a/n: This was written for the finals round for the Quidditch League. I write as Beater 1 for the Montrose Magpies. Finals prompt was to write the OTP of our opposing position. Hope you enjoy this, Corvus! If not, well, I amused myself while writing it.
My prompts were 1) "The night is dark and full of terrors.", 12) black, and 14) "I'm too old to start again."
Many thanks to firefly for being my beta!
Hermione pulled her cloak closer around her as she slipped out of Honeydukes, looking both directions before she stepped to the right. The fact that it was after dark would help her avoid being recognized, especially if she stuck toward the edges of the street, but she preferred to be as discreet as possible. As it was the first week of the winter holidays, there wouldn't be many students around, but she couldn't afford to take the chance anyway – nor did she particularly want to be seen by any of her colleagues.
It wasn't that being seen in Hogsmeade was embarrassing in and of itself; on the contrary, it was usually delightful. It was a comfortable village and was one of her favorite places to slip off to on long afternoons during the winter. The thatched cottages and shops, covered in snow, often looked like they were part of a painting (albeit a painting within the wizarding world; the moving figures beyond the windows wouldn't quite fit in the muggle world), and never more so than when the holidays were near. Enchanted candles floated in the trees that lined the streets, and the doors were all adorned with holly wreathes. Some nights, groups of carolers even went around, although they had mostly taken to just standing outside The Three Broomsticks now. Madame Rosmerta had decided she didn't mind them entertaining people outside because once they were cold, they would duck in for a butterbeer or two.
Tonight, though, High Street looked like it was abandoned. More snow was on the way according to Neville, and the other professors who were staying at the castle through the holidays had already run all their errands. Hagrid was probably still drinking, though, and she wouldn't be surprised if Horace Slughorn was with him. As for the rest of them… they were hopefully back in their offices.
She kept her hood up, hoping that would help confuse anyone who did see her, and walked rapidly toward the little side street she had discovered nearly a year ago. During her time as a student she would hardly have had any need for Amor Road. A year ago, she still thought she had no need for it, yet when she took a wrong turn one day when she was distracted, she didn't correct the mistake. Sometimes she wished she had.
Tonight was not one of those times.
For the first couple of months after she and Ron had broken off their relationship, she was happy to be free from him and his less than ideal manners – especially so far as the bedroom went. She was still glad to be away from him – very glad – but she had yet to meet another man who would entertain the thought of a relationship with her. Sometimes she needed someone; that was where Swish and Flick came in.
It had changed owners just before she discovered it and had thus just changed up the products it carried. Hermione decided she had never been so grateful for a random discovery. The shop had everything that an adult witch or wizard could want. Everything. Lingerie, books, magazines, Playwizard, individual photos, beads… She didn't even know what else. She'd never been into the back rooms, though she had heard other customers say there were plenty of exciting items in stock there.
She pushed open the door to the shop and pulled her hood down as it closed behind her. In here, there was less need for secrecy; she had never seen anyone that she knew, aside from the two wizards who alternated shifts serving as the sales clerk. Leo and Lee recognized her, of course, but they never asked any awkward questions.
"Evening there, Miss Granger." Lee smiled at her from the counter.
"Evening, Lee." She smiled back. "Quiet evening?"
He shook his head a bit. "Not so much tonight. We've had quite a few blokes in, reckon they're just passing through, but we heard a couple of them are from the castle."
"From the castle…?" She stiffened. "Do you mean Malfoy Manor? Or Hogwarts?"
"Both! Blond bloke, pretty handsome if I'm being honest. He had grey eyes. And I dunno about the ones from the school." He winked at her. While he and Leo were happy in their own relationship, they were plenty happy to try to guide her to potential suitors.
"Ah." She stared down at the floor. "I know the blond and I'm not interested, but thank you, Lee."
"Got it." Lee's smile slipped slightly. "Your usual, then? Or did you need to look around?"
"I'll…" She paused. "I'll just look around a bit tonight, see if anything new sparks my fancy."
Lee nodded and she eased past the counter toward a display that held what looked like several hundred self-tying restraints. There was one in just about every color on the color wheel and then so many patterns they made Hermione dizzy. She didn't look at them long, moving past them to see what else she could find. There were plenty of options, but nothing was sparking her interest. Sighing, she grabbed her usual slim box - although this time her toy had a new feature of shooting confetti when its goal was achieved – and was turning to return to the counter when she saw a swish of black from the corner of her eye.
Suddenly, the footsteps stopped. She turned toward the other person and nearly dropped the box in her hand when she saw who it was. Her cheeks were burning before their eyes even met. His brow was raised.
"Severus! I… Um… I didn't think that I would be seeing you – anyone, really, but especially you – here." She coughed slightly. Her stories of how well life was going with her boyfriend were busted now.
"Who knew your other half was so…simple?" He looked like he was trying hard not to smirk. "Perhaps if you engaged with a proper man, you'd find yourself much more satisfied."
"And what, may I ask, brings you here? I understand men need much less help to be…satisfied."
She wasn't sure if it was a trick of the lighting, but she could have sworn a faint blush appeared on his cheeks. As quickly as it appeared, it disappeared and she was left wondering if she imagined it.
"I don't think either of us will have any need for the products here tonight."
Hermione felt her cheeks redden. She could still plainly recall the staff Halloween party her first year as a professor – finally, after two years of working as an intern of sorts – where she had danced with him. Despite the fact that she was dating Ron at the time, she found her thoughts wandering to other men – namely Snape himself. He knew, and at the end of their last dance, had leaned close to her and whispered in her ear, "I'm too old to start again."
"Severus, I don't… You said…" She was finally able to meet his eyes, but it was difficult. "Your age. You had a problem with it before…"
"Ah, well… Everyone is incorrect at some point."
She gave him a slight smile and eased her way back to reshelf the box she no longer needed. It was going to be the first time in a while that she left empty-handed.
"Let me escort you back to the castle. The night is dark and full of terrors." Hermione slipped her arm through his, prepared for a leisurely walk. Her misconceptions lasted only as long as it took to exit the store, for the moment they were clear of the doorway, she found herself against a brick wall, all the more eager to get back to the castle and find out what else she could learn.