Harry and Ron slowly tip-toed down the creaky staircase. They both inwardly cursed the age of 12 Grimmuald Place, as the staircases and hallways betrayed anyone who was trying to eavesdrop or spy on another person. With each step, the boys held their breaths, silently praying for their position to go unnoticed. Finally, they made it to the bottom level and slowly walked over to the small sitting room. As they drew nearer, muffled voices became clearer. Finally, Harry grasped the handle and opened the door a centimeter. Placing his eye on the crack, he looked inside.
Professor Severus Snape and Hermione Granger were standing over a tall desk, a bubbling cauldron in front of them. Hermione was currently occupied with chopping some sort of bean, furiously brushing her hair out of her face now and then. Snape was at the table behind her, reading a very thick, very used hardback novel, his obsidian eyes scanning the pages. One could guess that it was a potions book, but Snape was full of surprises.
"Professor, could you open the window? The fumes are a bit strong." Hermione asked in a very distracted voice.
Snape obliged quietly, letting the small amount of light from the twilight sky flood the room. He then looked at her as she grabbed another bean, this one a vivid purple, and hold the knife above it. After a moment of deliberation, she crushed the bean instead and threw the juices in the cauldron. As purple steam rose, she grabbed the stirring rod and stirred counter-clockwise.
"Miss Granger, what do you think you're doing?"
She looked up, her brown doe eyes confused. "I'm stirring, Professor?"
He scowled at her. "Your wrist angle and stir speed is absolutely atrocious. Do you really call that stirring?"
She gulped. "I'm sorry Professor, how should I fix it?" She asked, her voice quavering.
He sighed. "I suppose I'll have to show you. Not the know-it-all now, are you?"
He stalked over to her and (to Harry and Ron's view only,) gulped as he grabbed her right hand with his. His other hand held on to the table. They stirred together, his torso brushing her back. The boys swore they saw Hermione smile slightly, but it was gone as fast as it came. She looked with utter concentration to the potion, which was now following the textbook exactly, emitting green steam. Her eyes widened as she stared and the smile returned to her face.
"Thanks, Professor!" She squealed happily.
"I can see it happening," Harry breathed, grimacing.
"What?" Ron whispered.
"And they don't have a clue."
"Who?"
"They'll fall in love, and here's the bottom line: our trio's down to two!"
"Oh."
"The sweet caress of twilight; there's magic everywhere. And with all this romantic atmosphere, disaster's in the air!"
"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Ron hissed.
Hermione turned her head up and met Snape's eyes, and her expression became vacant for a half a second. She smiled slowly, and to her utter surprise, Snape stepped away, like she had burned him. He turned back around with a flourish, back to the novel that was on the other table. Flipping furiously through the pages, Severus tried to hide behind the cover. He glanced over at Hermione a few times, his face confused. Harry continued softly
"Can you feel the love tonight, the peace the evening brings? The world, for one, in prefect harmony with all it's living things?"
Snape watched as the smile fell from her face and she shook herself, turning back to the potion. Had he hurt her feelings? He did pull away rather fast, but her smile made him think of her in an inappropriate and unprofessional way. She was his apprentice, for God's sakes. And, besides that, the order had charged him with the responsibility with being her protector. His feelings were neither here nor there. Wait, what was he thinking? Feelings? Good God, he was twenty years her senior, there should be no feelings whatsoever.
On the other hand however, she was of age and a smart witch, capable of making her own decisions. She was rather pretty, and far two intelligent for those two buffoons she called her 'friends'. For such a smart witch, she was pretty dull. The boys didn't pay attention to her, and the red head was always sneaking behind her back with that Brown girl. Boys, that was exactly what they were. Miss Granger didn't need a boy, she needed a man.
But what kind of man was he? Severus Snape was a man to others, but he saw himself as a monster, a fiend, sick and twisted. The memories of all those that he failed to save, all those he had killed, hurt, let down, those were the memories that took place of the memories that made him the hero that he was. But didn't he deserve a second chance?
iSo many things to tell her, but how to make her see. The truth abut my past? Impossible. She'd turn away from me./i
Severus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Hermione saw him turn his back to her and read again out of the corner of her eye. She took the advantage and stared at him. His hair was much cleaner than it usually was, and the new hairstyle worked for him. Sometime last week, he went into the bathroom and came out with much shorter locks, his hair about three inches long so it barely hung in his face. It took decades off his face, but everyone knew that the real reasons for this transformation was. One, he was barely recognizable as Severus Snape anymore, which helped when he had to leave to go get potion ingredients, or spy. Also, without his hair blocking his view, he could brew potions more accurately.
He had a very slim figure, which probably was due to the fact that he wasn't eating properly. But he hid his thinness under bulky black robes, which he insisted on wearing for everything but when he left the house.
The man confused Hermione more and more each day. Ever since she had begged him to give her an apprenticeship (which took months to convince him) he treated her more civilly. They often got into heated debates, in which Severus always won solely on Slytherin stubbornness. Just yesterday he had smiled at her and even given her a joke. His sense of humor may be dry, but it made her laugh, and a knot formed in her stomach.
She had an inkling that he had strong feelings for her, but the man was so stubborn it angered her.
iHe's holding back, he's hiding. But what? I can't decide. Why won't he be the man I know he is, the man I see inside?/i
Severus turned around and, with all the courage he could muster, grabbed her arm and spun her so she face him. His courage wavered for only a moment as she stared up at him with wonder and fear. He gazed straight into her eyes, a mixture of Legilimency and raw emotion conveying his feelings to her.
A tear formed in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around him. Severus rested his chin on her brown curls and closed his eyes, letting the lavender scent of her perfume reach his nose. She was warm and fit perfectly in his arms. Hermione sighed as she listened to his steady heartbeat, the only thing that she was certain was real.
"Can you feel the love tonight, the peace the evening brings? The world, for one, in perfect harmony with all it's living things?"
Severus grimaced as a searing heat ran up left forearm. Hermione felt him tense up and stepped back, resting her hand on the sleeve where the dark mark lay beneath. Her sad eyes met his.
"I have to go," Severus whispered.
"I know." She breathed, starting to turn away from him. "Be careful," She choked out. Why now? Why did he have to be called now? He had just told/thought that he had feelings for her. What if he didn't come back?
As if he had read her mind, he gently pulled her back.
"Just in case," He breathed, brushing his lips against hers, "I don't…"
He was stopped by her finger pressed to his lips.
"You'll come back," She whispered, her eyes filled with tears. "That's why I won't say goodbye. You'll be fine," She said. He hugged her one last time before swiftly letting go of her and pushing up his sleeve. The moment his finger collided with the Dark Mark, he disappeared just as Hermione said, "I'll wait because…"
Ron caught on quickly as he sung as well. "Can you feel the love tonight? You needn't look to far. Stealing through the night's uncertainties, love is where they are."
Harry smiled at the sight. "And if she falls in love tonight, it can be assumed,"
Ron frowned. "Her carefree days with us are history!"
They both finished the last line of the classic song. "In short our friend is doomed!"
Hermione stood tall, not moving, simply staring at the spot where he had just been. Her fingers found her lips, trying to remember how his lips covered hers so perfectly. Shaking herself, she turned back to the potion, but couldn't help the words that needed to be spoken..
"I'll wait because I love you."