I doubted if I would be able to get this chapter up before I had to leave my grandparents' computer, but here it is, so yay!
Severus could not help but contemplate the conversation that he had had with Minerva in the Great Hall yesterday. He didn't love Hermione. He couldn't love Hermione. Love was a frightening thing, something that he had convinced himself long ago that he was not capable of.
Unlike Severus, who was a bit distressed by Minerva's words to him, Hermione was purely blissful. Her relationship with Severus was going smoothly and wonderfully, or as well as could possibly be hoped for. Through all of her excitement, though, Hermione had forgotten to mention the news of her new boyfriend to two certain best friends. A rather harsh reminder of this came the following morning at breakfast, in the form of two Howlers being delivered to Hermione by owl. All eyes followed the scarlet envelopes when they were first spotted clutched in the owls' talons. With a sinking feeling, Hermione instantly recognized one of the owls as Harry's snow-white owl, Hedwig. The two owls glided down to the staff table, all eyes fixed upon them. The Great Hall was shocked, mouths hanging open and eyes wide, when the Howlers were dropped directly in front of Professor Granger's seat, just to the left of her plate. Hermione gaped at the letters before her for several long seconds, and then she seemed to disregard them, continuing on with her meal as if she had not been delivered any letters at all. By now, the students and staff of the Great Hall had averted their eyes and were gazing at their neighbors or down at their plates, talking quietly. Of course, all were wondering why on earth Professor Granger, of all people, would be delivered not one, but two Howlers?
When she had finished her meal, Hermione reached out tentatively for the letters and turned them over in her hands, examining them. On the backside of one envelope was the name Harry Potter, and on the other, Ron Weasley. Grimacing, she placed the letters calmly in her lap and sipped her pumpkin juice. She knew very well that she could not ignore the Howlers, for the consequence would be severe, but she certainly was not going to open them here, in the Great Hall. No, she would simply wait until she had returned to her office. That decided, she rose from her place at the High Table and left the Great Hall, the red envelopes tucked safely into the pockets of her robes. They began to smoke as she hurried to her chambers. Once she was inside, she threw Harry's letter onto her desk and opened it quickly, though being careful to avoid the places on the letter that were glowing red and emanating heat. Suddenly, Harry's booming voice filled the room.
"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS ALL THIS ABOUT YOU AND SNAPE THAT HAGRID'S BEEN TELLING US ABOUT? WHAT ARE YOU TWO NOW, A COUPLE? THAT SLIMY OLD PERVERT! HOW DARE HE! WHAT IN MERLIN'S NAME ARE YOU THINKING, HERMIONE? CAN YOU JUST TELL ME THAT? MERLIN, PLEASE TELL ME THIS ISN'T TRUE! IT CAN'T BE! YOU MORON, 'MIONE! I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS!
At that, the Howler burst into flames and finally settled into a pile of dark ashes on top of her desk. In her pocket, Ron's letter was smoking more than ever, and it grew hot under her fingers as she extracted the second Howler from her pocket. She tossed it onto her desk, where it sat quivering for several moments, and then tore itself open.
Ron's deep, raging voice filled the room as the Howler roared, "SNAPE? YOU MUST BE JOKING! HAGRID SAW YOU TWO AND TOLD US ALL ABOUT IT! HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY BE SO INCREDIBLY STUPID? THE GIT IS TWICE YOUR BLOODY AGE, HERMIONE! IF HE HAS SO MUCH AS LAID A HAND ON YOU, THE FILTHY SCUM, I'LL HEX HIM INTO NEXT YEAR!"
Tears were brimming in Hermione's eyes, threatening to spill over, as Ron's Howler transformed into ashes and silence engulfed her once more. For a short while longer, she stood there mutely in shock, jaw hanging open and eyes fixed upon the mound of ashes. She wondered if it had been a mistake, keeping it from them for so long. Suddenly, a knock came at her door, jerking Hermione roughly out of her own thoughts.
"Who is it?" she called out, hastily wiping her moist eyes with the sleeve of her robes.
"Severus," came his deep voice from the opposite side of the door.
"Oh!" Hermione squeaked, relieved. She threw open the door and beckoned him inside. Once he had stepped through the doorway, his eyes fell instantly on the pile of ashes, Hermione noticed, and she panicked.
