A/N: Finally here is the new chapter! Enjoy the fluff g.

Alexial, LonelySlytherin, Malfoy, Noctivague, Potions Mistress, Zoe – You'll see…

Andrian, Ann, Anna, Chishonio Tenshi, Chrissy, Ezmeralda, LaBaronne, Luna Writer, Lucinda Malfoy, MadAboutHarry, Marston Chicklet, notsureyet, Sam, Strega Brava - Thanks!

Campy Capybara – Thanks for your kind review!

Goddess-Isis-112 – 'My' nasty cliffhanger? g Here I am jumping up and down because of *your* nasty cliffhanger in your story 'Given the Chance'. (A/N – it's a good story folks, check it out)

Part 34

Severus was loath to admit weaknesses of any kind on his part, but after a moment he said tersely, "My list of qualifications does not include 'dances well', Remus".

He would have to choose his words carefully, Remus sighed to himself. Many people thought that if Severus had been an Animagus, he would have been a snake, but Remus felt at times like this that an animal form for the Head of Slytherin would be something with more bristles and spikes. Truly, it was a minor miracle that Severus had let Hermione past his defences at all.

"Half the people in here aren't great dancers, but that hasn't stopped them tonight," Remus offered casually. "Certainly Minerva needs to loosen up when she and Albus dance……oh, I see she's looking at you disapprovingly. She has been beaming at Harry and Hermione as if she plans to be a matchmaker for them both."

At that Severus' eyes glinted with a 'not if I have anything to do with it' look and tilting his chin as if to do battle, headed off in the direction of Hermione.

Harry was impressed with the way that the Great Hall had been transformed into a sea theme for the dance – all of the tables had been removed as well, with just a small table against one wall that held light snacks and a bowl of (non-alcoholic) punch with glass goblets surrounding it. Spindly looking wooden chairs against a wall offered rest for weary dancers later. There was the sound of light orchestral music in the hall – fast enough to encourage efforts at dancing but not too formal as to make people feel uncomfortable. The hall was enlivened by the presence of the curious ghosts of Hogwarts who drifted quietly between the dancers, murmuring pleasantries, Sir Nicholas pausing at times to politely tip his head at students.

He was enjoying dancing with Hermione. Harry had to admit she looked lovely in her own way – if this was a fairy tale then this would be the part where he and Hermione gazed into each others eyes and started thinking sappy thoughts.

But all he saw when he looked at Hermione was his intelligent, forthright friend who had become the sister he had never had – the warm affection he felt for her was not that of 'true love'. Harry knew that she felt the same way and was pleased enough to be dancing with him, though it was a bit off-putting to sense that Hermione would rather be dancing with Snape at the moment….

As if he had been overheard, Harry was suddenly aware of the Potions Master having approached them, who said in a silky voice that contained steel, "I believe you have danced with Miss Granger long enough, Potter".

The two Gryffindors paused in their dancing, and for a moment there was a look of surprised delight on Hermione's face before she schooled her expression to that of a calmer one. She was aware of other students having slowed in their dancing to look their way, eyes avid to see whether a major confrontation between Severus and Harry was about to happen.

But Harry disappointed them by saying off-handily, "Since Hermione is probably sick of me stepping on her feet all the time, you're probably right, Professor". That comment was a lie, but Hermione shot Harry a quick, grateful look of thanks which he returned with an equally quick and amused 'you owe me' look before relinquishing Hermione and turning away. He felt like a break anyway.

Feeling grateful towards Harry, Hermione looked up at the formidable dark form of Severus. Although she had not expected him to turn up at the dance she had nevertheless had the wistful hope that he would do so. To dance with a friend like Harry was enjoyable enough, but it would be a special thing in itself to dance with the one she loved, even though a faint twitch on Severus' sallow face at the moment revealed that he was nervous, perhaps angry with himself also for being this way. It didn't help that some of the dancing students were covertly gaping at them, though they kept their distance.

Being this close to him Hermione saw approvingly that some of the shadows had disappeared from underneath Severus' eyes and his hair fell silkily around his face instead of in greasy, lank strands. She wondered how he was feeling inside overall but sensed it would not be a good idea to bring up the subject of his father, even discreetly. The subject would still be a sore point for him. The look in his dark eyes as his swift glance took in her appearance and the scooped neckline of her dress spoke eloquent volumes, but then his gaze froze when he saw that she was not wearing the silver necklace around her neck.

Hermione quickly lifted her left hand and whispered hastily, "Don't worry - it's on my hand and ah, invisible. I tried it on and it refused to come off!"

