Warning

This story is not suitable for readers under the age of sixteen. It contains sexual content, including some non-consensual, and may offend some readers. If this subject is offensive to you, please do not read this story.

Chapter 48 – An Unexpected Party

Ever since Snape had made his decision that he had to speak to the two Gryffindor students, he had become more and more apprehensive. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to forget the whole thing. Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all, he thought, wryly. Stop thinking about it – just do it.

In the end, it was only when he spotted the boys on his way to the staffroom that he called out to them before he had had time to reflect, giving himself no time to change his mind.

He watched apprehensively, as they stepped inside the Muggle Studies classroom, and stood nervously waiting for him. There was a moment of satisfaction in the knowledge that their fear gave him the upper hand, but he chastised himself immediately for it. This was not about gaining the advantage, and making the two nervous would defeat his purpose. If he could have simply snarled at them – made them bend to his will – there would have been no difficulty, but he had a far more arduous task. He had to be nice to them.

Grimly, he followed them inside, feeling every bit as sick and uncomfortable as they looked, and closed the door softly behind them. Then he stood at the doorway and turned to face the, watching them in silence for a moment before speaking.

"Hermione is not happy," he said, softly. "We need to do something about it."

They looked surprised at his words, and he noticed the glance between them, but they nodded, slowly, then Potter spoke.

"What did you have in mind, Sir?"

Snape gulped. He felt so … exposed. This whole scene was completely alien to him. "Dinner," he managed to say. "The four of us. Tomorrow night."

The exchange of glances between the boys in front of him showed that they were as uneasy with this situation as he.

"I am not suggesting that we attempt to become friends," he explained, trying not to sound harsh, but fearing that the words came out as in sneer, "but for Hermione's sake, we must learn to tolerate each other."

"Did Hermione suggest this?" Ron asked, suspiciously.

The Potions Master almost found himself automatically snapping back at this, but caught himself just in time, and softened his tone. "No. She knows nothing about this, Weasley." He glanced nervously at his feet, then amended the name. "Ron. I thought it might be good to surprise her."

"It's a good idea," said Harry, glancing pointedly at Ron, who was still eyeing the teacher mistrustfully.

Snape gave them half a forced smile. "I would suggest that you bring your girlfriends," he said cautiously, "but I assume that Ms. Patil is unaware of the situation. In the circumstances, it may be wiser for it to be just we four."

Harry nodded. "We'd like to be there," he smiled, politely. "Thank you."

"My private rooms are concealed. You will need to come to the Potions classroom, and I will show you the way." Snape glanced from Harry to Ron. "Seven o'clock?"

Finally, Ron made a half-hearted attempt at a smile. "Thank you, Sir."

Snape could hardly blame him for his lack of enthusiasm. He was not exactly thrilled by the prospect of dinner with them either, but it was good that all of them were prepared to try to get along.

He nodded, and was about to leave, but Weasley's … no, Ron's … words made him pause.

"Given the situation, 'Sir' seems rather formal." He hesitated. "I am sure that this is as awkward for you as for me, so I will leave it to you to choose the manner in which you address me. If you wish to call me Severus, that would be acceptable. If you prefer something else – well – whatever seems appropriate."

Outside the classroom, he breathed a sigh of relief that the first part of the ordeal was over.

Damn it, Severus, he thought, as he headed to the staff room to pick up some scrolls. You must love that girl a hell of a lot to put yourself through this!

He answered himself with a smile. I do!

- - -

Hermione had been a little surprised on arriving in Snape's room, to find the table set for four. He always liked to have a formal setting for dinner, but she knew that no one else ever dined there. When she asked him about it, he had simply told her to wait and see, then had disappeared into the classroom, promising to return with their guests. Hermione's only thought was of Professor Dumbledore and … who? McGonagall? While he was gone, she also noticed an extra two chairs by the fire. Very puzzling.

When Snape returned, and politely held the door open for Ron and Harry, Hermione beamed, and rushed forward to hug them both.

"You only saw us an hour ago, Hermione!" laughed Ron. "You're acting like you've not seen us for months."

Hermione laughed. "It's just good that you're here."

The first little while was very awkward. Harry and Ron seemed, naturally, ill-at-ease to be in the private dungeon rooms, and Snape was not accustomed to visitors. Conversation was a little stilted, as they sat by the fire.

"So … what's the music?" Harry asked.

Snape managed a smile. "It is from Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore," he told them. "It seemed … appropriate, considering my subject."

"You listen to a lot of classical music?" Ron asked.

The teacher nodded. "I always have. Prokofiev, Mozart, Beethoven."

Harry looked very surprised. "I wouldn't have thought you'd listen to muggle composers."

"What makes you think they are all muggles?" One of his eyebrows raised slightly in amusement.

Hermione laughed. This was something she had never considered. She looked around the table at her two closest friends and her lover, as they talked. It was not exactly a scene of warmth and friendship, but they were finally together in a room, without sparks or fists flying. It felt like such a relief.

"How about dinner?" she smiled, and they all stood. "Severus is a great cook – with or without magic!"

"You don't let the house-elves cook for you?" he asked, with an innocent expression, and a sideways glance at Hermione.

