A Room With a View

Yule, Part 1

The evening had been uneventful. Hermione had danced with George and Harry, giggled with Penelope and Ginny over their baby bumps, and sipped at eggnog and snacked on the appetizers she'd helped Minerva organize. She'd even chatted cheerfully with the entire Malfoy clan when they'd taken the time to seek the couple out, and they'd confirmed that Severus and Hermione would in fact join them for dinner on Boxing Day. It had been the epitome of a perfect formal gathering: in a word, boring.

Severus swirled the firewhiskey in his class and side-eyed the aurors around the room. He had to hand it to Potter; he'd trained his team well. The aurors were unobtrusive and managed to blend into the crowd, circulating the room with spouses and dates and rarely looking directly at Hermione and Snape. All the same, it made that spot between his shoulder blades itch.

He cast a surreptitious tempus again to note the time. They had half an hour until they needed to head to the Astronomy tower. He decided to entertain himself for a bit by staring at the student couples who chose to dance too closely and was pleased to note that his blank-faced death-stare was still effective at twenty paces. Two seventh year girls jumped apart and dropped their hands at the sight of Severus' eyes. It warmed his heart a bit to see it.

A little snort sounded next to him. "Having fun, darling?"

He smirked. "Hmm. Need a refill?"

"Yes, thanks. Champagne, please. I don't think I can handle any more eggnog tonight."

He pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head and scooped up her empty glass. "I'm surprised you can handle any of that noxious stuff. I'll return momentarily."

Severus made his way to the bar - which thankfully had an age line around it, so he needn't shepherd students away from the area - and disposed of their empty glasses before procuring another fizzy water for himself and champagne for Hermione.

When he turned, he spotted Minerva approaching the bar with Mohinder. He greeted them both warmly, "Headmistress, Professor Bhati. How are you both this evening?"

Minerva graced him with a cat-like smile. "We're doing rather swimmingly, Severus, thank you," she said, nestling her arm more firmly in the crook of Mohinder's. Severus quirked an eyebrow.

"We are, are we?" he said with a smirk. "And when did this happen?"

"Around four years ago, actually," Mohinder replied, sending Minerva a happy look. "We'd been waiting for the Ministry to approve a spousal hire for ages, but Min's position as Headmistress and my former job as an ambassador complicated matters. They were going to restation me next year, but the board came through with an approval for my position just in time. I was informed this morning that my program will become a standard part of the Hogwarts curriculum. So this time, I know I'm staying."

"Congratulations," Severus said, genuinely pleased for Mohinder's achievement. He paused. "Wait. You said spousal hire?" He looked at Minerva. "You're married?"

Minerva blinked, looking decidedly pleased with Severus' reaction. "We are. We were waiting for Mohinder's permanent position to be approved before letting it be known to the public. I'll announce it at the beginning of Spring term." She swallowed what could only be described as a delighted giggle.

"Well, I'll be damned. Congratulations to you both," he said, shaking first Mohinder's hand and then giving Minerva an awkward hug. "I'm very happy for you, Min," she said quietly. He'd watched his friend for close to two decades mourn a husband long dead and long for a man with no interest in women. He was thrilled that she seemed to have found someone that made her so happy, and broke into a crooked grin as a result. "I can't bloody believe it. Married. Wait until I tell Hermione."