A/N:
Written for the Final of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition
Team: Montrose Magpies
Position: Beater 2
Pairing: Severus Snape/Hermione Granger
Prompts: 6. (Phrase) Happy Accident, 13. (Occasion) First Date
Gringotts: Instead of Pretty: Striking; Colour: Black, Ebony, Ocean Blue, Rose; Friend Vocab – Girlfriend; Pairing: Het-Cross Gen – Severus/Hermione; Genre Specific: Romance – (Plot Point) First Date, (Plot Point) Romantic Dinner, (Object) Roses, (Object) Chocolate, (Word) Date, (Word) Girlfriend; Said Words – Insisted, Reminded
First Date
It was by happy accident that he encountered the young Gryffindor again. Except now she was no longer the frizzy haired know-it-all, who had reminded him so much of himself in her eagerness to learn.
No, that Hermione Granger was long gone, and in her place was a striking young woman, and Severus Snape liked what he saw, perhaps a little more than what was appropriate considering she was a former student.
"Good afternoon Professor Snape," Hermione greeted him warmly.
"Good afternoon Miss Granger, and please call me Severus. I'm not your teacher anymore," he reminded her, hoping that she would listen to him. The last thing he wanted was for her to repeatedly remind him of their age difference throughout the entirety of this conversation.
"Only if you call me Hermione, Severus," she said, deliberately placing extra emphasis on his name.
The older gentleman couldn't quite believe just how much he enjoyed hearing his name passing her lips.
"What brings you to town today?" he asked nervously, internally kicking himself for saying something so cliché.
Hermione looked down and glanced into the top of her bag to jog her memory. After just minutes of being in her former professor's company, she had forgotten what she had just bought. It was a move that didn't go unnoticed by Severus.
"Office supplies," Hermione sighed. "You would think the ministry would be much more organised in that department but alas they're not."
Severus chuckled at her comment. He could relate entirely. He had lost count of the number of times he had made last minute errands to buy potion ingredients in the middle of the day, and he informed of as much.
Many people passed by as the two adults talked freely and comfortably, and just as Hermione bid farewell to her former professor, citing that she had some draft bills to write up before work the next day, Severus decided that he really wanted to see the young woman again.
"Hermione, wait," he called after her as her down the alley. "Would you like to go out for dinner next Saturday?"
He looked at the young woman hopefully.
Hermione hesitated for a moment before nodding her head. "Sure, that would be lovely Severus."
"Great," he smiled, giving her a brief hug before he strolled off in the opposite direction.
Hermione was shocked at how quickly she agreed to the date with her former professor, and as she sped back to her small apartment on the edge of London she tried to figure out why she had said yes.
Sure she had always admired the older man's clear intellect, and his appreciation for how dangerous magic could be. Plus she had always found him to be one of the most impressive professors at Hogwarts, and whilst she questioned his methods sometimes, you couldn't deny that the man could get results.
Hermione would vehemently deny it to anyone who asked, but she had always felt some kind of pull towards Severus. She had always put it down to the feeling that they were both in similar positions during their education, but now she was not so sure.
The young witch shook her head. How, in the space of less than an hour, had Severus Snape managed to consume her every thought?
The week leading up to Hermione's first date with Severus passed in a similar fashion.
She would wake up in the morning, after having vivid and intoxicating dreams about the older man that left her feeling all hot and bothered.
After she completed her morning routine she would go to work, and no matter how hard she tried to focus on the matter at hand, she would somehow end up thinking about Severus. Sometimes she would notice that one of her colleagues had the same piercing ebony black hue to them that could see right to the depth of her soul; and sometimes it would simply be the turn of phrase that one of her colleagues used.
In her completely justified distraction, Hermione found it incredibly hard to complete her daily work. She considered herself lucky to have already been ahead on her monthly quota and have such an impeccable team working with her; otherwise she knew her job would have been on the line.
When she finally got home, Hermione would end up rooting through her closet to decide what she was going to wear for her date; an action which would completely baffle anyone who knew her since she was far from being that girl. Every night she would settle on a different outfit, and by the Friday night Hermione had bought a brand new, ocean blue dress.
The knock at the door startled Hermione as she applied her rose lipstick, so much so that her hand shifted towards her cheek and left a pale smudged streak in its wake. Hermione grabbed her wand and swiftly removed the mark, before heading towards the door, the only barrier left between her and her date. She inhaled deeply as she placed her hand on the handle, and then opened the door.
There stood before her was a well groomed Severus Snape, dressed in a smart navy blue suit and tie. In his hand he held a large bunch of roses, and a box of Honeydukes finest chocolates.
After a brief conversation whilst Hermione placed the gorgeous roses in a vase, the pair left the modest apartment. Severus led Hermione down the road, staying completely tight-lipped about where he was taking her, and it completely infuriated her. She was well out of her element when she was left completely clueless.
Eventually they came to a stop outside one of the most expensive restaurants in London. Surely this must be some kind of mistake. He wouldn't spend an absolute fortune on little old me, Hermione thought to herself as she glanced up at Severus
"We're here," Severus declared, wrapping his arm even tighter around his date.
Hermione's jaw dropped. "Severus, this is too much. I'd much rather take me somewhere less expensive," she insisted.
"Nothing is too much for you Hermione," he said kissing her on the top of her head. "Besides if I want to get a second date, I've got to make a good impression."
Hermione laughed as Severus steered her inside the restaurant before she could protest any further, and convince him to as she requested.
The hostess greeted them, and led them to a private, seclude, candle lit table for two, and Hermione was quite sure that she saw Severus slip the woman a fifty pound note.
Their hands remained linked across the table for the entirety of the meal. Hermione could say with great certainty that she had never been on such a romantic date in her life.
The conversation and wine flew, and Hermione found herself laughing more than she had in years. Severus was bringing out a side to her personality that she very rarely expressed unless she had known a person for years. It was very refreshing for her to be able to be her whole self with another human being so easily and so quickly.
"So I know Hermione the student, but tell me about Hermione the woman," Severus requested, as he twirled some spaghetti around his fork like a pro.
Hermione talked to Severus eagerly about her passion for her job within the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and how she had recently secured a vast improvement in work rights for House Elves. She explained that it had to be her biggest achievement as it had been something she had been fighting for over the last ten years.
"What about yourself?" Hermione asked. "I know who Professor Snape is, but I don't know who Severus the man is."
Hermione listened eagerly as Severus informed her about his past heartbreak with Lily; this took her by surprise, not many men were willing to admit something that personal so quickly and willingly. He told her about his agonising history as a Death Eater, how he considered it to be his biggest regret, and how much it meant to him when the Wizarding World forgave him for his past transgressions.
All too soon, it was time for them to leave the restaurant.
Severus wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulder and pulled her close to him as he walked her home.
"Hermione, he whispered against her hair. "Will you be my girlfriend?"
Hermione shifted her position so that she could look the older man directly in the eye when she gave her answer.
"Yes," she said. "A thousand times yes."
A/N:
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