She stammered, "D- Did you-?"
He nodded, and she buried her face in her hands.
"I- I was a- afraid that they w- would react th- this w- way. I w- wanted to wait and t- tell them, b- but H- Hagrid…." she sobbed. Severus had to strain his ears to decipher many of her words, as they were muffled by her hands and distorted by her sobs.
"You- You don't think that- that they will c- come to Ho- Hogwarts, d- do you?" she asked, looking up at him suddenly through red, bloodshot eyes.
"If they do, then they are as big of arrogant fools as I have always believed them to be," he answered.
Hermione went on, as if she had not heard his previous statement, "They will surely have nearly completed their Auror training by now." When she saw that Severus had furrowed his brow in confusion, she added, "They will be free to leave and seek me out, if they wish."
"Surely not? That would be utterly reckless and.…" His voice trailed off when Hermione shot him a stern look. "Ah. Yes, of course. We are talking about Potter and Weasley, after all."
"Yes," said Hermione wearily, rubbing her temples, "and that is what worries me."
OoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOooo
The next morning, as the daily owl post arrived, Severus sat beside Hermione at the High Table, smirking at her.
"Expecting anymore Howlers this morning?" he asked. She scowled at him and crossed her arms over her chest.
The smirk quickly vanished from his face when he, Hermione, and Dumbledore all recognized the snow-white owl in the midst of all the other brown and tawny creatures. The white owl drifted down to the High Table, gracefully swooping down as Hermione waited, holding her breath. The animal dropped a red envelope identical to the ones that Hermione had received one day prior directly in front of Severus Snape. He gaped at the letter on the table, frozen in shock, and then promptly closed his mouth and stuffed the letter into the pocket of his robes, just as Herrmione had done. The two glanced at each other, hastily finished their meals, and set off together to Hermione's chambers.
Dread filled Hermione as they made their way down the hallways. She prayed that Harry and Ron would not be their usual selves and act rashly, but she knew that what she was asking for was nothing short of a miracle. She opened the door and ushered Severus inside, following him seconds later and shutting the door behind her. As Severus extracted the smoking envelope from his pocket, Hermione drew a shaky breath. In gold letters, it read that the Howler was addressed from Harry P. and Ronald W. He opened it carefully, and dropped it the moment Ron's voice escaped.
"WHY, YOU GREASY, SLIMY SCUM! WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OUR FRIEND LIKE THAT? YOU FILTHY PERVERT! YOU ARE SUCH A VILE CREATURE, IT'S NO WONDER YOU'VE PROBABLY NEVER HAD A GIRLFIREND BEFORE THIS! YOU DISGUST ME!"
Then, Harry's voice rang out, "YOU ARE REALLY SICK! BLOOD HELL, YOU'RE NEARLY TWICE HER AGE, YOU NASTY, CRADLE-ROBBING PERVERT! YOU FOULD, LOATHESOME SLIMEBALL! YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN AN EVIL, OVERGROWN BAT OF THE DUNGEONS, YOU GREASY GIT! IF YOU SO MUCH AS LAY A HAND ON OUR HERMIONE, WE'LL BLAST YOU TO SUCH TINY PIECES, YOU'LL HAVE TO BE SWEPT UP BY MADAM POMFREY AND CARRIED TO THE HOSPITAL WING IN A MATCHBOX!"
Again, after this came Ron's voice, howling at them, "YOU JUST WANT UNTIL WE GET OUR HANDS ON YOU, SNAPE! WE'RE OFF AUROR TRAINING FOR A WEEK-LONG HOLIDAY, SO WE'RE COMING TODAY TO HOGWARTS, AT TEN IN THE MORNING SHARP!"
