Hello everyone,

Chapter 12 made me genuinely upset. It was painful to write!

Do any of you every get really anxious when you are writing? It is completely mad, because I am the one making up the story, and yet it causes me utter distress! I sometimes have to stop and calm down for a while, because I get so invested. Is that crazy? :D

I hope you will like this chapter, as I have been quite invested in the characters feelings for this one. Let me know what you think!

XXX

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WICKED GAME - GRACE CARTER

Severus was already sat at a table in the bakery when Hermione walked in.

"Hi", she grinned and walked over to him, not even thinking about ordering a coffee for herself. She sat down and took her coat off. It had been windy and wet in the Highlands and she was wearing a warm jumper as well. She was in an incredibly good mood, and seeing Severus made her simply bounce with joy.

"I always forget, that it's not as cold here, as it is in Scotland. A weather forecast for sunshine all day, one can only have that in France!"

Severus raised his hand to get the waitress to bring another coffee for Hermione.

"I believe they have twenty degrees in Grasse", he said.

"Ah, heavenly", Hermione sighed.

Severus's face remained expressionless and he drank some of his coffee.

"I believe I've worked through some of your Arithmancy equations regarding the moon magic as well as some of the Muggle equations", he said after a while.

"Really? What do you think?"

They talked about their project and soon made their way to the pharmacy, where Severus had his notes. When they entered via the back door, Hermione remembered something.

"Oh, I nearly forgot…"

She opened her bag and her whole arm disappeared in it. A clanking sound conjured a grimace on her face.

"That were the empty vials…. I better sort things out in there later."

"Why are you carrying around empty vials?", he asked with a scowl.

"Asks the Potions Master? You should know how useful they are. Ah, there we go."

She pulled out a metal lunch box and held it towards him.

"Take it", she encouraged him.

He looked at it warily.

"Go on, it's not going to give you an electric shock", she laughed. "I brought you pumpkin pasties."

She had remembered him mentioning that he liked them and hadn't had one in more than ten years. He took the box but didn't look at her.

"I have to admit, I didn't make them. I got them from the kitchens."

He was very quiet and she wasn't sure what he was thinking, but it was a good sign that he didn't make any snide remarks. She knew he wasn't very good at saying thank you, or anything else that wasn't derisive or hateful for that matter.

"Well, you stare at the pasties and think about what you want to do with them, whilst I go and find Clemency."

She gave him a cheeky smile and walked across the work room to go into the pharmacy.

Clemency was just talking to a customer about some of the tooth paste she'd created. Apparently it could cure holes after brushing teeth only once.

Hermione talked to Jerome for a bit, until Clemency came up to her.

"Can I take some of that tooth paste with me?", Hermione asked.

"Of course, take as many as you want!" Clemency grabbed a whole bunch and asked Jerome to wrap them up for her.

"My mum asked me to give you these reports."

Hermione handed them over.

"Excellent. Merlin, your parents are incredible. So easy to work with!"

She put the papers into a folder behind the till.

"I am being told you're not only inventing new products, but you've also mastered the wolfsbane potion."

"Yes", Clemency grinned. "I've been brewing the whole stock for October and November, and I have made enough for December and January already."

"Good for you! When are they awarding you the master title?", Hermione asked.

"End of January."

They talked for another while, until Clemency had to look after some more customers and Hermione went back into the work room.

She was nervous and didn't really know how she should bring up the topic. Severus wasn't in the room when she walked in, but came down the staircase just as Hermione started to look at some of his notes that he left on the work bench.

"I took the pasties upstairs", he said. "We can have them for lunch later, if you like?"

She smiled at him and nodded once, then she turned her attention back to the papers on the table.

"I didn't know you were that good at muggle chemistry", she said, her eyes still fixed on the equations.

"I'm not", he simply replied, and after a moment it dawned on Hermione.

"Clemency."

"I have to prepare ingredients for her in return", he growled.

Hermione laughed. "I can't believe Professor Snape is being told what to do!"

"I have been offering it", he snapped, but she still had to laugh.

