Dinner and Deliberation

Disclaimer: I make no money from this piece of fiction. I'm only in it for the smut... er, fun.

Thanks go to the wonderful Southern_Witch_69 for her help and beta reading, without which this chapter would be a disaster.

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Dinner and Deliberation

Severus showed up at Hermione's door only a few hours after waking up so that they could have an early lunch together, thinking it would be wise to eat now so that they'd be hungry again by 4:30. He admitted to himself privately that he had also just wanted to see her – even though it had only been a few hours since he'd woken up on his sofa to find her gone – but he didn't need to broadcast that. It was one thing to know that he was in deep and to even accept it, but it was quite another to tell Hermione that he'd felt cold without her near him and hadn't wanted to wait any longer to be in her presence – especially when he was unsure of how deep her feelings for him ran in return.

That would be something they could discuss much, much further into their relationship. For now, he would just take it as it came.

"Is what I'm wearing acceptable, or should I change into something else?" he asked Hermione as she milled around her rooms, getting ready to leave.

She glanced at him. "No. What you're wearing is fine. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, I'm wearing robes. Perhaps something more common in the Muggle world would be more appropriate?"

"You are a wizard, Severus. I think you should wear whatever you are comfortable in."

"Yes, but... would your parents be more... accommodating if I was dressed in trousers and a shirt?"

Ah, so that's what he was asking, Hermione thought bemusedly. He was still worried about their reaction to him.

"My parents know that you are a wizard, Severus, and they know that a wizard generally wears robes. I think they would find it more odd if you were dressed in trousers and a shirt than the way you're dressed now."

He nodded, but still looked apprehensive. She walked over to stand in front of him and took his hands in hers. "Just be yourself."

He raised his eyebrows, and she smirked. "Obviously I'd prefer it if you didn't hex, snarl, or attempt to take house points from them, but I think you might find they appreciate your sarcasm. Well, my mum at least." She squeezed his hands, and Severus wondered what she meant by that last comment. "Just let me finish getting ready, and we'll go."

abababababab

Half an hour later, they Apparated together to a suburban neighborhood outside of London and walked down the street a short ways until Hermione turned to him with an encouraging smile and said, "This is the one, ready?"

Severus didn't say anything in return, just swallowed hard and let her lead him up the walk to a painted white door. Hermione rang the bell with one hand and held Severus' lightly with the other, which he refrained, barely, from squeezing hard enough to bruise.

"Hermione," her mother said brightly as she opened the door, "we're so glad you're here. Your father's been cooking up a storm all day."

Hermione chuckled. "Hi, Mum. Dad's in the kitchen now?"

"Yes," she said. "Why don't you come in and you can introduce us both to your friend at the same time."

She gave a quick glance to Severus but looked to be holding off on a closer inspection until they were in the door.

"Stephen!" Hermione's mother called. "They're here."

"I know," a voice called from another room. "I heard the bell!"

Hermione couldn't help laughing and shaking her head.

"I'll be there in a moment. Just taking the turkey out."

Severus shifted nervously as they waited, feeling as if he was about to be put in a display case for tourists to walk by and point at as they passed judgment and moved on.

"Ah, here he is," said Mrs. Granger as her husband came striding around the corner.

Severus took one look at Hermione's father and immediately felt relief. After all, it was hard to feel intimidated by a man who was only taller than he was because of the white, mushroom-topped chef's hat he was wearing, armed only with a spatula.

The man gave him an interested, quizzical look as he slid his arm, the non spatula-wielding one, around his wife and said to Hermione, "Hello, love. Who's your fellow?"

Hermione laughed, and Severus relaxed. "Mum, Dad, this is Severus Snape. Severus, these are my parents, Stephen and Maureen."

Severus, trying very hard not to stare at that ridiculous hat, met Stephen Granger's eyes with an offered hand and said, "Mr. Granger."

"Stephen, please!" He reached his hand forward to shake Severus' only to realize it was already occupied by a cooking utensil. "Hold this, Maureen."

She took the spatula from him, and he used his now free hand to return Severus' gesture firmly. If he noticed that Severus was neither young nor handsome, he didn't mention it.

