For NJ


"We talk about the weather because we recognise ourselves in its constant changeability" - Peter Anderson.


The weather, it seemed, was constantly changing. Every three months there would be a transition period between changes, almost as though the seasons were in a state of limbo.

Severus enjoyed this time. It was like the world was in chaos, and it breathed life back into him. Too often he was left feeling as though his life was a study of monochrome; dull, lifeless— empty. Everything was too constant. For six years since the end of the war, he would follow the same routine. Severus would wake every morning, dress, have coffee and read the paper before donning his teaching robes and dragging himself up to the Great Hall to have breakfast. He would gaze out at the sea of black student robes and everything would look the same.

His colleagues would try to engage him in chitchat, and he would offer them perfunctory responses. Then he would drag himself back down to the dungeons to attempt to impart knowledge onto the students who actually gave a single shite about what he taught. Then he would have dinner, in the Great Hall again, excuse himself early, walk his rounds after curfew before retiring to his chambers to read before bed. And just like a broken record player that skipped and started from the start, so too did his life seem as though it was on repeat.

That was, of course, until she had returned to Hogwarts just six months beforehand.

The day Hermione Granger joined the teaching staff as Charms Mistress, Severus had not expected his life to be any different. But the moment she walked back into the castle, wearing a shiny new teaching robe that was the colour of the sky at night, his entire world had shifted in an instant. It was as though he'd been watching a long-outdated television that still conveyed its images in black and white, and then she had come along and everything was suddenly vibrant and Technicolor.

Now, like the weather, everything was fluid and changeable. He would rise from bed early and go to the Great Hall, eager to see her and spend time basking in her arresting glow. When the winter had come and it had been bitterly cold, her warmth had chased the chill away. And when Severus had a miserable day teaching his thankless classes, she was there to commiserate with genuine sympathy.

But like all good things that had come into his life, Severus squandered it, basking in his own self-doubt and the deep depression that had destroyed every good relationship he'd ever had. Hermione Granger was too good for him, and like everyone else he'd ever cared for in his life, she would remain out of reach.

Now that February was nearing an end, the change in the weather was apparent. There were fewer and fewer unbearably cold days, and the change in temperature meant that the snow was beginning to melt.

On the days when he did not have to teach in the first period of the day, Severus would go outside and walk along the shore of the Black Lake, and enjoy the sun and fresh air and clear his mind. It was like a meditation of sorts. He would do anything to try and quiet the increasingly loud voice that would remind him of his own failings; of his failure to express his feelings to the first person who had made him feel since Lily.

And so it was, on a crisp February morning, the same as any other, that Severus wrapped his cloak around himself tightly, and exited the castle before the students awoke for the day, desperate to clear his mind that day so that he did not accidentally snap the neck of one of his students.

He walked along the shore, his boots making a crunching sound as he strode through the coarse rocks. Breathing in the cold air deeply, he did a lap of the lake, his pacing keeping him warm despite the cold temperature. When he stopped, he'd likely be chilled as the sweat cooled on his skin, but it didn't matter. As he began his second lap, a little flash of green caught his eye, peeking through what remained of the crisp white snow near the shore.

Severus leaned down and gently brushed a little more of the frozen condensation away, revealing more of the tiny plant.

A galanthus blossom was pushing its way through the snow. He felt his breath catch in his throat as he stared at it, the bright green of its stem and leaves a sharp contrast to the rocks, snow and soil surrounding the water. He was tempted to cut the flower and take it for himself to preserve its beauty, place it somewhere in his room so that he could enjoy it time and again.

But no. He would leave it there so that others might enjoy it. Severus didn't know why it was important to him, but he was hesitant to disrupt it. He straightened himself out so that he might continue his walk, and was surprised to find that he was no longer alone. Not ten feet away, the woman who was both the soothing balm to his soul and the tormentor of his long-dead dreams stood staring at him.

Hermione's warm brown eyes sparkled in the early morning light, the mad curls of her hair hanging free around her shoulders. She was wearing deep green robes that day, and the cold had left her pale cheeks and nose a little pink. Puffs of air were visible as she breathed, and her bottom lip was caught between her teeth. Severus wished that her lip was caught between his teeth briefly, before he stamped down on that particular urge. Stop, he thought to himself angrily.

'Professor,' he greeted, his voice a little hoarse from being caught unawares.

'Hello,' she said with a smile.

His breath hitched in his throat. Her smile was like spring itself. 'What brings you down here this morning?' he asked quietly.

'The same thing as you, I imagine,' she answered, walking a little closer. 'I was out for a walk when I saw you were down here.'

Severus smirked. 'Most people would see me and walk swiftly in the opposite direction,' he pointed out in his usual self-deprecating manner.

'I'm not most people then, I suppose.'

Never had truer words been spoken. She was nothing like anyone he'd ever met before. 'I am going to walk another lap of the lake,' he told her, although he had no idea why.

