. . . “I think you’ll love what we’ve got planned,” said Ted. His cohorts nodded their agreement. “First, we’ve got an excellent table reserved for you at ‘Bellissima’, which is a lovely Italian restaurant in Farsgrove. Their food is superb, and the wine list can’t be beat. Dinner will set the mood, and then you’ll proceed to ‘In the Mood’. . .”
“Which, as it sounds, is a formal Swing club,” explained Jai. “You’ll get the chance to show off your moves on the dance floor. . .”
“Without being surrounded by teenagers. ‘In the Mood’ is a classy club and I’m sure you and Miss Granger will be the toast of the evening,” grinned Kyan.
A light blush crept onto Severus’ cheeks. “It sounds lovely, although I’m still a bit uneasy about your choice of date for me. . .”
Carson threw an arm around Snape’s shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. “Nothing to worry about, just be yourself and everything will fall into place.”
“Be yourself?” whispered Ron to Harry. “There’s been nothing ‘himself’ in this whole show!”
Hermione stared at the screen, a dazed expression filling her features.
“It’s time to get started, Severus. Are you ready?” asked Jai. Snape nodded, and the six men put their hands together in the center of the circle between them. “Let’s do it!”
. . .
The next several minutes of film showed Severus in his quarters preparing for his ‘date’. The view cut to Snape, standing in the shower, washing his hair and singing ‘Ina gada Davita’.
Luckily, the view was quite blurred but several of the male students broke into gagging fits nonetheless. (One notable exception was Draco Malfoy, who stared at the screen in fascination. Noting this, Ted nudged Carson and mouthed something suspiciously like ‘No Coors for me!’)
“Who’d have known he’d be an Iron Butterfly fan?” Justin Finch-Fletchley whispered to Ernie MacMillan. “Almost brings him up a peg in my estimation. Almost.”
“Just check out those biceps,” Parvati poked Lavender. “Who knew those robes were covering such a ‘fabtacular’ body!”
Ron’s gagging noises doubled upon hearing THAT pronouncement.
And then Snape was out of the shower, wearing a toweling robe and spreading some of Kyan’s ‘Smooth As Silk’ cream into his hair, then gently blowing it dry.
“Excellent, he started at the back just like I showed him,” Kyan whispered to Carson, taking a sip of pumpkin juice.
“Let’s see how he does with the wardrobe,” Carson replied. “I laid it all out for him, so he should hopefully get it right.”
Snape walked into his bedroom and looked at the clothes hanging neatly from a hanger attached to his bedpost. A double-breasted tuxedo in classic black, with a white shirt and cravat awaited him. Snape began removing his robe, and then the view moved away from Snape and about the room.
Two communal groans emerged in the Great Hall - disappointed sighs from the ladies and “phew!”s from the gentlemen. Snape himself felt quite grateful that the need to hide the Dark Mark from public view outweighed the Fab 5’s desire for him to bare all for the camera.
When the camera met Snape again, he was buttoning up the formal white tuxedo shirt and attempting to tie his cravat. He reached down to his dresser and extracted a lovely silver and emerald pin, which he poked through the center of the cravat. Next he fastened the cummerbund and pulled on the jacket. The camera moved back to get the full view of Snape standing in all his glory in full formal attire.
“I wish I could have me some of THAT,” sighed Carson, “he is looking so sexy in a Victorian sort of way.”
Kyan laughed softly, “Well, you DID pick the outfit. I must say I’m surprised you went with such formal attire. I mean, there was nothing to tjuzs!”
“Sometimes the desire to tjuzs must give way to the greater good, and Sevvie in that suit is DEFINITELY a greater good!” A large *smack* was heard as Carson blew a kiss toward the screen.
Fully dressed, Severus returned to his sitting room and, after retrieving a small package from the coffee table, exited his quarters. . .
Hermione stood outside the Hogwarts front gate, shivering slightly in the cold. She wore a velvet, fur-lined cape over her dinner clothes, but still felt the chill. Her head turned side to side as she waited anxiously for her date to arrive.
She jumped a little as a hand rested on her shoulder. She turned to face its owner and looked up to see her Potions Master standing in front of her. Her cheeks flooded, either in embarrassment or nervousness.
“This is for you,” he said quietly. He held out a small package.
Hermione swallowed and accepted the gift. “Thank you.” She opened it to find a small corsage, a red rose surrounded by baby’s breath.
“I’ll help you attach it when we arrive,” said Severus, “ It’s much too cold for you to remove your cloak now.”
Hermione nodded, still staring up at her date with reddened cheeks.
“Shall we go?” Severus offered his arm to Hermione, who after a moment clasped it nervously and followed along. He led her to the car, and after opening a rear door and seeing her safely inside, went around to the other side and got in.
Only a few minutes of the drive into Farsgrove were shown. The predominant theme of the drive was Severus sharing a story or asking a question, and Hermione staring back or answering in monosyllables.
“Come now, Hermione, usually you have no lack of words to say, why are you so demure this evening?” Again she looked up at him, saying nothing.
