Authors Note: All characters are the property of JK Rowling
Chapter 1
Hermione was bone weary and exhausted. After methodically cleaning Grimmauld Place all day, eating a hearty dinner, and enjoying a scalding shower, you'd think she'd be tired enough to get some much needed shut eye. Apparently not. Her mind wouldn't stop swirling continuous streams of thoughts concerning the ministry's new Unified Front Marriage Act. She scoffed out loud. More like the Shackle Every Muggleborn to a Half-Blood or Pureblood Wizard Act. This was just another one of Voldemort's ludicrous ideas to "put the mudbloods in their place". Every muggle born witch or wizard aged 17 and older was subject to the law. Hermione was 17. Thanks to her liberal use of the timer-tuner in her 3rd year, she had aged a further 9 months by her best estimate. She had turned 17 in January. Now in June, they had about a month until the Act was put into place, but Hermione couldn't think of a way out of it. She knew that Ron would probably volunteer, but really, that would end badly. They fought so much already as friends, she couldn't imagine how much worse it would get with intimacy involved. She sighed and reached under her pillow for her wand. The tempus charm revealed it to be 11:47pm. She'd been laying there for almost two hours. Right. There was nothing for it but a nice cup of camomile tea. Flinging the covers off and sliding her socked feet into her slippers, she put on her dressing robe, stuck her wand in the front pocket and started padding her way down the stairs.
Through the insistence, rather like begging, of Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape had kept headquarters stocked with various teas. There was a lovely chamomile blend that Hermione thought just might do the trick. As she got closer to the kitchen, she could hear voices and there was quite a tense atmosphere. She stopped just around the corner so as not to be seen and listened to the conversation going on within.
"Really, Albus, is this also an area of his life that you are aiming to control. Isn't it enough that you hold the rest of it?" Hermione had never hear such venom in Professor McGonagall's voice.
"Minerva", came the rather weary sounding voice of Professor Dumbledore, "I will not have my spy compromised because of the woman he gets shackled to thanks to this ill thought out ministry act. We cannot afford it." His tone had such a note of finality to it. McGonagall huffed. Hermione decided that this was the best interval she was going to encounter to allow her any chance at a cup of tea before midnight. As she stepped through the door's opening, three pairs of eyes swiveled in her direction. She was shocked to see such a steely glint in Professor Dumbledore's eyes, but so fast that maybe she imagined it, their customary twinkle had returned.
"Hermione, my dear, why ever are you up?", he asked in a grandfatherly tone.
As if on cue, she yawned. Covering her mouth politely, she smiled sheepishly. "I couldn't sleep for the life of me. I'm exhausted to be sure, but my brain wouldn't shut off. I was just coming down to have a cup of camomile tea in the hopes that it would assist me in my journey to Morpheus' arms. Would any of you like a cuppa as well?" As she was talking, she had already made her way to the stove and was casting a nonverbal augmenti to fill the kettle.
"I'm afraid Professor McGonagall and I need to return to the castle, but thank you for the offer. Severus, will you be returning with us?" Professor Dumbledore was looking intently at Snape.
"I do believe a cup of calming tea would do me well this evening, Albus. I shall return to the castle when I have finished." He said this so softly, with no venom in his voice, that Hermione wondered more about the extent of the conversation that was had before she had arrived.
Dumbledore sighed but said, "Very well. We shall continue this conversation tomorrow." Then he and her head of house swept out of the room.
After waving goodnight to the two professors, Hermione made herself busy with preparing the tea service. She turned to the icebox and hoped that there would be something in there that she could offer Professor Snape as it seemed he had not eaten that evening. Finding some roast beef sandwiches, she placed a few on a plate that she accioed from a nearby shelf. Setting those, as well as a few biscuits, on the tray, she turned back to the now whistling kettle and filled the tea pot. Making sure that there was honey on the tray, she took it over to the long table and placed it in front of Snape. She placed on of the plate of sandwiches and a teacup in front of him and began to poor his tea. "Just a dollop of honey for your tea, right sir?" Hermione's hand was hovering above the honey jar. He politely nodded his head and reached for one of the sandwiches.
"Thank you, Miss Granger". Again, the softness in his voice surprised her. It made her wonder much more about the conversation that was had before she arrived. They sat and enjoyed their midnight snack in comfortable silence. Her eating a few biscuits with her tea and him eating his fill of the sandwiches.
When she had finished, she asked him if there was anything else she could get him, provided the kitchen had it. He merely shook his head in the negative and told her that she could return to bed and he would make sure the tea things were put to rights. Thanking him for the offer, she made her way to the door. Just before crossing the threshold, she her Snape call her name. Turning around, she looked at him expectantly. He was staring at his hands as if transfixed and said, "your kindness this evening has been most welcome. I appreciate it." Not knowing how to respond to that, she gave a small smile to the top of his head, hummed, and left.
Once back in her room, Hermione had determined to play the last half hour again and again in her head to try to decipher why Professor McGonagall was so angry, why Professor Dumbledore was so cold, and why Professor Snape was so…warm. Very soon, though, the tea did its job and Hermione slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.