Authors Note:

CLIFFHANGER ALERT! Hope you guys enjoy….Thanks again for the reviews and my story followers! I never thought I would get this many it is very encouraging.

I'm currently looking for a beta reader so the next chapter may be a bit delayed for editing.

I do not own these characters or the world of Harry Potter…blarty blar blar…..

Chapter 4: First "date"

Severus and Hermione arrived back at Spinners End. They walked back into Severus home and sat in the sitting room neither of them speaking. Severus got up to fix some tea and brought it back to the sitting room. He was staring at Hermione. She was staring at the floor with a very sorrowful look on her face. She was visibly upset and he wasn't certain on how to comfort her in the manner that she needed. He was about to go to her when he heard a pecking noise on the window. He turned and noticed a very hyper active owl. He got up and let the owl into the house.

The owl flew into the window circling the room landing on the sofa by Hermione. Bouncing ridiculously too much around her; Severus noticed it was carrying a red envelope. Dear Merlin one of them had received a howler. Severus didn't have time to remove the envelope from the owl's beak before the letter jumped up in front of Hermione's face and Ginny Weasley's voice erupted out of the transformed envelope.

HERMIONE GRANGER! HOW DARE YOU SHOW UP UNANNOUNCED WITH SEVERUS SNAPE! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! YOU OF ALL PEOPLE KNOW DAMNED WELL THAT NO ONE IS SUPPOSE TO KNOW ABOUT DAD AND RONS DEATH. WE HAVE KEPT IT QUITE FOR MONTHS AND NOW YOU GO BLABBING YOUR MOUTH TO HIM! TO HIM! WE TRUSTED YOU! YOU ARE OFFICALLY UNINVITED TO THE WEDDING! NEVER SHOW YOUR FACE AT THE BURROW AGAIN! MOM IS HEART BROKEN THAT YOU CHOSE HIM OVER US…we all are….

The howler ripped itself into pieces and fell to the floor. Hermione covered her face with her hands. She didn't want to cry…not again. How could she have been so stupid to tell anyone about Ron and Arthur's death? She just assumed that it was ok to tell Severus. Especially after all that had happen how could they doubt his trust? She threw herself onto the sofa and buried her face up into the cushions.

Severus was shocked that he was still unwelcome amongst the Weasley's. He could only imagine that his loyalty would always be in question. Now he felt horrible and solely responsible for Hermione losing for what he could only assume were her last remaining ties to a family. He heard another tapping on the window. This time it was a beautiful white owl sitting on the ledge of his window. He walked over and fetched yet another letter this time however, the letter was not a howler and was addressed to him. He took the letter and sat back down in his arm chair.

Professor Snape,

I think my lunatic fiancé sent Hermione a howler please intercept the owl before it reaches its target.

In the event you are unable to deter the owl and Hermione receives the howler please inform her that the invitation to MY wedding is still good. If you would like I will send you an invitation also. Please over look Molly and Ginny right now they are…..having a very hard time and blaming everyone else for anything and everything that goes wrong.

If you would like to have a drink tomorrow evening for a proper explanation of what's really going on please meet me in muggle London tomorrow evening, 7pm at Sebastian's.

Thanks,

Harry

Severus got up and walked over to his desk. He took out parchment and wrote a reply to Harry reluctantly agreeing to meet him in London. He immediately regretted it the moment he sent the owl out the window. He glanced back over at Hermione who was still sobbing into his sofa cushions. "Must you sodden my cushions?" He walked over to Hermione who was now staring at him with pure rage in her eyes. Perhaps that was a poor question to ask at this moment…..

Hermione became the definition of fury in two seconds flat! She jumped up from the couch and slapped Severus directly in the face. She had enough of his…his…she didn't know what to call it she was too furious to think straight. She knew her emotions were clearly written all over her face…she couldn't deny how hurt she was by his five simple words. She was probably over reacting but she walked past him and hurried for the front door. She needed to get away from him as quickly as possible.

Severus was shocked that she had slapped him in the face. That really wasn't necessary. What a total drama queen! Wait…where is she going? Surely she's not leaving now…he wasn't exactly fond of her company, but he had grown accustomed to someone being around.

Hermione looked back at Severus with tears in her eyes. She walked out the front door and apparated home. She dropped to her knees in her bedroom floor. She had really made a mess of things this time. Everyone she loved was completely gone from her life. And now the only thread she had remaining just told her not to cry on his sofa out of fear that she would "sodden" his cushions! The nerve of that man never ceased to surprise her at all.

