A/N: A Stroll Through Knockturn Alley

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Saturday Morning, 7am

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Before Hermione got up the next morning, Snape had already gotten dressed, quickly gulped down a serving of her homemade pumpkin latte and headed out to Knockturn alley before she could say a word.

Severus smirked to himself as he thought of Hermione, with messy hair, still snoring and looking like a goddess in her pink matching lace pajamas...and drooling all over their pillow. The little brunette was a mixture of adorable and annoying. She'd probably wake up in an hour and wonder crossly where he went. Then she'd have a fit thinking he'd ran off right before their meeting with her parents this afternoon.

He chuckled to himself.

"Ah, no, Hermione, I haven't run off from our meeting with your parents. I'm hardly intimated by muggles, let alone yours." He thought and his beetle-black eyes turned to the shops of the windows beside him. "I've just gone out for a house warming present."

He fondled the heavy sack of galleons in his robe pocket. He didn't want to show up to the Grangers empty handed. Especially not after that nightmare last night. A nerve struck in his throat and he swallowed deeply.

He stopped in front of one of the shop windows and dared to smile at his reflection.

His cheeks reddened. Hmm. Perhaps his dream self had a point about the whitening and teeth-straightening spells. His teeth were less than substantial.

He coughed grimly and sneered at the passerbys who had been staring in shock at the sight of the infamously grumpy Severus Snape smiling at himself cheerily in the window.

"Do take a picture why don't you, it will last longer!" Snape directed the aim of his blow at a particularly nosy lady with an umbrella who was staring at him.

"Goodness!" the woman gasped before finally turning away and letting him be. The rest of the passerby's also went their merry way and Snape sneered at them until they all left.

He let out a sigh of relief when he was alone again.

It was hardly any fun being a decorated war hero after receiving the Medal of Valor. His face and likeness had been published in every magazine and newspaper after it became public knowledge the role he played in bringing down Voldemort. "Britain's Unlikely Hero", they heralded him in one headline. Hardly! He much preferred the secrecy of being a spy during the war when no one was the wiser of his activities. Now everybody treated him like a cause célèbre and it irritated his nerves to no end. He didn't need doors to be held open for him or to be patted on the a back or told 'good job, well done'. It vexed him and made him want to shout at people for their idiocy. Especially the pats on the back! He was hardly senile! He didn't need to be patted on the back like some blithering old fool or sycophant! He just wanted to forget the war...and move forward things with Hermione!

Severus was about to step into the jewelry shop and wondered whether a bracelet for her mother would be too much of a gift...when he spotted none other than the slicked-back, blonde head of his only remaining relative coming towards him.

"Good grief. Not now!" The moody potions professor hurried into the jewelry shop and hoped Draco Malfoy, his godson, had not seen him.

Unlike Sirius Black, not everyone doted on and wanted to see their godson at every turn! Sirius Black and Harry Potter were always publically hugging and smugly walking arm in arm like they were brothers or best buddies or something else indecently familiar instead of just godson and godfather. Truth be told, Snape would not mind it at all if he never saw Draco again. He was very cute as a child and it was an honour at the time to be named godfather to one of Wizarding Britain's most distinguished dynasties...but now Severus was so far over it. The honour had worn off ages ago. And Draco Malfoy had grown up to be a bit of a prat, if a decent one. Probably from Severus's own good influence. Merlin knows if he turned out completely like his father, Draco would just be pure prat and not decent prat...as proven by his show of support to Potter at the end of the war.

"GODFATHER!"

Oh, good grief, he had been spotted.

Snape tried to pretend he hadn't heard Draco and concentrated very hard on the glass case holding a bunch of sapphire encrusted bracelets. He tried to mentally pick out one that would be not too ostentatious a gift for Hermione's mother...one that maybe might match to the ring he'd choose for her...

Suddenly he felt Draco's arm wrap around his shoulder. Snape tried not to vomit.

"Godfather, it's you!"

Finally Snape turned around to face his opponent.

"Draco."

"Severus!" Only his godson called him that anymore. He insisted everyone not on familiar terms, including Minerva, refer to him as Mr. Snape or Professor.

Draco's face beamed with a happy, wide smile. The young man looked exceptionally well...and lost like a puppy after the war. The Malfoy heir was clearly struggling to hold his family's prestigious dynasty together now that he was in charge of it.

"How are you Draco?" Snape attempted to sound like he cared.

"Oh you know how it is, with mother. She still cries every night about it."

"Really?" Snape pursed his lips. He held back a snicker. He never liked Cissy Malfoy much. She was almost as annoying as her crazy sister Bella had been, and both sisters had made his life as a spy doubly difficult with all their requests. Especially that one bloody request to kill Dumbledore that the stupid sisters had asked of him with an Unbreakable Vow! Just because he was Draco's godfather! Bloody entitled Blacks, same annoying strain as Sirius Black had been in Hogwarts.

"Oh, yes, ever since Father went missing, she's convinced he might be dead. She's in grieving stages since it happened."

"Yes, well, your father's hardly the type to let himself be locked up is he?" Or let alone take any responsibility for any of his actions, not unlike a certain somebody who refused to kill Dumbledore and made his godfather do it! Snape thought bitterly.

"No, it's more likely he escaped," Draco agreed smugly and the pureblood thumbed some of the priceless jewelry he could well afford the whole lot of. It made Snape slightly conscious of the much smaller bag of galleons in his own pocket. "Father disappeared from his study the same day the Ministry tried to make that raid on the Manor."

"Weasley's doing again?"

Draco shrugged but his icy grey eyes narrowed. "We don't know who tipped them off, probably some old enemies within the Ministry. They still can't believe my family was let off, especially father since they know now he was also involved in both wars! Not just the last one and the Chambers. They're trying to do anything to get him sent to Azkaban."

