Severus thought it would be odd, having lived alone for so long, to be sharing his home with another individual. Instead, he found the responsibility of having to cook for someone else empowering. It gave him something to do while he was out of work. He often found his days passed by, uneventful and unproductive. He was a man who had grown used to structure. Without the routine of a carefully planned school day, Severus often felt at a loss. Having someone to care for gave him a timeline, sort of like a loose schedule that he could plan his day around. 

The Granger girl always rose around 9. It was impressive, that she had managed to train herself to possess such a strict internal alarm clock. Severus found sleep to be one of his biggest enemies. He had been suffering at the hands of his insomniac villain long enough to be able to run on minimal amounts of sleep. This meant that he ventured downstairs before Miss Granger, and often took it upon himself to complete household chores whilst she was still sound asleep. 

He wondered whether the girl would blush when she realized that he had been doing her laundry for her, washing her untouchables. At the moment, clean laundry appeared at the foot of her bed each morning, folded neatly. Perhaps she thought he had a house elf that was extraordinarily good at making himself unknown. Snape suspected that she might make up anything she wanted in order to deny the fact that she really knew who was doing her washing. 

By the time 9 o clock chimed, Severus would always have breakfast ready on the kitchen table. He tried to give her an assortment of foods (and he noted that she was yet to complain of his cooking). Some mornings there would simply be toast and marmalade or jam. Other days he would make her a bacon sandwich or eggs. Severus himself would always sit and enjoy a black coffee and watch her eat. Sometimes he would search The Daily Prophet for mentions of his name or for any gossip about Potter. He found the natter tedious, and only really engaged in reading it, should he find any news for Granger of her friends.

So far, no such luck. 

After breakfast, she would find something to busy herself. She had assigned herself the task of tending to his library, but could sometimes be found under a pile of parchment, apparently absorbed in something she had discovered. Overall, she was very quiet and not at all like the know-it-all chatterbox that Severus had known her to be at Hogwarts. He suspected that she might be burying her true emotions, as so to appear tough in front of him. He didn't blame her. Many of his own Slytherins were reluctant to open up to him, because he had a heartless reputation. Even so, Severus wished that he could provide her with someone else whom she could invest her feelings. 

She had been through an immeasurable trauma and Severus could feel her wilting away and hiding from the light. 

Even Severus himself was distracted. He spent the days in his lab, partially avoiding Hermione. His mind would focus on nothing other than her. He had even managed to explode a cauldron yesterday, something he hadn't done since he was a student at Hogwarts himself and bleeding James Potter had slipped something into his potion. Bastard. 

That morning, about a week after her arrival, Hermione was tucking into a bowl of porridge that he had made her, when there was the unmistakable pecking at the window. Severus had stood, scowling at the eagle owl that had landed on the back of his now empty chair, that obviously belonged to the Malfoy's. In all his living years, he had never seen such a pompous creature. Its feathers were pruned and plucked and his talons were sharpened and polished. Around its leg was tied a parchment. Hermione watched as Severus tore it from the bird's leg, who gave him a malicious peck at the shoulder. Severus swore under his breath at the thing, but didn't fail to miss Granger's smirk. 

He was yet to see a proper smile from the girl, but he figured that if he continued to humiliate himself in such a fashion, he might see one soon enough. 

Severus, 

My wife and I will be calling this afternoon for tea. Draco will not be joining us.

Lucius. 

Rolling his eyes, Severus huffed. He understood that this was not a mere social call. They were probably checking that he hadn't chained Miss Granger to the walls in his laboratory and gagged her to stop her from talking. The aforementioned witch sat staring at him from across the table. 

"Mr Malfoy informs me that he and his wife will be visiting this afternoon." He told her. 

"Will Draco be coming?" Granger asked, worry laced her voice. 

"No." 

"Okay." 

Hermione no longer felt hungry, although she had only eaten a few mouthfuls from her bowl. She really did not want to see Mr Malfoy or his wife. They were another reminder of that day that she was already trying to forget. If they wanted her to act with heirs and graces then they would be gravely disappointed. She had no such respect for any member of the Malfoy family. Even, in Hermione's eyes, they were as much of a disgrace to wizard kind as The Weasley's. Shivering, she recalled her initial introduction with Malfoy senior, remembering how he had sneered as he looked over at her parents. She was yet to meet his other half, but judging by her sister Bellatrix Lestrange, it would not be a particularly pleasant experience. 

"Miss Granger, do not be mistaken. Mr Malfoy is a Death Eater. He, like myself, joined as a boy in spite of Dumbledore and the tensions in Slytherin house. Now that he is older and has a son, he regrets his actions. He has worked for the Order over the last year or so,  in a vain attempt to seek an escape from his old lifestyle. However, it is fair to say that the only true escape for us would be death." Snape sounded morose and it intrigued the witch. 

