Four
The remainder of their time in Paris passed too quickly, in a blur of touring the city, eating the food, and lovemaking. On their penultimate day, the were eating lunch outside a café they'd decided on as their favorite when a shockingly, terrifyingly familiar voice interrupted their soft-spoken conversation.
"Well, well, well, what have we here?" Hermione looked up into the malicious eyes of Rita Skeeter. Her blonde hair was curled tightly as always and her glasses were perched squarely on her ugly nose. Her talon-like fingernails were painted a shocking tangerine and there were several gold bangles clanging on her wrist.
"Surely it's not Dumbledore's favorite Mudblood—
"Don't. Call. Her. That." Severus said through gritted teeth.
"With Hogwarts least favorite teacher?" Rita continued as if he hadn't interrupted, "Let me guess. Clandestine lovers' holiday away from Dumbledore's ever-watching eye? Wait until the Prophet hears about this." Her lips curled into an evil smile, revealing overlarge, square teeth.
"The Daily Prophet doesn't print your slander and lies any longer," Hermione spat, thankful her voice didn't quake and show the old cow how horrifying that thought truly was.
"Witch Weekly, then. Or even that rubbish Quibbler. Someone will pay good money for a scandal like this." She turned on her dangerously high, spiked heel and stalked off with a cackle.
"Go back to school," Severus said quickly, "Be seen by as many people as possible. Stress that you were on holiday with your parents. I've got to track that horrid woman down."
Her face twisted into an expression between worry and anguish, "We were having such a perfectly lovely time until now, too."
"Go," He said flatly, "Don't worry about me." She kissed him quickly and tore off in the direction of the flat.
--
He knew a week later from the whispers and giggles in his usually silent classroom that despite his best efforts, Rita Skeeter had taken the story to Witch Weekly. Hermione could feel stares following her everywhere she went. Girls stopped talking when she entered toilets and glared at her in obvious disgust. The brasher ones made snide comments to her face, the crueler ones snickered and spread disgusting rumors behind her back. Harry, Ron, and Ginny refused to speak to her. Neville seemed terrified of her. Hermione assumed it was fear by association. The Slytherins taunted her mercilessly, but this was no different than how they'd treated her in the past.
She hung behind after Potions and produced a copy of Witch Weekly from her bag.
"Someone threw it at me in the loo. I think we'd best see what she's saying."
They walked to his office and Hermione set the glossy magazine on the desk. A picture of the Eiffel Tower graced the front and Hermione turned quickly to the table of contents. She knew both she and Severus had been in the picture, but had slunk off to opposite corners to hide. She found the page number and flipped to it. The headline was bright lime and impossible to miss: Student-Teacher Relationship: Hogwarts' Head Girl and Potions Master
She began to read, her voice shaking, "While enjoying a holiday in Paris, this reporter stumbled upon what, from a distance, appeared to be a cozy café filled with couples eating lunch. But when I ventured forward to take a closer look and perhaps partake in a tasty baguette, I was thoroughly shocked and appalled by what (or rather, who) I saw sitting at one of the outdoor tables.
"Severus Snape, thirty-eight, has been employed as Potions Master at Hogwarts for eighteen years. Miss Hermione Granger has been alive for those eighteen years. Miss Granger is one of Harry Potter's best friends, while Severus Snape has been a suspected Death Eater since He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's first climb to power. Vouched for by Albus Dumbledore, whose sanity has been called into question on multiple occasions (see inset) Snape was cleared of all charges by the Wizengamot, but even the great Albus Dumbledore can be wrong.
"Granger and Snape appeared to be on a romantic holiday over Easter. They spent the two weeks school was not in session in Paris, enjoying walks on the river, eating in cafes and staying in a riverbank flat. Miss Granger has previously shown a propensity for the wealthy (including international Quidditch star and Triwizard Tournament runner-up Viktor Krum) and it seems she has now stepped up her affections from the wealthy to the wealthy and powerful.
"Snape is the last living member of the Prince family tree, one of the older and richer Pureblood families. His inheritance is an estimated thirty million galleons, though one would never guess this from his appearance."
Hermione paused and looked up at him, the question in her eyes.
"It's true. My mother's parents disowned her when she married Tobias, but when her brother died suddenly after he finished school, the fortune passed to me," He said grudgingly, "Please continue."
