1998, November 30th
He sat his satchel down on the table with a sideways glance to a couple of ravenclaw seventh year students who always seemed to be wherever he was. He was beginning to think it wasn't a coincidence that the two witches seemed to have the same schedule he did.
He silently scolded Granger for her annoying need to load up on books every time they entered the Library. He had lost her in the many bookshelves nearly twenty minutes ago, then gave up the search for her and decided to start his homework while the Library was primarily empty.
He could admit, at least internally, that being near Granger did have its benefits. When he sat near her in the Great Hall or the common room, people were less inclined to stare at him. The attention that would usually fall to him whenever he entered a room was shifted toward her. He even overheard some of the Gryffindors referring to Granger and himself as the 'scary couple.' He supposed there was a sense of comfort in being considered a deterrent for unwanted interest. It didn't mean he was particularly pleased with their assumptions about him and Granger.
"The absolute nerve of some people." Granger grumbled rather loudly as she placed a large stack of books on the table next to him, her volume earning a glare from Madam Pince and several of the students that sat nearest to him. "I'm starting to question his intelligence."
With a long exhale, she sat down in front of him and dropped her forehead onto her folded hands with a low groan.
"I assume you're referring to Weasley." Severus said, tilting his head slightly to the left to peak around her large mane of curls.
"Yes."
At least that explained where she disappeared to, she must have spotted the boy with his newly acquired arm candy through the window on the other side of the Library. Then got caught up staring daggers at the couple whilst browsing for her haul of books.
"And you're just now questioning his intelligence?" He tutted with a shake of his head.
She pushed her hair out of the way to send him a light hearted glare before pulling her stack of books towards her and using it to prop her chin. She bit her lip, a concentrated expression on her face, a small wrinkle appearing between her eyebrows as she pondered something deeply.
He knew that look well, it meant she was lost in some labyrinth of her own mind. He didn't like to admit it, but he found it mildly endearing.
He had grown rather tolerant of her company. Between morning patrols together three days a week and finding one another in the Library every evening after classes, one couldn't help but grow used to a person. She had begun seeking out his presence after classes as well to discuss their course load, or recently, to complain about Weasley. He found it amusing how often the boy seemed to annoy her. She had informed him of their mutual agreement to wait to start anything serious until after they graduated, which he found a bit odd, but he didn't tell her that.
"What's he done now?" He asked, arching an eyebrow at her. He could practically feel her irritation from where he sat across from her. And he couldn't say he blamed her, the boy was a walking headache.
Despite his initial assumptions, Granger's company wasn't as terrible as he had expected. He had begun enjoying their silent companionship in the library after classes. She did tend to babble incessantly but he's learned to endure it because she had a certain intellectual curiosity that kept him on his toes. He couldn't help but notice how comfortable they had become around each other either. Two months ago, it would have been unimaginable that they would be here, studying together every night and having conversations that didn't involve Potions or Defense.
He found that he liked the way her eyes gleamed when she talked about something that interested her. The way her mouth moved as she spoke, the way her hair cascaded around her face. He caught himself staring often, but looked away quickly. It wasn't at all wrong for a man to appreciate a woman. She was amiable, one would be a dunderhead not to realize it.
"Apparently he thinks that Romilda Vane is in love with him." She scoffed, "You and I both know she's only with him for Harry."
He listened as she went on a rant about Weasley's latest faux pas. He nodded along, agreeing with her on every point. Weasley had never been the sharpest tool in the shed, that was true, but the boy seemed to be extra thick headed this year.
"…and to top it all off they've started shagging."
If he would've had a glass of water to his mouth he would've drowned. Schooling his features he cleared his throat, "What?"
Granger let out another exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes so hard it looked like they might roll back into her head.
"I know, can you believe it?" She said, shaking her head in disbelief.
Severus sat back in his chair, trying to process the information. Weasley and Vane. The thought alone was ludicrous.
"And you know what the worst part is?"
He raised an eyebrow, silently encouraging her to continue.
She huffed a laugh, "I saw them outside the common room before curfew last Friday snogging each other's faces off and Ron didn't even looked surprised to see me or bothered, I mean is this what he wanted to do with his seventh year, why not just tell me that in the first place. I've been sitting around like a bloody idiot waiting for him to want me or to come to his senses."
Severus looked at her thoughtfully, "Why not just move on? It's obvious Weasley would rather snog every slag that looks in his direction than make an honest commitment."
Granger leaned back in her chair, propping her chin on her hand. "I don't know," she admitted, her eyes clouding with frustration. "I feel like I wasted five years of my life waiting for him to want me. It's embarrassing, really."
Severus couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for her. He knew all too well what it felt like to be waiting around for someone who didn't feel the same way.
"But I can't unlove him."
