a/n: Merry non-denominational holiday to all! I'm sorry this took forever. My cousin's kids got my entire family sick with a stomach virus and so I've been sick since Monday and kind of lost time to write. Please don't throw the rotting tomatoes too hard.
* After dinner that night, Hermione found herself curled up in a large overstuffed chair in her office. Between classes, her office hours, and being on hall duty the young professor rarely found time to spend an evening on her own. But tonight she was off duty, and there was nothing to keep her from curling up in a ball and catching up with her correspondence and the newest edition of Hogwarts, a History.
Harry and Draco:
Glad to hear the islands are glorious, Dray. And as for you, Harold James Potter, I'm beginning to think that you listened to me too much in our seventh year while I was trying to get you to revise for NEWTS (when you weren't sneaking off to the astronomy tower for a quick snog with your significant other, anyway). But who was I to stand in the way of true love???
As for the hols, we teachers are generally expected to forego any semblance at actually having a life and stay at Hogwarts. However, I talked to the headmaster and was informed that I would be in serious trouble if I didn't extend his invitation to Christmas dinner here. So please come, I miss you dreadfully.
I have to go enjoy my one-hour of free time... After this the little professor is off to patrol the halls. Maybe I'll go chase 7th years in the astronomy tower. Yes, that's always fun.
Love from,
Hermione
PS: Harry get your arse away from the fireplace and enjoy Hawaii while you can. Honestly, haven't you ever heard that all work and no play makes it so that Harry gets a comparatively small pile of Christmas presents?
* The days seemed to fly by for Hermione, who was pleased to discover that the life of a Hogwarts professor was not all tedium as she had thought. There was enough each day to keep life from being boring: the random explosions in the hallways, frequently docking and awarding house points, and naturally the long evenings. Everything at the school seemed to take place in the evenings. The professors monitored the library, house common rooms, and hallways. Many took it upon themselves to play sponsor to student found extra-curricular organizations. Hermione, as the most junior staff member, seemed to end up on hall duty more often than not. Her vacant evenings, however, were spent in the sitting rooms of Severus Snape. Their infant friendship had grown and matured, and the two spent many a night debating any and every issue or simply reading quietly. It was funny, Hermione always thought, that her snarky bastard of an ex potion's teacher was actually a human, and an interesting one at that. It was on one such night in mid December that Hermione looked up from Most Potente Potions, and said, "Severus, what are your plans for the holiday?
Snape glanced over the top of Alchemy Today and shrugged, "I hadn't thought of it. Why?"
"No reason. Just wondering whether everyone actually does stay at the castle over Christmas."
"Practically. We never see that Trelawney woman of course. Crazy old bat..." Severus muttered, dropping his eyes back down to the page in front of him.
"Has it always been like that, do you think? I mean hasn't there ever been a professor with an outside family or something?" Hermione asked.
Severus sighed to himself and laid his magazine down. Hermione wanted to talk; there would be no reading that night. He didn't mind, not really anyway, "I can't remember any of the teachers having families outside of the school, no. Inside is another matter entirely," He said smirking.
"Really? Who?"
"Hermione you're immensely dense, aren't you?"
"Am I? I never thought so. Then again, you always have," Hermione reached around her head and pulled her hair off of her neck, grinning slightly at her friend.
"You know I wasn't being serious..." Severus began. He sounded nervous.
"Of course I do. Don't be gullible Sev, it doesn't suit you at all."
Severus frowned deeply, "Fine, Herm, I won't be."
Hermione laughed clearly, "Low blow, but well deserved. Back to the subject at hand..."
"Albus and Minerva."
"What? Since when? People used to talk about that, but I never believed it," Hermione's voice was loaded with shock.
"I think its going to be 43 years this April," Severus mused, "They were married before I was born, but its never really been publicized, thank God."
"Can you imagine the scandal?" Hermione laughed.
