"Honestly Severus, a necklace?" Minerva McGonagall said with wide eyes. She was perched on the edge of her seat wrapped in forest green robes, watching Snape intently. Minerva had entered the dining room and Dumbledore had promptly told her about the gift exchange between Severus and Hermione. "That's a bit out of character for you. Of course, then again, you having romantic interest in someone is out of character as well." She smirked slightly as Snape sneered at her.
"I have no romantic interest in that little Gryffindor brat," Snape spat at her angrily.
"Don't be silly Severus," McGonagall said, waving her hand dismissively. "We're not stupid. You gave the girl a gold necklace. With the Gryffindor lion on it, no less. That certainly wasn't a particularly "Slytherin" choice of gift." She grinned at him mischievously as Albus nodded in agreement.
"I...", Severus began, unsure of how to respond. His whole body was rigid as he sat in his chair under the intense scrutiny of Albus and Minerva. "She is a Gryffindor," he said sourly. "The image of a serpent would have been pointless. It was engraved as a sort of keepsake of her time as an apprentice. I thought it was... appropriate." He glared at his colleagues, as if daring them to suggest that he was, in any way, sentimental rather than logical.
"Indeed," Dumbledore said with a benign smile.
"Yes, but I don't see why you wouldn't expect us to be astounded that you got her a gift at all," Minerva said setting her hands primly in her lap and regarding Snape thoughtfully.
"Perhaps Severus thought it was simply the proper thing to do since he's spent so much time working with Miss Granger," Albus offered quickly, hoping to close the subject. He knew that Severus would withdraw further if the issue was pressed. McGonagall glanced at Albus, and then shrugged, letting the matter rest for the time being.
Upstairs, Hermione entered her room to see Ginny sitting on her bed opening packages from the pile of gifts on her bed. Ginny looked up and smiled. "How did it go?" Ginny asked.
"How did what go?" Hermione asked, hoping to sound casual.
"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about," Ginny retorted. "You weren't here when I woke up and that mysterious green and silver package was missing. I assume that it was for Snape," she said looking at Hermione for confirmation. Hermione blushed causing Ginny to squeal in delight. "I was right! So, tell me what happened."
Hermione sighed and described the vials that she had given Snape. She then held up the gold necklace for Ginny to inspect. Ginny's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Oh wow," the redhead said softly. "I didn't see that coming. That's so unlike Snape."
"Yes, it is," Hermione said looking down at the necklace. "I was so surprised. He even helped me put it on when I asked him too."
"Very interesting," Ginny said with a cheeky grin. "We'll have to keep an eye on him. In the mean time, the boys wanted to meet us in here once they woke up. We don't want to discuss Snape in front of them."
Before Hermione could respond, the bedroom door flew open and Harry walked in. "Harry," Hermione chided with a raised brow. "You should knock. We could have been undressed."
"And that would have been a bad thing?" Harry said mischievously. He ducked as Ginny threw a pillow at him. "Ok, I'll knock next time," he said with a grin before he sat down on the floor next to Ginny's bed. A moment later, Ron and the twins also entered the girls' bedroom. "Watch out," Harry said to them with a smile. "The girls might be undressing." Ginny rolled her eyes.
The group spent an hour opening gifts and talking. The twins chuckled when they saw that Hermione had given them magical notebooks that would keep track of inventory for their shop and keep track of the finances. "Blimey Hermione," Fred said smirking. "Just because you're neurotic, doesn't mean you have to force the rest of us to be."
Hermione rolled her eyes and then looked up sharply realizing what he had said. "You think I'm neurotic?" she asked in a slightly wounded voice.
"Well, yeah," Fred said with a smile. "Don't take offense to it Hermione. We've gotten used to you being a nutter. We love you anyway."
Hermione smiled slightly and went back to flipping through a book on charms that Harry had given her. Ron was watching her with apparent interest, not realizing that Ginny was observing his focus on Hermione. "I hope he's not going to cause a problem with Snape," Ginny thought anxiously. "The twit is so ridiculously jealous." She frowned as she noticed Ron's eyes dart to Hermione's full breasts and then to her jean clad legs. Ginny rolled her eyes and then turned slightly to look at the other boys in the room. Harry was absorbed in flipping through a book full of moving pictures of different Quidditch teams. He may have noticed Hermione's well formed body, but he didn't seem to be much of a threat. "It's a good thing," Ginny thought. "Ron will be obsessive enough for both of them." She wasn't concerned about the twins. They weren't around very often and they were too focused on their joke shop.
Eventually, the group headed downstairs to see everyone else. "Happy Christmas!" said the cheerful voice of Remus Lupin. He was on a couch in the sitting room next to Professor Snape who looked rather irritated. Tonks was sitting in a chair nearby watching Snape nervously. The man clearly made her very nervous.
Mad-Eye Moody had arrived and was sitting near Tonks. His magical eye was whirling around in his head. The sight made Hermione slightly queasy, so she tried to avoid looking directly at him.
"What are you all doing here?" Ron asked sitting gracelessly in a chair nearby.
