AN: So this is what happens when I get bored during jury duty. I needed something light and short, hence this story. It is complete, and will be 22 chapters long. Hopefully you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Thank you for all the support! It is very deeply appreciated!
Severus never was one for romantic sentiments. Sure, in private he enjoyed indulging in the occasion muggle poem about the beauty of a woman and listening to love songs which were far too saccharine for any reasonable person's taste. In public, though, he maintained his neutral expression. As far as anyone could tell, a woman was a woman to him. No woman held sway over him, or so he said.
Within a few moments of arriving at the Ministry Ball, Hermione shattered his feigned disinterest. Dressed in her red dress and red shoes, she commanded his total attention. No longer was she the brains of the Golden Trio, an awkward teen who was growing into her body. Now, she was a full blooded woman and the best damn Transfiguration professor Severus had ever met. No offense to Minerva, but Hermione had outgrown her need to regurgitate information. She had a creativity most could only dream of possessing, a trait Severus found irresistible.
Her toffee eyes scanned the crowded ballroom. She gave no attention to the Ministry officials in their uniforms, or the other men in their finest robes. Even the women in their ballroom dresses did little warrant her attention. Severus' mouth dried at the thought she was searching for him. No, she couldn't be looking for him. There were far better men with whom to converse. Why would she look in his direction?
What if she did want to speak with him? That could prove tricky. He was shite at talking to women. No, that wasn't entirely accurate. He was brilliant at speaking to Hermione on academic subjects, or so she claimed. That didn't change the fact he was hopeless against a woman dressed in all red with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. He'd be lucky if he could spit out two words without tripping over himself.
Her eyes met his. They lit up as she approached him. His heart beat faster as sweat formed on his brow. Occluding was impossible. The moment was out of one of those poems Severus claimed to despise. He knew he shouldn't have read Lord Byron the night before. His romantic sentiments would be the end of him one day.
What did she want from him? Was it just a casual chat, or did she want to dance? Please let it not be the latter. He was more hopeless as a dancer than he was at speaking to women.
"Severus?"
He gave her a curt nod. "Hermione."
"It's nice to see you here."
"I would say it is nice to be here, but I don't make a habit of lying."
"No, I appreciate that about you," she stood beside him. "Total honesty. I don't have to guess with you. I like that."
"Indeed." There, that sounded natural. So far, not terrible. Perhaps he could get through this with his dignity intact.
She took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "I didn't think you were coming to the Memorial Ball."
"I did not come here willingly," he admitted. "I had hoped to spend my evening with a good book, but Minerva made it clear if I did not make an appearance, she would cut my next paycheck in half."
"She actually threatened that?" She cocked her head.
"Indeed she did. According to her, I need to make myself more available to others. Apparently speaking to you on occasion does not constitute a robust social life."
"It never hurts to have more friends."
"Not if the people with whom you are interacting are dunderheads."
"Not everyone is a dunderhead," she answered.
"Perhaps, but why take the risk by being social?" He asked.
"You are quite social with me."
"You are the only person I feel any desire to socialize with."
"I'm flattered."
"There's no need to be flattered by honesty."
She gave him a small smile. "You aren't so terrible to socialize with yourself. Our conversations are quite enlightening."
"You just like discussing potions articles with someone who isn't a dunderhead."
"That, and in your own way you can be quite charming."
His heart fluttered at the way her eyes glistened when she said that. If he didn't know any better, he would say he had a chance of convincing her to go out to lunch with him during a Hogsmeade weekend, perhaps even two. He preferred not to go on those excursions, but if she was going with him he may not consider it a wasted trip.
"Severus?" She asked.
"Yes?" He returned to the present.
"Would," she swallowed. The light in her eyes had died, replaced by a cloud of uncertainty. "Would you like to…?"
"Hermione. There you are."
Severus made a fist and bit his tongue. Of course that dunderhead Potter would appear at the least opportune time.
"Harry," Although she was grinning, it appeared forced, as if a life changing moment had passed her by, one she would never recapture despite her best efforts.
