Disclaimer: Au and Ocs are my own, the rest belong to JKR.
Jasmine Snowflakes
The half-goblin Charms Professor of the Hogwarts and the Head of the House of Ravenclaws climbed up to the Astronomy Towers while most of the residents of the castle were preparing for the Saturday Hogsmeade trip. Panting out of breath, he managed to conjure a tall ladder chair and placed it right next to the ledge. From here he could watch the students and staff walk down the Hogwarts ground, their boots making deep dents over the snow-covered expanse. Today the Headmistress herself was going to the village to buy her Christmas supplies and several other staff was willing to join her. Though Lupin said back feeling a little ill at ease after his full moon transformation, just two days back. He felt the brush off the cold air and smiled, without turning to his side he greeted the ghost, standing tall by him," Albus, it is good to see you again. You are always missed."
The ghost chuckled," Oh! Why Flitwick, you can always talk to my portrait or ask the Grey Lady to fetch me!"
"How preposterous! Fetch you! Fetch you! I won't dare, by my beard, Albus you are my friend!"
"Oh! Dear, it is still quite the fun to pull your leg Filius, but now, now, my friend why don't we watch the mysterious game happening right in front of us".
"What game?"
"Oh, before that tell me how Minerva and Severus are doing, I…"
Smiling slyly the charms professor turned to watch the ghost hovering side, arching his brow he cooed," So, Minnie still has that repelling spell cast on you."
Grimacing Dumbledore mumbled," Yes, feel proud of her Professor of Charms, I cannot go ten feet close to her. And she did add Severus and Miss Granger to it. Making me feel rather trapped in this castle at times. Lupin nods at me though but is reluctant to speak. Sprouts still weeps like a babe, and her hiccups are dangerous. I have just you and the other ghosts."
"Ah! Lupin said something very interesting the other day. It seems our potion master is rather a handsome rugged man behind those horridly long hair framing his cheeks."
"How is he doing?"
"Less snarky, but he knows how to keep those rowdy students under control. Now that he has more time, Lupin says the man is conducting experiments, scribbling on parchment after parchment, and Madam Pince finds the man hunched over old tomes late into the night taking notes and reading to himself."
"The fat Friar tells me; he still doesn't sleep much. Bloody Baron has seen him often come till the last landing on the staircases that lead to this tower…"
"Albus, in my eyes you are still guilty for making Snape go through so much, and for hiding facts from us, Minerva is truly hurt and I... I could have helped as well...but what is done is done. We try to make things easy for him. But he has a long way to go. Students still don't sleep well, there are brawls, clashes which we handle as fast as we can do. People stay clear of Snape; they are still unable to decide upon how to treat him. Few older boys have been acting up. They have lost either siblings or parents or friends and they just don't know how to process their bubbling up anger. Mr. Ernest Maclaggen, the cousin of former Gryffindor Mr. Cormac Maclaggen, last week had verbally attacked Miss Granger. Though the smart lady had handled the abusive young man well enough my claws think he would sit quietly. Miss Granger has made him serve detention with Flinch for the rest of the term and the young man was looking forward to quidditch team selection. Now due to detention, he would hardly get the chance. That boy has got a foul temper."
"Flitwick, we need to watch that boy closely then, but Miss Granger is safer than you think...why don't you come back after your library visit, I think I can show you something magical happening right under our nose." Nudging his head at the general direction of the crowd that had reached the gates, the ghost vanished away. The charms professor narrowed his eyes to see what exactly Dumbledore tried to convey, but it was just Snape and Miss Granger walking out one after the other, the very last ones of the long line of school residents before Hagrid closed the iron bars firmly shut.
Apart from offering her brief nods, subtle brushes of fingers, or a small arch of his brow or a slight lift of his lips, Severus Snape continued to pretend that nothing colossal happened at the first quidditch match of the session. The general population of the school had once again started spinning the rumour mill that a certain Hufflepuff had made derogatory remarks on her and she had just given him detentions. Some believed she had been too soft, some argued she was harsh. When the Headmistress brought the question up in the next staff meeting, she was firm enough to drive the point home, "That boy is hurting, their families which for so long have enjoyed a prestigious position in the society, have suffered due to the war, Cormac never liked me, he was too full of himself, and it so seems Mr. Ernest Mclaggen hero-worships his elder cousin. I don't wish to make him suffer more by getting him reprimanded harshly." She had seen Snape's knuckles were white as he had continued to grip his chair handles with all his might.
