Chapter Nine: Hope Springs Eternal

Days turned into weeks as Hermione and Severus spent more and more time together. They both used their partnership in Potions as an excuse to do so, but they found themselves looking more and more to the time they shared. They were equally passionate about school, which allowed them to spend countless hours studying together, learning new things together. Hermione was somewhat ahead of the other students by simple virtue of being from twenty years into the future, but there were new things she was discovering everyday, including her feelings for the dark Slytherin with whom she enjoyed spending time.

The first weekend in Hogsmeade arrived and yielded a pleasant surprise for Hermione. There was a small shop that sold both Muggle and magical music, and she found an item that she knew Severus would love. She picked up two copies of the album – one for herself and one for him. Severus had elected to stay back at the castle (using his dislike of crowds and certain Gryffindors as an excuse), which allowed her to pick up the small gift for him. It was a simple gesture, but one she knew he would enjoy immensely.

Hermione struggled to remain interested the rest of the day. She dutifully chatted with the Marauders over butterbeers and laughed at the new devices they had purchased at Zonko's Joke Shop, but she couldn't wait to leave to see Severus. The Marauders' behavior had been much improved in the weeks since the first night at school, and while they were not exactly nice to Severus, they at least did not start any fights.

When enough time had passed that she could escape back to Hogwarts without causing too much trouble, Hermione said her goodbyes and took off towards the castle. She was so excited about her gift for Severus that it seemed to take much longer than usual to arrive back at Hogwarts.

When she finally arrived, she quickly went to her rooms, changed, and went across the hall. There were so few places Severus could be found, Hermione was confident that it would take no time at all to locate him. She was right in her first choice – he was in his room. She knocked and he opened the door, inviting her in with a simple wave of the hand.

"I got something for you in Hogsmeade," she said breathlessly, excitement obvious on her face.

Severus looked at her with an ill-concealed look of apprehension. Hermione was truly a sweet person, but the last time she had given him a 'gift,' it had been his own notes, re-ordered beyond recognition. His look of apprehension turned into a look bordering on ecstasy when he realized she was holding the long-awaited full-length vinyl from the Sex Pistols. He could not help but wrap her in a hug of pure delight.

"Thank you so much," Severus stammered out. He was in awe. He had spent the day working on a gift for her, but he had never expected her to turn up with a surprise gift for him at any time. Oh, her gift! In the excitement of getting her gift to him, he had forgotten why he had not accompanied her to Hogsmeade.

"I have a gift for you as well, Hermione." He turned around to grab a vial placed on his desk. "I know you're still having those nightmares, so I brewed some Dreamless Sleep potion for you. I hope it helps."

Hermione found she had tears creeping into the corners of her eyes. She had told him yesterday that the nightmare she had had the night she implored him to trust her continued to plague her. She was touched that he had spent all day brewing the potion for her, essentially giving up a real day off. She wrapped him in another hug. She knew she was beginning to fall for Severus Snape, but she was sure he did not feel the same way about her.

Hermione would have been surprised that her thoughts mirrored Severus' exactly. He wasn't sure how to ask her out, or if she would appreciate his advances. He was incredibly nervous about the next question he was going to ask her, but he found the courage to ask anyways.

Pulling out of the hug, he looked at her and asked, "Hermione, will you be my date for the All Hallows' Eve Ball?"

She looked confused. "Severus, I thought we were going together anyways because we're Head Boy and Girl."

Severus nodded but continued, "Yes, I know that, but I would like to take you as my date. A proper date, dinner and all; I would really enjoy that Hermione." His feelings were evident in his eyes.

Hermione, once again, was shocked. "It would be my pleasure, and my honor, to be your date. I would like that as much as you do," she finished, her voice barely above a whisper.

As much as he hated to disturb the mood, he looked at her and asked, "Do you know how to dance? I mean formally because Dumbledore is sure to have some waltzes and other 'ballroom' style dancing take place." Hermione shook her head. "No worries, Hermione. I'll teach you." With that, he slowly moved toward his door. He didn't want to push his luck for the evening – he was sure he had been given all the luck he could possibly receive for one evening.

Hermione, finally finding her voice, said, "The pleasure of having you teach me will be

all mine, Severus."

