Imaginary Inamorato.
By Kes.
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter related thing-a-ma-jigs belong to JKR. I just like to set them loose in the forbidden forest for them to play. I promise to put them all back in the toy box when I'm done.
A/N: Thanx a lot to all my lovely reviewers! I like your ideas lol. They almost put me and my er....muse....*g* to shame! Btw, I spell magic as magick, mainly cos I'm just me, and I'm special ;-), but also because that's how us Wiccans/Pagans etc spell (no pun intended) it.
To Theshinonbiyoru: *hugs* I hope you and your family feel better too! It'll all be okay in the end.
To all of my reviewers (I'm sorry, I don't have the patience or skill to copy and paste all your names - don't take it personally!) Thanx! To explain the '9 more to go....' he's got a list of....er....well, lets just say places he'd like him and Hermione to er...yeah, well, you know....
The title of the chapter: Keeping up appearances (look, I can spell! *blushes*) I suppose belongs to Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced bu-k-e i.e.: flowers).
PS: (soz, this is getting long) It may sound somewhat sappy, but I'm trying to make this 'realistic'. I mean, this is Hermione people! And please keep in mind that I'm attempting to keep this from the 'mindless smut' category, no matter how much I'm failing....oh well *grins* So stick with me! pwease? *puppy dog eyes*
~*~
Hermione paced the Common room, she had ten minutes until her detention with Snape. She was trying to look nervous.
But the truth is, I'm terrified.
Hermione walked slowly and calmly down the stairs and winding corridors to the dungeons. She smiled at the few people she met, and scowled at the Slytherins, who looked smug as she had a 'detention'.
As she knocked on the door, she attempted to squash the butterflies in her stomach.
"Come in."
He sounded almost civil.
As she walked in, he scowled. But, as soon as the door shut behind her, he smiled at her. She did so in return, if somewhat shyly.
She took a deep breath. "I want to talk."
Talk? Oh no, what have I done wrong? Is she unhappy? I should've known that this wouldn't last....
He attempted to sound passive. "Yes....?"
"About us."
"Us?"
"Yes."
"Ok."
He's not exactly making this easy.
"I wanted to ask you something."
"Ask away."
"Are you just 'with' me for the sex?" She blurted out. Instantly, she turned away, not wanting to see or hear the rejection.
There was a pause.
"Because, I mean, we've never talked. Not really. You don't know anything about me. I just feel....like we've missed a few steps in our relationship. If we have one."
"I know a lot about you. We've never really talked. That's true. But, I don't see this as a platonic relationship at all. I like you, a lot."
"Prove it. Prove you know me." She moved to sit down on the other side of his desk, which he'd moved in her fifth year.
"Alright." He went to sit back down opposite her, and brought the chess board with him. As he sat down, he set the board up for the game. She had white.
"Your full name, is Hermione Anne Granger. Your parents are muggles, they're both dentists, which, I believe - although, correct me if I'm wrong (she raised a sceptical eyebrow) - somewhat like medi-witches, although they only carry out operations and such on teeth?" She nodded.
He looked at the board, it was his turn, and, as he contemplated his first move, he continued with his 'assessment' of her.
"Your favourite subjects are Potions, transfiguration, and Arithmancy. You - thank Merlin - dislike 'Professor' Trelawny. You used to be obsessed with books, being one of the few in your year, including the Ravenclaw's - to voluntarily pick up a book. However, now, you have more....adventurous....pastimes. You would like to become an animagus, and also a Professor here at Hogwarts, but are too scared to tell anyone, for fear of ridicule. Also, you recently mastered the art of broom-flying. A noticeable feat for any muggle-born, as many find that difficult. Your favourite game is chess, although you do not play it very often, as it annoys Mr Weasley when you beat him. I believe that your favourite book of 'all time' is a muggle classic 'Sense and Sensibility'. I too enjoy that book, as many muggle literature books are better written than 'pure-blooded' wizard writings.
