Getting to Know You

Part I

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Hermione reclined in the large four-poster bed, smoothing the down comforter over her rather indecently bare form and watching as her lover of three months slid out from under the sheets. He pulled on a pair of green silk boxers and, retrieving his wand from a pile of hastily discarded clothing, ignited the logs in the grey stone fireplace that dominated his private quarters. She sighed contentedly and stretched her arms above her head, uncoiling previously tensed muscles, scrunching her toes and enjoying the cool feel of the headboard against her still-flushed skin. "Severus."

"Hermione," he replied, mimicking her tone but not unkindly. She grinned at his back.

"Doesn't it ever seem odd to you to be lighting fires in late August?" He sat next to her on the bed, summoning a pair of wineglasses and a bottle from his shelves.

"No. Doesn't it ever seem odd to you to be spending the summer after graduation in bed with your cruel, sarcastic, ugly Potions professor?"

She laughed. "Don't be ridiculous; you're not ugly." He smacked her thigh beneath the blanket and handed her a glass of merlot as she rested her head on his shoulder.

His face grew serious for a moment. "Regrets?" Hermione shook her head.

"None. But I haven't changed my mind..." Snape rested his chin on the top of her head, draping one arm around her shoulders.

"I didn't ask you to. No, I think you're quite right - the last thing you need to be worrying about as you start university is a relationship with some relic from secondary school. And frankly, I'm not sure I like how goddamned agreeable a regular shagging makes me, either." She snickered.

"That settles that, then... Hmm." He shot her a quizzical look over the rim of his glass as he sipped. "Just thinking that this is the least dramatic breakup I've ever had."

"That's most likely because we share the uncommon distinction of not being in love," he remarked with a smirk.

"Cheers to that!" Hermione raised her glass in salute. "I'll have to try it this way more often. God, when I think of the tears and recriminations that went on when Ron and I split..."

Snape looked mildly surprised. "Really, I wouldn't have figured you for a bawler - at least not over a git like Weasley."

She narrowed her eyebrows. "Hey, watch it, we're still friends, after all. And anyway, I didn't say that the tears in question were mine..." He laughed at this.

"Point taken. Pity I didn't know about it at the time - I might've been forced to award Gryffindor a point or two." A moment's hesitation, and then, "I assume you haven't told Mr. Weasley about..." He seached for the words unsuccessfully, and settled for indicating their recumbent forms on the bed with a wave of his hand. "This?"

Hermione shook her head. "No. What would be the point? Well, besides watching his face turn several amusing shades of purple. This is just... this. And it's over after today, anyway. Besides, who I let in my knickers hasn't been his business for a very long time." She attempted to settle the duvet primly over her knees, which is rather hard to do when one is still entirely nude.

Snape refilled her glass before tipping the bottle over his own again. "It's all right, you don't have to justify yourself to me. After all, I haven't exactly been sending Minerva updates on her favorite Head Girl either." Taking a sip of wine, he continued. "I must agree, however, that this is undoubtedly the most pleasant parting of the ways I've ever endured. Typically they're more... well, clothed, for a start."

"Have you had many, then?" Hermione could not resist the opportunity to pry into the past of a man she found, even now, to be mostly impenetrable.

"A few... I wasn't quite the irredeemable wanker in school that Sirius Black likes to remember. Nothing too out of the ordinary, really - one or two flaming rows in the common room, a mug of butterbeer upended over my head once. Oh, one word of advice - never date a Beater. I had a bludger chase me all over school one memorable afternoon - and boy, was I sore the next day!" He rubbed his shoulder painfully at the memory. "There was one girl, though... the only one who ever broke it off with me." Snape seemed to be somewhat lost in thought. Hermione was fairly certain the fact they were having this conversation at all was directly attributable to the mostly-empty bottle of wine, but she was damned if she was going to let the opportunity pass her by.

She tried not to look too interested. "Hmm?"

"Lily Evans. For a month, in sixth year." Snape sounded almost... wistful? Hermione hadn't believed he knew the meaning of the word. Still, she couldn't hide her surprise.

"Lily Evans - Harry's mother?!" He looked mildly affronted.

"Yes, and you needn't seem so shocked. It was hardly the romance of the century. Still..." Hermione looked, in his opinion, altogether too pleased at this revelation.

"So that's why you never liked Harry! Oh, he's going to go through the roof when he hears about this..."

"That had nothing to do with it! ...Fine, maybe a little. But you are under a strict oath of secrecy, Miss Granger. " Snape unleashed his best potions master glare on her. She giggled, but acquiesced.

"All right. No telling Harry. Scout's honor." Faintly, she heard the bells that signaled the start of supper in the Great Hall. Hermione sat up with a start. "Bloody hell, I've lost track of time. Ron and Harry and I are supposed to be meeting for dinner tonight - they leave tomorrow to begin Auror training..." Locating her wand stuck between the mattress and the bedspring (taking only a few moments to wonder how it ended up there - and a few more to control her blush when she remembed), she indicated her discarded clothes and said "Vestirium." Moments later, she was once again fully clothed.

Snape watched as she raked her fingers through her honeybrown curls, attempting to return them to some state of order. Before she had noticed he'd moved, one of her hands was captured in his, and he was facing her with an all too serious expression. She groaned inwardly. Oh no... here it comes. The profession of love and plea for something more. I knew this was too easy! Mentally kicking herself, she prepared for what he would say.

"Hermione... We've agreed that our physical relationship will end here, and we both know that's for the best. But I must confess... I will miss our conversations. There are few here at Hogwarts to whom I can speak as easily as I can to you... even if you do have the unfortunate accessory of the Supertwins Potter and Weasley. But that's not the point. The point is, I would like very much if we could remain in contact... as friends." Hermione was taken aback for a moment, both by the unexpectedness of his request and the decidedly hopeful look in his eye. This was not what she'd expected at all.

Finally, she smiled and placed her free hand over his. "I would like that very much, Severus. Friends."

When she flooed to the fireplace of The Leaky Cauldron ten minutes later, she did not feel the empty sense of loss that even the most well-timed breakup leaves one with. Rather, she frankly felt as if she'd gained something much more valuable than all the events of the summer before.

Friends.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed this! I know, I messed around with the beginning a bit... but, after all, the challenge said they had to end the story as friends, and rest assured, they will! Thanks to Natalie and Susanna for a great challenge. I'd love to hear what you think of this bit, whether good or bad, and there'll be more soon. Thanks for reading!