Work Text:
The grounds of Hogwarts during the Christmas season were always beautiful, the trees covered in a thick layer of white snow, the Black Lake a perfect frozen mirror of ice, and the ground peppered with thick drifts and the footprint paths of students braving the winter wonderland. While the week before Christmas break was usually slow, there were still plenty of paths and snow angel imprints to see.
From the castle to the Magical Creatures hut was a particularly thick patch of tamped-down snow as seventh-year Charms students made their way out to the Care of Magical Creatures class alongside the daily Creatures class students. During the previous week's Seventh Year Charms class, one of the Gryffindor boys had decided to try their flair on a Charm that Professor Granger had shown them, making the classroom unusable for the day.
As punishment, Professor Granger had decided to make the Seventh Years help the Magical Creature class, headed by Professor Weasley, deal with the cold and creature needs during the last week before break. As the group trudged through the snow, their winter cloaks dragging along the snowy ground, several boys bemoaned their luck. As soon as the groans left their mouths, the sharp-tongued Gryffindor Prefect began berating them for putting them all in this situation. Suitably chastised, the group finished their trek in silence.
~
When the group had found their way into the warded class area just outside the hut, they felt the cold melt off them upon their entry. The warded outdoor area was full of wooden tables and chairs, many of which had already been taken up by an eclectic group of Fifth Years from different houses.
Because Care of Magical Creatures was now an elective class, the classes were formed based on how many years of Magical Creatures classes you had taken instead of the student year. The students in the class were bound to find a career in a Magical Creatures field. At the front of the class were Professor Granger in blue teaching robes and Professor Weasley in tight denims with a deep red button-up, standing near each other as they conversed quietly. The warming charm must have been Professor Granger's doing—she was known for her substantial spell work.
Meanwhile, Professor Weasley was responsible for the multiple paddocks and their surrounding wards. Professor Granger was a student favorite—one of the youngest professors in the school and the one the boys were the most taken with. She had olive-toned skin, freckles, and riotous curls commonly tamed into a bun on the top of her head. Professor Granger was easy to approach with her dark hair, eyes, and quick smile. Most of the female students were quick to notice the slim-fitting teaching robes, jealous that she had such a well-fitting wardrobe in such a wide array of colors.
The Prefect who had chastised the boys earlier, a tall, willowy Muggleborn named Elara Penshaw, was the first to notice how close the Professors were standing. She nudged a friend, a fellow Gryffindor named Lucy, before motioning towards the two. Both girls shared a knowing look, taking stock of the light blush across Professor Granger's cheeks and the way Professor Weasley grinned down at her. Professor Weasley had his muscular arms from his previous career as a Dragon Keeper crossed before him, and Professor Granger played with a loose curl as they talked lowly. The female students were keeping a careful eye, giggling behind their hands as they extrapolated on the relationship between their two professors.
Before too long, the students' low murmur drew their professors' attention, causing them to startle and turn toward the class. "Good afternoon, Seventh Year Charms; glad you made it across the snow." Professor Granger grinned at the low grumble of voices that kicked up, "As a reminder, you wouldn't be here if one of your fellow Gryffindors hadn't exploded a very dangerous Charm in my classroom last week. So, for the last week before break, you will be helping the Magical Creatures class handle their warming charms and any creature charms they need. While I will be here and you will answer to me, you will also answer to Char- Professor Weasley."
Elara nudged her friend from her standing position outside the tables before they both giggled quietly. Professor Weasley was the one the female population was most familiar with. Tall, strong, and so densely freckled he looked tan, Professor Weasley was the hottest professor at Hogwarts- even more so than Professor Longbottom. Professor Weasley was beyond attractive with his shaggy red hair, matching red beard, bright blue eyes, and muscular physique. Not only that, but he was incredibly kind and attentive to his students and fellow teachers. The Prefect honestly couldn't blame Professor Granger for making, as her mother usually said, 'goo-goo' eyes at the man.
"Thank you, Professor Granger." The man nodded, stepping forward to distract the blushing professor. "If you don't know, I'm Professor Weasley—or Professor Charlie. Whichever you call me, I will answer."
No longer blushing, Professor Granger stepped forward to transfigure some stones into chairs for the students still standing, laughing as one of the boys flopped down before wincing. "Mister Flannigan, the chair is transfigured from a stone. I won't do the extra work to make it comfortable when attending this class for a week is a punishment."
"Right, Professor Granger." Professor Weasley grins at her, causing her to blush lightly and look down at her hands, "We'll be handling Frost Salamanders for this week. They give off a cold aura that freezes most things that come near it and eats enchanted snowflakes, so the Charms students will keep their partner and themselves warm while charming snowflakes as they come."
