Dance With A Serpent

Epilogue

Hermione had not been a good girl. She had promised to wait until today, but she hadn't been able to.

She had cornered him in dark corridors forcing him in to kiss her on countless occasions.

At first her stubborn professor had fought her on the matter, but he had given in. Just like she knew he would, all though he had also reprimanded her every single time.

She felt giddy standing there on the grassed grounds of Hogwarts. Soon, she would be a witch. Not a witch in training, but a fully fledged witch and she could start calling her Severus her Severus. She wondered if the smile that had taken her face hostage that morning would ever fade.

Hermione looked around her. Harry was there looking grim and serious. Yeah, he probably didn't really want to leave the school, the first real home for him. He was going to study for Auror, she had helped him fill out the applications.

She looked beyond Harry and saw Ron. He and Tara Glennen had been owling each other all term. They were almost an item. She was so happy for him.

In another slightly greener cluster stood the friend she never thought she would make. Draco Malfoy, he still grumbled now and then because she had thought him gay. She suspected they would have that subject to tease about for as long as they cared to know each other. He and his stick-figure Artemis Winter were together now and they seemed contented. It was nice seeing Draco happy, and if Artemis Winter could bring him that, then maybe even Hermione could warm up to the girl.

She looked at all her friends one by one, knowing that she would miss them, yet not wishing that she wasn't about to graduate. She wanted to graduate.

Professor McGonagall was making a speech and behind her stood the four representatives for the four houses.

Her Severus looked grim and bored just as always. He really thought himself dark and mysterious with a hint of evil. What a silly notion. She was sure no one on the planet could kiss and hold her as tentatively as him. How could she have ever feared him? How could she have ever been disgusted by the thought of him?

She almost waved, but giddy though she was, she hadn't lost her marbles. He would probably hex her for it.

He had not been pleased about her telling her friend about them. No indeed. Harry had been very difficult about it. Good thing Ginny could make him jump through hoops. Making him accept the fact about Hermione and Snape had been no match for her.

Severus had grumbled about the loss of respect he had faced when their secret had been shared by Harry, Ginny, Ron and Draco. Draco had himself hadn't lost any respect for the professor, but he had told Miss Winter and apparently she hadn't shown Severus any respect to begin with, and this hadn't helped...

Hermione had told him he would just have to live with it, suck it up and be a man. Soon her friends would be out of his classroom.

"But I won't get rid of them, will I?" he had asked her, looking about as pleased as a wet cat.

"No. They are my friends so after school you'll have to get to know them. Won't that be nice?" She had smiled most maliciously.

He had groaned and bore a face of true pain

"Can't I just kill myself? Death never was this bad."

"Me and Miss Winter will just regenerate you again. Frankly, you would only be stalling."

He had not looked pleased. She had, on the other hand, looked very pleased.

Hermione woke up from her little reminiscing as the crowd she was standing in started to move.