Chapter 5 - Adulthood

"Remind me to thank you again for insisting on a private ceremony for Order members."

Severus Snape spun on the spot to gaze into the playful green eyes of Harry Potter. Harry was grimacing with distaste as his gaze slid back to the stage, where several people had just been presented with Order of Merlin awards for their services during the war. Severus smirked and held out a hand. "Mr. Potter. Imagine finding you among the crowd for once," he said dryly. Harry laughed.

The year of Occlumency lessons had been followed by a year of Legilimency lessons, which had done a great deal towards learning of and foiling Voldemort's machinations. In the process, the two had grudgingly become friends, though neither had admitted that fact in public. Now, however, with Voldemort finally gone, they each had the freedom to befriend whomever they chose. Harry still occasionally felt pangs of guilt over the awful things he'd said and thought about Severus in his school days. Such moments were usually brought on by prolonged reminiscing with Ron Weasley.

Harry and Ron had had a nasty row at the beginning of their sixth year. Harry had defended Severus' questionable teaching methods and Ron had immediately labeled him a traitor to all that Gryffindors hold dear. It was weeks before they spoke again, and even when they did, the topic of Professor Snape was strictly taboo between them. Now that school was finished, however, Ron mentioned "the greasy git," occasionally. Harry did his best to ignore him.

Hermione had been more understanding. She could see that Harry no longer despised their Potions Master, and she continued to defend him, as she always had, when Ron got out of hand.

Harry shook himself out of these thoughts when his eyes focused on Hermione herself, dancing past them in the arms of Terry Boot. Then he turned back to Severus. "I can't see the beautiful women from the stage, so I thought I'd lose myself in the crowd and see what I could see," he said glibly in response to the older man's jibe, and doing a fair impersonation of his father.

It was Severus' turn to laugh. Naturally he recognized Harry's impression, as it was modeled from his own memories of James. Years before, he had buried everything he knew about the man deep in his memory, having had no desire to think of him. However, when it had become obvious that Harry would benefit from his memories, he'd dug out his Penseive to remind himself.

Miss Granger's words, spoken during detention near the beginning of her seventh year, had stuck in his head. "You're the only person left now who knew Harry's parents. What a huge responsibility – to be the only man who can shape his view of them." It was not the sort of thing one generally discussed with a student who was supposed to be scrubbing cauldrons, but then, he was still convinced that she'd earned that detention on purpose just so she could have a chance to say it. After all, what were the chances of the Head Girl receiving a detention (without either of her cohorts in crime) so soon after the news of Lupin's death?

Severus shook his thoughts away, realizing that he'd been staring at the girl while Harry watched him. He turned away quickly. "I see nothing of interest," he stated firmly, all joviality gone from his face.

"Right," Harry said, his eyes flitting over the crowd again. There was a pause, then he added, "I don't know why she's dancing with him. They stopped seeing each other three weeks ago."

"Because he asked, and she is too polite to refuse," Severus replied, looking into the crowd again. It didn't occur to him that Harry hadn't mentioned whom he was referring to, but Harry certainly noticed that Severus hadn't needed to ask. A very un-Potter-like smirk was creeping over his features. In fact, if Ron had seen him at that moment, he would have asked if he'd been taking lessons from Malfoy.

Before Severus looked back, he schooled his features into polite disinterest. "You're right, she probably doesn't want to dance with him." There was a pause, wherein Harry enjoyed the anticipation of a playful embarrassment of his friend. "OI THERE, HERMIONE! COME OVER HERE," he hollered through the crowd.

A long-suffering look was on his one-time Professor's face even as Hermione looked over and grinned at them. She excused herself from Terry, who appeared quite annoyed, and hurried over. "Thanks," she whispered, hugging Harry. "Hello, Professor," she said, nodding at Severus, who nodded in return. But before he could speak, Harry broke in.

"We can get away with calling him Severus now," he said, grinning. In the last two years, he had come to enjoy baiting the older man very much.

"Indeed?" Severus asked, turning to Harry. He looked particularly dangerous for a moment, before a faux defeat came over his features. "It seems you can 'get away' with just about anything, Mr. Potter. I imagine this is no exception."