"Hey, sorry I'm late," he gave her a quick hug. "That Knockturn Ally robbery case has me stumped. I tried solving it before the ball, but Luna had to pick me up before I missed it completely."
"It wouldn't do for you not to make an appearance at a ball such as this," Luna breezed beside him, her white dress floating behind her like a cloud in a bright blue sky. "Not when everyone is so eager for you to speak."
"I don't know why anyone wants to hear my speeches," Harry shook his head. "Every year I feel like I blubber about without anything intelligent to say."
"Yes, your mouth does have a nasty habit of spewing the most asinine words possible," Severus muttered.
Hermione poked him in the ribs with her elbow. He winched before rubbing his side.
"Hello Snape," Harry looked at him before deadpanning. "Thank you for the vote of confidence. I appreciate your undying support."
"I am interested in honesty, not in buttressing your self-esteem."
"Severus," Hermione hissed. "There's no need to be rude."
"No, he's fine," Harry chuckled. "I'd honestly be more concerned if he was too polite towards me."
"He does seem to take offense when people interrupt his conversations with Hermione," Luna replied.
"Oh, you two were talking?" Harry asked.
"Indeed we were," Severus' voice was low with more than a hint of a threat.
"Oh Merlin I've really stepped into it." Harry was blushing.
Severus hummed. At least Harry looked embarrassed. He had somewhat more propriety than his father...somewhat.
"It's okay," Luna took his hand. "We should let them finish though."
"Yeah, we uh should." Harry's face grew redder. "I apologize again. Sometimes, I don't think."
"Only sometimes?" Severus asked.
"Severus," Hermione hissed.
"No, he's right. Sometimes I don't seem to have a brain."
Severus held back his retort.
"Anyway, have fun," Harry concluded.
"I'm sure they will." Luna gave Hermione a knowing smile before leading Harry to the dance floor.
"You needn't be so rude to him," Hermione snapped once the Potters were out of earshot.
"Perhaps, but if I was polite to him people would believe I'd fallen ill, or that I had a heart," he replied. "We wouldn't want such misconceptions to perpetuate, would we?"
"It's okay not to be a git all the time," Hermione noted. "It's okay to show you do in fact have a heart."
"I only have a heart towards those who have earned my respect."
"If you respect me, you'll at least try to be civil with Harry. He does admire you, even if you give him little reason to most days."
"He admires the person in his head, not who I am."
"How will he know the real you if you continue to be rude towards him?"
"This is the real me," he retorted.
"No, it isn't," she replied. "This is who you are when you're afraid someone will look down on you, or when you're uncomfortable."
He twisted his lips.
"It's okay to open up to others," she continued.
"Were you going to ask me something earlier?" He asked.
"Nice diversion," she answered.
"It's a legitimate question. Were you about to say something earlier?"
"Yes," she stood up straighter. "I…"
"Severus?"
He fought to keep himself from barking at this latest interloper. Even if he'd grown more tolerable over the years, his timing still left much to be desired.
"Hello Neville," Hermione began, that forced grin returning to her face.
"Hello," Neville turned to Severus. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to tell you before the speeches that I am grateful for your advice on the greenhouse proposal. It really helped put my thoughts into perspective, and refined my arguments."
"I am happy I could be of service," Severus relaxed.
"You've been helping him?" Hermione asked.
"Technically I'm helping myself and using him to do it," Severus replied. "If we can expand Neville's greenhouse, then he can grow more potions ingredients. The more ingredients I can get from Hogwarts, the less traveling I must do, which in turn means I save more money."
"It is a beneficial arrangement," Neville answered.
"Indeed it is," Severus replied. "When do you plan on showing your proposal to Minerva?"
"Minerva?" Neville went pale.
"Indeed," Severus drawled. "The proposal does us no good if she does not approve it."
"Yes, well," he fidgeted as his eyes darted around. "She's been quite busy lately, and it's been difficult to find a time when we could meet, with the school year ending and all."
"You haven't shown her anything, nor have you scheduled a meeting, have you?" Severus asked.
Neville gulped and turned his attention to a scuff mark on the marble floor.
