Back in the Headmistress's office, Severus stood at the window overlooking the black outline of the lake. Upon seeing Minerva's face in the library, he knew a public relationship with Hermione was a terrible idea. Her friends would be horrified. It would destroy her reputation. Some witch like Skeeter would pen articles strongly implying the relationship started when Hermione was still his student. Her outstanding grades would be called into question. The staff would collectively throw him off the Astronomy Tower. Well, they would try.

Thinking back on the events that led up to that evening, Severus realized he had let himself get distracted with a stupid hope for something that a man like him did not deserve. Tonight, without words, he promised her something that would only do her harm. But how could he look her in the eyes and tell her it was over, after everything she said to him? Either he broke her heart - and his own if he was honest - or he let her be publicly humiliated.

Being thrown off the Astronomy Tower was beginning to sound like the best possible solution.

Minerva entered her office with apologies. Apparently, his long wait was not her intention. The dimwitted Hufflepuff boy's mother showed up and was in hysterics because it was somehow the school's fault her son was too stupid to correct a poorly cast transfiguration, and he had instead made his condition worse with the help of his dunderhead friend.

As Headmistress, Minerva had to stay and help Pomona do damage control, while Poppy worked on bringing the imbecile back to his original size.

Severus did not miss being Headmaster.

"Let's go to my sitting room," Minerva said with a glance at the portraits, and Severus gave her a grateful nod. Her sitting room was private, which meant they at least would not have a canvas audience. He felt an added wave of gratitude when he remembered his fear that Hermione would be there. Unless of course, Minerva was so upset she simply didn't want any witnesses when she lost her temper. His stomach tightened.

When they were seated, Minerva was the first to speak, "I confess, I'm not really sure how to proceed. Normally I would take away house points and give detention, but that hardly seems appropriate given both of you are professors at this school." Her face was pinched, but there was a hint of mischief in her eyes.

Severus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. She wasn't upset, she was entertaining herself.

It was so much worse.

Minerva leaned forward in her chair and looked at him more seriously. "Severus, I have to ask, are you and Hermione...involved? I mean...outside of what I saw tonight."

"Yes," he said simply, because any other answer seemed ridiculous.

"When did it start?"

"Last summer."

Her eyebrows rose and she straightened. "Really? I was under the impression that you didn't even get along," she said, surprised. After a moment's thought, she added, "I take it that was a bit of an act."

"It was," he conceded.

"Well," she leaned back in her chair. "This is good then. It makes things easier."

Severus raised an eyebrow, shaking his head. "Good? How so?"

"If it were before summer she was technically still a student, even if she was making up her seventh year - and more capable a witch than most people twice her age. But still, it would look rather inappropriate. If it were after this year started, it could work, but it would be more complicated with you both being staff. If you had told me any other time, I might have suggested you amend your story to say summer for the sake of propriety."

"Seriously?" Severus stared at the Headmistress. "You're alright with this? I thought you would want to throw me off the Astronomy Tower."

She winced at the reference. "Severus," she spoke gently, "you were terribly used in the war. Effectively yes, but all the more to your detriment. While you certainly are greatly improved since Riddle's death, it's only in these last few months you've seemed..." she thought for a moment, "...markedly less miserable. I think now I know why," she added with a knowing smile. Her look gave him an uncomfortably familiar feeling, like being the boy who once sat in her classroom.

"What I am suggesting," she went on, "is that you find a way to come out in the open with it - before someone less discreet finds out. The papers will have a field day no matter what, but if you come out on your own - and I make it clear to anyone who asks that Hogwarts had full knowledge, and in a sense you have my blessing - it won't be nearly as sensational. But if someone, a castle ghost - or Merlin forbid a student - were to see anything between you, rumors will spread that are substantially worse than reality. At that point it may be impossible to undo the damage."

"We were actually just discussing tonight," Severus said, straightening his sleeves so he didn't have to look at her, "the possibility of not being so secretive."

"Oh, a discussion?" Her eyebrows raised and she smirked. "Is that what you were having?"

Severus sighed. So much worse. "Minerva," he began. "It doesn't matter how it's presented. The papers will rake her over the coals. They'll imply her grades and position with the school were achieved through unsavory means. The public will question your judgement and pressure you to fire me, if not both of us."

"You're right, the papers will talk, Severus. But the sensation will flare up and die down like it always does. Anyone who has met Hermione knows the grading scale doesn't go high enough to measure her abilities. There will be no doubt she earned her position, to anyone who matters."

Severus shook his head. "Even if you set aside the sodding papers, I am no good for her. I'm a bitter old man with a faded dark mark who barely escaped Azkaban. I'll be 40 years old next month, Minerva, literally twice her age. She will grow tired of me, and find someone her own age who is capable of being nice. But she will forever carry the stain of her foolish association with me."

"Severus," she spoke softly, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees and looking him straight in the eye, in that way that made him feel like a child. "You care for her, don't you?"

