Severus pulled away from her soft and luscious lips. He started feeling embarrassed by his actions. His white pale skin turned pink, and he tried to climb out the bed he entered. Why did I do that? God damn it! Now I made it awkward. I just couldn't help myself.

Before he could leave the bed, Hermione reached out and pulled him back down on the bed. "No, don't go Severus," she begged. "I don't want to be alone."

Severus looked at the Gryffindor witch with hooded eyes. "I am sorry for my insolence, Hermione. I shouldn't have done that."

Hermione smiled at him and put her warm hand on his cheek. She rubbed her thumb against his cheekbone and whispered, "You don't have to apologize, Severus. I wanted that. If I didn't, I would've pushed you away."

Her reassuring words released the tension he felt. He took a deep, shuddering breath. He leaned in to kiss her again, but he was interrupted by Sabrina's voice filling the quiet room.

"Daddy, what are you doing?" Sabrina called as she watched him tower over her mother. Severus stood up from the bed. The pink blush, if possible, reddened. He was caught in the act.

Hermione sat up in bed and whispered to her daughter, "I'm sorry Sabrina if we woke you. Daddy was just making mommy feel better."

Sabrina swung her legs off the bed, and she entered her mother's bed. "Was it another nightmare mommy?" Sabrina put a finger to her mouth, and she stared at her mother worriedly. "Was it that bad man again?"

Hermione's face softened by her child's words. "Yes dear it was. Let's all try to go back to sleep. We can talk more about this in the morning."

Severus nodded slowly at her words and left the room. Sabrina begrudgingly got out of the bed and returned to her own. "Goodnight mommy." She laid her head back down on her pillow and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Hermione lied awake in bed. Her mind was thinking of the dark wizard who was just a few doors down from hers. The kiss she shared did not slake her lust. No, she wanted more. So much more. She imagined the dark wizard's warm and careful hands on her breast. She imagined his sweet lips leaving love bites on her neck. She imagined his muscular arms holding her tight in bed. His deep seductive voice calling her name. The rest of the night left Hermione very unsatisfied and very sexually frustrated. She barely got any sleep the rest of the night.

Severus returned to his room. He too was having a hard time sleeping. He couldn't stop thinking about the beautiful witch down the hall. He wanted to take her in his bed. He wanted to pin her down and show her how much he wanted her. He pictured her rosy, pink nipples, her luscious breast, her long, beautiful neck, and her sexy thighs. God, he wanted it all. His pajama pants became very uncomfortable by his thoughts. All night he couldn't stop thinking about Hermione Jean Granger.

Hermione was awoken suddenly by her daughter jumping on her bed. She buried her face back into her pillow and mumbled, "Go back to bed."

"But mommy it is time to get up. I want pancakes," she shouted with excitement. She jumped off the bed and opened the door to the bedroom. She ran down the hallway looking for her daddy so he too can wake up. When she got to the door, she already saw that it was open. Her daddy had his back to her, and he was fully clothed already ready for work.

"Daddy, Mommy is having trouble waking up this morning. Can you help her?" Sabrina whined. "I want my pancakes, but she won't get up."

Severus turned and winced at the shrill of his child's voice. "Quiet down Sabrina. Daddy has a headache, and he is very tired."

Sabrina frowned and looked down at her bare feet. "I am sorry Daddy, but you promised me yesterday that you would make me pancakes this morning," she whispered.

Severus knew that little girl had him wrapped around her finger. He succumbed to her wishes, and he gently reached out his hand. "How about we give your mommy a few more minutes to wake up and I'll make you some delicious breakfast? Does that sound to your liking?"

Sabrina nodded eagerly at him. She grabbed his hand and they walked down to the kitchen. Once there, Sabrina let go of her father's hand and sat at the kitchen table. She watched as he started cooking breakfast for them.

Severus opened the door to the fridge and winced as the bright light hit his face. "I am sure going to need a pepper-up potion today," he mumbled to himself. After ten minutes ticked by, he set down a plate of pancakes in front of Sabrina and said, "What do you think?"

Sabrina looked at the pancakes and poked them with her fork. "They aren't like mommy's, but I guess I'll try them." She took her fork and began eating. After the first bite her eyes lit up. "I think I like yours even better." She continued eating happily while Severus nursed a strong cup of coffee.

