Hermione and Ginny pulled out their wands and got rid of the soot on each other's robes. They were in Hermione's office, having only just flooed there from the Burrow. It had been an excellent Christmas for both of them, and they smiled at each other as they tucked their wands away again. Kreacher had moved their things back to their rooms so they were free of luggage.
They linked arms and left the office, headed for the Great Hall. They would be just in time to make it to their tables for dinner. They stepped into the Great Hall and split up, Ginny heading to the Gryffindor table while Hermione walked past all the student tables and made her way to the staff table. She sank into her chair beside Severus, who was smirking in the direction of the Slytherin students once again. As soon as she sat he turned and looked at her. He didn't smile, but his smirk vanished. Hermione wanted him to hold her, pull her into his arms, but knew that it wouldn't be wise to behave so in front of students.
The meal seemed to go rather quickly, with Hermione and Ginny exchanging glances constantly throughout the meal. Ginny was bursting to tell the other girls at the Gryffindor table, Hermione could tell, but she had promised to keep quiet about it wait until people noticed Hermione's ring. When the meal was over the students started to leave and some of the staff members did as well. Pomona and Neville came up to see how she was after her holiday, and Neville kept quiet about his knowledge of the engagement like Ginny did. Hermione thanked him with her eyes and he grinned before he walked away. Severus rose from his seat and watched the students filing out of the Great Hall.
Minerva walked up to Hermione and asked how her holiday had been.
"It was wonderful," Hermione said, smiling. "And yours?"
The headmistress smiled. "It was as usual; few students around to watch and a bit of free time away from classes and some of the normal responsibilities."
Hermione nodded.
Minerva smiled again and excused herself. "I need to speak to Filius," she said, and turned to the half-goblin.
Hermione turned away from the table, seeing that Severus was talking to another group of staff, and started walking towards the large doors to leave the Great Hall. She hadn't gone far when Minerva remembered that she hadn't said all she wanted to. Hurrying to catch up to her young colleague, the headmistress was only a few steps behind and reached out, touching Hermione's arm. "I had nearly forgotten," she said, "When classes begin again you will-" she stopped mid-sentence, staring at Hermione's left hand.
When the younger witch had turned around, the light had caught the emerald on her ring and drawn the headmistress' eyes. Hermione stood, knowing that the ring had been spotted and not having a clue as to what she ought to expect Minerva's reaction to be. The headmistress continued to stare at the ring for another moment before her eyes flew to Hermione's face. "Severus?" she asked softly, sounding as if she was too shocked to use her usual, authoritive voice.
Hermione nodded, nervously biting her lip and giving a small smile.
The headmistress looked around the Great Hall. All of the students had left and only a few staff members—including Severus—were still at the table, standing around and talking. Hermione jumped and stepped back in surprise when Minerva whipped around and boomed, "Severus Snape!"
The talking at the staff table ceased, and everyone turned to look at Hermione and Minerva. Hermione was speechless; it appeared that the headmistress had just lost her usually perfect composure.
"In my office, immediately, Severus!" she said just, nearly yelling because she was talking so loudly.
Hermione swallowed, she felt suddenly very afraid of the witch standing beside her. Why did she seem so upset?
The two women waited in the middle of the Great Hall while Severus walked to them, taking long strides and looking calm. Hermione found no solace in the fact that he looked completely collected, knowing his talent at masking his emotions. She knew her face wasn't exactly the picture of composure, and that was enough to make her nervous. Severus reached them and stopped, looking down at the headmistress. "Is something the matter, Minerva?" he asked coolly.
Without a word, Minerva took a deep breath and turned her back on them, walking towards the large doors. They followed in silence. Hermione glanced at Severus, and he was looking back. His expression was serious, and he didn't seem in the least bit perturbed by the headmistress' behavior. Hermione searched his face, but found nothing that was either reason to feel comfort or panic, so she settled for looking serene and unruffled as he did.
She led them to her office, and they entered, deciding not to sit before her desk. She didn't go behind it to sit down, but instead turned to face them as soon as they were in her office and the door was closed. Hermione looked from one to the other. Severus raised an eyebrow at Minerva, still looking calm. "Do tell what the excitement is," he drawled lazily after a moment. Hermione watched their faces, eyes darting back and forth between them.
