A.N.: I hope you all are till enjoying these random Snapeshots of life. They're fun to write, so here's a light one bc I have some sad ones in the works. And thank you all for the recent influx of comments and messages. You're wonderful!

"Are you going to the ball, Professor?" Pansy asked, Hazel walking down the hallway towards Ghoul Studies with her. Pansy was early, since her last class wasn't too far away, and she and all of her friends had been buzzing about the ball since it was announced that morning.

"Of course, Miss Parkinson. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Professor Flitwick enchants the most clever decorations, and the House Elves outdo themselves every year." She unlocked the classroom door, holding it open for Pansy and the stack of books she was carrying.

As Pansy set up at her desk, she had another question. "Are you going with Professor Snape?"

Hazel turned back to look at her from where she had been writing on the chalkboard. "What makes you ask that?"

"Well everyone knows about you two. All of the Slytherins do, at least. He smiles every time someone mentions you, and Professor Snape doesn't smile. Okay, maybe when we win at Quidditch, or if someone pulls off a potion perfectly, but it's not that often. Besides, he was looking at you when Dumbledore made the announcement." Hazel smiled to herself as she went back to writing. A group of Slytherins had come in, their cacophony of a conversation drowning out any answer she would have given.

Potions class later in the week went similarly for the Slytherins, but this time it was Draco Malfoy who broached the question. While their cauldrons were simmering and Snape was making his rounds, Malfoy stopped him, ostensibly to ask if his potion was the right color yet. "You need more crushed snake fangs in here. It should have turned a pale blue by now."

"Professor." Malfoy caught him before he could swoop over to the next set of students. "Are you going to the ball next week?"

"Yes, Malfoy, I will be chaperoning. Why do you ask?" He could feel a couple of the nearby groups looking at him. Even the Gryffindors were watching now, pretending not to listen in as they worked.

"I was just wondering, sir - Have you asked Professor Ashmore yet?"

"She will be chaperoning as well, but I would advise against asking her for a dance, Malfoy." He peered into Harry, Ron, and Hermione's cauldron, about to offer a scathing remark when Malfoy interrupted him.

"No, sir, I meant have you asked her to go with you?"

Snape turned back to him, all eyes now focused on the pair. "Why ever would I do that?"

"Please, sir, we all know about the two of you," Pansy insisted from where she was working. Millicent Bulstrode, who was working with her, nodded vigorously. "She's in the Slytherin common room sometimes, and we know you go to see her when it's not your night to patrol the corridors. Besides, we've all seen you two talking. A lot. And the way you look at her, and the way she looks at you... We - we just thought it would be nice." She talked fast enough to keep him from getting a word in edgewise, not that he would have tried. He wanted to know what they knew. "I may have asked her the other day if you'd asked her yet, and she may have said no..."

"Miss Parkinson, while I do appreciate the sentiment, I do not need you muddling about in my personal life. Three points from Slytherin. Now you had better add that shredded fern to your cauldron before it boils over." And that was that. There would be no more discussion of the ball - at least no more asking Snape about it - in Potions class.

Naturally, the ball was the talk of the school, but what was brewing between some of their professors ran as a swift undercurrent. Before long even the Hufflepuffs were whispering about it. Everyone had found their dates in a hurry, if they were bringing one and not just going in a big group of friends. Everyone, it seemed, except for the two people who the entire castle knew simply had to go together. When they found themselves as the last two leaving a staff meeting, Snape took his chance. Instead of heading for the dungeons, he and Hazel kept talking as she made her way back to Ravenclaw Tower for the night. They paused outside of the door, Snape suddenly faltering. "Hazel, I -"

"It's Professor Snape! Aha! And his favorite little friend!" Peeves, the school poltergeist, appeared out of nowhere.

Snape raised his wand, immediately banishing the spirit to the opposite end of the castle. "Are you going to the ball?"

"Yeah, I'm supposed to make sure no one drowns in the punch bowl or fights each other over something dumb. You remember that fight that broke out in our seventh year? Awful business."

