I don't own them. It's all JK Rowling's. I'm just borrowing them for the moment.
Hermione was fidgeting. Soon, she would be singing in front of three judges, a room full of people, and all of Great Britain. It had been years since she had last sung in front of an audience, and she was very nervous. She calmed down when she felt Severus' hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at him and gave him a small smile.
"You'll be fine, my dear," Severus murmured. "You've practiced your piece every day for the past couple of months. Just go out there and pretend you are singing to me."
Hermione smiled at him. "You always know the right words to say, Severus." She gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. "Thank you."
Someone poked her on the shoulder. "You're up next, Miss Granger," the man said.
Hermione nodded at the man. "Thanks," she said. She turned her attention back to Severus.
"Are you sure you don't want me to Confund Simon?" he asked.
Hermione swatted Severus on the arm. "Oh shut it, you!" she said. "I would rather charm him on the basis of my voice alone."
Severus kissed her. "That's for good luck," he said softly. "Break a leg."
Hermione smiled at him. "Thanks, Severus."
She went out on the stage and observed the three judges in front of her. She knew she would have to completely tune out the audience in order to succeed.
She had heard much about "Everybody's favourite Mr Nasty," Simon Cowell. She knew if she were to have a chance, she would have to impress him. The others, Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden, could be easier to convince, if only she didn't freeze on stage.
Amanda smiled at Hermione. "What's your name?" she asked.
She smiled as she introduced herself. After the initial pleasantries with the judges, she took a deep breath as she heard the introduction to her piece start to play.
She opened her mouth, and she began to sing a piece by the Muggle songwriter John Denver titled Today. At that point, she forgot anyone else existed in the room. She sang from her heart and had Severus firmly in her mind that entire time.
In the meantime, the audience responded enthusiastically to her. The hosts, Ant and Dec, were smiling like loons whilst the judges sat there, stunned at the voice that emanated from that small, bushy-haired siren in front of them. Even Simon was sitting there with a stunned look on his face.
When Hermione finished, the crowd went wild and gave her an enthusiastic standing ovation. The judges (except for Simon) followed suit. Hermione was thrilled beyond words, and tears sprang to her eyes.
"Hermione," Amanda said, "that was amazing! How do you feel about the crowd reaction?"
Hermione gave Amanda a brilliant smile in return. "It's fantastic!" she exclaimed.
"I agree," Piers said. "Who could have believed such a voice could come from a wee thing like you? That was incredible!"
Hermione smiled at Piers. "Thank you," she said.
Finally, all attention was put on Simon. Severus, who was watching off-stage, was nervous on Hermione's behalf, and started pacing.
"Hermione, it's people like you that bring us here," Simon said amidst cheering from the audience. "That was an amazing job you did. We like to find special talent, and we believe you are among them.
"Piers, yes or no?"
Piers said, "Yes."
"Amanda?" Simon asked.
Amanda gave Hermione a warm smile. "Yes," she said.
Simon looked at Hermione and gave her a small smile. "Hermione," he said slowly, "you have three yeses."
Hermione's face lit up and she gave the judges a huge smile. She brought her hands together and bowed to them. "Thank you so very much!" She then walked off-stage with her head held high.
Ant and Dec greeted her by patting her in the back. "Well done, Hermione, well done," they said, smiling.
But Hermione only had eyes for Severus. He smiled at her and held out his arms. Hermione rushed into them, and he gave her a hug and a kiss.
"Hermione, that was lovely. You did very well indeed."
Hermione snuggled into Severus' chest. "I sang it just for you," she said. "Only for you."
A/N: Prompt issued by silverdoe: a witch/wizard (your choice) tries out and gets on what reality show. The "Everyone's favourite Mr Nasty" reference comes from Simon Cowell's biosketch at the "Britain's Got Talent" website. The piece Hermione sang was John Denver's "Today" (.com/watch?v=mNskh83Cptk). Without the disclaimer and A/N, this story contains exactly 700 words according to Microsoft Word. Thanks go to ladyinthecloak for the Saturday evening beta-reading.