Minerva took a deep breath. "I knew you had mild affections for one another, but never did I imagine that you would actually . . ." she trailed off, her gaze resting on Hermione's left hand again.
"Mild affections," Severus repeated, looking amused. "Minerva, I did say I loved her, did I not?"
The headmistress was still staring avidly at the ring on Hermione's finger. She didn't look up, but did answer. "You did," she said simply. "However, I admit I didn't think it was something that would last . . ."
Severus looked more amused than before. "You doubt my ability to be affectionate," he said. It was more a statement than a question.
Minerva said nothing for a moment, though her face confirmed his words. "Perhaps I was mistaken," she began again, "but this is truly ridiculous! Before, it was only strange and unusual. As I said, I assumed it would end rather quickly. But I had no idea that you actually loved . . ." she looked up at Hermione's face and studied her for a moment. She pursed her lips, seeming to come to a decision. "This is preposterous. Both of you know it won't do. You are both being absurd by suggesting that I would just allow you to do something so ludicrous and unreasonable."
She looked from Severus to Hermione. Neither of her colleagues reacted the way she wanted. She sighed and looked at Hermione again. It wasn't that she had anything against love, and there was nothing lawfully wrong about their wanting to be married, but . . . she couldn't just let this happen. Minerva was thinking fast. Her mind was reeling. There had to be something, some way to keep them apart. She didn't want to cause hurt or split up a relationship, but Hermione was still so young! She had only just turned eighteen a few months before, and was hardly old enough to know what true love was. And even if it was acceptable for an eighteen-year-old to marry, Severus was twice her age! He was old enough to be her own father!
And Hermione was the brightest witch of her age. She deserved an intellectual young man who would live as long as she would and who could offer her a good life. Not that she had anything against Severus, but she had seen his home in Spinner's End before. It was horrid and dark and just not right for a young woman to call home. And he wasn't paid much, even with his jobs as a professor and brewing potions for others than just the school. He might be one of the best potion masters Minerva had ever seen, but he was given far too small a salary to truly give Hermione the things she would want. Then again . . . Minerva studied Hermione's face again. But no, she was young and foolish and would believe that she and Severus could get by on love alone. She knew nothing of the real world yet . . .
"Minerva," Severus broke the silence and the headmistress' train of thought, "While I'm flattered that you are so bent on finding something legal to use against us, I'm afraid you'll be unsuccessful. And while I do feel privileged to receive your insulting my name and myself by not believing that I can provide for Hermione, I would like it to stop."
"This is madness," Minerva said, looking desperately between them. "Hermione," she looked to the younger witch, "You have your whole life ahead of you. You can do great things, change the wizarding world. But not if you choose this"—she glanced at Severus—"life."
Hermione frowned. "Please," she said, actually looking a bit amused herself. "I can do all of those things and more if I choose that life," and she turned and smiled at Severus. Before the headmistress could say more she went on, "And I am old enough to make my own decisions, thank you. I know what I'm doing," and she held up her hand, displaying the ring.
Minerva looked pleadingly at the young woman who had once been her student. "Hermione," she said again.
"I won't be wasted potential, either," Hermione cut in before the older witch could say more.
Severus raised his eyebrows, watching the two women. Now they were having a silent battle, Minerva begging and pleading with her eyes for Hermione to stop what was happening, and Hermione giving a firm refusal with hers. At last Minerva seemed to give up. She sighed and turned to the portrait of Dumbledore on the wall. He had watched the entire argument with an interested expression on his face. "Albus, convince them. Convince her," the headmistress said pleadingly, waving at hand at the portrait and walking behind her desk to sit down. She looked at them as if she were suddenly very tired.
Hermione and Severus looked at the portrait. "Severus," he said, looking to the potions master first. "You love her?"
Severus looked amused, but nodded once, his eyebrows arched as he tilted his chin.
Dumbledore's penetrating blue eyes flashed to Hermione. "And you?"
Hermione didn't know why, but she found herself smiling. "I love him."
The portrait Dumbledore nodded. He scrutinized them for another moment before saying, "Then congratulations! When is the date for the wedding?"
