Against The Odds

Chapter 5 - Old and new friends pt.2

The Great Hall was full of teachers and Hermione smiled wide when she spotted a giant head of unruly brown hair. "Hagrid," she called out as she sprinted to the gentle half giant.

"'Ello 'Ermione," Hagrid beamed as she pulled him into a hug. "Fancy seein' yeh 'ere," he stated as he patted her back.

Severus watched the two as he stalked up to his spot at the Head Table and dropped into his seat. "I'm an apprentice," Hermione told Hagrid as the hug broke.

Hagrid smiled more at that. "Imagine that, our lil 'Mione all grown up," he stated as he touched his chest over his heart.

Hermione giggled slightly at that. "Yup, I'm all grown up," she replied as she patted his arm. "I'm going to go say hello to Professor Mcgonagall real quick," she then said as she excused herself and headed over to the elder witch.

"Oh Hermione, dear. I have someone I want you to meet," Minerva stated as she pulled Hermione over to a handsome wizard about Severus' age. "This is Dillon Dupont," she said. "Dillon, this is Hermione," she then added before hurrying off, leaving the two standing there awkwardly.

Dillon was about six foot tall with thick brown hair cut short. His eyes were almost yellow in color and almost mesmerizing. His cheeks were slightly full, but defined. His nose would have been arrow straight, however it looked like it had been broken at some point. His lips were full, but not overly so, they were just enough to form a natural pout. "Hello," he said with a smile and right away Hermione knew he was from the states.

"Hi," she replied back sheepishly with a smile. He was handsome to look at, although slightly ordinary all the same, but at least he was pleasant. "What are you teaching," she then asked curiously as they walked over to get a drink.

"The History of Magic," he replied with a small smile. "What about you?"

Hermione tucked some hair behind her ear as she sipped her drink. "I'm actually an apprentice for Professor Snape," she replied as she spared at glance to the man who was glaring daggers at the pair of them.

"He seems like a fun chap," Dillon replied with a snicker.

Severus could hear the pair talking and he gripped his glass in his hand. It didn't bother him with what they were saying, it bothered him that She was talking to Him. Of course he had no claim on Hermione, but he figured that since she was his protege, she would be at his side no matter what. "What's eatin' yeh, Sev," Hagrid asked as he flopped down into his chair beside the dower Professor.

Slowly pulling his glare from the pair, Severus brought it to the oaf beside him. "What's eating me is the fact that I keep getting dragged away from my dungeons for useless parties," he drawled. It wasn't a complete lie.

"Okay everyone, please find your seats so dinner can begin," Minerva called out cheerfully.

Hermione smiled and said goodbye to Dillon as she made her way to sit by Severus, who looked less than pleased at the prospect. Once everyone was seated, the feast appeared. Hermione scrunched her nose, because she knew it was the house elves doing it and not magic, but she had tried to talk sense into them, they didn't want it.

She began filling her plate and reached for a roll at the same time Severus did. When his cool hand met her warm one they both jumped a foot in the air. Severus quickly took his roll and scooted his chair away from her, so that he was sitting so close to Hagrid, one more scoot and he would have been in the gentle half giant's lap.

Hermione scooted away too and decided to move herself to sit by Dillon, who had watched the whole scene with curious eyes. "Hey, are you alright," he asked as he touched her arm. Unlike
Severus' chilled hand, his was warm.

"I'm fine," she replied as she gently shook his hand off of her.

She knew he was just being polite, but it didn't make her feel right having him touching her. He apologized as he dropped his hand and offered her an apologetic smile. "Would you care for a stroll after dinner," he asked politely.

Hermione smiled softly at him and gave a gentle nod. "Sure, that sounds nice," she agreed only to be polite, but she figured some fresh air would do her some good after her encounter with the dark Potions Professor.

Once dinner was through, Hermione and Dillon headed out of the Great Hall and headed for the grounds to take a walk. "So, mind giving me a tour," he asked as they walked.

"Sure," Hermione shrugged as they headed for the Black Lake. "This is the Black Lake, full of surprises. That over there," she pointed, "is the Forbidden Forest. No students are allowed in there," she stated as she looked over at him. Dillon was staring at the forest, but nodded his head in understanding. She showed him the rest of the grounds before bidding him goodnight.

"We need to prepare for when classes resume. I expect you to be in my office tomorrow morning," Severus stated as she walked up to the dungeons.

Hermione crossed her arms, getting sick of his just popping up to scold her like a child. "You could simply ask, you know? A little kindness goes a very long way," she replied with a bit of sass in her tone.

Severus' lip curled and in an instant, he had her pinned between him and the wall. His dark hair fell like a curtain around his face and his dark eyes bore into hers. "I do not need to ask for help from an assistant," he sneered. His hot minty breath caressed her face. "Assistants are here for the teachers, to assist them. Simple as that. If you don't like it, you shouldn't have signed up for the job," he added as their eyes locked.

Hermione's heart began to beat wildly in her chest and her cheeks grew almost crimson as she stared up at the imposing man. She didn't say a word as she shoved him away and hurried into her chambers. She wasn't upset at what he said, she actually expected it, what she didn't expect was how he went about getting that message across to her.

Her new kitten came teetering up and meowed for attention as Hermione fell onto the couch. She bent down and picked up the kitten before cuddling it to her cheek. "Hey, Princess," she replied softly as she scratched the cat's ears. "That's what your name will be, Princess," she mused, gaining a few purrs from the kitten.

After giving the kitten some attention and feeding her, Hermione decided to head to bed for the night. The day had been confusing and exhausting and she wanted it to be over.

Severus hurried into his own chambers. He had no idea what had gotten into him, but he knew he didn't like it. He grabbed the bottle of firewhiskey and poured himself a glass before downing it in one go. His mind was a muddled mess as he tried to figure out what had gotten into him.