Severus walked briskly down the circular staircase leading from his office at Hogwarts on his way to the annual staff welcome breakfast. He was uncharacteristically late after spending a late-night in London after Minerva had suggested he "get out and experience the world more often." Rolling his eyes at the memory, he recalled her pushing him forcibly from his office the prior evening following dinner with instructions to not return until midnight at the earliest. "I thought it was customary in literature to stipulate a time by which one must return?" he asked impetuously as he crossed his arms over his chest in protest and rolled his eyes at his older colleague.
"Those rules are for impressionable young girls who probably shouldn't be out in the first place and would in all likelihood find themselves in all sorts of mischief should they not return before curfew, not middle-aged headmasters who haven't emerged from their self-imposed solitude for the better part of the last 25 years!" Minerva huffed as she continued to manhandle him to his quarters and proceeded to look through his closet in an effort to find him something suitable to wear.
Although he had mellowed considerably in the years following the war, he had to acknowledge Minerva did have a somewhat valid argument. He'd spent the majority of his life being volleyed between two arguably-insane masters, and after the war ended he had thrown himself into his duties as headmaster in an effort to separate his true legacy from that of his year running the school under Voldemort's command. During the war, he'd never considered attempting to find companionship as he couldn't truly be himself while acting in his capacity as a spy, and he knew he wouldn't be able to guarantee the safety of anyone closely connected with him should his position with either side become compromised. Now that those days were over, he found himself longing for companionship, but in addition to his lack of time to engage in such pursuits, the entirety of the wizarding world believed him to be hung up on the ghost of Lily Potter.
In the years following the war, he had made time to process through the lingering feelings he'd clung to since Lily's death and realized that while he'd always regret the role he played in her passing, he knew that they were never well-suited for one another and relinquished his unrequited love for his childhood best friend. Despite his efforts to move past these feelings, if The Daily Prophet were to be believed, he had dinner regularly with The Potters to commiserate with Harry over the loss of his mother. As always, the press took a grain of truth and twisted it into an outlandish falsehood. He did dine with Harry and Ginny regularly after he'd given Harry a box of a variety of pictures and mementos from his childhood in Spinner's End after he'd met Lily in addition to a vial of memories from their days as friends at Hogwarts. He knew Harry had lost everyone else who could share this knowledge of either of his parents, and as he suspected, the young man had been deeply appreciative of the gesture. Having reconciled with her son, Severus felt he could finally put Lily well and truly behind him.
Continuing his descent from his office, he paused momentarily to consume a vial of hangover potion and silently reviewed the list of agenda items he'd planned to discuss during their staff meeting. He had instituted the tradition of an annual start-of-term staff breakfast the year following the war when the school had been reopened and he'd been reinstated as Headmaster. To say everyone had been shocked when he survived Nagini's vicious attack had been an understatement. What saved him in the end was the time he'd spent two years previously developing and testing the anti-venom that had saved Arthur Weasley. He'd further developed it so he could consume it as a precautionary measure, knowing that damned snake was the most likely way he'd meet his end, and his preparations combined with the unrelenting care of Miss Hermione Granger when she returned to the Shrieking Shack after the fighting had stopped had ultimately saved his life.
Although initially annoyed by her inability to leave things well enough alone while he was recovering, he found relatively quickly during his convalescence that the caustic persona he'd adopted as a spy was rather exhausting in the wake of the battle, and he gradually allowed himself to form a...well...he wasn't really sure what to call it. They weren't exactly close enough for him to feel comfortable calling her a friend, but they'd kept up correspondence while Miss Granger had completed her charms mastery, and he had been quick to offer her the position of Charms Professor when Flitwick had announced his retirement.
