AN: Thank you for all the support! It is very deeply appreciated!
"Minerva?"
The Headmistress glanced up from Transfiguration Today and gave the newcomer a small smile. "Hello Neville. I didn't expect to see you here."
"I know, but I needed to see you," even the dimness of the fireplace's fading embers couldn't obscure Neville's grin. "I figured you'd be here since you weren't in your office."
"You climbed all the way up the stairs to see if I was there?"
He nodded.
"Goodness, it sounds like what you have to tell me is of the utmost importance."
"It is."
Minerva folded her hands and gestured for Neville to take the leather chair across from her. He wasn't wrong to search for her here. Most evenings, she read in her quarters. Tonight though, she was itching for any companionship the faculty lounge could send her way. After reading for an hour, she'd finally received it.
"I need to discuss a few things with you." He sat in the leather chair across from her.
"Oh?" She crossed her leg and sat back into the purple recliner.
"First and foremost, my article on the magical properties of marigolds was published!"
"That's wonderful," Minerva grinned. "We'll need to acknowledge your accomplishment during dinner tomorrow. It's important for the students to know about the excellent work their professors are doing and the wonderful contributions they are making to their fields."
"Thanks." Neville blushed.
"I'm so proud of you. You've come a long way since the scared first year I first met."
"I feel like my confidence has come a long way, and it's all thanks to this school. I'm so glad I returned here after receiving my herbology degree. Teaching and researching have been so fulfilling, more than I ever could've imagined."
"You're a very valuable member of the staff," she continued. "Never forget that."
"I won't," he leaned forward. "There was something else I wanted to share with you."
"Oh?"
"When I first got my news, I went to celebrate with Hermione because I also wanted to see how her interview went."
"Yes," Minerva twisted her lips. "Her interview."
"It did go well, didn't it?" Neville's face fell.
"I am not at liberty to say anything about any candidate," she uncrossed her legs. "All I can say is that Hermione's credentials speak for themselves. She is an exceedingly qualified candidate from an intellectual standpoint."
"There's a 'but' somewhere though."
"Again, I am not at liberty to discuss anything with you. All I can say is the candidates I've interviewed so far are qualified. They all bring their strengths and weaknesses to the table. Any one of them would make a fine addition to the staff."
"But none are as good as Hermione."
"As I said, I am not at liberty to discuss anything with you."
"Fine, but when it comes time to check Hermione's references, just contact me," he replied. "I'll do whatever it takes to help her."
"I know you will," her eyes softened. "She's very lucky to have you as a friend."
"I'm lucky to have her as a friend," he leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Still, she's even luckier to have Severus as a friend. Their relationship is actually what I came to speak with you about."
Minerva raised an eyebrow.
"Have you seen the way Severus and Hermione look at each other?" Neville's smile returned.
"Yes, they are quite," Minerva bit her lower lip, "friendly towards each other."
"So I think I know who his next date should be!" Neville's eyes glistened as brightly as the silver candlesticks bathed in the full moonlight.
"Who?"
"Hermione!"
"Hermione?"
"Yes, Hermione," Neville let out a chuckle. "I would love to see the look on Severus' face when he realizes the woman he's falling for is his next date."
"First of all, Severus is not falling for anyone," Minerva furrowed her eyebrows. "He's simply friends with Hermione. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Has he ever told you that?"
"He doesn't need to tell me anything. It's obvious from the way they interact that they're just friends."
"You can't possibly believe that."
Minerva frowned.
"They're more than friends. It's obvious to anyone who's seen them together," he argued.
"It's not obvious to me."
"It should be."
She hummed.
"Think about it," He continued. "Do you honestly believe Severus would spend all his spare time teaching someone who was just a friend to fly? Have you ever seen him defend anyone as fiercely as he does Hermione? I thought he was going to rip Andromeda's throat out when she ignored Hermione and made all those snide comments about her. I've never seen him stand up for anyone the way he stands up for Hermione."
"I assure you, this is just his way of expressing friendship."
