(A/N: Okay, I've been soooo busy lately, and I didn't have time to post this before. Now that the SATs are over – time to study for AP! Yay…I'll try to post more often anyways. Just to warn you, I think this is really short and really OOC, but eh. I decided to post it anyways. Maybe I'll fix it later, if I get a burst of inspiration. Ha.)

Chapter Fourteen

Hermione screamed as Ron advanced on Severus. "Ronald Bilius Weasley – stop right there!" she yelled. Harry smirked, and Ron winced at the use of his middle name. However, it did achieve the desired effect: Ron stopped in his tracks.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked in a dangerously low voice.

Ron threw up his hands, and looked to Harry for help. But Harry just made a gesture with his hands that seemed to mean, 'You're on your own, kiddo.'

"He took advantage of you, Mione…I'm just - "

"Just what? Defending my honor? I don't need two idiots like you to defend my honor! And since when is it your job to defend my honor?" Hermione was really getting into this. "Ron, you didn't have any problems with me having sex when it was with you!"

Ron blushed. Severus leaned against the wall with a smirk; it seemed this was about to get interesting.

"How dare you," she raged, her face bright red, "think that you can die, leave me for so long, step back into my life, and then all of a sudden you can manage it? No, Ronald, that is not the way things will work." She walked purposefully over toward Severus, pinned him forcefully against the wall and kissed him deeply, using lots of tongue.

When she had finished, Hermione disengaged herself from Severus, and returned, much more calm, to Ron. "Do you think that I cannot manage my own affairs? I'm 22 years old, Ron. The time turner added a year. I'm not a girl. Please, I just -- " She couldn't finish, but burst into tears, hugging Severus' too long dressing gown closer to her body. Hermione continued to sob on the floor, ignoring Harry and Ron's entreaties that she stop.

"Oh, for the love of Christ," Severus muttered. He gave one of his famous glares to the two ghosts, and scooped Hermione up in his arms. He sat down in a kitchen chair, and stroked her hair and rubbed her back until her sobbing had quieted into the occasional sniffle.

"Now, we shall all talk about this CALMLY," Severus said, turning Hermione around on his lap so that she could face Harry and Ron. "There will be no yelling, no accusations, I will have none of that. Is that clear?"

At their muttered, reluctant affirmative answers, he nodded curtly.

Harry spoke first, sounding apologetic. "'Mione, I'm sorry. We were completely out of line. Sometimes, we forget that we're dead, and we think that we are still a part of this world. It was hard for us to adjust to being ghosts."

Ron sighed, and began. "I just…Hermione, how would you feel if you walked in on me having sex with McGonagall?"

Severus could not help but snort. Hermione silenced him with a glare. "I see your point, Ron," she conceded, "but you're not here, really. You can't have a relationship with a ghost. Besides, Ron, we broke up in 7th year. You didn't have any problem with Viktor…Oh, but that was because he gave us all free tickets to important Quidditch matches, wasn't it? If Severus had season tickets to the Chudley Cannons, would everything be all right here?"

Ron blushed fiery red. "That's unfair, Hermione, and you bloody well know it," he said hotly. "Krum was at least close to our age. Snape on the other hand," he jerked a finger in the Potions master's general direction, "could be your father."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Stop right there, Ronald. I cannot listen to this bullshit."

Severus interjected. "Actually, Hermione, I think that Weasley has a point there. Why did last night happen?"

"Can't we talk about it when the Secret Service have left?" she asked, indicating Ron and Harry with her thumb.

"If you wish," he answered.

Harry started slightly. He coughed. "All right then, Ron, we're off?"

Ron rolled his eyes. He shrugged. "I suppose we don't have any choice," he said pointedly.

Hermione sighed deeply. "Come to my chambers at 8:00 tonight," she said.

Harry nodded. Ron gritted his teeth, but nodded tersely as well. They disappeared instantly.

Then Hermione did something quite unexpected. She buried her face in Severus' chest. He stroked her back, comfortingly, and allowed her to know that he was there. Finally, she gave on last, tiny shudder, and stopped.

Severus broke the silence. "Why, Hermione?"

She shrugged slightly. "I don't really know. I – I guess it was because I was lonely. I'm tired of being alone. And also, because over the last few months, I've gotten to know a very different Professor Snape than the one that I knew from my school days. I - " she smiled softly, "I like you."

He looked at her with something akin to alarm. "Excuse me?"

"I like you, Severus."

Severus slowly counted to ten. In English, French, and German. When he had finished, he spoke. "Hermione, what Weasley said was absolutely correct. I am old enough to be your father."

She blinked. "But you're not…And anyway, Severus, if last night was any indication I'd say that you like me too."

"Hermione, think about what you're saying. I was a Death Eater. I dare say you don't want to be a Hogwarts professor all your life. If word gets out that you have had any sort of relationship with me, you'll be shunned. You don't know what I did, and they do."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Are you presuming to tell me what I can and cannot do?" she asked.

Severus sighed, and mentally rolled his eyes. "No, of course not. Let's not make me out to be the chauvinistic pig here, all right? I am merely warning you of the reaction of the wizarding world should we persist in this foolish notion of a relationship."

Hermione nodded. "I can take care of myself, Severus. Most of the time, anyway." Smiling slyly, she shifted position so that she was straddling him, and allowed the top of the dressing gown to fall down slightly to offer him a tantalizing glimpse of shoulder and breast. "Do tell me where you learned to do that…thing…you did to me last night?"

Severus smiled evilly. "Why don't I just show you instead?"

*~*

Hermione sighed. She had reached the door of her rooms, but she was reluctant to turn the knob and enter. She was not looking forward to the discussion she was going to have to have with Harry and Ron. Oh well, she told herself, I might as well get it over with. She pushed open her door and went into her small living room.

Harry and Ron were waiting for her, floating tensely in mid-air. Hermione smiled shakily. "Hey, guys."

She did not receive a reply. She forced another smile, and felt her stomach lurch. "Um, lets get started then, all right?"

Ron, at a pointed look from Harry, began to speak. "Hermione…I guess that we were wrong today. Mostly me, I mean. You have a right to live your life any way that you want to, and I shouldn't have interfered."

Hermione sat down on her couch. She nodded. "I don't know if you two will ever fully comprehend the hell that I went through, after you guys died. And Severus has been…well, for lack of a better word, he's been wonderful. I was tired of being alone, Ron, and Severus was there. I really like him."

Harry looked at her, and smiled gently. "Don't worry, Hermione, we're not going to leave you again just because you slept with Snape. I say, good for you!"

Hermione laughed. Ron remained scowling, but after a minute allowed a grudging smile to cross his face. Ron began to speak. "Well, I'm sorry, 'Mione, but I don't like it. But," he added, seeing her face crumple, "I will accept it, if he is good to you. The minute that he treats you badly, he'll be joining us as ghosts."

Harry snorted. "Don't mind him, Hermione. He keeps forgetting that he's dead and cant do anything to Snape anyway."

"I guess that's why this is so hard for me to accept. Because I'm dead, and now I cannot be a part of your life."

"Yes, you can," said Hermione, tears glistening in her eyes. "Don't ever leave me like that again."

Harry and Ron smiled. "We promise."