A/N: First off, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story so so so much! I honestly did not think it would get as much attention as it did, so thank you, they all really do mean a lot :) I have decided to continue this story, since most of you requested I should, instead of just leaving it as a one-shot, but there will honestly probably not be that many chapters, considering I wasn't planning on continuing and they have already kissed lol. This chapter is mainly their own personal thoughts, and not much progress between them, just a filler chapter, but oh well. On with the story!

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to the great Joann Rowling and I unfortunately own none of it, just playing with her wonderful creations.

He watched Hermione whisk out the door, not even glancing back. He noticed no stumble in her stride; she moved gracefully across the room to his door, no regret obvious in her movements.

What on earth just happened? He was at a loss for words. Hermione Granger had kissed him. Just a slow, gentle, innocent kiss, but a kiss nonetheless.

He was vaguely aware of it, and he knew what just transpired; he just didn't know if it was all a dream or not. And it was…nice. Too nice, in fact. He shouldn't have enjoyed it; she was a student for Merlin's sake! But just the way she did, it made him feel…important, appreciated, cared for…loved…

What was he thinking? This was Hermione Granger. The girl he ridiculed since her first days at Hogwarts. The same girl who consistently had her hand raised in the air, waiting to show off her all-knowing mind. The same girl who had been friends with Potter since she had first met him. The girl with the frizzy hair, buck teeth…

'Not anymore, Severus,' his brain reminded him. 'She's nearly a woman now. You know you've noticed how she's no longer the same girl.'

Before tonight, he had certainly never thought of her in a romantic manner. True, she no longer had the same features- her buck teeth had transformed into perfect, white straight pearls, her hair no longer looking like a bird had just nested there but sleek and shiny, falling in soft, wavy curls. She had grown taller obviously, her curves coming through flawlessly, no longer the short, scrawny, obnoxious girl she once was. Not to mention how attractive and beautiful she had become; it was not lost on Severus that many boys were now keen on ogling her. She did, after all, only have one school year left; technically she should have graduated the previous year. Not to mention the year she had used the time turner, which resulted in her being a couple years older than the rest of her classmates…

'Stop it, Severus,' he chastised himself. 'She is still a student. She's probably going to tell on me to McGonagall right now; completely skipping over the fact she was the one to kiss me, and how I had kissed her back. But Merlin, it had felt amazing…No. Stop.'

She didn't care about him. No one did. She pitied him. Pitying is not the same as caring.

In all honesty, rather he wanted to admit it to himself or not, Severus was scared. Scared of what she thought of him, scared of what he was thinking, scared of the fact that she had the possibility to tattle on him and get him kicked out onto the streets before he could mutter 'dunderhead' one last time if she so desired. Everything had happened so fast. Thanks to her, he now had a list of troubles going through his mind. All because of a silly girl.

'Woman', his brain had the decency to remind him.

He scowled, as he realized the fault was also his own as he didn't exactly push her away. He also realized he was still rooted to the same spot where she had courageously pecked him. He then furiously started pacing, breathing deeply, running a hand through his hair every so often.

What was he going to do? A walk. A walk would be good. Catching the dunderhead adolescents in their own midst of snogging sounded amusing at the moment. Watching their faces as he caught them, promptly taking away many points for staying out late or handing out detentions then sending them to bed always made his nights. It would serve as a good birthday present for himself.

'Not that that kiss wasn't a good enough birthday gift.' He mentally smacked himself.

'Stop it,' he growled in his head.

'Great, now I'm arguing with myself. I have gone round the bend, indeed.'

He began making his way toward his door, but then a thought passed through his mind.

'What if she's still walking around herself, not having made it to her rooms yet?'

He glanced at his clock on the mantle; it was a quarter past nine.

'Had I really been standing there and pacing for nearly a half hour?'

When they had walked into his private rooms, he had briefly looked at the clock, noticing it was a little over a quarter past eight.

Indeed he had. For thirty grueling, bleeding minutes. Who knows what could have all transpired in that little time? She was surely not still hanging around though. Perhaps she was already in her room, sleeping deeply, peacefully with no care in the world and thinking nothing of what happened. After all, she couldn't be attracted to him. She just pitied him, that's all.

'A sad, old, lonely man is what you are, Snape. He thought bitterly with a smirk. Why the hell would anyone want to be with you? You're an ex-deatheater, are nasty and completely unkind, have no experience with women, and ugly to boot. You'd never even kissed a woman up until an hour ago.'

