These are not my characters, I'm not making any money here.

A/N: Collective thank you for all the encouraging reviews. Sorry this took so long -busy time right now. On "Gotcha!" and Americanisms -my auntie and her friends make use of the phrase (tho to be fair it sounds more like "Gotcher!" with some of them, but i can't see Sev with such an accent!) -perhaps it is a regional thing? Any suggestions? On chapter length -I look for natural breaks, not word count, so yeah, they're weird lengths -usually my problem is being too long. Not trying to upload them all on one day -thats just FFnet toying with me. On Sirius: more like blatent denial vs. AU. I'm stubborn: he's gonna come back, I tell you!

Dumbledore leaned back against the apple tree he was seated in front of, balancing his tea cup on his knee. Hermione finishing filling her own from the bottomless thermos the house elves had eagerly supplied. After some consideration, the headmaster and the potions apprentice had decided the orchard overlooking the lake would be the best place to rest the bit it would take to thoroughly discuss such a sensitive issue.

"So... how long have you had these feelings for Profes- um, Severus? If you don't mind me asking, of course?"

"Oh, no. No, that's quite all right. After all, I asked you here to talk to me -to help me sort out my feelings for... Severus. Hmm...let me see...um...I guess it was a gradual thing, so I'll have to think for a moment. I did feel bad for him at times, you know, throughout my school days, because, he seemed so... lonely at times. And then when I realized that he was a double agent against Voldemort, I started to see some of the reasons behind... how he was, who he was and I think... I started to understand some things better."

Dumbledore nodded, understandingly, but didn't interrupt.

"Umm.. like at dances and such -he didn't seem to me to be just mean when he went about zapping couples in the rose bushes. He seemed so angry. And it just made me think of all the things he had to be angry about."

"I don't see him doing that as much, lately."

"Hmm? Oh I suppose not. I'm not much one for those type of things myself -anything I have to put formal robes on for is bound to be a pain. I guess I've been a bad influence on him there." Dumbledore's expression said quite plainly that he found the idea of Herimone Granger being a bad influence on the unpleasant Professor Snape an unlikely scenario. She chuckled, "No, really! You see, I discovered his weakness for good port, and from then on made sure to procure a supply before dances or any other such event."

"You've been getting Professor Snape DRUNK?"

"Oh! Goodness, no! (Well, maybe once in a while...but that wasn't my intention...) We just have enough to get him to...loosen up a little...so he isn't in a bad -er, worse than usual? -mood the whole night. We put in as little as appearance as we can get away with as staff and then sneak off to the portrait gallery above the hall."

"Ah, I'd forgotten that was there."

"Well, yes, that's rather the point, isn't it? Because YOU lie in wait and sweep down upon any faculty member who would dare depart out of the hall itself early!"

All Dumbledore said was, "Care for a biscuit?' as he proffered the plate in her direction, eyes a-twinkle.

Hermione only dignified that with a rather Snapeish snort.

"So you two just head up to the gallery and...drink port all night?" he asked, still feigning child-like innocence.

Hermione snorted again. "Sorry to disappoint you, Headmaster -no extended snogging sessions for the potions staff!"

"Well, one could hope..."

"Professor! If I didn't know better, I'd almost say the rumors were true!"

"What rumors might those be, child?"

"Something along the lines of someone being a interfering, gossipy, old coot of a busybody..."

"Ah, you've been talking to Severus about me!"

For your information," Hermione resisted rising to the bait -Dumbledore had nothing on Professor Snape's ability to goad, "we generally spend the evening talking."

"Ah yes, just talking." Dumbledore had the temerity to actually look disappointed! "About potions, I suppose?"

"All right, yes, about potions! But that usually leads to other subjects-"

"Books." Dumbldore supplied, sagely.

"There's nothing wrong with sharing a literary interest! You like books! Or are all those stacks in your office just meant to impress people? Honestly, if that were the case, one would think you would have taken more care in choosing the titles; "The Inner World of Poultry' indeed!"

Dumbledore was openly chortling now, "I'll have you know, that title has been of great use to me in dealing with Fawkes on a number of occasions!"

"Oh, you!" Hermione chucked a biscuit at the giggling headmaster, "If you don't watch yourself, I'll let Fawkes know you're referencing him as 'poultry'!"

