Minerva eyed them with narrowed eyes, looking for any signs of frantic kissing or fondling that might have taken place, but didn't see a hair out of line. Then she saw the stupidity of her action: One would never notice if Hermione had mussed hair, as it looked windswept every day, and Severus' lank locks were too greasy to do anything other than hang down limply.
She found herself turning back to the Headmaster, waiting for him to begin the next discussion, and found a glower sent her way. She answered it with a guilty, yet annoyed eye-roll. Albus really presumed a bit much by expecting her to just let the two bonded people do as they wished.
She must have looked a bit too head-strong and unwilling to relent, as Albus first words made her fidget in embarrassment.
"If Minerva is quite finished looking for any signs of copulation, we can continue with our talk," Albus said bluntly with an unamused stare in Minerva's direction.
Minerva wasn't the only one to turn red with these outspoken words, but Hermione's cheeks filled with colour due to her rising anger. She gave her Head-of-House a grim look, and demonstrably pulled her chair away from McGonagall to place it next to Snape.
The man didn't now whether to be grateful for her silent defence or worried about how it might look. He did what he did best: look unaffected. But even that got miraculously hard whenever he was in the young woman's presence.
"Let's get back to why we are meeting in the first place," Dumbledore began. His intense eyes looked at no one but Hermione. "We can all understand that circumstances have had a profound effect on you, and it must be hard to try and just get on with your life. Everyone has a different way of dealing with heavy burdens, and I won't begrudge you yours, but it is affecting your classes, and your social life."
"I've only had two days worth of classes," Hermione threw in. "You can hardly say that my academic career is in jeopardy. Besides, I cannot recall ever having much of a social life."
Albus nodded. "That is true, but you don't seem overly eager to even acquire a new wand to actually take part in your lessons again. We are a magical school, and a wand is imperative," he said, and Hermione was fairly sure to detect some humour in his voice.
"Maybe I can get one on Friday, either before or after my parents'… burial," she proposed, indicating Severus with a nod in his direction. Her voice remained steady, but she swallowed hard at the mere thought of going shopping on the day she would bury her parents under heavy layers of soil.
"That might be for the best," the Headmaster said, glad to have one thing resolved. "The other thing we wanted to talk about the request you have made of Poppy."
Hermione shifted in her chair, not sure where this was going.
"It is highly unusual to take on an apprentice or even an assistant while he or she is still a student." He saw her face fall a little, and smiled to himself.
Only Severus' showed his surprise at her pessimistic behaviour. Just a few weeks ago she probably would have tried to argue with the Headmaster and would have given a detailed argumentation why she should be allowed to work with Poppy, complete with a five foot long essay to undermine her reasoning.
But the expected pain in his chest kept to a minimum, and he wondered what that was about. Had she expected her chances of being accepted by Poppy been low in the first place? Surely she must know how much the nurse seemed to like her, by now.
"What we can offer you is unprecedented, but the Ministry has given its agreement to our idea," Albus continued, seeing her renewed interest. "You could take your N.E.W.T.'s early and begin as Poppy's official trainee. That offer only stands, unfortunately, if you want to begin an actual career in Mediwizardry; merely wanting to try out the subject wasn't enough for the Ministry."
Hermione sat motionless, a concentrated frown marring her already over-tired features. She hardly knew what she wanted anymore. One moment she would love to leave teh wizarding world behind and at that it entailed, the next she couldn't imagine a life away from the castle... Her mind was a jumbled mess.
Poppy looked already disappointed that Hermione hadn't jumped at the offer, while Severus desperately wanted to know what she was thinking. His fingertips tingled as his mind told him to just delve into her thoughts, but he doubted that it would go over well.
"Would it be possible to just take my exams early and leave school before the year is out?" Hermione was careful not to look at Poppy, but saw her slump out of the corner of her eye. She felt like a huge disappointment. She seemed to have a sudden knack for letting down those she cared for.
Albus looked disturbed; that had not been part of his plan. "Well, no. That is unfortunately not possible."
"How long is the training?" she asked, finally turning to Poppy with guilty tears in her eyes.
The nurse cleared her throat. "Only three years for the general education. During that time you are to choose a field of special interest, and that usually adds a few more years to the training, depending on which field you would chose."
"Can I think about it?" Hermione croaked; miserable tears running down her face.
Severus grimaced, finally feeling her distress. His hand rubbed his chest, knowing that the action was futile.
"I'm sorry," Hermione said to Poppy and to the man next to her, as she noticed his discomfort.
Poppy gave her a wobbly smile, while Severus reached over to her, trying to make her lose her death grip on her skirt before she could tear the material. He was slightly discomfited when Hermione grasped his hand and held it tight, pressing it against her chest to calm herself.
Minerva didn't like to see her in so much anguish, and seeing her cling to Severus and fearing that the the girl would crawl into the man's lap made her speak up.
"You'd get your own quarters, of course. You won't be able to sleep in the infirmary, but nearby. You can eat with your mentor, or at the Head Table."
"Then I'd really like to do it," Hermione rushed out, smiling at Minerva and Poppy.
Severus winced mildly, as his student practically crushed his thin fingers with a happy smile on her face. She made a lovely picture, he found, with her wet but luminous eyes.
"Don't rush into this if this profession is not for you. You'd be stuck with me for at least three years," Poppy warned, secretly hoping not to make the girl change her mind again.
"I have always been interested in Mediwizardry," Hermione said earnestly, playing with Snape's fingers absentmindedly. "It has always been on the top of possible jobs."
"Not wanting to follow Potter's aspiration to become an Auror?" Severus asked, trying not to purr under her unwitting caress. No one had ever stroked this body part, he thought, but pushed that uncomfortable fact aside.
