Author's Note: Thank you again to my wonderful beta Justine 34. Also, if you like this chapter, if you hate it, or are even indifferent, please review! I would love to get more feedback!
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is not mine.
The Florida heat had reached its zenith outside by the time Hermione and Severus had trudged back to their hotel room, both looking quite mussed with beads of sweat gathered at their brows. Without discussion, the couple threw themselves down on their king-size bed, lying atop the bedding, side by side, falling into a restful sleep immediately. Hours later, after awaking from their naps and going out for a light dinner, the couple returned to their hotel room. While Severus was ready to call it a night, Hermione was still stirring.
"Why don't we take a stroll on the nature trail?" Hermione suggested. "With the sun setting it shouldn't be too brutal out there. And you always enjoy a walk in the park."
"You make me sound like dog," Severus retorted, stretching out on the bed. It was actually true that Severus enjoyed strolls, but it had been quite a long day.
"Oh, don't dismiss it so quickly," Hermione coaxed. "It might be nice. You know… a quiet walk through the woods…with all those wonderful shadows to hide away in…"
Severus sat up slightly at the tone of seduction in her voice. It couldn't hurt, Severus reasoned to himself as he considered Hermione and all the possible opportunities. Instead of verbally agreeing, he let out a defeated sigh. With a gleeful smile, Hermione graced him with a kiss on the cheek, and the pair pulled on their trainers before venturing out of their hotel room once again.
The setting sun had indeed created some opportunistic shadows, and Severus was careful to note each and every one of them as they strolled down the dirt path which comprised the nature trail. All around them large pines arched above, dressed in curled moss and skirted by dwarfed shrubs and scraggly palm trees. Unfortunately, each of Severus' planned attempts at whisking Hermione into the shadows was interrupted by passing joggers or a random biker. He would just have to be satisfied with holding hands, and "accidentally" bumping into each other. Merlin, we're like adolescents,he thought with embarrassment as Hermione grinned up at him. But with the way her eyes lit up, he wasn't sure he minded.
"You know, my parents met while camping. In the Forest of Dean, actually," Hermione said conversationally as another set of joggers pounded by, clearly sweating from their exertion.
"Do all of your important life events occur there?" Severus asked sardonically. Recognizing his reference, Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Yes, well, that's how it came to mind while Harry, Ron and I were on the run. My parents and I used to camp there every year."
"I never took your parents for naturalists," Severus said with a snort, imagining her bookish, germaphobic parents huddled in a tent.
"Oh, no, they most certainly are not," Hermione agreed readily. "Actually, they bonded over their mutual dislike for the outdoors. Growing up, we would take trips out there in honor of where they met, but they could never last more than one night before we were driving in search of the comfort of a proper bed-and-breakfast."
"What a way to meet," Snape commented.
"Well, the way we met is a bit bizarre, too," Hermione pointed out, nudging him playfully.
"You mean in the classroom as teacher and student? I think the word you were searching for was perverse."
"No! You know what I mean," Hermione exclaimed, nudging him a little harder this time. "When we met in a friendly, collegial sense."
Severus smirked slightly. "Oh, you mean when you bowled me over in that bookstore five years ago? I'm not sure how that's much better."
"Well, it's not illegal, first of all," Hermione replied with a laugh. "And, I don't know, it's quite telling of our personalities. You know our matching thirst for knowledge."
"Thirst? My dear, I believe yours is more of a violent compulsion."
"Hey! I was looking for that book for weeks!" Hermione argued. "It was the only copy left in the city, and I'm sure you had connections elsewhere." Severus could only roll his eyes.
"I was a spy, not a small-time gangster. The only black market I'm aware of is the one where I buy my clothing."
Hermione gave him a dubious look but said, "Touché. Anyway, if I hadn't knocked you down, I don't know how else I would have gotten up the nerve to invite you to tea that day."
"Oh, I'm sure you could have come up with other violent means," Severus jibed with a smirk. Hermione huffed slightly and raised her hand to give him a playful slap, but instead found herself yanked against Severus' chest. How does this man always manage to catch me off-guard?
Still smirking, Severus released her hand in favor of tipping her head up and moving to capture her lips with his own. As his arms moved to enclose her waist, and her own snaked around his neck, they were disturbed by the sound of sniffling. Hermione moved sharply, seeking the source of the sound, while Severus irritably found himself kissing her cheek. Perhaps if I just …Severus thought as he trailed his lips along her jaw line. But Hermione's curiosity could not be quelled, and Severus soon found himself holding back a groan of frustration as Hermione ventured over to a nearby palm.