Severus watched her walk to the door. Where was she going? SHIT! She's leaving! NO! He quickly walked to the front door, he heard it close, CRACK, and she was gone. He opened the front door and dropped his head. She was really gone. Was she coming back? Why did he care? He shook his head. Good riddance! To much drama for his liking now he could start planning his future. His lonely, lonely, future….he quickly turned and walked back into the sitting room. He paced around his desk for several minutes thinking of his next move.

He sat back at his desk and took out a piece of parchment. He needed to write an advertisement for the sale of his house. He hoped he could sale his family home for enough money to buy a new one far away from here and have enough left over to start his apothecary. He heard yet another tap on his window. WHATS WITH THE FREAKING OWL'S! This bird at least looked a bit more official than the last two he had received at his home earlier. He walked over to the window and yet again took another envelope out of the owl's beak. He hoped it was from Hermione but based off of the writing it looked as if it were from the ministry.

Dear Headmaster Snape,

It was with the utmost delight to hear the news that you had awaken from your coma. We all at the ministry are extremely pleased to hear that you are also in perfect health. As you are aware you were awarded the Order of Merlin First Class and with that prestigious honor that was bestowed upon you is indeed quite a large perk. We have deposited 10,000 galleons into your account at Gringotts.

An award ceremony has been scheduled for the (re)presentation of your award. Please join us on Saturday September 19, 1998 at 8:00 PM. We do request that you bring a date for this is going to be an official Ministry Ball, in your honor, following the medal presentation ceremony.

Thank you and have a lovely day,

Minister of Magic,

Kingsley Shacklebolt

Severus stumbled backwards into his chair. 10,000 galleons? That had to be a mistake. Since when did they start paying people for bravery? A ball could work in his favor. He would send Hermione an apology letter and ask her to the ball. He should most likely send them in separate letters though. Severus took yet another piece of parchment out onto his desk and started writing Hermione an apology.

Dearest Hermione,

I must say that my hand at friendship isn't exactly the most delicate or refined. I have quite a bit I would like to learn about you and I do hope you can overlook my coarseness in the future as I am trying to tone it down just a tad. Please forgive me for my error earlier today and join me for dinner tonight.

Severus

Severus gave the letter to the owl that was still jumping around on his sofa and instructed it to take his letter to Hermione. He hoped that she would not ignore him and his apology. He after all did have a soft spot in his heart or he would have never kept a twenty year promise to a dead woman. In which case everyone in the wizarding community now knew he was, as Rita Skeeter called it, a hopeless romantic. In his mind hopeless was the key word to focus upon. It was hard to believe that he had spent twenty years waiting for a moment quit like what he had in front of him now. No master to run too. Lord Voldemort was dead. The wheels in his mind were really going crazy at the grand life he had ahead of him. He returned to his desk with a crooked smile across his face to finish his advertisement.

After sending off his ad for the sale of his house he returned to the kitchen. He went through all of the cabinets wondering exactly what he would fix Hermione for supper if she actually showed up. He thought for certain he would have received a reply from her by now. It suddenly dawned on him that he would not have to cook in his home. He had money in his Gringott's account now and he could simply take her out if she did show. He hurried upstairs and proceeded to shower, shave and change his cloths.

Meanwhile…..

Hermione lay on her floor staring at the ceiling. She was confused about Ginny, Molly and what she had done to poor Severus. She felt incredibly guilty and was certain that she had over reacted to the whole situation. Harry would never allow her to miss his wedding. She was certain of that and if the way George was acting towards her earlier this morning had any indication of his feelings she knew he would calm his mother down.

She sat up and made her way to the rest room. She was in desperate need of a shower. She couldn't help but think about Severus. She was shocked to feel that she actually missed the horrid greasy git. She knew it was the potions lab that made his hair greasy but it was still fun to call him a greasy git. Perhaps after her shower she would write him an apology.

Hermione took her shower and managed to find some sweatpants and a t-shirt in her dresser. She couldn't remember the last time she had washed cloths. She couldn't exactly remember the last time she spent this much time at home just wondering about the house. Since her parents death the house didn't really feel like home. Maybe she should sale the house and move away. She always wanted to move to France and open a book store. After all a book store is what she had been working towards the last few month. She had acquired at least a thousand magical books in the last four months and her gringott's account was getting a bit thin.

Lost in thought about her bookstore and selling the house Hermione didn't hear the owl at her window at first. She was rambling aloud making her way to the kitchen when she was startled by a loud thump hitting the front door. She slowly made her way to look through the peep hole and seen the bouncy owl on her front porch. She opened the door and allowed the bird to fly into the house. The bird dropped the letter at her feet and landed atop the banister on the staircase.

