The Love of One Woman

Chapter 8

A Kiss Is Just a Kiss

***

Hermione leaned into the kiss as he captured her lips with his own, drawing her into his embrace, and pulling her as tightly as he could manage against him. Hermione lived in the moment. She not once cared if anyone seen them.

It had been far too long in feeling this way about a man, and it felt as good as heaven to be in his arms again. Even only for a very little while.

Before she knew it he pulled away from her, and was hurrying away in the opposite direction down the corridor.

"Severus!" She cried. "Wait, please!"

It was then three students exited the Great Hall, and was looking at her as if she was insane.

"Professor Potter, are you all right?" asked Eliza Jameson of Hufflepuff. Eliza was a fifth year, and in Hermione's first class tomorrow morning.

Hermione forced back her tears, and gave the three girls the brightest smile she could.

"Of course." Hermione lied, just barely so. "I just wanted to speak with Professor Snape about borrowing some text books of his. He was Potions master here for nearly twenty years, you know. He could be of great help to me."

With that odd, lame, excuse, Hermione made her way after Severus, trying not to run while the students were watching her.

**

"Severus!" She shouted, banging on the doors of the dungeons. "Please talk to me." She nearly begged. "I need to see you! Please?"

"GO AWAY!" came a hard and cold cry from the other side.

"NO!" She shouted back, equally cold sounding. "Make me!" She then shouted for good measure.

I'm going all Muggle again.

Won't he love that?

"Hermione, please go away." came a much softer reply. "I-I can't see you. Now right now!"

"Why not?" She begged again. She couldn't help it anymore.

"Hermione." His voice was soft, desperate, weak. She knew he was fighting something too. But Hermione didn't know if she wanted to fight that something, anymore.

Please, Severus...

Slowly, the doors then opened.

***

Hermione began crying upon seeing the tears in his own eyes which he had been fighting not to shed.

Wordlessly, he took her into his arms again, but this time he just held her, as he lead her inside his rooms, and closed the doors behind them.

"I'm sorry." Came an instant reply.

Hermione looked up into his kind warm eyes, and kissed his cheek softly.

"Don't be sorry." She urged him. "I'm not!"

He looked all most suprised by her words, but then really wasn't. It just seemed like the polite thing to do, as like it or not, Hermione was no longer his to kiss.

"What about Potter?" He had to ask. He had to know where her heart was in this. "Do you love him?"

"Yes."

He blinked. Not expecting that answer somehow.

"But," She began, weakly. "I don't love him like a wife should. We're always apart. Harry never- shows me affection anymore. I'm more like a sister to him than a wife. I guess- in a way- that says my feelings for him in these last years."

"But do you love him, Hermione?" Severus said, repeating the question forcefully. "Your marriage is distant now, but you did marry him. Surely you loved him at some point? Or was your union just a way in getting my attention?"

Hermione then slapped him hard across his face.

"How dare you even think I'd do that to my best friend!" Hermione hissed furiously. "Of course I cared for him!"

"Now look who can't admit to loving someone." Severus retorted back sharply. "You married him because I never asked you to marry me! Why can't you see that, Hermione? Admit it, finally, you're not perfect! You surely as hell never will be!"

"FINE!" Hermione screamed. "I did marry Harry because I couldn't have you! You happy now, you nasty git? I married my best friend to use him! Just like he uses me everyday we're together. I'm not that bloody Cho, and her four point five children. Hell, I should have picked Ron when I could have over Harry. At least I'd have children to go with my unhappy-as-hell marriage!"

"You're not happy with Potter?" Severus whispered this time.

"No." admitted Hermione tearfully. "I'm not."

There was then a knock at the doors.

Severus crossed the floors in one swift motion and opened the large wooden oaks.

"Hermione." Severus said, after a long silence.

"Yes?"

Severus then opened the doors farther to reveal who was standing there.

It was Harry.

"Welcome home, Harry." She said. But her tone was dead.

***