AFTERWARDS

Hermione flooed directly in the Headmistresses office and found Minerva McGonagall waiting for her.

‘Hermione! Welcome back!’ She held her arms open and Hermione walked over to her quickly, smiling as they embraced each other warmly.

‘It’s so good to be here, Headmistress.’ Hermione pulled away and saw Minerva wipe a small tear from the corner of her eye.

‘My dear, I think in the circumstances you may call me Minerva from now on.’ She smiled at her. ‘There is someone else who wishes to speak with you, privately, so I will leave you for now. I shall see you in the Great Hall, come and find me.’ She took Hermione’s hand and squeezed it gently before leaving the room.


Hermione looked around the room. It hadn’t changed significantly from the last time she had been here, although there were small touches that showed Minerva had made the post her own, notably a box of shortbread in place of the lemon drops Dumbledore always had on his desk.

She wondered whom it was that wanted to speak with her but didn’t have to wait long to find out. He slight cough caused her to jump slightly and she looked up smiling into the portrait of Albus Dumbledore.

‘Professor…’ Hermione walked closer to him and he waved at her.

‘Miss Granger. Welcome back to Hogwarts.’ He beamed at her.

‘Thank you Sir, it’s wonderful to be home.’ She smiled at him.

‘Home. Ahh yes. You are not alone amongst former pupils of Hogwarts to view the old place as home, myself included.’ He peered at her over his glasses and smiled warmly.

‘Did you want to talk to me, Professor?’ She asked.

‘Yes, and I will not keep you from the festivities. The Yule Ball and your appointment here will mean a double celebration, I’m sure. However. I never did get the opportunity to thank you for saving Severus and I wanted to remedy that at the earliest opportunity.’ His blue eyes pierced her and she could tell he was waiting her reaction.

‘Have you spoken with him, Professor? Is he well?’

Hermione had not seen or spoken to Severus Snape in the past three years. Her apprenticeship at St Mungo’s had meant little free time and although she had visited Hogwarts occasionally, Severus did not resume his teaching post and she hadn’t liked to ask anyone where he had gone. When she had realised he wasn’t at the school, she had felt her heart wrench and knew she had only truly returned in the hope of seeing him. She learned to live with it, she had no other choice. But she never stopped thinking of him and she knew deep down, she would always love him.

‘I have indeed spoken with Severus, on a number of occasions. In answer to your question, he is very well indeed, thanks to you. We all owe you a huge debt of gratitude.’ He smiled at her and applauded her lightly.

Hermione laughed, a full-bodied womanly sound that reverberated around the room.

‘Professor, you are embarrassing me!’ She shook her dark hair and covered her face with her hands. Dumbledore chuckled at her.

Hermione looked up at him. ‘Professor, if you see Professor Snape, would you tell him I said hello and that I am glad he is well?’ She smiled at him.

‘I will Miss Granger. Unless, of course, you have the good fortune to see him first…’ His eyes twinkled and Hermione looked at him, puzzled.

‘It’s almost time for the ball, I believe. And I am sure you would wish to have some time in your new quarters to make yourself even more beautiful than you already are, before the party starts?’ He grinned down at her. ‘Have fun, Miss Granger…’

He waved at her and she smiled as she closed the door behind her.

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Hermione walked into her new chambers at the end of the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey was due to retire at the start of the next term, so she had 6 months to find her feet before taking over as Head Med-witch at Hogwarts. When she applied for the post she thought she had no chance of getting it. She was still only 21 and very young to be appointed with such responsibility. However, her actions during the Final Battle and her treatment of Severus Snape had earned her some kudos with the Ministry and they were more than satisfied she was the best witch for the job.

She looked around and smiled. Her room was large and had a huge window that looked down at the Quidditch pitch. If she looked carefully she could just see Hagrid’s hut and beyond that the Whomping Willow. The room was tastefully decorated with a large sleigh bed, a fireplace, which had already been lit, and two large, comfy armchairs on the rug in front of it.
More importantly for Hermione, there was a bookcase that filled one wall, full of books on medicine, some she had already read but others which detailed rarer diseases that she couldn’t wait to get her nose into. She knew this was not the most challenging appointment but it suited her, as she would need to take time out at intervals during the year. Hermione had not been able to trace her parents and the school holidays at Hogwarts would give her the time she needed to keep searching for them.

Hermione showered in her adjoining bathroom and used a very useful spell she had learned that smoothed her long, unruly curls into sleek waves. She piled her hair on top of her head in a loose arrangement, allowing tendrils to fall softly against her throat. She pulled on her favourite dress, a velvet floor-length gown in bottle green, shot through with silver threads, with long sleeves that dropped just off her shoulders and showed of her cleavage, something she didn’t have the last time she visited Hogwarts. She smiled as she acknowledged these were the colours of Slytherin but it was purely coincidence. The dress fitted her womanly curves perfectly and complemented her dark hair with its light blonde highlights. Looking in the mirror, Hermione applied a little eye shadow to her deep chocolate eyes and a slick of lip-gloss onto her full lips. She felt excitement starting to build and couldn’t wait to meet up with her old classmates who, by way of tradition, had been regularly invited back for the Yule Ball since the Final Battle. Only Ginny knew she had got the job here and she couldn’t wait to pass on her good news.

Hermione rushed down to the great Hall and could see younger pupil rushing in, some holding hands with dates for the evening, others shuffling along with their classmates. She stood at the door of the hall and looked around for someone she recognised. Harry and Ginny were coming and Ron and Lavender, and Neville should be here already, he was Professor Sprout’s Assistant at the school.

She scanned the room in the half-light and gasped as her breath caught in her throat.

Standing close to Minerva McGonagall, wearing dress robes and looking as tall and handsome as she remembered him, was Severus Snape.

And he was staring directly at her.