"Are you aware that at this very moment, Hogwarts students, Including the head Girl and your Precious Gryffindor Princess, are getting pissed on school grounds?" Snape's tone is conversational, not accusatory, but the headmistress puffs up in her chair nonetheless.
"If you are referring to memorial currently being held by the DA in the room of requirement, yes. The head girl informed me."
Snape slumps down in the chair opposite the Headmistress and looks at her calmly. "Do you think it is wise to let them?"
"No," replies McGonagall. "However, I think that it is right to let them." She's pours him a glass of brandy and passes it across her desk to him.
Snape prefers whiskey, but he takes the proffered brandy. "You sound like Albus when you say things like that."
"Thank you dear," says McGonagall.
Snape snorts. "I didn't mean it as a compliment."
"I know," she says. And then, "I am going to talk to Aberforth tomorrow about getting an anti alcohol detection charm on the portrait of Arianna. Tonight I'll let it slide, but I don't want the room of requirement to be reduced to a teen drinking hangout."
Snape nods. Then, "Care to tell me how the board of governors meeting went?" He takes a long pull off his brandy, killing it.
McGonagall wordlessly refills it. "Actually," she says, "I've been meaning to talk to you about that. It was… very odd. There was a lot of talk about 'doing away with the sorting hat' and 'just letting the parents decide which house to place their children' and so on."
"Really?" says Snape, genuinely puzzled. "You'd think most of the lot would be perfectly happy to do away with Slytherin House."
"Indeed," says McGonagall.
"Would you mind terribly if I joined you for the next meeting?"
"Please do, Severus, I'm really at a loss. But we haven't really had a chance to talk about this. What are your thoughts?"
Severus sighs and takes another long pull his brandy. "I want to save Slytherin House, obviously. But Slytherin House doesn't need saving from the likes of you, or a sodding hat. Slytherin House needs saving from itself. And I don't know how to do that. And for that reason… I'll support whatever you, and yes, a hat, decide to do about it. Honestly I'm just curious about this odd behavior on the part of the board of Governors."
Snape and McGonagall discuss the board of governors, and the sorting hat, and the howlers for over an hour. By the end of the conversation Severus is very drunk and has half convinced himself that half the board are under the imperius curse, which he knows is ridiculous.
McGonagall, however is aware of his increasing anxiety and misreads it as concern for the students. "Don't worry about them, Severus. Harry and Hermione are with them. Neville, too. And Luna. No one is going to die of alcohol poisoning. Or have an orgy." She chuckles at this, clearly a little drunk.
Severus squeezes his eyes shut and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Thank you, Headmistress, for that delightful mental picture. It will be burned into my mind forever."
"Oh, loosen up you old prude. Speaking of which-" She sits up in her chair suddenly as if an idea has just occurred to her. "We should go visit them."
"Visit whom?" asks Snape carefully. He can already feel that this is a bad idea.
"The children, Severus! The children. We need to thank them for their sacrifice, and let them know that we are here for them." She cuts off Snape as he tries to speak. "No! My mind is quite made up on this. Come, my boy." She rises to leave.
"Really, Headmistress, I must-"
"Shut up, Snape! You're coming. You don't have to say anything, and we won't stay long."
Snape groans inwardly and follows McGonagall out of her office.
Hermione is pleasantly drunk, lying in a heap with (almost) every person she loves curled up around her. The room of requirement really outdid itself this time, providing the DA with a lovely circular room lit by hundreds of candles, and great big cushions scattered about on a thickly carpeted floor. On the walls hang the portraits of every person on the side of the light who died fighting in the war. The DA had simply gone around the room and thanked every portrait for their service, those who knew the person said a few things, and then they would raise glasses of firewhiskey or butter beer in a toast. By the end, they were all cried out and all quite drunk. They are curled up together on the floor now, speaking softly to one another.
Hermione is so grateful to Ginny in this moment for putting it all together. She gets so caught up in the details, so caught up in her studies, and she knows she needs her friends to bring her back to what is important. What is real. She also knows that it was good for the younger kids to see them together- her and Harry and Ron- and okay. And to hear the three of them, the golden trio, thank them for their service to the light, and acknowledge the loss of their loved ones. The sheer number of dead children on the walls of this room makes Hermione ache with grief. And yet, as full as it is of grief, her heart is also full of love for every person in the room this evening. In this moment, at least, she understands exactly what it is they were fighting for. She is fiercely proud of what they have done, and fiercely grateful to be alive.
"I love you guys," she says, to everyone in the room. But before anyone can respond, the door opens. The Headmistress enters the room of requirement, with the Deputy Headmaster on her heels. Hermione is about to wordlessly vanish all the drink in the room under the cover of the commotion, but then the Headmistress speaks.
"As you were, Ladies and Gentlemen. No one is in trouble today. We are just here to say a few words." Hermione silently asks the room to provide soft armchairs for the Headmistress and Deputy Headmaster. The room obliges, also moving some of the candles to make room for them. Hermione sits up and gestures to McGonagall and Snape.
"Welcome Headmistress, Deputy Headmaster, please sit down." Some of the other students begin to sit up and face McGonagall and Snape.
"Really, dears," she says, "Stay right where you are. No need to move on my account." McGonagall looks around the room and notices the portraits on the wall. "Did the room do that all on it's own?" she says, looking at Hermione.
"It's the room of requirement," answers Hermione.
McGonagall nods slowly. Then she clears her throat softly. "Professor Snape and I, on behalf of all the teachers here at Hogwarts school, want to thank you for your service to this school, and to the cause of the light. Also, we want to acknowledge what an extraordinary accomplishment this group is. How it was formed, and how all of you stuck together and upheld the principles of this school and of the light during a time of great darkness. During a time when the Ministry itself fell, during a time when the staff of this school couldn't trust each other and couldn't even protect you, during a time when Voldemort and his death eaters were threatening you, threatening your friends, threatening your families-- throughout all of that and more, you remained loyal to each other and loyal to this school and loyal to the cause of the light.
"Professor Snape and I are proud of you. All of the staff at Hogwarts are proud of you. And all of Britain, and perhaps the world, both magical and muggle, owes you a great deal, whether they know it or not.
"Please, my dears - and I mean this - if there is anything we can do for you don't hesitate to come to us. We are in your debt, and we are here for you. This is your school. Don't forget that."
"Thank you, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape," Hermione manages to get out. She is choked up, but for once, entirely unconcerned about the tears.
"You're welcome," says Snape, and their is a collective intake of breath.
McGonagall quickly speaks up to cover the silence. "And I will be speaking to Aberforth about installing an alcoholic detection device in the passageway from the Hog's Head. Any students caught drinking in Hogwarts after tonight will be dealt with most harshly. Am I clear?"
"Yes, Professor," the entire room choruses as she and Snape leave the room.
Then Ginny speaks up. "Did McGonagall and Snape just come in here, tell us we're the best and to carry on getting pissed inside Hogwarts, and then leave?"
"Pretty much," says Harry.
"Wow," says Ron.
"I know," says Hermione.