Chapter 21: In Which Hermione Lunches With Harry

"…and I invited him to our next gathering at the Burrow," Hermione said between bites of lunch.

Harry winced. "So soon? I had been hoping for a few more Snape-free months."

"I told him he never had to attend any family gatherings he didn't want to. Or work related ones."

"Well, that's a start. Maybe he'll stay home."

"Harry…" Hermione paused, looking thoughtful. "How many times did Severus save your life?"

"Ummm…" He stopped eating, put his fork down, and turned to look at her. "Hermione, I know he's saved me, and you, and Ginny, and all of us. I rationally know that he's one of the good guys. I know he didn't kill Sirius. I know he didn't murder Dumbledore. I know all of these things, but when I think of him…" His eyes shifted from her to a point far away. Hermione guessed he was seeing one of his less fun encounters with Snape. "When I think of him, I see the man who hated me on first sight. Act or not, it felt real. He looked at me with such loathing and scorn…

"I know I'm not on his top ten favourite people list. I know we eventually gave him some good reasons for his dislike, but not at first sight. Not ten minutes off the train.

"I can even accept that he's changed. I was listening to some of your Wandless Magic students talk about him joining you today. Obviously he wasn't doing his Greasy Git routine, or they would have mentioned it."

"What did they say?"

"Amber and Rose were giggling about how carefully he was watching you, and how much less scary he was. They think he has 'a thing' for you." Harry mimicked the voice of a teenage girl. Hermione laughed.

"Well, I certainly hope he has 'a thing' for me. I'll be more than a tad disappointed to find him lacking one." Her grin was wicked.

Harry winced again. "I really didn't need to know that."

"I spent how many hours listening to you talk about Ginny?"

He smiled innocently at her. "Three. We got married five minutes after she turned seventeen, and I have been a paragon of rectitude ever since. And if anyone says anything else, I will deny it." This time they both laughed.

"Look, I really want you to be happy. And I can see you've been cheerier than usual this last week. And we'll welcome him if he's what you want. You know that, right?" She nodded. "But it will take time. I mean, he's Snape."

"Does it help if I tell you he's a really good kisser?"

Harry choked on his drink. "Gods, no! Tell Ginny that stuff; I really don't want to think about you and Snape kissing." She was about to speak, the wicked gleam back in her eyes, but he cut her off. "Or you and Snape anything elsing. I do not need to know how he is making you happy, just that he is."

"Yes, Harry. He is making me happy. Happier than I've been in a long time."

"I'm really going to have to get used to Snape in the family." He sighed.

"It looks like it. But..." She flashed her left hand to him. "No ring yet, so nothing is carved in stone."

"Hell, he'll do something all sweet and romantic, and you'll fall in love, and next thing I know I'll be watching him play with the kids at my house. We'll have to stop mocking Slytherins." His voice was faux distressed.

"You shouldn't be mocking Slytherins anyway."

"I'll be stuck trying to find him Christmas presents…" His mournful tone increased.

"Ginny buys the presents."

"And I'll be the one talking him down from a ledge when you're eight months pregnant and it finally occurs to him that you're really going to have a kid and the whole world as he knows it is about to end." He sounded despairing. His eyes were smiling.

"Harry, you'll be talking me down from that ledge." Finally they both broke out laughing. Hermione was wiping tears away from her eyes when an owl landed with a letter for her.

"So soon? It must be 'a thing'," Harry said.

She playfully shoved him, and opened the note.

H

Are you free Friday? Would you like to go dancing?

'S

Harry read over her shoulder. "He calls you H? Must be the romance of the century."

"Well, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, what do you call Ginny?"

Harry blushed. "So... dancing? Snape dances. Huh…"

"Nice topic change. He told me that back when he was a new teacher Dumbledore made him teach ballroom dancing."

"Nooo… Merlin's beard, I thought he was bad in potions. Ballroom Dance. Can you imagine?"

She shook her head. "What I would have paid to see that…" She fumbled for a bit of parchment.

S,

I'd love to. What kind of dance?

'H

They broke off to go to their classes. That evening, when she returned to her office, she found another parchment.

Hermione,

I believe the Muggles refer to it as 'clubbing.' There's a place I know with a good DJ and decent bands. They play an eclectic mix from the last thirty years. Would that suit you?

Severus

She grabbed a piece of parchment and her pen.

Severus,

Clubbing sounds lovely. It's been years. I think I have just the outfit though…

See you Friday,

Hermione