Although they hadn't spent any time together since she'd started her mastery and he'd returned to Hogwarts as headmaster, he thought of the young witch often and was impressed with the young woman she'd become. He'd begun to think of her rather fondly, and had tentatively hoped he might have the opportunity to get to know her more and possibly even become friends with the witch now that she was returning to the castle indefinitely. He was eager to hear about her apprenticeship under the renowned, German charms master Frederich Von Mueller, and hoped she could help him breathe life into the curriculum at Hogwarts.
He had worked tirelessly with Minerva to make great strides in creating inter-house unity after the war, and although relationships among students of different houses had improved immensely, there was still some tension between pure-blooded students and those who were muggle-born. Severus hoped Hermione might be able to help him design new initiatives to bridge the gap between these groups of students, and this wish had contributed immensely to his desire to hire her.
Although he was loathe to admit it to himself, Severus was actually quite attracted to her young witch. Having seen her picture repeatedly in The Daily Prophet and The Quibbler as she pursued her mastery abroad, he knew she had matured into a considerable beauty, which combined with her intelligence and the maturity of her letters to him appealed to Severus immensely. When he decided to visit a club in London while following Minerva's instructions the night prior to the staff's arrival (under the guise of one of Hermione's clever glamours) he was immediately drawn to a woman at the bar who reminded him very much of Miss Granger.
Pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stave off his headache upon emerging from the staircase into the sunlit corridor, he tried to ignore his rising disappointment that he'd woke this morning to find his home at Spinner's End empty, and he had no further leads on where he might find the captivating witch he'd spent the previous evening conversing with and subsequently fucking. He recalled how soft and supple he skin had felt under his caresses as she kissed him tenderly as they fell asleep in the aftermath of their interlude. He had hoped to ask her to dinner formally so he'd have even more opportunity to get to know the woman, but unfortunately she'd disappeared in the night before he could obtain even her name.
Sighing in frustration as he entered the Great Hall, he immediately noticed the actual Miss Granger, conversing animatedly with Minerva McGonagall and seemingly excited about her new role as a Hogwarts professor. He smirked as he approached the dais, remembering her enthusiastic response to his letter offering her the position, but quickly regained himself as his staff meeting came to order. The professors breakfasted while he discussed Quidditch schedules, after-hours rounds, and curriculum changes for the year, and after he'd finally finished conveying the updates, he took his seat at the center of the table, and was pleasantly surprised that Minerva had sat Hermione between her and himself.
He raised an eyebrow at the older witch who simply shrugged and smirked in amusement before turning back to her conversation with Professor Sinistra. Turning his attention toward the young witch he said, "Good morning, Miss...I mean Professor Granger. I apologize for the slip-of-the-tongue, a matter of habit I assure you. I have every confidence you will be an outstanding addition to our staff." He was babbling in his embarrassment at having referred to her using her former title as a student, and quickly tried to regain control of himself and the conversation. "Have you had the opportunity to unpack and settle yourself into your quarters before joining us this morning?"
Hermione smiled gently as she turned toward him to reply. "Good morning, Headmaster. I'm not offended in the slightest, and unfortunately I haven't had a chance to get to my quarters yet this morning. I had a bit of a late night as my friends wished to send me off with a bit of a celebration." She blushed slightly as she spoke, and Severus found he'd like to see her blush more often. She looked quite lovely with a little color to his cheeks.
Shaking his head slightly to bring himself back to the present, he asked, "Would you care to accompany me after breakfast so I can show you to your quarters? I'd also like to discuss with you my thoughts on creating better rapport between the purebloods and muggle-born students this year if you have a few..."
"Oh yes!" she interrupted. "You wrote me about some of your thoughts on how we might encourage more camaraderie among the students and I've been quite excited to get started! Please, I'd be so appreciative if you could show me my quarters and any of the other parts of the castle with which I should become acquainted as a professor." She beamed at him, and although Severus was used to her enthusiasm, he had never seen so much of it directed at him. He couched slightly as he felt his throat tighten at his involuntary reaction to her smile, and she immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, sir." she muttered. "I know I can be quite exuberant when it comes to academia and I didn't mean to disrupt your breakfast. Let me know when you're ready to proceed," she said, her blush spreading further to her collarbone and disappearing beneath her blouse.