"Oh, hello there," Hermione said softly as she parted the palm's branches. Arriving behind her, Severus' eyes fell upon a small boy with reddened, tear-stained cheeks. It took him a few moments to recognize him as the auburn-haired boy who had pelted him with the Quaffle while waiting for the Portkey several days before. Despite his general and indiscriminate distaste for anyone under the age of eighteen, he was disgusted to find himself feeling sympathy for the same twit who had nearly dislocated his kneecap.
Hermione crouched down to eye-level with the boy, who was too timid to make eye contact. "Are you lost?" she asked delicately, careful not to frighten him. The boy looked at her and wore a look of relief, until his gaze shifted up to Severus. Noticing the boy's renewed panic, Hermione motioned to Severus to join her on the ground, something he did with an eye-roll.
"You're from Britain, too, aren't you?" Hermione continued. "You're a wizard?" The boy nodded silently, training his eyes on her, though they lingered towards Severus every now and then.
"Well, don't worry," Hermione assured him. "We'll get you back to your family safe and sound, won't we, Severus?" Severus simply grunted and attempted to not to look too terrifying, a rather difficult feat. Sniffling slightly, the boy nodded again, standing up and dusting himself off. Hermione and Severus followed. Looking unsure, the boy reached up to take Hermione's hand. As his little fingers wrapped around Hermione's larger ones, she gave him a tender smile before turning her head to share it with Severus. Severus simply grunted again and motioned for them to move forward.
As they walked along the trail, Hermione attempted to engage the auburn-haired boy in conversation. What was his name? Where in Britain was he from? Where did he last see his family? Each question hung unanswered as the boy stared down at the ground, silent tears still streaming down his cheeks. The only comfort was that he still gripped her hand tightly as they walked.
Seeing Hermione's increasing discomfort, Severus gave it a try.
"Are you Quidditch fan?" he asked half-heartedly. The boy looked up slightly at Severus, but then bowed his head down once more.
"Well, you must be," Severus continued. "You nearly took my leg off with that Quaffle of yours." He tried to gentle his voice, but it came out as a raspy whisper, sounding more threatening than he intended. However, the boy looked up once again, and seemed to see no malice because he finally answered a question.
"I like Puddlemere United," he said quietly. Hermione swiftly caught Severus' gaze and gave him a look that urged him to keep going.
"Oh, a fine team they are," Severus responded awkwardly. He honestly didn't have the faintest idea about Quidditch; he barely even paid attention at Hogwarts, just glanced at the scoreboard to see if he'd won the pot.
"So, what do you think of their chances next season?" he asked the boy, fishing deep into his shallow reservoir of knowledge. This seemed to do the trick; the boy was animated now, listing statistics, calling out players names. Severus did his best to look interested, wearing a look that Hermione might recognize from when she waxed poetic about house-elf rights and the finer points of Jane Austen. She didn't seem to mind, though, if her beaming smile was any indication.
The trio soon found themselves out of the woods and on the beach of Bay Lake, the body of water on which the Wilderness Lodge sat. Suddenly, the boy let out a whoop, and unceremoniously dropped Hermione's hand as he ran towards the beach. Reaching a distraught couple, the boy threw his arms around the woman, who gave a "oh" of surprise before wrapping her son into a tight hug. The dad ruffled the boy's hair and gave a wave to Hermione and Severus, who were now approaching.
"Thank you so much for finding Daniel," Daniel's father said, shaking their hands gratefully. "We lost track of him somewhere along the trail."
"It was our pleasure," Hermione gushed, though Severus looked as if he thought otherwise. "We're just glad to have found you." The mother looked up at them, still hugging her son closely.
"Wait, are you two…?" she asked as her look of recognition morphed into shock.
"Just good Samaritans," Severus replied, a little sarcastically. The mother smiled and returned to whispering comforting words into Daniel's ear.
As Severus and Hermione walked away from the family, they paused on the beach to stare out into the lake. Several families were assembled there, sitting on beach towels and chairs.
"So, what's happened to Severus Snape, the most feared, evil, and snarky teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" Hermione asked with amusement, staring up at her man. Severus chose to simply shrug noncommittally, training his eyes on the cresting waves of the lake. At the moment, he felt a little uncomfortable with the admiring looks Hermione kept throwing him. I was just trying to help Hermione, that's all, he told himself. It doesn't mean I'm cut out for anything except being a curmudgeonly old bastard.