While the two sat together in silence, Hermione entered the kitchen. Her hair was a complete bird's nest and there was dried drool on her chin. Her clothes were a bit ruffled from the night before and her eyes had deep dark circles. She reached up her arms and let out a yawn. "Good morning. Did I miss anything?" she whispered quietly. She was so tired. All she wanted to do was climb back into her bed, but that wasn't possible anymore. She had a job to do. She took a seat in the available chair and put her head in her hands.

"Mommy, are you alright?" Sabrina asked quietly to her mother.

"I had trouble sleeping last night," she groaned.

Severus approached Hermione and set a steaming cup of coffee in front of her. "Drink this. This will help. We have about an hour before we need to be at the store."

Hermione drank the cup of coffee slowly. She was trying to settle her nerves. She wasn't expecting last night's events and it made her question everything. As her lips were on the cup she thought about Severus's lips. She wanted to taste them again. That one quick kiss wasn't enough, but she didn't want to embarrass herself by making her thoughts known. She fought hard not to stare at the man in front of her. Her thoughts tormented her all night and did not seem to settle down now that it was morning. She was going to have trouble focusing on potions today and she hoped Severus would be lenient. She stayed quiet during breakfast as her mind continued to replay last night's kiss. She finished her coffee and whispered, "Can you watch Sabrina while I get ready?" Her eyes barely met his as she stood up from her chair.

He nodded his head once and watched her climb up the stairs, returning to her bedroom. He turned to his daughter who was just finishing up her last pancake. "Alright Cherub, what do you want to do while we wait?" He took the plate from her and magically scorgified it. He waved his wand and put the dish back into the cabinet.

"Will you play with me and Hoppy?" she asked excitedly. She skipped all the way to the living room and picked up her forgotten stuffed animal off the floor. She turned to her daddy and said, "Okay daddy you sit on the floor with us so we can play."

Thirty minutes went by, and Hermione was ready to leave to begin working. She looked at herself in the mirror and adjusted her hair with her hand. She nodded at herself in the mirror looking much better than before. Her hair was well tamed with her frizz serum in place, her clothes were not rumpled, and her chin no longer had drool on it. She looked absolutely perfect, and she left the bathroom door in search of Severus and Sabrina. She entered the living room to find Severus tickling Sabrina. Sabrina was giggling and squirming in delight. She smiled at them and said, "Are you ready to leave?"

Severus stopped tickling Sabrina and stood up from the floor. "Yes, I believe so." He helped Sabrina get up and the three of them gripped hands. Severus apparated them out of the house and they appeared in the alleyway right down the road to his shop. They walked in silence together until they reached the store. He took out his keys and unlocked it and led them inside. Sabrina ran to her playroom in delight which left Severus and Hermione alone.

She couldn't find her courage. She honestly felt like a schoolgirl with her first crush. She wanted to pull him down and kiss him with all her might, but instead, she walked to the back room where their lab was. "So, what are we doing today?"

"We got an order in the other day for some blood replenishers for St. Mungo's. Do you remember how to make them?" he asked. He was having a hard time gauging his options. Her behavior this morning struck him as odd, and he didn't want to push the envelope.

She snorted at his question. "Fifth year, Severus. I'm pretty sure I know what to do." The two began working on their potion being very careful not to have their cauldron on too high. Severus felt his nervousness from before quickly evaporate as he began brewing. He was clearly in his element as he began chopping the ingredients at a rapid pace. Hermione on the other hand was struggling to focus.

She gripped her stirring rod and stirred the potion clockwise like she remembered from school. She continued to add the ingredients to the cauldron. She was trying very hard to focus and remember the instructions, but her mind wouldn't let her. Her mind began to wander to a naughty fantasy she had.

They were working on the lab in silence until Severus pushed everything off Hermione's table. He picked her up in his strong arms and placed her on the table. He growled in her ear, "You are so hot, Hermione. I want to take you now where you stand. I want to bury myself inside you and never leave again."

Hermione let out a moan and she pulled his body closer to her with her legs. Her long tanned legs were now wrapped around his waist. She reached up and pulled him down to meet her soft pink lips…

Her fantasy was broken when she heard Severus screaming her name in urgency. She stared down at her potion and saw it bubbling over. Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. With a quick wave of her wand, she vanished the contents and sent the cauldron to the sink to be washed. She stood in mortification. She never failed a potion in front of Severus before.

Severus put a tempus charm on his cauldron and approached her. "What is the matter with you today?" Instead of the mean and sarcastic tone Severus was used to speaking when looking at a failed potion instead it was a soft and concerned one.

