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Chapter 20: Graduation, a Question and the Reaction
Two years, two long slow years, had finally gone by.
Hermione Granger had been waiting for this time to come; this meant graduation, which meant she was out of school. Now most people would think that it was very unlike Hermione to want to leave Hogwarts so badly, unless they knew her personally. Many a student who knew of the studious Gryffindor had questioned her wish to leave, and she had answered them all the same.
"You'll just have to wait for graduation. You can get the surprise then like the rest."
Not that kept the questions at bay; more questions had risen, wondering what their Head Girl could possibly be planning.
'Oh yes, they will definitely be surprised,' she though, an amused smile on her face whenever they asked.
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"Hermione, you look beautiful."
She turned around, facing the person who had made the comment.
"Severus, what are you doing here?"
She and Severus had grown to relax around each other once again, just as they had been in the past. Hermione had spent the last two years having 'private lessons' with the man before her, if that's what you'd like to call them. While she had practiced far more complicated potions, it had also been a way to get to know the other, though not in a way either of them would like. They had both agreed that waiting would be far better then a trial from the Board of Governors and that they would do nothing else then give the other the occasional hug.
Hermione had accepted this far sooner before Severus had; she doubted that he ever accepted not being able to touch her. Not that she was pleased with the matter, far from it, but she knew now that it was only a few short hours until they could reveal themselves to those who don't know. She grinned thinking of the reactions they would create from the student body, not to mention the staff. No one, excluding the obvious, knew of their relationship as Dumbledore had deemed it safer if as fewer people as possible knew, least it reach to the ears of a student.
"Surely I'm allowed to see you before you graduate Hermione? If there's a rule against that I'd like to know it."
"Terribly sorry, Severus. Next time, kindly inform me of – Severus what is that?" Hermione said suddenly.
She was looking down at the snake ring she had given him while in the past (thanks to ProperT for reminding me about it!). He had began to wear it again after they sorted themselves, or rather Severus sorted himself, out and kept it on his ring finger. While it was still there it seemed to be different in some way. It only took Hermione a few seconds to work it out…
"I assumed that this is what you do with a ring; you wear it," Severus replied, smirking at her shocked expression.
'Oh sure you are wearing it. It's where you're wearing it that has me confused.'
"You know damn well that's not what I meant Severus."
"Well you did ask a rather stupid question, Mione," he said, clearly enjoying her annoyance.
He moved himself closer to her, his hand going into his pocket as he went.
'Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god…' Hermione thought, looking over at Severus, feeling faint. 'Is he?'
After a muttered word Severus looked up.
"Open your locket."
'Of all the bloody…'
"What?"
"Come now Hermione, surely you can do that."
Glaring over at Severus she slowly opened her locket. Nothing was there that was out of the ordinary, the pictures still moved as they did before, though the outer edge of one of the sides seemed brighter. Looking up at Severus her glare intensified, her stance screaming disappointment and confusion.
"What am I supposed to be seeing, Sevvie?"
He looked at her in slight disbelief, though the look didn't last. Severus seemed to think of something and smiled at her lightly.
"Open that locket again, not now, but right after you graduate. Look at all of it carefully."
With that being said he turned around and walked out the door, stopping briefly to nod at Harry who had just been about to nock. Harry watched until he disappeared around the corner and walked into the room.
"Hello Harry."
"Hi Hermione, what's wrong?" Harry said, frowning slightly at his best friend.
"Oh, nothing. Honestly Harry," she added, seeing his look of disbelief. "I'm fine, so stop worrying."
For the sake of his friend Harry let the subject go. He looked over at Hermione who finishing adjusting her dress robes.
"All ready for graduation then?"
"Definitely. I can't wait for all this to be over," Hermione's mood lifted immediately at the mention of graduating, her previous annoyance at Severus gone.
"I can't wait for it all to begin. You know that there will be complete madness when you and Sna – Severus, sorry – come out into the open," Harry still had difficulty saying his former most hated teachers name, but he was slowly getting used to it.
"Yeah, it should be great. Harry look at the time! We've got ten minutes to get down there!"
Both turned to the door and ran as fast as they could, making it with only a few minutes to spare.
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"Miss Hermione Granger," Albus Dumbledore called.
Grinning, Hermione made her way to the front stage that had been set up in the grounds. As she walked along the line of professors, shaking their hands or hugging the occasional teacher that she was closer to, Dumbledore read out her achievements at the school and finished by saying that she was to apprentice under Professor McGonagall, and later become the Transfiguration Professor.
When she reached the headmaster and received her certificate she beamed at the applause she received, along with a few gasps. Her grin grew as she realised that many would have noticed that Lucius was clapping as well and that the confusion was bound to spread as more began to notice. Hermione made her way over to where those who had graduated were to go, standing next to Jasmyn Gordon and clapped with the rest as Daphne Greengrass walked forward.
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When nobody was around her, Hermione remembered what Severus had said to her before he had left her room.
"Open that locket again, not now, but right after you graduate. Look at all of it carefully."
Glancing around to see if anyone was watching, Hermione opened up the small locket and peered inside. Once more she saw nothing out of the ordinary, though the shiny edge seemed to call out to her. Curious, she carefully touched the edge and found that it moved and gasped as her nail found a small gap between that edge and the other one. Hooking her nail inside the gap she lifted it slowly, trying not to damage the locket as she went. She smiled down at the small ring that now sat in her hand in surprise, admiring it.
The ring was simple but unique, not really connecting but still moving in a circular way, a small lioness engraved with little detail, her tail in her mouth. A pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist and she leaned back, smiling up at the man behind her.
"I was beginning to worry if I had taken my Slytherin cunning too far when you didn't figure it out the first time," Severus whispered.
"'Foolish wand-waving', Severus? I never would have thought that you would have resorted to it," Hermione teased.
"So are you going to put it on, or are you just going to stare at it?"
"Seeing as we have an audience, I think I might just do that," she said nodding to the rest of the students, parents and teachers who were all watching, disbelief obvious in their eyes, which grew wider as she slipped the ring onto her finger. A very significant finger.
Smiling, Hermione turned around in Severus' arms and tilted her head up and, just before their lips touched, whispered load enough for everyone to hear.
"You don't have any excuses now Sev."
Severus didn't answer her, not verbally anyway. He leaned down and closed the distance between them, and kissed her. After a minute or two the pair broke away and turned to stare at everyone who, in turn, was staring at them.
"What the bloody hell?"
"Are you mental Granger?"
"Severus, how could you? Explain yourself," a professor called out.
On the other side of the room, a very different reaction had taken place.
"'Bout time Mione!"
"Same to you Severus, took you long enough," came the drawling voice of Draco, whose arm was around Ginny.
"Yes Severus, what ever took you so long?" Lucius smirked.
Hermione turned to the rest of the crowd after beaming at her friends.
"Everyone you have three options: you can accept it, leave it or–"
"Go to hell," Severus finished.
She turned frowning over at Severus who just smirked back.
"Not exactly what I was going to say but either way, they were going to have them same meaning at any rate. Now Severus, I think that we should go before you give them another heart attack," Hermione said grinning.
Severus nodded quietly and, after one more kiss, the two walked away from the crowd, who were still staring at them in shock, and headed up to the Room of Requirement, thinking about a moment back into the past and away from the present.
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And that's all! I have started a sequel, it is called Staying in the Present, Looking to the Future, please check it out! I hope that the final chapter was as good, and hopefully better, then the ones before it. Thank you to all who have stuck with the story from the beginning and those who reviewed!
Lady of Elysion