He was sure this was a more than ridiculously stupid idea. However, here he was at the same movie theater he'd sat next to her in before Christmas. It wasn't near her home he knew, but he supposed they both knew where it was, so it was convenient to meet there.

He spotted her when she approached and gave him a bright smile. A smile he couldn't help but return. Odd because until her, he didn't like smiling. He still wasn't comfortably doing it, but he realized it was expected seeing someone in a social setting. (Which might be why he avoided them until recently.)

"Hello, Severus," she said.

"Hermione."

"How's your summer so far?"

"Bearable."

"Mm, well, that's better than tolerable, isn't it?" She blushed a bit with the question, biting that lower lip he noticed she did when she was nervous or uncertain.

"Barely."

She knew him too well. He wasn't sure if he liked that idea or not. Because he had let her in, to some degree, before he knew who she was. Who he was. Who they were. He'd come to like her for who she was.

Either way, she shook her head, clearly amused and not put off by his description.

"Well then, excellent. No trips to Venezuela?"

"Not this year."

"That's too bad."

"I'm saving it for when I have someone other than the Prinses to join me."

"Oh," she said. She seemed somewhat confused, and if he wasn't mistaken, hurt by that comment. Why? Was it the wrong thing to say? It would be rude to ask, wouldn't it? Best to change the subject.

"And you? Your summer?"

"Oh fine. I haven't really done much of anything. I have gone riding more than a few times."

"You have obviously gotten some sun," he said, noticing before she mentioned riding that her skin had a nice glow to it.

"I have!"

"No dancing until four o'clock in the morning?"

She scoffed. "No. I learned my lesson."

"Good."

"Mm, worried I'm going to be grounded?"

"Well, yes, then you wouldn't be able to expose me to movies about dinosaurs."

"You told me I could pick."

"I am not complaining about your choice."

She looked relieved. "Okay. Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

He bought her ticket and their popcorn and drinks. She seemed just as surprised at this as she had in December. He could understand why she may have been surprised in December, however, this was something they'd arranged to do together. He wasn't going to make her pay for herself.

The movie was decent. He'd read the book when it came out, the premise intrigued him when he'd seen it in a muggle bookstore. (As much as he liked to think of himself as being different from everyone he knew, he'd loved dinosaurs as a boy.) He had not realized they'd made a movie, or two now, based on it.

"Would you like to walk some?" he asked when they left the theater.

"Sure," she said and fell into step beside him.

"Did you know that the Minister's niece, Erika, works in the Department of Mysteries?"

Bless her for starting the conversation, because he had no idea what to say now that they were out of the movie. The film was a safe topic, but seemed entirely too … cliche, and as if he was digging deep to try to talk to her. That left him not knowing what to say.

"I did not, but that doesn't surprise me," he said. "That she works there, I mean."

"Do you know her?"

He nodded, thinking back to what he remembered about Erika Behrens, now Childress. Her oldest son was in the same year as Hermione. "She was a couple years ahead of me at Hogwarts, so I knew of her. She was a Hufflepuff. She was not a dunderhead."

She glanced at him, smiling a bit with a shake of her head. "Well, that says something."

"You had not mentioned to me that you had a change in interests." He was surprised to hear her tell Thomas Prins that she was thinking of the Archives. It made sense, though. Her older self clearly thrived in the library. Filing and stacking and organizing things so that one person who wanted to find one book could. It did make him wonder if something had changed her mind away from the Love Room. Something about him or that he'd done. That seemed far fetched, but the thought had crossed his mind. He'd waited for her to say something the last few months of the term, but she hadn't.

"Oh, I guess I don't really know yet. I just started thinking the past nine months or so I guess. I'm not sure I'd really feel mentally challenged there. The Love Room. I mean, I'm sure they do some interesting stuff. I just," she shrugged. "I don't know. I know I'd be good at being an archivist, and I look at Marie and the library. Well, she showed me what it looked like before she got there and the changes she's made over the years. I'd like to do that, you know? Take something that's informative but make it my baby."

"Of course you do."

"You think it's ridiculous." She frowned slightly at that, and he felt bad that he was responsible for it.

