Later that afternoon, Severus and Hermione prepared for the pre-school year party the staff had every year the night before the start of term. She approached him, and ran a finger down his spine. Over his frock coat, he barely felt it. He'd been behaving a bit strangely since they had spoken this morning, and it worried her that maybe things hadn't been worked out entirely.
Trying to pull him out of his funk through flirtation, she smirked. "You've been more than emotionally distant," She said in a low purr.
He relaxed marginally, and said, "I could say the same back to you."
"I don't always have to be the one who initiates," She said and cocked a suggestive eyebrow. She could feel she was winning him over a bit.
He hesitated and blushed slightly. "I concede on that point, but I will say I find signals to be confusing, so I rely on your Gryffindor forwardness."
"My signals are confusing?"
"You have been busy. You are often working 12 hours a day or more. You are exhausted when you return," He noted. "I am not so selfish as to impose upon you whilst you are running on empty."
"I have been a bit neglectful in that department with you, haven't I?"
He shook his head. "Absolutely not."
Her fingers moved to his trouser waist band. "No?"
He growled and looked at the clock, "Granger..."
"Not Granger," She said pointedly.
He looked down his nose and stared at her. "Tell me you did not..."
"I envisioned taking my husband's last name."
"When you were not also envisioning your husband being me," He added pointedly.
"It's my decision," She crossed her arms.
"Why would you want to take my last name?" He looked thoroughly confused.
"Honestly, I debated it for a bit, but only because it would mean there were two Professor Snapes," She said.
"You will quickly become the favorite one, I am sure," He noted. "Still, you have not answered my question."
"Because that's what I want. I don't really have any other explanation," She said. "For me, and it's personal for every woman, Granger didn't feel right to keep as I am married. Granger-Snape sounded strange, and it's quite long."
"You sent paperwork in to change it?" He asked. She nodded. "Even after this morning?" She nodded again. "Ever the stubborn rebel."
She looked at him coyly. "May I?" She looked down toward his waist again.
His dark eyes moved to the clock. "We will be late."
"You're underestimating me," She said with a smirk.
"Hermione..." He said in a strange tone. She'd managed to only momentarily shake him from whatever was clanging around in his head.
"What?" She asked and took a step back. He looked really uncomfortable.
He said. "If we are late, it will cause a scene. The other staff will make a fuss. It will be enough of a scene for us to arrive on time because this will be our first..." His voice tightened. He really did not like attention drawn to his personal life.
"Okay," She said quietly. She absently thumbed the gold band on her left ring finger.
"I am sure any other wizard would be delighted to make a scene as newlyweds arriving late because they were distracted..." He said with a tone of disappointment.
"I wasn't thinking about making a scene," She said and watched him for a moment. He was avoiding her eyes, but his body language was very conflicted. He was angled away from her, but she could see the mere thought of her touching him had aroused him enough to be noticeable.
Something was off. They had done so well so far with connecting to each other. She'd been able to read him easily enough before, but the last couple of weeks had been strange. He hadn't outwardly avoided her. She truly had been very busy, and he was right - when she was back she was exhausted. Something seemed... backward now - maybe a delayed reaction to having lost his virginity? Did he feel overwhelmed by that now? He didn't seem to be the type to be overly emotional about that, but maybe she was wrong. Was he still upset about something from the morning? Was he bothered by her taking his name more than he let on? Whatever it was, it was clear that something was bothering him.
She moved toward him and reached for his hands. He didn't resist her touch. His eyes met hers. She searched the black depths. He felt it too - the disconnect, but it wasn't due to something being inherently wrong. She could see anxiety in his eyes. She looked at the clock. They had roughly five minutes before they needed to leave in order to be on time for the staff dinner.
"You're anxious," She said. He merely looked at her, mostly unguarded. "We can be late, Severus. I don't care what anyone else says. We can skip the whole thing entirely. Whatever has you this worked up is more important." He swallowed. "Will you give me some idea about what's bothering you?"
He blinked, looked away, and then sighed. "I... need more direction, or constructive criticism."
"Regarding?" She furrowed her brow.
He looked at her. His whole body seemed to hesitate. He ground his teeth, and then he pulled his eyes away from her face. "We need to leave," He said quietly.
She scratched at her eyebrow in frustration as he moved toward the door. When she noticed they were alone in the corridor, but that there were portraits, she cast a quick Muffliato. He stopped briefly.
"That is my spell," He said and began moving again.
"Answer my question," She said and kept walking next to him.
She watched him as his jaw clenched. "You," He said through his teeth.
