A/N Nothing is mine, everything is JKR's. Here is my new idea, I really hope that you'll all like it. And maybe some of you will even find which TV show (amongst the ones I particularly like) invited itself here.
A huge thanks (sorry lol) to coffeeonthepatio !!!
Title: Sometimes writing is not the best thing to do.
A year – it had been a year since the death of the darkest Dark Lord of all times. He or it – one could not really qualify that almost living thing as a human being – died – as the prophecy predicted it – by the hand of Harry Potter – commonly known as the boy-who-lived or even now the boy-who-vanquished.
It all happened quickly after years and years of a mean war between Death-Eaters, the Order and the rest of the wizard population. Hermione had been in her fourth year of Potions study at university when it happened. She survived the battle with many deaths of Death-Eaters on her conscience, a broken wrist and a few bruises – not so much when many wizards and witches had died during the seven years of the second reign of terror of Voldemort, known in the past as You-know-who.
Now, he was merely called Voldemort – nobody was scared of his name anymore. Presently Hermione was sitting in a dark corner of a great ballroom of the Ministry, watching all these people – who had more or less played a role in the war – dancing and celebrating this anniversary.
She was observing all this happiness dancing around with a hint of sadness in her eyes. Not that she was sad about anything; she was content with her life. She had two of the best wonderful best friends: Ronald Weasley and the boy-who-vanquished himself. In a month she would be graduating as a Potions Mistress from one of the greatest wizard University of Europe: St Ianto's the wizard University of Cardiff. With the money the Ministry had given her to thank her for her actions in the war and the battle of the defeat of Voldemort she would be able to open her own apothecary. She was even thinking of opening a small library specialised in Potions next to her soon-to-be apothecary.
No, her sadness came from the fact that she was feeling alone. Two months after the death of Voldemort, Harry Potter and his fiancé of long time, Ginny Weasley, had married during a wonderful summer day. Then in January Ronald Weasley had finally found love in the person of Luna Lovegood and they married during a dreamful snowy day. As for her, she was alone. Too engrossed in her studies she had dated nobody since her idyll with Ron had ended three years ago because of an incompatibility of mood, interests, personality and many other things.
She knew that there was no one to blame but her and her own stupidity to let her career be more important than anything else. Her sadness did not come from her jealousy of seeing her best friends that happy. No, it came from the fact that she knew that if she wanted to find that kind of love, she would only find it in the person she had been fancying since she had discovered a new side of him two years ago – a person who haunted her thoughts and dreams, who had been working closely with her during the war and who was presently standing alone in another dark corner of the ballroom. This person was the ex-Death-Eater and ex-double-agent: Severus Snape.
Not willing to let her melancholy win she stood up and escape the darkness of the corner she had been hiding in since the beginning of the feast to head towards the bowl of punch. Arriving there, she met Neville Longbottom whom she asked to dance with in order to bring some happiness back within her.
***
Severus – as we said – was in his own dark corner. And as Hermione did, he was observing the room.
At the end of the war the Ministry had made his true allegiances public. The Minister of Magic had even granted him an Order of Merlin First Class. Moreover he had offered him some money for his actions – money that despite his bitterness towards the government he had accepted, because it was well-known that a professor did not earn that much per year.
Since the end of the year he had even resumed his Potions Master of Hogwarts post.
He had everything to be as happy as he could be – that is to say happier than he was when he was pretending to be a Death-Eater. But tonight as he watched the ballroom he realised that something was missing in his life.
Despite his cold behaviour, his bitterness and his almost non-existent sense of humour, Severus would have loved to see the twinkle – he saw in the eyes of most women present – in the eyes of someone – a nice woman preferably – he could care for.
Feeling the deep melancholy rising within him Severus thought it was better for him to leave the feast rather than stay. That's why he left the ballroom, offering a nod to the few people who acknowledged him on his way out. Why should he have to stay as it was obvious that nobody would notice his departure?
***
After her dance with Neville, Hermione was breathless and decided to go sit in the dark corner she had left a few minutes earlier. Neville was a great dancer. Lisa – the girl he was dating – was very lucky to have found him. Another couple that was a reminder of her loneliness and single condition. She had nothing against Neville but – Gosh – even he had found love.