Hermione picked up the letter and seen that it was from Severus. A letter from Severus, why would he be sending her a letter? She opened the envelope and read his apology. She was shocked. He actually wanted her to come back to his home and eat dinner with him. There was something wrong with this picture. Was she missing something? She took the letter to the kitchen and sat at the breakfast nook studying the letter. Should she go or should she stay? She had to weight the pros and cons of this decision. A few hours later she went to her room and retrieved a piece of parchment from her school trunk. She wrote her reply and sent the owl back to Severus. What should have been an easy decision had turned into the decision of lifetime. It would have been easier to decide on a marriage to a stranger.

Hermione went to her closet and started looking for an appropriate outfit for dinner. She was debating whether this date was a date amongst friends or was this a "date". She had never been on a real date before so she had no experience on how to tell the difference. Suffice to say this was most likely a date between friends and her assumption that it could be a "date" was silly. Professor Snape would never be romantically interested in her…ever!

After several attempts at different outfits she finally decided on a dress that her mother bought her just before her sixth year. It was a very tight form fitting dress but it was a floral design with a flowing knee length skirt. She found a long sleeve sweater that would cover her scars and she was ready to go. She apparated to Severus' front steps and knocked on the door.

She was taken back when he answered the door. This was not typical Severus Snape at the door. Maybe this was a date! He was dressed very sharply with what appeared to be a rather expensive long sleeved blue silk shirt tucked into some very nice black trousers. Had he been shopping? All these cloths looked new. And when did he become muscular? Did his robes cover this up in school? His hair looked so soft she wanted to reach out and touch it. She suddenly realized she was gawking at him with her mouth hanging open.

Severus noticed Hermione was a bit taken back by his appearance. He didn't feel however that this was bad considering her mouth was agape! He felt a sudden boost in his confidence. This was a new reaction for him and he must admit he did enjoy the moment.

"Hermione are you alright?"

"Uh..y-y-yes. Yes I'm quite alright. Thank you for asking and for the apology." She stammered what was wrong with her! She only done this in front of men she found incredibly attractive. Did she find him attractive? She began to stare at him again.

Severus could not believe she was stammering. What has gotten into her this evening! "You are welcome. I thought we may go out for dinner, if that was ok with you?"

"Yes yes that's….that is fine." She needed to maintain before she made a fool of herself!

He walked down the steps and offered Hermione his arm. There was a restaurant a short walk from his home and he thought the walk would do them some good after this mornings events. "Potter sent an owl this morning apologizing for Ms. Weasley's behavior. He requested that I inform you of an open invitation to his wedding. I found it quite comical that he also invited me to his wedding."

"That was nice of him to invite you but I fail to see why that would be a comical situation. Harry has a new found respect for you Severus. He truly admires what you done to honor his mother." As if he didn't think this would be a possibility. My he smells good…smells good? What is wrong with her!?

"I can honestly say that I see no point in any further contact with Potter or that wretched fiancé of his or her family."

"Do you not wish to maintain any relations with anyone from your past?"

"For now, no, I have only considered you Hermione."

She wasn't sure if she should be flattered by this comment or confused. She nodded and they continued their walk to the restaurant. She wondered just exactly what type of relations he was expecting from her and what plans he had for his future. They had arrived at the restaurant and were waiting to be seated. It was nice not seeing wondering eyes in their direction. It seems for her that muggle dining was the most appropriate way to go. The hostess led them to their table and took their drink order.

"What plans do you have with your new found future Severus?" She was dying to know what he had in store with the gift she had given him. She was also dying to know if he had immediate plans after dinner!

"I haven't made my plans to far out at the moment. Short term I plan to sell my home and move. Once I decide on where to move too I plan to open a mail order apothecary."

"Well your plans sound quite similar to my own. I believe I'm going to sell my parents home and move to France. I would like to open a book store and focus on restoration. Have you decided where you want to move?"

"No I haven't given that much thought; somewhere quite and out of the way preferably. Why do you desire to live in France?"

"It's quite and out of the way." She smirked.

"Why do you wish to move so far away from home Hermione?"

Her smirk faded, "I just don't wish to be here any longer. Why do you wish to move away?"

"I hope to find a wife and raise a family in the country side." It was his turn to smirk. He knew she wasn't prepared to hear that answer. He just hoped she took the hint. "Tell me why you wish to open a book store?'

