A/N: I had this scene in my head for a while and I had just gotten to writing it down. For now, this is just a one shot, but I would love to write a full story on Hermione and Severus with this in mind. Let me know what you think!

"Robbing the cradle, Snivellus?" Sirius seethed.

Severus Snape opened one eye to find the owner of the offending voice who had awoken him. He quickly realized that there was a witch half sprawled on him and wedged between himself and the back of the sofa.

He and Hermione had been working on researching a potion during the holiday break at Grimmauld Place. Both of them were exhausted from hours of tedious research and they had decided to take a break. The study had a rather large sofa so they each spread out on either end. They had only meant to just close their eyes but Severus noticed Hermione was asleep minutes into their break.

He figured a nap couldn't hurt.

He was wrong.

Hermione stirred and lifted her head to look at Severus. He quirked an eyebrow up at her.

"Don't look at me, the last thing I remember is falling asleep on the other end of the sofa," she said.

"Yes, that is how I remember it as well, but it seems we were moved as if by," he paused dramatically, "magic."

Hermione rolled her eyes and swatted at his chest. He caught her hand, brought it to his mouth and kissed it.

"The pervert probably moved you in your sleep," Sirius sneered.

Hermione snorted. "More like I moved myself over here while we were both asleep."

"Okay, so why haven't you moved now?" Sirius asked, obviously still confused about how anyone would willingly snuggle with the greasy git.

"Because I don't want to," she said snuggling back into Severus' chest.

"Leave them alone, Padfoot," Remus called from down the hall.

Blasted Lupin and his werewolf hearing, Severus thought. He had to admit, though, at this moment, it was rather helpful.

"You can't pretend to be alright with this!" he yelled back. "She's his student and he's her-"

"Soul mate," Hermione interrupted sleepily, her head still on Severus' chest.

Severus kissed her forehead. She so easily claimed him, it wasn't even a second thought.

Sirius' jaw hit the floor. "That's impossible."

"Not impossible, just improbable," Severus mumbled.

They had been avoiding the physical aspects of their affinity as much as they could. Sure, they spent a lot of time together but they were either working or conversing. Severus really didn't like the idea of being in a "relationship" with a teenager.

A student.

A bloody Gryffindor.

And so he tried to push it off as long as possible. But the bond did push and pull them together and it was becoming almost impossible for them to avoid it.

"Like Moony and Nymphie?" he asked.

"Don't call me that!" Tonks screeched.

"Since when do you have wolf hearing?"

"It's not like you're whispering!"

"In any case, she is of age and school isn't in session," Severus said, ignoring the two cousins' squabble.

"She is sixteen!" He bellowed.

"Almost eighteen, actually. Time turner," Hermione mumbled.

"Like that makes this okay!"

"It's all I've got," Severus shrugged. "I'll take it."

He already loved her, he knew. Even if their relationship was not physical, he learned to appreciate the little details about her. How she only ever stirred her tea counter-clockwise or how her lips moved slightly as she read. If it was the bond that pushed his affections to grow for, he did not know. But did it matter? He was hers and she was his forever and he knew that their forever might not last as long as they'd hoped.

Yes, he would take this moment.