Disclaimer: Everything you recognise is J.K. Rowling's, the rest is a result of my overly active imagination.

A/N: This is my first attempt at writing Fanfiction, and as I'm from Belgium (and therefore not a native speaker), I hope you'll go easy on me. But not too easy, I still want honest reviews!

Enjoy,

Coffee and Cyanide

AND THEN SHE SMILED

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Butterfly Kisses

Severus Snape was not one to enjoy journeys into the Muggle world. There were some things, however, one could not find in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade. The reason for this particular trip to Muggle London was quite simple: he was looking for a Christmas gift for Albus Dumbledore. The only thing Severus could think of was a pair of socks; after all, what does one buy a man who has everything?

Assuming inspiration would come to him eventually, Severus strolled along the crowded street. When he rounded a corner, someone bumped into him, dropping their bags onto the pavement. He was about to bark some cynical comment at them, but froze when he looked down. The last person he had expected to run into outside - or inside, for that matter - of the Wizarding world, was gathering her parcels hurriedly while muttering an apology. Hermione Granger, ex-Gryffindor, ex-sidekick of the Boy-who-lived-to-defy-him and most of all, ex-member of the Order of the Phoenix.

When she had disappeared five years before, everybody had looked frantically for the witch, without result. Having defeated Lord Voldemort alongside Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley in her seventh year, she had become quite the celebrity; because of that, everyone in the Wizarding world had mourned the loss of the brilliant witch. After a while, everybody had lost hope, except for Potter and Weasley, who could not accept that their friend was dead, or worse. Even Severus had sometimes wondered what had become of his former student. Three years after her disappearance, Potter and Weasley had decided to finally let it go, and go on with their lives. A ceremony was held in remembrance of Hermione Granger.

And now, here she was, gathering her purchases and picking up a crying little boy, like she did this all the time. Severus guessed him to be about four years old. 'Is this why she disappeared?' he thought. 'I guess this means Minerva's perfect protégé had a dark secret after all.' He continued to watch her, waiting for her to look up at him.

When she finally did, he expected her to jump in surprise, or perhaps freeze in shock. She did none of that. Instead, she repeated her apology and left with the toddler on her hip. He didn't understand. Even after five years, she should have recognised him; after all, he had not changed one bit. He still looked like an overgrown bat, even in Muggle clothes. His curiosity piqued, Severus decided to follow her.

Apparently, all of her Christmas shopping was done, as she entered a small café at the end of the street. Entering a few minutes behind her – his days as a spy had rendered him slightly paranoid and he wouldn't take the risk of walking into a trap – he spotted her sitting at the bar. She was talking to her son quietly, while the boy sipped his cocoa.

Looking more closely, Severus noticed the bags under her eyes and her slumped shoulders. He wondered what had happened to the overly-excited, annoying know-it-all he had reprimanded a thousand times in his classroom. Intrigued, he watched the scene before him from a table in the corner.

She was fussing over the little boy, adjusting his tie and wiping his nose constantly. When the boy told her to stop, Severus smirked. He was definitely not the only one who thought she was exaggerating. Just when Severus wanted to walk up to her and ask why she had left so many years ago, the boy nuzzled his mother's cheek. He whispered something that sounded like "Butterfly kiss, mummy", but Severus figured he had heard wrong. After all, who had heard of something as asinine as kissing butterflies?

Hermione hugged the boy close, kissing his forehead, and then she smiled. For a moment, Severus thought his heart would melt from the warmth that shone in her eyes; then, he shook himself out of his reverie, sneering at his own sentimental thoughts. Determined to find out what had happened to her, he rose from his seat.

TBC