Harry Potter 1. Rows and Hard Bedding

I have been watching 'King and I' recently and I got the idea for this fic, I hope you enjoy it.

I own neither 'King and I' plot or the characters in the story. Hopefully you will forgive me and read it anyway.

On with the show, and thanks you Lord Snape's Lady for reading this and giving it the go ahead. (and I promise I will write more Red Satin and Christmas Pudding)

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**The Headmaster and I**

It was a sad sad day in the wizarding world when Albus Dumbledore died. He had fought for his beliefs he had served his purpose as a protector and now there was no need for him and he had known that. He passed away. There was a feeling among most that he had done it out of pity. Pity for all those around him. He felt he had caused them enough trouble and had held out against a mortal fate until his job was complete. He had helped defeat Voldemort and now he was not needed. There was never to be such a large threat against the wizarding world again.

The long procession of mourners walked solemnly up to the castle of Hogwarts. Minerva although completely miserable tried to keep a happy face on firm in the idea that Albus would want people to celebrate his life and not mourn his death.

With a heavy heart Hogwarts took on a new headmaster and hung the portrait of Albus Dumbledore with the other many faces of headmasters before.

"I don't know why you are all so glum." The portrait had said. "I'm still here just not in the physical world."

This had offered much comfort to the staff of Hogwarts and also to the new headmaster. As was Albus' wish Professor Snape became headmaster, against his wish. He had of course wanted to be headmaster just not be Albus successor.

"You will do a splendid job Severus and now you have taken my post of course you need a new potions teacher, I of course took care of that before I passed away." Albus said smiling with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"As always Albus you cover everything, how can I even come close to your standard." Severus asked the portrait while sat at his new desk, his chin resting on his clasped hands.

"You can't dear boy; you will come up to your own standard." And with that the portrait disappeared with a final smile.

Severus was left alone in his yet impersonalised circular office. It was a lot more comfortable than the drafts of the dungeons but already he was beginning to miss them. He had little time to think on this as there was a knock on the door and he was called back to the reality of the fact he was headmaster by the knock and also a roll of thunder.

With little of a pause the door swung open and a figure was silhouetted as a flash of lightening appeared like some kind of horror film.

"Albus told me you would be the new headmaster." The figure said walking into the room.

"Ah miss Granger, always a pleasure never a joy." Severus said dryly.

"yes well quite, I am here as you know about the post Albus offered me, potions teacher." Hermione said placing her shoulder bag on the back of the chair in front of the desk.

"I knew he would. Very well you know were my rooms are, you of course took many extra weekend classes there. I'm sure you will find them highly uncomfortable and not at all cosy."

"No professor I was promised that I would have a house of my own outside of Hogwarts, something in the village." Hermione said giving Severus a stern glance.

"I was not told of this and as headmaster it is my wish you are treated the same as all the staff and remain in the castle. Also the contract you hold is of little concern of mine the issuer is no longer in the position to vouch for such things, so you will stay in the castle."

"I will not! I was promised and it says so in my contract! A rent free residence outside of the grounds, with a floo connected to the staff room. It was also promised I was to be paid 25,000 galleons a year and weekends free to continue my doctorate." Hermione stood there the storm outside was a mere drizzle to the one that was clouding the air of the headmasters office.

For almost 5 minutes their eyes were locked in glares worse than any curse. Finally this battle of anger was interrupted by another knock on the door.

"Severus I ….. Oh Hermione dear how are you. I take it you're…" Minerva stopped speaking as she saw the glares from both of the room's occupants. "Am I interrupting?"

"Not at all Minerva Hermione was just going to her rooms." Severus said turning and giving Hermione a very unflattering sarcastic smile.

"Oh well I'll walk you down dear, my matter with Severus can wait keep until morning."

Hermione picked up her bag, not taking removing her eyes from Severus and almost breathing fire turned and left with Minerva close behind her.

Severus sighed angrily and turned to Albus portrait again expecting it to be empty but Albus was in fact back smiling triumphantly.

"I suppose this is your idea of a joke!" Severus asked.

"Isn't she marvellous? I couldn't let a gem like that go could i. a fantastic teacher and only months away from completing her potions doctorate, mere months before she is a professor of potions." Albus smiled.

"That woman, no that girl infuriates me!"

"Be that as it may my dearest boy, she is the brightest we can get and to be a professor of potions at 21 is quite an achievement don't you think? You yourself were 23 before you got yours were you not?"

Severus scowled and got up.

