I'll be slowing down further as the juggernaut of chaos that is end of term and Christmas is fast approaching. No weird nativities for me, though my eldest is performing in a very strange Christmas play...

As ever, none of this belongs to me...because I wouldn't have been such a shit to Severus...

"He's gone."

Ginny plopped herself down beside Hermione and smiled at Kreacher as he pushed a bacon sandwich in front of her.

The kitchen was empty, still too early on a Sunday morning for many people to rouse themselves out of a cold bed. Hermione had slept hard, her dreams packed with tea parties and how far she should bow to the Wizarding Minister from France, in comparison to his counterpart in Luxembourg. It had been a relief to wake up. She's showered, felt vaguely alive and sought her breakfast.

Kreacher was being uncommonly nice again and questions as to why had half formed in her brain when Ginny appeared.

"Who's gone? Everyone was here at dinner." Well, from what little time she'd spent there. Except Severus. He'd obviously completely decamped to Prince Albert Mansions. Lucky him.

"My slack-brained brother."

Hermione frowned. "You have several."

"Hey!" Ginny slapped her arm. "There's only one. No two. Oh wait..." She smirked. "All right, I'll allow your confusion. Ronnikins. He's gone. Dad packed him off to Charlie last night."

A fist tightened in Hermione's chest. It was quickly followed by hot relief. Maybe all that Ron needed was a change of scenery. He would certainly get that in Romania.

"It gets better." Ginny made a show of glancing around the empty kitchen. "I overhead Dad and your Mentoris."

Severus had had Ron removed. Hermione's hand trembled and she wrapped her fingers around her cup of coffee to disguise it. The bleeding heat of the mug broke into her shock. Her mind jumped. Mrs Weasley. Merlin's balls. She would be on a rampage now that Hermione had had her precious son removed. "What…what did they say?"

"Professor Snape caught him on the second landing. I was in my room, the door part open. And he was angry." Ginny shivered. "You know that quiet vibrating fury thing he has?" She snorted. "Scared me so much, I wanted to apologise for whatever it was that had upset him.

"So he reminded Dad what he was to you. Said he'd found Ron in your room –because my brother is an Outstanding Idiot, First Class— and that he'd only held back his right to duel in deference to Dad and their long association."

Severus hadn't cast his own spell to disguise the conversation. The wizard had been a double agent for almost two decades. It wasn't likely that after only days of a full peace, he would forget something that had to have become second nature. Hermione's mouth twitched. Sneaky Slytherin. He wanted this conversation to get back to her.

"Dad didn't argue. He said Ron would be in Romania by the end of the day." Ginny grimaced. "Snape had every right to roast Ron."

Hermione nodded. "I hope he finds peace out there."

"So what's your day about?" Ginny picked up her sandwich and practically inhaled it. Definitely a Weasley thing. With so many mouths around, you had to get to your food fast.

"Shopping." Hermione bit the word out like a curse.

"With Snape? Public already? Wow."

"What was it like, with Remus?" Hermione flushed and she held up her hands. "Argh, not like that. I mean, yesterday, you obviously still have that connection in some form."

Ginny stared into her mug, the tops of her cheeks pink. The normally confident girl appeared almost shy. For a long time, she was silent until a soft smile touched her lips. "It's such a special time, Hermione. Really. I mean, we had to hide, because of snake-face and because of Remus' little problem, but beyond what he taught me in bed, he became my friend, my guide. We would talk. Simply talk. It was…nice. He put me on the path to what a relationship should be about."

The younger witch looked to the ribbon around Hermione's throat. "Some days I ached for what you have now. For the war to be over and for Remus to be my practical guide to the world, not just in theory." Her eyes glistened. "You'll probably get that a lot. A host of witches and wizards envious that you can walk freely, where as we had to hide."

Hermione squeezed Ginny's hand, her own throat tight. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"Enjoy this time, Hermione. It will go over so fast." She sighed and her expression changed, became sly. "So, Yule with the Professor…?"

Hermione groaned. "A present. I'll have to buy him a present." She muttered under her breath as she took a sip of her coffee. "The book on The Agreement has hardly anything in it. It's so open to interpretation by the Mentoris."

"I think the Professor will be prepared for anything, don't you?" Ginny was openly smirking now and Hermione's face warmed.

She sometimes forgot that she wasn't reading for a lesson or an essay, but for a wizard to get her naked and hopefully do deliciously wicked things to her. Her chest tightened. Starting that night?

"I bet he talks, a lot…"

"Ginny!"

Her friend poured herself a fresh cup of tea. "Oh come on, you don't think he could use that voice simply to talk a witch out of her knickers?"

Hermione buried her face in her hands. Of course she thought that. He'd only said one sentence to her, 'Miss Granger has always been a most willing pupil' and she'd been ready to throw herself at him. "Ginny. Shut up."

Ginny laughed. She stretched her spine. "Almost nine. Someone should be getting up soon. I swear this house has made us all lazy." She poked Hermione in the arm. "Do you know if Sirius made it home last night? He is so bad, never the same witch twice."

"I agree, Miss Weasley. I shall let you into a secret. He is not invited back."

Ginny squeaked and Hermione looked up from her hands. Severus stood in the kitchen doorway, dressed in his formal black robes with the hint of snowy white at this cuffs and collar. Not as startling as his wearing of muggle clothes the day before, but in the soft mix of light in the kitchen he was completely imposing. Her belly did that stupid flip again.