Hermione appeared to have more to say on the subject, but before she could, they both caught sight of shimmering lights, which were floating through the bay towards them. As the lights moved closer, it became clear that they were lighted floats in the shapes of various sea creatures, such as sea horses and dolphins. All around them, the gasps and cheers of children could be heard as their figures became evident. Calypso music accompanied the water parade's progress, as more creatures, mythical and otherwise, were revealed. Her eyes glittering as brightly as the floats, Hermione sighed, leaning her head on Severus' shoulder. Wrapping his arm around her waist, Severus moved his head against hers, enjoying their moment of peace.
For the first time that week, Severus awoke before Hermione. He wasn't pleasantly woken by the tickle of Hermione's curls, or a sweet whisper or caress. No, it was the sudden lack of oxygen as his heart began to race uncontrollably, as well as the disgusting feeling of sweat soaking his pajamas. In short, it was a panic attack. The stoic Severus Snape was awoken by a panic attack. To be more specific, it was a panic attack spurred by perhaps one of his worst nightmares to date. It wasn't, as one might first guess, one involving gigantic serpents, a nose-less master with slit, red eyes, a dying love, or even a poisoned lemon drop out of Albus Dumbledore's prized candy dish. This one was oddly… domestic.
The dream began with Severus arriving at his home in Spinner's End, a home he had not occupied since he had moved into Hermione's flat. It was perfectly ordinary, just as dilapidated as he remembered it, and nothing occurred to raise Severus' suspicions. He placed his traveling cloak on the rack by the door, and made his way to the kitchen to prepare a cup of tea. That was when things began to seem off. For one, the normally mildewed kitchen had been scrubbed clean, the rusty pots now had a metallic sheen, and there seemed to be food, actual food, cooking on the stove. And then there was Hermione. Looking much like she did in real life, her hair twisted in a knot behind her head, she hummed as she stirred one of the pots on the stove.
"Hermione?" Severus asked tentatively, surprised to find her in his childhood home.
"Severus! You're home!" she nearly sang, her voice hitting an unnatural pitch as she turned towards him. That was when he saw it; underneath the white apron and the rather dumpy, off-green dress, was a very large and very obvious, baby bump.
"You're, you're pregnant?" Severus stuttered incredulously, feeling a nervous bead of sweat slide down his neck.
"Of course I am!" Hermione said rather shrilly, her voice taking on that rather sing-song quality once again. "You should know, you were there, silly!" Severus cringed. That was rather crude for Hermione.
"And... you're cooking?" Severus asked, watching his culinary-challenged wife sprinkle some salt over the pot before taking a tasting sip. "You hate cooking!"
"Well, I very well had to get over that, didn't I?" she replied, taking on a sterner tone. "After all, someone has to feed our brood." Before Severus could ask what on earth she was referring to, he heard what sounded like herd of centaurs clunking down the hall, the sound growing closer and closer until the door of the kitchen slammed open. That was when Severus first felt his chest constrict. Five (FIVE!) children stood before him, all differing heights, but all with one face- his. Most disturbingly, even the girls shared his Snape-ish features, including his morning stubble. However, it wasn't until the smaller Snapes began to crawl on top of him, all chirping "Daddy, Daddy," that Severus truly began to feel the pressure. In the dream he thought it might have been one of the children, strangling him as they sought to climb further on top of him, but when he awoke, gasping for air, it became clear that he had simply been scared.
"Severus?" Hermione asked groggily, waking up.
"It's nothing, go back to sleep," Severus directed weakly, trying to calm himself. Hermione shifted under the covers, reaching over to take his hand.
"You're burning up," Hermione gasped, feeling the heat radiating from his body. "Are you feeling ill? I could run down to the gift shop. The medicine's Muggle, but I'm sure-"
"That won't be necessary," Severus said, effectively cutting Hermione off. "I … I just need a cold shower." With that, Severus extricated himself from the bed and slipped into the bathroom, shutting the door quickly behind him. Hermione, left to wonder what could possibly be wrong, began to drift off to sleep once more when a brisk knock came at the door. Rising from the bed in a post-doze haze, and slipping on a dressing gown over her shoulders, Hermione opened the door to reveal Lynne, smiling as usual, with two round boxes in hand.
"Sorry to wake you, Hermione, but I didn't want to send you off to your character breakfast without these." Hermione peered at the boxes curiously before realization spurred her sleepy mind.