"How can you say that? He's never done anything like this for me, or anyone else. He didn't even stand up for Lily like this."
"His downfall was not standing up for Lily."
"Yes, but it's telling that he's standing up for Hermione so forcefully. He feels something for her."
"Severus is a man who feels things very intensely." Minerva scratched the armrest. "It takes time to win his trust, but once it's won, he will fight to the death for that person."
"He trusts me too, but he isn't as protective of me as he is of Hermione," he replied.
"That's because you don't need his protection."
"Hermione doesn't either."
"Don't be so certain of that."
Neville bit his lower lip.
"I have had little contact with disabled people before Hermione came to me asking for a job. I try to look beyond her condition, but it's easier on some days than others."
"What does that mean?"
"It means her abilities vary by the day. For the most part, she is self-sufficient. Still she is still incapable of quite a few things."
"Like what?" Neville ignored the squeak from the hallway. "When it's not raining, she's fine."
"Even on a clear day, she can't walk without an assisted device. Then there's the rain, which often confines her to bed," she continued. "Because she can be so infirm, she may have stirred a protective side in Severus, some kind of parental instinct he's suppressed."
"With all due respect, Severus has never acted like her parent. If anything, he is the one who's fought the hardest for her autonomy and for her to be treated as a capable adult."
"Yes, but even he knows Hermione needs someone to care for her, someone to defend her. Since Severus seems to believe everyone else is incapable of that, he's taken that upon himself."
"Really?" He cocked his head. "Because from what I've seen, Severus and Hermione are each other's equals. If one is in trouble, the other will stand up for them. They're like any other couple who sees the other as an equal."
"True, Severus does treat her as an equal, more so than he does anyone else," she mused aloud.
"Don't you want Severus to have a relationship with someone he considers an equal, someone he respects, someone he cares for, someone he actually enjoys spending time with?"
"Friendship is one thing. I am glad Hermione and Severus have found a friend in each other."
"But," He drawled.
"Friendship is all they will ever have," she answered.
"Why?"
"Because Hermione is incapable of providing him with all he needs."
"H-how?" Neville shook his head. "She's his friend. How can she not give him what he needs?"
She took a deep breath. "Because the needs of a lover are different than those of a friend."
"I don't follow."
"Lovers are expected to," she fidgeted. "Make love."
"Yes, but I don't see the problem. Severus and Hermione already steal touches when they don't believe anyone else is watching. Half the time, they stare at each other's lips, like they're waiting for the other to make a move so they can kiss. I don't see how it couldn't progress to becoming more intimate," he argued.
"In my experience, lovers tend to want to love at any time," she lowered her voice. "Not just on sunny days."
Neville blinked.
"Every time it rains, Hermione is in her bed or struggling to maneuver around her quarters. If she does leave her quarters, she's in a wheelchair. During those times, she is incapable of being intimate with anyone."
"Perhaps Severus won't mind that. He may be able to restrain himself until her health returns. I mean, if anyone can restrain himself, it's him."
"The lack of spontaneous intimacy and the need to restrain himself will wear on him after awhile," Minerva continued. "He's an intense man with intense needs. Perhaps in the beginning he will be satisfied waiting for the rain to end, but the lack of intimacy will wear on him until he decides Hermione is no longer worth his devotion."
"No," Neville shook his head. "That can't be right. Severus would never abandon her, not over an inability to satisfy him. She makes him happy. Even when everyone's against him, she's on his side, championing his cause, making it clear she will never abandon him. That's all he cares about."
"For now he cares for her, but that won't last forever. Not if they lack intimacy."
"They can find other ways to be intimate. There's more to a relationship than sex, and he knows it. He's not Ron."
"Ron had his reasons for moving on from Hermione."
"To be quite blunt, all of them sucked."
"They may have seemed shallow, but one complaint which held some water was that she no longer craved sexual intimacy."
"If I was dating an arse and undergoing painful treatments, I wouldn't want to be intimate with said arse either."
"Yes, but how many boyfriends has Hermione had since Ron?"
"None."
"Yes, and do you think there's a reason for that?"
