***Chapter Thirteen***

February 14, 1997

Hermione stretched as she woke, finding Crookshanks by her side as was normal. She knew he didn't sleep with her all night long. He went hunting while she was sleeping. She'd woken up to a mouse in various spots on her bed many times over the years. The first few times had scared the hell out of her. Then she got annoyed. Then she realized he was gifting her with the mice because she was his family and knew she could not catch the mice as he could.

It was sweet, in a totally gruesome way.

And at least it was only mice.

He always seemed to be back in her bed by morning though. She appreciated that. She worried something happened to him the few times he hadn't. She was incredibly relieved to see him today. It meant he hadn't been caught running an errand for her last night. (Wouldn't that be embarrassing if he had been?!)

She took a moment to listen to Pavarti, Lavender, and Fay as they chatted excitedly about what they were expecting to receive today.

Valentine's Day.

She sighed softly. She had always thought it was a ridiculous holiday. She always thought girls who expected candy or flowers were kind of ridiculous.

And yet. Last night … 

She'd sent Crookshanks to her potions professor's office with a yellow rose. No card. No signature. Nothing betraying who it might be from. (She even snuck around to get it.) Or why he might be receiving it. She still wasn't sure if she believed in the whole mates business, but she sort of liked the idea of surprising him. Of giving him something. She didn't get the impression he was on the receiving end of many gifts. Big or small. She listened as Harry's godfather and Professor Lupin talked about their potions professor. They didn't speak of him having a social life of any kind. No witches ever came up. Not a surplus of friends. Fewer close ones.

That made her wonder if the mates business wasn't onto something, because they had things like that in common despite their age difference.

Would he be upset? Would he think it was from someone else? She had no idea, but she got a little giddy at the idea of him seeing the rose this morning.

And, with that, maybe she could understand Valentine's Day a little bit after this. The idea that she'd make him … happy, even before he threw the rose out, made her feel good.

+++++

Albus shook his head at Peeves. The ghost looked … particularly pleased this morning.

"Good morning, Peeves."

"Headmaster will not believe what Professor Snapey had in his office today."

"I imagine Professor Snape has lots of items in his office." Albus didn't mean to sound uninterested, but he just wasn't in the mood for Peeves' jokes today. Had Severus purchased something unseemly? He had all sorts of things that some might find offensive, but he knew to keep them hidden away.

Peeves laughed, which sounded a bit eerie (his being a ghost aside). "Peeves has never seen roses in the professor's office."

That certainly got Albus' attention.

"Roses?" Albus asked, certain he had heard wrong. Unless, Severus planned to do something with the roses for a potion or something.

"Only one, but yes, it was a rose."

"You are sure?" Albus asked.

"I know what a rose looks like, Headmaster."

"Of course you do, Peeves. I did not mean to imply otherwise. Did you see who left it for him?"

Because if it was just one rose, as Peeves said, that did not lead Albus to believe Severus was doing something with it for his classes. One wouldn't be enough for that.

So that meant someone in this castle left a rose for Albus' friend.

"No, no one was in and out of his office that I saw."

Albus arched an eyebrow at that. "The Baron didn't see anyone either?"

"No, Peeves asked him."

"You were thorough, I appreciate that. Well, it's a rose…"

How it got there was perplexing, but neither Peeves nor the Bloody Baron stayed in the dungeons all day and all night.

Did Severus have an admirer?

Was he … pursuing someone? Albus had strongly encouraged the wizard not to do such a thing years ago. As it seemed Voldemort was not returning, that Albus had in fact gotten all of the horcruxes. Quirrell hadn't gone traipsing off to try to reanimate the wizard. Nothing happened since 1981 suggesting the dark wizard would return. Well, his words of caution about Severus dating were rather obsolete these days.

Albus was aware Severus had misgivings about putting himself out there to court someone. His mother had pretty blatantly told him he'd only get a wife if he was financially successful so that someone would feel secure with him. And that was the best he could expect from a courtship and marriage. He gave something to get something. Not love. Not happiness.

Because of that, Severus didn't talk much about a future, expecting one with anyone. He was fairly certain, he'd never in the nearly twenty-six years he'd known him, even gone on a date.

Or had he?

What did it mean that his friend hadn't told him he had a witch? That was … not like him. Even today, Severus usually ran things by him if it was something that could get out to others.

Was he embarrassed? Had Albus not made enough time for his friend recently so that he had been unable to share such news with him? He was busy, but Severus knew he was never too busy for him. Even in his days as a student Albus made time for him.

That in mind, he made his way to the dungeons before going to the great hall for breakfast.

Albus knocked on the door leading to Severus' office.

"Enter," his friend beckoned and Albus did just that.

"Good morning, Severus," he said.

Severus grimaced, though Albus saw a bit of amusement in the other wizard's eyes. He knew why Albus was here then. And how he'd found out.

"Which one ran to you?"

"Peeves," Albus said. Severus nodded in response.

"So," Albus said.

"I do not know. You can save your questions," he said, gesturing to the lone yellow rose laying on his desk. There was some baby's breath accompanying it, Albus noticed. It was clearly not a professional arrangement, though, even if it looked as if it had been cut the way a rose should. In Albus' minimal knowledge about such things anyway. Albus wondered if Severus had touched or even moved it. He was certainly staring at it as if it might reveal answers to him.

Severus was good, but he wasn't that good. Then maybe he was, if he was determined enough.

"No card?"

"No," he said, sounding resigned.

"No vase?"

"No," Severus said, sounding irritated there. Surely not about the lack of a vase.

Albus tilted his head, leaning in closer. He lowered his glasses and then put them back in place again, wanting to ensure he saw what he thought he did.