"Me?" She asked. His dark eyes focused ahead of them as they moved up out of the dungeons. "How do you mean?"
"You certainly recall my inexperience extended beyond the bedroom, I presume?" His voice was low despite the spell.
"Right," She said. She wasn't any less confused, and frowned when she saw Lupin flagging her down. She heard Severus growl, though his face remained neutral as she canceled the spell wordlessly.
"Hermione. Severus. How are you?" He asked. He looked really only at Hermione, though. His blue eyes studied her with intense concern. The yellow rings around his pupils, the only outward sign other than the scars on his face that he was a werewolf, narrowed considerably.
"We're doing well, Remus. Thank you," Hermione said. She glared at him briefly, and he backed down. Severus, for his part, said nothing. He hadn't quite forgiven Remus for the underhanded slight about marrying him. They'd formed a tentative neutrality in the years since the war, often dueling for the Dueling Club as Slytherin and Gryffindor House Heads - their rivalry riled the students up in good ways.
Remus looked to Severus, whose black eyes were flat. Hermione sensed the tension between the two wizards. Remus, though well-intentioned and protective, was out of line. Bravely, Hermione put her hand on Severus's back. He froze. Lupin's eyes snapped to the contact.
"Let's head in?" She looked up at Severus, who had not looked back at her. Instead, his eyes moved away from Lupin and toward the open doors into the Great Hall. She stepped ahead of Severus, hoping he'd follow.
"Severus?" Remus called. "A word?" Hermione took a deep breath and turned around. If Remus was going to dig his own grave, she'd certainly take the opportunity to watch. "I assume the tension I sense is because Hermione told you I offered to petition the Ministry to be able to marry her."
Severus's dark eyes were no longer flat. Instead, they glittered dangerously, and Hermione swallowed. She'd seen that look far too many times as a student. Still, he said nothing.
"I meant no offense," Remus said. "I care for Hermione. I consider her family. I merely wanted to make sure she was as comfortable as possible in an uncomfortable situation." Severus locked eyes with the werewolf in cold silence. Hermione's eyes darted around. It seemed, thankfully, that no other staff members were paying the two House Heads much attention as of now.
Remus held Snape's gaze in a challenge for a moment before breaking eye contact. There was nothing at all alpha about Lupin. "I was concerned more for her emotional well-being," Lupin added with a forced chuckle. "She and I were at least friends. I only thought it might be easier..."
Severus, already quite stressed from the day, looked like he was fast approaching pulling his wand on the werewolf, so Hermione stepped between the two as casually as she could manage. Remus stepped back a bit, giving her space. She looked at Severus, who was staring at Lupin over her head. He blinked, and then turned and walked into the hall. Remus seemed surprised he'd left her behind, but Hermione knew he'd done it on purpose - Hermione would deal with Remus appropriately, and not in a way that saw him flayed alive for inadvertently insinuating Severus would treat her horribly.
"Remus, you've got to drop this," She said.
"I wasn't trying to start anything," Remus said.
She pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation. "I bloody know, all right?"
"I'm sorry, Hermione," He said. "He's treating you well?"
"It's not any of your business, is it?" She grumbled. "He's not a monster. You know that."
"I just want to make sure you're all right. I imagine he's... stressful."
"Stressed," Hermione corrected coolly. "He is stressed. Drop it," She commanded, and she turned and moved into the hall. Remus ran a hand through his graying hair. Hermione knew he meant well. Severus did, too, or he wouldn't have let him off so easily. He just went about meaning well in all the wrong ways.
Her eyes moved about the bustling hall, and she found Severus, skulking in a corner. His dark eyes were very focused on her, despite the fact that there were many other people around them. He was making sure she was okay. She moved toward him, and she watched as his eyes moved over her head and he frowned. Remus must've come into the hall. She stood near him.
"So, what's on the menu?" She asked him casually. He was quiet. He clearly wasn't in the mood for small talk. "Don't worry about it too much," She said. "He won't bring it up again. It's best if we all just moved on."
"Do you know what it is about Lupin's intrusiveness I find most irritating?" He asked in a voice so low she was certain no one else could have heard him if they were trying. She looked at him curiously. "He and I expect the same thing."
"What?" She asked. She was tired by now, and had spent far too much of the day feeling confused.
"My failure," Severus said with a grimace. He still wasn't looking at her, and his voice had turned flat and distant. She hadn't expected him to say that, especially considering where they were, let alone to even think that.
"Hermione?" She heard Minerva call to her. She closed her eyes for a moment, and then looked up at Severus apologetically. He still wasn't looking at her. She sighed, and turned and walked to McGonagall.