Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. Original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. Not beta-read; don't shoot.
A/N: Originally written for the LJ community grangersnape100 (as a Spy For The Order; those in the know, will know!)
To You I Surrender: Part One
"Well?" she asked, and raised her arms and did a little turn on the spot.
"Well, what?" he repeated back at her stubbornly, as if he didn't know what the word meant.
Hermione shot him a long-suffering look, "Don't play dense, Severus. How do I look?"
Snape's face made a strange movement, as though after all this time he still found it hard to show his emotions. Well - after all this time he still did find it hard. But his eyes grew darkly gentle as he watched her, and he murmured low, "Enchanting."
"Ah," she whispered, and smiled knowingly.
She'd come to him, so many months ago now, on an Autumn's night; that first night. Simply appeared at his door long after witching hour had been and gone, and when he'd opened it, she'd just walked in. Severus had gotten angry and told her she was supposed to be in bed somewhere, and she'd agreed and said, "Yours."
It was the first time he could ever remember having been truly speechless in front of a student before. But of course she wasn't his student by then. She was an adult, his colleague, the new librarian at Hogwarts. A woman...
The Great Hall was lit with a thousand candles and the night sky above continued the theme with a blanket of preternaturally bright stars. Hermione paused on the threshold and her breath caught at the sight.
Severus barely saw it. He was watching the crowd watching them. He knew exactly what they saw. They saw a beautiful young witch entering the room on the arm of a wizard old enough to be her father. They saw a professor courting a lovely girl who just fourteen months ago had been his student. They saw a rumour embodied; a rumour made real.