A team of aurors had caught a Death Eater who had been on the run for the past five months. Harry and Ron as trainees were delegated to inventorying the items the Death Eater had in her possession at her hideout.

Ron didn't understand why Harry wasn't bothered at being assigned such a menial, worthless task (Ron's words, not Harry's). Harry, on the other hand, understood they were trying to determine if the location of other Death Eaters could be learned. Or, at the very least, the names of the others still on the run.

Harry liked Ron, but was coming to the conclusion that Ron was not meant to be an auror. He liked the attention, limelight, and fame of being a member of the Golden Trio too much. Harry, on the other hand, enjoyed the details, being a part of putting an end to Tom Riddle's rise in power once and for all.

"It's all a bunch of junk," Ron said. "I mean look at this." He held out what looked to Harry like an old Native American arrowhead he'd seen in one of his grade school textbooks. "Like this is going to lead anyone to more Death Eaters!"

"Have you heard from Hermione lately about a Hogsmeade night?"

Harry asked the question hoping to steer Ron away from thinking about what he viewed as a tedious task. Harry knew it wasn't fun or glamorous, but as someone who hadn't grown up with magic nor in the magical world his entire life he found some of it rather fascinating.

"No," Ron said bitterly. He clutched the arrowhead-looking item in his fist. "She hasn't sent me a letter that she hasn't sent to you and me."

"Well, she's busy," Harry said.

Harry knew from Neville that not only was she working her apprenticeship but she had been talked into teaching Muggle Studies until a professor could be hired. She was also, apparently, helping Snape with potions and in exchange he was working with her on dueling. He never knew dueling was an interest of Hermione's, but thinking about it there wasn't much that didn't interest her so it made sense she'd at least want to gather the knowledge. As far as Harry knew there wasn't a better duelist around than Professor Snape so it stood to reason if he offered Hermione would take him up on the chance.

"She seems to have plenty of time for that greasy git Snape. Every letter she's mentioned him. As if we care what he's doing. You know? And she calls him Severus. Have you noticed that?"

"She calls all of our former professors by their first name now, Ron," Harry said. "She isn't a student anymore."

"Yeah, but she doesn't get her picture taken with the others walking around Diagon Alley. I asked her if there was anything she needed before she headed back to school."

"And you would have known what to recommend for her as far as robes suitable for an apprentice and dress robes for the events she may have to go to on behalf of Hogwarts?"

"Well, no, but we could have figured it out. She could have asked Neville and I could have met them there!"

"I imagine she thought Professor Snape was the most informed of what she'd need."

"Do you read the letters she writes, Harry? Really read them? She talks about him all of the time. ‘Severus and I were assigned patrol together last night. I learned about hidden alcoves and classrooms I never knew existed.'"

"Ron, she talks about others, too."

"Not as much! I don't even know when the last time she mentioned Neville was and he's our friend."

"It sounds like he, Professor Snape I mean, is helping her."

"Helping her out of her knickers is more like it."

"I don't think…" Harry tried to interject to no avail.

"And what's with you calling him Professor Snape all of the sudden?"

"He was our professor and worked as a spy for years, Ron. Without him I'd be dead, so would you. He earned my respect."

"He's still a bastard and a git."

"And yet Hermione, who is the most rational person I know, witch or muggle, seems to see something in him that's worthy of befriending."

"He's got her bewitched."

"I'm sure he doesn't," Harry said.

He really didn't think so. He didn't see Severus Snape bothering with such a thing even if he had the ability to do that.

"He probably had her brew a love potion or something."

"Ron, now you're being ridiculous. Professor Snape would never do something like that. Come on, no offense, but the man probably could have any witch he wanted right now without a love potion. He told me during one of my visits to him that he's gotten some very disturbing offers."

"That's not helping! Last I checked Hermione is a witch."

"Ron. Maybe you took too long?"

"We kissed!"

Harry wasn't sure what to say to that. His friend wasn't wrong, but somehow he suspected Ron was reading way more into a kiss at the end of a war and a pretty hellish few months. Hermione probably would have kissed Draco if he'd been there at that moment. They'd made it, they were alive. He understood the feeling and knew of the three of them she'd shouldered most of the burden while they were on the run. He also knew Ron was not quite ready to admit just how much Hermione had done while they were on the run.

"And that Daily Prophet article."

"So, you're saying that you believe she broke my heart? Because if you believe any of the stories that means you believe them all."

Ron regarded the arrowhead in his hand, squeezing it as if it could help him somehow. It was an interesting piece of jewelry, or whatever it was, for an English wizard to have. Maybe this one wasn't from England? Harry knew Voldemort had followers all over the globe.

"I just. She may as well marry him and be done with it. She clearly prefers him over me. Greasy git, bat of the dungeons. George told me the owl who's delivered her letters is his, too."

"I'm sure he's just letting her use his owl," Harry said.

Maybe he should change the subject.

"She hasn't mentioned Hogsmeade once and I know she's had a Friday or Saturday off since classes started."

"Ron, this is Hermione we're talking about. The girl who read and reread our class books and considered herself behind if she wasn't at least a month ahead of the actual assignments."

"She has time to brew with him."

"Because she wants to learn. Even I know that. Ron, really, you're grasping at straws."

"I don't know what that means, but she clearly wants him. I can read between the lines. She sends us letters, not me, us. She always addresses you first like I'm just an afterthought or she's placating me by including me in the letter. She couldn't even kiss me on the lips when she left in August knowing she might not see me for months. She can just have him. Those pictures that have come out of them together since the first one. I can tell he likes her, too. I can see it in his eyes. Those aren't just friendly looks."

Harry couldn't argue with that.

He'd noticed it, too, truthfully.

In an odd way Harry thought that Professor Snape and Hermione made a good bit of sense. They were both wicked smart and really when it got down to it, loners. Neither had time for the frivolous things that so many others engaged in on a daily basis. He wouldn't say that to Ron, at least not right now.

"So, there it is. I'm acting like a grown up. I give up. Maybe you're right and I waited too long. Who knows? Whatever. They can have one another. Professor Severus and Mrs. Hermione Snape. May they live happily ever after, have a handful of children that look just like him whether they're girls or boys, and a couple dozen grandchildren so Hogwarts is not free of a Snape for many years to come with all of them as smart as they both are. Merlin knows she probably likes him because he's as smart as she is. I can't compete with that! I don't even like doing this," he said, gesturing around them. He scoffed. "Can you imagine me as a professor or something?"

He tossed the arrowhead back into the small box he'd found it in and moved to the next area they needed to sort through. Harry noticed a short burst of light emitting from the box but when he looked inside everything was as it was before he and Ron had looked through it.

"Bloody hell," Ron cried out. "That thing cut me!"

It was a pretty bad cut, Harry couldn't help but admit as he pulled out his wand to heal it. It wouldn't heal right away, making Harry frown. He wondered if Ron's bad mood was blocking Harry's healing spell from working.

Reminder not to bring up Hermione again.

In truth, Harry didn't particularly think Ron even loved Hermione. He thought he wanted to but the actual emotions just weren't there. He would've acted before now if they were. At least that's what Harry thought.

And if Harry was being honest he really didn't think his two best friends were very well suited for one another romantically.

Story ©Susan Matthews/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com