"No," she said aghast at the idea. "I'm more of a caring, nurturing person. Blasting people out of their robes is not my greatest ambition."
Even Minerva laughed at her description of the sought-after Auror job, trying not to cringe at the continued attraction Severus' fingers held for the student.
"There's no need to clean my fingernails," Severus said dryly, and chuckled at Hermione's embarrassed "Oh" as she handed his arm back over with a blush.
"I'm glad we have that sorted, my dear. We have already come up with a lesson plan for the next few weeks. You have a months to prepare for your N.E.W.T.s, and we assumed you might want some time to study," the Headmaster said, handing Hermione a piece of parchment with her schedule.
Albus looked at the brilliant young woman, slightly surprised by her utter lack of stress. Normally, the word 'exam' had Hermione running in circles, and everyone suffered under her tenacious need to fill every spare second with revision. Now she only nodded with the tiniest of smiles.
When no further questions arose, Dumbledore continued. "Now, we still have one thing to do," he said. "We would like to test your bond, if that's okay with you," he said, looking at Hermione.
"You have to ask him as well, not just me." Hermione pointed at her Potions professor. "As it affects us both, you need his permission, too," she said staunchly, making the others smile at her sense of fairness.
"I have already asked him, my dear," Albus reassured her with a twinkle.
"Oh, well, yes, then, I think," she stuttered, feeling a little idiotic.
"Very well," the Headmaster said with a beam, leaning back in his chair to guide the proceedings. "Before we start, I'd like to remind all of you not to reveal anything we see tonight."
Everyone nodded, except for Severus. But then he was used to secrecy.
"We should start with another test of the Disillusionment Charm. Let's see if it still works. Severus, if you could?"
Severus stood and disappeared from view and must have added a Silencing Charm again, as the teachers' faces swivelled around the room with narrowed eyes, as they tried to pinpoint his location.
"Miss Granger, can you still see him?"
"Yes, he's stroking Fawkes," she said and smiled at the Professor who was indeed caressing the impressive bird's plumage with incredibly soft strokes. He stopped when he ended both charms, and returned to his seat.
"Was he still… shimmering?"
Hermione nodded. "Yes, he's... rippling like a reflection in the water."
"Well, now your turn, Miss Granger," the Headmaster said with obvious delight. He was just like a child as it discovered something new.
Hermione did as she was told, and moved her invisible body over to the huge bookshelves on the far wall.
She studied the titles with fascination, finally finding some interest in her beloved books again. She doubted she had the energy to read as much and as often as she used to, but the thirst for the written word was back, it seemed.
"Finite Incantatem," she dimly heard and only turned at the sound of laughter. Snape had his wand trained on her with a lop-sided grin. The others were equally amused. Apparently, she had failed to pay attention, and forgot to end the spells when Snape had pointed her out. He had to do it for her, only to make her reappear with a hand stretched out to reach a book.
"Marvellous," Albus exclaimed, as a blushing Hermione sat back down in her chair. "So, can you read each other's thoughts yet?"
"No," Severus said harshly. "And we will not be testing that," he ordered.
The old wizard held his hand up in a pacifying gesture. "Poppy told me about the one case she had witnessed, and…"
"Oh, really?" Hermione interrupted, looking at the nurse with slightly reproachful eyes. "I didn't know there is a documented case."
"Sorry, dear, I only told Severus. It was all so new, and… Sorry."
Hermione nodded in understanding, but was still a bit miffed for not having all the information.
"As I was saying," Albus began again, not disturbed by the small pause. "That couple…"
"A couple?" Hermione couldn't help but interject, but quickly subsided. "Sorry," she muttered, gesturing Albus to continue. The black-haired man next to her snorted in amusement.
"That couple could sense each other's moods, even when apart. That could be similar to the feelings of distress you sense from each other. Have you felt feelings from your bonded?"
'My bonded,' Severus thought and felt a shudder run down his front, ending in a sizzling feeling low in his tummy. It felt good, and he wished he could close his eyes to savour the feeling.
"I haven't," he heard Hermione say, and he also shook his head, not wanting to disturb the still lingering feeling by talking.
"Anything else you have discovered, other than being able to soothe your troubled souls by touch?"
His poetic wording made Hermione grin at him with surprise. "You must be a romantic at heart," she blurted out, forgetting for a second who she was talking to. "Sorry, don't mind me," she rushed out, feeling another blush creep over her cheeks.
Severus hadn't been this amused in years and unabashedly grinned. She could be so endearing.
"Will you stop snorting!" the young woman hissed at him, only making him grin wider. "Poppy should have a look at that sinus problem, or is that a natural noise?" she grumbled, but was quite fascinated by the unprecedented behaviour from the normally grim man.
"Cheeky snitch," he chortled, before remembering that they weren't alone. He cleared his throat, but couldn't quite wipe the smile off his face.
Albus found their interplay fascinating, and he was pleased to see the changes the young lady's presence had on Severus in such a short time.
"Has either of you noticed when you stopped addressing each other properly? I cannot recall the last time I've heard a 'Miss Granger' or a 'Professor' from you," Dumbledore asked.
That brought both back to earth, and they looked at each other with mirroring puzzled expressions.
"Never mind, I don't want an answer, just be careful when you are amongst others," Albus warned.
"Well, unless anyone else wants to say something, I only have one last question," he continued. When no one had anything to add, he spoke again. "I know any touch between you is calming, but especially the region of your chests is the most effective, am I right?" Both Severus and Hermione nodded guardedly. "What would actually happen if you were to remove your clothing before touching?" he asked eagerly.
"Wait! What?" Minerva was sputtering loudly. "You want them to… They cannot… ALBUS!"