Hermione's mother, however, was a different matter. As Severus turned to her to offer her his hand, she eyed him speculatively in a way that told Severus she had noticed both of those things. But she also refrained from commenting, taking his hand and shaking it instead.

Well," she said to them all, "supper should be ready soon, right, Stephen?"

"Quite, quite," he said jovially. "I'll have that back now." He took the spatula from his wife and sauntered back into the kitchen, whistling loudly.

"Since when do you need a spatula to cook a turkey?" Hermione whispered to her mother, who winked back, and Severus couldn't help but chuckle.

"I think it makes him feel the part," she murmured back. "I got him the hat and that spatula for Christmas, and he's been wearing it every time he cooks anything more than toast."

Hermione threw her head back and laughed. "Of course. I was wondering where he'd found that hat... Nice one, Mum."

She winked again and motioned for them to follow her into the dining room where Stephen was already carrying large bowls of salad, stuffing, and cranberry sauce to the table, whistling all the while. He disappeared as Hermione, Severus, and Maureen took their seats and returned moments later with a large, glazed turkey on a platter. He made a final trip and returned with a large carving knife and a hefty pitcher of ice water.

He turned to Severus and held out the knife. "Would you do the honors, Sean?"

"Severus, Dad," Hermione corrected, flushing a bit.

"Of course, my mistake," he said. "Would you like to carve the turkey, er, Severus?"

Severus was barely holding back his laughter. This was certainly not what he had been expecting. "Certainly, Stephen." He cut the turkey with a precision that obviously impressed Hermione's father, for he gave him an admiring nod of approval, as if his turkey carving skills alone had earned Severus his endorsement as a man worthy of his daughter.

Gods, this man was a character. Severus couldn't help but like him; flighty though he was, he seemed sincere and completely unpretentious.

Severus met Hermione's eyes and gave her a little wink that made her grin.

"Stephen, since it's your birthday, why don't you bless the meal," Maureen said as Stephen pulled out the remaining chair and took his seat across from Severus.

He gripped his wife's hand and reached for Severus' with his other. Severus looked at the offered hand uncertainly, then glanced at Hermione as she pulled their clasped hands from under the table and rested them on the tablecloth. She reached across the table and took her mother's hand with her other, and Severus got the idea. Hermione gave him a wink similar to the one he'd given her, and he reached forward and let Stephen grasp his hand.

"Lord, we ask a blessing on this turkey and the sides that I have prepared with it. Amen."

He let go of Severus' hand, and again, Severus had to stop himself from chuckling. It had been a rather abbreviated blessing, but it was the sincerity that counted, right?

Severus was unsure of the order in which the serving would take place and was relieved when all three Grangers reached for something different and began helping themselves. Hermione gave an encouraging smile to Severus. "Go ahead," she said. "There's plenty."

Severus didn't mind if he did.

"So, Severus," Maureen said as she poured herself a glass of water. "What do you do? And how did you meet our Hermione?"

Well, she certainly hadn't wasted any time. "I'm a professor, Mrs. Granger. I met your daughter at Hogwarts."

Maureen raised her eyebrows. "Her professor?"

"Mum," Hermione muttered. "I haven't been a student for five years."

But Maureen apparently wasn't satisfied with that answer. She looked at Severus expectantly. He knew he was going to have to be honest. "Yes, her professor."

Maureen's eyes narrowed a bit, and Hermione reached for Severus' hand again. "Mum, it wasn't like that. He never thought of me inappropriately or took advantage of me while I was a student. Our relationship didn't begin until I returned to Hogwarts this year."

"Is this true?" Maureen asked Severus seriously.

"Yes. Our relationship was never anything but that of teacher and student while she at school. We only began seeing one another romantically recently."

"I see," she said. "And is it... serious?"

"Mum!" Hermione said, flushing red. "That's none of you business!"