Snape began conjuring plates from the air as the other sat. "I know I have the reputation of being the most … severe … teacher in the school, Ron," he said, "but even I would not have the courage to face Ms. Hermione Granger, if she thought I was contributing to the repression of the poor Hogwarts slaves!"

Hermione rolled her eyes, but laughed along with them. It seemed that as she was the common link between them, teasing her proved to be a good method of communication between the other three, and she found herself to be the subject of much good-natured humor. She pretended to be offended, but she loved to see the three of them laughing together. There was still very much a sense of reserve and formality, but this was a big step in the right direction.

Only when the conversation turned to previous teachers, and Harry mentioned the name of Lockhart, with a not-so-subtle grin at Hermione, did she feel a need to put a stop to their jokes. She aimed a kick at Harry, under the table.

Unfortunately, it was Severus who yelped.

"Hermione, my darling," he growled, "if that kick was intended for Harry, then there must be some intriguing piece of information he was about to disclose!" He looked expectantly at Harry, but it was Ron who spoke up.

"Only that he sent her a get-well card, and she used to sleep with it under her pillow!" he teased.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Indeed?' he rumbled. "Perhaps I should have asked you two to dinner before now. This is turning out to be quite a revelation!"

Throughout dinner, they talked of everything from muggles to divination, and although there was still some discomfort between them, Hermione felt that her lover and her friends were finally learning not to hate each other. They were talking comfortably, and she was sure that it was genuine – not just feigned for her benefit.

When the conversation turned to families, and the differences between home lives – particularly those of Harry and Ron – Snape said little of his own upbringing. Naturally the subject of Hermione's parents was raised.

"I can understand them not liking the idea of Hermione and I together, but they will have to come to terms with it when we are married."

Ron and Harry looked at each other. "Married?" they asked, in unison.

Hermione flinched slightly. "Severus, I … erm … thought we were not going to tell anyone about that yet?" she said, softly.

Silence fell around the table, to be broken by Harry.

"What was that you said about revelations, Severus?"

- - -

After the news of Snape's proposal, and Hermione's acceptance, the rest of the evening was relatively free of surprises. Hermione had carefully explained that she and Severus had not decided when to marry, but it would most likely take place after Hermione left school. Her friends seemed relieved at this, and quickly accepted the news.

"I suppose it saves us having to have the discussion about 'Honorable Intentions' with you," Ron remarked, with a sly glance at Snape.

Harry laughed. "And, believe me, you don't want to have to listen to that!"

Snape glanced from one to the other, and was relieved to see the humor between them. He had wondered just how much friction Potter's … Harry's relationship with Ron's sister had caused. It was also a relief to know that the comment about having that discussion with him was a joke! The exchange somehow triggered a slight resentful envy of the relationship between them. The thought of having friends like that at school – that would be protective of their own 'family' – was strange to him. Usually, he suspected that Hermione fell naturally into the role of 'big sister', bossing them about their homework, but it seemed that they also felt a need to protect her, too. Maybe he had been too hard on them.

Frankly, he was amazed at how well the evening had gone. It had taken a huge amount of will power to force himself not to see James Potter's face at his dinner table, but he found that the result had been worth it. If he pictured himself sitting at dinner with three students, it seemed ridiculous, but he had found the presence of the boys to be less irksome than anticipated. More to the point – Hermione was happy.

"So – Apart from my slip about us getting married, did I behave well enough?" he asked her, after her friends had left with handshakes and seemingly genuine exchanges of pleasantries.

Hermione threw her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you, Severus," she said, squeezing him happily. "That was such a sweet thing for you to do!"

He placed one arm around her, and a hand under her chin, tilting her head up to look into his face. "Now, what was that about Lockhart?" he demanded. "Should I be jealous?"

"Well, you have never won any awards for your Charming Smile," she teased, "but you …"

He silenced her with a long kiss.

As they separated, he smiled down into her face.

"Miss Granger, would you care to dance?"

Hermione smiled, coyly. "Thank you, Professor Snape. I would love to."

- - -

With the exception of the year that Hermione had used the time-turner to attend extra classes, the next four weeks were the busiest of all her time at Hogwarts. Determined not to let Severus down, she worked hard at her revision, until she was more prepared for her Potions N.E.W.T. than most of the seventh-year students. Between that and her other subjects, even Snape thought she was working too hard.

During the weeks leading to the exams, Ron and Harry did not come to dinner again, but the relationship between them and Snape was much easier. There was a worrying incident about a week after the dinner, when Harry became angry at Snape's continual criticism of him in their Potions classes, but this blew over relatively quickly. Snape could hardly be expected to change his behavior overnight, and he was still their teacher, after all. Also, as Hermione felt compelled to point out, his treatment of them was no worse than that of her, during lessons, where he still bullied her, albeit with a glint in his eye.

Ginny's chat with Hagrid had had some effect, though not as much as she had hoped for. When he and Hermione had bumped into each other a few days later, he had smiled, hesitantly, and grunted a "Hello, Hermione", but when she had tried to stop to chat, he had made an excuse of having to get to class. To Snape, however, his behavior remained unchanged. Well, Hermione shrugged, it was a start.

