His eyes.

Such black eyes.

You could drown in those eyes.

Those same eyes that keep staring at me from the other side of the room.

Well not exactly staring but he is certainly looking more at me then you could call usual.

Not that I am complaining. I do exactly the same. I don't know what has come over me but I can't stop looking at him every once in a while.

He looks so good.

So young.

And healthier than when he was my teacher. Which is over 5 years ago.

You can't even see the scars that Nagini left behind. But of course his collar is high enough to hide them, but still, it intrigues me. He miraculously survived the snake bite. No one really knows how he did it. It probably has something to do with a potion he created. He is after all a genius.

Yes indeed he is a genius.

He is brilliant.

Such wit. That same wit that can make you cry, most of the time. But it is also that same wit that makes me smile lately.

I wish he would smile more. It is such a handsome sight. It makes me go weak in the knees, creates butterflies in my belly and most of all, it makes me smile too.

And when he really smiles, his eyes smile too. It is so magnificent that I really have to concentrate to not lose myself in those black depths.

The conversations we have.

They can be exhausting, tricky, resourceful and most of all illuminating.

I wish I could talk to him right now.

I have been anticipating it all day. More than this stupid annual celebration of the demise of the Dark Lord. Well it is not exactly stupid; it is the Order's party so there are only people that I like. The Ministry's one's are the excruciatingly boring ones.

He is talking to Minerva and Remus in the corner of the library of Headquarters. Probably talking about something academic.

Oh I wish I could join them.

But no, I'm stuck talking to Ginny about wedding dresses and flowers and all that stuff. She and Harry are finally taking the big step.

I'm actually quite lucky I can look at Severus now and then. It keeps me from falling asleep. All that wedding stuff is nothing for me.

Oh don't get me wrong, I do want to marry, but with less fuss and the right person.

Probably the same person who is looking back at me now.

I have never seen him look at me the way he is doing now.

It seems as if I can see affection and even desire in his eyes. I'm starting to drown.

And then someone walks in our line of vision and the moment is gone.

I need a drink.

And the loo.

I need to think.

I excuse myself to Ginny and Luna and I retreat to the upstairs lavatory.

-XXX-

Her eyes.

Eyes the colour of chestnuts.

Eyes that hold so much wisdom. Wisdom beyond her years.

I could drown in those eyes.

Those eyes that keep sneaking glances at me from across the room. Oh Merlin how I enjoy it.

She really is beautiful.

Not that she would think she is a beauty and that makes her even more beautiful.

And her hair.

Such smooth curls.

No, she no longer is the bushy haired know-it-all.

Well actually she still is a know-it-all but it doesn't annoy me anymore.

I enjoy our conversations.

They are always different. And they really are illuminating.

I also didn't think she would have such sarcastic wit.

And she is cunning.

She could have been a great Slytherin with her devious plans.

She smiles.

And it is magnificent. No bucked- teeth. I still regret that one comment.

I regret a lot of things I said to her. But she never mentions them. She holds no grudge. She always says that it was another time then. And that she didn't really paid much attention to them. But I know better, I hurt her a couple of times. I saw her cry a couple of times.

But that time is over now.

I wish I could apologize to her every single day, in a more private location.

If only…

I wish I could go talk to her.

But I can't, she is planning the Weaselette's marriage to Potter. She looks like she is bored. I can't blame her, I wouldn't want to be in het place.

I want to plan something like that, but with her alone.

I wish…

Our eyes meet.

I see affection and devotion in her eyes and dare I say it, even love? No, I must be mistaken.

Arthur blocks our line of vision and the moment is gone.

I need a drink.

And to clear my head.

-XXX-

I look into the mirror.

I see a young woman.

A young woman who's heart aches.

A young woman who desperately wants to be with him.

A young woman who's fallen truly, madly, deeply in love with her old Potions professor.

How did it come so far?

When was it that I no longer saw him as a sarcastic git? A brave git, a git I have always admired but a git nonetheless.

I can't really define the exact moment but we started talking more and more.

Started seeing each other more.

Started teasing each other.

And dare I say it, even flirting?

We have a lot of common base to talk about. I am the current Potions Mistress of Hogwarts while he is the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. And obviously we both have a history with both of the subjects.

I splash some water in my face.

What am I thinking? He is twenty years my senior, he could never love me. In his eyes I am the bushy-haired know-it-all. I annoy him. I'm not beautiful enough. I am just another colleague.

Stop it Hermione Jean Granger! You know that you don't annoy him anymore, he said so himself. You're not just another colleague, but a friend. And the way he just looked at you, he probably thinks you're pretty enough.

I splash more water in my face.

And I come to a conclusion.

I need to tell him how I feel about him.

-XXX-

I stand in the courtyard of Grimmauld Place.

The fresh air clears my head.

I can't deny it any longer.

I am in love with Hermione Granger.

I love her more than anything else in the world. More than I ever loved Lily.

Lily. Sweet Lily. It simply wasn't meant to be. I came to that conclusion numerous years ago. She was supposed to end up with Potter.

And hopefully I am supposed to end up with Hermione.

But can she love me? I'm after all 20 years her senior, she probably wants someone her age. I am ugly. I have a hideous nose. I am an ex-Death Eater. I have numerous scares.

I could go on forever.

But maybe.

If the look in her eyes just a moment ago is anything to go by, I still have a slim chance.

I drink my firewiskey in one go.

And I come to a conclusion.

I need to tell her how I feel.

I need to stop this hell of not knowing where I stand.

I need to find her.

-XXX-

I hope he still is in the library.

Oh God, I am almost there.

The nerves are killing.

What if he starts shouting at me?

Goodness Hermione, pull yourself together, show some Gryffindor courage.

Take a deep breath and keep on walking.

Just a few more steps.

If you keep looking at the ground it is probably easier.

-XXX-

Where do I begin my search?

Maybe she went back to the library. She left just a few seconds before I did.

What if laughs at me?

No she wouldn't do that, she is to kind hearted for that.

But still.

Do I want to be rejected?

Can I cope with that again?

Lost in thoughts I crash into someone.

-XXX-

Dammit, I should have kept looking where I went. Now I crashed into someone.

That someone who keeps me upright by grabbing my waist with strong arms.

That same someone who smells like herbs, more exactly potions ingredients.

I open my eyes.

And I look into the black depths of my dreams.

-XXX-

I grab hold of the person who I crashed into.

She is small, lean and petit.

She smells of herbs.

I open my eyes.

And I stare into those magnificent chestnut brown eyes.

Now is my opportunity to declare my love for her.

I open my mound.

But no words come out.

I am lost in her eyes.

But wait, what is she doing?

She is starting to lean up.

And I can do nothing more than to lean down and capture her lips.

-XXX-

Oh Merlin it is Severus.

He opens his mouth but he doesn't speak.

I feel myself leaning upwards.

And he leans down and captures my lips.

It is such a sweet kiss.

So gentle.

Such sweet caresses.

And before I know it, it is over.

"I love you" he says.

And I can only beam and reply those exact same words.

"I love you!"

-XXX-

Did I just kiss her?

Did I just say that I love her?

Wait she says something to.

"I love you!"

And I smile and I capture her lips once again but this time with more passion and fire.

-XXX-

And at that exact moment they say to themselves; 'God I hope this goes on forever!'

The End

I hope you all enjoyed it. This is my first ever story so I hope it reached your standards.

R&R please!