He walked up to the table and stood next to her. "If you don't mind, I need to work here now", he said coolly, towering over her.

Hermione was reminded of her dream and made haste to get some distance between them. She walked onto the other side of the table, hoping he didn't notice how she had blushed.

She helped him prepare some dittany essence and they started talking.

"How is work going?", he asked.

"Very well", Hermine replied. "Although my sixth years are a bit behind. Some of them thought it was clever to whisper the incantations, rather than do them non-verbally."

Severus rolled his eyes. "The same idiots in every generation."

Hermione agreed, although she didn't condone his use of the term 'idiots'.

"The earlier years are well ahead of the schedule. Most of the third years can all do a full body-binding curse and I've started the Alohomora with the first years, that is only on the syllabus for the week before Easter."

"Are you not teaching them how to make a pineapple dance across the desk?", Severus mocked her.

"No, I make them use the spell on each other. Much more fun."

Hermione wasn't sure if she could believe her eyes, but she thought she saw wicked grin appear on his face. Encouraged by it, she decided to venture into more risky directions now.

"I am spending a surprisingly large amount of time with Hestia on the DADAC syllabus. It is rather difficult to find suitable guest teachers for the practical lessons. But luckily Penny will look after this from next year."

He didn't say anything and started powdering a bezoar. Hermione put her knife down and cleaned her hands on a towel.

Deep breath. You can do this.

"Severus?", she said timidly and he looked up at her, raising an eyebrow. She took another deep breath, quietly, to try and hide her nervousness. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Hm?", he grumbled.

"Would you…", she started but didn't know how to phrase it. "Well, there is a job opening at Hogwarts…"

He continued grinding the bezoar, but she could tell he was listening carefully.

"… for potions", she finished her sentence carefully. She watched him, his demeanour didn't change much, he kept on working meticulously, but she thought he held the mortar a bit tighter.

"I was wondering if that would be something you'd be interested in", she finally said.

"No."

She was a bit taken aback by his prompt answer. "Oh…"

"Even if I was, I don't think it would be a good idea", he said coolly.

"I think it would be", she said.

Severus took a slow deep breath and put the mortar down. She handed him the towel and he looked at her a little bit less hostile now.

"One might think you have completely forgotten your own school days", he began whilst cleaning his hands. "I don't think I left a very good impression during my years there. They wouldn't want to hire me even if I didn't have the background that I have."

"They would understand that you've only been that nasty because of all the pressure that was put on you", she tried to explain but he dismissively waved his hand.

"You know as well as I do, that that's not the case", he said, now sounding annoyed. "Ask Clemency", he added with a bitter undertone.

"Clemency considers you an extremely capable and good teacher, in case you didn't know", Hermione said trying to catch his eye. "And so do I", she added firmly.

"Hermione", he said and pinched his nose. He seemed annoyed, but Hermione knew he was simply deep in thought. She didn't say anything and let him think for a while.

He looked at her. His eyes appeared cool, but she knew there was an undiscovered depth in them. He was expressing a lot more through his eyes than one might have thought at first.

"I thought of you immediately once Penny said she wouldn't teach anymore from September", she tried again.

"That is because you are the only one who knows I am alive", he said a bit more vigorously. "And even if anybody else knew, they wouldn't agree with you."

"Harry agrees with me!", she replied fiercely. She only noticed a moment later that it had not been the right thing to say.

"What?", Severus said dangerously quiet. Hermione's could hear her own heartbeat and she didn't dare to breath.

"What does Potter agree with you on?", he said even more quietly, carefully phrasing every word. He leaned onto the workbench with both hands and looked like a wild predator that was about to attack its victim.

"He…he agrees…", Hermione stammered. "He… agrees that you should be offered the job… and be given it, if you want it."

She could see the vein on Severus temples pulsating and his hands turning into fists, the knuckles going white.

"So you told Potter about me?", he asked, his voice darker and louder than before. Hermione subconsciously took a step back, but didn't say anything.

