Hermione's cheeks flushed red as she stared into her cauldron. It was Monday and her weekend was still fresh on her mind.

Of course, there were the little things like going shopping and spending time with friends. And then there was the other thing.

The moment Severus had come out in a towel, the moment he'd grasped her smaller hand in his and traced it across his body. Soon he'd released it and her other hand had come up. She'd explored him, neck to the top of his towel and it had been an interesting experience to say the least.

She'd gotten bolder with her exploration and she knew she hadn't imagined it when he'd shuddered beneath her fingers. It was an odd feeling warm, pleasant, it spiked a rush of something sharp, a need, straight to her abdomen.

He grabbed her fingers and stilled them, brought them up to his mouth and kissed their tips before he released them.

"Enough, witch. You will have to sate any further curiosity at another time." He'd run his fingers down the side of her face and rested his hand on her shoulder before he very courteously asked her to leave and she'd all but drifted back to her dorm.

"Let us not have any accidents like your last, Hermione." His lips were close to her ear and ran a chill down her spine, her eyes snapped up from her cauldron and she found his face retreating from a nearness she'd not anticipated. Her knees quivered as she glanced at the dark look in his eyes.

The man knew what he was doing to her and it only made her all the crazier.

"Of course." She blinked, shook herself from her daze and returned to her potion, he drifted away to check on someone else and she breathed a sigh of relief.

How did he expect her to concentrate when he stood so close?

Her other two advanced classes for the day flew by and before she knew it she was in the great hall, having dinner with her friends who laughed and joked around her.

No one found it odd she didn't speak as she had a book cracked open in front of her and her eyes were pouring across the pages. It wasn't a matter of the book being so incredibly interesting as it was that she wanted to seem busy, when in reality she'd read the same page one-hundred times.

Her eyes flicked to the staff table where Severus sat watching her with dark eyes. Ron slipped his arm around her shoulders and she was immediately startled from her stare. Severus' eyes narrowed just before her head whipped around to look at the redhead.

"I'm sorry, what exactly do you think you're doing?" She bit out and he gave her that goofy lopsided grin that may have won her in the past. It wasn't working now.

Harry and Ginny watched with guarded looks.

"Don't bite my head off 'Mione, I made a mistake, look, meet me and talk to me, just give me a few minutes of your time." His eyes softened and she sighed, massaged the bridge of her nose. She tried to shrug Ron's arm off but it wouldn't budge and she could feel Severus' eyes burning into the side of her head.

She hoped he wasn't taking this the wrong way.

She wasn't sure why she hoped that, considering they weren't together but for some reason, she felt like they were.

As if they'd just fallen naturally into the roles and had done all but proclaim their status.

Of course, she couldn't be certain he looked at it the same way, she could hope.

"When?" Hermione heaved a breath and Ron smiled at her again. He was a sweet man, for all of his flaws he could be a good guy and she hated to just brush him off as if they hadn't been friends for more than seven years.

"I knew you'd say yes, 'Mione." He breathed a little sigh of relief and she almost elbowed him in the gut. Just when she was beginning to feel bad. Thank Merlin for that mouth of his.
"Meet me tonight, midnight, at the lake, it will be nice and private so we can talk." He smiled before he turned back to his plate and fell onto his food again.

Hermione shook her head and turned to look back at Severus. He was watching her with a raised brow and a very unamused glint in his eye. She shivered for different reasons now. She needed to speak with him before she met with Ron.

Hopefully he wasn't too terribly cross with her.

SSHG

"What was that about?" He grunted as soon as she was in his chambers, her back to the door as he grew increasingly close to her.

She took a deep breath and laced her fingers together as he came to stand toe to toe with her. Her eyes never left his, didn't want him to think she had any reason not to look him in the face.

"Hermione, tell me, please?" His forehead touched hers and he reached down to grab her fingers, twined them with his.

Yes, there was definitely something between them, she just wished he would hurry up and give it a label so she could finally know where she stood.

Was she simply entertainment or was she something more?

She had frankly ceased to care; she would take whatever time with him she could get.

His black eyes burned into her brown and she chewed her lip for a second before she spoke.

"Ron wanted to speak with me, asked me to meet him by the lake at midnight." Severus groaned, his face twisted for a brief second in what appeared to be pain before it vanished.

He tried to pull away from her but she held his fingers fast, wouldn't let him escape and he watched her with a guarded expression.

"Severus, what is this? What are we?"

He had to have known the question was coming, and of course, he had, somewhere deep inside. Still when she asked, it shocked him and he blinked a few times, had to try and get his bearings again.

This witch was getting inside his head, inside him, and she was making him feel and act in ways he would never have in the past.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment and took a deep breath.

"Hermione." He finally broke a hand free of her iron grasp and brought it up to caress her cheek. Her eyes drifted closed for a moment and he had to appreciate the beauty there.
"You wish to have an honest answer, correct, the truth?"

Her eyes flicked open, that deep amber and he almost lost himself in them.

"Yes, always the truth Severus." She breathed and he cupped her cheek, stared into her eyes, he needed her to see the honesty in his words, the depth of his feelings.

"Then, I wish to court you, I aspire to…I would like to someday marry you." He admitted and Hermione stared at him hard, eyes wide as she took in his words.

"Really?" There was a giggle in her voice. He wondered for a moment if she was mocking him and almost lashed out until he saw the tears that welled in her eyes, the pure glee on her face.

"Won't you do that? Do you really want to?" She turned her face and kissed the hand that still cupped her cheek and he gave an awed nod, not prepared for that answer.

"More than anything, witch." He rasped and Hermione leaned into his chest, her fingers releasing his on their entwined hands to come around his back. She latched onto him in the tightest hug he could ever recall receiving and his eyes were twice their usual size.

It took him a stiff moment to realize what was happening and he was oh so fortunate for the witch's patience. She waited and held him while he found his balance and his arms came around to her back to hold her stiffly. She smiled into his chest and listened to his heartbeat for a moment.

She imagined hers matched its rhythm and found she liked the idea of that.

"May I follow you to this conversation? Your safety is paramount; you are so important to me." She pulled back to look up at him and blinked a few times.

"Ron wouldn't hurt me."

"Perhaps not physically." He scowled and Hermione smoothed the crease between his brows with her thumb.

"If it will make you feel better." She shook her head and the pair broke apart, he watched her contemplatively for a second and she only managed to stare back.

"I would like to take you out on a date."

"I would love that." She smiled up at him and his thumb caressed her cheek before his hand fell away.

"Shall we read until the time arrives?" He questioned, held an arm out to her, she took it without hesitation and allowed him to lead her to his library, she remembered the sight of him coming out in his towel and turned a bright shade of red.

If he was courting her that meant more curiosity could be sated, right?