"Good night Albus." He said and climbed the spiral stairs behind his desk to his rooms.

Hermione sat on the bed in the middle of her 'rooms.' They could hardly be called rooms as there was none, room that is. It was tiny, bare and freezing. There were drafts issuing from every crack or gap and something decidedly slimy and green on the window ledge, which Hermione wouldn't go near in case it tried to attack her.

There was no way she was going to live in these rooms. They may have been fine for the inhuman bat that currently resided in the luxury of the headmasters suite but she was fragile, she was sensitive, she was not going to put up with it.

However she knew that for tonight that this would have to do. She opened one of the suitcases she had left in the entrance hall, house elves had kindly delivered them to her rooms, and pulled on a think woollen robe before climbing into the bed with its itchy covers, rock hard mattress and too thin pillow.

"The man's a bloody masochist!" she muttered as she tried in vain to warm herself.

The next morning Hermione sat in the great hall stiff and tense. Her neck and shoulders sore form the way she had been forced to sleep and dark bags under her eyes from lack of sleep due to the temperature.

"Good morning headmaster." She spat as he sat down. "Sleep well?"

"As a matter of fact I didn't, those rooms are to hot and that bed is terribly soft and the pillows its like trying to rest your head on a cloud. Worst sleep I have had in ages. I trust you feel well rested."

Hermione didn't say a word she merely gave him a glare that would have scared a hippogriff.

Quickly he looked at her properly, the overly crazy mop of hair from tossing and the black bags under her eyes. Maybe she wasn't in the best mood to discuss how overtly luxurious his new rooms were right now.

"Do I look bloody well rested!" she screamed, a statement rather than a question.

"Well you have just finished a stressful time in your life and taken your first job, interrupted sleep patterns are a common symptom of stress." Severus said dryly trying to keep his authorative air while she still had the death glare upon him.

"The thing that causes me stress is you and your bloody freezing rooms! I was promised a house I want a house; I have a daughter you know! I can't have her living here."

"Then you shouldn't have taken the job." Severus snapped.

"Well you shouldn't be an uncompromising git."

"Well you shouldn't be a bossy know-it-all."

"Well you shouldn't have become headmaster!"

"Well you ……." Severus had no more to say.

She had won, he hated to admit it but she was right and she had won. He simply sat there floundering for words.

"Well you're still not getting the house." He said finally.

"Ahhhhhh!" Hermione screamed in rage causing all the students to turn and watch the staff table as an irate Miss Granger got up and left the hall.


	2. Paternity and Baby Smell

**Chapter 2**

"Thanks for watching her." Hermione as she took hold of the toddlers hand. "Come on Janet we have to go home, to a place that is cold and nasty cos the headmaster is mean." She cooed condescendingly at the child.

"Hermione dear don't talk to her like that. She is so impressionable."

"Mother I know but the man infuriates me. He does it out of spite."

"Well I know its tough dear but it's also tough to give up 25000 galleons a year. You know how much money you need to look after her, especially seeing as you can't get financial help from her father." Her mother looked at her pointedly.

Every time Hermione came to see her mother she was asked 101 questions and usually her mother would slip one in about the child's paternity, hoping to slip her up.

"Don't start mother, you will not know who it is until I feel ready to tell you."

"Fine dear fine. Have a good journey. Bye bye Janet love, come and see nanny soon" Hermione mother said waving them off as Hermione bundled Janet into the car with several large bags full to bursting with her clothes.

"Want biccys!" Janet shouted as Hermione got into the driving seat of the car.

"Oh dear has nanny been spoiling you again?" Hermione asked turning the key in the ignition.

"Janet want biscuit!" she shouted more forcefully.

"Janet dear I am driving." Hermione said half-heartedly.

Eventually Hermione gave into Janet's demands and conjured biscuits for the wailing child. She knew this job and raising her daughter was going to prove very hard indeed.

Severus paced round his new office.

"What am I meant to do about this? I mean she has a child Albus."

"I know she has." The portrait replied. "But she could have managed the job too if she were able to stay outside of the castle."

"That's ridiculous the girl is not getting anymore special treatment."

"Severus my dear I don't know whether you have noticed but she isn't a girl anymore, she is a woman. And a mother too I might add. She has proved herself far and above the maturity levels expected from her age. In truth Severus I feel she is as much if not more, mature than you."

"Don't insult me you doddery old fool!" Severus spat.

Albus merely laughed at this.

"Well Severus I can see you have made your decision. I shall let you find out whether it is right or wrong on your own. Goodbye."