"Did you tell Potter about me?", Severus suddenly shouted, slamming his fist onto the table, making the vials clink.

"Yes", she said nearly inaudible, her voice high in pitch.

Severus swiftly turned around and walked away from her, but Hermione was not less scared. She could see how tense he was, and she could feel the magic bubbling in the room. Just in the moment, where she quietly let out her held breath, he turned around and the cauldron on the work bench flew off and shot right past her head, smashing into the wall.

Hermione's shoulders tensed in shock, and she had to stop her teeth from chattering.

"Who else knows?", he yelled at her, his face contorted in rage. Hermione tried to answer, but the words where stock in her throat.

With a couple of long strides, Severus shot over to her and Hermione tried to back away, bumping into a shelf behind her and knocking of some small vials.

"Who else knows?", he spat into her face. He was close enough for Hermione to feel the heat radiating around him.

"Gin-… Ginny… and Ron", she struggled to say, as fear held its tight grip around her, suffocating her.

Without warning, Severus pulled out his wand and held it under her chin. Hermione was so scared, she felt like chocking. With one swift movement, Severus dropped his wand to the floor and his hand shot past her head. He grabbed a large jar off the shelf, just to throw it right across the room. He was furious, deadly furious, when he turned away from her.

Hermione had to watch, how he found one thing after the other, that he could throw or break or kick. She stood like frozen, watching him in utter despair, not knowing what she could to make him calm down.

He turned back to her, looking more terrifying than she had ever seen him before.

"I thought, I had been more than clear, when I said, nobody can know about me!"

"I thought this was such an opportunity", she said desperately. "But I needed to talk to somebody about it, somebody who'd understand", she tried to explain herself. "I thought, if there were other people than just me…"

"You thought, you thought! When will you ever stop thinking and just do what you're told!", Severus cut in, sounding hostile and vicious now. "You can't refrain from forcing your way on everyone around you, which makes you an insufferable nuisance. And your brain is clearly not as bright as everyone always says, if you can't follow simple instructions."

Hermione knew he was trying to hurt her back. She couldn't find the words to express how she felt. She wanted to curse herself, she wanted to cry, she wanted to tell him that all was going to be fine, that there was no need to be scared.

"I wanted to help…", she said defencelessly. "Nobody will hurt you…"

"You promised me, Hermione", he yelled, and the pained and upset sound of his voice was like a knife in Hermione's heart.

"Severus…", she said helplessly and tried to walk up to him, but with one swift movement he smashed another cauldron off the table onto the ground. She immediately froze and one glance from him was enough to stop her from saying anything else. He was hurt, she saw it in his eyes, more clearly than she had seen anything else in them ever before.

"You promised me", he said again, looking at her, then letting his head fall defeatedly. She wanted to tell him how sorry she was, but didn't have the opportunity, as he stormed towards her, but only picked up his wand and simply disapparated with a small plop.

Hermione stood frozen for a few seconds, staring into nothingness, before someone opened the door from the pharmacy.

"Oh Circe!"

It was Clemency and she was clearly shocked at the sight of the work room.

"Hermione, what happened?", she asked, once she spotted her standing in the corner.

Hermione looked at Clemency, then she looked around the room.

"I.. I am…", she stammered. "I am… so sorry."

She bent down to pick up some of the things that Severus had been throwing around. Her hands were shaking. "I am so, so sorry. I will tidy this up…"

"Hermione, calm down", Clemency said again and went over to her.

"No, no. I am so sorry. I will clear this up for you. I am sorry.." She could feel tears filling her eyes.

"Maman!", Clemency yelled into the pharmacy. "Maman!"

Armita hurried into the room but stopped dead in her tracks once she saw the room.

"Good Merlin!", she gasped and held the door. "What happened in here?"

Hermione frantically tried to pick up all the little shards and plants and beetles.

"Leave it", Armita said, and with a flick of her wand things started putting themselves back together. Hermione immediately got up and pulled out her wand to help. Concentrating on the charm helped her calm down a bit.