Severus quickly cleared his throat, realizing he had almost allowed his eyes to wander to her breasts, and stood rapidly offering his hand to the witch. "I'm finished anyways, Professor Granger," he said, recovering smoothly. "Shall we?"
As Hermione followed him though the halls of Hogwarts, she suddenly realized who the man at the bar had reminded her of, Severus Snape. Watching him carefully as they ascended the moving staircases, she realized that they even displayed some of the same mannerisms. Although she remembered being somewhat fascinated with him when he had been her professor and when she'd assisted with his recovery, it wasn't until this moment that she realized she was attracted to the man. Although initially startled at the thought, she quickly reasoned that her attraction to him was rather logical given that they were both so intellectually driven, exceedingly faithful to others, and similarly disinclined to engage in social frivolity when there was an excellent book or journal to be consumed instead.
As she emerged from her thoughts, she realized she'd been staring at his backside for the duration of his journey throughout the castle, and shook her head to bring herself back to earth. She couldn't afford the distraction, not in the midst of a new career and everything that would be expected of her in the coming months. Of course she would welcome his assistance with open arms; perhaps it would even grant her an opportunity to become closer to the man, even friendly perhaps. She vowed to focus solely on her work for the first several months and ignore her desire for the older man.
After giving her a grand tour of the parts of the castle which had been forbidden to her as a student, the headmaster had invited Hermione into his office for a cuppa and to discuss some of his ideas to better integrate pure-blooded students with the muggle-borns. Hermione was quick to provide her suggestion that they do away with the Muggle Studies course and replace it with classes that focused on differences in wizard culture and would highlight both the experience of growing up as a muggle as well as the experience growing up in the wizarding world. "I think this would give the students more opportunities to get to know one another and understand the experience of their classmates," she'd said as she took a tentative sip.
Professor Snape remained silent for a moment while he considered Hermione's proposal. Finally he responded, "I agree the idea has merit Professor Granger, but right now the class is voluntary and enrollment has been rather low for years as you probably remember from your time as a student. How do you propose we get more students interested?"
"I know this would create a challenge with the timetables," Hermione offered, "but I think the best solution would be to make the course requisite. We may possible be able to combine it with the history of magic curriculum for the older students or hold class on a more infrequent basis. And please, sir, call me Hermione. I appreciate your desire to use my formal title, but if we're to be friends I'd much prefer you to use my given name." She smiled demurely as she spoke and noticed the professors lips quirk upward slightly at her request.
"Then you must call me Severus. I've enjoyed our correspondence over the years and I find that I'd very much like to be your friend Hermione." She smiled broadly at him as he spoke and he found him self returning her smile genuinely. They spent the rest of the afternoon discussing how they might rework the curriculum to incorporate Hermione's suggestion.
Despite her noble intentions, Hermione increasingly struggled keep Severus from her mind as the first several weeks of the term passed. Her transition into teaching had been remarkably easy, and she took to professorship like a duck to water. While she was thrilled by her success thus far, the ease at which she found herself in the classroom and her confidence and efficiency in planning her lessons had freed up an increasing amount of room in her brain for a variety of creative daydreams involving her and the Headmaster.
Her deepening affection was egged on by their weekly dinners in his quarters over an occasional game of chess and their perusal of academic journals together as well as their continuing discussions about ways to bring about greater unity among the student body. In addition to instituting Hermione's suggested course changes, they brainstormed a variety of other ideas, but they'd also conversed on a plethora of other subjects and Hermione founder herself falling into an easy friendship with the headmaster. Truthfully, she longed for more than friendship with Severus, but wasn't sure he'd return her affections. Although Harry had shared with her some of their conversations from their visits together, Hermione wasn't sure Severus had overcome his love for Lily Potter. She wanted to believe, however, that he might find room in his heart for both Lily and herself, and this hope did nothing to quell her growing affection for the man.