Hermione was so surprised she clapped a hand over her mouth and Severus raised his eyebrows again.
Minerva stood up suddenly. "Albus!" she screeched, obviously furious and shocked.
He turned and looked at her, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose and looking over them at her. "I tried, Minerva," he said despairingly. "Alas, they cannot be swayed."
Hermione put another hand over her mouth to suppress the sudden urge to giggle.
Minerva lifted her hands and rubbed her temples. She sighed. Then she looked at the two people in her office. "Please, both of you, think this over before you do anything drastic." She addressed them both but looked pointedly at Hermione. Then she waved a hand dismissively at them and sat down at her desk, looking over some papers.
Hermione looked at Severus, who offered his arm. She took it, smiling at him, and they walked out of the office together. They walked back to the teachers' lounge and Severus walked her to her door. There was no one else in the lounge, so she threw her arms around his neck and pressed her face into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, not quite so much that she was unable to breathe but still holding her tight. When he let go enough for her to look up at him, she stared at him for a moment. "Kiss me?"
He raised an eyebrow, amused by the pleading look in her eyes, and obliged.
She started to open her door and stopped, looking over the new carving in her door for the first time. Severus watched her expression carefully. She seemed awed and thrilled by the beautiful doe now bounding where her otter had once swam. She seemed lost in her own world as she lifted her hand, tracing the intricate details of the carving with a finger. Unbeknownst to him, she was thinking back to the day that she had first seen his patronus, when she had been sitting with Crookshanks and had run to his room, wondering what the matter was as he was still recovering. She was both amused and abhorred by the memory of having to use magic to lift Severus from the bathtub. Of course, she hadn't seen anything other than his back and then his torso, but the thought of it still brought a considerable amount of color to her face.
Severus noticed this and then it occurred to him what she must be thinking of. When she looked back to him her face was still rather red and he arched an eyebrow. She saw that he knew what she'd been thinking of and blushed even deeper. He looked down at her, amused by how mortified she seemed.
In spite of the fact that he knew what she was thinking of, and she knew it, he asked, "Remembering past times when I loathed your very existence, are you?"
Her face was scarlet. She looked down at the ground, but the color in her cheeks didn't fade and the burning sensation in them didn't either. She looked back up when he pressed a hand against her cheek, drawing back and then feeling her forehead. "You seem rather warm. Do you feel well?"
Hermione shook her head. "I'm fine."
He smirked at her. "I daresay you're ailing."
Hermione frowned at him, and to her relief, her face began turning back to its normal color. "I daresay I am not."
He put his hand on her cheek again and continued smirking. "Now your skin has cooled. Perhaps you are fine."
Hermione shook her head at him. "You're dreadful," she muttered as she hugged him.
He chuckled and said, "Indeed I am," before putting his arms around her and pulling her in again. He kissed the top of her head then and released her, stepping away.
"Goodnight," Hermione said, opening her door.
"Goodnight," he replied, walking to his own rooms after she had disappeared into hers.
The next morning Hermione was seated at her desk when the first class of the day—Slytherin sixth years—came in. She smiled at them, as usual, and they glared back, as usual. A few of them smiled back or smirked, but not very many liked her. She stood up and looked over her students. She surprised them all when instead of starting class as they normally did, she asked how their Christmas had been. Because it was a group of Slytherin students, only the few who had smiled at her dared to raise a hand and talk briefly about something in particular that made their holiday grand.
She clasped her hands in front of her most of the time, smiling as she waited for them to tell about their experience. When no other hands flew into the air, she asked them to open their books and read along as she spoke. She didn't need her own book to read out of, as she'd memorized every word that the author had written and could quote it without flaw. She folded her arms as she spoke, leaning back against her desk and addressing her students. She failed to realize that her left hand was showing when she did this and whoever looked up from their book at her found their eyes drawn to something that caught the light, something on her finger.
There was an audible gasp from the back of the room when one of the students realized what they were looking at, but when Hermione looked in the direction that the sound had come from, all of the students in that area were looking around as if they didn't know who it was. Hermione knew that one of them was guilty and that the others were doing him or her a rare favor by keeping them concealed. "Is something the matter?" she asked, looking from one student to the next in that corner of the room.
