Once the wine was poured and the duck confit was ordered, Hermione got down to brass tacks. 'How have you been, Snape?'

His face remained unreadable. 'Is that really what you wanted to know, Granger? Surely you could have asked about my emotional well-being while you were caffeinating yourself.'

Her eyebrows rose at that.

'I thought,' Snape continued, 'that you were demanding answers. That is what you said, wasn't it? Answers?'

'I'm sorry.' She blushed. 'I get rude and snippy when I don't understand things. I'm curious about you, yes, but could we start fresh?'