"Well, before you do that, let me assure you that many a romance found its beginnings over a book. Bumping into a new someone in the library, study dates, -I hear people even go to bookstores these days to purposely meet other people, if you can believe that. I think it's rather nice when people read to one another too. And a good poem can be so helpful for expressing one's feelings when one can't find the words..."

Hermione gave the headmaster an odd look. He sounded almost wistful. Who was he talking about, anyways? This was her and Severus after all. "Honestly sir, though we discuss other literature, I don't think we've ever read anything out loud to one another besides potions tomes."

"Not the most romantic fare." Dumbledore said rather distantly.

"Well, no. And can you imagine me sending Severus a poem?"

Dumbledore suddenly seemed to snap back to the here and now. Really this was just the sort of behavior that had her and Professor Snape so worried in the first place. He didn't seem to be aware at all of how...odd he'd been just now. "Well, perhaps you could give it a try."

"Sending poetry to Professor Snape?"

"Er, no...even I wouldn't try that -er, if I had a reason to be writing poetry to Severus -which I wouldn't..."

Hermione nodded, though she suddenly wasn't quite sure what she was agreeing with.

"No, I meant the reading to bit. Something non-potions, but clever still. Not..."

"Foofy?"

"Well, for Severus, yes -not foofy. Is that a real word? I rather like it. Have you ever read "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight"?"

"Yes, actually. Though it's been a long time. But that is poetry, isn't it?"

"Well, it's versified writing. But it all was in that day. But it's not a potions text and it's not a foofy poem. Lots of interesting symbology there, magical and otherwise. Lots of ice-breaking discussion material. Hmm...I'll have to look through it again, myself."

Hermione looked dubious. Yes, symbolic Sir Gawain. That was quite a discussion topic, wasn't it? Her eyes narrowed. Best not to go there.

"Or there's always Alice in Wonderland!" he continued cheerily, "I do love that Cheshire cat-"

"Ahem, Headmaster?" The look she gave him was enough to even jolt Dumbledore back on track.

"Yes, well, I'm sure you'll find something suitable. But try it, Hermione. if not sooner, than at least next time you two are hiding out in the gallery. You can't talk about just potions and literary interests forever and hope to progress, I'm afraid." he said rather sadly.

Hermione had a rather evil glint in her eye. Dumbledore suddenly wondered if perhaps Severus had given his share of bad influence after all? "Oh we don't just talk about those things, Professor,' she drawled.

"Really? I thought you said there was no snogging?" he dead panned.

"You know," Hermione continued pinning the headmaster with a rather steely gaze. He wondered if Professor Snape had actually worked on teaching her how to do that. Rather disconcerting, really. "one thing we do, is just watch the people below and discuss their behavior and personalities. For someone who is socially closed off, Severus has a lot of interesting observations and insights into others -nosey old goat." Her eyes twinkled.

Dumbledore smiled back unabashedly. "You did ask to discuss all this with me." he reminded her and ducked another biscuit, "and I'm glad you've noticed that our Severus has a many-layered personality. That rather helps eliminate the possibility of this all simply being a school-girl crush. Is that welcome news?" Really not sure, Hermione suddenly was very absorbed in plucking at the grass. "But that wasn't what you were originally about to say, was it?"

Hermione chuckled despite herself. How does he do that? "All right. But if Severus EVER gets wind that I told you about this, he'll transmute me into a flobberworm!" Dumbledore leaned forward, very interested. "All right. One time, after plying him with...particularly good port, I produced a 'Tabitha Twinkletoe's Guaranteed Dance Manual'."

Albus Dumbledore's eyes were positively wide. "Hermione Granger, are you about to completely shock me for the second time in one day?..."

"I should get some sort of an award." she confirmed. "Not for dancing, however. I could only follow his lead. When he actually puts his mind to it, Severus is actually quite talented -er, on his feet, that is."

"Are you telling me that all I had to do was glance up and I would have seen Severus Snape waltzing about with his potions assistant?..."

Hermione could practically see the gears working and she found that alarming. One hundred points from Gryffindor, for sure! "I mean it, professor, not a word!"

And then she couldn't help a little smirk, "And waltz, nothing. That man can TANGO!"