"Oh, the hats! Thank you, Lynne! I had completely forgotten." Accepting both the boxes and the whispered wish of good luck, Hermione shut the door and returned to bed. Sitting in the middle of it, with the two boxes in front of her, Hermione carefully removed the lids to reveal a silk-lined interior, cushioning two black, polyester hats. On top of each sat two pairs of round, plastic ears. Picking up one hat for closer examination, Hermione noted that the front was marked with a red and white patch with Mickey Mouse at the center, and the back had Hermione written in wispy cursive letters with gold thread. Brimming with excitement, Hermione jammed hers on, carelessly pulling the attached elastic strap under her chin. As a result, the strap snapped back, assaulting Hermione.
"Ouch!" Hermione bit out, forgetting to keep her voice down. Right at that moment, Severus emerged from the bathroom, looking far more relaxed, a towel wrapped around his waist.
"Well, I hope whatever you've packed for me to wear today lacks palm trees. I'm completely sick of..." Severus paused as he stared at Hermione, or rather, what was on her head. "What is that?"
Taking a fortifying breath, Hermione explained, "They're Mickey ears."
"People dress up like that rodent?" Severus asked with obvious disgust. Catching sight of the second box, he muttered, "And you want me to as well."
"Just try them on," Hermione said, patting a spot on the bed next to her. Growling, Severus joined her. Hermione then took his hat out of the box and placed it on his head, careful not to snap the elastic strap this time. As he turned towards her, Hermione briefly considered stuffing her fist in her mouth to prevent the uproarious laughter bubbling. Severus looked like the oldest, snarkiest, most displeased member the Mickey Mouse Club she had ever seen.
"I look foolish, don't I?" Severus asked through gritted teeth.
Biting her cheeks to keep from smiling, Hermione said, "No, no, you look…" But she couldn't finish, and a snort escaped her. Severus went to stand, but before he could stomp off, Hermione pulled him down by his shoulder.
"Well, I'm glad I'm so amusing," Severus muttered. His anger ebbed slightly as Hermione caressed his cheek.
"I'm sorry!" she apologized, smiling. "Look, I know this is the umpteenth time I've said this, but you really have been terribly understanding this whole trip. Besides, what I was going to say is that you look cute." At his stony look, she said, "I mean, broodingly handsome." He harrumphed in response, but before he could protest further, she had leaned in for a kiss. Though surprised at first, Severus quickly placed his hands behind her head, pulling her closer, while Hermione's hands ghosted down his chest. As the kiss deepened, her hands slid lower and lower, until he was vaguely aware of their proximity to his toweled waist. Instead of arousing him, however, this awareness caused him to push her away, stumbling off the bed, all the while holding his towel firmly in place.
Look slightly dazed, Hermione asked, "What's wrong?" Severus looked at her, her hair tousled and her lips delicately red from their kiss, and all he could see were the five Snape children, yelling and crawling.
"We should be getting ready, right? For breakfast?" Severus asked desperately, grasping for an explanation outside of the truth.
"Uh, yes, I suppose we should," Hermione replied, unsure if she should be offended. Taking off her Mickey ears, Hermione threw Severus another puzzled look before going into the bathroom to get ready. Sighing, Snape took off his own hat and placed it beside him on the bed, unsure of what the day would bring.
Severus was relieved to see Hermione was not treating him strangely after he practically ran from her, mid-snog. Though she did keep looking up at him, there was no sign that she felt the need to have him committed to some mental institution. For his own part, Severus tried to remain calm as they walked through the sea of people separating them from the entrance of the Magic Kingdom. Every now and then, he would still twitch slightly as he caught sight of a child with shoulder-length black hair, but could breathe again once they were revealed to be lacking his other features.
Reaching the front of the crowd, a greeter in a simple light blue shirt and khaki shorts allowed them past the rope, as their breakfast reservations were prior to official park opening. Walking through the tunnel underneath the iconic Main Street Railroad Station, Severus noted that Hermione had been unusually quiet this entire morning, and started to wonder whether he was wrong about her reaction to this morning's earlier debacle. Then they entered Town Square of Main Street U.S.A , and the reason for Hermione's unusual silence was made clear.
Idyllic was the first word that came to mind as Severus stared down the deserted road known as Main Street U.S.A. Lining the street were turn-of-the-century, multi-storied shops trimmed in white with colorful window displays and quaint advertisements written in gold. The sidewalks were dotted with freshly-trimmed trees and forest green lampposts, and even the red sidewalks and the asphalt road look brand new, without even a stray gum wrapper tarnishing them. As they passed, shop employees would lean out of the buildings, greeting them with smiles and enthusiastic waves. And then there was Cinderella's Castle, with its silver stone towers, blue turrets, and a large iron gate, which stood majestically at the end of the street. Looking over at Hermione, Severus could see her eyes were wet with actual tears. Feeling her excitement, Severus took her hand as they walked down Main Street to their destination, the Crystal Palace.
