A/N: About an hour later than planned, but you guys still love me, right? I'm at work. :/

Chapter Nine

Hermione tried to set the "Godmother thing" as she called it aside to work on the job she was actually employed to cover.

Most nights, she even steered clear of the library.

Tonight she sat in a slightly tattered, overstuffed chair with her pencil and paper. Normally pen was her method of choice but she found herself erasing and rewriting often while she solidified on paper the events that took place over her seven years in school. At first she had just been going to cover what transpired after Voldemort took over the school, but in order to do it justice, she needed to start at the beginning.

Seven years was a lot of ground to cover, and it was only a portion of Hogwarts' history as a whole. But she was determined to do her small part justice.

She chewed on the end of the pencil while debating if she should erase that line or leave it in. What was a critical detail? It felt as though she wasn't just writing history, she was writing a warning to future students. The future Hermiones who would look to this book as a source of guidance that could potentially derail a future Voldemort while he wass still Tom Riddle.

She frowned at the sound of a knock on her door. It was a difficult passage she was working on – the troll in her first year —and she really didn't want to be interrupted. Leaving her cozy blanket behind, she opened the door to find Severus there, taking up almost the whole doorframe.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

At her somewhat cold and startled greeting, he crossed his arms and looked down his nose. "Am I such an unwelcome guest?"

"Well, no. Just unexpected." She stepped back and motioned him through the door, but he didn't enter.

"I didn't come by for an idle chat. I saw this and thought you may have use for it."

He held a book out to her that she took reflexively. It was a book, after all. The fact that the owner was previously a shady Death Eater turncoat that she had a tenuous friendship with was unimportant.

She looked at the title. Hogwarts: A Beginning. It looked far older than anything she had come across so far. Hermione brought it to the table and set it down gently, beginning to leaf through the contents.

"You aren't even going to test it first?" he asked in a sarcastic tone from the doorway.

Hermione looked at him, seeming to remember he was there. "Do I need to?"

He ignored the little part of him that lit up when she implied that she trusted him. "You shouldn't trust anyone."

"Well, I do," she told him with a dismissive shrug.

When she looked up at the door again, he was gone.

With a frown, she continued her writings, determined not to go looking for him, no matter how much she wanted to. And that wanting was bothering her a bit.

As for Severus, he would never admit that the reason he left was his desire to stay. He knew that in no time at all, she would look up at him with questions about the origin of the book and what he knew of the school. Soon, he would be offered tea and a place on her couch, which he knew he would accept. Even though he was aware of the folly of his actions, he couldn't quite keep away from her completely. Something was calling him back to her, time and time again.

As Hermione returned to her work, she fondled the coins in the purse on the end table. She didn't pull them out, though she felt the tingle she was beginning to learn meant there would be work for her soon. But nothing urgent and that was just fine with her. As much as she loved the satisfaction of helping others, she really did have to start penning down her own history or she would be answering her own wish for a break from wish giving.

She was able to keep up her break from Severus for almost two days. They were both present at the evening meal, making Hermione cringe. The one time she really didn't want to see him, so of course, there he was.

After an afternoon spent outdoors with Neville, she wasn't exactly looking her best. She had taken Neville up on his offer to see the fringe areas of the grounds, looking for anything overlooked or added since the last edition of Hogwarts: A History. It was a good refresher for him as well as her, and she knew that anywhere Neville was should be guaranteed Severus-free. While she had been able to pull away from the school-girl image he held of her, Neville had thus far not been as fortunate.

Since she was still trying to digest the bit of information that suggested she might be seeing him as more romantic than his school image as well, a day in the autumn sunshine with Neville sounded perfect. While the stroll outdoors seemed to be exactly what she needed, she hadn't considered the fact she hadn't done much in the way of exercise in the last few months. She was tired and sore, still trying to catch her breath after the hike back. They also explored areas that left her in quite a state of dishevelment. She had been through the edges of the Forbidden Forest, mucking around by the lake, and trekking across the battle scarred land. By the end, she was ravenous.

Without a thought, she entered the hall, only to see Severus in his chair and looking at her expectantly. She joined him without a word, pretending she couldn't feel him giving her the once over, then her pulled a stick from her hair, giving her a disgusted frown.

Maybe she should have taken time to shower first. Or taken a bath. A hot bath. She was going to hurt later.

"Had a bit of adventure today, Hermione?"

She grimaced. "I spent the day with Neville."

"Ah," can his curt reply. "Certainly no more explanation is needed."

He seemed to be finished with his meal, as before she could reply, he stood to leave again. He kept leaving.

