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STRONG – LONDON GRAMMAR
On a rainy Saturday evening in November Severus was sitting in his potions lab working through some research he and Hermione had done on the wolfsbane potion a few weeks earlier.
They had both hoped that they could work on the project more, once they were at Hogwarts, but teaching occupied most of their time and there wasn't as much progress as they had wanted.
Hermione had gone to Hogsmeade for the evening, as the Potter-rabble were visiting the Weasel and his family. They all had a merry gathering and Severus had made clear that he did not want to know a single thing about it.
His office was connected to his lab and he heard someone knock on the door. To his surprise it was Septima Vector.
"Good evening, Severus", she greeted him. "Am I disturbing you?"
"No", he replied curtly and opened the door completely to let her into his study. "What can I do for you?"
"Actually, I've come here with some calculations I did regarding the wolfsbane potion", she replied as they walked towards Severus's desk.
Septima had been surprisingly invested in their research, much to his delight. She was a terrific arithmancer and had a tolerable character. He would nearly say he liked her, and working with her was always a pleasure anyway. He would have not admitted it in Merlin's four-hundred-forty years, but he had even thought of her occasionally when he had lived in France.
"Don't you have more important things to do?", he asked, sounding more hostile than he had intended to.
Septima looked at him slightly aggrieved, and he stretched out his hand to have a look at her work. He simply did not know how to deal with other people. She gave it to him, quickly getting over his comment and they started discussing her equations.
"To be quite frank", she laughed, "I don't have more important things to do. You know yourself how tiring the curriculum can be. I am glad that you are back and providing me with some challenges."
They decided that it would be helpful to have Hermione around as well, as she was the expert for the charm work and just as Septima wanted to leave, Severus's office door flung open.
Hermione walked in, slightly damp from the drizzle outside. Her hair was all over the place and she had opened her teaching robes in preparation to take them off upon arriving in Severus's chambers.
"You won't believe…-", she started bubbling, but went silent once she saw Severus wasn't alone.
She clearly looked too casual to be coming to Severus's office, but it only took her a moment to cover her unease at the situation.
"Septima, good to see you", she said with a smile.
"Hello, Hermione. I was just here to talk through some arithmancy with Severus", Septima replied as if nothing was the matter. "If you have time we could have a look at it?"
"Actually, erm…", Hermione held up a letter and looked at Severus. "I just came to inform you about a visitor form France." She turned her attention back to Septima. "I have been out all evening, I might retire early tonight. But if you are free next week at some point, I would love to have a look at what you've worked out."
"Sure, you know where my office is, dear."
Septima left them and Hermione took off her robes and draped them over a chair.
"Now, guess what. I just popped into the owlery on my way back and…-", Hermione started enthusiastically but was cut of brutally by Severus's icy voice.
"Do you consider it appropriate to storm into my office like that?"
"Wha…-"
"Unannounced, half undressed, and..", he contorted his face in disgust, "… reeking of firewhiskey?"
"Whoa! Come off it!", Hermione exclaimed and looked at Severus in disbelief. "I have been coming to your rooms unannounced for the whole term, I am dressed perfectly decent and I did not even do so much as sniff on firewhiskey!"
"And do you really think anyone would consider it appropriate that I am receiving you in the dead of night like this and..-"
Hermione threw the door shut behind her and the deafening noise interrupted Severus. She had a terrifying expression on her face, but he just looked at her even more deadly.
"Appropriate?", she retorted. "It is inappropriate of me to come to your office, but Septima coming here is no problem?"
"That is not the same", he snapped.
"It is exactly the same", she retorted. "Why should I not come down here if any other member of staff can?"
"Because there haven't been headlines of me and any other member of staff. Do you really think I want to lay myself open to ridicule by being seen…-"
The deadpan look on Hermione's face made him go silent immediately.
"Lay yourself to ridicule?", she repeated weakly. "Are you really that ashamed of me?"
"No", he said immediately, but Hermione's face looked dead.
The following pain and consternation in her eyes made him immediately regret his unthoughtful outburst. She shook her head slowly and took her robes, heading for the exit.
