Author's Note: This is the last chapter I have written so it will be a bit until I update again. I will try to stick to my once a week updating that I have done with my previous stories. I hope you enjoy! Redfrog
Chapter 6:
"He wants you to court her?" Albus asked Severus in shock. He had not anticipated Hermione needing to 'date' a death eater yet as she was still in school.
"Yes, it was either me or Draco and I decided that I would be the safer option." Severus told him, neglecting to mention that he wanted to court her.
"Severus, you do know that if you start the courting process and she accepts that at the end you will have to marry the girl." Albus told him wondering why his potions master was not throwing a royal fit over this.
"I am aware of that Albus and even prepared for that eventuality, but I also do not believe Hermione would want anything to do with me in that regard. We may be friends and work well together but I am 20 years older than her and her professor, I doubt she could ever see past that." Severus told him, wishing he was mistaken.
"I believe you underestimate her, she is a smart girl and I have little doubt she would not consider every option carefully." Albus told him, trying to figure out how to break the news to Minerva.
"Even so, she is still just a girl Albus. She has her whole life ahead of her; she shouldn't waste it on me." He told his mentor, "and even if she wanted to Minerva would surely talk her out of it."
"Talk to Hermione about this, see what she wants and leave Minerva to me. She may be a stubborn Gryffindor but I have been dealing with her long enough to know how to diffuse the situation." Albus said with a smile as Severus took his leave.
Hermione was nervous as she approached Severus' quarters that night. She didn't know if her father had talked to Severus or not and she was dreading him going back to treating her like scum. She just hoped it wouldn't affect their friendship. She was surprised to see Severus pacing like a caged animal when she entered. She could tell he was anxious and nervous about something. "Knut for your thoughts," she said quietly so not to startle him.
Severus sighed and sat on the sofa next to her, hoping she would not hate him for what he was going to tell her. "Hermione there is something I must tell you and I pray that it doesn't ruin our friendship."
"There is nothing that could cause me to not want to be your friend," she tried to reassure him, wondering what could have riled up him up enough to be showing his emotions.
"I believe I should start out by saying that the last few months spending time with you have been wonderful and that I very much enjoy your company." He told her stalling. "You see the problem is that I enjoy your company more than any teacher should enjoy the company of one of their students." He paused to gauge her reaction so far and was pleasantly surprised to only see surprise on her face and not disgust. "Your father it seems picked up on my affections for you and has given me permission to court you."
Hermione was gob smacked, Severus wanted her as well. She had never really anticipated that he may feel the same for her, it was bit overwhelming. "You want to court me?" She asked trying to buy some time to sort out her thoughts.
"Only if you permit me. I would never attempt to woo you without you approval. Your friendship means a great deal to me and if you are adverse to the courtship I hope we can remain as friends." He told her quickly as he could tell she was in shock.
Hermione smiled at him, she knew how hard it must have been to admit that to her. She realized she would have to read up on the traditional courting practices so she would know what to expect. "Now if I remember correctly, once the traditional courting process begins we are not allowed to kiss for some time is that correct?"
"Yes," he told her confused as to why she would as such a question. He was worried that she was afraid to become intimate with him and that didn't bode well for his courtship.
"Well then before we begin the process," she said trailing off and gently placing her lips to his. She smiled to herself at how perfect his lips felt against hers.
Snape was in shock, she was kissing him! She wasn't afraid of him at all! It only took him a second longer to respond to her kiss and pull her closer to him. After a moment or two he pulled away, not wanting to rush things. The smile she gave him made his heart skip a beat, no one had ever looked at him that way before.
"Severus," she told him while touching his face gently, "I give you my permission to court me." She was then surprised to see a genuine smile breaks out across the stoic potions professor's face. "You get to be the one to tell my mother though… and my parents for that matter. Goodness, is it even allowed for a teacher to court a student?" Severus chuckled and they spent the rest of the night discussing the details of the courtship.