But Maureen wasn't deterred. Once again, she looked at Severus expectantly, but this time, he didn't have an answer for her. Was it serious? He could only speak for himself. Was it serious for him? Yes, very. This was the only relationship he'd ever been in, and he'd already admitted to himself that he felt very deeply for Hermione. But he didn't know how she felt. He couldn't tell anyone that their relationship was 'serious' without knowing where she stood.

"I... It's – We're... Mrs. Granger––"

"Mum," Hermione snapped, putting her foot down. "I didn't invite Severus so that you could interrogate him about our relationship. I invited him because I thought you'd like to meet the man I'm seeing. You've asked what he does for a living and how we met, and he answered honestly. Anything beyond that, anything about our relationship is not open for public discussion and is between Severus and me. Understood?"

Maureen pursed her lips but didn't press any further, and Severus breathed an inward sigh of relief, casting Hermione a grateful glance. "Fine, I shall restrict my comments to the weather."

"Does that mean I'm allowed to ask Septimus things that aren't about your relationship?" Stephen asked, inadvertently breaking the ice again.

Hermione smiled. "It's Severus, Dad, and yes, you can ask him whatever you'd like. Just keep in mind he has the right to not answer."

"Of course, only fair," Stephen said. He gave Severus a measuring look, and Severus didn't know whether to be afraid of this interrogation or excited, based purely on the entertainment value he instinctively knew it would be worth alone.

"You wouldn't happen to be much of a golfer, would you, Seven ... us?"

"Severus, Dad! Really, it's not that hard to remember!"

"No, Stephen, I can't say I've ever been golfing. Why do you ask?"

"No reason, no reason," he replied, and Severus wondered if he should be keeping track of how many times and in how many ways this man could mispronounce his name. Hermione was right; it wasn't that hard to remember, but he found himself hoping ridiculously that he would go on mispronouncing it. Sean had been good, but Sevenus would be hard to top.

"You know, Maureen and I are dentists."

"Yes, I'd heard that."

"That means we work on teeth professionally."

"Indeed," Severus said, already knowing where this was going, but strangely not minding having his teeth critiqued by this man, who hadn't a mean-spirited bone in his body.

"Rather," Stephen said with a nod. "If you and Hermione decide to make a go of it, you might consider letting us give your teeth a look."

"I'll keep that in mind," Severus said, glancing again at Hermione to find her with her head tilted down and her hand covering her eyes. Severus bit his lip.

"Good, good," Stephen said. "Do you mind me asking what subject you teach at Hogwarts, Severus?"

Damn. Well, there goes my fun. "Not at all, Stephen. I teach Potions."

"Oh! Marvelous! Hermione always did quite well in Potions, rather high marks."

"Yes, I remember," Severus said, and Hermione chuckled beside him.

This went on for quite a while – Stephen asking question after question and Severus answering each, wondering in the beginning how they were related but soon giving up on trying to make sense of Hermione's father and just enjoying himself instead.

When dinner was through, Stephen retreated back into the kitchen to retrieve his own birthday cake, which he had both baked and decorated.

"We have a tradition, Severus," Hermione said as her father began to gouge the cake with spiraled, wax candles.

Severus looked at the large box of candles and thought, Surely he doesn't mean to stick in one for every year. How old was he anyway? But Stephen stopped suddenly and handed the box to Hermione. Severus only counted eleven candles. He looked at Hermione in confusion as she began inserting candles in random places, and she explained.

"Since there are only three of us in our family, we thought we'd make every birthday special for all of us, so when it comes time for the cake, we each add up the numbers in our current age. Dad is turning fifty-six, so he added eleven candles. I'm twenty-three, so I'm added five." She finished inserting her last candle and handed the box to Severus, who began sticking his seven in a row on the top left corner of the cake.

"Seven," Stephen said, doing the math. "That makes you either thirty-four, forty-three, or fifty-two. I'm guessing forty-three?"

"Last month," Severus replied with a smirk, then handed the box to Maureen, who inserted eight candles of her own to signify her fifty three years.

When she was finished, the cake in front of them more resembled a frosted minefield with candles to mark the bombs than an actual cake – even more so when they lit the candles – but nobody seemed to mind, so Severus shrugged it off as another oddity he found endearing – like Hermione's father himself.

