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Chapter Two: Q&A

Hermione eyed the students before her. Each one was blissfully silent as they worked on homework or a project. Even though they were not required to, the students still separated themselves according to their House. No one intermingled with another House. The only interaction they seemed to have between Houses, as of late, was fighting. Making Hermione wonder how long the silence would last until another fight broke out.

She did have work of her own to do after all, and removed the questionnaire from her robe pocket along with a traveling ink well and quill. She glanced at the first page, and sighed. She could do this. It was only a bunch of questions, all of which she knew the answers to. There was no way one could fail a questionnaire about their own person. Or could they? Hermione shook her head; that was nonsense she told herself, and set to work filling out the first of the ten pages.

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Yenta's Livery Company


"A Happy Marriage is an Arranged Marriage!"

On the following questionnaire, please answer all questions as truthfully as possible. On the multiple choice questions, please circle your desired answer. For questions with boxes placed next to them, either check or 'x' any or all of the answers that may apply. Finally, for the short answer questions, please keep the answer to four sentences or less.

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Hermione quickly answered the first two-dozen questions, all of which pertained to herself and her history. They asked about her name, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, her highest educational background, past relationships or past marriages, and finally questions about her employment status.

There were questions about her likes and dislikes. There were questions about her hobbies, her favorite books, her favorite music, and even her favorite foods starting with appetizers and ending with dessert. They didn't leave any stone unturned; Hermione realized when she paused at a series of questions pertaining to her sexual history.

She could feel her face get hot at the thought of having to answer those questions. Did they really have to know? Hermione squirmed around in her chair a bit, not knowing how to answer the questions. She was never one to talk on this subject, and here she was asked to write it down for some stranger to read.

"Good evening, Professor Granger." Hermione's head shot up as someone said her name. She couldn't hide the flush that instantly came to her cheeks from having been caught by someone while filling out her paperwork.

"Good evening, Professor Snape." Hermione replied, her stomach doing flip-flops after realizing who it was. He always had an eye out for things you didn't want him to see, so she quickly folded up her papers and stuffed them into her pocket. She knew she would surely die of embarrassment if Severus saw what she was working on. Hopefully he wasn't able to read too much of what she had been writing. "I did not know you were scheduled for this evening."

"I was not," He replied. "May I?" He questioned, indicating the seat next to her.

"Of course." Hermione replied. She knew what was coming. Severus never sought her out in the castle unless he wanted to talk shop. It was either to complain about her teaching methods, or one of the students from her class, or heaven forbid, questioning her about the points she took from a Slytherin. A part of her vainly wished that he would just have a normal conversation with her, even if it was just about the weather.

Hermione watched the tall, black clad man gracefully deposit himself in the chair just next to her own. She like sitting next to Severus, though there would be no way in God's green earth that she would admit to anyone that she enjoyed doing so. She liked how he smelled. No one really ever got close enough to the man to realize such a fact, but he really smelled nice. Just a basic woodsy, manly smell, or at times like fresh soap. No other scents, in her mind, could smell better on a man. Today he smelled like soap. Hermione sighed with the pleasure of it.

"I was wondering if you would consider changing your teaching syllabus for your Second Year students?" Severus asked, resting his hands on his lap while looking at the young witch to his right. When Severus asked a question though, Hermione still thought it sounded more like a demand.

"How, if you don't mind me asking, would you want me to change it?" Hermione asked. She had learned early on to not let Severus ruffle her feathers with his blunt questions or demands. Usually he would have good reasons behind what he did, but sometimes it would take a while for him to get it out in the open.

"I will begin a series of potions that will require various water spells. It would be convenient, seeing as how you are the Charms Professor after all, to teach them the spells they will require before they enter my classroom."

"I see." Hermione hummed. She wondered idly how long it took him to work up the gumption to come ask her this. "I'll start them on it tomorrow then. They'll know all the basics before Monday, rest assured."

Her only reply was a nod of his head. There were no words of thanks. Another one of his characteristics Hermione had learned to pick up on. Head nods were his way of saying thanks, that, and if he didn't scowl while doing so was always a good sign.

Hermione wondered for a second what the man would look like if he smiled. She had never seen him smile. Perhaps he had something wrong with the muscles in his face that wouldn't allow him to do so? She would have to ask Minerva if she had ever seen a sight such as Severus smiling.

As he stood to leave, the evening bell rang, signaling the end of the study hall. Hermione rose alongside of him and watched as the children scurried out of the Hall thankful to be free of school work for the evening.

