Chapter Sixteen: Miscommunication

Disclaimer: They aren't mine, unfortunately. But I will put them back unharmed and with smiles on their faces!

Chapter Sixteen: Miscommunication

Hermione lay awake in the cool, pre-dawn light of Sunday morning, thinking about the day ahead. She knew her husband disdained Valentine's Day and all its usual accoutrements. Seeing his sneer every year at breakfast as he watched love-struck students receiving cards and gifts from the object of their latest infatuation had left no doubt as to his opinion. Her own experience of the day had been somewhat jaded by a lack of suitable partners to share it with, and it was likely marriage would bring no change. The depth of his passion was undisputed, but Severus Snape was no romantic.

As the soft sigh of resignation left her lips, she crept out of bed and gathered her clothes before entering the bathroom for a shower. Severus was still sound asleep when she returned to the bedroom, unsurprising after the pleasantly disturbed night before. Hermione was half-way through breakfast and deep into an article in the latest Potions journal by the time he surfaced.

"Good morning." He yawned as he rubbed sleep from his eyes. "I didn't hear you get up. You should have woken me."

"You looked so peaceful; I didn't have the heart to wake you. You obviously needed a little more rest. Would you like some tea?" she offered, smiling at the endearing picture he made. A barefoot, sleep-tousled Severus in what appeared to be his oldest pair of boxers would have barely made a Hufflepuff firstie flinch.

"No, thanks. I need a shower first. I'll join you in a few minutes. Unless, of course, you want to join me?"

His suggestive grin made Hermione giggle. "I've already showered, sleepyhead. You missed your opportunity. Oh, don't pout; you'll have plenty of other chances to have your way with me in the shower, you lech. You don't have to make up for the last twenty years in a few weeks; we have the rest of our lives."

"Promise?" he asked, an odd expression softening his features.

"Yes, I promise. Now, go and shower before I have to put another Warming Charm on the teapot."

Hermione smiled again. He might not be a romantic, but the occasional vulnerability he allowed her to witness was as endearing as any number of tender declarations.

After breakfast, Severus made his way to the staffroom for a Head of House meeting while Hermione made her excuses to Ginny and her other friends. In the absence of her husband, a trip to Hogsmeade seemed a little pointless. Besides, it was an excellent time to use the library in peace.

A breath of warm air on her neck startled Hermione, who had drifted off to sleep amongst the sprawl of books and parchment on the library table.

"Does my wife wish to join me for lunch today in Hogsmeade?" Severus smirked as she gazed at him in surprise.

"I thought... But you hate... All those snogging couples..." Hermione sat upright abruptly. "I'm not going to Madam Puddifoot's. They'll all be watching!"

"I wouldn't dream of it. There is a much more respectable restaurant further down the road. Besides, I'm sure a little snogging of our own would soon put them off."

"Any snogging can be done in the privacy of our own quarters from now on, Severus Snape. Now, I believe you promised me lunch?" Hermione threw the last of her quills into her bag and turned to face her husband.

"I did indeed. Madam?" He offered his arm, and together they left the library.

Lunch was uninterrupted by students' romantic liaisons – the prices on the menu alone ensured their privacy. Nevertheless, the meal consisted entirely of food, drink, and intelligent conversation, with no sudden outbursts of poetry or spontaneous appearance of roses and chocolate. Hermione felt a little relieved; she was just getting used to the new, likeable Severus, and the thought of the man surrounded by hearts and flowers just wasn't right.

Hermione kept a bright smile on her face as they returned to Hogwarts. Determined not to be one of those high maintenance, dependent women who insisted on their beloved's full attention just because it was the fourteenth of February, she carefully kept the topic of discussion to Potions and other school related subjects. Severus's expression became more unreadable as they neared the main entrance door, and he rapidly excused himself to check his Slytherins.

Watching him stride away from her, Hermione wondered if he would ever express his feelings towards her. Physically, he was attentive, tender, and passionate, and he was relaxing in her company more each day, but still he held something in reserve. She knew what she hoped he felt, but he had never confirmed it.