"Order meeting," Tonks replied, grinning.
"Right," Ron said in acknowledgment. "Wish we could sit in on those," he said wistfully. "Nobody ever tells us what's going on. You'd think they'd keep Harry informed since he's the one that has to get rid of You-Know-Who."
Snape rolled his eyes impatiently. "The headmaster isn't required to keep Potter informed on everything," he said silkily. "Potter will be told what he needs to know and nothing more. It's much safer without a bunch of dunderhead teenagers running about with valuable information."
Ron and Harry were looking put out and highly offended. Hermione and Ginny looked at each other and shrugged. It made sense to not give them information that they didn't need to know at the moment. The girls were very impatient, but there was really no point in getting angry. They'd find out what was going on before too long. They were accustomed to the secrecy of the Order meetings. Ron and Harry, however, seemed to never cease to be surprised when the members of the Order refused to reveal details of the meetings and they never failed to act outraged by that fact.
The group in the sitting room chatted for a while, except for Snape who was sneaking glances at Hermione when he thought nobody was looking. Ginny noticed, however, and was watching the potions master in amusement. Moody had also seen Snape's looks in Hermione's direction. His magical eye shifted between the two wondering what to think. He noticed Ginny struggling not to smile and observed her also looking between Hermione and the professor. Moody decided that this situation was worth keeping an eye on. If nothing else, it would be highly entertaining. His curiosity peaked when Hermione glanced up briefly, making eye contact with Snape before she blushed slightly and looked away quickly, fiddling with the gold necklace she was wearing.
Soon, Albus and Minerva entered the room bringing the conversations to an abrupt end. "It's time," Albus said simply waiting for the Order members to rise and follow him out of the room.
Hermione looked on longingly as they left the room. She desperately wanted to know what information would be shared in the meeting and she hated not knowing what was going on. To take her mind off of her curiosity, she retrieved one of her text books from upstairs and brought it back to the sitting room.
"What are you doing now?" Ron asked her.
"I thought I'd study," Hermione answered not looking up from the page she was reading. "I want to be prepared for NEWTS."
Ron looked startled for a moment and then hastily stood and moved toward the door. He appeared to be afraid that Hermione would force him to study too. "Harry, do you want to play Wizards Chess?" he said quickly.
Harry grinned and nodded. The twins smirked and followed them out of the room. Ginny watched them leave and looked over at Hermione. A mischievous grin spread across Ginny's face as an idea entered her mind. She'd have to be sneaky, but with a little research she could pull it off. Ginny slipped out of the room quietly, not wanting to disturb Hermione.
Ginny found the twins upstairs playing exploding snap. She had worked out a plan, but she would have to use a bit of manipulation. She observed the twins for a moment before she said "Have you two noticed the way Ron's been looking at Hermione lately?"
Fred and George snickered. "Yeah," Fred said with a grin. "It's a bit pathetic."
"If he doesn't stop drooling over her so much, we'll all drown," George added, laughing.
"Well, maybe we could play a little trick," Ginny suggested throwing a quick look over her shoulder. She began talking in low tones to the twins who were smirking evilly. The twins silently pulled a box out from under a bed and opened it to reveal an abundance of small green plants. "What on earth are you doing with all that mistletoe?" Ginny asked in surprise. "I thought we'd transfigure some."
"Well, we were going to make use of it," Fred said cryptically. "I guess this is as good a time as any to bring it out. I wonder just how red Ron's face will get." They laughed and left the room carrying the box of mistletoe.
Hermione was so absorbed in her study that she never noticed Ginny and the twins charming mistletoe to float into the room and attach itself to the ceiling. Soon, the ceiling looked almost completely green. The twins walked back upstairs laughing while Ginny went to wait for the Order meeting to end.
Once the meeting was over, the Orders member began to walking out into the hallway. Ginny spotted Professor McGonagall and hurried over to speak with her. She kept an eye on the doorway leading to the sitting room, making sure that nobody went in. "Professor McGonagall, I was curious about that little charm that Fred put on the mistletoe," Ginny said to Minerva, who was eying her suspiciously. Minerva saw Ginny's eyes widen slightly when Severus stalked the sitting room. She answered Ginny's questions and then watched as the young red head hurried toward the sitting room.
Ginny waited near the entrance until she was sure that no one was watching. McGonagall seemed suspicious, but she too eventually left the area. Ginny pulled out her wand and muttered an incantation before slamming the door shut. She whispered another spell while pointing her wand at the door knob.
Inside the sitting room, Hermione jumped and looked at the door that had suddenly slammed shut. Professor Snape appeared startled but quickly schooled his expression to look unfazed. He turned to Hermione and raised an eyebrow. "What was that all about?" Hermione asked him in surprise.
"I haven't the slightest idea, Miss Granger," Snape admitted glancing back at the door. "Someone must have bumped into the door." He watched as Hermione went to the door and attempted to open it.
"Damn door," Hermione muttered to herself, taking out her wand. She said "Alohamora," and waved her wand at the door before trying to pull it open again. The door still refused to budge.