"Did you and Mr Malfoy attend Hogwarts together?" The Granger girl asked, as she played with her bowl of porridge, irritating her host. 

"Mr Malfoy was in his final years at Hogwarts when I was initiated as a first year. He was a Slytherin prefect." He didn't like talking of his school years. He would much rather have done a tap-dance for Miss Granger than retell his childhood stories. 

Hermione could sense something was wrong, but didn't pester Severus. After all, their relationship was strictly impersonal until she could be released from his dingy house. After seeing that the girl would eat no more, Severus cleared the table and she headed upstairs. 

In the small bathroom mirror, Hermione saw a reflection that was a far cry from the one that she was used to. The bags under her eyes were monumentally heavy. She refused to tell Severus that she had not been sleeping for fear he would dose her up with potions and she would not be able to break out of her nightmares. Hermione's hair had been unyielding since the day she had arrived, mostly because she lacked the effort to try and tame it and any interest in her overall appearance had disappeared. The only nice thing about her gaunt appearance were the clothes that she had been gifted. Today she wore a light grey jumper that was definitely made of expensive wool, and some soft, comfy sweatpants. 

When the Malfoy's arrived via the floo, the fanfare had been drastically less pompous than she had expected. This did not prevent Hermione from shrinking back into the side of her old Potions professor, as she sat as close to him as she could on the sofa without touching him. If Severus noticed this (which he did) he gracefully decided not to say anything to the girl. Instead he cordially welcomed his guests with as much flare as a plain scone. It was unusual seeing him do something as mundane as entertaining for guests. 

Mr Malfoy had extended his hand to her, and instead of rising from her seat and taking it, Miss Granger stared at her feet. Severus couldn't say he had expected her to be welcoming to the man who she believed to have played a part in ruining her life for the past 6 years. In truth, she was right to be suspicious of Lucius, even as his best friend, Severus was often suspicious of the man. Narcissa had politely said hello to the withdrawn witch without going near her, but was met by silence in turn. 

"Lucius, I trust that this isn't purely a social call." Severus sneered. The older man, with his mansion and his house elves and his bloody covetous cane, was a shadow of what he had once been. 

"Yes, we have news from Draco." Lucius's eyes glittered at the mention of his son, whilst Narcissa continued to stare into her tea cup. 

"He is being bullied by the Carrow twins, Severus." The mother looked anxious. "I think its because he was supposed to kill Dumbledore, not you. But you should see him. He looks awful." 

Lucius set his hand over that of his wife. "Draco told us that he sought out the remnants of Dumbledore's Army, the former organisation ran by Potter, are you aware of it?"

Severus nodded and aimed an accusatory look at Hermione. "Yes, I am aware." The Witch did not react, instead she looked as though she was willing herself to turn invisible. 

"Draco received.. a range.. of responses from the students who have holed themselves up in The Room of Requirement. But it was Potter's little girlfriend who stood up for him in the end, although he says that she watches him like a hawk." Lucius bit his lip, horrified at the thought of his only son being spared by a blood traitor such as a Weasley. 

Hermione smirked down at her lap. To her surprise, Severus was not cruel to the youngest Weasley child. "Yes I do recall that Miss Weasley was fiery and formidable." 

"Well apparently the school has sunk further into the ground than we expected." Narcissa said, she still looked young despite her graying hair. It was easy to see her relation to her sister Bellatrix. "I want Draco out of there." 

Sipping his tea, Severus gave her request some thought. His stomach felt uneasy at the thought of his only Godson being beaten to a pulp and he knew that it would have been a huge sacrifice for Draco to walk over to the other side of the field. Yet another reminder that Draco wasn't Lucius. However, while the Dark Lord remains unaware for now, if Draco were to leave school he would openly be flying the enemies flag. He would be a traitor, and Merlin knows what The Dark Lord would do to the boy. 

"Cissa." Severus said gently. Hermione looked up from her lap to watch Severus, as he leaned to place a hand on the arm of the witch's chair. "I think it would be safer for Draco to remain at Hogwarts for now. Whilst he is there, he will not be called upon by the Dark Lord. As long as it remains that his change of allegiance is not advertised to his Lordship, then Draco shall remain unharmed.

"I understand that, while this may be difficult, you have to consider the events of the past. You will do well to recall your cousin Regulus or even reflect on what happened to Miss Granger here. You do not want that happening to your son. I fear that leaving Hogwarts will alert the Dark Lord of his change of heart." 

The fact that they were discussing what had happened to her over tea, like it was just gossip made Hermione angry. Severus could feel her vibrating next to him in silent frustration. Her cheeks had turned a dark pink and she was intently scratching at her forearms through the material of her jumper. 

"Of course Severus, this is why we came to you for advice." Lucius said, oblivious of the fact that Miss Granger was upset.

