Work title: Point of View

Author: DoraRussel

Beta-Reader: littleminx921

Rating: General Audience

Relationship: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape

Characters: Hermione Granger, Severus Snape, Surprise Character

Additional Tags: Romance, Fluffy, Romantic Speech, Plot Twist, Surprise Character, Songfic, Ominousoctober22

Summary: What really matters here is your privileged point of view. But know this: when you reach the end of the scene, you will need to choose between keeping what you had witnessed to yourself, or sharing it with the wizarding world.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of the related characters. The Harry Potter series is created by JK Rowling and owned by Warner Bros. This fanfiction is intended for entertainment only. I am not making any profit from this story. All rights of the original Harry Potter story belong to Warner Bros.

Initial note: Real life has been a huge pain in the ass these past few weeks, and I can't remember the last time a fandom challenge made me write so much... I'm quite happy about it, though.

I'd like to let a big thanks to the Potions and Parchment Facebook/Discord group — they have been so very thoughtful and I really appreciate it!

This story was written as a response to the Trick or Treat Prompts, from the Ominous October event, hosted by Potions and Parchment and HP Fanworks Central. I chose and adapted the Trick prompt: "They know someone is watching them day and night from the house across the street."

And before I forget: thank you so much for helping me again, littleminx921!


Who's watching?

Tell me, who's watching?

Who's watching me? (1)

"Severus, shush!" Hermione says in an anxious tone, putting one finger over his closed lips, indicating that he shouldn't continue speaking. In response, the man arches one of his eyebrows, waiting for an explanation for the sudden and unusual shush.

Hermione lowers her hand and points to the door, whispering in an urgent tone:

"Look!"

Severus' attention follows her command, dropping his gaze to the floor where he can see a weird shadow. Almost like it was a shade of a person's leg…

Before he can get to the door, his wand already firmly held by his dominant hand, ready to attack whoever was on the other side, the shadow disappears and when he opens the door, it is the same empty corridor he had seen before closing the door, minutes ago.

"Do you think…?" Hermione's voice came from behind, while the man started casting spell after spell, trying to identify a magic trail or anything that could answer their questions about who was spying on them.

"No, I don't think Death Eaters could have followed us." Severus says after casting his last spell "But I'm positive that it was someone from the magic community. See it for yourself." In front of the two wizards, a light shade of red started glowing, forming a line that indicated a wizard or a witch had not only been on that corridor, but had also used their own magic thus leaving the magic trail, like a personal signature.

"Who could have found about…?" Hermione doesn't finish her question, looking straight into Severus' eyes, while he's frowning and gesturing to the room behind them, waiting for her to enter and when she does, he closes the door with a loud bang. It is possible to hear a few spells being cast and suddenly, silence.

You are now staring at a closed, normal wooden door, in an empty and classic hotel's corridor, with a brown carpet that appears to have been there since the beginning of the century, maybe questioning yourself: WHO could have been spying on Severus Snape and Hermione Granger? WHY those two specific wizards would be in a hotel room? And, of course, WHAT could the spy have discovered that was so important that The Brightest Witch of Her Age had looked unusually startled?

x-x-x

I can't enjoy my tea

(Who's watching me?)

I always feel like somebody's watching me

Can I have my privacy? (Oh, oh) (1)

We're at the restaurant area of the hotel, watching our two wizards sharing what appears to be a nice and rich English breakfast.

If you look more closely, you can see a big smile on Hermione's face, as if this was the most natural thing in the world, while her right hand is covering Severus' one over the white towel's table.

Hermione Granger is touching Severus Snape.

Yes, it was an innocent gesture, still it's a very weird conception, although mostly in the first instance, because taking a closer look, you can perfectly see Hermione's face: while it seems impossible to accomplish that, the witch's chins are getting bigger as her smile grows. Looking for the reason why, you found something very, very curious: instead of using his usual scowling expression, the one that makes him look like he had just tasted the ear wax flavor of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Severus Snape was… clearly not smiling back, but definitely amused in some sort of a way…

A loud click followed by a pop drags not only your attention away from the curious scene, it also catches the couple's — would they really be a couple? — attention.

In a second, Severus and Hermione are up on their feet and out of the common area and you — unlike the oblivious few people who were also having their breakfast — are left completely astonished, lost in your own thoughts… In your mind, I bet that those three questions are echoing again, louder than the last time: WHO, WHY, WHAT?

x-x-x

"Enough is enough." Severus' voice is very low, the same way he used to speak when a student was on the verge of getting one way ticket to a horrific detention — scrubbing cauldrons for the rest of the semester would be the least worry of our spy, if that vein on the man's forehead didn't stop pulsing.