Hermione and Harry both laughed, which pleased Severus more than he was ever likely to admit. It was ironic in the extreme that he should share the same close friendship with Harry that he had envied between the boy's father and Sirius Black in his own youth. But that didn't stop him from quietly enjoying it.

"Bloody hell!" Harry whispered, the laughter dying in his eyes. Severus and Hermione directed their attention along his line of sight. The Minister of Magic was making his way over. "I seem to have attracted too much attention," he said hurriedly as the portly wizard brushed past a group of laughing witches, obviously intent on intercepting Harry.

It had become a right game in Harry's mind. Attend the parties, see his friends, get out without having a three-hour conversation with Fudge. Sometimes he won and sometimes he lost. Today he intended to win.

"You two'll keep each other company, won't you? I really need to go. If I'm late again…" he sounded apologetic, but really, it worked well into the plan that was already taking shape in his head.

"Go on, Harry. Tell Ginny I said hello," Hermione whispered. An instant later he was gone. Hermione made his apologies to a very miffed Cornelius Fudge, who seemed inclined to question her further about Harry's departure until Severus stepped forward.

"I believe he has a wife to think of, Minister," Severus inserted severely, cutting off yet another question. Fudge had apparently not noticed him before this moment, because he was startled.

"Er – yes, right so. As you say, Mr. Snape. Good day, then," he stuttered, beating a hasty retreat. Severus smirked at his back before turning to Hermione.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "It would have been me stuck here all night instead of Harry. That man's insufferable. Always trying to get his picture taken with Harry to try and remain in office when everyone knows he didn't do a thing to help with the battle! Did you see the photographer? He was – "

"I saw him, Miss Granger," Severus said, cutting her off. Now it would be HE who was stuck here all night instead of Harry. He made a mental note to extract some kind of vengeance for that before resigning himself to the conversation at hand. "He follows the Minister around at every occasion. One can hardly help but notice."

They chatted more or less pleasantly about the ceremony, Hermione adding her thanks to Harry's on the matter of the closed ceremony that Severus had insisted on for Order members. She mentioned his most recently published article, which had been picked up by several well-known Potions magazines, and they spoke of it as well. Severus found that for the first time, he was less than enthusiastic about discussing his theories. He postulated silently that he was half-afraid she'd find something wrong with them. It wouldn't do to consider that he might suddenly be shy, so he did not consider it.

He was rescued from the conversation by none other than Albus Dumbledore, who was solely responsible for Severus' presence in the first place, and therefore long overdue, as far as the Potions Master was concerned. "Hermione!" the Headmaster exclaimed, "I'm glad you could attend. It is the final ceremony, after all," he added, sweeping a hand out to indicate the festivities. Both Severus and Hermione noted at this point that the party was dwindling. Indeed, it appeared that nearly half of those in attendance had already left. Severus was mildly shocked by this. He was normally the second person out the door, right after Harry. Hermione, however, didn't appear surprised at all.

"Yes, thank heavens," she responded, scrunching up her nose a bit in distaste. "Who would have thought it would take an entire year to hand out all the medals?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Well, then, Severus, if you are prepared to return to the castle, I suppose now is the time. I have been meaning to speak with you tonight about the upcoming term. It seems we are short a professor yet again."

"I'm sorry, Headmaster, I didn't mean to monopolize his time this evening," Hermione said quickly. And in truth, she hadn't. She'd not even realized how much time had passed as they spoke.

"Nonsense, my dear. I can't imagine Severus minded at all. But if you'll excuse us, we really should be getting back. I wouldn't want to give my Potions Master an excuse to skip tomorrow morning's staff meeting." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled merrily, even as the trademark scowl appeared on Severus' face.

Hermione, however, returned the Headmaster's smile. "Right then, Happy Christmas, Professors," she said.

"Happy Christmas, Miss Granger," Severus returned, with a tight nod in her direction. He turned back to Dumbledore to see an odd smirk playing around the man's lips. "Do not even begin to lecture me, old man," he said threateningly, as soon as Hermione was out of earshot.

Dumbledore chuckled again, but kept his thoughts to himself. He had learned years ago that meddling in Severus' business was a risky proposition at best. Particularly when it was clear that Severus himself was not quite sure about his business.