More Than Just a Piece of Parchment

Miss Granger-

Congratulations on your hard work. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would like to bestow upon you the honour of Most Outstanding Potions Student. As a result, you are invited as a special guest to the Award Ceremony (date and time to be announced).

Again, congratulations,

Albus Dumbledore...Headmaster of Hogwarts

Prof. Severus Snape...Potions Master

…………

Hermione couldn't help but smile all throughout her very last potions class of the year. She would certainly miss the drafty dungeon classroom with all it's mystical scents and the foreboding professor that ruled his class with an iron fist.

She was slightly surprised when Professor Snape came up behind her and asked her to see him after class.

Later on, she waited until the class had emptied and the last shouts of happiness erupted in the dungeons before approaching her professor's desk.

"Sir?"

"One moment." Snape quickly finished penning the note he was writing. "I am to inform you that the award ceremony will be held in the Great Hall tomorrow night at 6pm sharp." He looked up from his papers to make sure his pupil had understood him.

"Yes sir. Thank you Professor." Hermione made to leave but Snape stopped her.

"One more thing. I wanted to say that…despite my complaining and outward…"

"-dislike?" Hermione tentatively supplied.

Snape paused but didn't disagree. "-you do deserve this award so…congratulations." He awkwardly extended his hand. Hermione took it and they shook hands.

"Thank you sir." Hermione smiled, surprised at his rather kind words. "I don't think you'll ever understand how much this award means to me."

Snape looked somewhat perplexed at her words.

Hermione continued. "It's not what this is but what it represents."

Snape was clearly intrigued. "And that would be…"

"That you…" She struggled for the right words and Snape noticed that, usually loquacious, Hermione was having difficultly talking. "That something inside you might have…actually… cared enough to congratulate me."

Snape frowned and let her words sink in. Hermione was about to leave when Snape, his mind having no control over his mouth, spoke, "Hermione-" His eyes widened in surprise and he blinked slowly, distressed at such a major slip of the tongue. Correcting himself, he continued. "Miss Granger."

"Yes?" Hermione was also surprised at her first name being uttered by her professor.

"I'll see you at the ceremony tomorrow." He finished rather lamely.

Hermione nodded and, reluctantly, left.

Snape shook his head and went back to grading his students' final essays.

……..

Snape was not surprised at all that Hermione ended up receiving three separate awards the next night.

What did surprise him was his lingering handshake when Hermione came up to receive her award.

Instead of being annoyed, she had smiled warmly back at him.

And winked.

If he could have, he would have winked back.

……….

Yes, this is the end of this one-shot. I have too many stories that I have been asked to write sequels for so I am going to say that this one will not have another chapter or sequel added to it. But I do hope you like what I've written. This was something I think I wrote about a year and a half ago and only just found.

Reviews appreciated!