I know, I know. I've spoilt you by posting every other day for the first bunch of chapters, then I went and took a weekend. HOW DARE I?! So rude! Anyway, I'm just being sassy. None of you actually complained to me about waiting so long (because in the grand scheme of ffnet 3 days isn't so bad) but I felt bad none the less. I was moving, which is what I'm going to equate to the delay in not only chapter posts here, but working on other little goodies for you lovely little cupcakes.

So, without further ado, here is the date. Enjoy!

They sat together, the restaurant quiet and dimly lit. Severus had ordered a bottle of wine for the table and they were waiting on their appetizers. Hermione had worn a lovely lavender dress, her hair pulled back into a braid down her back and he had worn a muggle suit for this night out. She reached out and picked up her wine glass, taking a sip before replacing it on the ring that it left on the table cloth.

The silence was horrible.

"Why is this so awkward?" Hermione asked softly, leaning across the table with her cheek on her hand

"I wasn't aware that it was awkward. Merely companionable silence," Severus replied, matter-of-factly.

She arched an eyebrow at him with a disbelieving smirk on her face.

"Your tone tells me that this is just as awkward for you as it is for me."

A small smile curved his lips up slightly.

"I was trying to keep it from being obvious," he confessed. "I suppose the pressure of the situation just put me on edge."

"Me too," Hermione said. "It's been far longer than I care to reveal since I've been on a proper date."

Interruption came in the form of their appetizers arriving. For Hermione, it was lovely bacon wrapped scallops. For Severus, a whitefish and beef tartare. The conversation flowed much more easily once food was in front of them. Hermione dripped some sauce on her chin and Severus joked about how messy an eater she was. And as karma would have it, he dripped a bit of dressing from his tartare onto his trousers.

"Oh, did I tell you yet? Harry and Ginny finally announced their engagement," Hermione said as the server took their plates away.

"Well it's about time. They've been terribly obvious about the whole thing for years. I'm surprised they didn't just elope earlier."

"You know Molly would never let them do that. Ginny's her only daughter and the only one who'll be marrying anytime soon. She's going to cook everything and decorate everything. It'll be massive," she laughed. They both knew how over the top Molly Weasley could get when she's planning things.

By the time their entrees came, Hermione was tossing her head back with laughter. She was even pulling a few chuckles from Severus.

"You were a terrible teacher, Severus. Let's be completely honest here. You acted like you hated all of us!"

Severus laughed, a deep, resonating sound that warmed Hermione to her bones.

"Well I wasn't doing it for my health," he retorted. "Dumbledore wanted to keep an eye on me and wanted it easy for me to keep an eye on Harry. I never wanted to be a teacher."

"You know your stuff though. I'll give you that. You just hate children."

"I don't hate all children. Just most children." He paused thoughtfully for a moment. "I don't think I would dislike your children."

Hermione choked on the water she had just sipped, sputtering in the most unladylike fashion as Severus just laughed at her.

"Are you alright?" he choked out between his bouts of uncontrollable amusement.

"I'm fine, just the thought of my children was a bit unexpected," she said tightly, her throat and nose burning. "What about your children? Wouldn't you like them?"

The table was suddenly quiet, Severus retreating deep into his thoughts once more.

"I don't know. I've never thought of it. I suppose I never entertained the possibility of having children of my own. Not at my age," he murmured. "Plus I can't imagine finding anyone who would want to have children with me anyway."

Hermione bit her lip but was saved a response by the arrival of their dessert; a shared slice of dulce de leche cake.

"Okay, if you could only have one for the rest of your life which would you pick? Chocolate or caramel?"

Severus wrinkled his nose at her question.

"Isn't the traditional question chocolate or vanilla?" he asked.

"Well I'm not very traditional," Hermione replied. "Now answer the question."

"Hm," Severus tapped his fork against his lip. Hermione watched it bounce there, surprised at how soft his lips looked. "I think I would have to say caramel. You could eat it in so many different ways. I don't think I would get tired of it as quickly as I would of chocolate."

"But chocolate can be in a lot of things too," she insisted. She loved playing the devil's advocate in their debates.

"But you can't have chocolate without it being dense and thick and really decadent," he reasoned. "Caramel can be thick and creamy like dulce de leche. It can be hard and salty like in brittle. It can be in between with the hard candies and the chews. Chocolate is just chocolate."

Hermione sat quietly, appraising his answer.

"I agree with you. Good logic, Severus. You could convince anyone."

"And that's why they pay me the big bucks," he grinned cheekily.

They sat quietly for a few minutes eating their cake, dueling for the pieces with the most frosting and giggling when frosting was batted onto each other's hands.

"I'm having a very good time tonight, Severus," Hermione said softly. She brought a bit off the end of the cake, her lips pursing around fork as it slid past her lips.

"As am I. I didn't expect to be enjoying myself so thoroughly," he murmured. "Perhaps we should do it again. Next week, perhaps?" Severus looked at her, his heart beating fast as he waited to hear her response.

"I would love to go on another date with you," she replied with a demure smile.

"Excellent."

Within a few minutes, the check was paid and they were out the door. Hermione's thin shawl didn't quite keep the chill away so Severus offered her his jacket. She liked the way it sat on her shoulders, the warmth of his body still clinging to the fabric. The restaurant was just a couple of blocks from a wizarding shop where they could floo back to Hogwarts and they walked casually down the road. When Hermione's heel got caught in the sidewalk, Severus took her arm to steady her. Neither of them were too keen on releasing each other, so they continued their walk, him with a gentle hand on her elbow. All too soon, they arrived in her dormitory back at Hogwarts.

"Well thank you for the lovely night," Hermione said as she turned to face him. She handed his jacket back to him, both hands grasping her handbag.

"It was an honor and a pleasure, I assure you," Severus responded. Refusing to give it further thought, his hand brushed her shoulder and trailed down to her elbow. With a small step forward, he pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek. "Good night, Hermione."

Before he had a chance to step back, her fingers tugged on his lapel and her lips pressed firmly against his. It was like an electric shock went through his body as his lips responded to her eager kiss. She quickly pulled back, cheeks pink and eyes alight.

"Good night, Severus."

He mentally shook himself, cleared his throat and tossed a handful of Floo powder into the fire. With another glance over his shoulder, he stepped into the fireplace. He spent the rest of his night going over those two kisses in his mind, smiling at nothing and thinking of Hermione.

Daww, how cute! Thanks for reading!