"More than anyone," he said too quickly, with an honesty that hurt.

She looked at him for a long moment and nodded before responding. "Hermione Granger is no fool. She is one of the most brilliant people I've ever had the pleasure of teaching," she said, adding with a small smirk, "so were you. You both have stunning innate magical abilities. You both consume books like oxygen. I expected you two would get on well, if she could break through your prickliness. It appears I was not wrong. I'm sure she knows very well by now what a grump you are, and if you haven't scared her off yet, I doubt you can. We Gryffindors can be quite stubborn."

"You're having entirely too much fun with this, Minerva."

She beamed. "I must admit I'm more than a little pleased that one of my house broke through your defenses."

At least she didn't say again.

"But it's a decision the two of you must make," she went on, "and I agree it should not be taken lightly. I would like very much to see both of you happy, but only you and Hermione know what that looks like. All I am saying is I will support you if you choose to go public, and I think it's a bad idea to keep it secret. As long as you both conduct yourselves with more discretion than you showed tonight, I won't bring it again."

When Severus left the Headmistress's office, it was after midnight. He went straight to his rooms, and was not surprised to find a very nervous Hermione waiting in a chair next to his fireplace. She immediately stood, but he motioned for her to sit back down as he took the chair opposite. He explained briefly that he was meeting with Minerva, and why it took so long.

"So what is she going to do? About, um...about what happened?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"She took away house points and gave us both a month of detention," he replied coolly.

"What? That's not fair! She shouldn't-" Hermione cut herself off, glaring at him. "She did not say that."

"Technically, she did," he countered with a smirk, "when she said that is what she would normally do in the circumstances. What she did say was that the fact that we began our relationship" - Hermione couldn't suppress a smile at his use of the word - "in the summer made things less complicated."

"Oh! That was my plan," she said, excited. "According to the Hogwarts staff rulebook a pre-existing relationship between faculty members is not a violation of protocol. We just needed to say we were keeping it private until the right time."

"Of course, you had it all figured out," he said, his smirk feeling too much like a real smile.

But he was getting carried away. This was not the conversation they needed to have right now. He steeled himself. "She just said to behave ourselves in the future," he explained, then added with some reluctance, "and that she would support us if we chose to be out in the open. But Hermione, this is a terrible idea. It's not just about the gossips and the papers. Your friends will think you've been cursed or dosed with a love potion."

She chuckled and shook her head, "You may not all be best mates, but they respect and trust you enough to know you'd never do something like that. And anyway, I already told Harry and Ron before I came here tonight."

That caught him off guard. "Seriously? Why? I'm surprised they aren't already here to arrest me," he said, glancing around as if he expected Aurors to burst in through the door.

She rolled her eyes. "They can't arrest you, we're not doing anything illegal, Severus."

Astronomy Tower it is then.

"As for why," she went on, "I told them because I wanted you to know that I am serious about not being afraid to tell anyone."

"How did they take it?" he asked, because he couldn't help himself.

"Well... it's hard to say," she said hesitantly.

He raised an eyebrow. "That's not a very promising answer."

Hermione put a hand on her forehead. "The thing is, Ginny was there - I knew Harry would just tell her anyway - and since she is assertive and used to dealing with masculine overprotectiveness I thought her presence would help. But when I told them Ginny immediately said- um...well, I probably shouldn't repeat it." She avoided his gaze and Severus waited, knowing Hermione wouldn't be able to resist filling the silence.

"Let's just say, she uh...she said something about, um...your skill level...being high...because your experience probably goes back longer than any of us have been alive...which naturally made the boys rather uncomfortable. So then they were mostly upset with Ginny and forgot I was even there."

I should send Ginevra an anonymous gift.

"I don't understand," he said, his face a mask of innocence. Why would they be upset with her?"

"Well," Hermione carefully explained, fidgeting with her sleeves, "I imagine Harry didn't like hearing his girlfriend talk about the prowess of another man, and Ron doesn't like hearing her talk about sex in gen-" Hermione cut herself off when she realized his was grinning. "You arse! You know perfectly well-" she crossed her arms and gave him a scowl that was ruined by her trying not to smile. It was a look he particularly enjoyed.

More than anyone.

The admission Severus made earlier to Minerva came back, unbidden. He was once so sure he could remain detached, but he never really had a chance. Here sat this lovely, clever, gifted witch who was entirely too good for him. It was obvious, now that he allowed himself to see it, that he was completely besotted with her. Severus was no stranger to caring deeply, but he never experienced having those feelings returned. Now here was a woman ready to risk her reputation and friendships on a desire to be with him. It was bloody terrifying.

But for the first time that night, he knew what he needed to do.

"Severus?" she asked, pulling him out if his reverie.

He looked up. "Are you planning on staying at the castle tomorrow?" he asked.

"I can," she answered, with a questioning tilt of her head.