Sitting in her chair, she started once again to observe the dancing room. And then she noticed that something was missing. Or rather someone. It did not take her more than a few seconds to see that Severus was not in his corner anymore. She searched the room with her eyes and only saw the hem of his robes as the doors were closing behind him.
The few glasses of alcohol she had drunk and the effervescence of the night had put courage in her and she decided to go after him. She did not know why but she felt that it was now or never to do the first step.
Thus she stood up from her chair and crossed the room towards the door where she had seen the dark man. She bumped into several people who were dancing – and more or less angry to have been interrupted in their private moment. Finally she managed to reach the door and exited the room.
Once in the corridor she saw no trace of Severus so she quickly directed herself to the exit. She arrived in the street and there – just as she turned right at the corner of the street – she saw him.
Emboldened by the sight of the dark man she ran towards him. Arriving a few steps from him she saw fit to make her presence known – Merlin knows what could happen if one surprised a man like Severus.
"Professor Snape!" she said.
He turned his head. Once he recognized the woman who was running after him he stopped dead in his tracks. What was she doing here?
"Miss Granger?" he said once she was standing right before him, "what are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked.
She did not exactly know what she was she was doing or why she had said that – she bit the tip of her tongue for that – but she did not think of anything better to say. The simple fact of having the man of her dreams standing right before her made her lose her mind.
"I don't think this is any of your bus-" he started to answer before he found herself kissed on the lips by the young woman.
She did not know why she had done it but at the moment she did not care. His lips were sweet against hers.
At first she thought that it had been a mistake but when he started to become responsive to her kiss – asking with the tip of his tongue the permission to enter her mouth – she knew that it was all but a mistake and that she should have done it earlier.
His body pressed against hers fitted perfectly, thought Severus. At first he had not understood what was happening. But then he realised. He had noticed a certain attraction towards Hermione during the last two years. The time spent during the war and in his potions laboratory together had made him learn to appreciate her. But – thinking that there was no chance of her to reciprocate his feelings – he had quickly forgotten the idea of initiating something with her. Though, she had always stayed in a corner of his mind.
"Miss-" he started
"Hermione," she said with a smile against his lips.
"Hermione, if you really want that I-"
"I really do."
"Then I suggest that we move to my house," he said.
They stopped kissing, their foreheads pressed together. Hermione nodded in approval. Severus needed no more encouragement and took her hand to apparate them.
Once arrived, no more words were exchanged and they directly went to the bedroom.
***
The next morning Hermione opened her eyes with a smile on her lips. Last night had been fantastic. Severus was really a great lover and she was glad to have had some of that Gryffindor courage. She turned in his bed in order to face him. But instead of finding him before her all she had was the wall. The place beside her in the bed was empty – and by the coldness of the sheet he had left quite some time ago.
The tears were starting to invade her eyes. Why was he not here? Did he think that it was all a mistake? That was then that she saw the small note on the pillow beside her.
Had to go. The door will close behind you.
SS
That was it then? It was over? It was just a one-night stand?
The tears that were threatening to fall a few moments earlier were now falling down her cheeks. Last night had been fantastic. She had thought that it was the beginning of something that was to last. But apparently – as always – she had put her expectations too high and she was now falling.
This note was the proof that she had again been imagining things and that she was not meant to ever find the man of her life – if she succeeded to have the man of her dreams and that did not last then which man would want to stay with her. Her thoughts were confused.
Heartbroken, she took her clothes and dressed quickly. She did not even take the time to take a glance in a mirror to see what she looked like and left the house. As said the door closed behind her. Tears running down her cheeks she ran until she reached a dark little street where she apparated.
***
It had been four days since this sad morning and Hermione had not rose from her bed except for going to the bathroom. She was too depressed. Now that the man of her dreams had clearly stated that she was nothing more than a girl good for a night she was feeling even more alone. She was condemned to never find love. She was resigned to buy a dozen cats and spend the rest of her life with their sole company.
She was resigned to do that but today she had decided to go out. Despite her sadness that she was sure would not ever leave her she had to go out: Crookshanks had no more food. So for the sake of her half-kneazle she had decided to go out.
She went out of her bed, took a worn-out jumper and a pair of jeans and dressed. She tried to do something with her hair but did not quite succeed and left her flat.
