AN: My goodness! Thanks to my reviewers who came through with great responses to the first installment of Forbidden. :) It was a treat to read them and definitely spurred me on to write write write! I am not exactly sure how long I will make this story, but I do know that I don't plan to get the two of them together TOO fast. That would be far to typical. But I won't make you wait too long for some steamy bits! Just a reminder, to those who don't know, I do not have a Beta, and while I do my level best to edit and fix any glaring mistakes in my fics, sometimes I am human and miss one or two. If you notice anything that REALLY stands out as just WRONG, pm me and let me know, but don't leave a nasty review. And on that note…REVIEW REVIEW…and ENJOY ENJOY!

Chapter2: An Itch

The Great Hall was already full with students cramming their faces with the delectable treats that the Hogwarts' Kitchen elves had provided. Each table, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw were packed with students chatting about the day ahead, scribbling out last minute assignments that had gone overlooked the night before, and enjoying the last few minutes before the school day would officially were two empty seats in the Great Hall that morning though, and while most of the students and staff were carrying on as normal without a second thought, there was one person who had noticed both absences and silently chose to save this interesting information for later. The time would come, Albus thought.

Suddenly the door of the Great Hall burst open, and an unkempt Hermione Granger rushed in and hastily took her seat next to Ginny, Ron, and Harry. Ron and Harry had both decided to come back so that they could acquire the necessary classes for Auror Training, and Ginny was still at school, though she had become an integral part of their group. A few heads looked up to see her arrive, but no one thought very much of it.

As opposite and different as Hermione's entrance that something could be, Severus Snape entered through the staff door and slid silently into his customary seat between Minerva and Albus Dumbledore at the staff table. He immediately tucked into his food without a sideward glance toward the other two professors.

"Hermione, where've you been? We'd thought you'd taken ill or something. I was about to come knock you up to make sure you got to first period Transfiguration." Ginny said as she offered her friend a Pumpkin Pasty.

Hermione shook her head and smiled wanly. "No thanks, just oatmeal for me. Sorry guys, I had a really late night in the library. I must have just slept straight through my alarm! If Crookshanks hadn't woken me up moaning in my ear for food I think I'd have been in bed all day!" Hermione declared as she spooned a mouthful of oatmeal into her mouth. "Please pass the cinnamon, Harry."

"Well, I'm glad you're not sick or anything. That potions class yesterday was terrible!" Harry said as he proffered the required condiment. "That potion was foul. I swear if I have to cut up anymore Armadillo entrails I'll vomit!"

"Omh, youth knogh, Ifth's not tha' babd." Ron said through a mouthful of bacon. He gulped it down with a swig of pumpkin juice. "I actually thought I did pretty good on that one."

"Ron, don't speak with your mouth so full of food!" Hermione chastised, her eyes imploring at Ron's blank stare. "It's vile. No one wants to see what's in your mouth. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've left my books in my rooms so I'll have to dash back to get them. See you in class!" And with a final gulp of her pumpkin juice she got up to leave, but not before she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight up. Someone was staring at her, and she was pretty sure she knew who it was. Turning slightly, making as if she was brushing some stray crumbs off of the sleeve of her robe, she chanced a peek up at the staff table, and sure enough, there it was. Severus Snape was practically boring holes into her from his seat next to the headmaster. She could almost feel the heat from his eyes, and she felt a pleasant warmth flow through her body and straight to her core. What on earth is your problem! Hermione Granger get yourself under control! She thought. Meeting his eyes for the briefest of moments, she allowed herself a small smirk and gave him the barest of winks before she could talk herself out of it. Then with a quick shrug of her shoulders at her friends who were all looking bit confused at her strange behavior, she was off.

"What's up with her?" Ron asked, for once putting down his knife and fork. Dense though he sometimes could be, he secretly wished that Hermione would pay him a bit more attention…well, the kind of attention that he desired anyway.

Harry had seen the strange exchange between Hermione and their potions professor, as had Ginny. They shared a look and Ginny shook her head in a "No idea?" gesture, so Harry turned to Ron with a shrug. "Dunno. Maybe she's just tired. You know her, she's all worked up about her Transfiguration essay due next week."

"We've got a Transfiguration essay assigned?" Ron asked.

"Honestly Ron. What year are you again?" Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother and rose from the table. "Harry, walk me to my class? I've got Herbology in ten minutes."

The couple left the Great Hall and they both shared their opinions about the strange behavior of Hermione and their professor.

