Severus stalks out from behind the cabinet with all the dignity he can muster. Which isn't much. Of all the sodding ridiculous things she can do, to make him hide behind the cabinet and listen to her conversation! It is a stunt even Albus wouldn't have considered. He glances at the girl. She still has her head down on the desk.
Minerva transfigures him a chair from a paperweight ('showoff,' he thinks) and gestures for him to sit. He does. The girl has stopped crying. Now she is sniffling and snorting and, sitting up, raises her sleeve to her face. This is too much for Severus.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake, here," he says, pushing a handkerchief toward her. Hermione looks at the handkerchief, then at Snape, before dragging her sleeve across her face.
"Really, you two?" says McGonagall, clearly at her wit's end. "How did we go from saving the Wizarding world from one of the greatest threats it has ever faced, to this?!" She gestures between them.
Snape snorts. Hermione shrugs. They both refuse to look at each other.
"I don't understand you, Severus, I really don't," McGonagall says, "You complain ceaselessly about having to teach halfwits and dunderheads. But when a truly gifted, no, brilliant student comes along, you spend those precious years degrading and humiliating her in front of her peers!"
"I had no choice-" Severus hisses, but McGonagall cuts him off.
"Yes, yes, I know but why today?! What possible excuse can you have for abusing her now?" McGonagall is shaking with rage at this point, and Hermione almost begins to feel sorry for Snape. Almost.
"Abuse?" Snape says, spitting out the word with obvious distaste, clearly offended by the accusation.
"Yes, Professor Snape, abuse!" McGonagall is almost shouting now. "Referring to a young female under your authority by a crude name for her genitalia is verbal abuse!"
Snape bows his head at this, and Hermione thinks this is about as much as an admission of acquiescence as McGonagall will get. Then he says, "A brilliant as you think Miss Granger is, I cannot teach her if she doesn't respect me and wish to learn from me."
"Are you pretending you didn't hear our conversation now? Hermione, dear, please tell Professor Snape what you think of him. Tell him what you told me." McGonagall was gentle, but firm.
Hermione's face burns, and she can't look up. But she says it clearly enough. "I think you are brilliant, Professor Snape, and brave. And- I've always wanted to learn from you."
"Thank you, dear. Your honesty is brave. How many points did professor Snape take from you today?"
"Forty," says Hermione, "plus another hundred if he followed through on his threat. Which I'm sure he did." Her head is still down.
"One hundred and fifty points to Griffindor for being honest and brave. You will also serve one night's detention with me for your vulgar remark about Professor Snape made in my presence."
Hermione nods and looks up for the fist time since Snape has entered the room. "Thank you, Professor." It's more than fair.
"Now," says the Headmistress in a more official tone. "You two are both adults and I can't force you to reconcile your differences. Professor Snape is perfectly within his rights to expel you from his classes, Miss Granger. And Miss Granger, is of course perfectly right that she can choose to sit the NEWTS without taking your class, Professor. However, I think it would be a shame if you two were to choose to go that route. And cowardly. You both have a lot to offer each other. So please give me the respect of at least considering my proposals." She turns to face Hermione. "Miss Granger. Will you agree to do the month's worth of detentions if Professor Snape agrees that your time will be spent grading his papers, helping him brew, or under his instruction?"
Hermione doesn't hesitate. "Yes," she says. She looks up at Snape for the first time. He looks surprised at her reply.
"Professor Snape," McGonagall says, turning toward him, speaking gently, "In light of what both of you have been through, will you please consider apologizing to Miss Granger for the way you spoke to her today."
Snape looks up at the Headmistress, startled by the request. The Headmistress looks down at Snape, pleading with him silently. For her, so much hangs in this delicate balance. She doesn't even understand why she wants these two to reconcile so badly, but she does. Want it. Badly.
Snape nods, and turns to Hermione, who's face has gone from bright red to white as a sheet. Her mouth hangs open a little in shock. "Please accept my apology, Miss Granger, for the way I spoke to you and Miss Weasley today. It was unconscionable." He says it slowly, quietly, and Hermione believes he is completely sincere. Her head is spinning.
"Yes, Professor," She says, barely above a whisper. And then, because she feels like she needs to say something. "I'm glad you're alive." At this, she swears she can see the corner of his mouth twitch, just for a moment, as if he were fighting the urge to smile at her. Her eyes threaten to well up again, and she turns to McGonagall. "May I please be excused, Headmistress?"
"Yes, Miss Granger. Detention with me tomorrow evening, my office, after dinner. Don't forget."
"No, Ma'am," she says, and hurries from the room.
"Fuck," says Severus as the door shuts behind her.
"I know," says Minerva. She fumbles in her desk and pulls out a crystal decanter of amber liquid and two sparkling glasses. "Drink?" she says, already pouring herself one. Wordlessly, he holds out his hand.