"As Head of Slytherin House and a man in Dumbledore's pocket, Snape has a fair amount of authority at Hogwarts. And, if he is indeed a Death Eater, he has even more authority elsewhere.
"He is exactly the sort of man the power-hungry, greedy Granger would actively pursue. And what man in his right mind, nearing forty, would turn down the advances of a girl twenty years his junior?
"Perhaps this is yet another warning to Dumbledore to take more care in whom he places his trust, or, at the very least, pay closer attention to his staff." Hermione slammed the magazine down on the desk, "Awful cow. She's got pictures of us."
And, indeed, there were several pictures in the two-page spread, documenting their time in Paris.
"It's worse than I though. She's certainly done her research."
Hermione opened her mouth to agree when a knock sounded on the door.
Severus sighed. He did not have the energy to sound menacing, "Enter."
Like déjà vu, Lupin stood in the threshold.
"I assumed I'd find both of you here." He looked reluctant to continue.
"Albus sent you?" Severus guessed.
Remus nodded.
"How angry is he?"
"Seething would be the only appropriate word."
Hermione glanced at Severus, her eyes wide in fear.
Severus nodded.
"He wants to see both of you." Remus began to back out of the office, "Good luck."
There was a small crowd gathered around the stone gargoyle, waiting for them to show their faces. Hermione held her head high and refused to respond to any of the whispered insults flung at her.
Instead of springing aside as it usually did, the gargoyle stepped to the left slowly. Hermione felt her knees tremble as they climbed the staircase.
Outside the door Severus pulled her to him and kissed her with as much passion as he could muster.
"Just in case," he whispered when they broke apart. He pushed open they door and they were greeted with the sight of Dumbledore pacing and the sounds of the Headmasters and Headmistresses adorning the walls shouting their advice.
Everyone fell silent when Hermione and Severus stepped into the circular office.
"Sit." Dumbledore said through clenched teeth. Neither dared argue with him. "I want to know how long this has been going on behind my back," He demanded. Neither answered.
"Miss Granger, I command you to tell me." His normally kind blue eyes were wild and his face was contorted in rage.
"September." She said softly, gripping the arms of her chair tightly.
With this answer, Dumbledore seemed to lose most of his energy and he slumped into the chair behind his desk. Fawkes flew from his perch and landed on Dumbledore's shoulder.
"This is unacceptable behavior from a Head Girl and a staff member."
"So it would be different if I were some anonymous student then?" She challenged.
"As Head Girl you should be setting a positive example!" Albus thundered.
Hermione, to her credit, did not flinch or cower away from the livid Headmaster, and he turned instead on Severus.
"You disappoint me." He said coldly, "I trusted you. But it appears Ms. Skeeter is correct and you are no better than your comrades under Voldemort."
Severus' face colored somewhat and he said, his voice shockingly quiet, "What are you going to do, Albus? Sack me?"
"I ought to."
"You can't!" Hermione cried.
"Yes, I can, Miss Granger!"
"No," Severus met the Headmaster's gaze, "because he loses his spy if he forces me to leave."
"Then Miss Granger will be expelled."
Hermione realized, then, the problem Dumbledore faced. He wanted to have control, and to prove that he did, he was going to get rid of one of them.
"On what grounds?" Hermione glared at him. "I've read all the rulebooks and I've broken no rules. Not a single one of those books mentions anything outlawing student-teacher relationships." She realized, of course, that this was common sense, and hardly needed to be written down, but she refused to be thrown out unless he had an official rule to support his decision.
"There is no such rule because nothing of this nature has ever been a problem before. But rulebooks can be rewritten."
"If you expel her, then I'll be leaving too." Both Hermione and Dumbledore turned, surprised, toward Severus.
"Do you realize the danger you put her in, Severus?"
"She is much safer here with me than she would be out there," Severus said softly.
Dumbledore seemed to agree with this, albeit unwillingly.
"I cannot let this go unpunished."
"We have broken no rules."
"Miss Granger is no longer Head Girl." Dumbledore's sigh was one of defeat, "Past that, I have no control," he pinched the bridge of his crooked nose. "Get out of my sight, both of you."
They didn't need to be told twice.
On the staircase, Severus felt his mark burn. He hissed and Hermione looked up at him worriedly.
"I'll get a message to you when I return."