywhere, but you brought me here. In your home. What do you want?" he asked ignoring her nickname. He was surprised with the ease with which the witch was dealing him knowing what he was.

The witch gave him a knowing smile. "I just want to be your friend Severus."

"And why would you want that, miss…"

"Hermione Granger."

"miss granger. Why would you want that?"

Hermione giggled. " Do you want me to call you Professor Snape?" he looked at her in confusion. " then call me Hermione."

"And you are right , I want something from your friendship."

Here it was, there is always something everyone wants, Snape though bitterly.

"I want to help you, Sev." She said, "I know you don't want to be with them."

If Snape was not a skilled Occlumens , Hermione must have seen shock written on his face. She hadn't meant to come so strong but Severus Snape was a man who meant business. It would be foolish to run in circles around him.

"Whoever said that to you is a liar. Excuse me." He sat up from the chair he was sitting in.

"Severus, wait." She called him as he was near the door.

He stopped but didn't turn back to look at her.

"You might not want my help right now but please, if you ever need anything, you remember , I am here to help you. I will never ask anything in return." As she finished, Severus Snape left. She heard a pop outside and sank down on her chair hoping Severus would believe her. Unknown to her, a distraught Severus Snape entered his house , not believing himself. He knew when people lied, he was well aware that she wasn't and it scared him.