The conversation ended when Severus could sense that Hermione's nervousness. She hadn't expected to feel this way for sometime or at least come to the realisation that she did indeed love him in return. Hermione always had a schoolgirl crush on her professor since he saved her life several years ago and now she was sure that she loved him since spending more time with him. The more time she had spent with him and allowed him to know her, she had allowed him to grow on her. She began to consider if her schoolgirl crush was more than a crush and was actually a development of feelings that had been oblivious to her for years.

There wasn't any talking for several minutes, just hand holding without either party daring to look up to meet the other's eyes.

"Severus," Hermione whispered. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologising?" He asked, very surprised that she should be sorry.

"In truth," she answered. "I haven't got a clue. I feel as though there is something I must apologise for. Although, I don't know what."

"Hermione," Severus began with a sigh. "You know my feelings but I won't subject you to a marriage with a man you do not love."

"But you would wish that upon another woman?" She shot back.

"No that isn't what I mean." He replied. "My focus is entirely on you. If you do not wish for me to sign my name for your hand then I won't. If I end up married to the other woman I will give her respect and be content in knowing I did everything within my power to prevent you from committing to a marriage you wouldn't be happy in."

"If you don't sign for me," Hermione began looking right into his eyes. "You will cause me to be married to someone I do not love."

"Hermione you need to be serious about this." Severus was now talking a lot more firmly but with love in his voice. He truly wanted the best for her and wasn't prepared to trap her. "This isn't something we would be able to walk away from. If we married they would expect us to produce children. Would you be able to commit to this knowing that?"

"...Yes"

Suddenly the gap between them was closed by Hermione's rash thinking. This will convince him surely, and I had better do it now otherwise I would be going mad! As her lips met his, their minds were completely clear from all other thoughts and suddenly everything was oh so simple. She cared for him and was sure she loved him; he wanted to protect her from making any decisions that she would regret and this is what made them so perfect. With Lilly, Severus had never had this kind of experience; she had always considered him to be a friend and no more than that. When he realised his feelings for Hermione he knew straight away that this would so much different and this was an individual that had always listened to him and not just on what he was teaching her in class.

Their lips were currently taking any kind of attention they had and now they were only focused on pleasure. They needed each other and Severus had all the confirmation he needed to know that Hermione was completely aware of the choices facing her and the consequences that came as part of that. No one had ever kissed Severus willingly. Unfortunately a part of his spying for Dumbledore meant that the deatheaters expected him to partake in their 'hobbies' which included abusing women and sometimes men to within an inch of their lives.

This was something he had never thought he would experience ever in his lifetime after the things he had done. Of course he hadn't wanted to do any of it but he owed it to Dumbledore for preventing the death of the woman he thought he loved.

When the kiss finally ended, Severus took Hermione over to his desk and sat the letter down in the middle clear as day. Neither of them spoke a single word and so Severus picked up his quill. Hermione wanted him to know that this decision was something they would do together so she covered his hand with her own and together they signed the letter with Severus' name. Minutes later the letter was ready to be sent. Severus lead them both out onto his balcony that overlooked the black lake and as if on cue a snowy white owl appeared on the edge. Hermione was overwhelmed by the view at first but even more so by this beautiful bird that resembled Hedwig in so many ways.

Severus gave the bird the letter and it flew off into the night and in the shadow of its flight, stood two lovers kissing with nothing but passion in the cool night air.