-=-=-=-Chapter 25: The Return Home -=-=-=-=-
Hermione yawned and waved goodbye to Ginny as she took the train out. She had made sure her friend had a good send-off, though she made a metal note to bring a detox potion or something similar just in case Ginny got inebriated again. Once Ginny was out of sight, Hermione let her face return to a more stoical expression. The social chatter from the pub had been like flies buzzing around her head. Being social was becoming more wearisome. It had been good seeing her, but there was a part of her that would have preferred to sit out on a bench somewhere and talk with her friend than surrounded by a crowded tavern. Realizing that once the fall term started again, she would be surrounded by hundreds more chattering bodies than the tavern, she sighed.
Turning back towards Hogwart's, she started her walk home, amusing herself by admiring the patterns in the larger snowflakes. Why Hogsmeade had snow in the middle of summer used to baffle her, but she accepted it now. You could blame it on geography, but that took a little of the mystery out of guessing.
Movement under a light ahead of her caught her attention. Severus's robes flickered back and forth in the wind as he waited for her. How he always seemed to know just when to appear was a little mysterious as well, but like the snow… knowing the real reason just took the enjoyment out of pondering it.
"I must be better at lying now," Hermione said softly as she stood next to Severus. His dark eyes met hers. "She never saw anything but a happy face."
Snape nodded silently, opening his arm for her.
Hermione stepped in close to him, leaning on him slightly as his arm folded around her and the crack of his disapparate signaled their departure.