He tried again. “Perhaps it is the subject matter that fails to interest you. I must try harder. Have you read the latest issue of Argules’ Medicinals and Palliatives? There was an article regarding amplification effects in pain-relief potions that I think you’d find very interesting.”
Hermione’s face lit up despite itself as she nodded, “Do you mean the Cloverleigh article? I read it last weekend. I found it fascinating how the author discovered that several particular combinations of herbs had a multiplicative effect when used together as opposed to when used separately. What do you think of her theory about healing of emotional wounds?”
And thus the ice was broken. By the time the car arrived at the restaurant, teacher and pupil were engaged in a friendly scientific debate.
“Here, let me.” Severus helped Hermione out of the car and then reached for her corsage. Hermione slipped the cape off her shoulders to reveal a lovely black dress with a scooped tank neckline. The silk clung to her curves, leaving little to the imagination, and also leaving little room for Severus to pin the flower. He gently reached under the left shoulder strap to pin the corsage just above her left breast. Hermione’s cheeks reddened several more shades under the surprisingly gentle and totally gentlemanly touch of her teacher.
Severus placed his hand gently against the small of her back and nudged her forward. “We should hurry in before you catch a chill.”
The camera followed them as they entered the restaurant. Hermione presented a lovely picture in her clingly black dress, her legs looking anything but childlike in the black heels she wore. Her hair too was far from bushy as the loose curls cascaded across her back, leaving merely a patch of bare skin between the her hair and the low back of her dress.
Severus and Hermione stopped to drink in the surroundings. The room was dimly lit with candles on each table and on the walls. No electric light was used at all. The place was small, only a dozen tables in all, and the Maitre D’ led them to the most secluded of the tables. It sat in a bay alcove, surrounded on three sides by windows that looked out into a dimly lit garden complete with a lily pond and water fountain. Hermione stared out at the view lovingly, until Severus pulled out her chair and motioned for her to be seated. His hand brushed against her back as he scooted her chair in after her, and she shivered.
“You look lovely, by the way,” remarked Severus as he seated himself across from her, then before she had time to fully blush or return the compliment, returned to their previous conversation about the combination of modern quantum mechanical theories with potion-making.
They must have ordered off-camera, for soon the wine and food began arriving. The waiter poured a small amount of the deep, red, wine into a glass for Severus to approve. He expertly swirled the wine then held it up to his nose, inhaling deeply. He nodded to the waiter, who then filled the glass and poured another for his date.
“To knowledge and understanding, and that we may grow in both,” Severus held up his glass toward Hermione.
“To knowledge and understanding,” she repeated, and gently clinked her glass against his before taking a rather large swig of the wine inside.
“Easy, Hermione,” laughed Severus, “the night is young, there will be plenty of time to savor everything on the menu.”
The camera was on Severus, so although it sounded like Hermione responded with a choking noise, the noise could very well have come from elsewhere in the room. If Severus noticed he did not remark upon it, rather returned the conversation to yet another erudite theory.
. . .
“That was delicious, I can’t believe I ate as much as I did!” groaned Hermione as she put her fork down. “As wonderful as the food at school is, they could use some lessons in pasta.”
Severus laughed, “We could request the recipe for the kitchen er- staff."
They laughed together for a moment and then Severus’ face became more serious.
“I know I’ve never said this in class, Hermione, and I’ll deny I ever said it, but it really is a joy having at least one student who really, truly, loves to learn. A student who appreciates the fine art that is potion making. . .”
Hermione’s fingers clutched the napkin in her hand and she looked up at Severus in anticipation.
Severus continued, “Without at least one student like that, I don’t know how I’d go on.” He lifted his glass. “To Neville Longbottom!”
Hermione repeated, “To . . . Neville Longbottom?”
“To Neville Longbottom?” repeated poor Neville, slinking down in his seat.
“. . .and may he continue to be lucky enough not to blow up the one good student I have.”
Severus’ eyes met Hermione’s across the table. For a long moment they were silent, then they both burst out laughing.
Soon, they were interrupted by the waiter, who held on his tray the piece de resistance.
“Dessert, too? I don’t know how I’ll make room,” gasped Hermione.
“I’m sure you’ll be able to find room, don’t even think about claiming that you’re too fat for dessert because I’m sure you know there couldn’t be anything further from the truth.” Severus mock-scowled at her. “Besides, it’s chocolate mousse.”
“Chocolate mousse! My favorite! Well, in that case. . .” The goblets were placed before them and Hermione dug into hers with gusto. Perhaps a little too much gusto.
Severus reached across the table. “Hold still,” he cautioned. Hermione stilled as her teacher gently wiped a drop of chocolate mousse from her nose, causing her breathing to quicken ever so slightly. He eyed his finger a moment before taking it into his mouth and licking the chocolate slowly off.
Hermione’s eyes widened in shock, but Severus merely smiled and said, “We can’t have any of this delectable dessert going to waste, now can we?” before continuing with the previous conversation.
Camera pans back to Hermione, who looked as if she might faint. But in a good way.
“You let him touch your nose?” grimaced Ron.
Harry shivered in revulsion, “I definitely did not need to see that.”
Hermione stared at her shoes.