A Room With a View

Talk Dirty To Me

Severus was fairly sure his head was attempting to split itself in half. He groaned as he attempted to open his eyes, paying little attention to the voices he heard around him.

"He's coming round." That supercilious voice could only belong to Lucius.

"That's it, Snape. All the way out." Ugh. Potter.

"Severus?" A soft hand stroked his hair. Hermione.

Hermione!

His eyes popped open. "Hermione? You're alright?" He looked up to see Hermione, George, Lucius, and Harry staring down at him.

The hand shook a bit, then continued stroking. "I'm fine, love. Just a bit sore. How's your head?"

"Still attached, unfortunately. I don't suppose there's a headache potion around here somewhere?" he rasped as he sat up.

Lucius called for a house elf and sent it to fetch a potion for his guest. When it arrived, Severus downed it quickly and waited for it to take effect. "What happened?"

George frowned. "We were hoping you could tell us. I couldn't have left you alone for more than ten minutes. Came back into the library and found you both on the floor."

"Why were you in here anyway?" asked Harry.

"Draco mentioned a book and said I should look it up before the end of the evening. I had just found it when someone stunned me. Then I woke up with you hovering over me, Harry."

"I'm pretty sure the same happened to me. I came looking for you and saw you on the floor. The next thing I knew I was being wakened by you lot," Severus said, gingerly probing at the knot on his head. "I must've knocked my head when I fell."

The look on Lucius' face was ferocious. "Hermione, this is the second time you have been attacked in my home. I cannot apologize enough."

"It's hardly your fault, Lucius," Hermione said.

"You are my guest. Your safety is my responsibility. I'll understand fully if you don't wish to return here again."

Severus growled. "Nonsense, Lucius. Hermione said it herself: You had no control over Voldemort when he occupied your home during the war, so she does not blame you for actions taken in his name. And I hardly think you can be blamed for this little mess."

Hermione gasped and looked at Severus. "What?" he asked.

"How did you know I said that?" 

Severus rolled his eyes. "Because we talked about it when we were here for dinner, remember?"

Hermione's eyes were rapidly filling with tears. "Yes, I remember. I'm just surprised you do. We talked about it when we were here for dinner seven years ago."

Severus looked at Hermione blankly, then shot a confused look at Lucius. "Seven years ago. Yes. We had lamb with mint jelly. And some sort of potato with cheese. I recall joking that your house elves were rebelling because it wasn't French cuisine."

Lucius smiled. "That's right. And after dinner?"

"Hermione convinced us to play charades." Severus chuckled at the memory. "I still can't believe Narcissa participated."

"You do remember. Oh, Severus!" Hermione flung herself at him, wrapping him in her arms.

Harry frowned and stepped forward to examine Severus' head. "D'you think that the knock to his head might've brought some of his memories back?"

"A blow to the head would be more likely to make him forget events, not recall them," said Lucius in his most sardonic tones. Really, did I teach Potter nothing? thought Severus.