At this, he shook his head, "No, the pleasure will be all mine, Hermione."

With that simple admission, both Severus and Hermione felt like a huge weight had been lifted from their shoulders. He reached out to take hold of her hand, turned it over, gently pressed a kiss into her palm, and bid her goodnight.

Over the next three weeks, Severus and Hermione practiced dancing every night. Severus found her to be an apt pupil, picking up easily on even the most difficult steps. Their bodies molded together in a way that was hard not to notice, although both pretended not to. Neither one of them had discussed how they felt since the night Severus had asked her to be his date to the All Hallows' Eve Ball.

The night of the dance had finally arrived. For the students it was both a blessing and a curse. It was a curse to anyone under the sixth year because it had been moved (again) to the Three Broomsticks, which meant unless they found a date with one of their older classmates they would be relegated to a feast in the Great Hall. It was a blessing for the same reason to the upper-classmen, who were delighted that they would not have to put up with a great deal of immaturity from their younger counterparts (just, as some of the more cynical students were apt to point out, from their peers).

Both Severus and Hermione were incredibly nervous about the evening. It was a real date, and while they both knew how they felt about the other person, neither were sure how strongly the other person felt for them. They were both determined to figure it out once and for all this evening.

For a person that prided himself on not really caring about his appearance, Severus took extra care to look nice that evening. Since the theme of the dance was a Muggle underground club, he donned jeans and a t-shirt, the same set he wore every time he went out in Muggle London to see shows. He had charmed them so they looked impossibly good on him, accentuating every positive he had. He washed his hair (which he did everyday contrary to popular belief), but left out the conditioner – which, according to Hermione, was what made his hair look greasy no matter what he did. He took a good look in the mirror, wondering why Hermione had agreed to go with him. He certainly wasn't good-looking like, God forbid he was admitting this, Black or Potter. He, for one, wasn't about to question her decision nonetheless.

Across the hall, Hermione was in the same state of apprehension that Severus found himself in. She was also wearing jeans and a t-shirt, an old Black Flag one that fit her nicely, but had no idea what to do about her hair. She was so exasperated that she decided she was going to cut it off. She used a Shearing Charm, and found that once she had cut all of the dead weight off her hair (it now rested on her shoulders) she was left with loose curls instead of a frizzy mess. Satisfied, she put on her make-up.

She still wasn't sure what she saw in Severus. He wasn't conventionally good-looking, but then again, she had never been attracted to the conventional. Krum certainly wasn't conventionally good-looking, but she was just as enamored as the rest of the girls in the school, even if she was far better at hiding it (she had a little crush on him to be honest… it never hurt to have good-looking friends). It hit her then – Severus looked a lot like Krum, but with more grace and better angles to his body. She idly wondered if she had been attracted to Krum because she had been subconsciously attracted to Severus in his Potions Master form. She pushed the entire train of thought out of her head. It would do no good to draw comparisons between the two men, or even between the two different personas of Severus. She was enamored with Severus now, and that was all that mattered.

At that moment, a knock sounded at her door. She quickly pulled on her Converse tennis shoes, and answered the door. She was astounded at just how good Severus looked in Muggle clothing. She felt heat creeping up to her ears, and she knew she was blushing. He wasn't being shy at looking her over, however. His eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight of Hermione Granger in tight jeans and a form-fitting shirt. The thought that robes should be forbidden because they hid treasures like this crossed his mind briefly.

Silently, he offered her his arm. They didn't talk on the way to Hogsmeade, there was no need. They basked in each other's company, enjoying the sights around them.

Severus had reserved them a table in a fashionable restaurant in the far end of Hogsmeade. The atmosphere was upscale, but casual, and no one said a word when Severus and Hermione showed up in Muggle clothing. Severus had floo-ed ahead, setting up the menu in advance so that there was no need for distraction during the meal itself.

The couple kept up a steady conversation through the dinner, neither truly noticing what the food tasted like. They were both so nervous around each other, and it was making Hermione truly uncomfortable.

'Damn this,' she thought. 'I'm not going to sit here and have a bad evening because we won't talk to each other about anything other than safe subjects. If I'm going to have a bad evening, I'm going to have it because I said something to him.'