"I didn't say that."

"I can admit I find the effects of amortentia more than a little … off putting."

Was that why she was looking at another profession? Did Erik and Marie know that was the case? He could tell her the truth, of course, but he didn't have the memories Erik and Marie did to share with her to be convincing. She was going to be entering her seventh year. One of them had to tell her. They would want to tell her if they realized the effects of the love potion made her uncomfortable. He had no doubt that it was the fact she smelled both Severus and Erik that made her uncomfortable, not the fact she smelled him in particular. Smelling two people who she didn't know were the same person would be disconcerting.

"It is an intriguing and heady potion."

"Why did you become a professor?"

"Because Erik told me I needed to," he said with a soft laugh. She glared at him, as if she thought he was lying to her. How utterly ridiculous it sounded to say that to anyone. "I'm not being flippant. I mean, really, he told me he was ready to retire and there was no one else he knew that he'd want to replace him."

"Wow, after over fifty years of teaching that's pretty good."

"That was my reaction, too." He knew now why Erik wanted him there. He thought without a war and such in play, that Severus might enjoy teaching as he had come to. Admittedly, he'd been thinking of doing something else lately, but he hadn't decided what. So, he stayed. "I had finished my apprenticeship already since I required no time off as others might at that age, and was looking for something to do. I do enjoy potions, and I'll admit while I didn't think I'd have the correct demeanor for teaching, I have grown rather fond of it as the years have progressed. I don't know that I will remain in the position for as long as Erik did."

"Was he a good teacher?"

"You know, he was. I guess I can't speak to how he was initially, but judging by his kids and how they turned out, I'd be inclined to think it wasn't any different early on. I know my mother enjoyed his classes. He was always well-liked. So, yes."

"I'm glad that you had him, Severus."

"As am I." It was difficult for him to admit that. To acknowledge that he was glad that he had anyone. "Is there anything else you'd like to do this evening?"

"Not particularly. Thank you for the movie."

"Thank you for the suggestion. May I see you home?"

"Oh," she said, tucking some hair behind her ear and looking somewhat … shy while doing so. "You don't have to."

"I know I don't have to, Hermione. I'm offering to ensure you get home safely. It's the polite and gentlemanly thing to do."

"Oh, sure. Well then, yes, please."

"Thank you," he said.

They found an appropriate place to apparate from and he got them to her home. He'd been here a couple of times over the years. As her time to attend Hogwarts grew near, Albus had asked him to look at the neighbourhood and the family to see how receptive they might be to the facts regarding what Hermione was. Muggleborn witch and wizard reconnaissance generally fell to Severus, since he was most familiar with the muggle world. His older self had also shared images of this home with him, so evidently where they lived hadn't changed.

"Do I need to walk you to the door?" he asked. He didn't want to do that. That might be sending a message to both her and her parents that he wasn't sure he wanted to do yet. He would do it, though, if it was expected of him.

"No," she said, ducking her head slightly. He thought perhaps he'd erred by offering until he noticed she was blushing.

"I just do not want to be the cause for you getting grounded."

"Well we didn't stay out all night, so we're fine."

"Very well. Good night then, Hermione."

"Good night, Severus," she said and, as he'd hoped, she leaned in and kissed his cheek. He turned his face at the last minute, catching her lips with his. She gave a surprised gasp, but didn't draw away. It was a little awkward. He was not an expert at this. She didn't seem to mind. Or to judge him. It didn't last an eternity, but long enough he knew that her lips were soft. He could taste the salt from their popcorn from earlier. Mixed with the scent of her so very close like this … it was  heady.

They both drew away to take a breath at the same time, and she pressed her forehead against his jaw, sliding her arms to his waist.

"That was nice," she whispered and he let out a breath in relief.

"It was," he agreed, kissing the top of her head. "If there is another movie you cared to see before returning to Hogwarts for the year, I could perhaps be convinced. I am but a patronus away."

"Oh, homework, I see how you are. I will see if there are any movies and if I can get the charm to work for me. Otherwise, I will see you September first I guess."

"I look forward to seeing what you come up with, and if not I will be there September first."