Hermione was taking a breather from the hustle and bustle of the castle by reading in Slytherin's private library. She had been borrowing books since they found the place and was learning a lot of lost knowledge. The history books were fascinating as they were written over a thousand years ago and most of the knowledge had been lost by her time. She had also set up a handy little charm that would tell her if Harry had accessed the library again, which he had not. She liked being the only one in the chamber, it felt like home. She guessed that was because it sort of was as she is a direct descendent of Slytherin himself.
She looked at her watch and realized she better hurry back to the common room before Draco or someone noticed she was gone so long. She knew the walk from Ravenclaw tower would take her at least another 20 min so she decided to try the other exit in Salazar's old staff quarters. She pulled the appropriate potions book from the shelf and followed the tunnel to a staircase. When she pushed open the door at the end of the corridor she was shocked when she found herself face to face with Severus, in his bedchamber no less. He was half way undressed and obviously was getting ready for bed. She couldn't help but stare at his pale creamy skin and toned chest and abs.
"Hermione?" He asked shocked that she appeared out of seemingly nowhere.
"Oh, Severus, I'm sorry. I was reading in the chamber and followed the path out. It was supposed to lead me to Slytherin's staff chambers… oh I see you are the head of Slytherin so naturally you would have Slytherin's staff chambers. I'm sorry to disturb you." She said blushing and trying to stop staring at his exposed chest.
"You are always welcome here," he told her enjoying the way she seemed to appreciate his body. "Now let me get this straight, there is an entrance to the chamber right here in my bedroom and I never noticed it before?"
"Yes, you just tell the wall there the password and it will take you to the library." She told him with a smirk, deliberately leaving out the password.
"Are you going to tell me this password?" He asked her, using all his willpower not to take her in his arms and kiss her breathless.
"Only if you promise never to go in there without me," she told him with a sly smile.
"As long as you reside here at the school I promise," he told her.
"Then you just say 'Freedom in Solitude' and you'll be there," she told him. "Now I better be off before Draco sends a search party. It would not look well to find me in your bedroom before you even begin the courting process would it."
"No, I dare say that would lead to me having to marry you straight away, just to make an honest woman out of you." He teased her.
"That would make things too easy on you; I am going to enjoy slowly torturing you while you court me." She said with a smile before leaving for her dorm.
Hermione did not sleep well that night as she could not get the image of Severus' bare chest out of her mind. She kept remembering the almost hungry look in his eyes and kept imagining what they could have been doing right now if not for the long slow courting process. She had joked that it would be fun to slowly torture him but hadn't realized she would be torturing herself as well. It would be fun to watch the faces of the other students tomorrow morning when the courting really began.
Hermione was alerted to the delivery of her first courting gift when Ginny gasped from the seat next to her. It seemed that every female and even some of the male eyes were glued to the large barn owl that was swooping closer to the Gryffindor table with a very large bouquet of roses. They were not any roses either; the significance of the white roses with two being other colors was quickly noted by all who were aware of the wizarding courting traditions. The first courting gift was always a dozen roses with 10 being pure white to signify the purity of the senders intent, one would be red to signify a promise of love and the last rose was the color of the senders choice and was supposed to signify the sender themselves. Hermione's roses were beautiful, 10 white, 1 red and 1 black rose. She thought black was an appropriate color for him and smiled while she tenderly untied the bouquet from the owl.
"Those are courting roses," Ginny said in awe. "Hermione someone wants to marry you!" The other girl squealed and leaned in for a closer view. "Do you know who they are from? Oh this is so exciting; to even be able to send flowers by the old tradition the suitor must gain permission from the girl's father. Did your parents tell you anything?"
Hermione tried to hide her amusement at Ginny's excitement as well as the jealous looks from the other girls. Most men don't bother with the old traditions anymore. "I know for a fact that he got permission from one of my fathers," she told her cryptically and with a smirk to show Ginny that she knew exactly who sent the flowers but was not going to announce it at the table. She had just started to sit at the Gryffindor table again and was glad at the timing so that she could see the furious stares from Lavender and Pavarti. Ron was another matter all together as it seemed that smoke was almost pouring out his ears. He was obviously shouting by the motion of his hands and the way his mouth was moving but someone had silenced him. She was glad she didn't have to hear his rant and she really didn't want Gryffindor to loose anymore house points because of his bigotry. She saw Harry give her a wink and realized that he had noticed the flowers and was the one to silence Ron.