Severus noticed a sudden change in her demeanor – she looked purposeful, she looked like a woman on a mission. He was taken aback by this – both of them had been subdued that evening, and it hadn't been that pleasant for him, to be honest. He was about to just get it out of his system, and tell her how he felt when he heard her speak.

"Severus, I'm not going to beat around the bush any longer. I really like you as more than a friend. I think you're funny (especially when your sarcasm isn't directed at me), you're a good person, and I like how I feel when I'm around you. I don't know how you feel about me, but I'm tired of ignoring the issues, which is what we've done since the night you asked me to be your date."

Severus took a minute to absorb the information. He was infinitely pleased to know that she felt the same way about him as he felt about her. He took her hand and said, "I feel the same way about you, Hermione. I really like you, and I'm happier than you'll ever know that you accepted my invitation to be my date."

After that was said, another silence ensued, but unlike the previous one, this silence was comfortable and easy-going. Both Hermione and Severus were thinking about what the other had said, not believing their luck. Both had assumed they were going to be rejected and neither of them could have comprehended that they were not alone in their feelings.

After dinner, Severus (as was becoming tradition for the two of them) offered Hermione his arm, which she gladly accepted. They took their time getting to the Three Broomsticks, and as a result, the Ball was in full swing by the time they arrived. They had missed their opening songs, but neither of them were particularly perturbed. Severus had an idea that the true music hadn't started yet because he and Hermione hadn't arrived until just that moment.

As it turned out, he was right. As soon as Dumbledore saw his Head Students, he made himself heard. "It seems that our Head Students, who were largely responsible for planning this dance, have finally arrived. With that said, let the Ball begin!" He clapped his hands twice, and music filled the room.

Hermione was mildly surprised and very pleased that the song the Ball would begin officially to was to be 'Blitzkrieg Bop' by the Ramones. She and Severus made their way to the dance floor, and danced energetically, if not all together absurdly, to the music. To their mutual displeasure, the second song they had chosen had been struck from the play list.

It was clear that Dumbledore, after a few newer songs, was ready to have some of the waltzes playing. At the first sound of the wizarding world's most famous waltz, Severus offered his hand to Hermione in a silent invitation. She smiled and allowed herself to be led out to the dance floor.

That was the first of many waltzes. While she spent the majority of her night with Severus, she took turns around the dance floor with James, Sirius, and Remus as well. It seemed Peter was not in attendance that evening. Sirius had started to mutter under his breath during one of the dances, and Hermione noticed that Severus had asked Lily to dance, and she had accepted. Hermione couldn't help but laugh.

It was nearly midnight when Dumbledore got everyone's attention again. "It is time to have our final dance. Would our Head Students be so kind as to step out on the floor to help us begin? I have chosen this song myself, and it's a Muggle song, though the name of it escapes me at present time. Enjoy!"

Once again, Dumbledore clapped his hands, and some generic pop ballad started to play. Severus pulled Hermione close to him as they swayed in time to the music. The world seemed to shrink until there was nothing beyond the two of them. Severus began to whisper into Hermione's ear.

"I must confess I lied earlier tonight when I said I liked you. The truth is that I am falling in love with you Hermione Granger. I do not know how you got through my defenses or scaled the wall that I had built around myself, but you did. You are beautiful. You are exceptional. You are brilliant. You are charming. I have found, no matter how I look at it, you are everything I need in this moment, the next moment, and all the moments that come after that."

Hermione felt a small gasp escape from her throat. It was all she could do to whisper back to him that she was falling in love with him too. When the dance ended, they silently made their way back to the castle grounds, and up to their hallway.

Severus paused as they reached her room. He had been waiting for this moment all night. He held onto her hand for a moment more, then let go. He began to trace her jaw line with a single finger, taking the moment to drink in every feature, to learn every line of her face.

When he thought he could take no more, he leaned in capturing her lips with his. At first, the kiss was chaste, no more than the pressing of the two set of lips. Severus knew he needed to taste her, and he parted her lips with his tongue. Neither one of them wanted to be the one that broke the kiss, they were too enraptured by it. It was with great reluctance, sometime later, that Severus pulled away. He held Hermione tightly as he whispered a goodnight to her, and headed to his room. He was, in no small way, the happiest person on earth at that moment.