"Come, Professor Granger." Severus said, holding out his arm. Hermione looked at him, wondering what on earth he was doing. Was this normal? He was holding out his arm for Merlin's sake! In the three years she had been teaching at Hogwarts, never had she walked through the halls with him.

"Uhm… thank you." Hermione whispered, gently placing her hand in the crook of his elbow. Once attached to his person, he began to walk, and she followed.

They were out of the Great Hall before he broke the silence between them.

"Usually when a gentleman offers his arm, the woman usually takes it. It is how one must walk with a woman; I thought you of all people would have known that." Hermione looked up at the man walking next to her and seriously wondered if Severus was coming down with a cold.

"I have never had a man make such an offer before." Hermione replied. "To put it quite bluntly if I may, I didn't expect you to be the one that would."

"It's a pity that I am." He replied.

"It's quite nice though. Wizards in my generation lack gentlemanly manners." Hermione smiled when she heard Severus snort in approval.

"I could have told you that, years ago."

"You should have. It would have saved me the disappointment in the future."

"I will keep it in mind to inform you immediately if anything else shall arise."

They continued walking in silence. Hermione was quite mostly due to shock. Here she was being led around the hallways by the most feared man in the whole of Hogwarts. He even slowed his pace to match her own. But more surprising was that fact that they spoke to each other and it wasn't about classes or students.

"You do this very well, Severus." Hermione said, looking up at him.

"I have been walking for a very long time, Professor Granger; my abilities for this task are quite honed."

She couldn't help but laugh out right.

"I didn't know you were funny, Severus." Hermione sighed, studying the man she really didn't know much about. "You do realize, this is the first conversation we have had in the three years that I have been working here that wasn't revolving around classes, schedules, or students."

After that remark, Severus glanced down at her and quirked one of his eyebrows.

"Indeed it is," he replied.

He stopped suddenly, only then did Hermione realize that he had led her all the way to her door.

"Thank you for escorting me to my rooms Severus." Hermione said with a smile.

"Anytime, Professor Granger," He replied curtly with a bow of his head. A second later her spun smoothly on his heel, and was walking back in the direction they had just come.

Hermione was grinning like a fool after Severus left. She was making progress with the man. They had talked like two normal people would talk. She could feel her hopes rising with the thought that one day, one day soon hopefully, he would refrain from his formalities with her and call her by her given name. He was the only remaining staff member that still called her by the title of Professor, or when he was upset he'd say Miss.

She didn't know what to think of the man. Shaking her head, she entered her room so that she could finish the questionnaire. The sooner she sent it in, the sooner she could see if there was really someone out there made just for her.

Not until he rounded the corner did he slow his pace.

By the gods, he could still feel the heat on his arm where her hand had rested during their walk. He missed the feel of it already. So delicate, so warm.

The entire time they walked, she smiled. Sometimes, she would even smile up at him. When he had looked down at her, all he could think of was how innocent and pure she looked.

Hermione even smelled pure. She wore a light citrus spray, the same scent as in her hair. Severus sighed softly at the thought of her hair. For years he had wondered what it would feel like. It looked so soft.

On an oath, he rubbed his hands through his hair, giving it a good pull before he released it. What was he thinking? He was acting like a hormonal teenage boy for Merlin's sake, mooning over a pretty girl. Mooning? Was he really mooning? Especially over Hermione Granger of all people? Certainly not.

Sure, like any man that had warm blood running through him, he entertained the idea of being with Hermione in the ways that hormonal teenage boys often do. In fact, it was an idea that he entertained a lot as of late. Of course, any man that said he didn't think about doing the deed with every woman he met would be lying. It puzzled him at times how the male species of the race was able to get anything done during the day, considering how many times erotic thoughts alone passed through their minds. And he, Severus Snape, was one of them. He wasn't ashamed of the fact that he thought of his colleague in such a fashion, he was just annoyed that it was Hermione Granger. Very annoyed.

Hermione was his ideal, though he would never reveal that truth even while under Veritaserum. He'd bite his tongue out first before he would reveal such a fact. He really couldn't blame himself though, how could any man?

The first thing that had caught his eye was that she was smart. He had a weakness for it. Some men like their women to have large breasts, well, he like his women to have large brains. It all started, a good six years ago, this fascination with her. He couldn't help but be pleased being able to watch her mature over the years as well. She went from a gangly teenager with wild brown curly hair, to a lovely young woman with curls down to her waist.

Severus groaned. He was besotted with the young woman. Absolutely besotted, and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.