Draco and the other Slytherins watched as their lord's daughter received the first courting gift. "Draco, do you know who our lord is allowing to court his daughter?" Pansy asked him, nervous that she had been replaced and that Draco himself was the suitor.
"I do not know. I do know that our lord would have asked Hermione's opinion of the match before allowing the courting. My father informed me, after the fact of course, that he had asked permission for me to court her and she refused." He told her, slightly enjoying the hurt look that flashed across her face.
"Does your father no longer approve of our match?" Pansy asked timidly.
"It has nothing to do with either one of us Pan; he just wanted to carry more favor with our lord. He didn't even ask my opinion before seeking permission. If he had I would have told him that I was happy with the match to you." He told her with a blank face yet if you looked closely enough you could see the smile in his eyes. He may appear to be a block of ice but he had grown fond of Pansy over the years. He also knew that Hermione and he would be a horrible match as she would never do as he told her to; she was way too independent for his tastes.
"You do think it is someone from our side of the war don't you?" She asked nervously as she noticed Potter wink at Hermione. "Her mother may have given permission as well or even her muggle parents. As there is no birth certificate for her any one of them would have the right to approve a courtship bid."
"I will owl my father tonight to inform him, but I doubt anyone from the light would try to actively court the dark lord's daughter." He told her too much agreement around the table.
As was tradition, Hermione wore the black rose in her hair all day to show that she was content with the gift. If she had been displeased with the gift she would have sent it to her father to return and it would end the courtship. "Are you going to tell me who it is?" Ginny asked her at lunch to which Hermione would just smile and refuse to answer as she had done all day.
"You'll find out eventually," Hermione told her. "Besides its more fun this way and you can try and guess and see if you get it right in the end. And no, I will not tell you who it is if you try and guess."
She was unable to see Severus that evening as there was a problem with the Hufflepuff 3rd years that required both her and the head boy to iron out. She went to bed wondering what he would send her next. For the first week she would get small gifts and as the gifts got bigger they would spread out in time for a total of 10 weeks of gifts until they were allowed to "meet" for the first time. They would then go on their first official date, chaperoned of course. After that Hermione was allowed to decide if she wanted to continue the courtship process. She was amazed at how expensive the process could be for the man so it was no wonder most men didn't bother with it. She was already beginning to imagine what he would plan for their first date.
The next morning saw Hermione at breakfast earlier than most mornings due to her excitement. She ate quickly and waited somewhat patiently for her next gift. Ginny seemed to be as anxious as she was as both girls were starting at the ceiling waiting for the owls to bring the post. When the same barn owl dropped her another package every eye in the great hall seemed to be glue to her to see what she received. There was another black rose tied to the outside of the package and then she opened the paper to find a book. It was a muggle book called If: Questions for the Game of Life and the attached note said that they were questions they could use to get to know each other better. They were allowed to write to each other after the first week of the courtship so she was glad to see that he did want to get to know her better.
"That's so sweet, not only does he know you love books but he wants to get to know you better. At least you know he's not just after you for your body, or worse for who you father is." Ginny told her with a silly smile. "I wish someone would do this for me."
"You don't even have a boyfriend Gin!" Hermione laughed while noticing Harry giving Ginny a thoughtful look. Ever since Harry stopped speaking to Ron he and Ginny had been hanging out more often. Hermione hoped that one day they would get together since that way Harry would officially have a large family like he had always wanted, even if he would have to deal with Ron.
"A girl can dream," Ginny told her with a smile as they left for classes.
"I liked the book and thought the black roses were perfect," Hermione whispered to Severus during Potions class. She had hoped they could continue meeting for training but her mother said that would be inappropriate while they were in this stage of courting so they could only see each other in class. She was even tempted to get a detention but had a feeling her mother would want to chaperone so why bother. Severus wasn't faring any better with the forced separation. He hadn't realized how much he valued their time together until she wasn't around anymore. He also couldn't get the one kiss they shared out of his mind. He was unsure how he was going to get through the next 10 weeks without going insane or drinking heavily.
