Amour

CHATSWORTH CASTLE

▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪{A few days later}▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
"Severus, where are you taking me?"Hermione asked as Snape still had his hands covering her eyes to not let her see yet, where they had apparated to. Although obstructed from viewing her surroundings, she could feel the sun lukewarm on her skin, the grass under her feet and the smell of rotten leaves in the mud through the autumn air. There was a dampness in the atmosphere- the kind that was caused by a waterbody somewhere nearby and one didn't need to strain one's ears to hear the chirping of birds and buzz of insects, paired with the occasional squeak of squirrels. It didn't take a genius to guess that they were in the countryside. Snape was guiding her down a gravelly path that lead upto their destination and only removed his hand from over her eyes when they were directly in front of it. "This is home."he stated softly in her ear as she took in the magnanimity of the building. She felt like she had entered a portal to one of Jane Austen's novels.

"Chatsworth castle- the oldest and richest house in Derbyshire, ancestral home of the Prince's."he declared.
She realised that her mouth had been hanging open for far too long and now she clasped a hand over it so that one of those bugs don't accidentally fly right in. To say that it was beautiful would be an understatement. The building was large and handsome, in the middle of a lush green field dotted with rhododendrons, pine, fir and other trees she couldn't even name that carried well into the woods marking its boundary and bringing even more serenity to its beauty was a large lake, accompanied with a functional fountain, where the water was so clear, it was like glass and it reflected the building, making it look like there were a pair of them, and Hermione hadn't fully wrapped her head around the one yet. To break the stunned silence from Hermione's part, Snape said,"This house belonged to my mother's family and she stayed here with my father even after they were married, as she couldn't bear to live anywhere that was even remotely any short of this place. I grew up here." Hermione still couldn't form words and her neck was aching because her head was constantly being turned to look sideways as well as up to see the whole of the panoramic view. Her head went into a tizzy as she tried to count the number of windows and she couldn't possibly imagine what the purpose of so many rooms were since the Snape family did not extend much. Then again, if his words were anything to go by, his mother was all about poshness and boasting, so a habitation like this was expected of her. She remembered that although he had been well provided for materially, he had been neglected in every other aspect of his life, making his adolescence not at all a pleasurable experience. She could see how this house, even with all its pomp and grandeur could turn into a prison for him. He took her hand and dragged her in saying,"Come along. I'll show you around." They went up the stone steps in the front to reach the arched oak-doorway which was wrenched open from the inside by a butler. He welcomed them in with a crisp smile and behaved in a well-disciplined manner. "Hermione, this is Mr.D'onfrio. And this is Ms.Hermione Granger."Snape introduced them, while handing him their cloaks. "Madam Granger."D'onfrio bowed. Hermione was too overwhelmed with everything. "Ms.Granger."A respectable-looking, elderly woman, about the same age as McGonagall, much less fine and more civil, greeted Hermione warmly. "Hermione, please."she said blushing. "This is my housekeeper, Mrs.Reynolds."Snape informed her, as he draped a hand around Hermione to make it understood what she was to him. Mrs.Reynolds looked like she couldn't be more happy. "Welcome to Chatsworth castle,ma'am. I hope you find everything to your likeness."Mrs.Reynolds curtsied. Hermione was feeling more and more out of place to such aristocratic dispositions and blurted,"It's a lovely place." Having exchanged the pleasantries, Snape went on with showing her his house and Mr.D'onfrio and Mrs.Reynolds made themselves scarce. Although Snape had amiable relations with his employees, there was a definite master-servant distance between them; they loved him like their own son but held him with respect far greater. Hermione made her eyes if possible, wider to take in all that the castle had to offer. It wasn't so extremely large to be called a castle but fairly large to house a party of twenty. The entrance hall, drawing room and dining parlour mostly covered the ground floor, with a door leading to the basement kitchen and another that opened out to the garden. They climbed a grand staircase to go to the upper storie.