Disclaimer: The characters, settings, etc. of the Harry Potter series are not mine. I just play with them.
Severus awoke the next morning an hour or so later than he had on Sunday. Looking at the clock, he saw that he had approximately one hour to get ready before he had to make his way up to Hermione's chambers.
He sat up in bed, and muttering a charm, opened the door to his wardrobe. Peering in from where he sat, Severus saw that he was faced with a dilemma. It was the summer and Hermione's chambers were a bit closer to the surface than his. Accordingly, they were more likely to be warm than they were to be cool and damp, especially if she was cooking. Thus, he probably had no need for robes. He could just wear a pair of slacks a nice shirt, but would that be too casual for this meeting?
Severus sighed. It was all very confusing.
He was slightly surprised to hear someone knocking at his door. He did not call for them to enter nor call to them and demand they leave. He chose, instead, to sit on his bed and stare at the door. It opened a few seconds later, anyway, and Dumbledore strolled into his room.
"So Severus," Dumbledore began, closing the door behind him and walking over to the chair he had sat in the day before. "What did you and Professor Granger discuss yesterday?"
Severus stared at the old man. He was impossible. "For your information, Headmaster," Snape began, "the only difference between the two types of lemon drops are the sugar content. The low fat candies use a sugar substitute."
Dumbledore smiled at him. "When will you be seeing her again?"
Severus frowned. "Today. For lunch."
"And what will you wear?" Dumbledore asked, rising from his chair and walking over to the wardrobe.
"I don't know," he replied honestly.
"I see," Dumbledore said, selecting a black dress shirt and khaki trousers from the shelves. He turned and brought them over to Severus's bed, setting them beside the gawking potions master. "Here you are, Severus."
"Thank you, Headmaster," Severus said automatically. "But do you think this may be too casual?"
"Too casual for an informal luncheon in Hermione's private chambers?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"No, of course, not," Severus acknowledged, sighing. "I think I am beginning to like her, Headmaster." He was as surprised to hear himself say this as he imagined Dumbledore was.
"Finally admitting to it, then?" the headmaster asked softly.
Severus narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean finally?"
"It is amazing how the subconscious functions almost completely separately from the conscious mind. You should see the way you act around her, Severus. It is completely different from how you act around anyone else. In her presence, you exhibit all sorts of characteristics you wouldn't show in any other situation. It is astounding that she has such an effect on you, but you never notice."
Severus stared at the man standing before him. "Are you quite finished?"
"No," Dumbledore admitted and shook his head. "I must say good bye."
Severus sighed. "Good bye, Headmaster."
"Good bye, Severus," Dumbledore said cheerfully as he made his way towards the door. "Thank you for the information on the lemon drops and good luck with Miss Granger," he added as he opened the door and walked out of Severus's room.
Snape got out of bed when the headmaster left. He pulled on the trousers that had been laid out, and then proceeded to put on the shirt. He found and put on a clean pair of socks, and then slipped on his shoes. Fully dressed, Severus began to pace around his room.
Was the headmaster correct in his assertions? Had he been affected by Hermione Granger for longer than he had been aware? When had he first noticed that she was a woman? He supposed it had been the first night of her seventh year. It had been the beginning of the year Severus was quite certain would be his last. He was sure he had admired her beauty at least a few times in that year. It had been different, though. She had represented the kind of woman he had always hoped to find; she was the kind of woman he would never live to meet.
He had lived, though. So had she. She had graduated from Hogwarts, and after continuing her education, had decided upon becoming a teacher, a far different career path than that of her two best friends. They had become aurors and married the first girls they fell in love with. Hermione had continued her education and apparently turned down two offers of marriage to continue her studies. She had returned to Hogwarts, years later, looking more beautiful and more like his ideal woman than she ever had before.
When she had returned, he saw that she had matured in many ways. She had physically matured, of course, completely becoming the woman she was destined to be. She had also matured emotionally; Severus had particularly noticed that she no longer had to prove her intelligence to everyone she met. Gone was the overly enthusiastic know-it-all, replaced with an obviously intelligent woman who could share information without being condescending. Severus found that she was different from her childhood self, but still, in some ways, she was very much the same.
Severus believed one noticeable difference had been her treatment of him. She had been defiant in his potions class. Answering every question to prove to him that she could, for, as he was later told, she thought he believed her to be incapable. She'd seemed to have little respect for him then, but now he could see that she had plenty. Now he could see that she had a better understanding of him.
Sometimes he thought she might admire him, and maybe even like him. She thought of him as a friend, as was evident by her asking him to accompany her to the wedding. This he thought to be particularly odd. He did not have many friends at all, and the list of female ones was nearly nonexistent. But there she had been, standing before him and claiming to be his friend. His comrade. His ally. His companion.
Why did she want to be any of these things?
Sighing, Severus ran a hand across his forehead. He was terribly nervous. His nerves had not been active since he'd had regular meetings with Voldemort, and even then, they had not been this bad. With those meetings he knew what would happen and what was expected of him which reduced much of his fear. In this situation, he did not know what would occur and what he would have to do. Of course, his fear was greatly increased by this.
He decided that he had not been this nervous since Lucius had set him up with that woman years ago. Lucius had insisted upon having him meet with that woman after discovering the number of years Severus had spent without having any relations with a member of the opposite sex. It had been more years since his last encounter now, but it didn't matter. He was slowly but surely resigning himself to a life of celibacy. It would not be so bad with the memories he had. Especially those of Lucius's friend, whose name he forgot but whose mouth he would never.
He smiled slightly at the memory and glanced at his clock. He had fifteen minutes to make it from his chambers in the dungeons to Hermione's on the fifth floor. He crossed the room, and entered his bathroom, setting to brushing his teeth and tried to remember where he might keep cologne.