Over the rest of the first week she received a tin of "Sinful Chocolates" which she purposely ate in a provocative manner at lunch to watch Severus squirm. She also received a pen that laughed when you pressed a button on it; it even had different laughing sounds to keep her entertained while taking notes. Severus had obviously been paying attention to her habits as she had taken to using muggle pens to take her notes so they would not smear like quills and ink, she only used her quill and ink for her final draft of her assignments. He then gave her a set of 3 leather bookmarks that hold photos in the end that sticks out of the book. There was a burgundy one, a dark green one and a black one, a perfect blending of their house colors. The last day of the week he sent her a dozen chocolate roses that made every girl in the great hall even more jealous as they were as beautiful as they were delicious.
She was very pleased with his selection of gifts and even more glad that the first week was over and she was allowed to write to him so they could at least communicate with each other. She was tempted to sneak into his room using the Chamber of Secrets entrance just to be able to see him. As tempting as it was she didn't want to risk angering either of her parents. When she got back to her room Friday night after classes she wrote him a letter and answered a few of the questions from the book. She thought some of the questions were interesting. One question was: "If you were to be granted one wish what would it be?" Her answer was that the war would end without bloodshed with both sides content and working together. She knew it was impossible, but a girl could dream. Another book question she answered was: "If you could physically transport yourself to anywhere in the world at this moment where would you go?" She answered that she wanted to go to Paris again as she loved spending time in all the museums and seeing all the history. The last question that she answered in her letter was a hard one for her to answer: "If you had to eliminate a single type of animal forever which animal would you choose?" She knew that to eliminate an animal would throw off the natural balance of things but she decided that if she had to eliminate an animal she would choose thestrals as they could only be seen by those who had seen death and although had a good sense of direction the world could probably live without them. She smiled as she sent her letter with Onyx before settling down to sleep. She wondered if he would reply with answers to the books questions.
Severus was pleasantly surprised to receive a letter from Hermione so quickly, he had been waiting to write to her so not to seem too anxious and he was glad to discover that she missed him as well. She had written that she hated not being able to speak with him and was impatiently awaiting their first date. He wrote back with answers to the questions she answered as he had only bought one copy of the book for her. His answers were that his wish would be that he would be free of both his masters and able to live his life as he wished with the woman of his dreams forever, sappy but true. He would like to visit Italy especially Venice and Rome to explore the waterways and the architecture. He agreed that he wouldn't want to get rid of any animal but if he had to he would choose Hagrid's horrible Blast-Ended Skrewts as they were an abomination of nature anyway. He hoped their correspondences would bring them closer even during their forced 'separation' he was glad he could still see her every day even if they couldn't be alone.
The first day of the next week Hermione received another If book called If: Questions for the Game of Love as well as a massaging pen that if she pressed the end to her skin it would give her a small massage. She thought the pen was fantastic and the questions in the book would make things even more interesting between them. The other gifts she got that week were a set of monogrammed French milled soaps and a glass heart shaped paper weight in all different color swirls. They continued to write to each other, usually asking and answering two questions from each book with every letter.
The third week she received an aromatherapy candle set with scents named: Chill, Inhale, Exhale, Radiate, Imagine, Lounge and Glow as well as a monogrammed leather journal. She was glad to have her own bathroom to enjoy the candle set while taking long baths and imagining what her life with Severus would be like. She began to immediately write her courting experiences in her journal, hoping someday to give it to her own daughter to read.
The fourth week she received a silver arm cuff with "Of my love be sure" etched in French around it. She was ecstatic at receiving such a romantic gift and immediately put it on, watching amusedly as Ron and a few others tried hopelessly to figure out what it said. She also received a "Chocolate Lover's" spa set which included chocolate flavored and scented bath salt, bath milk, body scrub, body butter, body wash, bubble bath and a loofa, sponge, poof, massager and bath mit. She had mentioned the week before that she loved baths and he had already figured out her weakness for chocolate so she was in heaven with the spa set.