By now, Hermione was clutching Severus' hand in hers, tears beginning to well up in her eyes again. Severus was staring in shock at the Howler that was now drifting down in the form of ashes onto the surface of Hermione's desk, his eyes wide. This letter, Potter and Weasley's letter, had just confirmed the very thoughts that had been looming in the back of Severus' mind for a long while, all of his fears about this relationship. As much as his desire for Hermione consumed him, how could they possibly continue this? He was utterly torn between the two prospects: He could leave her, and not be taunted, but be a miserable, lonely Potions Master for the rest of his days, or he could remain by Hermione's side, knowing that gossip would follow them and that society would judge them instantly and greatly disapprove. But he didn't want to go back to life without Hermione. He couldn't go back to that hell. Of course, he would have gladly chosen the latter prospect in a heartbeat, but he supposed that in the end, it all came down to what was best for Hermione. She was beautiful, young, and intelligent, and had a very bright future ahead of her. He certainly would not be the one to stand in the way of that.
Gently, Hermione reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. "None of that is true, Severus, and you know it," she said to him quietly, as if she could read his thoughts.
"What time is it?" he asked harshly, pretending as though he had not heard Hermione's remark.
Just as she turned to glance at the clock, they both jumped at a pounding on Hermione's office door. "Ten in the morning, sharp," she replied, panicking. They were here, and so was Severus. Oh Merlin, what could she possibly do the make the situation any better now? Or any worse, for that matter!
"Perhaps I should leave?" Severus suggested, moving swiftly toward the fireplace, but Hermione grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.
"No," she said, shaking her head in disagreement. "You need to be here for this."
He nodded and stood back, as the noisy hammering on Hermione's door continued. She marched over to it and threw it open, revealing a livid Harry and Ron in her doorway.
"Hello, boys," she said pleasantly, but this only seemed to incense them further.
Ron stood slightly behind Harry, whose hair was a complete mess, even more so than usual. It seemed as if he had just woken up and dashed out the door to Hogwarts. His emerald eyes were glinting with a livid madness as he stared back at Hermione. Ron was wearing a deep frown on a face that was nearly as red as his hair. He was wearing plain wizards' robes, as was Harry, and had soot smudged on his skin near his nose.
"Where is he?" Harry demanded. Ron immediately extended his index finger to point over Hermione's shoulder at a scowling Snape, who had drawn himself up to full height and was trying to look as menacing as possible. Of course, this was not such an easy feat as it had once been; now, Harry had grown to be nearly as tall as him, coming short by just an inch or two, and Ron met Severus at eye level.
Both of the boys' eyes widened at the sight of their Potions Master. Ron looked as if he could bite Snape's head off with one swift chomp. They pushed their way aggressively past Hermione, causing her to stumble and nearly knocking her over, and charged at Snape with full force, one right behind the other.
"Why, you slimy, filthy old man!" Harry bellowed, drawing his wand, closely followed by Ron. They both pointed the slender wooden rods squarely at Severus' chest. He was quick to draw his wand as well, and Hermione followed right behind him. She quickly slammed the door shut and marched across the room to where the three men were standing, facing each other with looks of utter rage and disgust plastered on their faces. At once, she moved rapidly to stand in front of Severus, her shoulders squared resolutely. With a determined look on her face, she pointed her wand at her two friends.
"Stand aside," Severus hissed at her.
"Yeah, so we can hex him so bad, he won't be able to eat his morning oatmeal properly, much less do anything else!" Ron said angrily.
"You will do nothing of the sort. Any of you," she snapped, throwing a glance pointedly at Severus, who was still standing behind her. Even so, he did not lower his wand from pointing at Harry and Ron.
"Oh, come now, Snape, surely you don't need a girl to protect you from us!" Harry jeered.
"Shut up, Harry," Hermione snapped, but was silenced when Severus hissed warningly, "Hermione…."
"What," said Harry, "no more 'know-it-all Gryffindor' or 'silly girl'? Is she no longer an 'annoying chit', Snape? Or is that only because of what you are undoubtedly forcing her to do with you in the bedroom?"
"You really are disgusting!" Ron added, his face contorted into a look of revulsion.
"Why, you condescending, presumptuous little b-"
"Severus!" Hermione scolded, cutting him off.
He took a deep breath, gripping his raised wand tightly, and uttered in a voice of forced calm, "It isn't like that."
"Yeah, I'm sure," Ron uttered as both boys rolled their eyes. Hermione stared at them, flabbergasted.