She would never be attracted to him. It was impossible. He was not a good person whatsoever. He had no idea what he was doing. She deserved so much more than what he could offer. There were obviously many boys who found her appealing as well. Boys her own age. Boys who had not been deatheaters; were athletic, charming, and better-looking. Perhaps they were not that bright, but he figured she might look over this for the above qualities. But she wasn't superficial, he told himself. She was too bright to only care about trivial things such as looks. She would want someone as intelligent, someone she could hold a conversation with about books, transfiguration, and potions without them falling asleep, and someone to challenge her…

'Perhaps I have a chance…,' a small voice in his mind said.

'No. No. No. What is wrong with me?!' Severus always prided himself on self-control. What was it about this young woman that prevented him from doing so?

'You know this will go nowhere. Even if you want it to. It's just plain wrong. That's it. Do you really expect something as good as a gorgeous woman to have feelings for you? No. She is hands-off, anyway. She. Is. A. Student.'

He had to forget this. He was blowing it all out of proportion. She felt nothing, he was an old lecher, and she would forget this if she already hasn't, graduate, find love, and get married while he died alone like he expected to always happen. Plain and simple.

'What am I even talking about? Forget about her! You know it meant absolutely nothing!'

In his unconscious, though, he had a small glimmer of hope that maybe, possibly, it did. That someone could possibly want him. Not that he would bet on it. It was too good to be true.

'You had one chance at love and you blew it,' he thought sourly.

Growling and sighing, he yanked his door open and slammed it behind him, lighting his wand through the darkened halls.

'Oh Gods.' Hermione was running for her dear life down the corridor.

'Oh Gods Oh Gods Oh Gods.'

Hermione forgot where she was running to; the common room perhaps? It didn't matter- she just astonishingly only had one word on her brain at the moment; whereas it seemed her mind usually never stopped thinking, worrying over homework, or daydreaming, right now the only term she could think right now was 'away', creating a mantra inside her head.

Had she really just done that? Gone and kissed her professor? What was wrong with her? Had she gone loony?

'Are you mad Hermione?!' She thought angrily to herself.

'Do you know what you've just done? You kissed him! You kissed Professor Snape! He's surely going to expel you for this! Why wouldn't he? He has all reason to! And it was him of all people! Next time you feel bad for someone Hermione, do not go up and kiss them!' Her mind was running a mile a minute now, as well as her legs, as she was determined to put as much room between herself and the potions master as far away as possible.

How could she face him now? She had double potions her first class bright and early the very next day! It would be impossible to endure it for two whole hours without it being completely, utterly awkward and humiliating. He would surely be teasing her and spiteful for the rest of her school days, if she weren't already expelled first.

Tears were stinging her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She couldn't risk anyone seeing her in her current state; surely they would ask what was wrong and what would she tell them? Certainly not the truth! Her breathing was erratic from her fear and all the running. Turning each and every way the corridors did, she followed, her much-too-large robes flapping behind her, still without a clue of where to. It occurred to her she probably shouldn't be running as well; if someone- particularly a professor- should see her, they wouldn't let her go by without enquiring why. She slowed to a brisk walk, attempting to gradually slow her breathing as well.

This was all too much. She couldn't be expelled from Hogwarts. She'd gone through too much for that to happen. She'd helped take down the most evil wizard of all time!

'That doesn't excuse you Hermione,' she thought bitterly, 'Your actions still have consequences.'

Now, she was in her very last year all for naught. She was surely finished now. He was going to tell Professor McGonagall and she would be packing all her books and Crookshanks with her soon. She couldn't help the tear that rolled down her cheek at her depressing thoughts. Her reputation was ruined; how everyone would think of her, as it would surely spread throughout the school why the brightest witch of her age had been expelled, she didn't want to dwell on it.

Suddenly she came to a halt, as a thought quickly occurred to her.

'He kissed me back.'

No, not very much, but she felt it. The shy, slow way he cautiously moved his lips, after her encouragement, and his soft mouth massaging hers. Her face felt hot, and she knew she was blushing. It was a nice, gentle, tender kiss, and she could feel her face growing warmer the more she thought of the pleasant memory.