Wracking his brains for a way to calm the girl, Severus thought back to a time in his childhood that he hadn't visited for years. His father, who he believed to be his biological father but not by any means his dad, was a short tempered and violent man. He would get drunk and angry and was intent on destroying any traces of magic. He had believed in a forceful approach to releasing Severus of his magic and had beaten him. There was one time in particular that his father had returned home, furious and completely slashed, and had been murderous. Severus, only 8 at the time had been hiding in the old coal cupboard with his mother, stifling his tears. In a silent plea to calm her son down, Eileen Snape had placed her hand on her son's knee and rubbed it in small but constant circles. Only by focusing on those circles was Severus able to calm down. It was something that, even now, Severus found himself doing to himself when he was overly angry or upset. 

He considered the implications of resting his hand on a younger girls knee and decided against it. Instead, Severus reached out to her arm, tracing small and light circles on Granger's sleeve with his index finger. She tensed at first, but she had stopped trying to scratch her skin. Hermione continued to stare at the floor with blurry eyes, and Severus internally celebrated.

"Quite. Though we cannot predict how long Dumbledore's Army will be able to communicate without being discovered. I understand that they are being concealed within the castle, but without the aid of Potter's map it is a wonder as to how they communicate without being discovered." Lucius said. 

"The coins." Hermione whispered, her eyes enlarged as she blinked back her tears. 

"Miss Granger?"

Everyone present in Snape's living room was focused on her. Hermione swallowed loudly. "In my fifth year, I charmed some fake galleons so that we could covertly arrange DA meetings without Umbridge knowing." 

Severus looked impressed, his finger tips were still running in small circles over her arm. "Do you think that the students could still be using the coins?" 

"It is possible." She looked shy, and it made Severus angry to see that the know-it-all who had interrupted his classes for almost 7 years look so terrified to speak. 

"Miss Granger, I daresay you should have been in Slytherin." Lucius Malfoy flexed his knuckles and Hermione huffed in disgust. Of course any Slytherin would say that just spite Gryffindor. 

"You are wrong Lucius, Miss Granger would have been wasted in Slytherin. Her greatness would have slipped through unnoticed and disregarded. She would have just been another snake." Snape defended. 

A heavy silence followed, with only the sounds of the clinking tea wear. Severus had laced his words with a hidden meaning that could have been written in bright pink ink on the wall for it stood out as much. The house of Slytherin was unfairly disadvantaged, and had been whilst Dumbledore had been Headmaster. Many Slytherin's were considered cruel and spiteful, even going as far as evil and slimy. It wasn't as though the Headmaster had done anything to disprove the rumors. Severus had been forced to fight angel and devil to get even some of his most intelligent students appraised which gave him a reputation of favoritism in his classes. Whilst it was true that he hated Gryffindor's for entirely unrelated reasons, he treated the other houses fairly. 

"Miss Granger, I trust your clothing fits you well." It was Narcissa who had broken the silence. She had a friendly face that had been disfigured by the years of stress of concealing herself from The Dark Lord. 

Hermione chose not to reply, instead she looked down at her well-made jumper. Of course it would make sense that the Malfoy's would be the ones purchasing her clothes. She couldn't imagine that it would be good for Severus to be seen buying a new wardrobe of new robes that would fit a young lady. He was famously single, some of the students even questioning his sexuality (or lack thereof). 

"If there is anything else you might need, you may ask Severus. Or you might always owl me directly." She said, gently. 

"Thank you, Mrs Malfoy." Hermione mumbled. She felt embarrassed and ashamed that she couldn't go out and buy things for herself. It wasn't as though she could just walk into Gringotts without being spotted and preened over. She was supposed to be dead. 

"Call me Narcissa, dear." She smiled. Hermione nodded. 

Lucius looked indifferent as his wife had addressed the muggleborn witch. This amused Severus. Had he not just said that she should be in Slytherin house? Although Lucius had a pure heart, Severus suspected that the man would never get over his pureblood idealism. He was, after all the patriarch of one of the most successful wizarding families of all time. In turn, his wife was also born into a pureblood wizarding family, although her family's fortune had been gifted to Potter by her cousin Sirius Black. That had been an eventful day, Snape recalled a livid Lucius pacing the length of his mansion. 

The Granger girl had calmed herself by now, apparently distracted by her conversation with the only other woman present. Yet she did not detest the position of Snape's hand on her arm. 

Interesting. 

"That reminds me, I have something for you." Lucius said as he reached into his robes to produce Hermione's vine wood wand. "I managed to persuade my sister-in-law to entrust it to me." Lucius smiled dangerously. 

Hermione reached forwardly hesitantly to take her wand back. She had been worried that it was going to be lost forever. The feel of a familiar weight in her hand made her more at ease. A witch without a wand was an embarrassment. Hermione immediately felt less vulnerable and defenseless. 

"Thank you." She said, not overly trusting Lucius Malfoy's new kindness.