a/n: J.K. Rowling owns these characters, and (deservedly) gets all the profits. Me, I just do this for fun.
Hermione knocked on a door deep in the dungeons of Hogwarts, an uncertain expression on her normally rather assertive face. The heavy door opened, almost to her touch, as if someone had been waiting for her knock.
"Professor Granger. You are quite prompt – please come in." Severus Snape pushed open the door to his study and private quarters, standing back to allow her to enter. As soon as the door closed, she heard an array of noises that seemed to come from inside the door, and looked questioningly at the older teacher. "Part of my security system," he explained.
"Against surprise visits from your… former colleagues, I assume?"
"Against visits from prank-minded students, in fact." Snape led the way to his sitting room, and gestured Hermione into a chair.
"May I offer you something? I believe I am equipped with tea, mead, firewhiskey… No butterbeer, I'm afraid," he added, raising an eyebrow in reference to a memorable incident during her sixth year at school, in which he had discovered her, along with Potter and Weasley, quite drunk on the sweet beverage, on their way to some type of nocturnal forest adventure. While he had no conclusive evidence, he rather suspected that he'd saved her from an awkward mistake, based on the body language he'd had a chance to observe between the three of them before intervening as they reached the forest edge.
Hermione blushed, obviously recalling the same event. "Mead would be fine, Professor," she said quickly. Snape poured them each a glass, and joined her in his sitting area, facing her across a small table. Sipping her drink, Hermione found herself wondering why she'd been invited, and waiting for him to speak. She'd not had the faintest idea what to make of the invitation this morning over breakfast – she hadn't even noticed that she and Snape were the only teachers still sitting at the staff table, until she looked up from her coffee and toast to see him towering over her. "Professor Granger, I wonder if you'd stop by my study this evening, after dinner," he said. She must have conveyed surprise, but he merely stood there, awaiting her response. She'd fumbled for a moment, then agreed. "Would eight o'clock be convenient for you?" he queried.
So she had presented herself at his door at eight o'clock precisely, still with no clue what the subject matter was to be for this meeting. Was there a problem with a student in Gryffindor? Hermione was the youngest Head of House in Hogwarts history, she knew, but she felt she'd done a reasonable job so far this year, and was dreading whatever complaint Snape wished to lodge with her.
She sipped her drink again, taking in a goodly amount to fortify her, and asked, "Professor, thank you for the invitation, but was there something in particular you wanted to discuss?"
"Something in particular?" Snape considered this. "What, in particular, did you think I asked you here to discuss?" A hint of his student-mocking tone entered his voice, adding an edge of steel beneath his always elegant speech.
"I just… thought there might be a problem, maybe with one of the Gryffindor first-years, or…" Hermione trailed off, resisting the feeling of defiance that that particular tone of Snape's had always engendered in her.
"No, Miss Granger, there is no problem, beyond the general and inevitable stupidity and incompetence rampant among the students of this school," Snape drawled. "As far as can be seen, you are as capable a Head of House as Headmistress McGonagall was."
Hermione flushed slightly, as she always had when receiving a teacher's approval. She was still struggling to find her footing as a teacher here at Hogwarts – it was difficult after returning to teach only 2 years after completing her NEWTs, and she had not yet overcome the tendency to address the other teachers as 'Professor.'
Snape regarded her across the table for a time, noticing that her glass of mead was nearly drained. Perhaps she was nervous about being in his quarters? He refilled her glass, topping off his own. "To be frank, it has seemed to me that our working relationship is somewhat… strained, and I wished to remedy the situation if possible."
Snape had, in fact, been lonely after returning to Hogwarts after the war, in a way that he had never experienced in all the preceding solitary years. He had actually attempted to approach the other teachers on occasion, but found it quite difficult to overcome his decades-long history of aloofness. Hermione Granger, however, was new to the staff, and seemed less inclined to assume anything about him. He watched her over the rim of his glass, wondering if she would detect his deeper motives, looking for signs of pity or anger.
Hermione shifted in her chair, looking for a correct answer. "I wasn't aware of anything feeling strained, but I agree that our 'working relationship' could be improved," she said, smiling very slightly at him.
"I am happy that you agree," Snape responded, a droll humor again creeping into his voice. They sipped their glasses of mead again, listening to a clock tick off seconds somewhere deeper in Snape's rooms.
"I-"
"So-"
They both chose the same moment to break the silence. Snape gestured silently for her to continue.
"So, should we put on some music?" Hermione had been looking around the room, searching for something to provide some kind of normal atmosphere.
"Music?" Despite the fact that he owned an old-style Muggle phonograph and a dusty stack of vinyl records, Snape seemed to have never thought of this idea before.
"Or would could play a game," suggested Hermione. "I noticed you have quite the collection of strategy games on that shelf," she said, standing up and walking towards a collection of vintage Muggle games also covered in dust.
"I was under the impression that you disliked Wizard's Chess?" Snape had heard her condemn the game for its violence.
"Yes, but I grew up playing some of these games," Hermione replied. "Perhaps regular chess? Oh! You have this?" She picked up a different game and turned to face Snape.
"You know how to play that?" Snape had encountered few people who recognized the game set, consisting only of a hard slate board and small black and white pieces.
"It's been awhile, but I learned it as a child." She paused, considering. "Actually, though, there's another game I learned as a child that would better suit our purpose. It's not a strategy game, though."
"Yes?" When she said nothing, but only chewed her lip gently, Snape raised an eyebrow and cleared his throat.
"It's called… well, it's called lots of things, but I learned it as 'Truth or Consequences.'" She avoided his eyes while speaking, but her glance immediately rose to Snape's face once the words were out. He was just looking at her, so she continued, "You know, it's one of those games people sometimes play to get to know each other better, and since you were talking about working together… " Still no response. "But chess is good too," she finished hurriedly, and even had the chess set in her hands by the time Snape spoke.
"I believe your game would be ideal for our purposes, Miss Granger, thank you for remembering it. I have also heard of it, although I was under the impression it was more of a courting ritual among Muggles." He hid his smile and watched a blush climb up her face, even as she schooled her features into seriousness.
"Do you know how to play, or shall I go over the rules?"
Forestalling what he suspected would be a long and detailed description, Snape hastily interjected, "I believe I'll be able to keep up, thank you, Miss Granger." He watched her regain her seat across from him. "Would you care to begin?"