The fifth week she received a beaded ankle bracelet with a preserved orchid petal as an accent and a "year of wishes" candle set with a different candle for every month: wealth, joy, luck, success, balance, adventure, comfort, love, fun, peace, health, and longevity. She knew he must have gone back out shopping for candles for her when she told him that her aromatherapy ones were gone already.
For the 6th week she received a platinum "Virgo" pendant that was abstract enough to make a person have to look to figure out what it was. She loved it and thought it was fun that he knew what her astrological sign was yet he hadn't even told her how old he was or when his birthday was. He also sent her another arm cuff with "I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine" in Hebrew. It was her favorite gift to date as it was one of her favorite bible versus and seemed appropriate to them as well.
She received for the 7th week a heart shaped silver pendant with "You have my whole heart for my whole life" in French written on it. She was guessing he had wandered into a jewelry store and had bought out the whole place with how many nice pieces he was giving her. She also noted they were all silver or platinum; none were gold for she was allergic to gold, it showed he really was attentive.
For the 8th week she received a hand blown clear glass vase with "Hearts that Love are Always in Bloom" etched into it and it was filled with 3 dozen roses of all colors of the rainbow. It was spectacular and she was glad it was getting closer to the end for writing him just wasn't the same as spending time together. For the 9th week she received a silver link bracelet with the eternity symbol in diamonds. The other girls were green with envy by this stage as they never expected her to get such breathtaking jewelry. For the 10th and last week of the initial courting phase she received a beautiful 4 carat green amethyst heart shaped pendant wrapped in bands of platinum on a platinum chain. She was breathless with awe as she delicately pulled the chain out of the box. It was magnificent and she quickly shed the heart pendant she was wearing to have Ginny fasten the green amethyst around her neck. The green was so light that it was as if the silver color of the platinum had bled into it, they meshed so well.
"Well I know he's a Slytherin for sure now with that gift. I understand all the silver from your gold allergy but that looks like a green heart surrounded by a silver snake." Ginny told her with a giggle.
There was an almost palpable sense of anticipation Monday morning as every girl and some interested boys waited to see what Hermione would receive from her Courtier. Today would be the day he sent her the plans for their first date and no one was as excited as Hermione herself. Minerva watched her daughter with a smile as she saw how happy Severus was making her. When the owls brought the post without a letter for Hermione everyone was confused, why would her beloved wait longer to see her than necessary. Their confusion was soon laid to rest as Hedwig, Onxy and the normal brown barn owl entered tied to a very large package. The reason it took so long was because it was much harder for the owls to fly when tied to such a heavy burden.
Hermione couldn't imagine what he would have sent her that would take 3 owls to carry it! She also wondered why he didn't shrink the package but then smiled when she realized he was showing off! He wanted everyone to see the large gift she was receiving. The protocol for the first date box was that there was to be at least three small tokens that gave the woman an idea of where he was taking her for their first date as well as a poem or riddle for her to figure out that would give her another hint. She opened the box to find a few smaller packages arranged on top of a divider in the box. She started with the smallest of the gifts to find a potions ingredient jar of dried snails, the next gift was a pair of opera glasses and the third package on the top of the divider was an exquisite black dress that she knew must have been designed by the same wizard who designed her dress for Halloween when Lavender and Pavarti gasped. She smiled and twirled around with the dress before handing it to Ginny to hold while she opened the rest of her present. She pulled out the divider and gasped. Inside was a complete set of The Encyclopedia Magicia the most comprehensive guide to magical knowledge. She used the library's copy for almost all of her assignments and had always planned to buy herself a copy one day as they were very expensive. There were 26 main volumes with 18 appendixes and this volume had the new 'quick reference' tome with it that you would write what you wanted to find and it would tell you which pages to look on. It was the best present she had ever received. She was so awed and stunned that she couldn't even speak. Ginny leaned over the box to see what it was that had turned Hermione into stone and was shocked at the expensive set of books before her. Her family didn't even own a set they were so expensive.
