Chapter 4: In Which a Letter Arrives
The first thing Hermione had done upon leaving Percy's office was to go to the library and pick up Snape's book. Life Among the Death Eaters was not nearly the trashy-tell-all the title insinuated. That might explain why so few people of her acquaintance had actually finished it. If anything, it was more of a psychological profile of how the organization worked, what it offered those who joined, and what drove Tom Riddle to become Lord Voldemort. The chapters on the fall of Lord Voldemort had been especially interesting because she had been directly involved but from the other side. There were a few areas where Snape hadn't quite gotten the story right, but as she remembered, he wasn't at those battles, and must have learned about them secondhand. His prose was clean, and insightful. On that alone, she was willing to risk meeting him.
Besides, if he was still the Greasy Git of the Dungeons, she could always join her parents in Australia.
When she told Harry and Ginny about her best match, Harry spit the coffee he was drinking across the room. The conversation had continued until late into the night and was still going on the next day during their lunch.
"How on earth could you have possibly been matched up with Snape?" She began to once more go over Percy's explanation, but he gestured to for her to stop. "Yes, I know how, but how?"
"Apparently slightly over seventy percent of our answers matched."
Harry shook his head dismissively. "Really, just marry Ginny and I. Or George. He, Angelina, and Deidre would be thrilled to have you. But Snape? I know you want a husband all to yourself, and I can't imagine you'll be fighting anyone for him, but really, Snape?"
"Harry," she said calmly, taking his hands in hers and making him look her in the eye. "I'm not saying I'll marry him. Hell, I'm not saying I'll even take this any further than drinks, but I don't really want to marry you and Ginny. Not to put it too bluntly, but it would be like shagging my brother. I'm just not into that. And George will always be my favourite Weasley, but it's the same problem, with the side issue of trying to bring back what I had with Ron. I can't ever have Ron back, and I know that I'd be trying to create something that wasn't real if I married George. If Ron, or Remus, or Sirius had lived, or if Neville or Dean hadn't already married…"
"You saw my list. Snape's the only real option on it." And with that, a small tawny owl landed at her elbow. She picked up the scroll, and quickly read it. "Obviously, he's of the same opinion as well." Harry winced. She quickly wrote a response.
Dear Severus,
Drinks would be lovely. Would 7:30 suit?
Hermione
"I can't believe you have a date with Snape tomorrow." Harry looked like he was going to vomit.
"I can't believe I have to be in a situation where dating Snape may be the only way to keep my job. Percy told me that no, I could not stay at Hogwarts to teach and live in Australia for citizenship purposes." Harry continued to look ill and poke at his food.
"Oh, stop looking so grim, it's not like you're going on a date with him." The image of which set her to giggling. Her laughter became infectious, and Harry began to laugh as well.
When he finally answered his voice was lighter, "No, but I'll be the one hearing about it afterward, and I'll be the one stuck with him for a brother-in-law if you two actually do get along. Hell, he'll be Uncle Sn…Sev to my kids. Uncle Sev, uhg." Hermione began to laugh again at the face he made while saying that.
Lunch ended with them still batting the subject around. But the more she thought about it, the more meeting Snape seemed like a sane idea. After all, agreeing to drinks was a far cry from agreeing to marry.