"I am terribly sorry", she said again once they were done.

"Are you alright Hermione? I don't believe you did this", Armita said with an exasperated look on her face. "Where is Septimus. I've had enough of this!"

"No, Armita. It's my fault", Hermione said quickly. "I…", she didn't know how to explain what had happened. "I've done something I shouldn't have done. It's not his fault."

"Don't take the blame for something you haven't done, Hermione", Clemency said.

"He can be as moody as he wants, there is no need for such violence!", Armita was fuming.

"He's not violent, he's hurt", Hermione explained desperately.

"You are hurt!", Armita said pointing her finger towards her face.

"No, I'm not.… Oh, I'm…" Hermione touched her cheek and could make out a little scratch. "It's nothing. I must have just banged against a shelf…" Hermione asserted.

Clemency helped her heal the cut with a touch of her wand.

"I promise you, he's not been violent. It must have been an accident. I didn't even notice."

"Enough is enough", Armita was not having any of it. "And he can see how he's going to make up for this mess."

"Please", Hermione begged them. "Please, if anything is broken beyond repair, send me a letter and I will reimburse you for it. He's had good reason to get angry."

Armita shook her head and sighed.

"We're not going to look for reimbursement. Who cares about a few ingredients."

Hermione knew that wasn't true, they were all the kind of people who cared quite a lot about valuable ingredients. But she didn't say much more.

"There is never a reason to go berserk like a mountain troll", Clemency said whilst vanishing some liquid on the floor.

Hermione didn't know what to say anymore. She didn't want to reveal what their whole fight had been about.

"I'll better apparate you back home. You're a mess", Clemency said to Hermione.

"No, let me help you with this", Hermione insisted, but Armita pushed them both out of the room.

"It's fine. I'll look after it", she said. "And please send us a letter and come again soon. Don't let this moron keep you away from us."

Hermione agreed and convinced Clemency that she was able to apparate by herself.

She landed in front of her parents' house and walked down the path to knock the door. A moment later her dad opened up.

"Hermione!", her dad greeted her. "What a surprise! We weren't expecting…."

George Granger realised quickly, that his daughter didn't look happy.

"Oh dear. Your mother is out the back. Come in. I'll send her in, alright?"

Hermione's dad was never very good with emotional business and left that part of the parenting to her mother.

She nodded and went in. Jane had heard them and she immediately came into the living room. When her mother looked at her, Hermione burst into tears.

"Oh, my", Jane Granger said, pain in her heart at her daughter's sight. "My darling, come here!"

She took of her gardening gloves and hurried towards Hermione. She stumbled into her mother's embrace and they sat down in the kitchen.

Jane set up some tea. "Who is he?"

"No, it's not like that…", Hermione tried to explain, rubbing her nose. She was still in her wizarding robes and looked sorrowfully at the wet sleeve.

"I know a broken heart when I see one", her mother said quietly.

Hermione gasped for some air, still shaking with tears.

"Talk", Jane ordered.

"Do you remember that old friend of mine, I met in France last year?", she began explaining with a thick voice and her mother listened carefully.

She talked about how they had met over the past few months, about his spying during the war and how she had wanted to tell him about the job today. She didn't mention his name or who exactly he was, just in case.

"And then I had to tell him that I talked to Harry and Ron and Ginny", she said with a husky voice, "and he just snapped."

Hermione gasped for some air when another wave of tears came over her.

"I've never seen him like this. He went completely berserk", she sobbed. "I have destroyed everything."

Jane took her daughter into her arms.

"Oh dear, hush now."

It took Hermione a while until she stopped shaking completely.

"You might not want to hear that now", Jane started looking at her daughter lovingly, "but you have to apologise to him. You have promised him not to tell anyone, and you did anyway."

"But I thought -"

"No", Jane said strictly. "No buts or anything. Think about how he must feel. From what you have told me, he had people deciding things over his head his whole life. And now you come along and do the same. And additionally, you disregarded his wish for privacy."

Hermione knew her mother was right.