The Charms class looked intrigued, while the Magical Creatures students just groaned—handling Frost Salamanders meant they'd be extracting some form of magical essence.
"The students in my class will be responsible for siphoning off the magical blue flame they give off and placing them in warded jars for our potions classes to use. Handling these beauties is a rare opportunity- don't muck it up." Professor Weasley shot them all a dark look as they nodded, "Happy Salamanders means blue flame- you'll be feeding them snowflakes and petting them while taking care of any ailments you may see. Each team of two will be responsible for five jars by the end of the week."
"To my Charms students- I will keep an eye on your spell work. I have included diagnostic wards around the different paddocks that will report to me when something goes wrong." She nodded at Professor Weasley, who then released them to pair up and get started.
~
Once they were all paired up and outside the classroom area's warming wards, Elara quickly found a space by Lucy for her and her partner. She cast the warming charms and began to magic the snowflakes as they fell gently from the sky.
"You catch that?" Elara said to her friend, holding her wand steady. "It seems Professor Granger has the hots for Professor Weasley."
"You're just now up to speed on that?" The Ravenclaw Creatures student she paired with snorted, "She's been sending sappy looks down the table at him since the start of term!"
"Well, clearly, we're just now 'up to speed,' Greg!" Lucy glared at the boy, rolling his eyes as he slowly siphoned blue flame off the happy Salamanders back, "We aren't obsessed with Professor Granger to the point of staring at her during mealtimes!"
"I'm not ! She just… happens to be in view!" Greg snorted, his cheeks pinking slightly before continuing, "Either way, I wish she'd just get on with it!"
"Seems he sends her the same looks if you ask me." Came the quiet voice of Lucy's partner, a smiling Hufflepuff scratching the underside of her Salamander's chin with her wand, "S'pose her dating his brother after the War might be stopping him?"
"No way—wasn't she dating Ron Weasley ages ago? Didn't you see the Prophet?" Elara scoffed, finally finding purchase in the conversation again. She dumped him loudly right after the Awards ceremony! She said she didn't think marriage and babies came before her studies."
"She's so cool." Lucy sighed, sending an adoring look to her Professor before elbowing Elara harshly in the side after seeing the two professors laughing with their heads close together, "LOOK AT THEM!"
The three other students' heads turned so fast that it was shocking they didn't hurt themselves as they stared at their professors. They all inwardly wondered why they hadn't already gotten together, and the mystery of their relationship was a topic of heated discussion among the students.
"Okay, so… we agree we should shove this along before Christmas break, yeah?" Elara was the first to take charge, grinning as the other three students nodded excitedly. "Not including today; we have four days to shove them together. Let's brainstorm." Their determination to play matchmaker was both amusing and endearing.
For the rest of the class, while carefully getting a jar and a half each of Blue Fire, the students plotted and argued over their teachers' love lives.
~
With Monday already over, Tuesday found all four of the partners in crime sitting front and center in the Creatrures classroom space. They were all grinning secretly as they waited for their chance to start their plans in motion on the professors who were talking closely together in front of them again.
When the professors had called the class to order, Elara nodded to Vienna, the Hufflepuff from the day before, who smiled lightly and raised her hand. “Professor Granger, I just wanted to make sure I told Professor Weasley how much of an asset you and your class have been. It has been incredibly lovely to have you.”
Professor Granger blushed, her eyes darting to Professor Weasley before murmuring a soft thank you before calling on Greg, whose hand had shot up as soon as Vienna had stopped talking, “Professor Weasley, I didn’t know how wonderful Professor Granger was- thank you for bringing her in.”
With a bright smile and a gentle nudge, Professor Weasley quickly agreed, “See, Professor Granger? I have nothing but glowing praise from my students. I told you that you were incredible.”
“Oh, stop it, Charlie…” Professor Granger’s blush had disappeared into the high collar of her teaching robes, “I mean, thank you, Professor Weasley. I believe we should get a start on everything, yes?”
Professor Weasley agreed, dismissing them all to do the work he had explained to them the previous day before nudging Professor Granger again, who smacked him lightly in the chest.
Once the four of them regrouped and began doing their work, the cast looked at the pair before reverting to a debate on what to do next.
“Okay, so… talking up Professor Granger was a good one, right?” Elara asked eagerly, causing Vienna to nod blithely at her, “I mean, she slipped up and called him Charlie, right?”
“She absolutely did!” Lucy was bursting with excitement, almost losing control of the warming charm she was casting over Greg, who shot her with a glare because it nearly messed up the blue flame extraction. “Greg. Calm down- I have it.”
