VI.
It took her a while to realise that he was staring at her rather oddly during the interval.
"What?"
He sneered and gestured at the unsightly glob of ice cream decorating the tip of her nose.
She looked down at it, becoming cross-eyed in the process. "Oooh."
"Oh, indeed." He looked away with an air of disdain, clearly flummoxed by her easy acceptance of the creamy substance marking her tanned face.
Hermione smiled serenely. "Does it bother you?"
"No," he snapped.
"Yes, it does."
"This conversation is over."
Hermione cast him a sly, sideways glance. "You know… You could always clean it off if it annoys you so much."
There was an extended moment of silence as Severus refused to acknowledge her.
He fidgeted restlessly before finding the adequate words.
"Do not tempt me, Miss Granger," he murmured quietly. Fiendishly.