"Are you two serious?" she breathed, in a tone that made them fall silent at once. "You two cannot honestly believe that I would sink so low. Or Severus, either. Don't you hold any respect for either of us, especially your former Potions professor? I care for this man," she said, moving to stand beside him and taking his hand in hers, "and whether or not you are willing to admit that, it is nothing but the truth."
Harry and Ron's eyes darted between the two, trying to force the information they had just been given to make sense.
"Surely…Hermione…. You can't possibly…. Surely, you don't actually…. The man is twice your age," Ron hissed, as though Snape was not in the room.
"As I am well aware, Ronald Weasley. As intelligent a witch as I am, did you really think that that fact would escape me?" she replied, tightening her grip on Severus' clammy hand reassuringly.
"I am not that sort of man," he sneered at the boys. "I would expect that after all these years, even you would at least have the decency to realize that."
"Have you…done…yet…?" Harry asked, seeming as though he was trying anyway possible to avoid uttering the actual words that accompanied his question.
"No," said Hermione quickly, and then added, "thanks to Severus."
Harry and Ron both flinched at the sound of her using his given name to refer to him.
"He…?"
"Yes. I wanted to move things faster, but he refused. He claimed that we needed to get to know each other a bit better before taking our relationship to the next level." Severus stared at the boys' chests, refusing to meet their gazes.
"Relationship?" Ron asked. "You two are in a real relationship, then?"
"I like to think so. Pick up your jaw, Mr. Potter," Severus barked.
Harry promptly closed his mouth, but continued to stare at Snape in utter disbelief. Then he glanced at their hands that were still clasped tightly together, sneered, and turned back to the couple's faces.
"I can't believe this," he muttered, running his fingers through his messy black hair.
"But why him, Hermione?" Ron asked. "This is Professor Snape we are talking about, here. The man that made our lives hell in every Potions lesson for seven years. Well, except for that one year, when he taught Defense Against the Dark Arts…. But still, Hermione... I mean, even Professor Lupin would have been a better choice than him."
"We are together because I wished to invite him to the Ball that the school hosted at the beginning of term."
Of course, he had not been my first choice then, she mentally added, and she and Severus both knew this, but neither voiced it to the boys.
"But…why?"
Severus continued to glare at the boys, but did not release Hermione's hand. Still, it remained clutched tightly and protectively in his.
"Because he is intelligent, sophisticated, and thoughtful, which is more than I can say for some people. And," she added after a moment of consideration, "he is handsome."
At this, Harry snorted and Ron burst out into a fit of laughter.
"You must be joking!" Ron wailed, doubling over and smacking his knees.
"Thank you, Mr. Weasley," Severus growled.
"Well, I think he is," Hermione said, and leaned up to plant a light kiss on Severus' cheek, who tried his best to conceal his embarrassment. He bowed his head slightly, so that his curtains of black hair fell into his face. Ron and Harry's smirks and grins that had resided on both their faces were instantly replaced with looks of horror at Hermione's actions.
"How revolting!" Harry exclaimed, his face screwed up in disgust.
"That's sick!" added Ron.
"Oh, come off it, you two, and quit being so childish," Hermione snapped. "We are in a relationship. He is my boyfriend (Severus cringed slightly at the juvenile word), and I will do whatever I like to him."
"Though hopefully not in our presence," said Harry, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips. Hermione shot him a glare.
"But still," Ron said, "it's sickening to see- or even think- of you two together. Touching, kissing…." He shuddered at the mere idea.
"Well, it is a concept that you will need to find a way to accept, Mr. Weasley," Severus remarked shortly.
"How, er…. How long…?" Harry asked, still trying to wrap his mind around this new information.
"Technically, about a month," Hermione replied.
"And if we are not speaking technically?" asked Ron, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.
Severus and Hermione glanced at each other, and then he answered, "Nearly four months."
"And you never mentioned it to us before now!" Harry yelled, his anger rising once more.
"I never felt the need," snapped Hermione angrily. Harry had raised his wand to her once more.
"Lower your wand, Potter," Severus said instantly. "And you will not speak to her in that manner."
"Well, aren't we the gentleman," Ron uttered crossly, folding his arms over his chest.
"Yes," said Hermione, "he is." She looked up at Severus and smiled.