"The Encyclopedia Magicia," Ginny said with reverence in her voice, admiring the beautiful new set. The only set she had ever used was the beat up set in Hogwarts library that everyone had to fight over to use for homework. Others in the hall, especially the Ravenclaws, were interested now. The books were hard to come buy as you had to be a master in a field of study to purchase a set. There were not many masters around and it was amazing to them that Hermione's suitor found one to make this purchase.
"A very impressive date box," Draco said as he came over to see what the commotion was about. "It took my father quite a few favors to get our family's revised set. I am intrigued how your suitor was able to procure a copy." Hermione just smiled slyly at him and he knew she would not reveal anything. "Where will your date be then?" He asked the question on all the girls' minds as they could care less about a set of books when there was romance to gossip about.
"The note reads: 'I'm not strait or defeated, I'm a bibliophile's dream, the city of love may be, closer than it may seem' so I have a good idea of where he is taking me. The hints from the gifts were good as well." She told him, watching his face to see if he could figure it out himself.
"Just tell us already," Harry told her not in the mood to try and work out a riddle and on edge with Malfoy standing so near.
"He's taking me to Paris," she told them. "I am assuming we are going to dine there, perhaps see a theatrical performance and hopefully visit one of the libraries or museums." The smile on her face was luminescent and both Severus and Minerva were pleased she liked her gift so much.
"Meet me in the entrance hall Saturday afternoon at 3pm," Minerva told Hermione later that afternoon. "We will take a carriage down to Hogsmead where Severus will escort you from there. I will be tagging along as an official escort."
"I am so excited," Hermione told her mother as the two spent the afternoon together between classes and dinner. "I miss spending time with him. I hadn't realized how much I enjoyed just being able to escape everything and escape into his quarters to talk and have him teach me one-on-one. He is so different when he is alone than when he is in teaching mode. I can't believe he got me the entire encyclopedia!"
"I was surprised as well as he planned all of this without my help. I know you will enjoy your date." Minerva said with a smile. "I am very happy for you and for Severus as well. He has always been alone and closed off but since you two started getting to know each other he has opened up and shown himself. If he makes you as happy as it seems then I am very content with your match."
"Do you ever wish Tom had done this for you when you two were still in school?" Hermione asked her. "I know he must have been a much different person then and I can't help but thinking that if he hadn't pushed you away he may never have turned into the monster he is today. Love is a very powerful magic in itself and it saddens me that he could turn his back on it so quickly."
"I have thought about that as well," Minerva told her sadly. "I would love to have my Tom back but he has been lost and the man he is now has hardened his heart and allowed dark magic to corrupt his soul. I am not sure it is even possible for him to love now."
"Is it bad of me to wish that we could get the real Tom back? That somehow instead of Harry having to kill him, he is able to purify him instead." Hermione asked.
"I don't know if it is bad to wish it as that is my wish as well. But we should not get our hearts set on that very unlikely possibility. We have to remind ourselves that Tom is gone and when Harry does what we know he will we must be strong and realize that he is Voldemort and no one else." Minerva told her, glad she wasn't the only one with crazy hopes that Tom could turn good again.
"I know, it's just that he listens to what I say. He even told me he got a few books on genetics and is researching my theory that Squibs are caused by inbred magic and that his idea to 'purify' the wizarding world would only result in magic becoming extinct." Hermione said, "That just doesn't sound like something a completely evil and insane dark lord would do. Every once in a while I get a glimpse that Tom is still in there somewhere. I mean look at the papers, there has been no noticeable death eater activity since Christmas, no raids, no strange disappearances, no unexplained robberies… it could mean something big is coming but I don't think so."
"We'll speak with Severus about it on Saturday, maybe he will have an idea of what is going on," Minerva told her as they headed to the Great Hall for dinner. "Have Miss Weasley or one of the Slytherin girls help you with your hair, I would recommend an up do. I know the Slytherin girls have owl order catalogues if you need any accessories to go with your dress."
