Severus opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling of his hotel room, lifting his arm off his forehead and letting it fall to the empty side with a sigh. Whatever had possessed him not only to follow Miss Granger to the museum but to dinner and a stroll along the Seine, he would never be able to make sense of it. Oh he hadn't wanted to say a word to her at first, but needling little thing that she was she finally managed to get some semblance of a response out of him and it all went downhill from there.
His answer to the misinformation about wandlore had been almost involuntary, and then seeing how her eyes lit up with the possibility of knowledge she couldn't find in the Hogwarts library made everything else... very much voluntary. He hated teaching at the school, hated her incessant hand waving in the back of his classroom; but one on one she actually was able to put some decent thought into her questions, having no one to show off to. He had to admit - if only to himself - that some of her own ideas had at least a little bit of merit.
It was by unspoken agreement as the evening stretched on that, basically, what happened in Paris stayed in Paris. He was hardly going to treat the young woman like they were courting, but once the colored glasses that cast her as a child in a Hogwarts uniform was removed it was impossible not to study her. Quite often. And thoroughly. The first time she had caught him he wanted to flee immediately in shame, but by paying more attention instead of trying to keep his eyes off her he noticed he wasn't the only one taking covert glances. At least half of his were above the belt.
Which led the man to this morning and the predicament he now found himself in. His position between the Dark Lord and the no less commanding Headmaster ensured that he always had to stay three steps ahead. Even if the girl was of age it was ridiculous to think that anything could continue as it had. When they got back to Hogwarts it would already be hard enough to berate her as he always did knowing how her skin tasted under his tongue, the sounds she could make and the fact that it had been her name on his lips when he took himself in hand last night.
He would meet with her one more time, ensure that his professional facade was completely intact and then leave her to her own devices to enjoy the rest of his stay in France. Yes, that was the right thing to do. Slapping the bed as if to cement his decision he rolled off the side and began to get ready for the day. While they hadn't made actual plans, Granger hadn't neglected to tell him she was thinking about seeing the Notre-Dame today. With any luck he might catch her at the entrance.
Grumbling at his reflection after checking it one time too many, he figured his face wasn't going to change just because he had a sudden impulse to preen. Smoothing down the front of his jumper he made sure to grab his room key and wallet, wand secure as always in its holster before he dared to face the outside world. His hotel wasn't really that far from the cathedral, but a quick glance over the crowd milling around outside granted no sight of the curls he had been hoping for. And his annoyance was because he wanted to get this over with, not because she didn't wait for him, thank you very much.
Working his way through the crowd once again Severus went ahead and cast off the charm that had allowed him to slip inside early, keeping his pace slow and steady as he searched the hall. It wouldn't do anyone any good to see him rushing, least of all himself. Coming around a corner he stopped short, feet suddenly stuck to the floor as something in his chest lurched forward very much without his intention.
Gazing up at one of the stained glass windows she seemed completely oblivious to the crowd around her, a look of wonder on her face that made her seem anything but child-like. The colors danced across her skin and down along the tight sweater dress, dulled only a bit by the leather on her boots. As his gaze slowly made its way back up her legs and the rest of the knitwear he suddenly realized her eyes were on him too, making his mouth snap shut with an audible click. Well shit, as if she hadn't already thought of him as some sort of lech there was proof enough.
If the mere sight of her hadn't stolen his breath the near-blinding smile he received would be enough to crush his lungs completely. Skirting around a few other people Hermione clasped her hands together, hinting at her nerves despite the pleased expression on her face. "I didn't know if you would come, so I went ahead and came inside. But I just started to look around - and there's a tour, it starts in about ten if you want to do that. Some of the pieces in here are just beautiful..." At the amusement flickering in his eyes she seemed to realize she was babbling, a soft blush coating her cheeks before she grabbed his arm and started back down the hall. "Well come on then!"
Severus found himself nodding along, protest dying in his throat as she led him around on the tour. He couldn't have repeated a word of what the employee spouted off about the history of the place, as more often than not he found his eyes drawn to the one who far too easily slid her hand down into his and kept it there. Merlin only knew what had encouraged her daring today, but he wasn't exactly jerking away from her either. It was… nice.
Shit.