*claps hands together*

this is so so wonderful, for so many unfathomable reasons. That you're taking little snippets of essences from potter canon, and in a few full words making the new world, its nuances and feelings instantly tangible ... he'd ask about her day, the feel of him behind her... that, my dear, is a kind of magic.

also, you're something almost cruel in drawing out - with just the right amount of mystery and haze - that one defining word "severus".

"Hermione climbed the stairs" as an ending is very british of you. as is "were for naught".

in short, as always, awesomeness!