His eyebrows raised and his heart beating again, Severus swiftly clasped her smaller hand with his and ascertained with relief that yes, although her fingers appeared to be bare of rings, he could feel Hermione was indeed wearing his engagement ring. He knew that there would have been a fairly reasonable explanation from Hermione, but his mind did have a tendency to jump to the worst conclusions first….

"I see," he murmured, his mouth twitching in an almost-smile to reassure the look of barely concealed anxiety in her eyes and then he smoothly kissed the back of her hand before releasing it. There had been odd stories passed down through the Snape family about this engagement ring, so her story was not as nonsensical as it sounded.

Then he cleared his throat slightly. "May I have this dance?" he said gruffly.

"Yes, thank you," Hermione smiled and moving closer to him placed her left hand on his shoulder and lifted her right arm up to him expectantly. His eyes narrowed at her for a second as if she was mocking him but then he clasped her other hand with his and placed his other hand upon the small of her back, subtly pulling her closer to him.

Remus smiled approvingly from across the hall and decided he would enjoy a dance as well. So it was that a young woman standing by the wall who had despaired of dancing with someone that night was pleasantly surprised to be asked to dance with him….

"This is against my better judgement, you understand," Severus said in a cool tone only for Hermione's ears, his eyes glinting down at her. But with his senses acutely aware of her breathtaking nearness, he was becoming swiftly ensnared by the theory that this would not be a total disaster after all. He had had dancing lessons drummed into his sullen head years ago, after all…..he found himself listening to the music, realising yes, now was the right moment to start dancing a simple waltz with her.

Both of them were awkward dancers at first with each other. Feeling their bodies respond with a yearning ache due to the closeness of the other did not help and being aware of you're actually dancing together?? looks cast their way did not make things easier. They could not have been more of a contrast together, Severus looking the very embodiment of Slytherin as he always did in his sweeping black robes that seemed to swallow up light, and Hermione his polar opposite in every way in her Gryffindor-toned attire.

But when they both saw the sight of Sir Nicholas offering to dance (in his own way) with a startled looking Lavender who had paused at the refreshment table for a moment, there was a smirk on the face of Severus while Hermione tried to hide a smile. In their shared humour some of the tension eased and without consciously realising it, there was more grace to their dancing. It was a somewhat surreal experience for the others in the hall to see them both dancing with quiet delight on Hermione's part, and a lack of cold indifference on Professor Snape's part. Awareness was dawning in even the dullest of minds that if they still continued to tolerate the other at this point, then there was a good chance this state of affairs would be continuing for a while….

"I do not wish to know where Miss Brown got the inspiration for her outfit," Severus said dryly, in the same low tone as before to Hermione, for he had no wish to be eavesdropped upon, thank you.

His heart was threatening to turn butter-soft at the fact she was now resting her head gently against his chest. It was both comforting and sweet torture to be able to do nothing in this situation but hold her in a somewhat chaste manner as they danced….the very scent of her tantalised him.

Hermione thought of trying to explain the disco scene to Severus and failed miserably. "That's probably just as well," she said ruefully in equally low tones.

The music played and the night went on, dancing couples paused for a breather and others took their place but it was observed that Professor Snape and Hermione did not cease in their unhurried dancing together, two figures of deep red and black, light and shadow….

At one point with an apologetic tone to her voice Hermione said, "I realise I never thanked you for the rose you sent me just before the exams."

"I see; so I have had to wait to be thanked until now," Severus commented with a glint in his eyes. "The next time I decide to give you something I may change my mind……..and did Potter give you the rose which you are wearing now?" he added softly, glancing down at the pink rose she was wearing. Trust Potter to give her a rose that particularly insipid colour of pink.

"Yes. After all, he was the one who took me to the dance," Hermione countered lightly.

His mouth twisted slightly. "Touché."

"There's nothing wrong with your dancing, though," Hermione added generously, for although he was not as good as Harry (not that she would mention this to Severus), being slightly stiff in his dancing, it was at the end of the day nothing to be ashamed of. Although it was unfortunate that the sinuous grace in his walking could not be successfully transferred to the dance floor, none of them were perfect. Many of the other dancing students were situated near the soaring stained-glass windows at the other end of the hall, and by unspoken agreement Severus and Hermione were dancing at a circumspect pace nearer to the bronze doors.

"Mmphf," Severus said, sounding as if he could not care less, but was secretly pleased.

"I have not properly congratulated you on your exam results…..did I not say you would pass? Nevertheless, I am proud of you," he murmured.

Hermione felt her cheeks turn pink; outright praise from Severus was infrequent enough that it went straight to her head like wine. "Thank you," she mumbled and for a moment lost her step in the dance but managed to correct herself.

"Perhaps a break would be in order?" Severus suggested dryly. "I think we have scandalised enough people for now", he added in an ironic tone.

