Acceptance

Three down, twenty-two to go.

Late at night, up in a high tower of Hogwarts castle, Hermione Granger sat in her study grading the latest essays from her third year Transfiguration class. Although the information covered in these particular essays was basic and almost ingrained in her memory, Hermione found herself checking and double-checking the contents in the teacher's edition of the Transfiguration textbook.

The essay says that the Ferraverto spell can be used to change anything into a water goblet, but isn't it just for animal transfigurations?

Hence Hermione went to look it up. She knew she was right, but what if she wasn't? What if she embarrassed both the student and herself with her error? It was this worrying about nitpicky details that accounted for the amount of time it took her to grade the papers. Three in two hours just won't cut it, she told herself, if I have twenty-two more to grade.

Only two weeks of the current term had passed and already Hermione, or Professor Granger as she was known to her students, was bogged down with work that she made twice as hard for herself. All the other professors would just read essays, decide what was correct and what wasn't, make the necessary changes, and go on two the next.

But not Hermione.

Perhaps this was why she wasn't bonding as well as she had hoped with her colleagues. Staff meetings were both preceded and followed by chatting amongst the professors, but none of them saw fit to include her. Only Professor McGonagall would really talk to Hermione. This was only because the two women had worked together closely when Hermione was Head Girl. And also because Hermione occupied McGonagall's old position as Transfiguration teacher. And, of course, because McGonagall was Headmistress, and saw it her job to make everyone feel included.

Dumbledore had died, not in the Great Battle which so many people thought would be his end. No, he had survived that, and helped Harry Potter defeat Voldemort. Dumbledore died of kidney failure. No one in the Wizarding World quite understood why, but they blamed it on his overfondness for lemon drops and other Muggle sweets.

Hence Minerva McGonagall was Headmistress, Severus Snape was Deputy Headmaster, and Hermione Granger became the youngest professor Hogwarts had seen for quite some time.

Perhaps this was another reason why the other professors didn't think to include her in their plans to go to Hogsmeade of a Friday night for drinks at the Three Broomsticks, or invite her to their small get-together they incessantly chatted about before and after staff meetings.

In their eyes, Hermione was still a student. She had only graduated two years prior, hence making her seem, to the other professors, no older than most students. They were not outwardly cold to her, quite the opposite, but didn't find it necessary to be chatty and familiar with her whenever they got the chance.

Which left Hermione to spend most of her free time in her room, with no company besides an aging Crookshanks. And an increasingly tall stack of essays. She sighed. For a fleeting moment she considered tracking down McGonagall for a chat.

No, she'll be at Friday Hogsmeade Drinks right about now.

Still, the need to have some company overwhelmed her, and abruptly she stood and strode out the door, leaving Crookshanks all alone. Hermione sped off down the corridor, paying no attention to where she was going as she didn't expect to encounter anyone, knowing her luck.

Given this, she was rather shocked when she ran into a wall of solid black and fell backwards onto the cold stone floor.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor for roaming the hallways after curfew, Miss Granger," came a cool, maliciously gleeful voice from about six feet above where she currently lay. She got to her feet and looked the speaker in the eye.

"I believe, Severus, that I have as much right to be out after curfew as you, being that I am now a professor," she answered in an annoyed but not unfriendly tone. After all, human contact was what she set out for, and it was now close at hand.

"Oh, sorry, Miss- um, Professor Granger. Carry on, then." He didn't sound so malicious, now. Simply cold.

"Feel free to call me Hermione. It's my name, you know. And incidentally, why are you not at Hogsmeade Drinks Night right now?"

"I could ask you the same thing. I do not go because someone has to see to the school while the other professors are out, and as Deputy Headmaster, I feel that is my job. Also, as you may have noticed, I am not generally a social person," he replied, not quite so cold, but not quite warm and inviting either. "What is your reason for not attending the traditional Friday cocktail rounds?"

"Um, well, you see I simply wasn't invited, Severus."

A strange look flashed across Snape's face, apparently a mix of mild surprise and pity.

"I see. Well, I suppose you look like you need company. Would you like to join me for tea?"

Hermione stared at him in incredulity. This is Snape, she thought. Snape is apparently being kind to me. Snape is apparently inviting me for TEA of all things, at this hour of the night. I never thought I'd see the day when THAT happened.

"Contrary to popular belief, Hermione, I am not as inhospitable towards my colleagues as I am towards my students."

Shit, I said that out loud, didn't I?

"Sorry, Severus, you just caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting-"

"Clearly. Who would have thought that Greasy Vampire Snape was capable of positive social interaction?" He sounded slightly affronted under the thick layer of sarcasm. "Do you want tea or not? You look like you could use some company."

Well, out of character or not, Snape is offering me company, and that is what I set out for in the first place...

"Yes, Severus. Tea would be quite pleasant."