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.She looked at the vase, which was intact on the mantel, exactly where it had sat since Molly gave it tothem last Christmas."I see that it's somehow repaired itself."Now Harry appeared totally flummoxed.His gaze shot to Severus, but he said nothing to incriminate theother boy.Even at seven, he was a total Gryffindor."Thank you, Severus," she said.As he met her eyes and gave a nod, she could see that he was just as anxious as Harry.But Severus hadhelped Harry.The arrogant boy she'd met two days ago wouldn't have concerned himself in Harry's problem.Feeling very proud of them both, she smiled down at them."Let's have breakfast, shall we?"Once the house elves had delivered their meal and they were all seated around the table finishing off thesumptuous repast of bangers and eggs, Hermione said, "I think that we need to deal with your clothingproblem today, before I end up shrinking everything in your adult wardrobe.Baths are the first task of theday, though.Who wants to go first?"As expected with boys their age, there was no concentrated rush for the bathroom, but after a minute,Harry volunteered, "I will.""Very good.While you're in there, I'll do a cleaning spell on what you wore yesterday."A half hour later, both boys were clean and dressed.Hermione eyed them both.Harry's hair was its typical tumbleweed.Hermione took a brush to it.Just likethe other day, Harry was tense at first, but he relaxed after a few minutes.Hermione kept at it for nearlyten minutes, with no appreciable results.But she smiled into his nervous eyes and said, "There.Thatlooks much better."Her gaze fell on Severus.His hair was somewhat longer than the professor normally kept it.The wet endsfell past his slender shoulders now.It was starting to frizz as it dried and hung in unattractive stringsaround his face."Severus, we're going to have to do something with your hair," Hermione said.It was one thing for Snapeto walk around looking like he never paid any attention to his hair beyond the cursory daily washing, butwhile the boy was under her care, she was determined to at least attempt to pay some attention to hisgrooming.He froze in his chair, fully as terrified as she'd ever seen him."I don't want it blond and short," he said, a cornered look in his eyes."What?" Blonde?"Grandmother always transfigures it blond and short before she sends me off to school," he said."I turn itback once I get outside.I won't wear it that way!"Hermione was confused."Why did she want your hair to be blond?"She could almost understand the wanting it short part, for it really was an eyesore most days.Severus looked down at the rug."She and grandfather are both blond with blue eyes, as was my mother.I - I've got my father's mud - mud coloured eyes and hair.She doesn't like that I look like him."His downcast expression made Hermione furious with the person who'd hurt him this way."Severus, I don't want to change your hair colour or its length.I like it that the way it is.I just want tobrush it so that it looks neat.Will you let me do that?"Hermione could see how difficult it was for him to trust her.He was searching her face as though hesuspected a plot of some kind.After an extremely long, tense silence, Severus nodded and came to stand in front of where she sat onthe couch.He was much taller than Harry and she had to stand to reach his hair. At first, he was stiff as a statue, seeming to anticipate pain or deception, but when all she did was run thebrush through his drying hair, he slowly relaxed.His hair was soft as silk, but of an awkward length.No sooner would she get it neatly brushed back fromhis face, then he would move and it would come spilling forward to hang in his eyes."Severus? Do you think we could tie your hair back so that it isn't hiding your handsome face?" Hermioneasked, wary of upsetting him by suggesting changes, but at the same time determined to get that hairout of his eyes.He pulled back from her and glared up at her, fury darkening his features."There's no need for mockery.""What?" she gawked, having no idea what she'd said wrong."You were teasing me," he accused, his eyes bright with betrayal."Teasing you? How?" She was totally lost."I know that I'm ugly.There is no need to belabour the obvious." At that moment, he was truly theSeverus Snape that she knew, short-tempered, his sarcasm sharp as a knife.But what he was saying in that familiar scathing tone broke her heart."Severus, you are not ugly," Hermione insisted in the strongest voice she could manage.All she wanted todo was cry.She didn't know which of these poor little boys made her feel worse - Harry, who was soterribly, openly starved for affection, or Severus, who was equally deprived, but denying it with all hismight."I know what I am.You don't need to lie to me," he snarled."I've got my father's hair and eyes, and mynose is monstrous.""There's nothing wrong with having your father's hair and eyes.And your nose is not monstrous.Yes, it'slarge," Hermione continued before he could spew the venom brewing in his angry eyes, "but it's notunattractive.You have strong features, Severus.There's nothing wrong with them.I've always thoughtyou rather dashing."He was regarding her the way a jury observes an accused man, searching her features for truth.Finally,he asked in a vulnerable voice, "Dashing?""It means handsome in a manly way.Not pretty, but strong and impressive," she explained."Severus, itwas very wrong of your grandmother to say those things to you, especially since they were not true."He hung his head, his cheeks flushing in visible embarrassment."It wasn't just grandmother.The children at school." he broke off."Children can be very cruel.Usually, they just say things until they find the insult that gets a response.Just because their words hurt you, doesn't make what they said true.""So you're saying that I showed a weakness and they attacked it?" He seemed resolved to take blame forit."Sensitivity isn't the same as weakness.We are all human and can be hurt.No one likes to be signalledout and ostracized from a group.Your classmates were probably just looking for a way to make you feelbad." Hermione reached out to stroke his cheek, trying not to notice how he flinched at her gesture. Merlin's beard, had those monsters physically abused him as well as emotionally bullied him? "What theydid was wrong.You are not ugly.I don't care what your grandmother or your classmates said."Harry, who was sitting on the floor to their left attempting to build a house of cards with his ExplodingSnap deck, looked up at them and said, "I don't think you're ugly, either.You just look mean 'cause younever smile.""I'm not a simpering cretin who goes around spewing optimistic lies," Severus snapped at him.Hermione hid her smile.That wasn't a mistake anyone was likely to make with Severus Snape.Beyondthat, it was obvious that Harry had no idea what Severus' words meant."Severus, that wasn't very kind.Harry was trying to make you feel better," Hermione reprimanded."What's a simpering cretin?" Harry asked.Seeing the nasty spark rise in Severus' eyes, she admonished, "Don't." Then turning to meet Harry'sgaze, she explained, "It's someone who isn't very bright.""Oh." Harry went back to adding cards to his construction.It was really rather impressive.The structurewas four levels high.He was just adding the supporting card for the fifth level when the card explodedand knocked the structure down."So, will you let me try to tie your hair back?" she asked Severus."If you don't like it, we can take it rightout."He gave a grudging nod and moved closer to her again.As she brushed his hair back from his face, Severus peered up at her from beneath his thick lashes
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