A Rose By Any Other Name.
By Kes.
Disclaimer: Yo tengo nada.
Severus and Hermione awoke at 6:30 the following morning, and Severus left, so as not to be suspicious.
He opened the door to the main hallway quietly. Professor McGonagall's room was nearby somewhere, although unsure where, the one thing he was sure of what that he did not want to face the irate Scot first thing in the morning.
As Severus slinked about like a cat, he sighed in relief as he got to the portkey that only Hermione and Neville were supposed to know about in the student body - it transported you to just outside the Gryffindor Common room, but you could not go in the same way. He took out his wand, raising it to tap the appropriate brick.
"Severus Snape!" A voice hissed disturbingly snake-like in the darkness.
Severus, now in full Death-Eater-reformed-mode whirled around in a defensive stance, ready to hex anything that looked remotely suspicious.
Minerva McGonagall stood in her doorway, as prim and proper as always, with a raised eyebrow a la Severus and an accusing stare.
"What, pray tell, were you doing in my Head Girls' rooms?"
For the first time ever, Severus Snape didn't know what to say, as "What does it look like?" hardly seemed appropriate...
He felt like a seventh year again no, make that a first year...
"Are you...pursuing a relationship with Miss Granger?"
Severus felt his cheeks blushing, although he was sure they were as pale as ever. He was unused to talking about such private matters with Minerva - or anyone else for that matter.
He muttered something incomprehensible, and she was thankfully, somehow able to interpret it.
"Oh dear Severus, she's old enough to be your daughter! Not that the age difference really matters considering the life expectancy of wizards..." She drifted off, contemplating.
He suddenly found his voice. "As I recall, you were one of the many hormonally-charged-teachers who suggested a relationship during the summer."
"A friendship. Some fun. You've both had such tough times; I thought it would be good for you both. I knew she'd developed a crush on you, especially with that voice of yours!" She added wistfully, blushing slightly herself as if in memory.
"My voice?" Said Severus, suddenly feeling a bout of self-consciousness.
She looked at him sceptically. "Surely you know what it...does..." He shook his head, totally bewildered. "I've heard people mentioning it, but as soon as I came anywhere near, they'd go quiet. So I thought it was a bad thing really, after all, my voice is rather deep."
"Oh yes, I know..."
He raised an eyebrow.
She cleared her throat. "...What I mean is, you could have students wrapped around your little finger if you used that voice of yours right. Although, fending off hormonal teenage girls may be a little daunting for you at first." She grinned. "But to get back to the point, well, I don't really know about you and Hermione. I mean, she's a young girl - "
" - she's older than her classmates, and she's one of the most intelligent minds Hogwarts has seen for years."
"Well, yes, I know that. But I just don't know if she's ready for anything of this magnitude..." She glared at him suddenly. "You haven't...er...had any physical 'relations' have you?" She avoided his eye, wishing that she did not need to know this.
He sighed. So much for privacy. "No Minerva, we haven't...we're not ready", the embarrassment suddenly escalated.
He glanced at her as she raised a sceptical eyebrow. "She's not as pure as you think she is Minerva, she's not going to lose her 'innocence' to me, and she lost it apparently to one of your moronic Gryffindors..."
"I'll kill him." She stated in a disturbingly calm voice.
"Now, now Minerva, as much as I would love to see that, please don't. After all, it takes two."
"Well yes of course, even I know that!"
Severus suddenly paled as the image - or more series of images - of Minerva... understanding...were placed firmly assertively... in his head.
He cleared his throat. "Well, yes...anyway. Do you have any objections to me dating your surrogate daughter?"
She glared at him, but then smiled. "I don't. But it's not me you have to worry about..." at Severus' puzzled look, she continued. "Albus."
"Oh."
"Quite..."