A spirited round of "Happy Birthday" followed, in which Stephen actually joined in and sang to himself – "Happy Birthday, dear Stephen!"

Severus grimaced when he blew out all thirty-one candles in one breath and quite obvious blew bits of spittle all over the cake. Well, it appeared he'd been eating his slice sans frosting...

After everyone had had their fill of cake, Stephen led the way into the parlor where he opened a bottle of champagne. Severus took a goblet from Maureen as she handed one to each of them and noticed from the smile on her face that she had apparently warmed up to him somewhere between his stuttered response to her invasive question and the last bite of cake.

They all settled into the furniture as they drank, Maureen and Stephen on the sofa and Severus and Hermione on the loveseat.

Severus listened to the anecdotes and jokes shared and felt more at ease than he ever could have imagined he'd be in this situation. So at ease, in fact, that when Hermione shifted closer and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder, he didn't give it a second thought as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against him securely, taking her hand in his and rubbing his thumb over her palm gently.

The champagne kept coming, and soon they were all a bit more relaxed than was probably wise.

"Hermione," her mother said after several hours, "does'nit bother you a bit that Severus is so much older th'n you?" She had apparently forgotten the No Relationship Questions rule, and Severus wasn't sure he liked where this was going, but Hermione surprised him with her answer.

"No, Mum, it doesn't. I've wanted Severus for a long time. I've never cared how old he is."

She had?

She'd wanted him? For how long?

"Even when you were 'is student?"

Severus was suddenly very interested in the answer to that question and no longer cared that it was an off limits topic.

But Hermione gave no answer. "I think it's time for Severus and I to be going," she said quietly, extracting herself from her position. Maureen and Stephen both looked disappointed for obviously different reasons. "Mum," Hermione said, "I asked you not to ask any more questions about my relationship with Severus. It's not something I intend on discussing with you. You can owl me whenever you feel ready to apologize for making us both uncomfortable. Dad, Happy Birthday. I'm glad I got to see you both. Severus, let's go."

Severus was standing now, ready to follow Hermione out.

"Good to meet you, Severus," Stephen said as they moved toward the door. "Delightful fellow."

"Likewise, Stephen," he said, and he meant it. He closed the door behind him and walked out onto the porch to find Hermione staring hard at the ground.

"So?" he asked, coming to stand in front of her.

"So what?"

"Did you want me when you were my student?" he asked quietly.

She froze and began to back away, but he caught her hands. She stared back at the ground, and he tilted her chin up.

"Tell me. You said you wanted me to notice you. You said you had a crush on me. Did you want me even back then?"

"No," she said. "It was... after that."

"When? I though it was just this year since you'd been back."

She shook her head, wishing she were anywhere else. She really didn't want to admit how long she'd carried a pathetic torch for Severus before finally doing something about it. What if he thought she was... She swallowed thickly.

"How long?" he pressed.

She closed her eyes tightly and said, "Since we worked together in the war."

Severus was shocked. That had been right after she'd graduated. She'd been harboring feelings for him all this time?

"Tell me," he said.

She scoffed self-depreciatively. "There's nothing to tell. I was a pathetic little girl with a crush on her brave, noble professor. I went to university and thought I'd get over it, but when I came back this year, my feelings were still there. I wanted you to notice me and treat me as an equal, so I showed you respect and was polite to you. Then I realized that you would never notice me unless something changed, so I changed it. The rest you know..."

She looked away from him. "And now you know how silly... how stupid I've been."

"What?" He was confused. He didn't think she was stupid. He was elated that she'd felt so strongly for him that she'd done something to get him to notice her. He was glad she had. If she hadn't, he never would have realized what her presence in his life meant to him. He never would have gone to the extreme of inventing that project, never would have kissed her, never would have experienced jealous possessiveness for the first time or the joy that came with knowing he had nothing to worry about, never would have fallen in love with her.

He sucked in a breath. God. He loved her. He'd known it before now, deep down, but the words had never come to him before. And he knew it was true. He'd fallen in love with her. And, Merlin, it had been so easy. He'd opened the floodgates with that first kiss, and before he'd known what was happening to him, he'd been utterly swept away.

