Chapter 4
Severus did not speak to the minister about his research over breakfast, given he was not granted a seat next to her as he had been the night previous and wasn’t about to interject herself in whatever likely annoying conversation she was engrossed in with Hagrid. He did steal a few glances her way though, wondering if she’d taken another peek at it or if she’d just gone to bed like a normal person. For all he knew, she wouldn’t get back to him for weeks after she left. This was the first audit of the school year with Christmas hols just a couple months away. He likely wouldn’t even see her in person again until Easter when she came for her next audit for the spring term.
Merlin. His head bloody hurt and it wasn’t even eight.
Granger didn’t come until about ten minutes into his first lesson. A knock interrupted him and he looked toward the door. “Enter,” he called out, his eyes involuntarily softening at the sight of the minister coming through.
“My apologies for my tardiness, Professor Snape. I hope you haven’t done too much without me,” she said, opening her notebook. “Do you have—“
Severus stopped her question by holding out a folder. “Right here.” Though she was a force to be reckoned with, she was also a creature of habit, much like him. She came in to observe lessons, asked for the same metrics to log and report, and sent through feedback later via owl once everything had processed with the Board of Governors. Ever since her first visit, he’d had his data compiled together in a meticulously organized bundle every time thereafter.
“I knew better than to ask,” Hermione teased as she took the folder and glanced over at the cohort of students watching their encounter closely. “I’ll just…” She gestured to an empty desk in the far corner of the room. “Act like I’m not even here.”
Not likely , Severus thought as he nodded and watched her go. Taking a small breath, he resumed teaching. This particular lesson was a bunch of fourth years, a mixed bag of houses, and the majority of them couldn’t have possibly cared any less about what he was saying. This was nothing new, but it grated him, especially on a day where his performance was being graded.
He always wondered, during these observations, if this is what his students felt like under his sharp eye.
Forty minutes passed and the clock chimed to dismiss students for their next class. As they shuffled to pack up, Severus walked over to Hermione. “I’m sure that was as painful for you as it was for me,” he murmured.
“It was as expected,” Hermione chuckled, shaking her head as she looked fondly to the students leaving and chattering. “I’ve never doubted your skill as an instructor, even when they’re being… unenthusiastic. I hope you know that.”
“You make it clear in your reports,” Severus reassured.
Hermione shifted back and forth on her feet, her teeth worrying her lower lip just a bit. “I spent a good portion of my night looking over your research.”
Severus’s stomach dropped. “Oh?”
“It was inspired,” Hermione gushed with a smile that could light up a thousand caves. Severus deflated visibly, his eyes shuttering with the admission. “I couldn’t put it down,” Hermione continued, shaking her head. “Not until I was literally falling asleep whilst turning pages. It’s remarkable, Severus, truly. I haven’t a clue why they dismissed it.” She paused, then frowned. “Well… I know now they did it because it’s you. Some things never change.” She sighed quietly and glanced to the door in case any other students were about to come filtering in. “I try to make all these changes for the better, to make everyone more tolerable, more understanding, but sometimes it’s two steps forward and three steps back.”
“I know,” Severus agreed softly. “Thank you for your compliments.”
Hermione smiled and stood to her regular height, notebook and folder in hand. “I’ll speak with them upon my return and set a meeting for us. Officially. And I will be sitting in on it to ensure nobody is pulling the wool over your eyes. Look for my owl early next week,” she promised. Severus noticed she hesitated for a moment, before walking past the other students to leave the dungeons. He exhaled through his nose and closed his eyes for just a moment. Maybe this would happen.
//
Hermione walked up the steps to the next lesson she had to observe – Trelawney, unfortunately – and thought about her encounter with Severus. She had been rather taken aback both the night before and just now about how openly he’d spoken to her. She had never seen that side of him, but why would she have? Not that he’d given much away, but it was nice to see he cared about someone other than himself. And… Harry’s mum. She didn’t know the full story about that , only what Harry told her and the drivel the Prophet spun about the ‘war hero with a heart of gold.’ She hoped he never saw those headlines when he came out of his coma.
The rest of her audits for the day had gone well and all the staff seemed to be on track, not that she was particularly worried in the first place. Minerva ran a very tight ship. She appreciated that the woman took everything so seriously. Hermione had never known Dumbledore that well, only through minimal encounters and again, from what Harry had told her, but there were other opinions of the man she had that she kept to herself. She’d hated how he’d put Harry in countless treacherous situations. Harry had always claimed they were necessary to take Voldemort down, but there were adults for that. When she thought about it, she was eternally grateful for people like Severus who had worked tirelessly to make sure they all stayed breathing.
//
“There you are,” McGonagall said as she approached Severus in the staff room later that afternoon.
Severus didn’t look or turn away from the coffee he was brewing. “You found me,” he muttered. When the last few dark brown drops fell into his cup, he quirked his head to his boss. “What is it?”
“Did you talk to Hermione?”
“Yes,” Severus said. “Last night. She took my research and said she’d look over it. She agreed to set a meeting with the Board of Researchers upon her return to the Ministry. Thank you for the suggestion.”
“Wonderful!” McGonagall gushed, clasping her hands together. “That pleases me so much. Though, what doesn’t please me is the thought of you potentially leaving Hogwarts should this work out in your favour. I will miss you terribly,” she sighed.
Severus felt a twinge in his chest. It was odd to hear that. Nobody ever missed him. “I will miss you too,” he admitted softly. “But we aren’t there yet. No need to get emotional about it now,” he then added, his gaze returning forward to turn off the coffee machine. One of his better tweaks to muggle technology to perform within the grounds. He had gatekept the secret in his chambers, but the second Minerva had found out about it, she had forced him to ‘make one work’ in the staff room.
“You’re right,” she said. “By the way, I wanted to ask you a favour.”
Severus stopped, coffee mug mid-lift, and turned to face her, an inky eyebrow raised. “I should have known you were just buttering me up…”
“Oh, hush,” McGonagall laughed, swatting his chest with the rolled-up copy of The Daily Prophet in her hand. “I have a meeting with the Board of Governors and I have to travel to London. This is my usual night for patrols. Would you—”
“I’ll cover for you,” Severus said.
“Thank you, Severus,” she smiled. “See? This is why you can’t leave. What would I do without you?”
“Surely perish,” Severus sighed dramatically. “I have first-year essays to mark, so I’m afraid I must bid you farewell.”
“Good luck,” McGonagall teased, before going her own way. Severus shook his head, then turned to walk back toward the dungeons. He was going to need all the bloody luck in the world for those essays.