Chapter Two

Hermione was aware that there were spells to take care of the washing up, but she rarely used them. She supposed it was due to her Muggle upbringing that she found something soothing in the repetitive splash and rinse motion of washing the dishes. Some of her most successful campaigns had been planned while she stood over a sink of soapy water, staring out at the view from her kitchen window. Currently, her view was blocked by a large tawny owl, and she hurriedly dried her hands to take the envelope being offered on its outstretched leg.

She had spent the last several days poring over the Daily Prophet, and she knew as soon as she spotted the spiky handwriting on the envelope, that the letter was going to be one giant "told you so." Though, of course, Severus would never be so Gryffindorishly blunt.

Hermione-

I wonder if you have noticed that the Daily

Prophet has recently seen fit to expand their

Severus

Hermione didn't bother to examine her motives for heading into her bedroom to change her blouse and see to her hair rather than heading directly to the Floo. Though the sly insinuations and outright accusations being printed by the Prophet were patently false, she couldn't deny that she and Severus had become friends over the years. Nor could she deny that she had looked forward to the end of his sentence with the hopes they might explore possibly being more then friends.

In the beginning, he'd seen her as little more than his jailer, keeping their meetings confined to the one hour, twice-weekly requirement and conversing in only the most formal tones. Hermione had been patient though, and she'd worked hard to find subjects that would draw him out, starting discussions that would cause him to linger over a cup of tea.

She had considered it a victory the first time their teatime meeting stretched into the dinner hour. By the end of the first year, it was rare for a day to pass without them speaking to one another. They used their meetings as an excuse to explore museums and historical ruins of mutual interest, although they usually kept to Muggle areas through an unspoken agreement.

He might have been pardoned, but Hermione knew Severus felt shunned by the wizarding world. His current position, preparing and cataloging potions ingredients for the Ministry's Potions Guild, was a solitary one and offered little interaction besides that with his pompous windbag of a supervisor. While Severus had never exactly fostered friendships, Hogwarts had provided him with peers who could at least be counted on for nominal conversation. Still, Hermione had never forgotten the beginning of her first year at Hogwarts, the grinding misery of loneliness, and she found herself incredibly grateful for their intellectually stimulating conversations and Severus' wicked wit, which never failed to entertain her.

Recently, she had noticed other small changes in his attitude towards her. More than once, she had been almost sure he was flirting with her.

Taking a final glance in the mirror, she experienced a little surge of hope. Perhaps he was simply biding his time, waiting for the end of his sentence so that they could begin a relationship on equal footing. Feeling confident that she had stumbled onto the truth, Hermione headed for the Floo. She had one quick call to make before she left.

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Severus looked up from his book as his Floo connection activated. As he was expecting her, he wasn't surprised when Hermione's head appeared in flames suddenly gone green.

"Severus?"

He stood up from his chair and approached the fireplace. "Hermione." He held his hand toward her. "Would you like to come through?"

Her smile brightened as she took his hand and stepped into his home.

Spinner's End would never be palatial, but the last few years had seen a number of improvements, which rendered Severus' childhood home comfortable and attractive. Hermione had been a big help in the restoration and enhancement of his house. After all, he wasn't a monk, and he rather enjoyed his creature comforts.

A number of their outdoor expeditions had been curtailed by the capricious English climate. When driven inside, they had, more often than not, chosen his home for the anonymity of its Muggle community rather than her flat in wizarding London. Initially, Hermione had tentatively offered to assist him with renovations, although soon she was all but issuing demands and ordering him about.

He hadn't been at all surprised by the way she had prodded and nudged until he'd given in. After all, he'd seen the way she had handled the two brainless wonders throughout their years at Hogwarts. What had surprised Severus was that it was him she was bullying. He often wondered if that was when he'd begun to care for her. He'd stopped seeing her as a student because she no longer treated him as her professor, but as a friend she could manage with impunity. He'd been pleased when she did more than make demands and issue orders, rolling up her sleeves and putting her considerable skills to use. He had come to value her friendship, and while he knew there was no future for them, he would always treasure his home and the memories of her that surrounded him here.

Hermione lightly squeezed his hand before letting go to brush the Floo powder from her blouse and skirt. She moved to the chair she thought of as hers, settling into the comfortable cushions with her legs curled beneath her.

"So it seems you were right," she commented, looking up at him through her lashes.

Severus moved to the sideboard and poured each of them a drink, handing one to Hermione before taking his own seat.

"It does appear that way. I don't suppose you have a suggestion of how we should handle this."

