A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters

This is for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Assignment #12 Arts and Crafts - Task #2: Write about someone trying to hide in public.

Word Count: 869

Hermione slipped behind the large marble pillar. Her heart pounding in her chest. She hadn't expected anything to go wrong tonight. It was a ministry ball for Merlin's sake! And not even in England. She'd moved to France just to avoid this whole possibility. One would think there would be wards and protections and guards!

Apparently they weren't enough to keep him from showing up. Glancing around the edge of the pillar, she could see him coming her direction. She bit her lower lip, a nervous habit she still hadn't managed to break.

She swore she could hear his footsteps, even though she knew that was impossible. Weighing the choices she had, she darted from the pillar joining a group of witches. She laughed pretending she was part of their group as she kept her head down and hoped he hadn't seen her desperate dash.

Severus watched Miss Granger slink behind a column. He watched her dash from that hiding place taking another in a group. He smirked. She was doing her best to hide in plain sight, something he was glad she'd learned. Being a hero also made one a target.

He allowed himself to see past Miss Granger, to see who exactly the brilliant witch was hiding from this time. He frowned seeing a flash of red hair and navy robes. Mr. Weasley. No wonder Miss Granger was so desperate to disappear. With a great sigh, he stepped away from the wall where he'd been watching.

Hermione had her back to Ron. She had lost sight of him and didn't want to spin around looking for him. She knew that kind of frantic movement would only attract his attention. Her heart was pounding harder in her chest and she was pretty sure the room was now spinning on its own.

After everything had gone wrong, he wasn't supposed to be able to approach her. She was supposed to be safe. Maybe she should have left the wizarding world altogether? She was almost to the point of a full fledged panic attack when a heavy hand cupped her shoulder. Her body tensed with the touch.

"Miss Granger, shall we dance?" a velvety voice whispered in her hear. Her body relaxed. It wasn't him, it wasn't him! She nodded turning to face her rescuer.

"Professor Snape, to what do I owe the honor?" she asked, as he led her out onto the dance floor.

"There is a conference which I was attending. An invitation to the this ball was extended to all participants. As to why I excepted, I honesty don't know. Watching people making fools of themselves is not something I regularly find worth my time."

"I'm glad you did come," Hermione stated, as Severus twirled her across the dance floor. She could feel Ron watching her.

"What's his problem?"

"I have a restraining order against him, one he is currently violating by stalking me," Hermione muttered. "I don't even know how he found me here. I changed my name, I moved out of the country."

"You were in the Prophet, Miss Granger."

"I am going to kill Rita Skeeter. "

"I would willing help you in that endeavor at this point. She put your life in jeopardy. Should we tell an auror or someone about Mr. Weasley's violation of the laws?"

"No, it won't do any good. They'll just send him back to England then he'll get off on some cockamamie excuse and I'll be forced to start this whole thing over again."

"I have a way that might get him to leave you alone, Miss Granger?"

"Obliverate him?" she suggested, tilting her head. Severus bit back a laugh.

"That would only land both of us in prison. No, what if you were to move on?"

"Date someone just to get him to leave me alone? I could never do that, never use someone like that."

"What if it was his suggestion?" Severus whispered in her ear. She paused, looking at the man.

"A kiss in the middle of a ministry event with paparazzi everywhere might get him to think twice, especially if the man in question is more than capable of defending himself," she replied, barely glancing in Ron's direction. A small smirk played on her lips.

"You wouldn't need to be hiding behind pillars anymore, Miss Granger."

"He's watching now, isn't he?"

"Intently," Severus replied. Hermione nodded, tilting her head up to meet Severus' lips. The kiss seemed to last an eternity and when the pair finally broke apart, all they heard was the screaming of one Mr. Ronald Weasley. He charged at them, his eyes full of fury. Hermione neatly stepped aside letting Ron charge through the crowd until someone used a body bind on him and he was hauled away for creating a public disturbance. Apparently he had crashed into a wealthy witch, she wanted to file assault charges.

"That went well," Hermione muttered, watching the aurors lead Ron out of the ball.

"Quite, would you care to join me for a drink, Miss Granger?" Severus asked.

"I would love to. I need a drink after tonight," she laughed, allowing him to take her hand and lead her away from the whole mess.