No one said anything or answered her. She gazed around the room, making eye contact with each student before her, and then shrugged and went back into her lecture after telling them once again to read along. She noticed that it was a more common occurrence for a student to lift his or her head and look at her than before but didn't guess the reason for this immediately. Rather, it took her until nearly the end of class, still quoting the book, to realize why they were behaving so.
As soon as class was over they all grabbed their things and most of them walked quickly from the room, whispering and muttering among themselves and throwing glances back at Hermione over their shoulders. She ignored them; shocked and surprised reactions were to be expected when they saw that she was wearing a ring and realized that she must be engaged.
Throughout the rest of the day Slytherins were glaring at her and glowering even more viciously than before. It seemed that the word of her engagement to Severus had spread through their house like wildfire and not one of them was ignorant of the new installment in their relationship. The Hufflepuffs caught wind of things from the Slytherins and by the end of the day, the entire school was buzzing with the news. And it seemed that students—mostly Slytherin, Hermione suspected—were being less that quiet about their new knowledge when around the other staff members.
She heard, by way of listening to the students' whispers and mutterings, that Hufflepuff had lost fifty points in a single class because the three girls who loved Hermione and Severus' love for each other hadn't been able to keep themselves quiet or focus on their potions while in class. Hermione smiled to herself as she graded papers, her quill scratching along the parchment as she did. Severus was probably furious that the news had caused problems with his teaching, but then again he was never exactly completely pleased with his students, either.
That night in the Great Hall there was more of a hum of talk than usual from the students and it took a few seconds after Minerva stood to address them for quiet to come. The staff had all been trying to glance covertly at Hermione's ring, but they were failing because she and Severus were aware of every single stare his present for her received from their colleagues. When the meal was over it seemed that Pomona was the only one of the staff members who was unafraid of directly addressing the situation, and she walked right up to Hermione and asked if she could look at the ring. Hermione nodded and held out her hand, which the older witch took and inspected carefully.
"It is a beautiful thing," she said, her eyes returning to Hermione's face. She leaned closer, eyeing Severus, who was standing only a few paces behind Hermione, and asked, "Are you sure you want this? Marriage? So young, and with Severus of all people?"
Her questions were direct but her voice made it clear that she wasn't judging Hermione either way. "I'm sure," Hermione said in return.
Pomona nodded and sighed, looking slightly crestfallen, but smiled and stepped away to speak to Filius. Neville walked up and looked at her. They held each other's gaze for a moment before he said, "I'm happy for you, if this is what you want."
Hermione nodded and smiled. "Thanks Neville."
Severus came up and offered her his arm, and she took it, smiling again at Neville before she and Severus walked out of the Great Hall and down to the teachers' quarters. They stopped, as usual, outside of Hermione's door. Hermione glanced around the room. Sybill Trelawney was seated at the desk in the corner of the room, but she seemed quite wrapped up in reading signs in the tealeaves at the bottom of her cup.
Hermione hugged Severus and he pulled her close. "Goodnight," he said quietly into her hair.
She sighed into his chest, turning her face to look up at him. "I hate saying goodnight," she whispered.
He smirked, looking amused. "And why is that?"
Hermione smirked back before she bit her lip. "Because in a way, it's like saying goodbye."
He frowned at her. "It is saying goodbye," he said quietly, "but only for the night."
Hermione buried her face in his chest again and took a deep breath, losing herself momentarily in his scent, the very thing about him that had first enticed and attracted her to him.
Severus buried his nose in her unruly curls and heaved a sigh just as she did.
Hermione smiled at this, and he smirked. Hermione glanced at Sybill to be sure she wasn't watching them and then stood on her toes to kiss Severus. Even on tiptoe and clinging to the front of his cloak to pull herself up, her lips barely reached his. He leaned down, allowing her to relinquish her hold on his cloak and put her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss.
Severus tensed, sensing that Sybill was moving from her place at the desk, and broke the kiss, but didn't take his arms from around Hermione. He didn't look at the divination teacher, staring into Hermione's eyes instead and losing himself there. She had the most beautiful, dark brown, bright and shining eyes that were like a mixture of chocolate and honey. He had no idea that at the same time as he was thinking these things, she was admiring his eyes, knowing that her own eyes were light in color compared to how dark and beautiful Severus' were.