"Yes, she wants Severus and he's too insecure to indicate he wants her just as much," Neville replied.
"No, it's because she's incapable of sexual attraction," Minerva answered.
"What?" Neville replied louder than he intended.
"Hermione is too disabled to be intimate with anyone. Her desire for intimacy is gone. No matter what Severus says and does, she is incapable of reciprocating his attraction."
"Has she told you this, or are you going off what Ron told you?"
"Admittedly, Ron."
"And do you think he's an unbiased, reliable source?"
"Perhaps not unbiased, but he is reliable."
Neville bit his tongue.
"Ron knew her better than anyone else. She couldn't give him any kind of intimacy during rainy days, or at any other time," her expression softened. "I want better for Severus. He deserves a woman who can love him in the way he wants to love her."
"Hermione can," he argued. "They may not have a conventional relationship, but they aren't conventional people. They want to be with each other. Somehow, they will find a way to make it work if someone will just force them to acknowledge their mutual attraction."
"I disagree," she replied. "I think any attraction Severus has towards her will evaporate when he realizes she is incapable of intimacy. One rainy day, he will realize she's too sick to make love to him, and he wants more from a woman. Where will they be then?"
"The place where they discuss the issue and reach a compromise which works for them."
"How can you work around wanting intimacy and being with someone who is incapable of giving you what you want, when you need it?"
Neville swallowed.
"Trust me, I'm acting in their best interests," Minerva assured him. "Severus will grow tired of her, and will realize she can never give him what he needs. It will become clear they are not equals because she is too dependent upon him for simple, daily tasks. Best to allow them to be friends and not let them go down this path. Being together will only lead to heartache for both of them."
Neville opened his mouth. Before a word could escape a squeak echoed from the hallway. Both of them looked in the direction of the door.
"Hi, uh Neville," Hermione poked her head into the door. Then, she held up a journal. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but you left your journal in my quarters."
"Oh uh," Neville stood and gulped. "Thanks."
"Hermione?" Minerva began, noting the blank expression on the young woman's face and her pale complexion. "Are you well?"
"Never better," she answered as Neville walked over to retrieve the journal.
"Are you sure?" He asked.
"No, I'm fine, my leg just, it's acting up," her smile appeared forced. "I need to get back to my rooms. Severus is expecting me. Still, congrats again, and goodnight!"
Before Neville could answer, she wheeled away. He stood in the doorway and watched her leave.
"What was that about?" Minerva asked.
He turned to her and furrowed his eyebrows. "It appears that Hermione is more capable of having her heart crushed than you realize."
With a huff, he retreated to his quarters, leaving Minerva alone.
"Severus?"
"Yes?" He took a sip of wine.
"You're still here?" Hermione wheeled into her quarters.
"I am," he drawled, noting the way her eyes were a caramel melting pot of emotions threatening to boil over. "I told you I would wait for you, and I did."
"Oh." She glanced at her spasming leg.
"Was I supposed to leave?" His voice was gentler.
"No," she returned her attention to him. "I want you to stay. I'm glad you stayed. It's nice that you stayed, that you always stay when I want you to. It's nice of you."
"Hermione, what happened on the way down to give Neville his journal?"
"Nothing," a tear fell from her eye. "Nothing at all."
"You are too emotional for nothing to have happened.
"My emotions are fine. It's my leg," she rubbed her left leg. "I had a few horrible spasms and it just threw me off. There's no need to be concerned."
"Do you need another Ibuprofen?"
"No, I'm fine. In fact," she wheeled over to the coffee table and grabbed her glass. "I want to celebrate. Let's celebrate me not doing horribly on the interview."
"Yes, let's," Severus stared at her, wondering how hard to push her. Something had shaken her on the way to see Neville, and it wasn't a leg spasm. Still, it was rude to interrogate someone in their own quarters.
When she was ready to tell him what had happened, she would do so. If he needed to know what was upsetting her, she would tell him. She had never shut him out before, and he had no reason to believe she would do so now.
Please don't kill me...