'May I join you?' she asked.

Severus could think of no reason to deny her, and gestured forwards, setting a pace that she could keep up with. He was nearly a head taller than her, and his legs were long. People often found it difficult to keep up with him, and he rather preferred it that way–– except for now.

'The weather is beautiful this time of year,' Hermione remarked from beside him, cutting through the silence that had settled between them.

'Hmph.' Severus was feeling out of his depth.

He had never been entirely alone with her before, normally only seeing her at staff meetings, in the library, or in the Great Hall at mealtimes. But she always made a point to greet him, to speak with him rather than at him, and sat beside him voluntarily. Perhaps they were… friends? Although Severus had no idea. His experiences with friendship were limited at best.

And besides, friends weren't supposed to imagine how soft the lips of their friend would be if he were to kiss them.

'Do you ever wonder why it is that we talk about the weather so much?' she asked, not at all deterred by his silent brooding.

Severus turned his head to look at her while they walked, surprised. 'I had not.'

Her bright smile would have thawed the arctic circle. 'I think it's because the weather is rather like a parallel to our own lives,' she stated boldly.

'How so?' he questioned.

'It's constant changeability,' she answered, tilting her head up a little as she gazed back at him. 'People are constantly shifting and changing. You, for example.'

'Me?' Severus scoffed, taken by surprise.

Hermione nodded firmly. 'You are nothing at all like the man we all believed you to be. Especially now that we work together. I have come to know a very different Severus Snape than the one you present to the world.'

Her words wrapped around him, surrounding his cold heart with warmth. 'I suppose you are no longer the same insufferable know-it-all you once were,' he said, injecting a hint of teasing into his tone.

Her laugh was musical. 'Thank you very much for reminding me just how annoying I was to you back then.'

'It was not so very long ago,' he pointed out.

'And yet, it feels like a lifetime ago to me,' she said quietly, turning her eyes down to look at the stones their boots were crunching through.

They fell into an almost awkward silence as they continued around the lake. When they were almost back where they started, Severus realised she had stopped walking, and he turned around to see her gazing up at him, her brows drawn together in a slight frown. She looked to be conflicted, but her eyes never wavered.

'Severus,' she said, speaking his given name for the first time since she had returned to the school. It was like music to his ears, and made his heart begin to race in his chest.

'Yes, Hermione?' he asked, his voice low.

'Would you––' she paused, and shook her head, taking a deep breath before charging ahead, Gryffindor that she was. 'If I were to ask you to have dinner or a drink with me some time, is there any world in which you might say yes?'

'You mean––'

She nodded. 'A date, yes.'

Severus felt his hands clench at his sides, completely stunned by the magnificent woman before him. She had boldly charged ahead, despite being faced with rejection, to ask him to go on a date with her. He was utterly floored. So much so, that he was struggling to find his voice. Her expression changed to one of embarrassment and disappointment in seconds, and her fingers twisted together as she clasped her hands in front of her.

'I'm sorry, it was silly of me to think––'

'Don't apologise,' Severus croaked out.

Hermione blinked at him, releasing her hands to smooth imaginary wrinkles from her robes. 'Does that mean–– are you saying yes?'

Severus turned his gaze directly on her and took a few steps forwards, heart pounding in his throat frantically as he tried to swallow past the dryness. He reached out a hand towards her, brushing an errant curl from her face. He heard the soft sound of her breath hitching in her throat, giving him confidence to cup her cheek with his cold hand. Her skin was smooth and warm as she leaned into the touch.

'I would be a fool to say no to such a request,' he rumbled, standing very close to her.

The smile that Hermione gifted him with was unlike any other he'd seen. She was enchanting. And then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he leaned down towards her slowly, giving her the chance to turn him away if she wanted to. When her gaze didn't waver, and she tilted her head a little to make the angle more agreeable, Severus took this as tacit permission and pressed his cold lips to hers.

Her breath shuddered backwards into her throat as her arms came up so that she could wrap them around his neck. A warmth spread through his chest and out to his extremities. He made no move to deepen the kiss, simply basking in the softness of her mouth as the soft scent of vanilla and patchouli assailed his senses. After a little while, it seemed prudent to end the kiss, and he immediately felt bereft. Hermione didn't immediately release him when he pulled back, leaning up to place another gentle kiss to his cold cheek, searing his skin.

'We should probably head back in time for breakfast,' she whispered, her face still close enough to his that he could feel her warmth.

Severus nodded. 'All right,' he murmured, grasping the hands locked around his neck and gently lowering them.

Hermione refused to relinquish his hand, keeping one of them firmly clasped in hers as she led the way back to the castle. Severus didn't mind at all, a small smile curving up the corner of his mouth.

Before they could enter the castle, he stopped her once more, closing his eyes and capturing her lips in another swift but tender kiss. And when he opened his eyes afterwards, he saw a kaleidoscope of colour behind hers.


Fin.