"Are those … teeth marks?"

At first glance, he thought maybe someone had missed when removing a thorn and gouged the stem in a place or two, but no. That didn't appear to be what the damage was from.

"It appears so."

Albus leaned back. He regarded Severus, who revealed nothing. No emotion at this gift. Nothing. Did he truly not know who gave it to him?

"Who?" Albus said.

"I have no idea."

"Severus…"

"Truly, Albus, I have no idea."

"I know it's been some time since we discussed whether seeing a witch would be wise. If you've met someone, you don't need to hide…"

"I'm not hiding anything. Trust me, Albus, if I had a witch to the point she was giving me flowers on Valentine's Day, I would tell you."

"So," Albus said, peering over his glasses at his friend. "An admirer? Sybil perhaps, stepping up her flirtations?"

"Merlin's balls, I hope not."

Albus tsk'd. He wasn't sure their Divination professor had it in her to be so discreet. So, likely it wasn't her. Severus would be surprised to discover there had been a student here and there who'd developed a crush on him over the years. None had ever given him a gift before, though.

"Well, when you find out, let me know."

"It's likely a joke."

"And yet, you haven't thrown it out."

"It's a nice specimen," he said.

Albus nodded. Severus wasn't wrong, and it made Albus wonder who had access to such a thing. In February. They had gardens with roses that bloom year-round, but someone would have to know that.

As far as Albus knew, this had never happened before. He didn't claim to know everything that Severus had done in every timeline he'd lived to this point.

However, he was fairly certain he would have heard about Severus Snape getting a rose. Well, getting any gift, truthfully. As far as Albus knew, he was the only one who'd ever given Severus anything. Lucius had on occasion over the years in various timelines, but he'd never given Severus something … personal, like a flower, on Valentine's Day.

"And you haven't met anyone?" Albus asked.

Severus gritted his teeth with a shake of his head. Albus was clearly irritating him with his continued probing. "I would have told you if I had, Albus. Other than the three weeks in my falcon form I told you about."

Albus nodded, recalling the story Severus had told him this past August. And assured him that Hermione Granger did not know who the peregrine falcon was despite seeming to know he was magical.

Albus knew something about Hermione Granger now that he hadn't known at the time Severus told him of those three weeks. It was also something Severus did not know (that Albus knew of anyway).

Miss Granger was, as of Christmastime, a registered animagus. Minerva had forgotten to turn the papers in at the end of last school year.

Her form?

A peregrine falcon. The only other one he knew of beyond Severus.

Albus knew something else that he wasn't sure Severus had bothered to learn, or retain the information if he had learned it.

Peregrine falcons mate for life.

Had Hermione Granger somehow discovered Severus was her mate without Severus being aware?

It almost had to be the case. Didn't it?

Yes.

He regarded the rose with a little more … interest. Was it a gift from Miss Granger? It would certainly be an acceptable first gift. He leaned in again, taking a closer look at the marks on the rose's stem. Were those feline teeth marks? Her familiar's teeth marks? It would explain why Peeves nor the Baron had seen anyone go into Severus' office.

Was she … courting him ? Subtly, given that she was still his student, which he reasoned would be the reason for the rose to be gifted anonymously.

How would Severus react to this if Albus was right?

He chuckled.

Oh my.

If it was Hermione Granger. Well, Albus didn't think Severus had the ability to get away. She was one of the most resourceful students Albus had met. Severus aside, of course.

"Something amusing, Albus?"

"No, Severus, not at all," he said, standing from his chair now. It was time to go before he revealed something he shouldn't inadvertently. He could be wrong about it being Miss Granger, but Albus' gut told him that he was not.

"Just realizing that it's been a very long time since there's been a headmaster's wife at Hogwarts."

"Are you planning on marrying someone for that to change?"

Albus chuckled. Of course, Severus would take his statement literally. He didn't know what was going through Albus' mind currently.

"No, but I'm not planning on being headmaster forever."

"Really?" Severus asked. He truly sounded surprised. Merlin. He supposed it did seem as if he was clinging to the position.

"Contrary to popular opinion, I will not live forever."

Severus chuckled at that and then frowned slightly, as if unsure he should've found that statement amusing. "Let's not think about that, Albus."

"Well, I plan on stepping down long before I meet my demise. Maybe between now and then, you'll find out who the gift giver is."

"I'm not going to marry someone because she gave me a rose, Albus."

Albus couldn't help but think that - if he was right - Severus may end up doing precisely that. Not because she'd given him a rose but because his mate had gifted him a rose, expressing interest.

"No, but you are curious. And perhaps hopeful that at the other end of the rose could lay happiness for you."

With that hypothesis in mind, that Hermione Granger was this wizard's mate and knew that, it suddenly made much more sense to Albus why the Fates wanted Severus alive. It wasn't necessarily for his benefit, but for the witch's.

And, well, he could sit back and watch it unfold. Couldn't he? He thought it might be good for Severus to be pursued for the right reasons for once in his life. Albus knew the wizard had never experienced that, in any of the timelines he'd lived.

*****

Hermione was admittedly surprised when she entered his classroom later that evening and saw the rose was in the room. They hadn't had Potions today, so it was the first chance she had to see if he'd kept it or not. It wasn't prominently on display, but he hadn't hidden it. Or thrown it out. Did he suspect? Did he know? He must not because she knew she didn't have a good poker face, and he didn't seem to have a clue she was the one who had the rose delivered to him. (She was glad it was here, to see that Crookshanks had delivered it to the correct professor.)

She was tempted to ask him about it, but thought that would be odd so remained quiet on the subject of the rose. (She was kind of curious who he might think gave it to him.)

Story ©Susan Falk/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com