Saturday came very slowly for both Hermione and Severus as they were anxiously waiting their time together. The most amusing part of her week was when Ginny joined Pansy and Mille in trying to wrestle her hair into something other that her usual frizz. The three girls seemed to forget that Ginny was trespassing in the Slytherin dorms and were getting along quite well. Hermione was amazed at how much more relaxed she was around the two Slytherins than her old roommates. She finished getting ready, making sure her green necklace was laying flat and that her arm bands were visible. She was wearing black high heals that she had charmed to feel like she was wearing flats. She fastened her new silver cloak around her and made her way to the entrance hall where she would meet her mother.
The two of them were being watched by everyone in hopes they would reveal who Hermione's secret suitor was. The women made their way into a carriage and were off towards Hogsmead where they would meet Severus. Hermione was gripping her purse tightly trying not to quiver with excitement. She had the small gifts from Severus in her purse along with some feminine things and a money pouch. She knew he would buy her whatever she requested but she hated the idea of asking for gifts. She wasn't going to pass up the opportunity for souvenirs though!
She stepped out of the carriage and got her first look at Severus. He looked amazing; he was wearing a black muggle suit and a black cloak over that. His hair had been pulled back into a small tail. She wanted to throw herself into his arms but held herself back knowing her mother would not approve. "You look breathtaking," he told her offering his arm to her. "I will be the envy of every man we pass tonight." Hermione just smiled at him, not used to such compliments. "If you will clear your mind and hold my arm tightly I will apparate us to our destination." He told her and at her nod they were whisked away.
When she opened her eyes again they were standing in an apparition arrival area of a wizarding alley she had never seen before. "Where are we?" She asked curiously. She knew they were in France as everyone was speaking French but had never heard of what the wizarding areas were.
"This is Rue de Rose," he told her as he led her out of the apparition waiting area once Minerva arrived. "We are in Paris, as I heard you successfully guessed. This is their main magical commerce area, much like our own Diagon Alley.
"It is wonderful," Hermione commented as he escorted her down the street.
"I thought I we could browse the windows as we go. Please tell me if you would like to go into any of the stores. We have dinner reservations at 6:30 and I plan on taking you someplace before that that will take a couple hours for you to enjoy." He told her, knowing from her letter that she didn't like surprises too much as she would rather know what to expect so she could plan ahead.
They purchased some French wizarding candy as well as a few trinkets and potions ingredients as they walked and talked. Hermione never let go of his arm, not wanting to miss one of her only chances to touch him. She purchased Severus a black buttonhole rose for his suit and was surprised when he didn't protest at all. Minerva watched their interactions with joy in her heart that her little girl was happy. She had only ever wanted her baby to be happy and now that she knew it was true she was able to calm her heart some. It had been hard not knowing if her daughter was happy all these years and her heart was just beginning to heal by having her back.
After dinner at a lovely restaurant they headed out again and Hermione smiled as they approached the Paris Opera House. She was excited they were going to be able to see a show. "This is one I have not seen before," Severus told her as he handed her the program as they were led to their box. They were seeing the musical Jekyll and Hyde. Hermione was blown away by the performance. She had not been to any plays or musicals since she entered the wizarding world and before then had been too young to really enjoy them. They walked back to the apparition point with Hermione leaning her head against Severus' arm. She wished the night never had to end, it was the perfect date.
"I wish we didn't have to go back," she told him with a smile. She also wished her mother wasn't standing 5 feet behind them so she could thank him properly for the wonderful evening. "This is the best date I have ever been on," she told him sincerely. There hadn't been a lot to compare it too but from talking with the other girls it would have topped their lists as well.
"I am glad you enjoyed yourself, I too had a magnificent time." He told her, sending her one of his rare smiles. Minerva tried not to show her shock at Severus smiling, she need not have worried as neither one of them were paying any attention to her at all. They had barely noticed she was with them the entire evening. She was glad things were going so well and almost wished she didn't have to tag along. She knew Severus would be too frightened of Tom to try anything other than a kiss and she could tell Hermione desperately wanted to give him one. Severus kissed her hand as they parted ways at the carriage in Hogsmead as it was all the intimate contact that was allowed at this point of the courtship.