"No, I am not… Hermione!", he called and quickly caught up with her. He held her by the arm and stopped her from leaving.
"Let me go", she said quietly and it broke his heart.
"No, Hermione, please", he begged her. "Don't go. I didn't mean…-"
"See, Severus. I simply don't believe you anymore", she said, her voice sounding hurt. "If you didn't mean what you said, why do you say it? You are such an intelligent person. I know you can think before you speak. The fact that you decide not to, when speaking to me, makes me wonder how much you care about what you say to me."
"I would never be ashamed of you", he said.
He didn't know what else to say and the hurt look in her fawn eyes lamed all his thinking. He just wanted to hold her and make her happy again. He couldn't bear the look on her face. He couldn't bear to imagine that she was hurt. He wanted to kill everyone who ever hurt her, and that would be himself most of the time.
He didn't mean it, he had just lashed out because he had had an unexpected fright when she had walked in so casually. He was afraid they would find out about them, and evil would come and take her from him. Like everything had always been taken from him.
"Why then, Severus?", she said quietly and he could hear she wanted to cry but was too proud to do so. "Why do you always have to hurt me with your words?"
"I don't want to lose you", he said.
"That makes no sense!", she replied.
You stupid twat. As if she would understand what you mean.
"Please…"
God, you pathetic ghoul.
"Please, Hermione… they… they'll take you from me."
He didn't know how to explain his worries. It was ingrained in his brain that everyone he loved was at constant danger of being murdered.
He knew that she thought it was irrational, but in his head it was real. In his head, the danger never ended. He knew they were everywhere, he knew they hated him for his betrayal. There was no proof for it, but in his head it was a real and legitimate danger, and he needed to keep her his secret to protect her from all the evils of the world.
"How often do we have to discuss this, Sev?", Hermione said exhaustedly.
He looked at her openly, caught her eye and hoped she would understand that it would never go away. The fear was with him every single day of his life and nothing anyone said could change it.
She always understood him, more than he did himself. But for some reason the sad look in her eyes didn't go away.
"I don't know what to tell you anymore, Sev", she said. "I don't know what I could say to make you realise that we are in no immediate danger any longer. I don't know what to do."
"Nothing, nothing at all. Just don't leave me", he said desperately.
"I would not leave you in a hundred years, Severus. You know that, and you take advantage of it", she said breathlessly.
"No, Hermione…" He had no words to voice his pain and anger at himself.
"Do you want to leave Hogwarts?", she said suddenly, with a pained but thoughtful expression in her eyes. It hit him hard.
He knew that he had been cruel and spiteful towards her, he had been aware of it from the first day. He didn't want to hurt her, yet he had done it regularly ever since they had met. She had never said a word about it. But now she wanted him to leave.
Hearing it from her mouth was worse than anything he could have imagined. Shame and agony seemed to devour him and without being able to control it, his eyes filled with tears.
He sank into the chair and let his arm fall loosely into his lap.
"I will lose you", he whispered, his voice thick with the tears that strangled his throat. "I am losing you…"
He looked at his hands and didn't notice how Hermione put her robe back down and walked up to him.
He flinched in shock when she placed her fingers under his chin to lift his face.
"You're not losing me…-"
"I am", he said desperately. "I break you. It is like a race…" Salty tears started running down his long nose. "… it is either them taking you from me or me making you hate me."
"I could never hate you, you stupid man", Hermione said softly.
"You must do so already", he said lost in thought, looking at his hands.
"Don't be ridiculous, Se-…"
"You want me to leave you."
Hermione touched his cheek softly.
"I don't want you to leave me."
"You said so, just now. You hate me. Please, don't hate me", he wailed quietly. "Please, don't…"
"I don't", she said fiercely. "I love you, Severus. I love you now and I will love you for the rest of my life. And I don't want you to leave me. I want you to th…-" Severus interrupted her before she could explain herself.
"But I do terrible things to you…"
"Yes, you do. And I will fight with you over it whenever I need to. I will put you in your place whenever you need to be put in your place, and I will not tolerate your thoughtless comments", she said sternly, but then she took his face into both her hands and gave him a soft kiss on the forehead.