Harry slowly lowered his wand, surveying the couple before him closely. He had never seen Hermione look so happy and at ease before, not even when she and Ron had gone out for a short time during their seventh year at Hogwarts. The two said that they had been in love, and still claim it to this day, but Harry had his doubts. Of course, Hermione had been entirely content then, but now, it was…different. There was a glint in her eyes that had never been there before, and Ron noticed it too. Did she…? Could she…? No, she couldn't possibly….
The two boys glanced at each other, and then looked back to Hermione. Ron cleared his throat rather loudly, and she suddenly blinked and turned her head to face them. She had been jerked out of her trance, but the dreamy smile had not yet abandoned her lips.
"Harry, Ron," she exclaimed, suddenly struck with an idea, "why don't you stay here at Hogwarts for a day or two? You could both sleep here in my chambers, and I'm sure that Dumbledore wouldn't mind at all. Oh, please, won't you?" she reached out her free hand to touch the boy's shoulders. They glanced at each other uncertainly.
"We'd better not," Harry said finally.
"We really shouldn't. We need to get back to the Ministry," Ron added.
Hermione furrowed her brow, confused, "But I thought you said…for the holidays…?"
"We are," Ron assured her hurriedly.
"But we need to return fairly quickly, in a short time, so that Ron and I can practice on Concealment and Disguise. We're nearly failing," Harry explained.
When Hermione looked crestfallen, Harry said quickly, "But we can stay for the rest of today; for lunch, at least. Actually, we can spend most of the day here, and then we'll Apparate back to the Ministry after dinner."
"Yeah," Ron agreed, and all three friends grinned at each other. Severus, however, stood scowling still, glaring at the two boys in front of him. This seemed very strange to Harry; it was unusual for him to be in Snape's presence for more than several seconds and not have a nasty remark thrown at him.
"Lighten up, Severus," Hermione smiled, nudging him gently with her elbow. She noticed Ron shudder at the use of his first name, but ignored it for now.
"Is that possible?" Harry asked, grinning.
"Certainly not in your presence, Mr. Potter," Severus snarled at him, sneering, and earning another nudge in his stomach from Hermione, though this one was noticeably more forceful than the last.
"Yes, it is," she said to Harry. "However, apparently it is only when the two of us are alone together."
"I wouldn't think there'd be much time for talking then, eh, Snape?" Harry grinned at Severus, wiggling his eyebrows.
Hermione rolled her eyes, but her jaw fell open when she heard Severus reply evenly, "Sometimes, Potter, there isn't." He smirked at Harry, who burst out laughing, doubling over, and Ron, whose face screwed up in disgust.
"That's sick," he muttered.
"And you don't consider Harry and your sister Ginny together sickening?" Hermione retorted.
"But…. B- But…." Ron stammered, but finally shook his head and threw up his hands in defeat.
Severus continued to smirk beside Hermione, whose cheeks were now a darkening shade of red.
"That…isn't necessarily true," she said. Then she added quietly, her eyes fixed on the floor, "Sometimes."
Snape was astonished that Harry was not on the floor yet, as tears were unavoidably streaming down his face. Now, even Ron was beginning to crack a smile.
"He smiles when we're alone, you know," Hermione said, attempting to humiliate Severus as badly as she could manage.
"He…. You…. Snape, you smile?" Ron asked, chuckling.
"Don't tell me that you actually have human emotions, Snape," Harry grinned.
"Yes, Potter, Weasley. Is that honestly so difficult to believe?" he sneered at them.
The boys looked at each other and then back to Severus. In unison, they cried, "Yes!"
"Would you all like to come into my chambers?" Hermione asked, rolling her eyes at the two younger men. She was attempting to change the subject and get the focus off of Severus, for which he was extremely grateful.
Severus shook his head, though, and muttered, "I have a class in several minutes."
Hermione looked hopefully to the boys, who were glancing at each other worriedly.
"Well, we'll only be here for a day-" Harry said.
"Less than a day, really-" Ron added.
"-and we sort of wanted-"
"-you know-"
"-to, er, visit Hagrid-"
"-and a few other people-"
"-like Professor Lupin!"
"Sorry."
"Yeah, we don't mean anything by it."
