Hermione was bored- okay, that was an understatement- she felt like she may die of absolute and total boredom any moment.

Severus was off, gone to visit with his friends and she was stuck standing out in the snow. It was the downside to focusing nearly all of her attention on building a relationship with one person. When that one person was gone, she had nothing to do but read.

She bit her lip, her anxiety crawling across her skin as she shuffled her feet in the snow. Severus had left abruptly.

She couldn't remember when he took the mark, at what age?

She'd been wracking her brain all morning trying to figure it out, to remember when it was he'd handed himself over to Voldemort.

She thought it was after his graduation from Hogwarts, in fact, she was almost certain.

Still she couldn't help the worry that bubbled in her chest.

"Hermione, what exactly are you doing?" She froze and turned slowly to look over her shoulder, exhaled a breath.

"Remus," she put a hand to her chest. "I thought you may be Sirius and I just am not ready to deal with him today." The man shook his head, shaggy brown hair fell into his face as she gave him a soft smile.

"What are you out and about doing today? And without your guardian I see." He chuckled, Hermione felt relaxed around him, more relaxed than anyone else and she was glad for it.

She'd worried she would just spend her entire time in the past tense. It was nice to let her shoulders drop.

Funnily enough it was the man who'd almost killed them during his transformation when she'd been younger. The very one Severus had protected them from, the reason her crush had begun to bloom as a youth in the first place.

She shook herself from her thoughts, her eyes lighting back onto Remus' face.

"Well, my guardian, as you put it, is away for the day and I really am feeling a bit lost without him." She blushed a little, rubbed the back of her head, an action that only managed to endear her to the lycanthrope all the more.

"I see, Sirius and James are out on a double date, gone to Hogsmeade, would you like some company?" He cocked a brown eyebrow and Hermione froze in place.

Would it bother Severus? She exhaled. She really needed a friend, at least one outside of the brooding teen.

"That sounds great! What did you have in mind?" He watched as she chewed her lip before her face lit up and she gave her response. Curious girl she was.

"Well, I'm certain there is plenty we can get in to. Have you ever heard of the Room of Requirement?" He questioned, Hermione cocked an eyebrow.

"Can't say I have, is it interesting?"

"Undoubtedly." He smiled and motioned for her to come with him, she fell in step beside him, her fingers hooked around one another behind her back.

SSHG

Hermione was one-hundred percent certain Remus Lupin had the most interesting version of the Room of Requirement of any she'd seen- and she'd seen quite a few.

The walls were line with row after row of bookshelves, Defense Against the Dark Arts appearing to be the most popular amongst them, though, that was just ascertained as she scanned the room. There was a roaring fire that cast very little heat into the room at the center and a plethora of comfortable cushions on the floor.

Remus settled onto a pile of red and copper pillows first, leaving Hermione to follow suit, which she did, as soon as she was finished taking in the magnificence of the room.

"This is amazing." She managed as her face continued to twist around the room, when she turned back to Remus he was giving her a broad smile.

"Glad the lady approves." His tone was playful, not like Severus' serious, deep drawl and she found it comforting. Again, it reminded her of home.

"She certainly does. So, what are you planning to do after school?" She tucked her knees to her chest and gave him an interested look, grey eyes focused.

Remus twitched, "Well, to be honest I will probably try to become an Auror, unfortunately I suffer from a condition that may make it a bit difficult." He seemed to be approaching the topic gingerly, not ready to tell her about his furry little problem, she supposed.

"I can understand that, you don't seem sickly though, so I'm sure you can do it, if you set your mind to it." She gave him a broad smile that he couldn't help but return.

"You're really different than we all thought you were."

Hermione shrugged.

"I'm not the biggest fan of being told who to associate with. Severus, he's not a bad guy, he's just misunderstood. You lot would do well to treat him better, he could do great things if he was given the right reason." He didn't miss the passion in her eyes as she spoke and he observed her for a moment, interested.

"You seem to have a lot of faith in him. His friends aren't exactly the best of people, however. Everyone is just trying to help you stay safe, help keep you from falling in with the wrong people." He explained, words that normally would have made her blood boil not sounding nearly so harsh.

