Much thanks to my editor, Gwen McCormick, and to my dear friend DUJ. All mistakes are mine. Obviously, I am not JKR and am making nothing from this.

The Course of True Love

Chapter 18

Sunday, February 14, 1999

Sunday mornings in the staffroom were always a homey affair. Off-duty staff would come and go for a cup of tea and a chance to socialize. Today they were extremely tired after having spent the evening before chaperoning the Valentine's Day ball.

"Well, that's another Valentine's Day behind us," Minerva remarked. She sighed and sipped her tea.

"I thought it went rather well," Dumbledore asked. "Don't you agree, Pomona?"

She shot an angry glare at Flitwick. "Not as well as it should have," she snipped. "If you'll excuse me, I have some plants to attend to. They don't break your heart."

Filius Flitwick's pinked with guilt. Then, quietly, he stood and left.

Septima Vector sighed. "Pomona isn't the only one feeling disappointed this morning," she murmured. "Aurora also had her expectations crushed. She and Kingsley are at odds."

"Oh, my," Minerva said. "Hermione, give us some happier news. What did Mr. Weasley give you?"

Hermione blushed. "Well, nothing yet, I mean -"

"You needn't worry," Minerva said quickly, consoling her. "It's early still. I'm sure Mr. Weasley will send something before the day is over."

Aurora Sinistra quietly entered the room and stopped beside the Head of Slytherin. "Severus," she said, "thank you for attending the auction. I picked up the item for you," she said as she handed him a small box. "Oh, Hermione," she called out, "I saw Mr. Weasley at the Ministry yesterday. He said the two of you getting married on June 21. I hope we're all invited."

Hermione paled, but her face soon turned red with anger. "Uh, well, there is no date yet, not exactly," she said. "I mean, we've talked about it, but nothing's been set." She shook her head.

Irma Pince snorted. "Sounds like my Mr. Pince, always making my decisions for me," she muttered as she took a bite of her sweet roll.

"Ron isn't making my decisions for me," she retorted. "He's just-"

"Completely wrong for you," Sybil Trelawney supplied. She struggled to disentangle her necklaces. "He's a Pisces and a water sign. You're a Virgo and an earth sign." She peered through her thick eyeglasses at Hermione. "I'm sorry, dear," she added patronizingly, "but together you make mud."

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?" she asked coldly.

Seeing the hurt and anger in her apprentice's face, Minerva said, "But I thought opposites attracted."

"They do," Sybil agreed, nodding her head. "But Miss Granger there would do far better with another Earth sign. A Capricorn perhaps."

The evening meal had just started when Slughorn cried out. "What in the name of Merlin is that?" He pointed towards a huge bird winging its way through the Great Hall. The students and staff members looked upwards, their mouths gaping open.

"Looks like," Hagrid said, "no, it can't be! But it looks for all the world like a sphinx owl."

"It is," she replied, self-conscious of all the stares. "Thank you, Hercules." She took the small box and roll of parchment from the owl and fed him a slice of ham. "It's Ron's owl," she explained.

"He's a beauty," Hagrid nodded with appreciation as he petted the large bird.

"It looks like Mr. Weasley remembered," Minerva told her apprentice, "just like I said he would."

Hermione blushed with excitement. "If you'll excuse me?" she left the table. She could barely contain her excitement. Oh, Ron, I thought you'd forgotten, she murmured to herself. I should have had more faith in you.

She stopped just outside her room, leaned her back against the door, and opened the parchment.

Dear Hermione, I'm sorry I couldn't see you today. Sometimes being an Auror is a right pain! I didn't forget today. I've just been real busy, and this is the first chance I've had to sit down. Like I said, I didn't forget you. I hope you like it. Love, Ron.

Hermione smiled and opened the box. "Oh, Ron, you shouldn't have," she murmured. "You really shouldn't have." Inside was a ring, obviously an engagement ring. Atop a chunky band of gold, nearly an inch in width, sat an uncut carnelian. Well, as least he wasn't here in person to give this to me, she muttered. I'd never be able to pretend that I liked it. Instantly, she was embarrassed by her ungrateful thought

I'll just have to send him a thank you, she thought. Maybe I can talk him into exchanging it for something smaller and less expensive. Less gaudy, you mean. Wheeling around, she marched into her room, closing the door behind her.

"Oh!" she cried out. There, sitting on her desk, was a large green vase filled with dark pink, fragrant English roses. She sighed happily and skipped over to them.

Roses! My favorite! Oh, Ron! Closing her eyes, she pressed her nose deeply into the center of the arrangement and inhaled. She raised her head, smiled, and plucked the card from the ribbon. " 'The course of True Love never did run smooth' ," she read aloud. "Shakespeare? That's not like Ron." Then, with a puzzled frown, she sat down on her bed. "That's not Ron's handwriting, either."

Suddenly, Hermione realized whose it was, and she made a bee-line for Professor Snape. She was somewhat out of breath when she reached his office, so she took a moment to compose herself. Then, with a firm knock, she entered the small room.

"Hermione," he said, "is something wrong?"

"No," she said with a smile, "I just wanted to thank you. For the roses."

"Roses?" He feigned innocence by frowning. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean." He set down his quill and crossed his arms.

"I recognized your handwriting," Her eyes twinkled. "What I'd like to know, though, is why. Why did you send them?"

"You are too intelligent for your own good," he muttered. "It truly bothers me to think that students like yourself are condemned to average classes plodding along with the herd. For years now, I've been a proponent for advanced classes for students of greater ability," Severus told her.

"You're changing the topic, Severus," she told him. "Why did you send me roses?"

Dropping all pretense, he confided softly, "You've become my best friend, and I thought Mr. Weasley had forgotten you-"

"And you wanted to cover for him," she said. "That was nice of you."

"I didn't want you to be hurt," he corrected her. "The gesture was not for Weasley's benefit." Severus frowned and the scowl line between his eyes deepened. "He didn't forget you, did he?"

"No, Ron didn't forget," she rushed to defend him. "In fact, he sent me an engagement ring." She held up the box.

"He sent you an engagement ring by owl post?" His voice was flat and devoid of emotion.

"Yes," she explained carefully, "he couldn't get time off to bring it to me in person, and he wanted to make sure I received it on time, so he sent it with Hercules."

"That grand sphinx owl," Severus said. "Well, that's something."

Her smile drooped. "Are you going to tell me that it won't work, too? That Ron and I aren't suited?"

"Who's said that?" he asked, dodging the question.

"Trelawney for one," she said.

He snorted. "Surely you don't consider her opinion."

"No," she agreed, "but-" Hermione stopped and bit her lip. "Well, thank you for the lovely roses, Severus."

He smiled. "Any time, Hermione."

DISCLAIMER: Sybil's comment about water and earth signs was taken from a joke by Rodney Dangerfield.