"But I love you. And I will stay with you, no matter what. There is nothing you can do, that would make me stop loving you, and there is nothing you can say that would make me want to leave you."
He leaned her face against her lower abdomen and wrapped his arms around her legs.
"I wonder, Sev, if…", Hermione didn't know how to bring it up again. "I wonder if you should not be in Hogwarts."
He didn't say anything, but tightened his grip around her hips, pressing his cheek against her tummy.
"I wonder if it is too much."
"I want to be where you are", he said, like a small child that didn't want his mother to leave for work.
"I would leave with you."
They didn't say anything, but their thoughts were buzzing in their heads.
"No", Severus eventually mumbled into Hermione's jumper. "No, you won't. I would not let you."
"I do not usually care about what men tell me to do", Hermione said bluntly. "Even if it is you… or especially if it is you. Please think about it."
"No. Out of question", Severus said more fiercely and tried to pull back from her, but Hermione held his arms firmly in place.
"Please", she said, stroking the cheek over his beard with her thumb. "Think about it."
When he tried to argue again, she only needed to look at him resolutely.
"I do not deserve you", he whispered, slightly shaking his head.
"We all deserve so much, Sev", she said and stroke his head. "We all deserve love and kindness and someone to lean on."
"I don't…", he replied, leaning his head back against her tummy.
"You of all people do", she affirmed, stroking over his hair. "And I need to be with you, Sev. I need your love. I need your heart next to mine. I could never leave you, or I might as well rip my heart out of my chest and replace it with a cold stone. And nothing in this world will stop me to do whatever it takes to guarantee you a happy life."
She slowly caressed his head, pushed his hair out if his face and massaged his neck.
"That doesn't mean that I have to tolerate your thoughtless comments. But do not tell me about hate and love or leaving and staying. There is no choice. What we do, we do it together."
Hermione never realised it, but she did tolerate an intolerable amount of unjust behaviour from Severus. She knew that he worked on it, but she also knew it was simply part of his character. And by Merlin, how much she loved him despite his sometimes questionable character.
It was in her nature. She was able to look beyond things that distracted the observer from the essence of what they were dealing with.
She looked beyond his stoic demeanour and bitter character, and what she found was a kind, devoted, brave and fiercely loyal man. A soul that had been tortured and stripped of all its brightness, had been frightened and torn at from all ends ever since it had been created. And yet it was still warm and spirited, it was good and it was connected to his heart. A heart that was protected by a shell made of ice cold stone, but under it lay an unmeasurable amount of love.
If you had every man in the world, loving with all of their hearts, for all of their entire lifetimes, they would have not loved as much as Severus Snape did in one day, despite the fact that he considered himself the most unlovable person that had ever walked this planet.
He needed to learn that there was unconditional love even for him, and Hermione had the insatiable need of loving and caring for every being in this universe. She looked after people, and Severus needed someone to look after him. Severus, once given the chance, loved without restraint, and Hermione needed to be loved ardently for who she was.
She needed to learn, that the strongest people could be the most broken, that even when you handled them with care, there might be things that simply couldn't be fixed.
There might have been unbalanced situations to the unknowing onlooker, situation were one of them seemed irrational to an intolerable extent, but on a deep level Hermione and Severus were equals. They loved each other, they needed each other, and they knew exactly how to deal with each other. But most importantly, never would there ever be a doubt about feelings. Both of them gave as much love as they had. Their love and devotion were not measured or valued by reciprocation; they gave it willingly, abundantly and without ever requesting anything in return.
Hermione had informed Severus of the content of the letter a few days after their argument. Clemency had announced herself. She had finished her potions mastery and had decided to continue her education and become a healer, to fully take over her father's work one day. To Hermione's delight, Clemency would be training in England at St Mungo's under no other than Draco Malfoy and her apprenticeship would start from the beginning of next year. Poppy informed them a few days later, that Clemency would transfer to the Hogwarts hospital wing after the February half term break and Hermione was over the moon at the news.
Over the next couple of weeks, a certain professor kept a close eye on Severus's and Hermione's interaction. They were never indiscreet or careless in their mannerism, and had one not payed closer attention, one would have never expected anything between them. But with the help of a couple of probability equations and prognostic calculations, Septima Vector became the first person to recognise Severus's and Hermione's mutual love. At the end of November she decided to head to the Hogwarts kitchens.