"I know that, I would like nothing more than to be friends with all of you, but, I will always put Severus first."

"I'd like to say that I understand, Hermione, but I can't, but I will respect that." He gave her a smile and the serious air seemed to break, the pair fell into agreeable conversation after that.

SSHG

Hermione sat, cradled in Severus' arms as the sun set, they were in a tower of the castle, one commonly unoccupied and the sunset was casting soft oranges and reds across the room.

"Did you have a good day, Hermione?" He questioned, his long fingers were caressing her jaw, making it hard for her to think but she managed a little nod.

"I spent the day with Remus, he's really quite tolerable." She smiled up at him when he tensed, her fingers coming up to gently stroke his cheek.

"Lupin, honestly Hermione?" He grunted and made to pull away from her, she sighed to herself but held his face firm in one hand and wrapped her arm around the small of his back in an attempt to hold him there.

"He's a friend, nothing else, honestly we talked about transfiguration the entire time."

"He's dangerous." Severus grunted, his voice taking on a deeper, harsher quality. Hermione continued to caress his cheek, her fingers drawing a lazy circle on his back repeatedly.

"I'm a tough girl, Severus." She pecked the underside of his jaw and he flicked black eyes to her, holding her in his gaze.

"If you were to be hurt I don't know what I would do." He exhaled, his black eyes so full of raw emotion that it made her stomach flip.

"I feel exactly the same way, you needn't worry, nothing will happen to me." She gave him another reassuring smile and he shook his head.

"I would still prefer it if you avoided him."

"I require friends outside of you, Severus Snape." She scolded, eyebrows raised and he heaved a sigh.

"Yes, but couldn't they be someone else? Anyone else?"

"We're compatible as friends, kind of like we're compatible as a couple." She came up on her knees, she was settled between his spread legs so they were nearly the same height when she did so. Her arms draped over his shoulders and her fingers played at the hair on the nape of his neck.

His breath shook as he exhaled a groan.

"Compatible as a couple you say?" She grinned at him, her face so close he could feel her breath ghosting across his lips.

"Incredibly so, something raw, like a precision brew." She touched the tip of her nose to his and he hissed a breath. His lips seeking hers and finding them, waiting, willing.

He pulled his legs together so she could straddle them, his fingers dug into her hips as he pressed against her, his mouth wanting her, to dominate her.

Her fingers held to his hair tight, tugging now and again and drawing a groan from somewhere deep inside his chest.

She rocked her hips against him, the firmness of an erection that fought against his shorts and robes creating a delicious friction between them.

He buried his face in her throat as she rocked against him. Pulling groans and hisses from the wizard and low moans from her own throat as he nipped and sucked at her tender flesh.

His hands, large and sure helped guide her hips as she ground against him, she'd begun panting at the stimulation and he could feel himself growing close to completion.

A little frottage and he was coming unglued? That certainly wasn't like him.

It was no matter however as the witch who straddled him, who held him for dear life cried out her release, the orgasm shaking her body as he bit down on the skin of her barely concealed breast. At some point he'd managed to work her top down so that he could access the tops of the delicate mounds.

Hermione ground against him a few more times, riding out her high and allowing him to force her hips down against him roughly with his fingers. He felt like a ridiculous school boy when he finished in his pants, a grunt, and Hermione leaned against his chest.

They breathed in time for quite a while, just holding one another in the cool air of the tower before she looked up at him and into his eyes.

Her own silvery orbs were glittering her pleasure and hooded with exhaustion from her release.

"Well, that escalated quickly." She teased, a dreamy smile on her face. He snorted a laugh and cast a quick scorgify to clean away his, mess, Hermione smiled coyly.

"Merlin your beautiful." He cupped her cheek with his hand, his black eyes intense on hers.

Hermione blushed and leaned back against him, her face buried in his chest as he held her close. She could hear his heart beat.

And gods if she wasn't the happiest she could ever remember being.

She stared out the window as the snow fell daintily outside and smiled. It was a beautiful night.