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

This is for the 30 days of music challenge prompt 3. Drinking Song for the Socially Anxious - The Amazing Devil

word count: 647

She knew she shouldn't be anxious, shouldn't be bothered by any of this. It had been a while since she'd been out, been a while since she'd been around other people. The muggle headphones were a tangled mess in her pocket. She could feel the plasticy cord, could feel the tiny little earbuds.

It was a marvel how small they made them now. They would muffle the sounds, not as a good as muffato spell, but this was the muggle world and she wasn't going to get arrested for something that tiny. The cab slowed. Was she the first one here? Why had she allowed them to talk her into this? She wasn't looking for anything, for anyone.

The lighting was dim enough. Ginny and Harry laughing about something. Ron wasn't there. She hadn't expected him to be. They were still avoiding each other, still pretending that the break up hadn't affected them. That was yet another lie she told herself, that she might find someone here, tonight. She wasn't looking. She just...she didn't want to be lonely. Crookshanks was decent company, but his meowing whines only said so much. She wanted conversation, talking about something until the wee hours of the morning.

She ordered a glass of wine, watching the drink swirl against the clear glass. Harry and Ginny were talking again, something about work, or Quidditch. She didn't know, couldn't tell, didn't care. They were rising to their feet, something about dancing. Hermione waved them off. Sitting here alone was about the same as sitting here with them. She stared at her drink, almost as if willing it to speak to her. She heard the scraping of a chair, saw a shadow of someone sitting across from her. Had Harry returned? No. She blinked at her new table mate. Severus Snape. He'd survived the war, she'd known that, knew he was teaching again, back to potions apparently.

"May I buy you another?" he asked, his voice raspy from the damage done to his throat.

"Sure, I'd like that, maybe we could go sit somewhere else, somewhere quieter, or noisier?" she suggested, wanting to get away from Harry and Ginny's table for a reason she couldn't understand.

"The bar is empty," he replied, following her there. They sat face to face.

"I saw your article in Potions Weekly," she finally said, breaking the strange silence between them.

"Your thoughts on it?"

"Glad to see you putting all your little tricks and tips out there. It was brilliant, but then again, it seems everything you print is," she said, taking a drink. This time, she'd gotten something a bit more biting than wine.

"I think you're the first person to fully understand it."

"Maybe, your brilliance is not for everyone."

"I heard you were working in the ministry, something about creature's rights?"

"Yes! I know the house elves are going to be impossible, but the way they treat werewolves, vampires, centaurs, it boarders on criminal!" Hermione exclaimed, surprised and glad someone had finally taken a notice in her work. Harry and Ginny didn't seem to understand.

"It really is. It's starting to get loud here," he commented. Hermione nodded. The small club was getting more crowded, and that brought more noise.

"We could go somewhere more quiet, I know a library that's open twenty-four hours, or if you're willing, maybe my place?" she suggested, a faint blush spreading over her cheeks at her own boldness. Severus nodded, standing. Hermione nodded over to Ginny, letting her know she was leaving. Hermione and Severus stepped out into the night, the cool air a welcome feeling over the overheating of the club. They hailed a cab, this was the muggle world and there were rules. Sitting next to each other, Hermione's hand finding his. She smiled, wondering if she should thank Ginny and Harry for convincing her to come out.