Her cheerful mood was gone. It was obvious she was showing more of the teenage girl she was than the mature young woman she was turning into. Well, sod it. She was having a cauldron cake before her meal. She had earned it. And afterwards, she would take the hot soak in the tub she should have done before. Maybe she would even bring a novel to read for pleasure instead of the history books she had been devoting herself to.

Finishing off a healthy-sized portion of shepherd's pie after her cauldron cake, she took a trip upstairs for her night things before heading to the bath. After giving some food to Crookshanks, she noticed a few extra items on her coffee table.

A few small bottles, no labels. Curious, she held them to the light and then cast a few basic diagnostic charms. They seemed benign.

Opening each to smell, there was a muscle relaxer, a pain reliever…and what Hermione could only assume was bubble bath. The bottles were still warm.

A soft smile crept across her face. Only one person could cook up three potions so soon after dinner. Was this where he had gone to?

There was no note or indication of their origin. Obviously, he wanted to remain anonymous. She wouldn't thank him outright, but she would make sure to find a way to return the favor.

Once down in the bath, she took her personal items out of her pockets before the elves took her clothes and was reminded of her little coin purse, setting it on the edge of the tub. While sipping a glass of juice, she looked at the coins again. The tingle she felt was much stronger now, and she identified which one was calling to her.

I wish we could be open about our relationship – R.H.

Hermione frowned. The name wasn't spelled out but the date was recent. Perhaps it was a secret because the wisher was afraid to be known. She racked her brain for current R. H.'s in the castle. The only two coming to mind were Hooch…and Hagrid, she thought with revulsion. Hagrid wouldn't make sense anyhow as she was pretty sure he was still dating Madame Maxime.

"So, Hooch?" she thought. Who could she be seeing?

Another teacher, maybe? Perhaps from another school? A girl, perhaps? The wizarding world was pretty quiet on same-sex couples, most not even knowing that Dumbledore had such leanings until Skeeter's book came out. A student? That would cause quite the scandal for sure. But who would know? It seemed she was trying to keep it a secret.

Her first thought was to ask those who knew everything in the castle. "Dobby?" she asked.

In popped the elf. "Miss is calling for Dobby? Is you needing something?" he asked with his large ears flapping.

"Dobby, is Madam Hooch seeing someone?"

The elf was quiet for a moment. That was certainly not what he had expected her to say. After a pause, he anxiously answered, "Dobby should not be saying!"

"Did anyone tell you not to?" she pressed.

The elf fidgeted. "Well, no. But Dobby doesn't want to make trouble for Madam!"

"I'm not going to get anyone in trouble if I can help it, Dobby. And I'm not in a position of power. You know you can trust me, just like Harry does."

Mentioning Harry was the trick and he visibly calmed. "Harry does trust Miss, and Dobby will too. Madam is seeing Harper, Miss, but is secret!" He snapped his fingers and disappeared before she could ask him any more questions.

Harper? The Slytherin seventh year? The female Slytherin seventh year? Hermione was astonished and sank a little lower in her warm water.

No wonder she hadn't said anything. Hooch was dating a student. Unbelievable.

She reached over the side of the tub, careful to keep the dripping to a minimum and grabbed the Hogwarts: A History she had brought with her just in case. Old habits died hard.

She searched through the book until her water was cold but didn't find much in the way of teacher relationships. Some of the professors were mentioned to be married, and there was a scandal with one headmaster and a goblin, but not much was stated otherwise.

She couldn't believe there had never been any dating going on at the school. Was it just not mentioned or was it all swept under the rug?

And then another rapid-fire thought hit her. How was she supposed to resolve this?

After quickly drying off, acknowledging that she felt much better thanks to Severus, she put on a robe and snuck up into the library, of course.

But hours of searching through books she was vastly familiar with gave her no answers. There simply wasn't anything on record forbidding a student and professor relationship. Perhaps it was something everyone just assumed would regulate itself.

Early the next morning, Hermione greeted the gargoyle and interrupted Minerva over her morning tea. "Good morning, Headmistress. I hate to bother you but I have a question I couldn't find the answer to in the library."

"Well," Minerva told her, "if you couldn't find it in a book, it's unlikely I can help you!"

Hermione smirked. It's true that if the answer had been there, she would have found it. "It's actually a questions about Hogwarts."

"For the book?"

"It's possible. I haven't been able to find any information on teacher/student relationships. Are they forbidden?"