"Oh, good grief!" Hermione stormed into the sitting room in a fine temper, pink slime dripping off her hair.

Severus looked up from his desk and chuckled. "Peeves?" He reached into his desk drawer as she Summoned a towel.

"Bloody Peeves and his bloody Valentine's 'Love Potion.' I swear it is melted marshmallows and cream. I'll never get it out of my hair. Gods, I wish it was tomorrow already! I hate Valentine's day!"

The towel over her head prevented her seeing the disappointment in her husband's eyes as he quietly closed the desk drawer again.

"Have you lost your wand as well as your temper, madam?" The acerbic tone she had not heard for some weeks in private caught her attention. Severus flicked his wand, Vanished the thick muck from her curls, and returned to his marking. The whiteness of his knuckles and set of his shoulders were the only indication of his distress.

"Thank you, Severus." Hermione paused as she passed to kiss the top of his head. "You look tense. Why don't you leave those for later and come to dinner?"

"Give me a few minutes, my dear. Go ahead, and I'll see you there. Are you planning to sit at the staff table?"

"Of course. I'll just stop for a chat with Ginny for a few minutes first. It wouldn't do for us to sit apart tonight. Millicent might get her hopes up."

"And we couldn't allow that to happen, could we?" Bitterness edged his words.

"Besides, I happen like sitting with my husband." She reached around to hug him awkwardly from behind. "Don't be too long, love."

His gaze followed her as she left, her last comment floating behind her as she closed the door.

Hermione arrived at dinner in time to grab a seat next to Ginny before Harry arrived.

"So, how did the trip to Hogsmeade go?"

Ginny scowled and rolled her eyes. "Would have been great if Harry hadn't spent all afternoon in the Quidditch supplies shop. Really, he has no idea."

"I know the feeling," Hermione agreed.

A puzzled frown crossed Ginny's face as she watched her friend's moue of disappointment.

Hermione watched her husband cross the Great Hall to the staff table and blew him a kiss, relishing the way his cheeks stained red at her audacity.

"Hermione! Don't embarrass the poor man. He's getting enough of a hard time from everyone as it is."

"Oh, he deserves it, Ginny. Besides, it doesn't hurt to remind Millicent Bulstrode every so often exactly whom he chose to marry. She still watches him, you know." Hermione nodded towards the Slytherin girl, who was staring at Severus intently as they spoke.

"She's probably just worried you are wearing out her Head of House. One never knows when one might need advice."

"Sure. She's concerned about his well-being. That's it."

"Yes, she wants to wipe his fevered brow. If he had a fevered brow..." Ginny giggled as the conversation grew more absurd.

"The only witch wiping that man's brow, or any other part of him, will be me. So, she's out of luck," Hermione declared.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Ginny offered as she watched Harry arrive with a scowl. "Mine is only interested in the next Quidditch match at the moment. As if Hufflepuff have any chance against Slytherin. They'll be eaten alive."

Hermione laughed at the frustration evident behind her friend's words. "I'll ask. You never know; he used to fancy redheads."

Ginny groaned. "Don't you dare. If you tell him I even suggested such a thing..."

"Yes. I know. You and the Bat-Bogey hex. My canaries will beat your bats any day, Weasley."

"Hey, you two! Are you thinking of facing off after dinner? Can we all watch?" Neville laughed as they turned matching glares in his direction.

"Shall we, Ginny?"

"Love to, Hermione."

"Er... now, don't be hasty, girls. Wouldn't want Professor Snape to catch you threatening a poor, defenceless boy."

"Yes, young ladies. It wouldn't do for Professor Snape to discover you are planning to use magic irresponsibly." The dulcet tones of the wizard under discussion intruded into their byplay.

"Would we do that, Gin?" asked Hermione, all innocence.

"Never!" Ginny replied as she winked at Severus, who surprised her with a wink of his own as he collected his wife and escorted her to the staff table.

