AN- You will probably notice a significant change at this point in the story. I'm now starting to get tired of the idea, so I'm just going to try to get it to a good stopping place in a few chapters. Hopefully you'll still enjoy it!
Chapter 14
January flew by as Hermione and Severus were both sucked back into teaching, reestablishing their routines and adjusting to their new relationship. Before they knew it, it was almost Valentine's Day. The Headmaster had mercifully decided that they did not need to have a Valentine's Day dance as there had already been one formal celebration. Some of the other professors did rally to make sure that Severus and Hermione both had Valentine's night off of hall duties, and Minerva volunteered to play with the girls so that they could go out. Severus made reservations at a nice restaurant in Hogsmeade. Hermione wasn't a big fan of the holiday, so he wanted to show her how much he loved her without making her feel cliché.
On the evening of Valentine's Day, Hermione met Severus at the front doors while Minerva had both of the girls in at dinner with the rest of the faculty and all the students. It was nice to dress up but still kind of sneak out of the castle. They walked arm in arm down the path to town. It was very different from the first time they had left school for dinner. For one thing, they were now both relaxed and enjoying being away from the children for a little while. For another, they were both quite bundled up as they trekked through two inches of the previous night's snowfall. Finally, they arrived at their destination- a charming little Greek restaurant.
"Oh Severus, that was amazing. I can't believe I didn't even know this place was here." Hermione said, as she leaned back into her chair following the meal.
"It's a gem to be sure. I'm glad you like it; it has been one of my favorites for several years now." he replied, sipping his water. They paid for the meal and walked outside to find that it was snowing lightly. They walked around Hogsmeade, laughing and talking about their relationship.
"Hermione, I wanted tonight to be special but not a cliché Valentine's Day. I just need to tell you that I love you more than anything else in the world." Severus said, pulling her to sit beside him on a bench overlooking Hogsmeade's town square.
"I love you too, Severus. Sometimes I love you so much I would shout it from the roof of Hogwarts if all the students wouldn't think I had completely lost my mind." Hermione replied. They kissed, but their love just wasn't enough to keep them warm; Hermione shivered.
Severus laughed. "How about we continue this discussion cozied up with some hot chocolate in a booth at the Three Broomsticks?" he suggested.
"Hot chocolate would be amazing." Hermione answered, standing up. They walked over to the Hogsmeade hot spot and settled in with large mugs of hot chocolate. An hour or so later they were back in Severus' rooms be grateful for someone else taking care of the girls and giving them the whole night to themselves.
At the very end of February Severus made a very important and very secret trip to Hogsmeade one day during his free period. It was difficult to go at a time when neither Hermione nor Zora nor Albus would be expecting him anywhere. He visited the same little shop where he bought Hermione's Christmas present and had a ring custom made. He worked with the house elves on a very special and top-secret plan to surprise Hermione. He knew how important the students were to her, so even though he was very against letting the students see anything related to their private life, Severus was willing to work his proposal in front of the whole school. It helped too that they had had several conversations about getting married, so he was positive that she wouldn't say no.
He had arranged with the house elves to have Hermione's favorite dessert, cheesecake with strawberry topping, this evening. They were to place the ring inside the piece of cake that would be appearing at Hermione's usual seat at the table. He got to dinner early to make sure that they would be sitting in their usual places. Everything would be perfect. Severus pondered the emotions he was feeling. If he knew what her answer was going to be, why were there butterflies the size of cauldrons in his stomach? He was glad Zoraida was right beside him to provide ample distraction. He hadn't mentioned anything to either of the girls, knowing that they would have a hard time keeping it a secret. Zora was chattering happily about how Hermione had promised to take them outside to play tomorrow afternoon if the weather was nice. Zora kept prattling off all the different games that she and Lil could play outside. The poor little girls hadn't been outside for very long at a time since fall. They had gone out to play in the snow some, but Lil didn't like being out there for long.
Hermione and Lil arrived just before the meal began and took their customary seats. Severus tried very hard to act casual. He must have been doing a bad job of it, since Hermione kept giving him funny looks. In Severus' opinion, this may have been the longest meal in the history of Hogwarts. He pushed food around his plate while Hermione delicately cut her roast chicken, which she seemed to be intent on eating at a painfully slow speed.
Finally, it was time for dessert to be served. Hermione didn't even notice the ring at first. It was sticking up from the cake just as he had requested. He didn't want her to choke on it accidentally.
"…so that was when I told him that he could either straighten up or plan of detentions with Mr. Filch from now until the end of the year." Hermione said, wrapping up her story. Severus stared at her cake while Hermione was gesturing with her fork. She noticed his gaze and looked down. She saw something shiny in her cheesecake and set down her fork, using her fingers to gently pull the object out. It was a diamond ring, and a fairly large one, in a white gold setting- just a simple diamond solitaire sitting in her dessert. She looked at Severus who was looking back at her as she wiped off the ring with her cloth napkin.
"Severus, is this what I think it is?" she asked quietly, barely breathing.
"If you think it is my quiet way of asking you if you would be my partner in life for the rest of eternity, then yes, it is. Hermione Jean Granger, will you marry me?" he asked quietly, almost whispering it. They were leaning towards each other now, almost as close as they could get while still each sitting in his or her own chair. Some of the others along the staff table had noticed the events occurring before their very eyes.
"Yes. With every fiber of my being, yes." Hermione whispered back. She through her arms around her new fiancé in a moment of reckless abandon. Severus, having his own moment, grinned wildly. The craning heads and awws coming from members of the faculty attracted the gaze of many of the students while Severus was sliding the ring onto Hermione's finger. The lovebirds looked at each other for a moment, unsure of what to do now. They both felt like snogging senselessly but were painfully aware of the room full of students and two little girls that were present. They would have to put off much further celebration until later on.
"Mum?" Lil asked, breaking the awkward moment, "Are you going to eat that cheesecake?"