As they approached the Halloween feast, Hermione had been gathering the courage to invite Severus to dinner in Hogsmeade the evening following the feast. The students would be going on their first Hogsmead visit of the term the weekend prior, so she knew they'd have an opportunity to go on a date without being seen by nosy students or other staff who may be wandering around the village under the guise of keeping the students in line. She'd been poised to bring up the topic one morning, but was derailed suddenly when she walked into the Great Hall and was immediately nauseated at the smell of the breakfast that had been prepared for that day. Chalking it up one of the many viruses affecting the students throughout the course of the term so far, she excused herself and retreated to her chambers to take a nausea potion and finish her marking for the day. She'd postponed her weekly chess match with Severus until the following day and spent the evening in her chambers in attempt to rest and fight off whatever was plaguing her.
She awoke the next morning with a renewed determination, only to be met with another bout of nausea during lunch. Noticing her discomfort, Severus had escorted her to the hospital wing himself before leaving to allow the young witch some privacy while Madam Pomfrey checked her over. After mere minutes Madam Pomfrey shared with her the news that would change her life forever.
"There's nothing wrong with you Miss Granger, at least nothing that won't be resolved in a few months. It seems you're pregnant my dear!" exclaimed the older witch lovingly. "I suppose congratulations are..." she faded off, noticing the color draining from Hermione's face. "Oh dear...I assume this wasn't planned then?" she asked Hermione. Hermione shook her head as she lowered her eyes to her hands, folded in her lap and wracked her brain, attempting to piece together how this had happened to her. "Well then my dear, here is the potion you will need to ensure a healthy pregnancy; you'll need to take it weekly to ensure things progress optimally, and it should ease your morning sickness." She placed a light blue bottle on the exam table next to Hermione containing the potion as she continued. "This," she said holding up a muddy brown potion for Hermione's inspection, "will end things should you decide you don't want to go through with it." Hermione was amazed at her composure and lack of judgement as she spoke, but couldn't put her gratitude into words as she continued look at her hands, silent tears falling down her cheeks.
Madam Pomfrey quietly excused herself as Hermione remained in the hospital wing for several minutes gathering her composure. She'd riddled out when it had happened: It could only have been during her one-night-stand with the handsome wizard she'd met during her going away party, and in her haste to pack and move herself to Hogwarts for the start of term she'd forgotten to take a contraceptive potion.
"I can't believe this is happening to me. How could I be so stupid?" she muttered as she slowly meandered back down to her chambers. Upon entering, she noticed a single rose from the greenhouse sitting on the small table next to armchair she'd arranged for reading near the fireplace. Wrapped around the stem was a sheet of parchment with a note from Severus.
Hermione-I hope all is well and you're on the mend after visiting Poppy. Please rest this evening and we will reschedule our chess match for another evening. Perhaps you'd be amenable to a dinner in Hogsmeade with me when you're feeling well? Take care, Severus
Hermione smiled morosely as she considered his missive. Of course she would love to go to dinner with Severus-she'd been working on plucking up the courage to ask him after all. With her new from Madam Pomfrey, she wasn't sure what she should do. She hadn't decided how she was going to move forward, but if she didn't terminate the pregnancy, she couldn't imagine Severus would want her knowing she had conceived a child with another man mere weeks before they'd started regularly spending time together. If she decided not to go through with it, however, she wouldn't have to tell him at all and she could just pretend the entire incident had never happened. Until she'd made her decision, she didn't want to distance herself from the captivating man with whom she'd come to enjoy spending her free time.
Turning over the piece of parchment, she responded as truthfully as she felt able given the circumstances.
I'd love to! -Hermione
A/N: Yes, it was mean to be obvious who Hermione met in the first chapter :). The question is, how long will it take them to figure things out!