"Oh Neville," Hermione's voice was gentle. "Why not?"
"I don't know. I'm just scared." He looked at her.
"Why? The proposal seemed fine when I examined it," Severus replied.
"Yes, but what if there's something I missed? What if I didn't calculate the cost right, or she thinks this project is unnecessary?"
"Why would she think creating a world class greenhouse is unnecessary?"
"I don't know. Maybe she wants the money to go to another department, or doesn't find Herbology as useful as she tells people it is."
"You'll never know where she wants the money to go unless you give her your proposal," Hermione replied.
"I know." Neville put his hands behind his back as his voice grew softer. "I'm so nervous, and a little scared. Sometimes I really don't have the courage to do what needs to be done."
"There's nothing to be scared of," she replied. "The worst that can happen is Minerva says no."
"Which is not in her best interest," Severus cut in.
"It isn't?"
"No, being a world class herbology center can only make the school look better, something she is well aware of."
"I know, but," Neville's eyes lit up. "Maybe you can give the proposal for me. You can argue for the greenhouse better than I can."
"No," Severus answered. "The proposal must come from you. It's your specialty, so you must be the one to offer it."
"I was afraid you'd say that." Neville gulped.
"You can do this, Neville," Hermione said. "It will all go well, I promise."
"I hope you're right," he gulped.
"Severus, fancy seeing you here," A man patted Severus on the back.
"Lucius," Severus coughed. "What brings you here?"
"Well, Narcissa is going to be acknowledged for not telling Voldemort that Potter had survived, so I thought I would come and support her."
"How noble of you," Severus replied.
"Between you and me," he leaned over and whispered into Severus' ear, "keeping up connections is just as important, wouldn't you agree?"
"Indeed," Severus muttered, watching his chance to speak with Hermione slip through his fingers.
"How are you doing?" Lucius asked.
Better before you came. Severus cleared his throat. "Very well, thank you."
"That is great to hear," he turned to Hermione. "He hadn't been giving you any trouble, has he?"
"No more than usual," she replied.
"So great to hear it. Severus does have a knack for causing trouble in certain situations. It's important to control him," Lucius answered.
"You could use some control yourself," Severus replied, wishing the blond would melt into the ground.
"Anyway, thanks for the pep talk," Neville began before darting into the crowd.
"Pep talk?" Lucius asked.
"Don't read too much into it," Severus answered. "I simply told him to do his job."
"I suppose some people would need a pep talk for that." He shrugged.
"Hermione!"
Severus suppressed a groan. Of course she would appear.
"Hello Molly," Hermione said through gritted teeth.
"Oh Hermione there you are!" She embraced Hermione so hard Severus was surprised she could breathe. "It's so great to see you again!"
"Great to see you too," Hermione squeaked.
"Oh Ronald's been looking everywhere for you," Molly began.
"Ron?"
"Yes, he desperately misses you."
"But we saw each other a couple of weeks ago. Surely he can't miss me that much."
Severus couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart. He knew she'd seen Weasley a few weekends ago, but he didn't want to think about it. She claimed it was only under the guise of friendship. He wanted to believe her, even if he knew he was a fool for doing so.
"A couple of weeks is too long to be apart, not with two people like you."
"Molly, we are friends," Hermione growled.
"Yes, and the best relationships start as friendships."
"There is no relationship between us other than friendship," Hermione argued.
"Nonsense. Ron talks about you all the time. He's always counting down the minutes when he can see you again."
"He doesn't care for me that way anymore."
"Of course he does. Now, come and see him." Molly locked eyes with Severus. "It will be much better than hanging out with an old, greasy git."
Molly dragged Hermione away before she could say another word. Severus stared at where they'd stood, the words, "old, greasy git" echoing in his mind.
"I thought Hermione and Ronald had been broken up for the last three years," Lucius began.
"She told me they were no more."
"Than why is he apparently panting after her?"
"Because he isn't an old, greasy git."
Lucius raised an eyebrow. Before he could say another word, Severus snuck towards the bar.
He would need a good scotch to get through the night.