"Me, too. Be well."

"You as well."

He watched to ensure she got in okay before apparating to his home.

There he sat in his living room chair, looking out the window. He'd never had a date before. He hoped she considered today a date. The movie with the Prinses could be thought of either way, he imagined.

This, though. They were on their own time. Together.

He looked at the end table next to his chair that had a phone extension on it that he rarely used. No one called him and he didn't really know anyone who used a telephone.

He picked up the receiver, dialing by rote. Funny, going on twenty years since he'd any reason to use the number, but he still remembered it.

'Hello,' the familiar voice of his mother said.

"Hello Mother."

'Severus?'

"You expect someone else to call you addressing you as Mother?"

'Well, no, but you've never…'

"I know."

'Are you okay? Erik and Marie?'

"I am, they are fine. And you?"

'I am okay. You didn't call to ask me that, did you?'

"No," he said, feeling a bit chastised. "Am I like him?"

'Who?'

"Your husband. My father."

'I'm not sure what you're asking me.'

"I believe you do know. I will be to the point, though. Do you see traits in me that would tell you I'm like him?"

'No, Severus. Looking at Erik tells me that's true.'

He sighed softly, pinching the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes.

'Severus?'

"I had a date today."

'Oh?'

"It is difficult to know who to look to for how I might turn out. Tobias or Erik."

'You may not turn out like either of them, Severus. His childhood was somewhat different from yours, from what he's implied anyway. I think you are more like Erik than you are your father. You have a good soul. You want to use your mind for good. You've been teaching for nearly twenty years. You'd know if you were prone…'

She had a valid point.

'You are your own person, Severus. You're not Erik. You're not your father. You are Severus Snape.'

Another valid point. Silence. He really had no idea why he'd called her. She clearly didn't either.

'Did the date go well?'

"How does one know the answer to that?"

'Do you want to take her out again?'

"Yes."

'Do you think she does, too?'

"I think so, yes," he said, thinking over her response to his suggestion she send him a patronus if she was interested in seeing another movie before the start of the next school year. He could have given her his telephone number, or gotten hers, but that hadn't occurred to him at the moment.

'Did you kiss her good bye?'

"Mother."

'I'm your mother, not a nun, Severus.'

Clearly that was true, or he wouldn't be here.

"Yes."

'And she reciprocated?'

"She did," he said, knowing he was blushing at having this conversation with his mother. He was sure it was nothing special as kisses went. He was witness to her kissing Krum more intensely than theirs had been. He didn't get the impression she'd been disappointed, though, that theirs was the way it was.

'I'd say the answer is yes then.'

"Mm," he said.

'You must like her'

"Well that's a rather silly thing to say, is it not?"

'Don't get mad at me, Severus. It's just, you've never called me to ask me that question before now.'

"I've never had reason to really," he said. "I just find myself wondering if I should continue down the path of a second date…"

'Severus, you are not your father.'

"Thank you for saying so."

'I'm not just saying that. I know it. You always had a heart.'

"You married the man."

'It was a different time when I met him.'

"I suppose that it was."

'What is her name?'

"Hermione. She is a student. She'll be a seventh year this year."

'Are you trying to shock me?'

"No," he said. He wasn't trying to do that. "Just letting you know not to get your hopes up for grandchildren anytime soon."

She laughed then.

"That amuses you?"

'That you are thinking of my getting any grandchildren, Severus, tells me that you aren't your father.'

"He didn't want any?" That surprised him. Not really, but sort of. Especially men of that era. He'd never thought much about children. Until recently. Not that he was prepared to put those thoughts into action anytime soon.

'He did not. Again, it was a different time.'

"Did you not know the charm?"

'Severus,' she said.

"I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."

He also knew how Tobias Snape felt about magic. There might have been times she couldn't cast the charm.

'Did I ease your mind?'

"I suppose that you did."

'I'm glad that I could.'

"I am, too."

'And, Severus?' she said, sounding hesitant.

"Yes?"

'I'm glad that you called.'

He was silent for a moment, taking in the view of his garden out the window. "I am as well, Mother. Good night."

Story ©Susan Falk/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com