She blushed hard as he stared at her waiting for an answer. She bit her lip, unsure if she should share where her mind had been lately. She stared down at the table too afraid to meet his eyes.

He reached out and gently lifted her chin to look at him. "All morning you've been frazzled. This isn't like you, Hermione." His thumb gently stroked her cheek in a rare moment of affection from him.

She blurted out, "I can't stop thinking about our kiss!" Her cheeks reddened by her sudden outburst. Way to go, Hermione! What is he going to say now? Please don't turn me down. Her eyes filled with tears at the sudden thought of him leaving her side.

His eyes filled with warmth. He went around the table and gently pulled her into his arms. "I can't stop thinking about it either," he murmured against her hair. "I wanted to kiss you again last night, but Sabrina interrupted us."

She swallowed her fear and whispered, "Do you still want to kiss me?"

His eyes flashed with lust. "Yes Hermione, I really do." He leaned in and pressed his lips to her. He gently rubbed his tongue along her bottom lip, and she opened her mouth allowing him to enter. They both fought for dominance over the kiss neither one of them wanting to pull away. Just like in her fantasy he lifted her up on to the table and continued to kiss her passionately. He pulled away and pressed his forehead against hers trying to catch his breath.

Hermione smiled up at him cheekily. "I wanted you to kiss me ever since I saw you at the store," she admitted. "I don't have any experience with this. No one else has intrigued me besides you."

"Hermione, I want to-" They were interrupted when they heard the door to the shop close. He cursed and quickly left the storeroom.

Hermione got off the table and followed him to see who the customer was that entered the store. Hermione's heart dropped when she saw Ginny and Ron standing in the middle of the room. Her eyes stung at the memory of the harsh words they called her. She felt for her wand wanting to hex them both for the way they treated her.

Ron didn't even notice she entered the room. His eyes were on the dark wizard in front of him who he believed to be dead. "Harry was right! The greasy git is alive."

Hermione found her voice and shouted with her wand drawn, "Leave him alone!" She felt an overwhelming sense of protection over him. She'll be damned if he left her again. She looked at Ginny and saw that Ginny was pregnant and had a ring on her finger. More tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She wanted to be there for them. She wanted to go to their wedding. She wanted to help pick out baby names. Her heart hurt extremely by the betrayal.

Ron gave Hermione a nasty grin. "Not surprised to see this is where you ended up, Hermione. It's not a ditch, but this is close enough."

His words hurt her. The boy she imagined one day possibly marrying now hated her. Before she could respond Severus did instead. He went around the desk and approached the young man easily towering over him. "How dare you speak to her that way?" His voice was dripping with malicious intent. "I will not allow you to continue to speak to her that way while you are in my shop, Weasley." He looked briefly at Ginny and said, "Another bloody Potter I presume?"

Ginny slowly nodded at the dark wizard's words. She started stepping back a bit. She didn't want to be in the middle of this. Ginny looked at Hermione with a sad look in her eyes. She was starting to feel guilty of her actions. She accepted what everyone had told her. She foolishly believed that Hermione went off and cheated on Ron but now she wasn't so sure anymore.

Ron glared at Severus. "I can talk to her anyway I see fit. What are you going to do about it?" His Gryffindor courage knew no bounds. Hermione watched in satisfaction as Severus reared back and punched him in the face.

Ginny stuttered, "C-come on, Ron. I think we should go. You can't take him on." She reached for her brother's hand not wanting him to get hurt.

Ron's nose started bleeding by the sudden force of the punch. Severus smirked at the broken nose he caused. "I always wanted to do that," he declared. "Now get the fuck out of my shop and stop harassing us. You can also tell that to fucking Potter when you see him. Hermione and I are very happy, and we do not need you three dunderheads to fuck it up." His voice boomed in anger. He wanted to hit the boy again, but he held back. Ron slowly stepped back as well and grabbed his sister's hand. The two quicky ran out of the store.

Hermione let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She put her wand away and smiled admiringly at the man that just stood up for her. "Thank you, Severus. I appreciate you standing up for me."

Severus shook his hand and cast a healing spell. A purple bruise appeared on his knuckles, and he turned to face the lovely witch. "Not just you, Hermione. I stood up for us. I meant it when I said that we are happy. I want us to be happy." Hermione's love for him skyrocketed. She ran to him and hugged him to her tightly. She rested her cheek against his chest relishing in the warmth that he provided.