“Sure you do… sure.” Greg rolled his eyes, “I don’t need you screwing up my marks. Anyway- do we know what Professor Weasley or Professor Granger is like? Or, Vienna- you’re a Pureblood. Is there any flower talk we could use?”
“Mmm, absolutely- and since Professor Weasley is from a Pureblood family, it wouldn’t be odd.” Vienna nodded as she quickly extracted the flame, “Should I put together flowers for Professor Granger? I can have them delivered to her quarters.”
The partners nodded, deciding it was a solid plan for the next day. They finished the class period, scheming and attempting to finish their assignment.
~
Wednesday came around, and when the foursome had arrived in class early because they didn’t want to miss their professors' first interactions, only Professor Granger was there and ready for them- but she looked notably different.
It seemed she had taken special care with her hair, letting it fall in careful waves, and her teaching robes seemed to have been taken in slightly at the waist, making it seem all the more form-fitting before flaring out just to end with a high low hem showing knee-high, heeled leather boots. The robes were still high-necked and long-sleeved, but the entire fit made her seem taller than she usually seemed and accentuated parts of her she usually hid.
Professor Granger was a knockout .
Elara leaned over to whisper in Vienna’s ear, “What did you send her?! She dressed to impress!”
“Well…” Vienna hummed, “I went with Pink and Yellow Roses, Forget-Me-Nots, Lavender and White Lilacs. Then I had them surround it with Baby Breath and signed it from a CW.”
“That seems… a bit heavy-handed, innit?” Greg seemed unsure, eyeing his professor appreciatively despite his uncertainty.
“To be honest, with these academic types, you have to be.” Lucy couldn’t pull punches, “I’m almost positive Professor Longbottom tried to ask her out once- she kind of blew him off.”
“Well, he also asked her in the middle of the Entrance Hall before Spring Break last year.” Elara rolled her eyes. “Loudly, I might add.”
“Yeah… you’re not wrong.” Lucy looked doubtful still but shushed them all as Professor Weasley broke through the wards, brushing off the bits of snow that had accumulated on his shoulders.
It was as if the four of them had a Notice-Me-Not spell put over them because as soon as Professor Weasley laid eyes on Professor Granger, it was as if he could see nothing else. He walked over to her, giving her a generous up and down.
“Hermione, you look stunning today.” The gentle murmur barely made it to their ears, but it took everything within them, besides Greg, who just rolled his eyes, not to squeal as Professor Granger fiddled with the long sleeves on her robes before tucking her hair behind her ear.
“You sure? It’s not… too much?” Professor Granger looked down at the ground momentarily, peering shyly at him. The four students shot looks at each other as they waited with bated breath to see what would happen, keeping themselves as quiet as possible to catch every bit of the gently murmured conversation.
“Nothing about you has ever been too much, Mione.” The words were spoken softly, but they seemed to hold significant weight with their Professor Granger, her eyes lighting up and a broad smile taking over her face.
Of course, it was only day two, so why would everything go perfectly? As soon as Professor Granger went to respond, one of the Charms students came flying down the path of packed snow, yelling about needing to see Professor Granger. Both professors looked away from each other, their faces red as they awkwardly grumbled they needed to get some things done and separated.
Elara, Vienna, Lucy, and Greg groaned before settling in for class, already thinking of ways to push them faster.
~
Thursday was a bit more desperate; they only had one more day to make this happen, and they wanted to see SOMETHING of the fruits of their labor before the four of them disappeared for the Holiday. So they got together early that morning to put some highly complicated charms (at least for seventh years) on a piece of Mistletoe so it would only trap Professor Granger and Professor Weasley underneath it.
They then got to class exceptionally early; no one had arrived yet and set it up to hang from the partial overhang over the classroom portion, just inside the wards, Professor Granger had put up. Then they waited, their hands clasped on the desks as they anxiously stared up the path.
First to arrive was Professor Weasley, something they hadn’t thought would happen. With Professor Weasley being stuck in the trap first instead of Professor Granger, they decided to make themselves scarce. They loudly talked as they walked opposite the Castle, making it seem like they couldn’t hear Professor Weasley yelling their names.
Once they got around the side of the hut, Elara cast a disillusionment spell on the four of them, and they peeked around the corner to watch as Professor Weasley looked up. Upon seeing the Mistletoe, his face pinked, and he ran a hand down his face while grumbling.
They knew Professor Granger could get herself out eventually but probably wouldn’t kill them.
Professor Weasley was a wildcard.
As they watched, they saw a disheveled Professor Granger come running down the path and an arm held up to block the snow that had begun to fall. So, fortunately for the four troublemakers, she hadn’t seen the stuck Professor Weasley until it was too late. She ran right into him, catching them both in the trap set for them.