Ever since he was shadowing her. And so, was Lupin. At least one of the either two would join her during patrols or in the library. Professor Flitwick would often sit along with her while she read a book in the courtyard. This was getting quite difficult. She understood this constant need to look after her, this was her only family and these people were trying to look after her in the best way they could. But if also reminded her of Harry and Ron, who were yet to write her back, and it had been several months. Gods! She did miss them! So, when the Hogsmeade weekend arrived she had volunteered to escort the students. She needed to get away from this place, she felt, even if it was for some hours.
She caught his billowing robes trailing her from behind. Turning her head, she was about to scream, when he had smiled back and muttered, "Your guard at your service." Thank goodness, they were the last of the party, and thanks to Merlin, the students' gang were a couple of feet away from them. She had to duck her head, bury her face in her thick muffles to hide her blush and grin. Not to mention that smile of his, did make those butterflies in her stomach flutter erratically. Against all her rational beliefs, she wished for him to touch her in one way or the other, But Snape continued keeping his distance. As she was about to cross Hogwarts gate, she felt his fingers brush against hers, right in front of Hagrid!
He had literally barreled down the slope. She had ended up cursing her small feet because she could not catch up with the mischievous man. Often, she would catch him watching her, in the reflection, they both cast over the display windows, but none of the others noticed this secretive exchange. Never of them were smiling openly! And it was quite difficult for the others to see the cringles around their eyes that only broad smiles brought forth. To add on to their secret affair, it had started snowing once again.
It struck him then. He had been thinking hard on ways to reciprocate her unique ways of conveying acceptance to his proposal- if one could put aside how unconventional that was. But that nuisance of a boy, the other Mclaggen had ruined things up badly. Snape took great pleasure making his life hell during potions classes, earning the boy the tag of the klutz-huff. He had seen the boy watching Hermione like a hawk. Even Lupin agreed with him, he could harm her in the worst ways possible. But here in the village, they were truly by themselves, the students were busy with Christmas shopping, or enjoying their free time. He smirked to himself, his token of love was safely transferred to her person with the girl getting a whim of it.
On the way back, they followed the same pattern. They allowed the older staff and the students to walk ahead of them and trail further behind until they both were left all by themselves. Once again, Granger took the roundabout way that runs along with the Shrieking Shack. After making sure, that no one else was watching him, he had pointed his wand over her head and murmured a spell that he had invented. On the other hand, he had already gathered some fresh snow, which he had thrown upwards. As soon as the new spell "Opinor ingerere florum" touched the small snowflakes, the magic happened. The soft cottony dust of pure white transformed into perfumed fresh jasmines and came down in cascades over her. He fought hard not to smile, but her surprising yelp, her bright smile that reached her eyes, her red cheeks, her red button nose, her sparkling eyes had knocked the air out of him. Somehow, he managed to stand still, watching her twirl, then bend over and scoop up some flowers in her gloved hands. He was rather proud of himself, he of all the people had managed to make her smile and laugh like the small girl with a bushy head and bucktooth, nonstop hand waving know-it-all and he had started falling for so badly.
As soon as the spell ended all by itself. She pouted at him. Arching his brow, he had whispered," Again?"
Granger had beamed and had nodded like a toddler, "Yes, please, again, again!"
"If you insist, my muse of love, beauty, purity, and modesty. Do accept my appreciation." with much ease he repeated the action.
Oh yes, a toddler, a child hidden under this grown-up woman now hopped and skipped, collecting snowy jasmines. Each time the spell would ease off he would renew it with a chuckle. Thankfully they did not meet Hagrid and it was evening by the time they entered the school grounds. Severus Snape was so lost in the pure beauty that Granger had transformed into that he missed the tiny glint from over the Astronomy Tower.
As he watched the two, one man, clad in the deepest black and one woman, wrapped in a white fur coat and Gryffindor scarf, playing with a handful of flowers that continued to shower over her head, Flitwick felt as if Cupid himself had pulled at his heartstrings. Turning to the ghost of Albus Dumbledore, the Charms Professor had exclaimed, "Two hundred points to Slytherin and Gryffindor, Former Headmaster, alas, if they could earn it! This, this is the real magic, the purest of all, Albus, this is love, and I am moved and happy, Severus is capable of This!"
Opinor ingerere florum means shower of flowers that I imagine, in Latin.