Severus frowned, watching her intently, "But perhaps it is time to consider whether it is worth continuing to invest your emotions in a pursuit that will not bear fruit."
"I just keep feeling like maybe this is a part of his grieving process somehow, I mean he did lose his brother." She sighed, "He's just being an ass."
"Then you should give him a taste of his own medicine." He shrugged, adjusting his parchment to line up with his textbook in front of him.
She rested her chin on her hand, a curious glint in her eye.
"What do you mean?" She asked, furrowing her brow.
"Exactly what I said, Granger. Give him a taste of his own medicine."
Granger's interest piqued, but skepticism crept into her voice. "How do you propose I do that?"
Severus shrugged, "It's simple, really. If he wants to galavant around with Vane without a care in the world, then why shouldn't you be allowed to do the same?" He honestly couldn't believe where his life had brought him. If someone would have told him ten months ago that he would be sitting across from Granger in the library giving her relationship advice, he would have hexed or had them committed to Janus Thickey Ward.
Her eyes widened, "You're saying I should pretend to be interested in someone else?"
"Precisely," He said, his voice smooth and velveteen. "Find someone else to give your attention to. Make him jealous."
She tilted her head, a thoughtful expression on her face, clearly contemplating his suggestion.
Encouraged by her intrigue, Severus continued.
"And not just any person," He added, leaning forward and lowering his voice. "But someone he'll be utterly baffled by. Someone he least expects you to be interested in."
Much to his annoyance, Severus found himself picturing Granger on the arm of someone. It was an odd image being that the only person he's ever been able to picture her with was Weasley, and it left him feeling faintly furious. At whom, he didn't know; maybe at himself for even bothering to imagine the damned thing, but—
"But who," Granger started, thankfully interrupting his rather unpleasant thought process, "I've only ever been with two others, both just as unlikely as the other, being that Viktor is in a different country and I'd rather eat troll bogies that be within ten feet of Cormec."
Granger's gaze flicked to Severus, a momentary realization in her eyes, before darting away in thought.
"You." She said, meeting his eyes.
Severus's smirk faded and the silence stretched as he looked at her with a brow raised. Masking his shock as best as he could without the help of occlumency. Severus's mind reeled as he tried to process Granger's suggestion. He had been expecting her to name some random student or perhaps even a Slytherin. He could feel his heart rate increasing as he studied her, searching for any hint of insincerity in her expression.
"You know," She said, "You're the only person I know that can make silence sarcastic."
"I'm a man of many talents."
"Including conceit?"
"Why me?" He leaned back in his chair, his mask of stoicism slipping. He studied her for a moment, assessing her expression.
She swallowed hard, her eyes flickering away from him, cheeks tinged pink.
"Who else?" She said, "We could pretend to form an attachment."
His gaze trailed over her face, taking in the flush on her cheeks and the determined gleam in her eyes. His heart continued to thump loudly in his chest as he considered her proposal. The idea was insane, and yet, he found himself strangely enticed by it. Despite his better judgment, Severus found himself drawn into Granger's suggestion. His mind whirled with conflicting emotions. Part of him knew it was foolish, that entangling himself in her games was nothing but a recipe for disaster. Yet the thought of making Weasley jealous, was almost too enticing to resist. He blamed that on his newly acquired teenage urge to puff out his chest.
He continued to study her, his gaze shifting from her eyes to her lips and back again.
"What do you propose we do? Hold hands in the corridor? Sit in each other's laps?" He said the last one dripping with sarcasm. "What exactly would I be gaining from this fake relationship?"
"Besides getting retribution against Ron?"
Severus rolled his eyes, a hint of a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth, "Yes besides that."
He tried to ignore the fact that the thought of being linked to Hermione Granger in such a manner gave him a small pang of satisfaction. It would cause quite a stir. What little of a Slytherin he had left in him, much to his discomfort about that in particular, made him a bit pleased at the thought of ruffling a few feathers.
She thought for a moment, then gestured to his three stalkers two tables over, "It would give you an excuse to turn down your recent horde of admirers."
Severus arched an eyebrow, a sardonic smile slowly spreading across his lips. "My admirers," He snorted, shaking his head in amusement. "A handful of infatuated seventh years does not constitute a horde of admirers."
Granger rolled her eyes, a playful grin on her face.
"Please," She said, "Don't act like you haven't noticed the stares and notes. I know for a fact that several girls have already propositioned you."
A look of horror crossed his face.
Granger chuckled lightly, "Oh, you can drop the horrified look. Despite your best efforts to terrify and repel everyone, you've been unsuccessful. Attractive people tend to be a magnet for attention even if they are sometimes sour."
Severus's face scrunched into an expression of distaste. He had become accustomed to Granger's teasing banter during their time together in the library. But her comment about his appearance caught him off guard. He wasn't used to receiving compliments, let alone ones regarding his physical appearance.