"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Snape growled in irritation. He looked around the room and then up at the ceiling. He looked back down and pinched the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh.
Hermione was puzzled at Snape's look of dismay. "What..." she began as she turned her gaze upward. Her jaw dropped at the sight of mistletoe everywhere.
Severus Snape looked over at Hermione anxiously. How on earth had this happened? Who on earth had set this up. Hermione returned his gaze, blushing slightly. "Talk about overkill," she said with a nervous laugh. To her surprise, Snape's lips twitched slightly as he fought down a smile.
Hermione went over to the couch and sat down heavily. She looked up and her frustrated expression turned into one of sympathy when she saw how uncomfortable Snape looked. The poor man just couldn't get a break. "So, what do you think we're expected to do?" she asked him gently.
Snape looked at her in surprise for a moment before he sneered "I think that would be obvious," he hissed.
Hermione blushed. "Well, yes, that part is," she mumbled in embarrassment. "I meant that because there is so much mistletoe and the way the door remains locked, a simple kiss on the cheek may not be enough to free us."
Snape growled in fury. He didn't like being manipulated this way. Whoever did this would pay dearly. Regardless of how pleasant kissing Hermione had shown itself to be, he didn't want to forced into it. He sat down next to her, silently fuming and plotting revenge.
Hermione willed herself to stay calm as Snape turned his body to face her. His face held no readable expression, but his eyes glittered slightly. She felt her breathing hitch a little as the professor leaned in closer to her, brushing his lips against hers. She thought he'd pull away, but he moved closer and pressed his lips more firmly against hers.
Severus could feel his heart hammering against his chest. He was amazed that she didn't seem repulsed by the fact that he was kissing her. In fact, she appeared to be enjoying it immensely. Tentatively, he ran his tongue across her bottom lip, to which she responded by opening her mouth slightly. As he explored her mouth, he brought one of his hands up to her mass of curly hair. He was pleased when she shivered as he ran his fingers through her hair. He had his other hand at her waist and pulled her closer to him.
In the hall, Minerva was standing just outside the door to the sitting room. She had heard the door slam and had hurried over, but there was no one else around. She assumed that it was Ginny's doing since the girl was behaving so strangely. Minerva's thoughts were interrupted by the stumping sound that announced the approach of Mad-Eye Moody.
"What's all the raucous about Professor McGonagall?" Moody said in a low growl.
"Oh, I think Ginny Weasley is playing a little prank," McGonagall replied looking over at him. "But, I'm not sure what it is." She looked back at the door thoughtfully as she went over in her mind all the questions that Ginny had asked about the sticking charms.
Moody looked over at the door. His magical eye fixed on it and then he chuckled. "Well, I can tell you who the victims are," he said in a low voice filled with amusement. "It's Snape and Granger in there."
"Oh no," Minerva groaned, dreading the temper Severus would be in when he came out. "What's Miss Weasley done to them?"
"Oh, I don't think they'll be complaining any," Moody said with another chuckle. At Minerva's look of confusion, he continued. "The ceiling in there is covered with mistletoe and they're looking quite cozy in there."
Minerva burst into a fit of laughter. Albus walked over to them and eyed Minerva as she tried to control her laughter. "What's going on?" Albus asked curiously. Moody explained the situation while Minerva clutched her sides and chuckled merrily.
"My goodness," Albus said with a smile. "Well, let's wait and see what happens shall we."
Inside the room, Hermione had wrapped her arms around Snape's neck and he was holding her close to his chest. Somewhat reluctantly, Snape pulled away from her. His breathing was ragged and he was fighting the urge to hold her close to him again. Suddenly, there was a small pop and all of the mistletoe fell to the floor. Hermione and Severus found themselves surrounded and covered in the small green plants.
Hermione felt a little shaky as she stood up. She knew that her feet her still firmly planted on the earth, but she couldn't help but feel that her heart had been swept away. She took a deep breath to calm her herself.
Wanting to avoid any awkward silences, Snape muttered a spell that made all of the mistletoe disappear. They went to the door and it opened without hesitation. They stepped into the hall and found themselves face to face with Minerva, Albus and Mad-Eye Moody. Hermione looked over at Moody and blushed when she remembered that he could easily see through doors. "Oh no, he saw what happened," she thought, feeling slightly panicked.
Snape apparently had not thought about it. He was a little shell shocked and so it never occurred to him that Moody could see him kissing Hermione. Moody however, couldn't resist reminding him of that fact. "I was going to wish you a happy Christmas," Moody began in a low growl, "But I can see you're already having one."
Hermione looked horrified and Snape suddenly realized what Moody was hinting at. Snape's face turned white with fury and he glared at the ex-Auror. Minerva snorted with laughter and Albus looked away hiding his smile behind his hand. Hermione mumbled something about heading to bed and quickly scurried up the stairs.
"Goodnight, Alaster," Albus said before Snape could say anything. "Severus, come have some tea with us before we go back to Hogwarts." Snape shot one last venomous glare in Moody's direction before stalking into the dining room.