What should he do now? Should he tell her? How could he be sure she loved him back? What if she didn't? She'd said she'd wanted him, but she hadn't said she'd loved him, that she loved him now.

"Severus?" she said, wondering with growing anxiety why he hadn't said anything, why he was just staring at her like that. "Say something, will you?"

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out, and he closed it again.

Hermione was feeling close to tears again, and it was her own fault. Why hadn't she just kept her mouth shut when her mother had asked her again about Severus? Damn champagne... Of course he wouldn't know what to say. She'd just admitted she'd practically been obsessed with him for years, and he was probably scared to death. They'd only been together for a couple of week. He couldn't have been ready for that kind of revelation. Her embarrassment overtook her.

"Oh, God," she blurted out. "You must think I'm some sort of... of stalker. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. Please, just forget I said all that."

"What? Stalker... No, Hermione."

"I didn't mean to say it. I don't want to scare you off. Just forget I said it, please, Severus."

"Scare me off, how could you scare me off?"

"I just admitted that I... Of course it would scare you off. I knew better than to put something like that on you when this was still so new. I know you're not ready for that. Can't we just forget this happened?"

"Hermione, do you think the depth of your feelings, whatever they are, would scare me away?"

"Don't they?"

"No, of course not. You admitting to me that you've had feelings for me for all this time doesn't scare me, and I don't think you are stupid. I think you're wonderful. I'm glad you told me." He finished by brushing the pad of his thumb across her cheek.

She was afraid to ask, but she needed to know. "Severus, how do you feel about me?"

"I..." He loved her. It was so easy to feel it. Why was it so hard to say it? "I care for you very much," he finally said, hoping it would be enough to convey the truth.

"I see." That was good. She knew it was good. It was a big step for him and more than she'd thought possible. It was a bit... disheartening, but there was still time ahead of them. She could wait for him, she thought, but right now, she needed to get home and get some sleep before she made things worse or embarrassed herself even further. Maybe tomorrow it would all look different.

She smiled at him tiredly and said, "I need to go home, Severus. It's been a long day." He nodded as she leaned forward and pecked him on the mouth.

Severus looked at her worriedly. He couldn't help but feel he should have told her he loved her. But she did seem tired, and it had been a long day. Maybe they both just needed to get some sleep. "All right," he said. "Ready?"

She took his hand, and they walked down the street to the place they'd appeared so many hours ago. Both were very quiet, Hermione thinking about everything that had happened between them and Severus thinking more and more as the seconds ticked by that he should say something, tell her the truth.

They reached the corner, and Severus pulled him against her to Disapparate, feeling comforted by her warmth and closeness. When they arrived before the gates of Hogwarts, he was a little reluctant to let her go. He decided to break the silence.

"Thank you for inviting me, Hermione."

Hermione chuckled. "Am I right in assuming you enjoyed my father?"

He smirked. "Very. He is not at all what I expected. You are very lucky to have been raised by such a man. I enjoyed the whole evening."

Hermione beamed at him, feeling her heart lighten considerably.

"Thank you..." he said quietly, "for protecting my privacy––"

"Our privacy," she interjected.

His mouth twitched in amusement. "Our privacy," he agreed. "I'm finding myself in the midst of new experiences constantly these days, and having someone coming to my defense is something new. I appreciate it very much."

She smiled and hugged him. "Let's get inside. It's too cold out here."

They made their way up to the castle and then to Hermione's chambers. She felt happy now, content. Maybe it was the alcohol and his closeness that had done it, or maybe it was his admittance of how much he had liked her father, but she knew that he wasn't going anywhere. She could wait for him to catch up to her. "As long as we're thanking each other," she said, warmth in her voice, "I want to thank you for telling me that you care for me. I mean – I knew you did, but it was nice to hear it."

Severus bit his lip and shifted uncomfortably. Here was another perfect opportunity to set her straight. She didn't seem to need it, but he'd realized after that first misunderstanding that they should have nothing but the truth between them, always, whatever it was.