"Unfortunately, I can." Severus smirked lightly and returned to his magazine. Silence reigned for a few moments before he once again lifted his head to gaze at the girl sitting across from him, "Have you heard from Draco or Potter, Hermione?"
"Yes I had an owl last week. They're coming on Christmas Eve. You will at least try to be nice to Harry, won't you Severus? I mean, ignore your history for two days, or something."
"No promises," Severus warned, "But I'll make an effort. Better than Weasley."
"Severus, please. Let it go. I shouldn't have told you, I shouldn't have told anyone."
"Don't be ridiculous Hermione, you would have exploded if you hadn't. Aren't I allowed to be angry at this... this appalling behavior toward my best friend?"
The room was silent with his loaded words. Finally Hermione looked him dead in the eye, "I'm your best friend?" she said softly, looking incredulous.
Severus realized the impact of his words. Painfully and slowly, he nodded yes. Wordlessly, Hermione was propelled forward into his arms, offering a warm embrace, "You're mine, too," she murmured.
"What about Potter?" Severus said, tightening his arms around her.
"Harry? For all of Harry's 23 years he's still a little boy. He's had two times the problems I've had; yet he's still never really grown up. I love him, really I do. But he doesn't understand nearly as much as you do," Hermione said quietly and in her most straightforward tone of voice. Severus did nothing but nod, and the two stood there for a quite a long time.
* Christmas had indeed come to Hogwarts. Hermione, as the Charms teacher, spent a lot of her time in the Great Hall carefully levitating ornaments on to the massive pine trees. She spent time on her own classroom as well, charming her chalk to flash red and green as she wrote on the board and positioning wreathes with twinkling fairy lights all over the room. Holiday madness seemed to strike in all sorts of odd ways. Everywhere she went there were students petitioning for an extra Hogsmeade trip, house-elves offering eggnog to every student who walked anywhere near the kitchens, some 7th year boys trying to spike said eggnog, and teachers giving them detentions for it. It was positively... Merry wasn't the word, but Christmas at Hogwarts was certainly entertaining.
For once, it was nearly Christmas and Hermione was ready for it. For Harry, she had found a book entitled Balancing Work and Home Life by Miranda Milanda (the same book that he and Ron had given her for Christmas in 7th year). Draco was getting aromatherapy candles (God knew he could use them). She had snuck into the kitchens and made small treats for each of her colleagues to distribute on the night of the staff's holiday party on Boxing Day. Finally, there was the problem of what to get Severus. And Severus Snape was proving to truly be a problem. It seemed to Hermione that he already owned everything, and if he didn't already own it he would never want it. While chaperoning the December Hogsmeade trip, she found herself spending the entire day on him. Finally Hermione had admitted defeat and gone to the headmaster.
"Why Hermione," the kindly old man had said upon answering the door, "I wasn't expecting to see you today. Is there a problem?"
"No, Headmaster. Nothing serious," Hermione said taking the seat he offered her, "Just needed a bit of help with my Christmas shopping."
"Ah, you're trying to purchase a gift for Severus. Yes he is a rather difficult person to shop for."
Hermione blinked for a moment, impressed as always at the Headmaster's inclination to know everything that went on inside the castle, "That's an understatement. He's impossible."
"Hardly, my dear. Nothing is impossibly, knowing Harry Potter should have taught you that."
"Point well taken Sir. But Harry is not a very difficult person to buy presents for. Anything about Quidditch and he'll be pleased. I always took advantage of that, and I know Draco still does. But Severus is damn near impossible."
"You know, Hermione, Severus isn't a person who likes fancy gifts. He prefers simpler things, something more intimate perhaps."
Hermion straightened up at the old man's comment. Suddenly she knew exactly what to get him.
**
A/n: Ah! cliffie! Sorry I wanted to get something posted. Well it's pretty easy to see where this is going... yes? Sorry for being predictable... Wait a minute... No I'm not :-) r/r flames will be used to evaporate isopropyl alcohol out of TOP during my PhysiSci midterm.