Not unlike the rest of Main Street, the Crystal Palace was pristine, with its creamy white exterior, outlined by small columns. The building was topped by three large glass domes, the most ornate of the three at the building's center. The large glass windows which surrounded the building gave it a true feeling of being "crystal." Stepping inside, the couple found themselves taken aback by the elegance of the restaurant. Despite their fellow diners, who all seemed to be wearing their most ragged beachwear, the white interior, complete with hanging, orbed lights, black wrought iron chairs and detailed floral arrangements (including a Winnie the Pooh topiary), gave the restaurant a light and airy feel.
Seated near the buffet, Severus felt relaxed for the first time that morning. The food was served buffet-style with a wide variety of hearty breakfast choices which reminded him a traditional English breakfast, except without the black pudding. The early morning crowd was quiet, save for a few squealing kids, as the costumed characters approached.
Looking up from her plate, Hermione commented, "You seem a lot more relaxed than you did earlier this morning."
"Just needed breakfast, I guess," Severus replied before taking another bite of sausage. Hermione smiled, but then her eyes widened.
"Well, just remember that relaxed feeling," she offered. Wondering what she was going on about, Severus turned in his seat to see the approach of not one, but a gang of costumed characters. Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet were all ambling towards their table at a frightening pace.
"You have got to be kidding me," Severus groaned. Hermione only shrugged in response before digging frantically in her handbag. Before the group arrived, she had unearthed a Muggle camera, a small notepad, and a large black marker. Eyeing the items before him, Severus elected to simply shake his head instead of verbally expressing his thoughts on the issue. Suddenly, a shadow descended on the table as four figures surrounded it. Severus looked up to see the very large, furry faces of the Hundred Acre Wood.
Well, this isn't very conducive to digestion,Severus thought as he watched Hermione cavort with the hulking creatures, sharing hugs, asking for autographs, demanding Severus photograph evidence of her obvious mental breakdown. Not that he got away with simply observing. He too was pulled into a literal bear hug as the tiger hopped around behind him, making bunny ears behind his head while Hermione snapped picture after picture. Severus began to imagine the many possibilities available for him to "accidentally" destroy the camera as flash after flash occurred.
Once the characters had finally left the table, the couple settled down for their last cups of coffee before continuing the rest of their day in the park. However, a commotion in another corner of the restaurant distracted them once more. A man, clad in blue athletic shorts, a tie-dye shirt, and even worse, a hat outfitted to look like the rear end of Donald Duck, had gotten down on one knee and proposed marriage to his dining companion, whose outfit matched his save for her plastic, silver crown lined with pink feathers.
"Could they look any more ridiculous?" Severus scoffed, watching the women accept the proposal and wrap her arms around the man in a loving embrace.
"I wouldn't want to know how," Hermione said with a small laugh, though she sobered after a moment. "Although, it is kind of sweet when two people find each other and live happily ever after."
Severus wondered if the room had suddenly gotten warmer, as he felt himself start to perspire slightly. Looking over to see if Hermione had noticed, he found her still eyeing the couple with what he could only describe as a look of longing as they held hands across the table, the woman still admiring her ring.
However, Severus couldn't concentrate on the subject much further, as the costumed characters had returned to the room, pulling children out of their seats as they went. Then, with much fanfare, they all formed a line with the children, parading through the restaurant. Severus' usual irritation was overcome by the creeping increase of his heart beat as the line of children and characters neared his table. This was because the closer they got, the more and more the children looked like the children in his dream, and that is to say, like him. He felt himself starting to descend once again into panic, and stood abruptly from the table.
"Could you settle things up?" Severus asked, almost gasping, after leaving his wallet on the table. Hermione asked him something, perhaps if he was okay, but he just couldn't hear it over the pounding blood in his ears. Weaving through the tables, he nearly ran out of the restaurant, taking a deep breath of fresh air once outside.
Rubbing his face slightly, Severus growled in frustration, "This is bloody ridiculous!" As he waited for Hermione to join him, he couldn't help but wonder what the bloody hell was wrong with him today.
"Well, that was cute ride," Hermione said as the couple exited the darkened, drafty halls of the Haunted Mansion.