But in his deliberation, the moment passed, and Hermione yawned. "All right. Goodnight, Severus. I'll see you in the morning?"

He nodded wordlessly, and she leaned forward for one last kiss. He gave it, and she retreated back into her chambers with a smile that he couldn't help but return.

As he walked the way back to his own quarters, he mentally kicked himself for his silence. Why he hadn't just told her? He'd wanted to. He knew why... It was because he'd never told a woman that he loved her before. He'd never loved a woman before, not like this. And risky as it felt, he wanted her to know. Even if she didn't need to hear it, he wanted her to know. He promised himself as he entered his quarters and readied for bed that he'd tell her the next time he saw her, no matter what.

abababababab

Hermione woke up with a hangover, which surprised her. She'd known she'd had quite a bit to drink, but it hadn't been so much that her speech had been slurred or her judgment impaired. So the pounding in her head and the ache in her muscles caught her off guard. She groaned as she looked at the clock. Damn. She'd missed breakfast, and she needed to take a shower. She had a class to teach in half an hour.

abababababab

Severus was worried when Hermione didn't show up for breakfast. His plan to tell her he loved her was more resolute than ever, but he couldn't tell her if she wasn't there. He worried more and more as the meal went on and she still didn't come. Was she all right? She'd said she'd "see him in the morning," so why wasn't she here?

He was a little worried that maybe after a good night's sleep, she'd changed her mind about their relationship, yet that didn't seem likely. As the meal went on and she didn't show, his worry turned into true fear that there was something wrong. The bell rang, and Severus was afraid now that something had happened. Was she sick? Or hurt? He took a detour and walked by her classroom. She should be there by now. He was immensely relieved as he stood outside her door and saw her bent over her desk, scribbling something as her students filed in. He wondered why she hadn't come to breakfast. He cleared his throat loudly enough for just her to hear and watched as she looked around for the source of the noise, startled. Her gaze came to rest on him, and she smiled.

Severus noticed that she looked tired, and her eyes were a bit puffy. If she was smiling at him like that, that meant her feelings hadn't changed. So why...? Ah. Hangover. It hadn't occurred to him until now that she weighed considerably less than he did and that she'd had just as much to drink the night before.

He gave her a nod and left for his own class, which would start without him if he didn't hurry. As soon as he was able, he summoned a house-elf and had him deliver a vial of hangover relief potion to Hermione.

abababababab

Lunchtime arrived, and Severus was ready, once again, to find Hermione and tell her the truth. He arrived in the Great Hall, and his heart jumped with excitement and nervousness when he saw her seated in her usual chair. He took a deep breath and made his way toward her, rehearsing in his head what he was going to say.

He sat down next to her and touched her arm.

"Severus," she said brightly. She looked a lot better than she had in the morning. The hangover relief potion had done its job then.

"Thank you for the potion. Saved my morning."

He nodded shortly, not wanting to be sidetracked. "Hermione," he said, "I need to tell you something."

She looked at him in surprise at the seriousness of his tone. "Oh," she said, biting her lip a bit. "Is everything okay?" Her eyes searched his eyes for a sign of what he was thinking.

"Everything is fine. There's just something you need to know."

She held his gaze, giving him her undivided attention, not knowing what to expect.

"Last night, when you asked––"

"Severus," called Albus Dumbledore as he approached, and Severus gritted his teeth. What could the old fool want? And of all the worst possible times to interrupt a conversation...

"Hermione, last––" he tried to go on but was cut off by an old, wrinkled hand on his shoulder and the Headmaster's voice ruining his speech again.

"Severus," Dumbledore said, "I hope you're ready for tomorrow night. Everything is set, but I still need your signature on the contract.

"What are you talking about?" Severus hissed. Did he have to pick this moment to come over and start talking nonsense?

"Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Surely you haven't forgotten about the Bachelor Auction?"

Severus cursed loudly and clenched his eyes shut, barely holding himself back from shouting at the Headmaster. "As I matter of fact," he ground out, "I had forgotten. As much as I appreciate you reminding me, I can't discuss this right now."