"Winky has been looking after Master Snape for a long time. Fifteen years Winky has looked out for Master, ever since you have told Winky."
"I am very proud of you, Winky", Septima said smiling at the elf. "You have even saved his life."
She had sent the elf to look for him during the battle. She had never found out whether Winky had been successful or not. The house elf had returned back to Hogwarts without Severus and she hadn't ever mentioned him again.
Septima had considered him dead, just like everyone else. Only when she had seen his face in September, she had realised that Winky must have indeed saved his life. And upon talking to the house elf at the beginning of September, she had found out that Severus had forbidden her to ever speak of him.
"It was Winky's honour, Ma'am. Master Snape needs someone to look after him. He lets nobody he knows look out for him. But Master Snape does not know Winky. Master Snape doesn't know Winky is from Hogwarts."
"I believe Snape is in very good hands now. You don't need to look out for him any longer", Septima tried to explain to the elf, but it wouldn't listen.
"Winky will look out for her Master for the rest of Winky's life."
December came quicker than anyone expected, and Hermione, Septima and Severus were on duty that weekend for the last Hogsmeade trip before Christmas.
"Are you sure you don't want any help?", Hermione said to Severus.
"The day Severus Snape needs help with telling some third years off, is the day hell freezes over", Septima laughed and beckoned Hermione to follow her into the Three Broomsticks.
"I will join you shortly", Severus said, his tone just as bored as his expression.
Snow had started falling a week ago and once they arrived in Hogsmeade they had immediately headed for the Madam Rosmerta's bar. However, not even the iciest wind could stop Professor Snape from harassing students, and he followed a bunch of giggling girls to Honeydukes.
"It's like sport for him", Septima said as the two women stood at the bar to order hot butterbeers. "You should have seen him during his first tenure. Highly competitive."
"Oh, don't worry", Hermione said. "I have experienced it first-hand…"
"Of, course", Septima laughed.
Hermione looked at the older witch sceptically. She seemed to find Severus's methods rather entertaining, but Hermione didn't really share that opinion.
"It wouldn't do him any harm to be a little bit less caustic from time to time", she said, taking her butterbeer and heading towards a spare table.
They shortly talked to a group of sixth year Gryffindors, before they sat down and Septima started to chat to her again.
"You know, Severus never used to come to Hogsmeade."
Hermione didn't really know what to say to that and just took a sip of her hot drink. She noticed Septima's glance on her.
"Thank you for convincing him to come back to Hogwarts, Hermione", she said eventually.
Hermione looked at her older colleague surprised, trying to hide her worries.
"I didn't convince him. It was his own decision", she explained, although she didn't truly believe what she said.
Septima looked at her thoughtfully and she couldn't make out what her former teacher was thinking. They were interrupted by Madam Rosmerta coming up to their table.
"Can I bring you some food, miladies?"
"I am alright, thank you, Rosmerta", Hermione said.
She gave the lady a kind smile. What would the Three Broomstick be once Rosmerta decided to retire? She wasn't very old yet, but Hermione knew that she was at least twenty years older than Severus.
"Can I book a table for tonight?", Septima asked. "I might take out the lovely Professor Sinistra for dinner."
"The two of you…", Rosmerta said laughing in her distinct tone. "Keeping the tradition of monthly romantic dinner alive for over twenty years now!"
"Twenty-three actually! You started working here during our seventh year!"
Hermione listened in interestedly. What were they talking about?
Rosmerta chuckled and left them and Septima smiled at Hermione.
"Aurora and attended Hogwarts together. We have been going for a monthly meal here since out fourth year. When we've both been appointed as professors at Hogwarts, we turned it into monthly dinners", she explained with a tender look on her face.
Hermione was wondering if they were a couple but didn't feel like she was in a position to ask the question. They had both been her teachers after all. Although she now did some rather racy things with another person who had been her teacher once. She immediately blushed at the thought at hoped Septima hadn't noticed it.