As they rose to leave after dinner, Severus turned to the witch beside him. "I'm rostered on early rounds this evening, Hermione," he explained. "I'll see you in our quarters later."

"Okay. I'll probably be in the library most of the evening, anyway. Someone has set a rather nasty Potions essay this week." She stood and turned to her husband and, to his surprise, brushed his lips with her soft mouth. "But I might forgive him if he is particularly good later," she whispered.

"I'm sure that can be arranged." Severus nodded and swept away, leaving the Great Hall as Pansy Parkinson and her gang of Slytherin sixth and seventh years approached the Gryffindor table where Hermione had stopped to talk.

"Well, well. I can see how Miss Perfect, or should I say Mrs Perfect, manages to keep her husband under control. Tell me, Granger, have you had a ring put through his nose yet, or is that pleasure to come?"

"Oh, I'm sure there are a lot of pleasures to come, Pansy, but you won't be hearing about them. How about you and your little friends run off and play while the grown-ups chat?"

"You just think you're better than everyone now you are married to Snape. Well, we know you're just a jumped-up, know-it-all Mudblood, Granger, and..."

Pansy's mouth snapped shut as she realised her Head of House was standing behind her, having overheard her comments as he left the room. The fury in his expression left her in little doubt as to the foolhardiness of her actions.

"That's Madam Snape to you, Parkinson. Fifty points from Slytherin for appalling behaviour. No-one speaks to my wife in that manner! Now, get back to your common room. All of you!"

His voice rang out into the sudden silence as hundreds of students gazed open-mouthed at the tableau before them. A brief quirk of his lips and a nod and Severus once again strode away, this time to ensure Pansy Parkinson and her cronies had followed his order.

Draco Malfoy paused outside the Potions professor's office. His Head of House still presented a formidable authority figure to the blond, despite having known him since he was a baby. But he had to know, and the only way to find out was to ask. With that thought in mind, Draco raised his hand and knocked.

"Enter!" At your own risk, the brusque tone suggested.

"Good evening, sir." Draco hesitated.

"Yes, Draco. What is it?" Severus looked up briefly.

"I... er... wondered..."

"What, lad? I don't have all night to play guessing games." The older man's scowl would have sent a younger student scurrying back to their dorm, question unanswered.

"The Marriage Law, sir. It was repealed." Draco managed to get a few words out through suddenly dry lips.

"What of it?"

"I heard you knew it was to be investigated before you married Hermione." Baffled by Snape's apparent unconcern, Draco studied the Potions master.

"I did. We both did."

"So, why did you go through with it? Not that I don't like Hermione," he added in response to the flare of anger in Severus's eyes. "I've come to know her better this year, and she's all right."

"All right enough so you had to kiss her before Christmas?" Severus snarled.

"Oh, you know about that?"

"I do." Standing abruptly, Severus rounded the desk and circled the young man.

"It won't happen again. I like Hermione, but I like my dangly bits better." Draco's weak attempt to defuse the situation seemed to be effective. The older wizard withdrew and began pacing in front of the fireplace.

"Why do you want to know?" Severus had returned to Draco's original question.

"I'm not really sure. Just curious, I suppose. I've known you all my life, and it didn't seem like you to go through with an arranged marriage just because..." Draco stopped speaking as a sudden realisation hit him right between the eyes. "You love her, don't you? You went and fell in love with the bloody woman!"

Severus forced a smile. "Yes, Draco. Now you know my sordid little secret. I'm head over heels in love with my wife. Anything else you..." A soft gasp from the doorway and running footsteps had the two men sharing a look.

"Fuck!" growled Severus as he shouldered the boy aside in pursuit of his wife.

Draco stared after Severus as he disappeared down the corridor, urgency in every nuance of his stride.

"Well, I'll be damned. He really does love the witch!" He smiled and whistled to himself as he closed and locked the office door.

A/N: Thanks to ladyinthecloak, the best beta in the world!