"I am not saying his reaction was justified, but you need to accept that you made a mistake, honey."

Hermione thought about it and Severus popped into her head.

Nobody has ever cared for his privacy, because he wasn't social in the first place. She had always thought, that's how he was and decided that it gave her a free pass to decide things for him. She never thought about the fact, that he might not actually have had any privacy ever because his life's purpose had been decided upon by two external entities.

Her mother was right. All he ever had ever done was what two masters made him do. They had used him and he had been working like a machine.

How dreadful they had all been to him. How terrible life must have been for Severus. People deciding over your life without any regard for you as a person. Committing crimes for one crazy man, and not being able to change anything about it because some other megalomaniac made you keep your cover.

And she had never considered it. Maybe Severus could have been a completely different character, had he not been shaped and abused by two madmen.

Hermione felt sick. She felt no better now than either of them, because she had done exactly the same. Maybe in a less extreme capacity, but in the end she had simply made the decision without regarding his wishes.

"Oh, god. Mum, I am a terrible person", she wailed.

"Now, now. Stop, that is not true", Jane said. "I know you had good intentions. Just send him a letter and apologise. Don't force anything. Just think a little bit more about how he might feel."

Jane patted her daughters head. "Let me know how you're getting on."

When she was back at Hogwarts, Hermione sent a letter from the owlery.

I hope you don't mind me writing to you. I am so terribly sorry about what happened. I shouldn't have disregarded your wishes in such a way. I should not have made the decision without consulting you.

I understand why you reacted the way you did, and I hope you can forgive me.

Hermione

The next weekend Hermione decided to talk to Harry. She apparated onto the top step of Grimmauld Place and knocked on the door. Ginny opened up with Lily on her arm.

"Hello Hermione", she said happily. "Come in."

"Is Harry around? It's about Professor Snape", Hermione explained as they walked into the kitchen.

"Sure, he's outside with the boys. I'll send him in."

Hermione sat down on the table. She looked around the room, and for some reason remembered Sirius sitting at the head of the table when they were staying here more than ten years ago. She wondered if Harry ever thought about it. He surely did.

Severus popped into her mind too, how she had once seen him stand in the doorway. He had come after a Death Eater meeting to report back to the order.

Hermione immediately felt sad again. Why had they all been so terrible to him? It had been obvious all along what he had been doing, and yet everyone always immediately thought the worst of him. It probably meant he had done a good job as a double agent.

She couldn't think much more about it because Harry came into the kitchen and gave her a tight hug.

"How are you?", he asked her.

"I've messed up, Harry."

She leaned her face into her hands.

"I've mentioned that I told you and Ron and Ginny about him, and he just snapped."

"Blimey, Mione. Why did you tell him?", Harry asked blankly.

"He deserves to know. I didn't mean to do it the way I did", she explained. "He just wouldn't listen to anything I said. He was so worried about what people might think, and how nobody would want him around anyway and that I was the only one thinking about him in the first place."

Harry sighed deeply.

"I can't imagine such a self-conscious Snape."

"It isn't as obvious as I'm making it", she replied. "I've just started to understand him better. He's covering up a lot by being spiteful and snorty."

She rubbed her eyes and looked at Harry.

"I've just told him that I wasn't the only one who thought it might be a good idea if he'd come back. And once he found out I had told you…"

She sighed and shook herself at the memory.

"It was awful. He completely cracked up, threw things around. I genuinely thought he might kill me."

Harry looked at her understandingly. "He never threw things at me… but I can imagine one might fear for one's life once he loses it. What happened next."

"He just disapparated."

Harry looked surprised and Hermione just shrugged her shoulders.

"I've destroyed everything."

"Come on, Mione", Harry tried to comfort her. "It's just Snape."

She looked at him sadly, but he wasn't Ginny. He didn't understand nuances of a sad girl's glance.

"I'll tell Ginny to come over to you tomorrow", Harry said, knowing that Hermione always felt better after a chat with his wife.

"Thanks, Harry. But I think I'll head back to Hogwarts later anyway."