"Hogwarts is very tolerating about relationships between staff members", Septima mentioned casually and finished her butter beer.
Hermione couldn't help but think that the woman had a twinkle in her eye, but as soon as she tried to think about what Septima was implying, her thoughts were interrupted by Severus entering the Three Broomsticks.
"Well, then", Septima said and got up. "I shall go outside and mind the mob of dunderheads."
Hermione's gaze followed her older colleague and Severus eyes joined her.
"What is it?", he asked, taking his heavy cloak off and putting it over his chair.
"Are Septima and Aurora a couple?"
"Aurora Sinistra?", he asked and sat down.
Hermione just no hummed into her butterbeer in confirmation.
"How should I know?", he said a little bit more snarky than necessary and Hermione gave him an annoyed look.
"Maybe because you've known them nearly forty years? And worked with both of them for nearly twenty?"
He snorted quietly and screwed up his nose. Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms and looked at Hermione's butterbeer, clearly annoyed that he hadn't thought about getting one yet. Luckily Rosmerta walked straight up to them.
Severus furrowed his eyebrows at her, and Hermione couldn't quite make out why he was so moody.
"A hot butterbeer, please."
It wasn't busy in the three broomsticks, despite the icy cold snow outside. There were a few sixth- and seven-year students sitting in a different corner, having butterbeer themselves. A small group of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs had left upon Severus's arrival, but overall Hermione was surprised how little the students seemed to be bothered by him.
She thought of her days as a student. Had he entered the Three Broomsticks when she had been here with Harry and Ron, they would have left immediately, and the boys would have ranted about him all the way to the common room.
It conjured a small smile onto her face and to her delight it seemed to lighten Severus's mood a bit.
"What are you grinning about?", he asked.
"Oh, nothing really", she said. "I'm just happy."
The trace of a smile tucked on Severus's lips, but when Rosmerta came back to them with his hot butterbeer, it immediately vanished again.
Severus didn't say a word to the landlady, and she pursed her lips at him in discontent, throwing Hermione a questioning glance.
"Thank you, Rosmerta", she said, giving the older lady an apologetic smile.
After Rosmerta had left them again, she turned her attention back to Severus.
"You could try a be a little bit more…-"
"No", he simply interrupted her.
Hermione opened her mouth but didn't know what to say.
"You're doing it again", he drawled.
"What?"
"Fish, you're gaping like a fish", he sneered.
She wanted to snap at him, for being such a bully again, but she restrained herself and decided to watch him instead.
What was the matter with him? Was he still cross with Rosmerta about the article in the Daily Prophet?
She looked at him concentratedly, but he avoided her eye, inspecting his surroundings and the people instead. His shoulders were tense, and he was rubbing his forearm slightly with his index finger. His jaw was clenched.
Hermione sighed quietly.
"Are you alright?", she asked him, knowing full well that he wasn't.
He looked at her, and his eyes softened a bit.
"Yes."
"Do you want to go outside for a walk?"
"No."
She didn't say much more, and they sat in quietness. It took him a while, but Severus relaxed and eventually seemed quite content. They were drinking their hot butterbeer and he even said hello to a group of Ravenclaw girls that passed their table. Hermione noticed the tiny twitch of the corner of his mouth, that disclosed that he was thinking about something and wanted to talk.
However, before he could make up his mind, the door to the Three Broomsticks opened and his demeanour turned icy instantly.
"Hello Mione!"
Penny and Ron had come in, their four-month-old daughter strapped around Ron's tummy.
"Snape", Ron greeted Severus.
He got up immediately and raised his eyebrow at the redheaded man, then he left them wordless and went outside.
"Hi", Hermione greeted her two friends, trying not to sound too disappointed at Severus's departure.
"I haven't seen you in ages!", Ron exclaimed. "Neville told me you're on Hogsmeade duty! Why didn't you tell us?"
He softly caressed his daughter's head and Hermione immediately felt absolutely miserable. She had neglected the relationship to her friends in recent weeks. She still went to Hagrid's and met them occasionally in Hogsmeade, but nowhere near as often as she used to.
Instead, she spent most of her free time with Severus.
