As hard as Hermione tried she couldn't pay attention to Ginny. Her thoughts kept drifting back to the potions professor across the room.
"Hermione, Hermione are you listening to me?" Ginny asked ripping Hermione from her thoughts. she turned to the redhead
"of course I am Gin….what were we talking about?"
"nick and I kissed..im so happy!" the words barely registered in Hermione's ears. He was looking at her she could feel his eyes burning into her back. She couldn't concentrate on what Ginny had said, she was lucky she could breathe
"r-really Gin, that's awesome. I'm so happy for you. Does he go to Hogwarts?" she replied trying desperately to think of anything but Severus.
"no. at least I don't think so, we don't really talk about school if you catch my drift."
"in other words you don't talk about anything, you spend all of your time snogging." The brunette replied laughing. Ginny's face flushed almost as red as her hair. Across the room Hermione's laugh landed on Severus' ears. God he loved the sound of her voice. Her laugh sounded angelic to him. Snape looked down at his food deciding he didn't want anything on his plate he didn't know if he should stay and wait for her or if he should leave. Stabbing his potato with his fork the potions master rose from his seat and swept out of the room.
'come out here.' Hermione heard the familiar voice go through her head. She looked around for him, wondering where 'here' was
"Hey Ginny, I think im going to go for a walk. By the way nick looks so lonely over there." Seeing the worried look on Ginny's face made Hermione almost double over in laughter. She was almost to the door when she got stopped by a flaming red head and a tall boy with jet black hair.
"h-harry? R-ron?? What are you guys doing here?" Hermione was stunned as she was pulled into a hug by her two best friends.
"well we heard you were stuck here with Snape-"harry started smiling but getting cut off by Ron
"so we decided to come and visit, try and make it a bit easier on you."
"Guys that's really sweet, but everythings going fine, I mean Snapes been decent..nice even." Hermione said trying to hide the blush creeping up her cheeks. She hated lying to them but they wouldn't understand
'what's taking so long?' she heard him growl in her mind
'I ran into a small problem….' No more than she thought the words she saw snape out of the corner of her eye come into the cabin. she paled as he came towards herself, harry, and Ron
"ms. Granger, I would like a word with you." Seeing harry and ron he sneered. Ron looked like he was ready to hit Snape. Hermione looked between her two best friends and the potions master
"potter, weasley." Seeing Ron glare Hermione tried to diffuse the situation
"Professor, I thought you needed to see me? Boys I'll catch up with you later." Harry nodded and tugged Ron away with him. She turned to say something to Severus but he was already outside the cabin. When Hermione finally caught up to him, she was panting and out of breath.
"what was that all about?" she asked puzzled when he turned to her he looked livid. Hermione was about to say something to try and calm him down, when she saw a smile flash across his features
"You're horrible!" she said laughing. When she looked up her was mere inches from her face. She could feel his breath on her, warm and inviting. He was leaning closer and closer now
"maybe we should go somewhere a little more private." He whispered seductively in her ear sending shivers down her spine. Her mind had gone blank, she wanted to say something witty and funny, but the only thing she could get her body to do was nod dumbly.
"my, my your very glib today." Snape said smirking. Hermione scowled up at him playfully.
"shut up." she replied trying to sound annoyed but she was given away by the smile that fluttered across her face. Hermione took a step back to walk along side Severus. he surprised her by draping his arm around her shoulder.
"you feel nice." Hermione muttered to herself smiling, they had just about reached the door of his cabin when a piercing scream rang across the field
"GET OFF HER YOU GIT!" a mass of flaming red hair could be seen sprinting across the field toward the couple.
"Ronald what in Merlin's beard ARE you doing?" Hermione scolded as he wretched Hermione from professor Snape's grasp
"you- he had his arm around you and was talking in your ear! What is going on Hermione!? Tell me, are you sleeping with him to get higher marks next year?" he rushed glaring. Snape glanced at Hermione, expecting an explosion of insults from the girl, only to find her eyes had narrowed, and she was now walking towards him menacingly
"unlike YOU Ronald Weasley, I don't need to sleep with anyone for higher grades. And as for Professor Snape having his arm around me and talking to me, he was showing me a rare herb that cannot be exposed to light, hence my close proximity, and if you EVER accuse me of such motives I will hex you until you are nothing but dust." She finished angrily stalking off with the professor into his cabin, leaving Ron utterly dumbfounded walking as he walked away.
"that was interesting. Do tell me what naturally grown magical herb cannot be exposed at all to light." he purred to her after the door was closed.
"There isn't one, but Ron doesn't know that." She closed the distance between them placing a kiss on his lips. Severus slipped his arms around her waist, deepening the kiss, their tongues dueled for moment until the need for air became to over-powering. Once his need for air was filled Severus kissed her hungrily, moving his hands over her slim frame. Hermione wanted nothing more than to have her way with him right now, but her mind stopped her.
"We can't." She said sitting up on the bed. Hermione looked up apologetically. She was expecting him to rant and throw her out. To her surprise Severus smiled
"I know." He placed a chaste kiss on her lips. She laid back down on the bed, her hair fanning out like a halo around her head. Snape lowered himself down next to her placing his arm around her waist; Hermione immediately curled herself around him. It was then that the thought struck Severus how no other woman he held, felt like this against him. No other woman felt so right kissing him, and no other woman made him feel like Hermione made him feel. It was while she was in his arms the thought ran through his mind
'you love her.' and the shock of that realization hit him like a ton of bricks.