But she didn't just feel bad for him. Admittedly she'd had a growing crush on the mysterious man since her third year, when he had protected them all from Lupin, shielding them so as the werewolf could not get any closer and harm any of them. It made her realize how utterly brave that act and he alone was, and every year she would find more and more things endearing about him; the way he swiftly moved his hands and looking lax and peaceful while preparing a potion, like he was in his own world. Or how completely brilliant he was, the way his brow would furrow when he was confused, his dry (but sometimes undeniably cruel) sense of humor, the way he hid himself behind his hair if he was embarrassed or frustrated, his obvious shared love of books, his voice- gods, his voice- and now that she'd heard it, his laugh, his overlooked caring and kind gestures that only she seemed to see- such as waiting for her to go first through walkways and, apparently and recently, holding doors open for her.

That sudden memory brought her back to the present, and she realized she was smiling faintly. It fell as she remembered her possible fate. He could lie and say he didn't kiss her back; that she had jumped on him and had her way with him. But a nagging feeling in the back of her mind told her she was wrong, that he wouldn't do that, wouldn't lie.

She sighed and continued on her way. She didn't know what to think.

Honestly, why would anyone want her? Sure there was Krum and Cormac, and Ron of course, but none of them had worked out. They were just all so… full of themselves. It got annoying, while she was being honest. She hadn't really been attracted to them (especially not arrogant Cormac) she just supposed she was excited that boys had noticed her and she was young and her hormones were all over the place.

Besides, Snape had said it before himself; she was an insufferable know-it-all. She was bossy, annoying, not nearly as pretty or well filled-out such as the other girls her age had grown into, and had developed awkwardly, she thought, being her legs, arms and body felt like they had grown too much. But she was still petite, just mature. She really didn't like herself at all. Why should anyone else? She had seen no other boys even notice her.

She had next to no experience with boys, much less men. Thinking about it, she had noticed he didn't really seem to know what he was doing as well. He was so stiff, hesitant, shy and unsure of himself. He was a perfect gentleman. She admittedly found it quite...adorable. It vaguely crossed her mind that while Snape was indeed a teacher, he was also a man. And she had gone and osculated said man. She was also stupid and brass, if her recent actions didn't show that enough.

'Just hope for the best I guess. Hope that either absolutely nothing comes of this, or either perhaps even more…'

Unfortunately, she hadn't been looking where she had been going all throughout her thoughts and ran straight into a wall. A wall of black. She fell on her bum with a whoosh as the air was temporarily knocked out of her from the impact, and a thought fleetingly crossed her mind, 'There are no black walls here. Nor do they have rows of buttons on them.'

At that realization, her face flushed, and she slowly looked up. She noticed a hand looming in front of her face, waiting for her to take it in order to help her up. She didn't have to look to know it belonged to Severus Snape. The hand she watched as it brewed potions effortlessly, swiftly, the long fingers grabbing and cutting ingredients and stirring and varying the temperature of the potion that was slowly coming perfectly together. Yes, she would know those hands anywhere. It dawned on her she was staring, and if it were possible she felt herself blush even more.

He didn't look angry. That was surprising in all of itself. He looked like he had a mixture of emotions on his face actually. She tried to decipher it. He looked as if he were amused, disgruntled, pleased, annoyed, and confused at her action of falling to the ground onto her bum-all at once. She continued to stare at him as the many different feelings spanned his face and yet he seemed guarded at the same time. She briefly wondered how he did that. She had always been fascinated with his face and features; he was always so shielded from displaying how he felt but believed only she could see the quick flash of emotion cross it. Not to mention the growing feeling of attraction she had. She had always thought he was handsome; she didn't know how others couldn't see it. He had a different kind of attractiveness, the dark and mysterious kind; how his black hair strikingly offset his pale skin, his tall, lank but seemingly fit body, his deep brown eyes reminding her of melted chocolate and how she could stare and melt in them; he was beautiful to her.

He cleared his throat, making her jump, and when she finally looked into his eyes he raised an eyebrow and smirked. Determined she couldn't possibly flush any more, she shakily took his offered hand and looked away, while he gently pulled her up.

Standing up to her full height, she swiped the dirt off her clothes and slowly, bashfully looked up into the eyes she hoped she wouldn't have to see for at least a few more days.

"Well Miss Granger," he began, "I believe we should talk."

A/N: I was actually pretty scared to post this since I wasn't sure about it, but most of you who reviewed thought I should continue so I need to know what you guys think! So please pleease pleeeeease review! It only takes a minute whereas writing these chapters takes hours! Reviews make my day and make me update faster! *hint hint*