"No."
They stood across from the Headmistress' desk with a few inches between them while Professor McGonagall surveyed them with shrewd eyes.
"Minerva," Severus started but she cut him off.
"If I find, Severus Snape, that you are continuing this farce in order to continue to avoid marking Miss Granger's work I will be very upset indeed."
"Minerva!" his pale cheeks were blotched with red.
"Well?" She crossed her arms and gave him a hard stare. "You're not going to stand there and tell me you've fallen in love in the past week, are you?"
He swallowed thickly.
"Professor," Hermione interjected in distress. "Please."
"Please what, Miss Granger?" She turned her steely gaze on Hermione. "Let you throw your life away? You've barely even met any wizards outside of Hogwarts. No, I can't approve of this nonsense."
"You approved when it was going to be mandatory," Hermione pouted. "Besides, we're not talking about running off and getting married any time soon. Neither of us want that."
Professor McGonagall waited for her to continue.
"We just... Found each other more amenable than we had expected," she bit her lip in hesitation." We wanted to let you know there's an attraction there, a compatibility. And we didn't want to hide it from you. Haven't we all had enough secrets to last a lifetime?"
Her steely expression faltered and she let out a deep sigh.
"While I appreciate your honesty, I can't give my blessing on... this," she frowned. "I will continue to mark your grades, and you will continue in your professional roles. This engagement MUST end, and you will NOT court each other. Not until you have graduated."
Hermione's eyes darted to meet Severus's before looking back to the Headmistress.
"And... During my apprenticeship?" She asked lightly.
McGonagall's lips thinned into a tight line.
"If you are still interested in him then, I will not forbid it so long as you go about it in a respectful and discreet way," she frowned as Hermione's expression lightened. "However, I would encourage you to spend the next six months seeing other people your own age. You might find they are compatible as well."
"I understand," Hermione nodded. She had given similar advice to Ginny once upon a time as well. It wasn't a terrible idea, but it was a mite insensitive to the man standing right next to her.
"Now, can I trust that you will behave yourselves?" Professor McGonagall asked, shuffling some papers in her desk. "I have a meeting with the Board of Governors I should really be getting to."
"Of course, Minerva," Severus gave her a curt nod, turned on his heel and left. Hermione jogged after him, crashing into his taut back when he stopped short at the end of the corridor.
"That wasn't as bad as it could have been, right?" She said softly, seeking out his hand with hers but he jerked it away.
"Come to my office," he said tightly, and took off again at a quick pace with Hermione again rushing to keep up. By the time they had arrived she was both out of breath and severely annoyed.
"What's gotten into your bonnet?" she asked between breaths, taking a seat in one of the stiff chairs without waiting for an invitation.
He stood with his back to her, examining the shelf.
"Severus, six months isn't long," she said with a little more softness. His shoulders were tight and tense. She could imagine the wiry muscle she had so recently had just beneath her fingertips and longed to knead his stress out until he relaxed. Somehow, she didn't think he would welcome her touch at this moment, however.
"Minerva was right," his voice when it came was both quiet but firm. "You... You are young and haven't yet met many people beyond Hogwarts walls. I can't allow you to throw your life away on me, you will come to see in time you have many better options available to you."
Hermione frowned, watching him patiently. He stayed still for many minutes until he finally turned and looked her in the eye with an inscrutable expression.
She wondered if it had taken him all of that time to contain his emotions. He had a very expressive face when one knew what to look for.
"Well?" he prompted. "Are you going to say anything?"
She raised an eyebrow and watched him again in thought. What did he expect?
For her to put up a fight or cry like a child?
"I'm not interested in pushing you into a relationship you are not ready for or do not want," she said at length. "I enjoyed our time together and getting to know you better. And I would like you to still consider me your ally and friend regardless of if we have a romantic future or not."
"Of course," he agreed readily, although he sounded both relieved and sad. "You have a friend and ally in me as well. Always."
She approached him then, vacating the chair to instead perch herself on his desk and reached out to hold his hands. This time he allowed her to take them and the calm expression on his face wobbled.
"You're allowed to be upset. And hurt," she said softly, squeezing his fingers. "And for the record, I wouldn't call being with you throwing my life away. That was cruel of her to phrase it that way."
He bowed his head, his hair shadowing his face like thick curtains, and she tugged him forwards to wrap him in a hug.
"I'm glad I have you, whether it's as a friend or something else," she whispered. "Please don't be a stranger."
"Of course," he whispered into her hair, returning the embrace for a moment before retreating again. "You should go."
She nodded, gave his hand a final squeeze and slipped out of his office. Remaining and tempting them both to break their promise less than an hour after they had been made would do neither of them any good.