Chapter One: Control

Hermione knew she wasn't suppose to go out, but she really needed to get some things for herself from Diagon Alley. And she had really wanted to meet Severus too. Its been nearly five months now since they have been seeing each other. It was truly awkward for both of them at first but it was a feeling they both share that needs to be let out. It was after the fall of Voldermort did they express their feelings towards each other. Harry and Ron were disgusted at the thought of it but Hermione didn't care. It was her life and her feelings and she didn't care what people thought about it. Of course, before that she really did hate her Potions Master. Well not hate actually, just disliked the way he looked down on her, look down on her cool use of logic and calling her a mudblood. If she had her way back then when she was his student, she would have slammed the book about Divination on his nose and that smug look on his face. Well those days as a student under him ended a year ago. Now she is part of the Order, working alongside with him. Their headquarters shifted to somewhere nearer to the Burrow and most of the Order members stayed there. Though they still had certain disagreements along the way, she noticed how different he was from the Potions Master in the Dungeons to Severus Snape, the Double Agent. She had been giving him suggestions and plans about what to tell Voldermort when he goes for the Death Eater meetings and he full-heartedly agreed with her plans. She remembered the first time she thought she had feelings for him. Snape had to stop teaching at Hogwarts for the moment because of his Double Agent work and it had taken most of his energy.

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(Five Months Ago)

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The weeks pass by and they managed to discuss their plans and potions, and even household chores without even having a fight but there were still some disagreements.

"No, Miss Granger, I will not risk having Mr Malfoy have the blame to everything." Snape said, as usual, while cleaning up the glasses and cups, with his slurry voice.

Hermione put down the vase she was polishing with a thump and turn to him, hands on her hips and was looking at him angrily.

"Why do you always stand up for that ferret little blonde brat anyways?"

Snape raised his eyebrows while turning towards her.

" Miss Granger, I will not tolerate have you insulting Mr Malfoy in front of me. And believe me, Mr Malfoy is a no lesser brat than Mr Potter indeed. He does whatever useless things he thinks he can put his tiny little hands and brains into without thinking thoroughly and risk having everybody around him being killed. Now if you don't mind keeping your mouth shut for a moment, I have something to do." He said while turning to look at the cups he had set aside to finish.

"Harry is not a brat, I can certainly say so." Hermione went on polishing the vase she has set aside, still unhappy about what Snape had said. Snape sighed and set the cups down, and folded his arms across his chest, looking at Hermione.

"Indeed? And what makes you say so?" he said, leaning back onto the kitchen counter.

Hermione shook her head and set the clean vase away.

"I've known Harry for a long time and I can truly say I'll stand up to whatever he is doing and that is to kill Voldermort and set the wizarding world free from fear. Now if you call that act of bravery a 'useless thing' then I'm sorry, you have no right to say that."

Hermione nodded once and set her cloth aside. She flicked her bushy hair up in a bun before wiping her sweat of her forehead.

"I don't see Mr 'Ferret' Malfoy do anything to help save us or himself. Have you seen him do anything by himself? He mostly had Goyle and Crabbe do his dirty work."

She didn't hear any replies or retort from Snape so she thought he had left halfway through her speech.

"Damn Snape. He could have gave a signal or a noise that he left.. would have saved my breath.. " She thought.

She felt a yawn rising up her throat and she stretched out her arms and closed her eyes to welcome the yawn. While she did, her sweater raised up a few inches, baring her flat tone stomach and back. She twirled around and let her arms fall back down beside her and smile. When she open her eyes, she saw Snape still at the kitchen counter, head slightly tilted, looking at her.

"Professor! I - I thought.." Hermione stuttered, slightly embarrassed of the show she had done.

She quickly fumbled to get her sweater back down and smoothen it out. Snape just stare at her, hands still across his chest, looking calm and quiet. Hermione felt herself blush and took a tendril of hair from her face to hook it behind her ear. Snape then pushed himself away from the kitchen counter and walked slowly towards Hermione. Hermione drew back from where she was standing, trying to maintain the distance between her and the Professor. She found out that she couldn't back up anymore as she bumped back on the glass shelf behind her. Snape went on moving towards her, his black eyes on hers, not breaking the contact at all. Hermione felt her breathing stuck in her throat as she looked up at the dark, tall man, standing right in front of her in an arms length distance.

"Prof - .. " she had barely manage to finish her sentence when he moved again, closer to her.

She closed her eyes and she could feel him breathing in front of her. She paused for a moment, waiting for something to happen and when she realise that nothing was happening, she pried her eyes open slowly. She saw Snape still standing there, his black eyes boring down on her. He then raise his right hand, past her shoulders, grazing her for a minute and she felt him grabbed something behind her and pulled back. She saw him twist it in front of her and she finally realised that he was holding a china cup. She looked at the cup, then at Snape, her face full of questions. She saw a tug at the side of his lips, a smile if that is what you call it. Snape remain that way for a few moments before turning around to stand by the kitchen counter, polishing the china cup. She then remember that she was holding her breath in and quickly let it out silently. She felt her face burn and she reached up to touch it. What was happening to her? What could have made her feel that way? Feel what way? What was she thinking? She turn to see Snape set his cloth down and walked back out of the kitchen, into the hall.

Snape couldn't believe it. What had he done? He couldn't believe that his lack of control almost got him into trouble. He remembered hearing Hermione giving him a lecture about Harry and after that he lost it when she flicked her hair up in a bun, revealing a part of her innocent neck to him. Even with a distance, he could feel her soft vulnerable skin as he imagined his fingers on it, the sweat dripping down her neck from all the hard work she had done. He knew he wasn't suppose to see it that way but he couldn't help think about it. What were to happen if he touched it. Would she like it?

His fingers grazing down her neck, past her shoulders. His lips on her shoulderblade, feeling her shudder in front of him. Snape quickly dismiss all thoughts from his head and was about to retort when he saw her raise her arm and yawned. Her sweater rose up a little and he saw the white skin underneath it. He imagined himself, walking up towards her, pulling her back onto him and kissing that neck just one more time, before getting lost in the esctasy of the feeling in his hand on her bare stomach, her writhing under his touch. When she turn and jumped in surprised, he snapped back into reality but was still having a hangover between reality and fantasy. He barely even notice himself walking towards her, fascinated by what she had turned out to be.

Hermione Granger was no longer his student, but a beautiful woman with a vivacious form. He saw her close her eyes and her breathing became more rapid, did he suddenly snap out for real and began to think of what he could do to get out of the situation. Though he was pretty much surprised to see her reaction when he stopped in front of her. When he saw her look up at him, He caught a glimpse of china cup behind her head and decided to reach out for it. He twirled it in front of her, and seeing her reaction and facial expressions, he couldn't help but hold back a wide smile threatening to form on his face. He had to turn away before the smile formed on his face and walked off, leaving her behind. He actually admitted that he did enjoy doing so to Hermione.

It was not wrong, he thought, for feeling that way. He is, after all, a man. And she - A woman.