They were taken back to reality when a voice said from an uncomfortably close place near them, "I predicted this, you know," causing Hermione to jump. Severus had known Sybill was making her way towards them and was mildly irked by her presence. He was rather annoyed that she had interrupted such a perfect moment.
Severus stared her down, and she blinked enormously magnified eyes behind her large, thick glasses. "Did you?" he asked, sounding completely bored.
Sybill apparently completely overlooked or failed to notice his tone of voice and uninterested facial expression. "Yes," she said, sounding rather pleased with herself.
Hermione had been a bit too shocked at first to pull away from Severus, and now she just didn't care what Sybill thought. This was the professor at the school who had only taught Hermione for one year because Hermione had traded classes at the first opportunity. Divination was such a load of rubbish. "When did you predict it?" she asked, sounding much more polite and interested than she intended.
Sybill looked proud of herself. "Quite a while ago, dear, though I wouldn't expect you to understand such important things as predicting future events."
"Of course not," Hermione said, looking sagely at the older witch. "And what, exactly, was your prediction?"
Sybill stuck her nose in the air and said, "I foresaw that two of the staff here would develop a close relationship."
"Oh," Hermione said, deciding she liked the idea of messing with the head of the fraudulent witch in front of her. "Well then you must have foreseen me and Neville, then."
Sybill's eye twitched. "What?" she jerked her head in Hermione's direction, having been gazing dramatically at the wall.
"Neville and I," Hermione repeated. Then she explained, "We were friends before the war, but since he's become part of the staff he and I have become close friends."
The divination teacher looked speechless for a moment, struck dumb by Hermione's correction of her prediction. She muttered something about feeling the sight urging her to sit down so that she could see something important and turned away, hurrying in the direction of her room and closing her door loudly behind her.
When Hermione looked back to Severus he was smirking. "Well done," he said, causing her to laugh. She was getting used to his often dry humor and finding it rather funny nowadays.
Severus was leaning down to kiss her again when the door to the lounge opened. He straightened and nodded to her, looking irked at the untimely arrival of most of the other staff. He released Hermione and took a step away from her, much to her distaste, but it was a good move because when Pomona, Filius, Neville, Rolanda Hooch, and Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank entered they eyed the two of them suspiciously. Rather, Neville was the only one who didn't look suspicious. He just grinned at Hermione, nodded nervously to Severus, and headed for his door.
Severus waited until the lounge was empty again and kissed Hermione's head, bidding her goodnight before he watched her enter her rooms and then went to his own.
Hermione went to her bedroom and changed, sitting on the edge of her bed and petting Crookshanks. She conjured a silver doe for him to play with and watched them frolicking together through her quarters. She lost interest in watching them soon enough though, and sighed, longing for the day when she and Severus would say goodnight but wouldn't be in separate places after that, or wouldn't bid each other goodnight at all. As she had said earlier, she hated saying goodnight. Perhaps when they were married she would ask him to never say it to her again . . .
Hermione knew that she'd only been engaged for two days, but already it felt like an eternity away that they would be married. And when would they? Severus had never mentioned a date or suggested a time of year, and she was clueless about how long he wanted to wait before their wedding. She turned out the lights and smiled when Crookshanks could be seen bounding towards the bed, his fur shining and reflecting the light of the patronus trotting beside him. When he jumped into the bed and curled up beside Hermione the doe disappeared into the darkness and only the dying embers of the fire lit the rooms.
Hermione laid back and stared into the darkness, imagining what it would be like to sleep beside Severus all night. Not talking, not even moving, just resting and knowing that he was there, feeling safe and satisfied in his presence. Knowing as she fell asleep that he would be there in the morning, perhaps even resting her head on his shoulder or his chest, and he might have his arms around her . . .
She drifted off, dreaming about what life would be like as Mrs. Severus Snape.
I haven't got much to say other than to ask you to please review if you have a moment. Thanks again to you all for reading my story and to everyone who has reviewed in the past, thank you, thank you, thank you! It means the world to me when you review. Any questions, comments, advice or corrections are more than welcome! Love you all! ~Taelr