Hermione agreed; her energy for dancing had seemed without limits, but when they both stopped in their dancing she was aware she was slightly out of breath, and sitting down seemed a good idea. Of course, Severus only looked as if he just been for a brief walk.

No one happened to be near the refreshment table or sitting down on the chairs when they both approached it, and Hermione was relieved to see that there was still some punch left. Severus took a glass goblet, frowned in irritation when he saw he had picked up a slightly chipped one, replaced it with one of unchipped quality and when he had filled it with drink offered it to Hermione.

"Thanks," she said gratefully and sank down upon a nearby chair with a sigh, leaning against the stone wall. Severus sat down beside her on her left side with a brimming glass in his hand, his dark robes pooling upon the floor, tangling to a small degree with the sweeping edges of her outfit.

The chair that he was sitting upon creaked slightly under his weight, but luckily did not cause any further alarm. There was a sour look on Severus' face.

"I told Minerva before that we needed sturdier chairs but would she listen? Of course not," he growled.

Hermione's eyes twinkled at him. "Ah, you helped with the decorations here," she said, nodding.

"I said no such thing!" Severus said in denial then after looking at her said stiffly, "I assisted. But I did not volunteer, thank you."

Hermione smiled to herself. "Was the floor your idea?" she said in interest, looking down. The tiny, gleaming white shells looked realistic, apart from the fact that they did not crunch underneath ones feet.

He snorted at that. "Of course not." But after a second he indicated the faintly eerie appearance of the ceiling with the discreet pointing of his hand. "But that was my doing," Severus admitted.

"It's very ah, Slytherin-like," Hermione murmured.

"There will be less sarcasm from you, please."

Smiling, Hermione surveyed the dance floor, noticing that Harry was dancing with Lavender, while a slightly stunned looking Neville was dancing with Parvati. The impression she was receiving from the other dancers now was let's pretend Those Two aren't over there. At this point she felt she didn't really care. She realised there was a pleasure at having completely shredded her reputation now as studious, brainy Hermione, the one to come to only when there was a knotty spell formula to work out. Reliable, sidekick Hermione. True, she was known as one of the Two Who Destroyed Voldemort, but Harry was remembered first for his part. It had been almost taken for granted that she would be there to help in that last, bloody battle…..

No, a Hermione who could love the Potions Master, and be shown affection by him, was a more unpredictable creature.

Once they had finished drinking, Severus casually sent the goblets floating back to the table and reached for her left hand. There seemed to be layers of meaning in that gesture and she looked down at their clasped hands.

"Hermione," he said murmured, and she turned to look at Severus, the black hair that constantly got in the way over his face, the sallow skin, the lines on his face that somehow gave him character, the black eyebrows that could lift in ironic query, the deep-socketed black eyes that could convey a thousand things in one swift glance. Which were now focussed on her – she was so close that she could almost see herself reflected in them, a bright figure (was that her?) in eyes that had once looked to her and the others like cold, empty tunnels.

He continued. "The ring of mine that you are wearing is hidden, but would you consider wearing it in truth?"

Hermione nodded, a glow in her eyes. It was time to stop hiding, she thought and whether Severus had silently cast the charm to revoke an Invisibility spell or whether the contrary ring itself had played a part, but in the next moment the silver ring was visible upon her left hand with the emeralds gleaming in what appeared to be smug satisfaction. A sense of joy rose up inside of her with a new sense of unity between them.

As if aware that something momentous had happened, Minerva, who had been talking to Albus near one of the stained glass windows, sailed over in their direction, a gently smiling Albus following. Harry, who was dancing with Lavender, gazed after them, his gaze sharp. It had been a surreal experience to see Professor Snape and Hermione dancing together and he had been curious as to what they occasionally had been murmuring to each other about. Certainly Lavender had been unashamedly gaping at them both.

There was a tight smile on Minerva's face as she approached Severus and Hermione. Why didn't the girl see that if not Ron, then Harry would be a more suitable catch for her? Surely she had taken leave of her senses – and Severus too.

She noted a dangerous glint in Severus' eyes as she came closer that said she was to watch what she said…….when she stopped in front of them Minerva said, "I see that you have been enjoying yourselves."

Immediately on her guard, Hermione decided to keep her answer simple. "Yes we have, thank you."

Albus paused beside Minerva and smiled benignly at Hermione and Severus, a twinkle appearing in his eyes after being quick to notice what was now on Hermione's hand. "It seems an announcement is in order, don't you think?"

Minerva gasped softly when she saw that Hermione was wearing an engagement ring and put her hand to her mouth.

Hermione froze, and then found herself saying, "Yes, Headmaster, I'm going to marry Severus."