On her way to the closest shop she thought about these last few days. She had done nothing productive. She had not even read a single line for her exam that was in less than a month. It was not good for her. And that stupid Severus Snape wasn't worth to waste her entire life on. She was aware that going out was doing some good to her. Maybe she should forget all that had happened and get on with her life. After all love was nothing – she would be able to live without. She had plenty of things to do other than falling in love and have a lot of babies. She could become an internationally known Potions Mistress for instance.
But as she was saying that to herself and crossing a park she saw a man entirely clothed in black sitting on a bench. At the moment when she realised that this man was none other than Severus Snape all the things she had convinced herself of a few seconds ago vanished.
There was nothing more important than love on Earth and she could not live without it. Being a well-known Potions Mistress was insignificant. The only thing she needed was Severus Snape and his love.
Tears were starting to fill her eyes. She approached him. He did not see her coming as he had his back to her.
"Snape?" she asked feebly.
He turned his head and as soon as he noticed who it was he stood up. He came towards her but he was only a few steps away from her she stepped back. Severus did not understand her reaction.
"Hermione?" he asked.
"How dare you?" she said letting the tears falling on her cheeks.
"What? Hermione?" he asked again with confusion.
"Stop calling me that. You've lost that right!" she shouted.
"What?"
"Did you have enough fun? Was I just worth a night?"
"I-" he started to answer.
But as he opened his mouth a little girl with black hair came running right into his legs. Hermione expected the man in front of her to shout and snap at the little girl and she was almost sorry for her. But unexpectedly the only thing he did was to take the little girl in his arms. The little girl then cuddled in his arms and hid her face in his neck. Hermione watched the scene with wide-opened eyes. How could he?
"Oh I understand now!" she shouted angrily, "You cheated on your wife with me! And you regretted afterwards! You even have a daughter Severus for Merlin's sakes! How could you? How could you do that to me? How could you have not told me? How could you have cheated on your wife with me? Does anyone know? Does anyone know that you're married? Does anyone know that you have a daughter? You're just a bastard Severus! And I pity you for being that cruel to do that to me, to your daughter! I can't believe that I've fallen in love with you! I'm so naive!"
At this moment in her angry speech Severus – who had not moved a toe since the beginning – reacted. Does she mean what she had just said?
"What?" he asked.
"What?" she snapped angrily.
"Did you just say that you loved me?"
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Oh yes I know, you're going to laugh at me. The little know-it-all was so stupid to fall in love with you. Yes that's true. I love you, you great bastard! But why do you care?" she shouted.
He chuckled. So it was true, this beautiful – and even more beautiful since she had became angry – young woman loved him. Without an ounce of hesitation he put the little girl on her feet and closed the distance between him and the furious Hermione. When he was merely at a few millimetres far from her, he kissed her.
Hermione surprised by his movement stepped back.
"What?"
"I love you!" he chuckled.
"But...but..." she babbled.
"No, Hermione I'm not married," he said with a smile, "I don't have a daughter. And during that night I just realised that what I was feeling when I was seeing you was just love."
"But..." she again babbled pointing a finger at the little girl.
"Oh, she's my niece."
"You have a niece?" Hermione asked flabbergasted.
"Yes, I have," he chuckled, but taking a more serious tone he continued, "that morning when I went to the kitchen I received a Floo-call from St Mango's. My sister and her husband who live in a Muggle neighbourhood had been involved in a car crash. I did not have much time to write a love letter explaining all what was happening, and I'm sorry for that, but I had to leave for the hospital. There I found my sister and her husband in a really bad shape."
Hermione gasped.
"Don't worry; they're out of danger now. But I had to take care of their little girl. And then with all the things to do I did not have time for myself. I was just going to go back home to contact you. I just didn't expect you to have misunderstood my feelings. But it was entirely my fault and again I am sorry for that."
There was a silence between them. Finally all she had imagined had been completely false.
"So you love me?" she asked with an embarrassed smile.
"I know it's a bit quick but yes I do," as he was saying he closed again the distance between them and kissed her firmly, "I love you."
They hugged each other. Both of them were happy. He took her hand and both – followed by his niece – they exited the park a smile on their face.
Finally she was not going to buy the dozen of cats.
A/N Sorry for the few mistakes that could have survived, I'm French. And, please, if you could write a review, even a tiny small review...