He nodded, biting his lip as he mulled over the question. "Would you like to go with me?" He finally met her eye, registering the second she smiled.

"That sounds lovely." She leaned in to give him a gentle kiss. "I have to be there early to help set up, but I'll meet you in the Great Hall, alright? G'night, Sev."

"'Night." He watched her disappear into Ravenclaw Tower before taking off for the dungeons, buoyed by the thought of the ball in a couple of days. Not even Peeves, who had taken to unscrewing a chandelier in the Potions corridor, bothered him very much.

That Friday night, Hazel stood in front of her mirror, trying to pick a pair of earrings when a sharp knock on the door startled her. "Filius, you're right on time," she said, double-checking that she had everything. "I can't wait to see how you've decorated the Great Hall."

"Oh this year Minerva and I went for a simple theme. Hagrid's bringing in the last of the trees now. He's built us a veritable forest already."

She found the Great Hall covered in icicles and snowflakes gently falling from the enchanted ceiling. Flitwick split off to finish the last of the decorations on a nearby Christmas tree, which McGonagall was already working on. The students were already beginning to filter in just as Sprout was getting the band set up.

The hall filled up quickly. Hazel was busy levitating a table into place, instantly filling it with crystal glasses, when she heard footsteps right behind her. It was the last of her work - the House Elves would take care of the rest. "You look... incredible."

"Sev!" She beamed, whirling around to hug him hello. She planted a chaste kiss on his cheek, remembering that they were being watched.

As the night wore on, they hardly strayed from each other's sides. Dumbledore borrowed her for a dance, but returned Hazel to Snape's side with a wink. As they watched the others whirl around the room, Hazel took his hand. No one was watching them now. For a long time, they had hesitated to display any sort of affection in public. Not that Dumbledore cared. He had been rooting for them even when they were back in school. But Snape still hesitated, not wanting rumors to swirl around the castle. He had a reputation to maintain, after all. But when he'd overheard some of his students still talking about them in that afternoon's Potions class, he'd decided it was time. The next time someone asked, he confirmed it.

No one's eyes were on them now, even though they were in such a crowded room. Half of the professors had had too much mead, and most of the students were either busy staring at their dates or grazing over the table of snacks. So he leaned in and whispered something. It came out more as a "doyouwanttodance" than an actual question, but all the same, Hazel smiled and pulled him out onto the dance floor as a slow song started.

Neither of them cared as the students began to notice. Malfoy was cheering somewhere in the background after Pansy pointed them out to him. Dumbledore leaned over to McGonagall, whispering something about them before pulling her onto the dance floor. Soon enough they were joined by a bunch of the professors and students alike. Hazel leaned her head on his shoulder as he buried his face in her hair. Despite all of the chaos in the wizarding world, in that moment, both of them were at peace. "Sev?"

"Hmm?"

She looked up and kissed him, not paying attention to anyone else around them. He smiled and returned the gesture. "This is how it should've been," he whispered, their noses nearly touching. "I wish this was how things were back in our seventh year."

"This is how it is now."

"Go professor!" Goyle's voice snapped them out of their trance as the music changed, Snape turning to rather viciously tell him to swap his gillywater for actual water.

Leading her outside, the two of them found themselves on the same bench they'd shared their final conversation on in seventh year. But this time things were different. Snape handed her his cloak, Hazel gratefully wrapping it around her shoulders. "Thank you," she told him as he sat down beside her. "For all of this."

"I had to make it up to you. Last time - last time was nothing like this."

"Don't worry about it, Sev. Tonight's different. We've figured all of that out. We're not the same people we were back then."

"Thank goodness." He put an arm around her, Hazel leaning in to kiss him. "Have I ever told you how thankful I am to have you back?"

"Once or twice," she laughed. Neither of them had been that happy for a while. Even if it was just for tonight, they could shut out the rest of the world. Tonight, it was the two of them and the ball they should have had in their seventh year. Tonight wouldn't end with both of them disappearing to mope in their dormitories. Instead Hazel followed him down to the dungeons, falling asleep beside him with a smile on her face.