Only one more day to the Yule holidays, and Hermione hadn't seen Snape privately since their joint bath. She had watched him covertly whenever she got the chance, but she wasn't pining for him like the women in the romance novels she had read.
She had no silly fantasies about a future liaison with him - no dreams about a fairy-tale marriage, or black-haired children, or a house with a cute little fence. She would be disappointed, though, if he'd push her away now.
Their eyes had met on a few occasions and both managed to keep up an indifferent mien. She was rather proud of herself. She had seen other girls who got all googly–eyed when the boy of their dreams got anywhere near them.
Keeping a professional, dispassionate look gave them the opportunity to gaze at each other quite often, without having to check guiltily if they had been observed.
Her friends had not even tried to reconcile with her. Well, Ron had been cheeky enough to ask for help with homework and had got angry when she had given him an incredulous stare and a flat refusal to even give him the names of relevant books.
"A good friend you are," he had said viciously before he left.
It had stung, even though she knew what a hypocrite he was. But she had some pride, and she knew that he would have gone back to ignoring her after he got what he wanted. It had been hard not to give in, but she had been strong.
She felt horribly alone, but the short periods of time she spend gazing at Snape were enough to tide her over until…
Well, she didn't know how to end that sentence, but it didn't matter. It was enough.
On Friday after classes were over, the majority of the students left Hogwarts. Among them Harry, Ron and Ginny, who had made an insincere invitation to the Burrow, emphasising that it was their mother who had asked her to come.
She had declined, of course. Now, she was the only Gryffindor except for two fifth year boys that had elected to stay.
The younger students were cordial but had no interest in befriending her. So Hermione at least had the common room to herself, choosing the best spot by the fire to read a book in absolute peace and quiet.
She only saw Severus during mealtimes. They never spoke other than asking the other to pass the gravy or the mash. But the fleeting looks they exchanged were a balm to her.
She suddenly missed Potions class but didn't dare ask for private tutoring or any such nonsense. Going to his rooms was equally an idea she quickly discarded. What would her excuse be? Let me in, sir, I missed the familiar smell of pickled bat-wings…
She didn't see him at all on Christmas Eve, and she felt a deep pang of disappointment that staggered her. Gods, she was in danger of turning into one of those googly-eyed bints that drooled at the mere sight of their lovers and pined for them after a five-minute separation.
Well, they weren't lovers as such, were they? Surely that term hinted to more than kissing and naked embraces… Was it sex that made someone a lover? Would the wish for intercourse make a lover if it is reciprocated? She had no idea. All she knew was that he was more than just a friend.
She had tried to find the teachers' bathroom again to no avail. Then she had spent some time in the kitchens, hoping to find him, but he wasn't there, and he didn't show up during the two hours she laboured over assorted Christmas cookies.
The next morning, she went straight to breakfast, not even bothering to look at the pile of presents under the tree in the common room, knowing that there was nothing for her anyway.
She saw him at breakfast and couldn't hide her happy smile as she greeted him. She kept the greeting impersonal enough and merely gave the assembled staff a cheery, "Merry Christmas!"
He seemed agitated, his eyes finding hers repeatedly only to look down at his plate with a frown quickly.
Hermione watched his odd behaviour for a while, her previous happiness evaporating with spectacular speed. With her track-record of losing friends, she feared the worst and almost choked on her scrambled egg as her throat closed with dread.
She stopped eating and clung to her mug of hot chocolate with trembling hands. She kept her eyes on her plate without seeing its contents, her mind helpfully providing many different break-up scenes.
When tears threatened, she got to her feet and hurried away without so much as a "Goodbye." She spent the next hour crying in her bed. When her tear ducts protested, and her wailing turned into a hacking cough that made her gag, she had enough. She picked up a stack of presents and marched out of the common room to make her way to the dungeons.
Her knees got weaker the closer she got to his rooms, and she muttered to herself as she forced her feet to walk faster. She knocked on his door with one perfunctory, almost angry, knock.
Severus walked to his door and his shoulders hunched automatically as he prepared himself for the cold wind that would hit him as soon as he opened the door. When he saw Hermione, his entire body relaxed, not even feeling the cold. The joy he felt at seeing her outweighed the icy draught.
"Mer… Christmas," she choked out and didn't look at him as she held out some presents.
"For me?" he asked surprised and saw her nod woodenly.
He was worried by her behaviour but took the presents from her only to see her dart away as soon as they left her hands.
"Miss Granger," he called alarmed and stepped fully into the corridor. "I… I have hot chocolate," he said, feeling like a teenaged amateur.
"If you want to… end things," she rasped, "I don't want hear it over hot chocolate," she said stiffly, not turning around.
"Why would you think…? I have no intention of doing… any such… thing." Useless amateur!
Now she turned, looking at him over her shoulder. He looked sweet in his bewilderment, the presents clutched to his chest.
"You were odd this morning," she said staunchly, still expecting some sort of trap.
"That was because…"
"Ah, Miss Granger," a new voice interrupted them. "I was hoping to find you here," the Headmaster said jovially, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. The old wizard put his hand on her shoulder and turned her like a pawn on a chess board, herding her into the Potions master's quarters.
"How nice of you to invite us in, Severus," he added to the dark-haired man that gaped at the turn of events.
"Sit, sit, my dear," Dumbledore said to Hermione and pushed her into a chair as if these were his rooms.
"You made hot chocolate, Severus? How thoughtful, my boy," he exclaimed and pushed the younger man into another chair, smiling broadly at the presents still in Snape's clutches.
"These were from…" Severus began stupidly, but shut himself up before he could say Hermione's name.
The Headmaster didn't inquire any further, but turned to Hermione.
"Miss Granger, did you know how talkative Hogwarts house-elves can be? They report to me, naturally, and can talk for hours about everything they deem important. Have you come across that piece of information during your S.P.E.W. days?"
"I… well, yes," she said timidly. She was quite sure he was talking about the time she'd spent with Severus in the kitchens.
"And, Severus, did you forget that the Headmaster is notified of whoever enters the Teachers' bathroom?"
Severus dropped his presents, which landed on the floor with a soft thump, as he nodded slowly.
"Do either of you know about school rule number two-hundred-forty-six, paragraph four?" he asked with a mad twinkle.
Hermione looked at a dumbfounded Severus with a questioning frown, before straightening her spine with a gasp. Then she nodded to Albus with a tentative smile.
"Splendid. Does Severus know about the same rule?" the old wizard asked, looking very pleased with himself.
Hermione shrugged and heard an impatient, "No," from Snape.
"Will you enlighten your… friend, please?" The Headmaster smiled indecently at her reddening face.
She turned towards Severus, who frowned at her in consternation.
"That school rule dates back to 1836 and states that a relationship between a teacher and a student is allowed to be taken to a… carnal level, if both parties are willing and uncoerced. The student also needs to be of age to make such an arrangement legal. A formal engagement between both parties is wished for and should be announced to the Headmaster. This stipulation is not mandatory."
Hermione had quoted from memory and was sure not to have missed any relevant details.
"What excellent memory, Miss Granger," Dumbledore chuckled. "Now that we are all a little bit wiser, I'd like to say that I would be very pleased to see the two of you together more often. At breakfast to start with, I think," he announced happily and left without another word, leaving two stunned people behind.