Severus scowled and carried on looking at the empty portrait.

"As mature as me? Maybe even more so. Ha!" he said indignantly to himself.

"Well right now to sound like a petulant child." Observed one of the portraits hang on the circular walls.

In anger he left the office, eager to get away from condescending looks and tones from the portraits that hung there. He let his feet guide him, where they were going he wasn't altogether sure but they hadn't failed him in his 41 years of being alive. 

He stared at his feet the whole time he marched and when he finally looked up he found himself staring at the clock in the entrance hall. 9.10pm. He saw the doors open and a figure struggle in with various bags and bundles.

"Excuse but… oh Miss Granger it's only you."

"Yes oh great one it is only I, a humble servant." she said sarcastically as she tried to keep hold of all the things she was carried including a sleeping child on one hip.

"Could you help me please Severus instead of being your usual useless self? It's your fault I have had to do this, and I can't very well carry Janet and all our things down to the dungeons alone can I?" she asked, but it was a rhetorical question.

Severus walked down the steps and was stood before mother and child almost instantly. Both were soaking from the rain outside and the toddler had become a dead weight in its peaceful deep sleep. About 10 suitcases were sat dripping on the marble floor, accompanied by toys, a pram and a cot.

"So much for such a small person?" Severus asked.

"It's so obvious you have had children." Hermione said condescendingly.

The tone grated on him, but then she had reason to talk like that to him. He had given her a raw deal and a rough time. Because of that he now had to deal with a toddler in the castle.

Quickly he disapperated all their belongings to Hermione's rooms and sent and order to the house elves that they had 20 minutes to get everything set up. 

"So how old is she?" Severus asked as they walked down to the dungeons at a leisurely pace, Hermione occasionally having to stop and hoist Janet back on to her hip every time she slipped.

"She's two and a half"

"Oh and do you know who the father is?" Severus asked.

This remark only served to cause Hermione to glare at him for about the 20th time since she had arrived yesterday.

"Yes I know very well who the father is and I do not like the insinuation that it should be otherwise." Hermione stated.

Severus shut his mouth. He wasn't very good at this helpful benevolent headmaster act.

"So what about you? Not married? No lady friend? No desire for the joys of parenthood?" Hermione asked in a genuinely friendly manner.

"No, no and defiantly not. Teaching removes any broody fantasies that might be stuck in your subconscious."

Hermione stopped again to adjust the child as she was slipping again. "Actually Severus can you carry her? I know it's a strange request but if I am to be stuck down in these awful dungeons the least you can do is carry my luggage." Hermione handed the toddler to him who didn't stir once.

Severus looked awkward as he took her, stiffening, scared of waking her. He held her as across his chest so that she was lying down in his arms. She seemed to shrink next to him. She snuffled a bit and snuggled into his clothes as she relaxed.

Hermione watched how he relaxed as he got used to her. She thought this might help him a bit, finding that children are sweet and lovely and not the foul beasts he believed them to be.

Severus could feel the warm weight of Janet and it felt good. It was years since he had wanted children of his own. He thought he had become dead to feelings of wanting to make someone of his own, someone to belong to him. He could smell the rusk and talc smell of the tiny girl and the lovely hint of the baby smell that all tiny children have.

"Your not getting broody is you Severus?" Hermione asked as she watched him smile at the sleeping bundle in his arms.

"No of course not." He replied still looking at the toddler. "Its just I thought I was past… forgive I forgot myself for a moment." The smile left his face and he looked up and around instead of at the girl.

Hermione knew that she had awoken a want inside him again. A want to be loved unconditionally, this had been replaced long ago by sarcasm and feigned hatred.

They finally reached Hermione's rooms and as she opened the door she found that all the things were unpacked and set out nicely it looked almost homely now. All their belongings were set out and the fire was lit also it was warm.

"How is it warm in here? Hermione said looking round.

"Well we couldn't have the baby getting a cold now could we?" Severus said. "I cast a thermostat spell on the room, just think about what temperature you want it to be and it should acclimatise itself. Also softer bedding."

"You know headmaster, I think your softening in your old age." Hermione said as she took her daughter from his arms and laid her in her cot. "But I still want a house outside the castle." She said ruining the moment.

"You are to reside in the castle at my will." Severus stated trying to sound as patient and friendly as Albus always had.

Hermione decided not to push it any further tonight; it would undo all the good work she had done getting him to involuntarily show an emotion.


End file.
