"So we are agreed, then, Miss Granger?" Snape murmured as they prepared to
travel by Floo to Diagon Alley. Hermione only nodded-they'd agreed to keep
their relationship a secret from everyone except Dumbledore and, if
circumstances demanded, Harry and Ron. The boys' tendency to prowl around
Hogwarts and their inevitable suspicions when Hermione spent a little too
much time in the dungeons would probably force Hermione's hand at some
point during the year. Smiling to herself, Hermione didn't mention that
Draco and Harry had seen it coming. It was Ron who concerned her.
"Don't forget, Miss Granger, you're supposed to cower from me in fear," he snarled in her ear as they stepped through a fireplace. "Now go get whatever you need. I'll meet you here in a while and we'll head for the train station. You ought to ride to Hogwarts with your friends." Hermione nodded obediently, making sure to brush against him ever so subtly as she headed away. She knew she'd had an effect on Snape when she heard him cursing under his breath. She grinned.
An hour later, Hermione was all set. She'd already had most of her supplies prepared so that she could get a head start on the year's curriculum. Snape glared up at her over his book and stood gracefully. There was a hint of a smile in his eyes as Hermione cowered just a little. They ran into Remus and Harry on the way out, and from the looks of it their act was convincing- Harry paled when Snape glared viciously at him, and shot Hermione a sympathetic look. Lupin looked sufficiently cowed, also sending Hermione his nonverbal condolences.
Before long, Hermione found herself on the train with Harry and Ron, stuffing her face with chocolate frogs and every-flavor beans. Ron had been a little too sympathetic about her family at first, but now he was treating her normally. The boys were now-not surprisingly-talking Quidditch, so Hermione was able to just watch them for a while. Every once in a while Ron would turn to her and smile shyly, his face turning red like his hair. Hermione felt a little guilty, and tried not to encourage that kind of behavior. Ron was her friend, but her heart belonged to someone else. She smiled as she thought of Severus, but was soon shaken from her reverie when Harry and Ron decided to begin a game of exploding snaps. It felt like old times, and Hermione enjoyed being with her friends again.
Partway through the trip, there was a knock on the door of their car and Draco poked his head in, looking a little troubled. "Harry, Hermione, do you mind if I come in here for a while?" Ron looked dumbfounded when they invited Draco in enthusiastically and offered him a chocolate frog. Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance, and explained to Ron that they had met and made amends at Hogwarts that summer after the Death Raids. "He's our friend now, Ron. Please treat him nicely," Hermione begged. Ron seemed a little wary, but he agreed and managed to remain civil all afternoon.
Upon arrival at Hogwarts, they were ushered into the Great Hall as usual to watch the sorting ceremony for the very last time as students. The seventh years paid special attention to the hat as they heard its strange song once last time. They welcomed the new students with enthusiasm, and realized how much they had missed the food when it appeared before them for the first time that year. Even amidst her many conversations with fellow Gryffindors, Hermione managed to glance at the staff table and catch Snape's eye. His face was a mask but his eyes glinted with mirth. She risked a quick wink at him before grinning widely at Professor McGonagall, who was sitting next to Madam Hooch and giving Hermione a motherly sort of smile. Snape was amused- he'd have to share a certain bit of Hogwarts gossip with Hermione. The only other person in the Great Hall who noticed Snape's nonverbal communication with Hermione was Dumbledore, who had spoken to Snape before the students arrived and expressed his approval.
"Of course," he had winked, "if you're too obvious about it I might have to change my mind, but I have a feeling you two weren't planning on too many PDAs." Severus had only snorted and glared when Dumbledore offered him yet another lemon drop.
The conversations at the staff table didn't interest him very much tonight. The other professors wanted to discuss the interesting predicaments of Hermione, Harry, and Draco, but their summer caretakers all declared that things went very well.
"And did Hermione behave herself, Severus?" McGonagall commented with a grin. "She's quite a wonderful little Gryffindor, don't you think?"