"Would you like to walk into Hogsmeade?"

"Together? In public?" She sat up, surprised.

"Perhaps we could have lunch," he said, then leaned forward and added in a whisper, "I might even let you hold my hand under the table."

Over the rest of the holiday break, their walks into Hogsmeade - and even the one the trip to Diagon Alley - failed to cause an immediate national scandal. Although they probably went unnoticed in London because they spent the entire time perusing the shelves of Flourish and Blotts, Hermione declaring this was the first time she ever came to the bookstore with someone who wasn't ready to leave after just half an hour.

As the winter holidays came to a close, the Hogwarts staff also remained mostly oblivious. Professor Sinistra did give Severus an odd look after she spotted him leaving Hermione's rooms one morning. And Poppy flashed him a knowing smile when she passed him walking with Hermione in the hall. But the mob had yet to assemble with their pitchforks when the first staff meeting of the new term came in early January.

It was the day before classes resumed, and the meeting was the first time the entire staff had come together since the holidays. McGonagall had to leave as soon as the meeting was over to check on the status of late returning students. Those remaining were inclined to linger and chat. All except for Severus, who rose from his seat next to Hermione - she was engaged in an entirely uninteresting conversation with Flitwick - intent on escaping before someone trapped him in a horrid round of small talk.

He made it away from the others and was almost to the door on the other end of the room when he was cut off by the flying instructor, Madam Hooch.

"You feeling okay, Snape?" she asked in a low voice of mock concern, her yellow eyes scanning up and down his black form as if she were checking for injuries.

"I was," he said with a deliberate glance at the door.

"Because," she went on like he hadn't spoken, "you just sat next to Granger - on purpose - and talked to her for the whole meeting. I even saw you smile, Snape. You never smile."

Severus blinked and feigned a moment of thought, glad they were out of earshot of the others. He knew this was coming, and he needed to be careful how he reacted. "And that makes you assume I am ill?"

"Oh come on," she said, putting her hands on her hips, "you normally sit there brooding and looking bored the whole time. Now I come back from hols and find you and Granger whispering like best friends and Merlin knows what you were doing under the table to make her smile that much - yes, I noticed - I can only assume she managed to slip you something."

Severus crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. While Hooch was clearly just out to tease him, he was still offended that she would suggest it was possible to dose a Potions master.

He raised an eyebrow. "What exactly would Granger want to dose me with?"

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed," Hooch said with a smirk. "The girl's been keen on you all year - I've been meaning to ask Poppy to check her for head injuries - but until now you've avoided her like dragon pox. Obviously something's happened to you."

"Now Rolanda," Severus said in a corrective tone, "jealousy is not a trait becoming on a woman your age."

Hooch narrowed her eyes, her mouth twisted in something between delight and anger. "You son of a- Granger!" She abruptly turned to Hermione, who had just gotten up from her seat and was approaching them. "How did you get the potion in Snape's drink without him noticing?"

Hermione blinked for a moment as she tried to catch up to the conversation. "I think it's highly unlikely anyone could put something in Professor Snape's drink without him knowing," she said, causing Severus to smile.

"There!" Hooch grinned and pointed an accusing digit at his face. "You are clearly on something."

"I suppose she does sometimes have our tea ready when I wake up in the morning," he said thoughtfully.

Hermione looked scandalized for a moment, before she caught on, turning to Hooch. "I have to get up extra early to beat him to it. Then I use something floral so he won't pick up on the off smell."

"I always notice," Severus told Hooch. "I just don't say anything."

"And here I thought I was so clever," Hermione said with a mock pout, bumping his arm with her shoulder.

Hooch darted her eyes between them, open mouthed, clearly unsure what she had stumbled onto. "You two- that's...I can't," she flummoxed, shaking her head until she finally threw both hands up in defeat. "I'm done. I hope you two lovebirds are very happy together."

This last comment was loud enough that most of the people in the room were now staring at them. Poppy was beaming. Sinistra was looking at Sprout with her eyebrows raised, as if to say told you. Flitwick and Hagrid just looked confused. Hermione's cheeks flushed as she slowly shifted away from his side.

Severus acted as if he noticed none of this. He caught Hermione's eye and gestured towards the door. "Tea?" he asked.

She could only nod in reply. Severus held the door open for her, closing it behind himself without a second glance at the awkwardly silent room.

When they got a few steps down the hall Hermione stopped. "I can't believe we just did that," she said, looking a bit dazed.

"It's what you wanted isn't it?" Severus asked. "Or would you rather I go back and obliviate them all?"

She shook her head and tried to glare at him while smiling. "No, but let's go before Hagrid figures it out and comes out here to hug us."

"Indeed," he replied, and they both walked swiftly down the corridor. They went back to Severus' rooms, and they did end up having tea, among other things.

AN: They really like their tea.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. This is my first story. Please take a moment to let me know what you liked, and how I can do better.