"I think we should go back, Severus. If that was really a…"

"No. No, we deserve to have some privacy, Hermione. After everything that happened, this is the least we could ask for."

"I know, I just don't want to…"

"Are you ashamed of me, Hermione?" Severus' tone changed although not because of the implied accusation on his words, but because something catches his attention and before he can speak another word to enlight what is the matter, Hermione's answer came in a high pitch:

"Ashamed? Of you?" She looked clearly offended by his question, her cheeks becoming pink at a fast speed.

"If not, tell me why are you so worried about it?" Even though Severus' voice stays in the same low tone as before, he is now mimicking what Hermione did the first time you saw those two wizards together: putting one finger over his lips, indicating with his head the same shadow under the door's room. He takes one careful step, continuing his questions "Are you ashamed of what the wizard community will say about you? About us?"

Hermione's eyes start winding as the realization hits her: in a flick of an eye, she has her wand on her dominant hand, ready to act.

"You know the answer for all of these questions, Severus."

Funny thing: you would know that Hermione is smiling while speaking even if you couldn't see her face. Although it's not the same smile she was using at the breakfast table the last time you saw them, her smile now is almost shy, nevertheless able to deliver just the correct amount of assurance, in conjunction with her words, making her statement sounding an unquestionable one.

Severus, totally oblivious to Hermione's features, having all his attention focused at his personal mission, takes two more silent steps, stopping in front of the door and continuing the scene they were playing with more questions, spoken without too much consideration:

"Do I? Care to enlighten me?"

And then everything happens so fast that it's quite difficult to keep track of every detail.

Using a non-verbal spell, Hermione opens the door and Severus casts a strong — and also non-verbal — Petrificus Totalus, catching the spy before they can run away like the last time. While the person hits the floor with a loud sound, Severus is about to get closer to identify the snoop one when Hermione's words snaps his attention:

"I love you too, Severus."

The man's body froze in the middle of his next step. Slowly he glances over his shoulders and you can see that the man's face is as white as one of the Hogwarts' ghost.

"Yes, you heard me right: I love you too, your fool old man." Hermione starts walking in Severus' direction, again smiling as if it was the most natural thing she could do every time she looked at him "I know you wait for me to sleep to starting whispering the most bewitching promises, but I have to agree to what you said before: enough is enough. And don't you even try to deny it, sir. Who cares what the wizard community will think about it? About us? Who cares that…?"

Hermione finally gets by Severus' side and like them, now you can also see who was the mysterious spy behind the door.

"Of course it's you… Whatever!" With a quick snort, Hermione rolled her eyes and continued her speech "Who cares about what the most famous journalist, our dear Rita Skeeter over here, will write about us? Haven't we done enough for the wizard world? When will be our time to be happy?" And not letting any space for him to answer, Hermione pulls Severus to her in a delicate and tender kiss.

Giving them their right of privacy to enjoy their love, you take a quick glance to the corridor's floor, where Rita Skeeter is still petrified, her face freezed in a surprised expression. But her eyes… Those two brown eyes, shining bright and exquisitely bigger behind her red glasses; even more memorable because of the fluorescent light of the corridor, hitting and reflecting on their lens.

The question you could probably be asking yourself right now is: Are Rita Skeeter's eyes shining with emotion after witnessing this precise moment in first place? Hermione's passionate speech and the result of it could shake even the coldest heart, that I'm sure… Or was it because of the great journalism scoop she could turn what she had just witnessed to?

It's undeniable that this scoop would be as great as The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore's was… Well, we would see, wouldn't we?

Now I'm convinced I'm going under

(...)

Now that we know it, let's really show it, darlin'

Let's give 'em something to talk about

How about love, love, love? (2)


(1) Lyrics of the song "Somebody's Watching Me", from Rockwell, released in 1984.

(2) Lyrics of the song "Something to Talk About", from Bonnie Raitt, released in 1991.

Final note: Well, you must have already noticed that I can't write anything without at least one song lyrics to inspire me... I'm guilty of all charges, your honor.

I'd love to hear what you thought about this one. And since I'm in the mood of confessing my sins, after this bombastic end I have to say my goodbyes in great style, so: XOXO, Gossip Girl.