Author's Note: Thank you for those reviews! I promise everything will explain itself once the
story gets going, and there will be romance!
Caged
Chapter Two
"How was your geography lesson today?" Father asks.
We're currently sitting in the dining room the same night of the horrid lesson. Father is eating his soup contentedly, having no idea of how very horrible the lesson went. I'm grateful Mrs. Jacobs doesn't dine with us for I'd feel terrible lying to my father about it in front of her. Although, I'm sure she'll tell him all about my behavior later on.
I take a sip of water and decide to be honest.
"Professor Snape is a very strange man."
He looks up a bit startled, then he continues drinking his soup, asking, "Why do you say that?"
I shake my head, "He didn't wear a hat when he was outside."
"That's not all that strange," he replies, wiping his mouth with his napkin before placing it in his lap again.
I pause, "No, I suppose it's not Father," I think for a minute. "But when he asked me a few questions on geography and I answered them right he became quite cross with me."
"You did respect him as your elder, did you not?" he asks.
My cheeks grow warm and I swallow, "I-I thought so- But father he was just awful."
"Don't say awful," he tells me, taking a sip from his glass of port. "And do not speak ill of others."
"Yes, Father."
His gray hair is gone in the front and thinning toward the crown of his head. His eyebrows are bushy but severe and his eyes are soft and dark behind glasses.
There's silence as we finish our soup and I listen to the clock ticking in the hall. I speak just as I'm thinking.
"Oh Papa, please, I can't bear to have another lesson with this wretched man! He expects me to answer all the questions incorrectly just to make him look intelligent!"
He looks at me with such shock that I shut my mouth.
"My child, you must learn to hold your tongue, really," he shakes his head in shame. "Do not speak against your elders so, particularly when you do not know what is really happening."
"But Papa-"
He cuts me off, "I will speak to Mrs. Jacobs about your lesson and see what she has to say."
Blast.
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It's after dinner and Papa and I are sitting in the living room. He's smoking his pipe in his chair, and reading through some pamphlets and letters. I'm sitting in the bay window seat facing the street outside. I have a book open in front of me but I'm hardly reading it. I'm so worried about what Mrs. Jacobs will tell Papa.
I grow bored with staring at the words in the book, words I can't even comprehend right now. So I push back the curtains on the window and peek outside.
The sky is dark and the moon is big. There aren't many people walking about, but there are quite a few carriages jostling around outside. I realize just how suffocated I feel staying inside a house day after day. I long to walk around outside in the open air. I've begun to feel like the walls are closing in on me and the ceiling is pressing down. I wish I could just walk under the open sky, without feeling like there's something so close to keep me caged in.
Papa folds up all of his papers and puts them together in a leather writing case that I know will go in a locked drawer in his study. He sets his pipe down after a few minutes and clears his throat.
I look up.
"Spencer," Papa calls our butler in.
When he arrives he says, "Sir."
"Could you tell Mrs. Jacobs I'd like to see her."
"Of course, sir," and he turns and leaves the room.
My heart starts beating faster, I'm going to get in trouble. I'll never be allowed out of the house, ever.
When Mrs. Jacobs comes into the room she's smiling pleasantly.
"Good evening, Mrs. Jacobs," Papa says. "Please sit down," he points to the sofa across from him and then looks at me. "Hermione," and then he points to the chair facing both of them.
I get up and sit down in it, leaving my book on the window seat.
"Thank you, sir," Mrs. Jacobs says as she sits down.
After a few seconds Papa begins, "Mrs. Jacobs I wanted to ask you how Hermione's geography lesson went today, you were there, correct?"
"Yes, sir," she replies. "I thought the lesson went rather well, she certainly knew the answers to all of Professor Snape's questions."
Papa looks at me and nods, asking Mrs. Jacobs, "Is Professor Snape a good teacher, in your opinion?"
I pray, hoping she'll tell him how horrible he was towards me for knowing the answers.
Mrs. Jacobs thinks for a minute, "He seemed to know quite a lot about what he teaches," she pauses for a minute and I hold my breath. "Although, sir, he did lose his temper quite quickly."
"And why is that?"
"I dare say it was because Hermione was answering the questions correctly, sir."
A smile breaks onto my face immediately, thank you Mrs. Jacobs!
Papa looks at me again and my smile drops.
"I see," he says. "I suppose we shall see how things go, if Professor Snape loses his temper for the same reason I will speak with him."
I smile, hoping the lessons improve.
Papa continues, "Is there anything else about the lesson I should know, Mrs. Jacobs?"
She's silent for a good minute and I just wait for her to tell him about my talking back. But I'm taken by surprise.
"No, sir."
Papa smiles and I feel guilt wriggle inside my stomach, why didn't she tell him? I frown, although I'm grateful.
Hours later when I'm laying in bed reading before I go to sleep I hear a knock at the door.
"Come in," I say.
Mrs. Jacobs appears inside the room, and smiles sort of sadly at me. She closes the door behind her and walks over to me, sitting down on the side of my bed.
"Hermione," she says very quietly, "I did you quite a favor today."
"Oh I know Mrs. Jacobs, thank you so much!"
She looks at me with disappointment in her eyes, followed by great pride, "Dear, I've been caring for you ever since you were a baby and you know I love you as if you were my own daughter," Hermione nodded. "But you must watch how you speak to people, particularly adults you don't know."
I nod, "I'm sorry."
She looks at me for a good minute, "Are you really sorry?" she shakes her head. "It's one thing talking to me that way, but Mr. Snape?"
"Professor Snape," I correct her.
She gives me a very stern look, "Just be careful how you behave, understood?"
I nod again, "I understand, thank you."
She nods and smiles at me, smoothing my hair a little, she then stands up, saying, "Now get to bed."
I try to do as I'm told, as she leaves the room, but I fail slightly.
My room is warm and unfamiliar. We just came here to England last week from somewhere North and everything feels so much warmer here. I was actually getting used to the house we were just in, I even took to decorating my room a little. But then father decided to move again. Maybe it was the weather, or maybe the town was too crowded for him. I don't know, I've given up trying to guess.
I do like England though, it feels more like home than any other place we've been. I just don't want to make it feel like I belong here so much, because I'll just end up heartbroken when we move again.
I get out of bed and walk over to my tiny balcony, I open the doors and let the warm breeze drift into my room. I'm surprised Papa hasn't barred these doors so I can't step out into the open air.
The night is beautiful and my heart aches, I wish I was allowed to be free and happy to go outside! I wish I was allowed to talk to people my own age, I wouldn't even mind being sent to a boarding school a million miles away if it meant I could be with people my own age. I always see them outside, and they all look so happy and carefree when they're together. I haven't been outside since we got here, I'm almost tempted to climb down the side of the house and run away.
But I couldn't, of course.
Author's Note: There's chapter two, hope you liked it!!!!!