Minerva chuckled. "No, not forbidden. Infrequent, but not forbidden. I was actually married briefly between the wars. To my former boss from the Ministry if you can imagine! We had the quaintest cottage in Hogsmeade. But then he passed suddenly, and I found myself back here. No, Hermione, teachers are allowed social lives. We just keep it subtle and away from the students."

"I had no idea," Hermione told her old teacher. She was truly flabbergasted. Minerva's husband was never spoken of. What else went on that she didn't know about or wasn't in the history books? "I know you said you were his former employee, but what about a student or former student?"

Minerva peered at Hermione as if trying to glean something through Legilimency. "Is there something you need to tell me, Hermione?"

Suddenly at that moment, she realized that it wasn't just Hooch and Harper she was asking for. The answers would quite possibly pertain to Severus and herself! Her breath hitched as the realization hit her. She had slowly been acknowledging the fact she that had a crush on her professor, but it was absurd to think it would be returned.

"No. I'm not inquiring for myself, I assure you," she said with a blush. Perhaps at a later date, but it would be presumptuous to say anything today. "What about gay or lesbian couples?"

"Och, there have been a fair few of them over the years as well, besides dear Albus, who never had a relationship while Headmaster. He was busy enough, I daresay. But there are witches and wizards who go the other way, and both ways, or neither way, and all have taught at Hogwarts at one time or another. I'm afraid that our opinion is often not far from the Muggle world, however, and those of a different persuasion received some backlash. It's not unheard of, though, and we don't forbid it. In fact, for a brief time Hogwarts was staffed exclusively by men. You don't want to know the stories that have been passed down from that time."

No, she certainly didn't. "And a student?" she asked, returning to the previous topic.

"There is nothing forbidding a student who is above legal age to date or marry. There are restrictions for those under age, of course, but in this world, we have a tendency to marry young. Shortly after graduation is common. Anything involving a teacher would have to be handled on a case-by-case basis, depending on whether the teacher was their Head of House or an instructor of a core class. Are you planning on covering this?"

"I certainly hope to if I can find enough information," Hermione said. "I'm sure things like this have happened before, but I can't find anything."

"Oh, it has. Whether or not it's tolerated is generally up to the popular opinion of the time," Minerva said, which gave Hermione another idea.

Shortly after, she excused herself so that they could both get breakfast. Instead of meeting in the Great Hall, however, Hermione broke her fast in her room while her pen scribbled furiously.

She wrote a letter to the wizarding family she knew best, the Weasleys, asking their opinion on the subject. What was the general consensus on May-December relationships? What about the feeling of Hogwarts staff? Would they trust if a student and teacher were serious about pursuing a relationship?

She made it clear these questions were for the book and not herself.

As anxious as she was to get a response, she knew sitting at her desk all day wouldn't make it arrive any faster. She had specifically asked Molly and Arthur to ask around to friends and coworkers. A response would take a few days at the earliest.

Hermione used that time to listen in or casually drop Harper's name into conversation. It turned out it was widely known that she was a lesbian, and it didn't seem like anyone was bothered. She was a Slytherin who played Keeper on the team, but off the field she was quiet and kept to herself. She had a few close friends of different houses. No one let drop that they knew about her and her professor.

Finally on the fourth day, an owl returned with a thick letter in its beak, earning not one but two slices of bacon.

Reading through it quickly, and then once again, taking her time, Hermione felt her anticipation and anxiety release for the first time in days.

It was no secret that Molly and Arthur had married young. So had, it seemed many in the community. And what with all that Hogwarts and its staff, especially people like Professor Snape, did to protect the students from the likes of Voldemort and his ilk, the trust of the public was deep. As long as the parents of the student and the Headmistress were aware and consenting, then they were largely accepting of the relationship.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.

Of course she wasn't going to out the couple to the public. She didn't think that was exactly what Madam Hooch had in mind when she cast her wish. But Hermione could give her the information that she had found and let her know it was okay to be more open if they felt comfortable.

Dear Madam Hooch, Hermione wrote, using her specially made stationary.

Recently, something has been tugging on my heart, and the universe told me it was time to do something about it. Now, in these times when the dark is so fresh a memory, we need all the light we can get, and we get that light with love.

But your love is still kept in the dark.

I want you to be aware of what I found on your behalf.

There is nothing against your relationship with Harper. Nothing forbids it in the statutes of the school. The Headmistress is willing to have an open mind. Even the public is willing to embrace you with open arms as long as the school and her family do as well. And from what I hear, her family is well aware of her proclivities.

There is nothing holding you in the shadows. Step out when you are ready. Be a beacon for others who may also be afraid.

Best wishes,

Your Fairy Godmother.