She worked a smile across her mouth. "Good morning, Severus."

"Hermione."

Had he heard what Ginny had said about his voice, because the way he said her name was almost indecent. Ginny slid her a glance and mouthed, 'I told you'.

Hermione's voice was almost strangled as she asked, "Would you like tea?"

A flicker of a smile played across his mouth. "No, thank you. I've made an appointment for you at Twillfit and Tattings for nine thirty." He watched her stand, his gaze assessing. "You're ready?"

She looked down to her plain blue skirt and thick-knit jumper. Transfiguring something to match Severus' elegance had escaped her that morning. She'd not bought anything new for years. Living in a tent, the war and trapped in Grimmauld Place, meant she existed on cast offs and hand-me-downs. She shrugged. She couldn't lie. "It's all I have, I'm sorry. I can transfigure…"

Severus flicked his wand. Red fabric, silky-smooth and warm, wrapped around her, forming into a dress that stopped at her knees, revealed the respected amount of décolleté and that hugged her body in exactly the right way, neither daring nor frumpy.

Severus Snape had missed his calling. He should've been a fashion designer. Hermione grinned up at him and he frowned. A muscle jumped in his jaw. "Is the spell holding in the coat and boots your wore yesterday?"

Hermione nodded and moved past him into the hallway, kicking off her slippers as she found her boots. Severus held up her coat and slipped it onto her shoulders. Her eyes closed at the delicate skim of his fingers. Ginny had said that as her Mentoris he would show her what to strive for in a relationship. She had the horrible feeling Severus Snape would spoil her for all other men.

"Good luck with your try out today, Miss Weasley."

Hermione stared back at Ginny. She'd totally forgotten. The Holyhead Harpies had sent an open invitation over the summer, aware of the safety issues still threatening those who'd openly fought Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Ginny had decided earlier in the week that Sunday was the day. The Agreement had put it out of Hermione's thoughts. "Gin, I'm so sorry. You won't need luck though, you'll be brilliant."

The younger witch grinned at them. "Thanks. Have fun shopping." And she laughed. "Seriously, your faces."

Severus closed the kitchen door on her and urged Hermione along the dim corridor. Opening the door, they moved out into the chill of the square. She moved her hand into the crook of his arm –as she knew she should— and pressed her fingers into his sleeve. "Thank you for Ron."

He gave her a slight nod, glanced around the quiet square and pulled her in close. The touch of his mouth over hers caught her thoughts and senses as the fierce pressure of apparition twisted her.

Diagon Alley was almost as quiet as the square in which Sirius' townhouse sat. Almost. Shopkeepers bustled about, pulling back shutters, opening doors and setting out their wares. Early customers peered into just opened windows. And more than one cast a curious look in their direction.

Severus' breath heated her skin, his lips too close to her ear. Her heart thudded. Would she be able to capture this heady want with another man? Or was this simply the reaction of an inexperienced girl overwhelmed by a sophisticated man?

He stepped back and his hand took hers. He pressed his lips to her knuckles as he had the day before. "You look lovely this morning, Miss Granger." His dark eyes held her and a shine of amusement forced her insides to twist? Did he mean it, or was he mocking her? Was this another lesson? To know when a man was toying with you?

She gave him a sharp little smile. "Thank you. And you look very…dashing."

He lifted an eyebrow. "That is a new one." He folded her arm into his. "We could be a while here. Madam Athcasta –the proprietor— will feed us."

"Do we have a patron?" Her book had mentioned another witch or wizard could put money up for their expenses. Hermione knew that tradition wouldn't let her contribute, but she hated to think that she'd conned Severus into this deal and was forcing him to part with money he couldn't afford.

"Minerva. She has a pile of galleons left to her by Albus, so far untouched."

"Guilt money."

Severus didn't deny it.

A wizened and elderly wizard stopped still in the ornate doorway of Flourish and Blott's and stared. His gnarled hand went to his throat. It shook. The young witch with him took his arm as he suddenly staggered. His mouth gaped and tears glistened in his wrinkled eyes. The witch frowned at them, unsure what her friend had seen. Hermione gripped the collar of her coat, keeping it tight and up against the cold wind.

She swallowed against the tightness in her throat. Had that old wizard worn the ribbon? "It's going to get very strange, isn't it?" she murmured.

Severus' lips twitched and he glanced down at her. "Very strange indeed."

Madam Athcasta was a tall willowy woman with an ethereal beauty and the colouring and bearing of Narcissa Malfoy. She stood in the open doorway of her tall, thin shop, obviously waiting on them.

Her pale eyes moved over Hermione, delaying on her covered throat. Her expression didn't change from that slight sneer that seemed to say she smelt something…unpleasant. Hermione fought down the urge to bristle. Severus covered her hand with his own.

"I have put aside the day for you." Madam Athcasta's voice was lilting with a hint of a French accent. "Is this acceptable?"

Severus gave the woman a short bow. "It is. Thank you."

"I have your itinerary for the season, Professor Snape. It is not complete. I have chosen…ensembles to compliment those events I do have, for both you and Miss…Granger? Come in. Welcome." She waved a long, slender arm into the dark interior of her shop. "We have much work to do." A frown deepened her almost sneer. "Much work."

Hermione lifted her shoulders and gave the witch a polite smile. It was going to be a long, long day.

Let me know what you think! :)