"I'm afraid now is the time, my boy. I need you to accompany me to my office. This is the only time a representative from the Planning Committee has free before the event, and you are the last bachelor we need to sign."

"Just give me a few minutes, and I'll be there."

"I'm afraid I can't wait a few minutes, Severus. The Committee is on a tight schedule."

"Fine," he snapped, pushing his chair out and sanding up violently, glaring at Dumbledore.

The old man just smiled back and walked away from the table. Severus looked at Hermione and said, "It's important. I'll come to your chambers after classes."

She nodded, and he swept out of the room, following the Headmaster.

Once in the corridor, he caught up to Dumbledore as they walked. "Aside from that fact that you couldn't have timed this little meeting any worse, I'm afraid it's unnecessary, as I will not be participating in this Bachelor Auction."

"Oh, and why is that?" Dumbledore asked.

"Because, Headmaster, I am no longer a bachelor; therefore, I am not eligible to be auctioned off as one."

"I wasn't aware that you'd gotten married since last we spoke," Dumbledore said with a chuckle.

"You know perfectly well that I am not married," Severus snapped.

"Then you are still a bachelor."

"No, I'm not!" Severus was beginning to lose his temper. "I'm seeing someone, and I'm not about to go auction myself off as a single man to some desperate woman while I'm involved with another!"

"Come now, Severus. I'm sure Miss Granger will understand that this is just for charity."

"Miss – I – You – How––?"

"How did I know you've been seeing Miss Granger? Give me a little credit, Severus. I may be old, but I'm not blind."

Severus glared as they reached Dumbledore's office. "Fine. It doesn't matter how you know," he spat. "The point is that refuse to take part in this. That is final, Headmaster."

Ten minutes later, not only had Severus signed the contract, but by doing so he had committed his time from now until the auction for any preparations that Dumbledore or the Planning Committee felt he needed to be a part of.

When Dumbledore informed him that his classes had been cancelled for the rest of the day and for tomorrow – and that he was needed for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening in Hogsmeade for a robe fitting, he thought the whole world was conspiring against him.

"I can't go to Hogsmeade, Headmaster," he said in a low, controlled voice. "I told Hermione I'd be at her quarters as soon as classes are finished. It is very important that I not miss the appointment."

"I'm sure Miss Granger will understand if you explain the situation to her," Dumbledore replied dismissively.

Severus gritted his teeth again. "Albus!" he snapped, and the Headmaster immediately paid attention, knowing that the times Severus called him by his given name were few and far between. "I have agreed to this willingly, if you can call it that, getting nothing in return for myself. I am telling you I need some time to talk to Hermione this afternoon, so give me that time. You cannon tell me that I will be needed every second from now until the auction."

Dumbledore gave him a long look, meeting his eyes honestly and for once without that damn twinkle. "All right," he finally said. "You've signed the contract now, so I'm afraid you're magically bound to the auction and the commitments it entails, including the ones this afternoon, but I will give you time to go to her, as long as you can come directly to Hogsmeade after. That will have to be good enough."

Severus nodded shortly.

Dumbledore chuckled. "I have to be honest with you, Severus. The reason I asked you to be a part of this in the first place was that I had hoped it would give Miss Granger an opportunity to make her feelings known to you. But I must say I was ever so pleased for you both when you found each other on your own without my meddling."

"Then why did you insist today that I still be a part of it?" he asked.

"Because I thought Miss Granger would bid for you anyway, and Severus, I truly thought you would enjoy yourself. You still might."

Severus grumbled something, thinking having a good time was not likely. Maybe he could get Hermione to bid for him. That would take care of a lot of problems this could cause. His thoughts turned to her again, and he began mentally rehearsing the speech he would make, but his thoughts came to a halt as something else struck him. "Headmaster," he said suspiciously with narrowed eyes, "you told me I'd be allowed to wear whatever I wanted. Why am I needed in Hogsmeade for a fitting?"

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SB's Notes: Right then. I hope you liked the dinner with the parents. I really did have a blast writing it. (Could be because it was four in the morning, and I'd been up for twenty-two hours) Only one more chapter to go! Auction's up next...