The back door flung open and little James came running into the kitchen.

"Minnie!", he rejoiced and ran up to Hermione.

"Hello, young man!" She swung him onto her lap.

"Mummy said you here", James told her. "Will you play Quidditch with me?"

In that moment they heard another voice yelling: "Boom! Boom!"

"Albus says 'broom' now", Harry informed her and laughed.

The toddler came running into the kitchen, closely followed by Ginny who still had Lily on her arm.

"Sorry guys!", she apologised to Harry and Hermione.

"No bother", Hermione replied. She suddenly felt much more upbeat with the babies around.

"Boom! Boom!", Albus laughed at her and wanted to sit on her lap too.

"Ah, well then", Hermione said to the kids. "How about I charm a little ball for you to catch on your broom?"

James jumped off her lap and ran back outside.

"Yes, yes, yes!", he yelled, and Albus tried to quickly run after him with his short legs.

"They absolutely adore you", Ginny laughed.

"They adore all the magical things that come out of my wonderous handbag", Hermione explained and they all went outside, where Hermione charmed a tennis ball that she had pulled out of the little beaded bag. They spent a couple of hours in the garden until Lily was put down for her nap and the boys had to have their lunch. Hermione stayed to eat with them and only apparated after she had promised the boys to come soon again with a new surprise.

The third years had revised the levitation charm today and Hermione was tidying up brick stones in her class room when Hestia Jones knocked on the open door.

"Hestia, come in", Hermione invited her.

"Hello, Hermione", the elder witch said. She was older than Hermione, she had been in Hufflepuff, a year over Penny. "I thought we could have a drink together and chat about the guest teachers for DADAC next term."

"That sounds lovely, shall we meet in the staff room?", Hermione proposed.

"Actually…", Hestia smiled mischievously and pulled out a bottle of rum from under her robes, "… Penny, Penelope, Neville and Luna are coming too. We were going to have a little talk under professors in my chambers."

"Goodness, I sometimes wonder if teachers have been such drunkards when we were students…", Hermione laughed.

"See you after dinner", Hestia said in a sing-song and left Hermione's classroom.

Hermione went to her chambers and put more comfortable clothes on under her teaching robes, before she went to have dinner in the Great Hall. She still found it weird, sitting on the Hight Table and looking over all the students. She was usually sat left of the headmistress's chair, with Neville's and Professor Slughorn's seats between them. The latter lately frequently missed meals, so Neville had moved down one seat to chat with her.

Septima Vector joined them and asked Hermione about her recent Arithmancy project.

"I'm not currently working on it, I'm afraid", she said.

She hadn't been thinking about the werewolf project since her fall out with Severus.

"Well, once you take it up again, let me know how you're getting on. You had some really interesting charts going. I miss having colleagues that need my Arithmancy advise on more advanced things that the stuff I have to teach."

It only dawned upon Hermione then, that Severus had been working with Septima… and suddenly she thought that maybe his pseudonym was not based on the Roman Emperor after all.

"I would have thought a lot of the professors would come to you for arithmantic advise?", Hermione asked.

"Not really. Arithmancy is not compatible with every subject. It works well for creating charms or analysing curses, as you know yourself. It's also used for potion experiments, but Penny isn't focusing too much on new creations and theories, she's rather practical, as is Horace. Professor Snape was very interested in probability equations for potions. Bless his soul."

Septima had a bit of a distant look on her face.

"Would he not be able to do Arithmancy himself?", Hermione asked, knowing full well that he wasn't.

"No, he had work up to his ears at the best times", Septima told her. "He wouldn't have had the time to work on equations for hours. But we'd have an inspiring chat every now and then, when he was working on something particularly tricky. I miss our little conversations." She sounded nostalgic now, and she just focused on her dinner again. Hermione thought about what she had said, but didn't want to ask any more about Severus.

"Are you coming, Hermione?", Neville asked her, wiggling his eyebrows. Hermine grinned at him and got up to follow him.

