Disclaimer: They all belong to the wonderful mind of JK Rowling.

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It was 9:38 on a Friday night in the middle of October.

Hermione Granger took a deep breath of the warmly scented autumn air and entered the Three Broomsticks. She felt her stomach clench as she recalled her last visit to Hogsmeade and tried to ignore the feeling. Looking around, she was surprised to see Ginny Weasley waving to her from a small table at the back of the room.

Hermione waved back and ordered a Firewhisky and a Butterbeer from the bar. She wound her way over to Ginny's table.

"Hermione! I'm so glad to see you!" Ginny chimed, her voice sincere.

"Of course you are, Ginny," Hermione said, giving her a small grin. "I brought drinks with me."

She set the bottles down and Ginny swiped at her. Hermione smirked and took a sip of the Firewhisky.

"Are you waiting for someone?" Hermione asked. She didn't feel like having company right now.

"Yes, actually. Lee and I were about to leave." Hermione stared at Ginny for a moment before asking, "Lee Jordan? The twins' friend , Lee Jordan?" Ginny smiled and nodded her head.

"Hermione…" Ginny started, but the young woman in question shook her head.

"It's just a bit surprising, you know?"

Ginny patted her friend's hand and looked up as she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Hermione gave a small smile. "Hello, Lee. You both should get home before Gin's mum starts to worry."

Ginny smiled back. "All right. I'll see you tomorrow at the Burrow then?" Hermione nodded and watched the redhead walk out of the room, hand in hand with her new beau. She sighed. She didn't want to attend the Order meeting tomorrow.

She looked around the small room and was surprised to find the place so crowded, yet so silent.

As she scanned the room, she felt a queer sensation that someone was watching her. Looking behind her and seeing no one, she scanned the room again, and her eyes met with those of a stranger.

She stared at him and expected him to break contact, but his eyes never left hers. She was mesmerized by their blackness. She felt a burst of emotion in her stomach: fear, sorrow, happiness, passion. She quickly looked away, her heart pounding. She looked back at him, noticing he wore a black cloak with the hood pulled over his head. Hermione stared when he stood up and moved away from the table. His movements were fluid and she watched him vanish into a crowd.

She took a large sip of Firewhisky, trying to quell the emotion inside her. She sighed and was about to take another sip of the warm liquid when she felt a hand rest softly on her shoulder. She jumped and turned around, her heart pounding.

She saw the black folds of a cloak and looked up into a man's face, hidden in shadows.

She got lost in those raven eyes again; she felt as if she were drowning in darkness. As if in a haze, she saw his face moving toward hers. She gasped when his lips softly brushed against hers. Regaining her senses, she saw his mouth curve into a smirk before he turned around and faded into the shadows. She smelled Firewhisky as he pulled away and realized that he was probably drunk, though how someone who was drunk could move so cat-like, she didn't know.

She followed his movements with her eyes, and when he paused, she felt her heart quicken, hoping he would look at her again. But he never turned around. When he left the room, Hermione slumped back into her chair, placing two fingers on her lips where his had been only minutes ago.

'I don't even know who he is,' she raved at herself and took another swig of the burning Firewhisky. 'We never even spoke!'

'But you kissed,' another voice answered.

'Our lips touched. It doesn't mean anything!'

'You felt something,' the voice calmly announced.

"But what?" she muttered aloud.

'Passion.'

Passion? How could she feel passion for a stranger? She sighed again at the inward battle she could never win and finished her Firewhisky before ordering another.

By the time she left the pub, she had downed three more mugs of Firewhisky and was decidedly unsteady. She took a cooling breath of air and, looking around, Disapparated.

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Since the Final Battle, Severus Snape had spent most of his weekend nights sitting in the Three Broomsticks, drinking Firewhisky. This Friday night was no exception. His day had been tedious. The Hogwarts Headmaster, Minerva McGonagall, always felt obliged to place Slytherins and Gryffindors together in Potions. Friday was their long block. It was an understatement to say that the Potions master was in a foul mood.

Severus scowled at two students inappropriately behaving in the hallway and took twenty points from each. He smirked as they scurried away from him and continued on his way to Hogsmeade. As he left the school grounds, he pulled his cloak over his shoulder length black hair.

Upon entering the Three Broomsticks, he ordered a glass of Firewhisky and swept off to his table. He looked around the bar and was surprised to see two of his old students present. He recognized them instantly and scowled.

Sitting on the other side of the room was none other than Ginevra Weasley and Lee Jordan.

Sighing, he consumed two more glasses before glancing up again. Jordan had disappeared, but the damned Gryffindor know-it-all had joined her friend at the table. He really didn't want to meet with The Golden Trio, and where one was, the others were never far behind. But Potter and Weasley weren't anywhere in his sight.

Turning back to the two girls he noticed Jordan approaching them. Ordering another Firewhisky, he saw Weasley and Jordan bid their friend goodbye and walk out of the room, hand in hand.

Severus took his time, looking at the girl – woman – seated on the other side of the room. She had dark circles around her eyes, and her skin seemed sallow. Her bushy hair was pulled back carelessly and her robes were disheveled. As if feeling his eyes on her, she turned to look at him. As his eyes met hers, he was surprised to find that the sparkle of curiosity that had always been there was gone. She looked away first, blushing, and Severus, not wanting to look into her eyes again, looked away.

He could feel her eyes on him and silently got up, moving toward the door. Placing his bottle on the counter, he glanced back at his once-student. Not knowing why, he made his way over to her. Placing a pale hand on her shoulder, he saw her jump and spin around. His eyes locked with hers and the despair he saw almost overwhelmed him, yet he saw lingering hope.

Unaware of what he was doing, he leaned down and brushed his lips across hers. The contact sent a spark through him, but, realizing what he was doing, he pulled away. Granger sat in front of him, her eyes wide with shock. Smirking to himself, he turned around and made his way out of the pub, feeling her eyes on him the whole time.