It was only in the last lesson before the exams that the rest of the class found out about Hermione's early N.E.W.T. No one was particularly surprised, although Malfoy made certain remarks about the know-it-all Mudblood.

Neville's reaction, however, caused Hermione, Ron and Harry to laugh out loud, earning each of them a glare from the teacher.

"I'd have dropped Potions years ago, if it wasn't a core subject," he whispered. "Do you think Snape would let me take my N.E.W.T. a year early, just to get me out of his class quicker?"

Hermione had a strange feeling that Severus might that idea as appealing as did Neville, and as he snarled at their laughter, she determined to suggest it to him.

Before they knew it, the exams had arrived, and their days were spent sitting silently in the Great Hall, or frantically getting in some last- minute cramming.

Potions was the last of Hermione's exams, and Ron and Harry, having finished all of theirs during the morning, were waiting impatiently for her as she left the exam room with the seventh-years.

"How did it go?" Ron asked, as she hurried towards them.

Hermione groaned. "It was terrible," she told them, close to tears. "There were two questions that I couldn't answer at all, and I'm sure I got one wrong about antidotes."

"Ms. Granger," Snape's voice rumbled from across the corridor. "I trust that my time in preparing you for this exam was not wasted."

A seventh-year student gave Hermione a brief smile of encouragement as she passed, clearly thinking that the Potions Master was giving her a difficult time.

"I think I got some questions wrong, Professor," she said, miserably. "I could only remember two of the names for dried Apple root, and I forgot the name of the antidote to Dakkanaran."

The Potions Master's expression was irritated. "As I recall, the question relating to dried Apple root only asked for two alternative names," he told her, impatiently, "and the name of the antidote to Dakkanaran was not required, as long as you explained how it should be administered." He regarded her, haughtily. "I trust that you were able to explain a simple process like that?"

Hermione nodded, relief beginning to show on her face.

"Then you should have nothing to worry about," he concluded, firmly, "and there is absolutely no excuse for this ridiculous display of self-doubt!"

He spun on his heel, and strode across the corridor to catch up with two seventh-year Slytherins. The three friends could hear him quizzing them on their responses to several of the questions, as they headed towards the dungeons.

"Well," Harry said, merrily, "it sounds like he was pleased!"

"Never seen him so happy!" Ron agreed.

Hermione laughed. Only Severus could speak like that and give the impression that he was delighted! He would not be marking the exam, so it was now out of both of their hands, but he had clearly known that the questions had been within her capability. Trusting his judgment, and setting aside her doubt, she allowed herself to relax a little.

The exams were finally over.

"A whole week!" said Ron, happily. "No exams. No lessons. No revision. No projects! And then it's the summer! No more work for weeks."

Hermione was appalled. "But we have our N.E.W.T.s next year!" she exclaimed. "You can't possibly be serious about not doing any work until September!"

She received a solemn gaze from Harry. "Hermione," he said, seriously. "I don't know if anyone's ever mentioned this to you before, but … You're Crazy!"

Knowing that there would be little point in trying to reason with either of them, she sighed. "Okay, okay! I give in. I won't hassle you about working."

"Look," said Ron. "Even lover-boy just practically told you to 'chill out'!"

She couldn't help laughing at that. A few weeks ago, she would have thought he was being horrible, but now she accepted his good humor.

As they headed back towards the Gryffindor common-room, they bumped into Parvati and Ginny, who were heading to meet them. Ginny had also only just finished her last exam – Divination – and was determined to make the most of the free time, having spent the last hour in the confines of the hot and misty tower classroom.

"Do things get any easier, when you get into the sixth-year?" she asked, not sounding hopeful.

Her brother put an arm around her shoulder. "Afraid, not, Sis," he said, pitilessly. "It just keeps getting worse and worse."

She punched him, and moved over to Harry.

As the five friends changed direction, and walked towards the school grounds, Hermione smiled to herself. Harry gave Ginny a tender smile as he put his arm around her shoulders, while Ron reached out to take Parvati's hand in his. In other circumstances, Hermione might have felt left out of the scene, not being able to display this kind of affection with Severus in public, but the thought of the holidays pushed all thoughts of jealousy aside.

Despite her parents' objections, there was no question about moving in with Severus over the summer. She loved him. She belonged with him. She had written to tell them that she would return home a couple of weeks after the end of term, but that she would be staying with him over the summer.

As yet, she had received no reply, but whatever they said, no other solution would seem right at all. This would be the real start of their lives together.

A short week left at school and then they would be together. It would be perfect.

Could she last that long, she wondered? The last week of term would be her last chance to spend time with Ron and Harry for a while, and she enjoyed that thought very much. She sighed, happily, at the prospect of such a lovely conflict – whether time would go quickly because of enjoying her time with her friends, or slowly, in anticipation of Haven.

Well, whatever the outcome, it would be a peaceful week, she reflected. Time to take Ron's advice and relax. Just a short week.

She couldn't be more wrong. The last few days of school would be far from peaceful and relaxing.

As she followed her friends through the main doors to the school, and out into the warm evening, she had no idea of what an eventful week was ahead of her, and it would start the very next morning.