A family….did he seriously say he wanted a family? She never expected him to want something like that. The loner of the Order wanted a family. He had put his life on hold for such a long time maybe this was what he wanted all along and it was never a possibility once he took the dark mark; especially with the love of his life being taken by Harry's father already.

"As you know I am a bit of a bookworm. Insufferable know it all should sound familiar to you. I love knowledge and I am always eager to learn more. I especially love old books I have quite the collection at home already and quite a large inventory ready for shelving."

"You already have an inventory?" He was impressed she is quite prepared for her future endeavors. He barely suppressed a laugh when she mentioned the familiar statement, "And you are an insufferable know-it-all!" He laughed cordially.

She couldn't help the laughter that poured out of her. He was right she was a know it all she just never wanted to admit it out loud. It felt so good to laugh. After a few minutes she finally suppressed her laughing to answer his question. "Yes I have quite the impressive inventory at my home. I've been working on my days off preparing for my book store. I hope to have it opened within a year. Would you like to see them after dinner?"

"Yes I believe I would like to see your books." He would also like to see her home and more of her.

They ordered there food and continued the trivial chit chat nothing of any real substance. It wasn't exactly mindless idle chat but mostly about books and Severus' apothecary. As the dinner came to a close Severus paid the bill and offered Hermione his arm to leave the restaurant. They laughed and found the others company quite enjoyable finding many similarities between them. Once they arrived back at Spinner's End Hermione asked Severus if he was ready to see her books. She apparated them to her home into her bedroom, "I apologize but the apparition point in this house is my bedroom." Hermione awkwardly pointed out that this was her bedroom.

"If you wanted me in your bedroom you only needed to ask." He said with a sly smirk. He watched Hermione as her face flushed red and her head dropped. She quickly led him out of her room and down the stairs. He was startled for all he could see was books upon books. His mouth fell open with a profound look of astonishment crossing his face. He was in heaven. These weren't just any books. These were highly sought out books throughout the magical community. Some of these books were worth thousands of galleons. He lightly ran his fingers across the titles as he passed the many rows of books.

"What do you think? Do I have a good start?" She hadn't shown anyone what she had been doing with her spare time. Everyone automatically assumed that she was mourning or crying her days away with Severus. No one cared enough to ask her what she was doing to help her cope with losing everyone she loved.

"Hermione this is by far the most exquisite collection of books I have seen in quite some time. Thank you for sharing this with me. Where did you get all of these books from?"

"I helped do a few raids on some…shall I say…well known wizards…they had so many "dark artifacts" in their libraries we had to attain them…and I have also been working part time at Flourish and Botts."

"Ahh…that's why so many of these titles look familiar. You have been to Malfoy manor."

"Yes I was recruited by Harry the first month after Voldemort fell to do a few raids. I must say that over half of my collection came from those homes. They were of no use to those wizards any longer though. I don't believe their libraries will be useful in Azkaban."

"No I don't suppose they will be using them in Azkaban. Well if you need any help setting up your library please allow me to assist you, some of these books are quite delicate you don't want just anyone touching them."

"I wouldn't allow anyone to move these books. I will however, take you up on your offer. Not many people know their value."

Severus walked over closer to Hermione. He needed to ask her about the ball but he wasn't for certain if this was an appropriate time. He really didn't want to go but he felt as if he were obligated to conform for this one night.

"Hermione, do you have any plans for Saturday night?"

"No. My Saturday nights are usually filled with tending to you or inventory on my books. Seeing as to how you no longer need tending I will most likely be doing my inventory and organization." He didn't realize it yet but Saturday was her birthday. With no real friends or parents to celebrate her special day she felt it pointless to mention it to Severus.

"Would you be interested in being my date to the Ministry's Ball they are holding in my honor?" He felt like he was back at Hogwarts asking Lily to the Yule Ball. He had a strong feeling this time though that the answer would not be no.

"You want to take me to the ball as your date?" Oh this was an interesting situation but perhaps this may be just what she needed to judge his intentions. He was quite handsome in his own intellectual way.

"Yes" He wouldn't elaborate he was having enough problems with self control at the moment without adding to the problem. He couldn't control himself when he brushed the back of his fingers across her cheek. He was shocked that she didn't push him away. He continued down the side of her neck over her shoulder and down her arm. He put his hand into hers and pulled her fingers to his lips were he kissed them very gently and repeated his question. "Would you please join me Saturday night at the Ministry Ball?" He turned her hand over and kissed her palm smiling very gently. He hoped she would say yes.