Severus ate the food on his plate, hardly tasting a thing, and he downed nearly two cups of coffee in the span of ten minutes since he had arrived at breakfast. Somehow he had forgotten to take his dreamless sleep draught last night. Forgot, or did you neglect to take it on purpose….? and he'd awoken several times with a raging erection. He had tossed and turned, willing himself to grow soft again, but the dreams did persist, and so did his hard on. When he rose, his morning wood was stiff as a wizard's staff and it had taken him ten minutes of coaxing just to be able to take a piss. Consequently not only had he been late to breakfast, but he was running low on sleep and very very low on patience. She was really getting to him. The images from his dreams and from potions the day before, and then from their exchange in the corridor outside of the library, all of them had been altered and distorted into licentious encounters in his sleep. Was that a wink she had given him just now? Before he had time to think on that matter any further, he was interrupted by the ever watchful headmaster, whom he had never known to have good timing.

"Have a bad night Severus?" Albus asked from beside him. Severus was loath to look the man in the eye. Albus always gave one the distinct impression of knowing exactly what was going on in your brain, occlummency or not. It was that damned twinkle in his eye that did it, and Severus did not want to deal with the headmaster's nonsense this morning. He was in no mood.

"No, just trying to enjoy breaking my fast in peace, Albus." He replied shortly, attempting to give the aggravating man no room to question him further.

"Ah yes." Albus agreed, popping a tater tot into his mouth. "The kitchen staff always out do themselves at breakfast."

"Mmmmm" Severus was not going to give an inch.

"I noticed that Hermione was late for breakfast this morning as well. I hope she is not working too hard. She'll do quite brilliantly on her NEWTS as it is I'm sure. But then again, perhaps some late night studying is exactly what she needs. You've often found peace and solace when Hogwarts is at its most quiet, am I right Severus?"

"Yes, well…" he was not quite sure how to respond to this query. Was Albus trying to hint at something. One never knew with him. "I'm sure she's getting all the studying in she needs."

"Good good." Albus replied, and with another bite of tater tot, the subject seemed to be closed.

Severus rose from the table and excused himself and went the long way down to the dungeons. The most direct route would take him directly past the Transfiguration classroom, and Severus was actively trying to ignore his inner desire to go past that particular room, to peer in and just catch a glimpse…damn and blast! She torments me when I am awake and when I am asleep! Severus was just entering the stairway to the dungeons, his head down, and in a very atypical manner, not paying attention to what he was doing when he found himself colliding with another body on the stairs. His instincts kicked in and he reached out his arms to catch the person from falling down the long, steep stone steps, and to his pleasure?dismay he found himself nose to nose with none other than the woman that had been occupying his mind. How convenient. If his brain could sound sarcastic it would have.

"Oh my goodness, excuse me Professor!" Hermione cried, looking a bit flustered, her hair was askew, and he had to forcibly restrain himself from bruising the stray curl out of her face. "I'm sorry, I suppose I was lost in my own world." He realized that he had not taken any measures to remove himself from her person and also realized that she was flush against his body, a body that was rapidly betraying his show of propriety. Quickly, he removed his arms from around her waist and took a step upwards looking down at her.

"Yes, well, do be careful next time. What are you doing down here anyway? Don't you have Transfiguration now?"

"Yes, professor, I do, but you see, yesterday I left my Transfiguration text in your classroom, so I had to rush down here to get it. And then, I ran into you." She looked up at him innocently. "That's not such a bad thing though, is it?" She asked, a small smile playing on her lips. Her oh so plump lips that he wished to devour with his…

"Er…no. Just…em, make sure you keep a better hold on your possessions. You wouldn't want to lose something important." Severus didn't immediately realize the double entendre of his sentence, but once he did, he felt a deep flush begin to creep up his neck, yet he did not break her gaze.

"Ah…right. Will do Professor. By the way, I am having some trouble with the potions essay you assigned me. I think I've figured most of it out, but I have a few questions. Would you happen to have some time later to meet with me about it?"

Severus appraised her. Was she being serious? Was this apparent flirting some kind of game to get a decent grade out of him? But no, her expression was truthful, her face in earnest. She was simply asking him a question, like any other student asking a question.

"If you need assistance, report to my office at eight o'clock sharp. Don't be late Miss Granger." And with that he wafted down the stairs and out of sight.

Hermione sighed softly to herself. "What on earth am I doing?" She said aloud, and then, realizing that she was nearly late to Transfiguration, she left, leaving an itch unscratched.

TBC

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SS