"Ok, so your right. You do know a lot about me....But, not that much really. I'd like us to talk more."
"Of course. I would enjoy your input and views on many subjects. You're - you're one of the few people here who....know how to have an intelligent conversation." Getting a complement from Severus was like pulling teeth from a dragon. Nearly impossible, and very painful for the dragon.
She stared at him, with a mock-surprised look about her features.
"What? Was that a complement from Severus Snape? Oh dear God! I think I'm about to faint!"
"Ahh yes, 'Frailty, thy name is woman.'"
"Don't you quote at me, mister!"
They continued to talk for a great deal while longer, bantering long into the early morning, until they reached a stalemate.
They both replied. "No one's ever done that before!"
"By the way, just out of curiosity, how did you know I was in your room the.... er, other night? I thought I'd taken care of everything."
She smiled cryptically....
~*~
....Hermione awoke that morning, bleary-eyed and still tired. She got a shower, got dressed, picked up her book bag, and was about to walk out the door when -
*crunch*
"Oops! - What was that anyway?"
She fumbled in her cloak for her wand and performed a simple fixing charm on the broken glass object.
"Accio!"
The small glass vial scooted up to her hand, and she looked at Crookshanks who'd just woken up.
"This isn't mine. I don't take potions out of the laboratory....and we're not allowed to use glass bottles anyway, only a professional woul-"
She smiled.
'Paranoid', eh?
~*~
She strolled purposely down the numerous corridors. Professor Snape always left his room open early in the morning for the NEWTS students to study if they wanted to. It was usually only Hermione and a couple of Ravenclaw's - and the occasional annoyed Ron and Harry - who ever came here.
But today, there was no one.
Good. Now I can test it.
They had been working for the past week on learning how to decipher what potion was in an empty bottle. They hadn't gone as far as using a totally empty bottle, usually a small amount would be left, but she was sure that she could figure it out....
Half an hour later, just as she began to get hungry, she cried out a cliched "Eureka!" It was an invisibility potion? But, who, why? We haven't even covered those yet. Thank goodness I've done the basics on most of this years syllabus, otherwise, I wouldn't know what it was! But, there's only one person who would know how to make it, let alone what it was. Professor Snape -
She blushed.
Oh. Dear. God.
He'd been there, watching her...helping me. Oh no. I can never go to potions again! But, he
didn't do anything - well, he did, but not in class - he knows! Maybe, he like me too....
She grinned.
Her stomach rumbled.
....she was glad breakfast lasted for an hour. She'd have about ten minutes to eat if she hurried....
~*~
After she'd told Severus how she'd figured out who she was, she'd bided him goodnight. With the intention of sleeping in her own bed. He, however, had other ideas. She remembered saying goodnight as she yawned slightly and rose out of her chair, as he simultaneously rose out of his, and kissed her softly on the lips.
However, as innocent as the gesture was intended, they both soon got caught in the moment. Before she knew it, her hands were in his hair, and he'd backed her up against the door, when he said (somewhat calmly),
"No. Not here. Bed."
He picked her up delicately, as if she were a precious flower he was afraid he might break.
He carefully laid her down on his bed, and they proceed to undress each other, taking their time, marvelling in the beauty of the others body. As they caressed and savoured the taste of each others skin, as if for the first time, they slowly came as one, as hips gyrated in a smooth rhythmic pattern, to a music of their own, and fell asleep in each others arms.
~*~
A/N2: I'm (hopefully) gettin' a beta! whoo! This chappy's up without being beta-ed because I felt bad about not updating for ages, well, it was ages for me anyway! Hope you liked it, btw R/R!!!! (please ;-)
'Frailty, thy name is woman.' is from Hamlet. By....oh please, you know who wrote that!
Next chapter 2moz? Well, I'll try. I know - sort of - what I'm doing with it. It'll be more smutty though. He needs to complete his 'to do' list).