Hermione took a sip of her drink, enjoying the warm slide of the vodka he knew she preferred. "Honestly, Severus, I don't feel like we need to handle it at all. It will eventually go away if we ignore it."

"In light of the invitation I received," he responded, tossing his own drink back, "not to mention the fact that, as of close of business today, I am also unemployed, I think your position of just ignoring it is woefully simplistic."

"Oh, Severus, no!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes soft with sympathy. "What possible reason could they have?"

He raised an eyebrow and gave a slight shake to his head at her reaction. "It appears that the job was a condition of my Monitoring, and now that it's over, they are no longer forced to continue my employment."

Hermione slammed her glass down on the small table next to her chair before rising to her feet to pace the length of the room. "That's unconscionable of them!" She stopped in front of his chair and dropped into a crouch, placing her hand on his knee. "You were too good for that position anyway, Severus. Have you given any more thought to the advertisement I showed you?"

"I appreciate your faith in me, Hermione, but you know that no hope lies down that path."

"I know nothing of the sort! You would be perfect for the position! Even if the Ministry had been willing to promote you to a position more indicative of your abilities, they're too backward and stuffy for the kind of innovative work that you're capable of!"

He shook his head and gave a rueful chuckle. "It's alarming, this fervent loyalty you have to your employers." He took her hand from his knee and rose to his feet, pulling her to stand in front of him. "But, at this moment it's the Wizengamot summons that concerns me. I'm certain they will not simply take our word that the rubbish in the Prophet is, in fact, rubbish."

Hermione waved a hand negligently in the air. "Why on earth are you so concerned about the Wizengamot, Severus? They're going to give you a dose of Veritaserum and then it's going to go something like this." She cleared her throat and began speaking with a dramatically deepened voice that he knew mimicked the current Head of the Wizengamot. "Severus Snape, are you aware of the recent surge of editorials in the Daily Prophet regarding improper relations in pairings of the Probational Monitoring Program."

Severus smirked and watched as she resumed pacing, hands behind her back and eyes heavenward as though seeking the wisdom of the gods. "Yes," he drawled, amused by her theatrics.

Hermione dropped the act for a moment. "Good. You never want to give them more than they ask for, keep your answers simple and direct."

"I have spoken before the Wizengamot a time or two, Hermione; I think I might remember how it works." His mouth twisted a little as he tried to avoid smiling at the blush rising in her cheeks.

"Yes, well." She cleared her throat again and resumed her performance. "Then you understand, Mr. Snape, why it is that you are here?"

"Yes." He inclined his head as she broke character once more to smile winningly at him.

"Will you please explain the nature of your relationship with your Monitor, Miss Hermione Granger?"

"Certainly." Severus crossed his arms over his chest, one hand coming up to tap a long forefinger on his chin. His eyes took on a faraway expression as he stared pensively into the air. "Miss Granger was my student for six years at Hogwarts, where she drove me quite mad in her quest to prove that she knew everything."

Hermione put her hands on her hips, stomped her foot and made a noise of dissent.

He cut his eyes toward her and was almost done in by her furious pout. "If I may continue, your honor?"

She crossed her arms and tapped her foot, glaring at him for a moment before nodding curtly for him to carry on.

"Five years ago – against the advice of her friends, I'm sure – she volunteered to be my Probational Monitor. We were to meet twice a week for a period of one hour and discuss any concerns I had and ways in which I could once again become a productive member of wizarding society." He didn't try to stop the sarcasm dripping from his last few words.

"Did you adhere to the mandates of the program, Mr. Snape?"

"I did."

"Mr. Snape, I do not mean to be indecorous, but at any time while Miss Granger was your Probational Monitor, did you engage in an improper relationship with her?"

"I did not."

"There!" Hermione threw up her hands. "That will be the end of it."

"Assuming that I will submit to questioning under Veritaserum, which I won't do unless they agree to limit their questions to the matter at hand."

"You will, and they will. There will be someone there to guarantee that they do."

Severus raised an eyebrow at her in question.

"I made a call before I came over. Luna has agreed to act as counsel for you tomorrow, and she won't allow them to ask you anything outside the parameters of their investigation."

"Luna?" He searched his mind for a moment before his eyes widened in comprehension. "Luna Lovegood from Ravenclaw; the rather daft one everyone called Loony Lovegood?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him again. "It's Luna Longbottom now, and I'd think it would be in your best interest not to call your counsel, Loony."

"Is there no end to your meddling in my life?"

Pursing her lips and squinting in contemplation, she waited a beat. "No."