I was sat at my desk when the soft knock came from the door. I had just finished marking a large pile of first year potions tests, and couldn't remember ever teaching such imbecils before. The last thing I needed was another illiterate idiot intruding and forcing me to socialise, when all I really wanted to do was retire to my chambers for the evening.
"Go away." I ordered gruffly.
I had hoped the person on the other side of the door would have understood the simple command, but alas no. Instead of leving me be they decided to knock again, this time louder, iritating me further.
I was so worked up that I stood from my seat and marched toward the door. I pulled it open with such a force that the person who stood behind it stymbled back slightly. I looked down on the figure below me and was about to begin my rant of how rude it was to antagonise a proffessor so late in the evening, when I realised who exactly had decided to visit me so late that night.
Looking up at me with large chocolate coloured eyes, was Hermione Granger. She had her bushy hair tied into a messy knot on top her head. She wore no make-up and looked spectacularly innocent. She was wearing purple, white and grey checked pyjama bottoms and a black t-shirt promoting a muggle band.
"Hermione?" Was all I could manage. Was I hallucinating, was this merely a dream? Had I mistaken this innocent child for the strong willed woman who had beaten me to the post of teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts this year?
"I'm sorry to disturb you so late Proffesor, but I've been having a terrible time sleeping and wondered...I wondered if perhaps you could brew me a drought to help? I'll gladly pay you for you trouble." Hermione explained softly. She looked almost frightened.
It pained me to think that this beautiful woman could be so easily frightened. That somone so young should know such pain as she. That she resorted to a drought to be able to simply sleep at night.
"Of course, and for free. And please, call me Severus." I replied inviting her into my classroom.
"Thank you prof...Thank you Severus." She said smiling weakly.
I quickly gathered the correct ingredients and began to brew the drought. A simple sleeping drought, something to ease her into a deep sleep, rather than knock her out immediatley. Less streneous, and much more pleasent to take regularly.
"Is it bad dreams that keep you awake?" I asked idly.
"Yes." She replied, watching with mild interest as I lazily stirred the brew.
"What of?" I asked, though I knew the answer. It was what we all dream of, late at night, when we had nothing to distract ourselves with.
"The war." She answered. I nodded, not expecting her to continue, but she did. "I dream of the fear, of how utterly terrifying it was. With Harry, Ron. Not having the protection of Dumbledore, or Hogwarts. I dream of the children, those poor children who died, who witnessed death." Her eyes shot to me, "Of how you were dead. How your heart stopped."
Tears slipped down her cheeks and her voice was nothing more than a sob. "Hush." I told her soothingly. I walked over and cupped her face. I brushed her tears away with my thumbs and began drawing idle circles with them.
"I thought I was dead too, but I am not. I am alive, as are you. As are all those we saved during all that fighting. Yes, it was cruel and violent, but it was necesery that we fought for oursleves. For future generations." I explained softly.
What happened next was so unexpected. Hermione moved her head faster than I knew possible and pressed her mouth against my own. In a mixture of shock and unreadiness, I pushed her away from me, taking my hands away from her face.
"I'm sorry." She bagan immediatley. "I don't know what came over me, I thought...That doesn't matter. I'm sorry Severus, let us forget it happened." She looked as though she was about to cry again.
"Do you want to forget it?" I asked, dousing the fire so that the drought wasn't ruined.
"That depends which part you were refering to." She muttered in reply, studying her brown Ugg boots.
"The kiss." I answered her.
She looked up at me, her big, innocent eyes. Those eyes had seen far too much bad for someone so young, someone so kind. Hogwarts, her 'home', was so full of ghosts that it was hard to breathe. She was so incredibly brave and only now, only now I was offered the chance to lose her did I realise I couldn't, I just couln't.
What we had been through together was one bond we had, the other was that I was so completely in love with her that it was hard to think straight around her. It was hard to breathe when she was not there. It was hard not to dream of her and all of the things that made her who she was.
"No." She said softly after a few minutes of silence.
"Good." I stated. "Because that means I can do this..."
With that I leaned forward and captured her mouth with a kiss. Without hesitation she wrapped her arms around my neck and I wrapped mine around her waist. I pulled her to me, wanting there to be no space between. I licked her bottom lip and nibbled it slightly until she alowed me access. She moaned in reply.
We stood like this until I felt I was going to faint through lack of oxygen. Then I pulled away, but kept my hands exactly where they were.
"I love you." Hermione breathed. Then, as if only just realising what she had said, she tensed. She loosened her grip on me, clearly giving me and opportunity to pull back. To tell her to leave.
Instead I smiled and whispered "I love you too." back.
She beamed. An actual smile. One so bright and warm that all the shadows of my past diapeared and I could see a future with this woman. One with marriage and children and me waking up to her smile for the rest of my life.
"Don't go." I whispered holding her so tight I was worried I may leave a bruise.
"But, Severus, I have to." She replied, pulling away ever so slightly.
"Why?" I pleaded.
"How else will I fetch my things?" She replied smiling.
I smiled back and lifted her into my arms. She let out a little squeak and giggle, and tightened her grip around my neck. "Tommorrow, my dear." I said, "Tonight you will sleep." She nodded in reply and that is how we went. To my chambers, her in my arms. The sleeping drought I had made forgotten about completely.