As soon as the carriage was out of sight Severus transformed into his animagus form of a raven and flew off to the castle. He transfigured his robes to look like his teaching robes and had time to take points off the gaggle of girls waiting in the entry way in hopes of determining Hermione's suitor. He almost smirked at the relieved look Ginny Weasley sent his way as she assumed he could not be Hermione's suitor if he was in the castle during her date. He would have to remind Hermione in his next letter to start preparing her friends for who he is. He didn't want Potter, Longbottom or the Weasley girl to die of shock when he was revealed as he knew how much they meant to her.
Hermione was surprised so many people were waiting for her when she returned. The Slytherin girls all wanted to know about her date as well as Ginny and Harry. Making up her mind she grabbed both Ginny and Harry and dragged them to the Slytherin common room so she would only have to tell her story once. What surprised her and the other Gryffindors the most was that there were no real protests from the Slytherins. Draco was the only one to comment and it was only, "Well at least scar-head can talk to the portraits in here if the other discussions are over his head." Considering how much the two loathed each other last year it was saying something that they could even attempt be civil now.
After she told everyone about her date, in as much detail as she could without giving away Severus' identity she placed the candies she purchased on the table for everyone to snack on and listened in on the conversations around her. Shockingly enough Draco and Harry got into a detail Quidditch discussion, seemingly forgetting about house rivalry and their hatred of each other.
Pansy and Ginny had started a conversation about courting in general and how each of them wished someone would do it to them. "I thought you and Draco were betrothed or something along those lines?" Ginny asked her, remembering in time to call him by his first name.
"We are," Pansy told her. "We have been pledged to each other since we were three. I love Draco and he will make a great husband but I can't help but wonder about true love. Draco is a great friend and I know we would be content with each other but I wonder if we'll ever be really happy. I guess I always imagined a tall dark and handsome man sweeping me off of my feet and that Draco would find someone to make him happy and we could just remain friends."
"I understand," Ginny told her. "I have always had this ideal vision of my life in my head where I meet a guy who loves me in spite of my family's shortcomings. Someone who would pamper me and spoil me and treat me like a princess, I used to think it would be Harry but he just doesn't seem to be interested."
"I guess I just don't see Potter as the spoiling kind. I am sure he will make a good husband and will be faithful and provide for his wife but he seems too simplistic to take the time to spoil someone. It's as if material possessions mean nothing to him, like he could care less if he is one of the richest men in the world. I always found him intriguing because of how laid back he is, even when everything is going crazy in the world or if the papers are slandering him. It's as if he can just let it roll off of him because he knows it's not important. I bet when he finds the right woman he will devote all that passion to her, can you imagine?" Pansy asked, showing that she was much more than the ditz that she portrayed in the halls.
"Yes, that is exactly how I see it happening for him. Once he finds her she better watch out because he never gives up on something once he starts if he finds it important." Ginny laughed. "To tell you the truth I have never really been attracted to brunettes. Give me a blonde any day or even someone with auburn hair, no redheads please."
"I like them with dark hair, especially if they are tall and muscular!" Pansy said and the two laughed at the absurdity. Pansy was going to marry a blonde and Ginny was still pining after dark haired Harry.
When it was time for Harry and Ginny to return to the tower Hermione, Pansy and Draco stood to walk them to the door. "Well Potter it seems that I was not entirely correct in my assessment of your intelligence. I guess it would be permissible for you to visit Hermione here in the snakes den again."
"Thank you Malfoy, it's been an interesting evening." Harry said and the two boys went separate ways leaving three speechless girls behind.
"Did they just kind of make a truce?" Hermione asked in shock but the hope was obvious in her voice.
"I believe so," Pansy said. "Ginny you are welcome down here again as well. I won't go so far to give you the password but you may join Hermione whenever and if you ever need her you can knock on the wall outside and I am sure someone will let you in."
"Thanks," Ginny said waving to the two girls before hurrying off to catch Harry.