At that line Severus turned to Hermione, his dark eyebrows raised. Trust Hermione to jump in first, his impudent Gryffindor……

"What kind of line is that? I was the one who proposed to you, Hermione. On my knees as I recall," he said dryly, ignoring the surprised stares of his two colleagues.

"I got carried away, that's all," Hermione said aside to him in a whisper, feeling buoyed by the unexpected gleam of dark humour in his eyes. "Well, what about 'we'll both be getting married?' then?"

"An improvement, I suppose," he observed.

By now Minerva's eyes were the sizes of poached eggs. "Congratulations," she said faintly.

"You will both be getting married? Splendid, splendid," Albus beamed, his voice carrying throughout the hall. Various looks of shock and startlement were turned their way.

"Harry, oh my God, did you hear that?" Lavender whispered wide-eyed to Harry. There was a feeling of shock inside Harry – Hermione was actually going to marry Snape? – but he knew what he had to do. He quickly said, "Excuse me," to Lavender and headed towards Hermione, Lavender following swiftly on his heels.

Hermione looked and saw Harry approaching them, a stunned look in his green eyes. Severus had noticed him as well for he turned his head swiftly to observe Harry as he came towards them and stopped just metres away.

"Potter," Severus observed, his eyes narrowing. You could have heard a galleon drop in the hall. What was going to happen, people wondered.

Harry swallowed and then said steadily, "Congratulations - to both of you. I hope you will be happy."

"Thanks Harry," Hermione said, relief in her eyes. Severus looked at Harry measuringly for a moment as if judging the sincerity of his words and then said abruptly, "Thank you, Potter."

An out of breath Lavender came up to Hermione (a wide-eyed Neville behind her) and blinking, said, "Well, I still want to be your bridesmaid, you know!"

Not in that silver outfit was the immediate thought from the others.

Remus approached in his turn, relieved to feel no adverse reaction from the ring Hermione was wearing. "Congratulations to both of you," he said warmly, his wide smile encompassing both Severus and Hermione. Severus was surprised to realise that it meant something to him that Remus' approval was genuine.

"Well, I think this calls for a celebratory drink in my office!" Albus beamed. "You're not allowed to refuse, you know….."

So it was that Hermione and Severus found themselves ensconced in a room adjoining the headmasters office, that was filled with comfortable, overstuffed couches, a goblet of fine vintage wine in each of their hands. Harry, Lavender and Neville had been allowed to come along too, taking the opportunity to be in the headmasters quarters with its myriad collection of magical artefacts, for reasons other than a talking-to. They sat in a couch near Hermione, munching on a bowl of nuts that Albus had provided while Remus stood by the fireplace which had a small, cosy fire in it.

Hermione was uneasy to be a centre of attention this way as she sat on a couch besides Severus. The wine was too dry for her taste but cautious sips helped to calm her down. Both of them found themselves fielding curious questions about dates, outfits and honeymoons.

Severus was irritated at the nosiness of the questions, but concealed it. He was annoyed as well though at the sofa that they had been both urged to sit in as it was far too soft, and sitting on a sofa patterned in a zebra print was beneath his dignity, he thought. At least the wine was excellent.

Minerva had stayed for a short while but then had left, pleading tiredness, an excuse that fooled no one.

Lavender bravely decided that it was her duty to design a decent wedding dress for Hermione.

Neville wondered whether Hermione would like being called 'Hermione Snape'.

Harry thought life would certainly be interesting at Hogwarts from now on.

A gleeful Albus was filled with images of powerful Granger-Snape children and launched into a speech about how a new era was dawning with an alliance between the Slytherin and Gryffindor houses.

Remus had visions of dog-Sirius howling at the moon when he heard the news.

Hermione wondered how her parents would react when they found out tomorrow.

Severus thought that if Albus didn't stop droning on then he would be tempted to put a hex on him.

It was a while before the people dispersed to their separate quarters. Lavender assumed Hermione would be coming back to the Gryffindor tower with the others that night but when she saw the no she is not glint in Professor Snape's eyes decided not to push her luck or think about what they would get up to. Noticing how close Hermione was standing beside him Lavender thought ruefully Hermione would probably agree with the professor….

So it was that Hermione and Severus found themselves alone down in the corridor by the towering phoenix that was the (now closed) entrance to the headmaster's office, Remus the last to having bade them goodbye.

"I believe I have been patient enough, my wife-to-be," Severus murmured as he enfolded her in his dark robes, his words full of meaning.

"My room or yours?" Hermione said mischievously as she put her arms around his waist, mumbling an apology when she hiccupped. She wasn't drunk, but sometimes she only had to drink water to start hiccupping.

"Mine, impudent one…..or rather, ours," he added softly.

"Yes," she agreed shyly though there was a glint in her eyes and after concentrating on her bracelet the corridor was empty……

TBC