Well that would be the just thing, wouldn't it? Snape refrained from saying aloud. It wasn't fair how all these rich elites always got away with their crimes. While it was only a stroke of luck people found out the truth of his own involvement and Snape was spared Azkaban because of Harry's heavy endorsement and appraisal to all the papers about his side of the story.

"My father's health hasn't been good lately." Draco continued with the saddest of tones, like he was describing a Greek tragedy. "The war took a toll on him and now with him gone three months, well...there's worries he might have done something to save himself the agony of going to Azkaban."

Snape suppressed a yawn. He was hardly on the edge of his seat to know if Lucius Malfoy was alright. He'd spent enough time with Lucius as a student in Hogwarts to know that the blond aristocrat was more than capable of taking care of himself. Unlike his stupid son.

"Don't worry. Knowing Lucius, he'll turn up fine," and richer than ever. "eventually."

"Yes, but why couldn't he have sent a message?" Draco whined like a child despite now being a young man in his early twenties.

"I don't know, Draco," Snape hissed wondering how the boy could be so thick. "It probably has something to do with the fact that your whole house and mother and you are likely under heavy surveillance by the Ministry's agents. They're watching out for his return. Nobody's going to believe your father off'ed himself." Too narcissistic to kill himself, Snape thought. Not a chance.

Draco looked over his shoulder and out towards the street. "You're probably right, I did feel I've been followed lately."

Snape resisted slapping Draco for missing the obvious clues. He turned back to the jewelry case.

"Why are you here anyways? Picking out something for Pansy?"

Draco scoffed. "Pansy and I broke it off ages ago. She wasn't right for me. I'm with the greatest girl named Astoria now."

"One of the Greengrasses?"

"Yes," Draco said proudly. "She's the sister with black hair and green eyes. I could've dated her sister, the blonde, but she was too obvious a choice and Astoria was the more sophisticated choice."

Snape rolled his eyes at hearing Draco brag about his buffet of society girls. It had only taken him years to get over Lily and then another bad muggle relationship before he finally struck it lucky with Hermione. He was not about to let everything be ruined now that he waited so long to find the right one.

A sudden thought occurred to Snape. He had never sought advice from his much younger godson. But perhaps in this one area, the boy might actually know something of use.

"Tell me, have you met her parents yet?"

Draco's face broadened into a content smirk. "I have actually. Things are going extremely well with the Greengrasses and I. Her father likes me immensely and her mother calls me 'a keeper'."

"Does she?" Snape raised his brows. He had a sudden fantasy of Mrs. Granger telling Hermione that he was a keeper. "What did you do to make a good impression when you met them? Did you bring a gift? Elf wine? Baubles for the mother?"

"Of course, I did everything to impress them," Draco said.

The pureblood was obviously well-versed in all forms of etiquette and polite society manners. Snape hated to stoop to asking for advice from him but he swallowed his pride a little.

"Can you tell me what would be, er, the formalities when meeting a lady's parents?"

Draco grinned at his godfather and looked much too amused for Snape's approval. "I thought there was something different about you, a spring in your step...and you are in a jewelry shop," Draco stated the obvious like he was Sherlock Holmes finally piecing together the solution. "So you are seeing a woman?"

Snape stifled a groan. The last person he wanted to tell whom he was dating was Draco Malfoy. The boy would probably have a fit if he ever found out it was Granger. He had to keep that a secret from him and everyone in public. A good thing that Hermione was currently very private about their relationship too.

"Never mind about that, I can't tell you who it is, but will you help me?" He grabbed his godson by the shoulders.

Draco looked even more amused. "Why, are you planning to propose? Because you don't actually need the father's permission anymore."

"Just shut up!" His cheeks burned.

"Is her father even alive? You might be worried for nothing."

"Of course, he's alive!"

"I don't know, how old are you again? She's what, around 50? 60? They might not be around—"

"Why do you make assumptions!? I just told you they're alive. She's nowhere near 50 or 60!"

"So it's a younger woman?" Draco laughed.

"Shut up, and forget I ever asked you for help."

Snape was about to apparate away in pure embarrassment but Draco stopped laughing and grabbed him in earnest. "Don't worry, I know just what you need to do to make the greatest impression ever."

Would he really? He couldn't even begin to tell the arrogant swat that her parents were muggles, he was meeting them today and the lady in question was none other than his old enemy and Potter's sidekick. Well, they could save the questions for later. He just needed help fast.

"Have you already got her a ring?"

"No."

"Good. Don't. Not until you meet the parents. You don't want to get involved if her family is crazy."

Snape hissed. "I don't care if her family are dragons covered in boils and breathing sulfurous fire from the pits of hell, I would still love her the same and want to marry her."

"Wow, you are serious! How long have you been dating her?"

"Five months."

"And you still haven't met her parents yet?"

"She's tried to make me many times but I always came up with excuses."

"Oooooh. You're going to have to make up for that. Big time. You should've met them ages ago."

He pulled the potions master towards a particular glass case filled with cuff links, rings and tiaras.

"Now here is the type of thing you want..." Draco spoke with casual finesse. Snape nodded along and wondered what he'd got himself into.

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a/n: Thanks for reading, enjoyed writing this chapter this morning. I missed this story, Snape is a fun guy when he's trying to be romantic. It's such a struggle for him to fight his need to be callous and unfriendly while also trying to be the proper partner to his gf's family. Will he propose? Will he run off permanently in fear of commitment and in-laws? Or will Draco and maybe Lucius come to the rescue? Who knows...

I have a feeling the cat might be involved

cheers