"It's nothing Severus, I just grew up is all." Severus sucked thoughtfully on the roof of his mouth as he sat back in his armchair, surveying the young witch standing in front of him obviously uncomfortable at being questioned.

"Hermione I thought we were getting close…"

"Severus don't try to guilt me into telling you things!" Hermione said angrily and she crossed her arms while glaring down at him in his faded beaten up leather chair.

This is what it had been like for a while now; it seemed they had been dating forever when in fact they had only passed six months at each other's sides and Severus wouldn't let up on his theory that there was something… wrong with her. They had gone back to his study to discuss the use of muggle medicines in enhancing potions, Severus had caught Hermione staring out of the window wistfully with dead eyes and it had been chaos since then as he had tried to confront her about the strange mannerisms she had learnt.

"Hermione you shouldn't hide things from me." Severus said darkly as he stood and swooped over to the window to stare out at the lake. "Something has happened and you're going to tell me what." He turned to face and crossed his arms to mirror hers. "Sooner of later."


"Severus how would you feel about me going away for a few months?" Severus laughed dryly and didn't look up from the daily prophet he was hiding behind in the great hall; Hermione sighed and looked back out at the sea of student's swimming around in front of them. "It's just…"

"You're not going anywhere Granger."


"This is abysmal." Severus drawled dryly in Hermione's ear, a shiver ran up and down her spine she smiled lazily up at him, there hands were linked loosely as they sat together watching the choir perform a horrible rendition of Silent Night led by an embarrassed Flitwick. Hundreds of sarcastic and cynical comments later they walked out of the Great hall Severus complaining that he thinks he has gone deaf in his left ear.


"What are you reading?" Hermione snapped the brochure closed and quickly dropped a large pile of books on top of it. Confused Severus slid the books of the booklet and as Hermione tried to protest but failed miserably.

"They probably won't let me go! I'm just a little history teacher." Hurt eyes turned to her as Severus in disbelief held up the brochure.

"You're going to leave me."

"No…" she reached out for his arm and tried to pull the booklet from his grip, he twitched and ripped his arm from her grasp


"She is definitely the best thing that has happened to him in a long while." Professor McGonagall commented to Sprout one Spring morning, as they stood hidden behind a large plant outside of Greenhouse 6. Severus and Hermione were passing by subtly holding hands and heading towards the lake, Severus floating something that looked suspiciously like a picnic basket in front of them.

"Oh definitely!" Sprout exclaimed as she clapped her hands together in glee, "I can't believe she even got Snape outside let alone got him to I'm guessing sit on the grass for the next couple of hours and eat a picnic."


"I applied." Hermione said breathlessly as she pulled back from Severus and pushed him slightly away so she could sit up – the sofa in his study wasn't her idea of a good place to kiss him, but being close to him had grown to be enough. Pulling her lightly back down and wrapping one arm around her robed middle he closed his eyes giving up on the kissing and curiously asked.

"To what?"

"The dig." Hermione said, realising she was holding her breath for his reaction she sat up again and tried to breathe.

"What dig?" Severus asked as with a lazy amused grin he pulled her back so she was lying next to him his eyes still closed and ready to catch a few minutes of sleep before his next class.

"The dig in Ireland… if I'm accepted I'll be gone for the entire summer." Severus' eyes snapped open and he sat up alarm rushing through his entire body.

"Is this… going away… no!" he yelled infuriated that he couldn't seem to string enough words together to make a sentence.

"If I'm accepted…"

"Hermione, please."


"It's just that… the second she's gone she's going to… I don't know see sense? Then I'll have lost her forever." Snape whispered to Dumbledore's portrait as he massaged his temples and tried to stop imagining his horrid life without Hermione. Dumbledore looked down at Severus and leaned thoughtfully on his frame.

"But are you willing to lose her at this moment because you won't let her go." Severus looked up at Dumbledore with terrified eyes,

"I can't lose her…" the door banged open and Professors Flitwick and McGonagall burst in giggling, they sobered when they saw Severus who straightened and glared at them before rushing from the room his robes flying behind him.


Severus Snape sat in the Great Hall next to his girlfriend of now nine months as they ate breakfast; Hermione was having an intense debate with Lupin.

"I tell you: a dragon would win hands down in a fight." Lupin rolled his eyes and swallowed a large piece of sausage,

"Oh come on! Two giants vs. one tiny little dragon? It'd be dead in seconds!" Hermione laughed and threw some bread at him,

"Dragon." She yelled childishly,

"Giants!"

"Dragons!" Severus stopped listening to their conversation and instead turned his eyes to the ceiling – it was only a couple of days until summer and he knew that it was only a matter of time until Hermione's acceptance letter arrived. It had startled him when he had realised that the casual feeling he had had for her had spiralled into… something. He wouldn't call it love and yet he knew that if she was ripped from him to go to Ireland it would burn uncontrollably and he'd never get over the bitter little sarcastic harpy.

An unfamiliar tawny owl suddenly swooped down and landed in front of Hermione, the glass of pumpkin juice shattered in his hand but he didn't notice as Hermione grinned at the bird with empty eyes and reached for the envelope. Standing roughly he picked up the piece of bread on his plate and threw it at the bird's head before rushing out of the Great Hall in a flurry of robes.

Minutes later Hermione entered the dungeon classroom, and sitting down at his desk she looked up at him with big sad eyes.

"You don't think I should go." She stated as he paced the length of his classroom and kicked stools out of his way, he ignored her presence and threw his face down to cover his expression with his hair. "I'm rather worried." She admitted, "I don't think I'm good enough…" Snape laughed coldly and leant his palms on the desk in front of Hermione, he looked up through his hair with cold hard eyes and a snarl.

"I don't care." He said simply his eyes growing sad and angry, "You should leave so you can save me the hassle of pretending I have feeling for you." No gasp. No tears. Hermione just looked up at him with an icy glare and laughed sourly.

"You're pathetic," she said calmly, "This sad little defence mechanism of yours, of removing yourself from anything that could hurt you is gonna come back and bite you in the arse one day." She stood up quickly glaring at him and knocked all the papers from his desk onto the floor, he flicks his wand to the left and the door swings open, with a pitying look she turned and started to storm across the classroom.

"It doesn't hurt!" he shouted defiantly, "There's no pain!" she stops and turns to look at him again with pity and tears swimming in her eyes, "I didn't love you!" he shouted again staring at her with narrow eyes to try and hide his own glistening orbs.

"I know." Hermione says casually, "It's a shame really…" she said quietly as she turned away and walked out of the door throwing her last words briefly back over her shoulder, "…because I nearly found myself loving you." The door closed and Severus stormed around the side of his desk, adrenaline pumping through his veins. He sat his legs jiggling trying to release the built up energy, suddenly he slumped back in his chair defeated and rested his head against the walls his eyes clamped shut to any tears threatening to drop.


A.N - new chapter sorry i've been lazy but that's just me.