"Fine." He said, "But we need ground rules."
"Of course." She nodded.
"First rule: this fake relationship has an end date. It's not to go beyond, let's say, new years." Severus stated.
She nodded in agreement. "That sounds reasonable."
Severus leaned in slightly, his voice lowered but laced with determination.
"Second rule: no physical intimacy. No touching, no kissing, no holding hands." He laid out, almost a bit too strictly.
She furrowed her brows, "That sort of defeats the purpose, Snape."
He thought for a moment, "Fine, but only when Weasley is around to see it."
"Obviously."
"And you should probably start calling me Severus, otherwise people may think it odd you're still referring to me as Snape." He said, crossing his arms, "How far are you willing to go?"
"Physically?"
"Yes."
"I say we start out with small touches and work our way up until Ron starts to notice." She looks away for a moment and then her eyes snap back to his, "Perhaps even a lengthy goodnight hug of some sort before bed tonight."
Severus stifled a scoff, the thought of publicly showcasing physical affection, even if fake, felt utterly ridiculous. Yet, he found himself agreeing to Granger's proposition. What has he gotten himself into?
"A strategic progression, I suppose," He admitted, running a hand through his hair in a rare moment of candidness. "We'll need to calculate the timing of these… interactions. Weasley mustn't suspect they're contrived."
He paused, studying her for a moment, his expression becoming somewhat amused. "A goodbye hug, Granger? Really?"
Granger raised her brows and shrugged, her expression playful. "You have a problem with hugging, Snape?"
He let out a sigh, the corners of his mouth twitching into a reluctant smirk. "Just thinking about how ridiculous it will look. Their previous dreaded Potions Master turned housemate indulging in something as mundane as a hug."
He leaned back in his chair, his tone laden with sarcasm. "Perhaps I'll practice my swooning next."
Granger chuckled at his sarcastic comment, a spark of challenge in her eyes. "I'm not asking you to swoon, Snape. Just a simple embrace. You do know how to hug, don't you?"
Severus raised a brow. "Of course I know how to hug, I'm just questioning the need for such unnecessary displays of affection."
Granger leaned forward, her expression amused but defiant. "And what's so unnecessary about showing a bit of affection, Snape? Are you scared a little physical touch might humanize you a bit?"
Severus placed his hand on his chest in mock surprise. "Humanize me? I'm a dark wizard, Granger. Human decency is against my nature."
She laughed at his dramatic display. "Oh, please. You're about as dark as a chocolate frog. You bark more than you bite."
Severus gasped, his expression bordering on theatrical. "How dare you imply that I'm anything less than a formidable wizard?"
He leaned in, a hint of a smirk on his lips. "But I must confess, chocolate frogs are quite delicious."
Granger rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "See? There's a hint of humanity in there somewhere."
Severus chuckled darkly, his gaze fixed on her. "Don't mistake my fondness for desserts for softness, Granger. I can still brew a potion that could turn you into a potted plant if I felt inclined."
She snorted, "Charming."
Severus tilted his head, a small smirk playing on his lips. "I've been called worse."
He leaned in a little closer, his voice a whisper. "And if I ever were to turn you into a potted plant, I'd like to think it would be something elegant. A weeping willow, perhaps, to match the stubborn nature of your hair."
Granger's eyes widened in mock offense, her hand flying to her chest. "Are you subtly insulting my hair?"
Severus chuckled, his gaze drifting downwards to the loose curls that cascaded down her shoulders. "Subtlety is not my specialty, Granger. It's a bit… untidy. A bit like you."
He felt the sudden urge to lean forward and pick up a strand of her hair and twirl it around his fingers, but he didn't, instead he leaned back once more.
He paused, caught between the impulse to touch her hair and the inner voice reminding him of the agreement they had. He cleared his throat, setting his hand back on the desk.
"Perhaps we should focus on the task at hand." He said, attempting to regain his composure.
She noticed the sudden change in his disposition, but she said nothing and leaned back in her chair as well.
She nodded. "Right. Task at hand."
There was a pregnant pause, the air filling with an unspoken tension. Severus found himself unable to tear his gaze away from her hair, but with a frustrated sigh, he forced himself to look away, staring instead down at his hands, which clutched the edge of his desk. The silence between them was deafening, and Severus could almost feel Granger's gaze on him. He felt a sudden itch to look up, to meet her eyes, but he forced himself to stay still, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the desk.
It was odd, this effect she had on him. A simple tangle of curls could disarm him so easily. He hated it. He loathed it. Yet, he couldn't stop himself from wanting to brush his fingers through it, to feel the softness of it.
He swallowed hard, his gaze fixed on the wall behind her head. What was this?