"I couldn't agree less even if I were fond of Gryffindors, Minerva," he'd drawled. "Then again, I do understand your natural..bias." McGonagall glared at him and returned to her meal, while Dumbledore's eyes twinkled amusedly. Professor Lupin looked at the Headmaster, then to Snape, and shook his head in confusion.
At the Gryffindor table, Ron was flirting shamelessly with Hermione, which kept her desperately looking for some sort of escape. Harry sat across from them, and when Ron looked away and was refilling his plate Harry looked at her, then to Ron, and raised an eyebrow suggestively. Hermione shook her head curtly, and Harry frowned. He let his eyes flicker to the staff table and back, and Hermione raised a finger to her lips and grinned. Harry almost coughed up his chicken, but it was obviously from amusement instead of disgust.
Ron jumped back into the conversation, oblivious, and Ginny managed to get herself into the seat next to Harry, so their unspoken conversation ended there. "We'll talk later," Harry mouthed quickly, then turned to beam at Ginny, who had definitely filled out over the summer.
Hermione was pleasantly surprised when she was announced as Head Girl. She'd have to harass Snape for not telling her! Also luckily, Draco was designated as Head Boy. That meant he would get his own rooms and thus avoid spending too much time with the other Slytherins, who were eyeing him evilly. Even Crabbe and Goyle had abandoned him, and he sat slightly apart from his one-time supporters.
When dinner ended and the students began to file out, Hermione sneaked one last look at Professor Snape, and then one at Dumbledore. He grinned at her broadly, and Hermione smiled back mischievously. She turned back to her friends happily, knowing from Dumbledore's reaction to her that all was well.
Ron had no clue what was coming when, that night in the Gryffindor common room, he challenged Hermione to a game of wizard's chess.
**A/N**I have a question about Hermione being Head Girl. Where does she stay? Just in a separate room in Gryffindor tower or in a different place all together? Where does Draco stay? I'd appreciate it if someone would email me and clear that up! (Fionuir@aol.com) Hope you guys are enjoying this-I never expected anyone to take this thing so seriously! Well, I hope to keep posting for the next two weeks of summer! Let's hope I don't have to stop off at an awkward place-the frequency of my updates will decrease sharply once school starts.
"Don't forget, Miss Granger, you're supposed to cower from me in fear," he snarled in her ear as they stepped through a fireplace. "Now go get whatever you need. I'll meet you here in a while and we'll head for the train station. You ought to ride to Hogwarts with your friends." Hermione nodded obediently, making sure to brush against him ever so subtly as she headed away. She knew she'd had an effect on Snape when she heard him cursing under his breath. She grinned.
An hour later, Hermione was all set. She'd already had most of her supplies prepared so that she could get a head start on the year's curriculum. Snape glared up at her over his book and stood gracefully. There was a hint of a smile in his eyes as Hermione cowered just a little. They ran into Remus and Harry on the way out, and from the looks of it their act was convincing- Harry paled when Snape glared viciously at him, and shot Hermione a sympathetic look. Lupin looked sufficiently cowed, also sending Hermione his nonverbal condolences.
Before long, Hermione found herself on the train with Harry and Ron, stuffing her face with chocolate frogs and every-flavor beans. Ron had been a little too sympathetic about her family at first, but now he was treating her normally. The boys were now-not surprisingly-talking Quidditch, so Hermione was able to just watch them for a while. Every once in a while Ron would turn to her and smile shyly, his face turning red like his hair. Hermione felt a little guilty, and tried not to encourage that kind of behavior. Ron was her friend, but her heart belonged to someone else. She smiled as she thought of Severus, but was soon shaken from her reverie when Harry and Ron decided to begin a game of exploding snaps. It felt like old times, and Hermione enjoyed being with her friends again.