"I am so sorry", she exclaimed and moved over on the bench to make some room for Penny. "I don't know where I am with my mind! I've been quite busy recently with research and work…"
She threw a quick glance out the window, for some reason hoping she'd see Severus.
"Yes, yes…", Penny chuckled and got out of her coat.
Hermione blushed and had to fight to keep a cool head. Did Penny imply something? Did she know anything? Hermione's throat got a bit tight.
"Neville has told me all about it!", Ron said and waved at Rosmerta. Even with his wife and daughter here, he still swooned over her.
"What?", Hermione asked.
"Well, you and the bat from the dungeons!", Ron laughed.
Hermione started to panic. She could feel how her heartbeat increased drastically and how the heat welled up in her.
"Don't call him that!", she said agitatedly.
Calm down. They cannot possibly know.
She put her hands flat on the table and started rubbing the wood with her fingertips.
"What about him?", she added more casually.
They didn't get to explain, because Rosmerta brought over Ron's and Penny's drinks and spent a good few minutes adoring their baby-daughter Rose.
"Well, whatever you do to him in your research sessions, please continue", Penny chuckled.
Hermione tried to keep her calm.
They cannot possibly know.
"Neville told me Snape even talked to him. Apparently, he is rather interested in Herbology. Neville is going mad. He can't believe that he and Snape talk about plants. He can't shut up about it."
"Really?" Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't realised that Severus and Neville got on so well.
"Yes, and Aurora told me that he's having regular conversations with her and Septima at breakfast. Apparently, he hasn't done that ever before."
Hermione knew that, because she was usually there as well.
"Well, it doesn't surprise me", she said in her no-nonsense tone. "He is not spying anymore, of course he is much more pleasant without two lunatics chasing him around."
Perfect, good point.
"You seem to chase him up and down the library", Penny said. "Apparently, Madam Pince has complained about your library sessions."
"Excuse me?", Hermione exclaimed. "Madam Pince has never had any reason to complain about my library habits. What did she say?"
"She just doesn't like people hanging around in the library late at night."
"Hanging around?", Hermione repeated. "We're not hanging around. We're working on important things! The wolfsbane potion, tranfigurational charms, and just recently I've started to compile a number of articles for a new Charms Teaching Series. Severus is working on improving the standard ingredient that the students use at Hogwarts and the cauldron manifolding project isn't finished yet either."
"No wonder you're never around these days. You seem to have doubled your projects ever since you're working with the greasy git", Ron said.
"Ronald!", Hermione snapped and have him a reprimanding look. "He is not a greasy git. He is very intelligent, and I like working with him! In fact, after hours and hours in a Potions lab, everyone gets greasy and I don't mind it at all! It's just what happens when you work with potions and fumes all day!"
Ron lifted his hands in submission and grinned.
"Well, seems like two brainy nutters have found one another."
"We have not found one another", Hermione tried to argue, but she realised that with every other word she would say, they'd be more likely to find out about what was really going on in the dungeons. Not that they were wrong; Severus and Hermione worked a lot, but they also did other things.
"Anyway", she sighed. "You're right. I spend too much time on work…" You sneaky liar. "… I'll definitely be around more in the future."
Severus had two free periods on a Wednesday, the one before lunch and the one after lunch. He usually spent them in his private lab, but this week Hermione had sent him a note and asked him to quickly come to see her in her classroom during lunch.
"Hi", she said and smiled at him.
It was a rare thing, Professor Severus Snape in the Charms classroom, and Hermione wished he would come more often. She liked her classroom and she did a lot of her work in here. The only thing that it was missing was him. Unfortunately, there wasn't an official reason for him to be there, so he rarely came.
"You asked to see me?", Severus said casually.
She didn't like his cold tone, but knew he was only being cautious. Thanks to gossip, the Daily Prophet had written about the last Hogsmeade trip again, and it had been along the lines of 'Severus Snape angrily storming out of the Three Broomsticks after fellow professor Hermione Granger shared a loving embrace with ex-boyfriend Ronald Weasley'.
It was ridiculous, and the headmistress had arranged a meeting with the Chief Editor, discussing the stories that were published concerning her staff. Not even the Daily Prophet would have dared to challenge Minerva McGonagall.