"Honestly-"
Hermione held up a hand to cease their chatter, and the boys fell silent at once. "It's all right," she said kindly, but it was plain that she was disappointed at their rejection. She shrugged. "I have papers to grade, anyway."
The two boys began to inch their way slowly toward her door, though they still appeared apprehensive.
"It's fine. Go!" Hermione exclaimed, smiling and waving them away.
As they were leaving, Severus asked Hermione, not wanting her to be left alone, "Would you like to accompany me to my class? You could sit in on it, if you like."
"Excuse me?" Hermione asked, flabbergasted, not quite sure that she understood him.
"You could sit in my classroom, and possibly assist the students in their potionmaking," he explained.
Hermione considered this, and finally decided that grading papers could wait. She nodded and answered simply, "I'd love to."
When Severus turned his back to her, she glanced at the clock on her wall. It read 10:54. She reached out a hand and took hold of his arm, spinning him around to face her and smiling up at him.
"What are you doing?" he asked, an eyebrow raised. Then he smirked at her and muttered, "I have a class."
"Not for another six minutes."
He glanced over his shoulder at the clock, which had change within the last three seconds, and then turned back to Hermione. "Five minutes," he corrected her.
She raised an eyebrow and wrapped her arms around his neck. She leaned up and pressed her lips to his neck. "Five…whole…minutes," she said, uttering each word in between kisses on his neck. She heard him groan, and she smiled.
Then she moved her mouth up to his, and he parted his lips for her the moment she sought access. He had his hands on her hips, but they moved steadily upward to her waist, lower back, and then upper back, pulling her closer, so that finally, their bodies were pressed against each other. Then he ducked down and pressed his lips to her neck, moving downward until he was planting kisses on her collarbone. She leaned her head back and moaned as she ran her hands up and down his strong chest, and then slid her hands down until she reached the top of his pants. She began to undo his leather belt, but he grabbed her hands roughly and then gently pulled then away from that spot. He had felt a distinct stirring in his groin that had not been present for quite some time. He shook his head at her, though there was a hungry look in his eyes.
"We can't," he mumbled, redoing his belt where she had unfastened it. They were going to be late for class.
Hermione pouted at him, puffing out her bottom lip, but she knew that they needed to leave for his classroom full of students awaiting their Potions lesson. Therefore, she sighed and muttered dejectedly, "Very well."
Severus glanced at the clock and observed that they were already a minute late. "Damn. We'll need to Floo to my office," he said, and Hermione nodded curtly in agreement as she followed him to her fireplace.
"We'll go together," said Severus, taking Hermione's hand and leading her into the fireplace. He took a handful of Floo Powder from the pot on the mantle and put an arm around her waist, hugging her to him. When she put her arms tightly around his torso, a small smile remained on his lips as he called out clearly, "Professor Snape's office!"
Sorry for the abrupt ending here, but otherwise this chapter would have been twice as long as any of the other ones. Or would you all have minded so much? Anyway….
Thanks to everyone so much for reviewing! You all make me want to continue with my story!
HermioneGranger91- Lol, yeah, I was a little rushed when I did my Authors Note. You see, I have to share this computer with six other people who are also very eager to play on this same computer, so it is difficult to find time to myself on it. But anyway, thanks!
SwissMiss1- I have heard an expression where if your mouth is hanging open, you look like a fish (because of how they look when they are swimming in the water). Maybe that's just me…Sorry. They have not said "I love you" to each other yet, and I think that neither of them would want to sleep together if they hadn't at least done that, although Hermione did get a bit carried away a while back in Severus' chambers on the couch…and luckily, they had a class here… Anyway, yeah. And Minerva- Although it was a bit weird, I suppose I could just see her doing something like that. As always: Thanks, and I will take everything you said into consideration when writing my next chapter.
Madelynn Rae- I keep hearing about Jane Eyre in a lot of Snape/Hermione fics as well, although when I wrote that chapter, I had not yet heard the book mentioned in any other Snape/Hermione fics. Lol.
Yuki- Like Severus said before: He is capable of being romantic; it is just a matter of actually wanting to. Thank you!
Disclaimer- (See Chapter 14)
As always, Remember: Review, Please! Even if you don't like my story, tell me what you dislike about it and I will try to work on it! Thanks!