"Cute," Severus echoed blankly. Looking over at Severus, Hermione noted that he looked, for lack of a better word, spooked. It wasn't due to the Haunted Mansion itself; the name was a bit of a misnomer, with a more fun and festive feel than a legitimate haunted house. Anyway, he had much the same look when the skipper had cracked a joke about him on the Jungle Cruise, when they had watched animatronic pirates pillage and plunder on Pirates of the Caribbean, and even when they were thrown up and down by the spirited train on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. She had briefly considered taking him on Splash Mountain, if only because the eighty foot drop and wall of accompanying water might wake him out of his funk, but she wasn't sure what version of Severus would appear immediately afterwards. Instead, she had elected to bring him to the Haunted Mansion, where she hoped the dim lighting and the dank surroundings might at least remind him of his old home and shake him out of this mood. Apparently, no such luck.
Finding themselves in Fantasyland, Hermione was at a loss. It was true that she could continue to drag Severus on rides, while he continued to have no reaction to the madness that was occurring around him, but she was starting to find that even a scathing response was better than no response at all. She wanted her Severus back. As she scanned the area, looking for some ride which might do the trick, she spotted a carousel. This has to work, she thought brightly, considering the commotion he would put up at being forced to ride a plastic horse among five year-olds.
Pulling him slightly by the hand, she exclaimed, "Look, Severus, a carousel! Wouldn't that be fun?" Severus simply nodded, following her obediently. Finally pushed to the edge, Hermione pulled him aside.
"Severus, you need to tell me what's wrong," she pleaded, trying to catch his eye. "Clearly you're upset, or sick, or something, but I can't help you if you don't tell me!"
"It's nothing," Severus muttered, purposely looking elsewhere.
"Don't lie to me! Severus, you just agreed to ride a carousel!"
"It's of little importance," Severus said, starting to walk towards the carousel once more.
"No! There's a reason, and I want to know right now!" Hermione watched as Severus, for the first time since breakfast, truly reacted to something. His face darkened and his eyes narrowed as he walked back to where Hermione was standing.
"Well, isn't this what you wanted? For me to just follow you around like a dog?" Severus accused, leaning towards her aggressively.
"Of course not! Why would I want that?" Hermione responded, looking slightly taken aback by the accusation.
"Then why did you drag me here, Hermione? You knew I didn't want to come here."
"You didn't have to; I didn't make you do anything." Severus let out a dangerous laugh at this.
"So, it wasn't all just some plan? Dragging me here, forcing me to participate in these childish activities."
"Severus," Hermione said in a low, calming voice in response to his raised one, "there is no plan. I don't know what you're talking about."
"Of course you do," Severus said as his voice continued to get louder. "You thought you could take me here and fix my childhood. Then, I would be eager to marry you, right? Give you a family?"
"Severus…" Hermione said cautiously, trying to get control of the conversation.
"Well, look at me!" he shouted, gaining the attention of others passing by. "I'm not Prince Charming, am I? All of your little fantasies and childish dreams, you can have them."
"I don't understand where this is all coming from," Hermione pleaded.
"Then I guess you don't understand me at all." With that petulant statement, Severus walked off, leaving behind a confused Hermione, tears running down her cheeks. When he had gone so far into the crowd she could no longer see him, she peered around, realizing again where she was. Other guests were whispering to each other, mostly likely discussing the argument they just saw. Sniffling, Hermione wiped the tears from her cheeks and hurried off, completely unsure of where she was going, but positive that she needed to get out of there.
Severus broodingly stared out over Bay Lake as he rode the water taxi back to the resort. His mind was jumbled with dozens of thoughts at the moment, all conflicting. One, however, seemed to scream loudly enough to be heard clearly. You are a complete and utter jackass, Severus Snape.If Hermione wasn't going to say it, he would. Perhaps after all of these years of going out of his way to prove he wasn't a coward, he had finally found a way to prove his detractors right.
Severus had been so caught up in berating himself that he hadn't noticed that his fellow passengers were in fact the couple from breakfast. Still beaming, they were in the middle of animatedly retelling the proposal story to the boat's skipper when Severus finally took note. Oddly enough, it was only a minute later that, almost magically, the soon-to-be groom had somehow flipped over the railing and fallen into the murky waters of Bay Lake. Though easily rescued, the whole thing seemed strange, especially since he hadn't even been leaning on the rail.
While Severus watched as the man was pulled out of the water, he couldn't help but think that he felt a little better.