"I feel like such a rogue, sneaking around and having secret parties", Neville whispered as they walked up to the third floor where the DADA classroom and Hestia's chambers where. "And we are supposed to be moral paragons", he added laughing quietly.

"I don't know what you mean, Professor Longbottom. We are moral paragons", Hermione said in her teacher voice.

"You're absolutely right, Professor Granger." He held the door to the DADA classroom open, through which they could reach Hestia's rooms. "After you."

We had a rather good time last week. Penny stocked us all with hangover potion, which was just as effective as yours but didn't taste as nice by far.

Septima has been talking about you, she misses your conversations.

I know you might not want to talk to me now, but I hope you are well and you can forgive me at some point. I am really sorry. I hope to talk to you soon again.

Hermione

It was one of many letters that Hermione had sent over the past few weeks. She felt like years passed between every letter she sent, and every time George came back without ever having a reply for her. She still hoped Severus would at least read them.

She tried not to think about him too often, and most of the time it worked. She was busy with teaching, correcting homework and planning lessons. The staff actually started planning ahead for visiting DADA teachers for the next term, rather than using it as an excuse to get illicitly drunk on school premises.

But sometimes she had to acknowledge that she missed him. She missed their exchange of letters and she missed seeing him and talking to him on weekends. She could have intellectually stimulating conversation with her fellow professors and friends, but it wasn't the same. She'd sometimes look at the notebook he had given her for her birthday and think about that night. And when she had one of those days, where she missed him the most, she couldn't stop herself from sending another letter into the unknown.

On the last Friday of the winter term she walked down the steps of the owlery, after having sent another letter, to get back to her afternoon class. She had a short Friday afternoon, only one double period of Slytherin and Gryffindor Fifth Years. She had been strict enough with assigning extra work for bad behaviour, so there was only a small amount of hostility between the students.

Luckily, the relationship between Gryffindor and Slytherin had gotten better after the war. But sometimes they just behaved like the teenagers that they were. It was probably just the type of character each house attracted, that made it slightly difficult for most them to get along with one another. She wondered if that was the reason for the disagreements between her and Severus, too.

But there were some pairs that worked well together nonetheless, and Hermione made sure to reward good inter-house working. She did her best to encourage them to work together as a group or pair, no matter what house they were from, and overall the climate in the school was very positive. Professor Slughorn had done a great job with Slytherin over the past decade and they were a pleasant and clever bunch of students.

"Make sure to work on your Disillusion Charms over the break, I want to see much improvement from all of you", she announced at the end of the lesson. "Class dismissed. Enjoy your Christmas, everyone."

She turned around to walk to her desk when she heard a loud bang and turned around to discipline them. They had been extremely unconcentrated all afternoon and she felt a little bit on edge.

However, to her surprise her student had conjured a vast amount of holly and mistletoe twigs that were forming the words MERRY CHRISTMAS in mid-air. Plenty of dancing Christmas baubles were hopping around the room and green and red sparkles were fighting for majority multiplying around the room.

"Merry Christmas!", her students yelled.

She couldn't stop a broad smile lighting up her face.

"Thank you everybody", she said. "Some excellent charm work. Ten points for each house. And another fifteen points for each house for teamwork."

They all left in a jubilant mood and Hermione sat down at her desk, marvelling at her students' work.

She spent the weekend and Monday at Hogwarts with the other professors, sorting out things for the new term. Most of them left the castle over Christmas, Neville and Luna decided to stay as well as Minerva and Filius and a few more.

Hermione left for London on Tuesday. Her parents were in Australia over Christmas. They still had friends there from the time they lived there after Hermione had obliviated them, and preferred the hot temperatures to the cold rain in London.

She arrived at her flat in Earlsfield early enough to still do some food shopping at the Sainsbury's around the corner. She'd be spending Christmas Eve with the Weasleys and Molly would surely give her plenty of food to take home, but she still liked having her fridge stocked with snacks. Crookshanks stayed with Neville and Luna, so Hermione started her holidays curled up on the sofa, drinking hot tea and reading a book.