“Charlie!” They could hear Professor Granger, her voice coming out in a breathy gasp as she gripped him in an attempt not to fall over, Professor Weasley's arms coming up to grab her by the shoulders and hold her steady, “What in the world-”
“Hermione, I think we’re being played with.” The red-headed man grumbled, looking down at her and pointing up at the charmed Mistletoe. “There were students here, but…”
“Is that… charmed Mistletoe ?! What is this, Weasley Twins ride again?!” The students weren’t sure what that meant precisely- the joke shop was very active, so they weren’t sure where the ‘ride again’ part came from. “Oh Charlie, you know there's probably only one way to release the charm…”
“I’m aware, Mione.” Professor Weasley sighed, muttering something under his breath that made Professor Granger turn red before grabbing her by the chin and leaning down, his other hand coming down to rest on her waist. The students about fell over as they watched their professors kiss under the Mistletoe, Professor Grangers' hands coming up to hold onto the lapels of his leather jacket.
Greg looked uncomfortable and refused to look around the corner any longer.
Vienna was sighing happily with her hands on her cheeks.
Elara and Lucy held each other's hands as they fought the urge to squeal- this was better than any romance novel they had ever read.
The kiss ended before too long, leaving both professors free from the charm but stuttering unintelligible words at each other. The students noticed that despite what they were saying, they hadn’t backed away from each other.
~
Friday was upon them, and despite the kiss from the day before, there was no outward sign that anything had changed between the two professors. There seemed to be an even more significant gap between them, and the four student masterminds became distraught as they finished their jars of Blue Flame.
“They made out under Mistletoe yesterday and were clearly into each other- why are they acting like strangers now?!” Elara was beyond frustrated watching them dance around each other like they were diseased.
“Perhaps we pushed too hard?” Lucy was distraught, feeling like they had ruined something, but Vienna shook her head, concentrating as she funneled the last of the Blue Flame into the jar.
“No, I think it's all a ploy. Professor Weasley knew we were around here somewhere yesterday- I bet it's an act.” Vienna sighed as she put the stopper on the bottle before putting it on the ground beside her, “But if you want to be sure…”
“If we want to be sure… what?” Greg was right behind Vienna, finishing his last bottle of Blue Flame and putting it next to hers before looking over at her.
“Well.. there's that side door into the hut- I know the groundskeeper used to live there, but ever since Professor Weasley came on, he’s been staying in the castle.” Lucy stared at Vienna as she used her hand to try to illuminate her point before sighing, “It’s used for storage now. What if we locked them in there before we left?”
“That sounds like a horrendous idea…” Elara gasped, “How would we pull it off?”
“Follow my lead.”
~
“Professor Weasley! Come quick! Something fell on Elara!” Vienna was yelling from the doorway closest to the classroom; her voice panicked as Professor Weasley ran towards her. “We finished our jars, and we were looking for something. Oh, Professor, help her, please!”
“Stay here, and I’ll go in and handle it. Afterward, we need to talk about you being in places you shouldn’t.” Professor Weasley gave her a stern look, and that's how Vienna knew- they were doomed. The man knew what she and her friends were up to, so she smiled and nodded before sitting down.
Once the man was inside, he’d find another charmed Mistletoe while Vienna locked the door behind him. On the other side of the hut, Greg was yelling and spinning a similar story for Professor Granger.
Both professors would find themselves locked and trapped in the old groundskeepers' hut underneath a charmed Mistletoe on the last day of term.
The four partners in crime leaned against one of the locked doors, casting charms to hear better through the thick wooden door.
“-isten Mione, it’s those four kids. This is the second time they’ve locked us beneath Mistletoe this week!” Professor Weasley was grumbling behind the door.
“Sigh, well, class is over at least- it's a shame they decided to lock us in here, but I can’t say I’m particularly mad…” The students looked at each other questioningly before listening to the rest of Professor Granger’s statement, “I've been trying to get you alone for years , Charlie.”
“Is that so, Professor ?” The deep voice of their Creatures Professor told them they needed to make themselves scarce. Lucy and Greg dragged Elara and Vienna away from the door before unlocking it and running through the snow back up to the Castle.
Hopefully, before they return from holiday, their professors will be thankful instead of vengeful.
Hopefully.
~
Thankfully, their professors were thankful once they got out of that hut after taking advantage of the time alone before Professor Weasley insisted on a proper date. The two were spotted at the Leaky Cauldron sharing a quiet meal of mince pies and beers later that night before having an encore performance of their time in the hut. This time in the comfort and warmth of their rooms in the Castle.
While they did make the students sweat upon their return to the Castle after the break, each student found a single flower on their desk a few weeks into term.
A single daisy for thanks.