Partway through the trip, there was a knock on the door of their car and Draco poked his head in, looking a little troubled. "Harry, Hermione, do you mind if I come in here for a while?" Ron looked dumbfounded when they invited Draco in enthusiastically and offered him a chocolate frog. Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance, and explained to Ron that they had met and made amends at Hogwarts that summer after the Death Raids. "He's our friend now, Ron. Please treat him nicely," Hermione begged. Ron seemed a little wary, but he agreed and managed to remain civil all afternoon.
Upon arrival at Hogwarts, they were ushered into the Great Hall as usual to watch the sorting ceremony for the very last time as students. The seventh years paid special attention to the hat as they heard its strange song once last time. They welcomed the new students with enthusiasm, and realized how much they had missed the food when it appeared before them for the first time that year. Even amidst her many conversations with fellow Gryffindors, Hermione managed to glance at the staff table and catch Snape's eye. His face was a mask but his eyes glinted with mirth. She risked a quick wink at him before grinning widely at Professor McGonagall, who was sitting next to Madam Hooch and giving Hermione a motherly sort of smile. Snape was amused- he'd have to share a certain bit of Hogwarts gossip with Hermione. The only other person in the Great Hall who noticed Snape's nonverbal communication with Hermione was Dumbledore, who had spoken to Snape before the students arrived and expressed his approval.
"Of course," he had winked, "if you're too obvious about it I might have to change my mind, but I have a feeling you two weren't planning on too many PDAs." Severus had only snorted and glared when Dumbledore offered him yet another lemon drop.
The conversations at the staff table didn't interest him very much tonight. The other professors wanted to discuss the interesting predicaments of Hermione, Harry, and Draco, but their summer caretakers all declared that things went very well.
"And did Hermione behave herself, Severus?" McGonagall commented with a grin. "She's quite a wonderful little Gryffindor, don't you think?"
"I couldn't agree less even if I were fond of Gryffindors, Minerva," he'd drawled. "Then again, I do understand your natural..bias." McGonagall glared at him and returned to her meal, while Dumbledore's eyes twinkled amusedly. Professor Lupin looked at the Headmaster, then to Snape, and shook his head in confusion.
At the Gryffindor table, Ron was flirting shamelessly with Hermione, which kept her desperately looking for some sort of escape. Harry sat across from them, and when Ron looked away and was refilling his plate Harry looked at her, then to Ron, and raised an eyebrow suggestively. Hermione shook her head curtly, and Harry frowned. He let his eyes flicker to the staff table and back, and Hermione raised a finger to her lips and grinned. Harry almost coughed up his chicken, but it was obviously from amusement instead of disgust.
Ron jumped back into the conversation, oblivious, and Ginny managed to get herself into the seat next to Harry, so their unspoken conversation ended there. "We'll talk later," Harry mouthed quickly, then turned to beam at Ginny, who had definitely filled out over the summer.
Hermione was pleasantly surprised when she was announced as Head Girl. She'd have to harass Snape for not telling her! Also luckily, Draco was designated as Head Boy. That meant he would get his own rooms and thus avoid spending too much time with the other Slytherins, who were eyeing him evilly. Even Crabbe and Goyle had abandoned him, and he sat slightly apart from his one-time supporters.
When dinner ended and the students began to file out, Hermione sneaked one last look at Professor Snape, and then one at Dumbledore. He grinned at her broadly, and Hermione smiled back mischievously. She turned back to her friends happily, knowing from Dumbledore's reaction to her that all was well.
Ron had no clue what was coming when, that night in the Gryffindor common room, he challenged Hermione to a game of wizard's chess.
**A/N**I have a question about Hermione being Head Girl. Where does she stay? Just in a separate room in Gryffindor tower or in a different place all together? Where does Draco stay? I'd appreciate it if someone would email me and clear that up! (Fionuir@aol.com) Hope you guys are enjoying this-I never expected anyone to take this thing so seriously! Well, I hope to keep posting for the next two weeks of summer! Let's hope I don't have to stop off at an awkward place-the frequency of my updates will decrease sharply once school starts.