Unfortunately, the possibility of Severus and Hermione being a couple seemed so impossible to Minerva, that she had said a couple of things that she would not have said had she known of their liaison. It had resulted in Severus being sulky for the last two days, and Hermione couldn't even blame him.
It was upsetting her as well. The staff had obviously read the headlines too, and for some reason it was quickly established that a relationship between the two professors would be utterly ridiculous. What annoyed Hermione the most was the fact that everyone assumed, she couldn't possibly be attracted to Severus.
"Merlin, they don't even realise how stupid they make themselves look", Neville had said one Thursday evening when he had visited Hermione during her office hours. "As if someone like you would even look at that greasy bat twice."
"Don't call him that, Neville!", she had reprimanded him.
"You know what I mean, Mione", he had said. "Roger Davies was fit, and that Muggle you were dating…-"
"Michael Daly", she had reminded him.
"... Exactly, well he wasn't bad either."
"I am not choosing my partner based on their looks, Neville."
"Oh, no. I know that. Anyway, I wouldn't worry too much if I were you", he had tried to console her, although he had clearly not understood why she was actually upset about it. "Everyone knows that you wouldn't tolerate him. Don't worry…-"
"What is that supposed to mean?", she had said more harshly.
"Just that… well, everyone knows you have morals and wouldn't fall for a bully."
Hermione had been slapped by this comment and hadn't known how to react for a moment.
"Excuse me?", she had uttered weakly.
Neville had looked at her uncertainly and apprehensively.
"Severus is not a bully, and he has higher morals than any of us!", she had snapped at her friend.
"Well, just rest assured that no one actually believes what the Prophet writes…", Neville had tried to calm the waves.
So, on the Wednesday before the Christmas break, Severus was as icy as one could have expected considering the circumstances.
"I did ask to see you", Hermione repeated with a smile. "Close the door…"
Severus furrowed his eyebrows at her and did as told. When Hermione flicked her wand ever so slightly to lock the door, she could detect a weak but excited glint in his eyes.
"Kiss me", she said.
"You should have lunch and sort yourself…-"
Severus didn't finish his sentence, not because Hermione interrupted him, but because the fiery look on her face did.
He walked up to her, and pressed his lips softly against hers, not touching her body in any other fashion, but her hands found their way to his face and pulled him closer down to her. His cheeks were cold from the air in the dungeons, and the tip of his nose that poked her own cheek was cold too. She breathed softly against his skin, before opening her eyes and looking at him again.
"I love you."
She felt like she didn't tell him near as often enough as she should. His features relaxed a bit and he leaned down to rest his forehead on hers.
"I love you, too", he said quietly, resting in the position for a while, before he eventually pulled back a bit and kissed her on the forehead.
"Would you like to go to London over Christmas?", Hermione asked him, as they moved away from one another and she made her way around her desk to sort some papers.
"We could, of course", he replied.
Hermione looked at her desk, not sure how she should proceed with what she wanted to tell him.
"My parents are not going to Australia this year", she said casually, although she felt slightly nervous.
To her discontent, Severus didn't say anything. When she looked up at him, she realised that he knew her too well. There was no point trying to hint something to Severus Snape. He probably knew the core of a subject as soon as she had mentioned London.
"They want you to join us", she said without further fuss.
"It says a lot about their characters, that they haven't asked if I would like to join them", he replied coolly.
Hermione looked at him reprimanding and pursed her lips.
"You don't need to go, if you have already decided on their character without ever spea…-"
"I have not said that it is a bad thing, have I?", he interrupted her calmly.
"Although there are several unpleasant associations with being told what to do, I cannot imagine that your parents are any less kind or just than you are. I will join you, if I get to decide what to do on New Year's Eve in return."
It took Hermione a moment to process what he had said, but then her face lit up in a loving grin.
"It's always a pleasure doing business with you, Professor Snape."
As he left her classroom, she added: "I will make sure your bath is hot tonight. Don't let me wait too long."
He opened the locked door but didn't turn around to her again, so she never saw the heated, devilish smile that adorned his lips as he left down the corridor.