Chapter 10

"Do you think it's possible to hurt Snape's feelings?" Hermione sat across from Harry at their local dive drinking some awful concotion that made them feel less sorry for themselves.

"You're joking right? I've never thought of him as human much less as having a heart or feelings. That's just kinda creepy. What's this all about?"

"I think I hurt his feelings the other day." Harry's eyebrows shot up and he almost spit out the sip he had just taken.

"Would you like to tell me about this?" Harry loved a bit of gossip, especially now that he wasn't the one being gossiped about. He scooted his seat closer to her.

"We were having the best conversation, it was light and witty, with a good measure of sarcasm, then I messed it up by accusing him of ulterior motives." Hermione launched into the story from the beginning, wrapping it up with his surprise visit.

"Well, I really don't see where he could be too angry with you, I mean, he's Snape. He realizes that." Harry chuckled into his glass, "I mean what did he expect? An open legs invitation?" Hermione hit Harry and mocked outrage, but couldn't help laughing herself. "Listen Hermione, all kidding aside, think about what he said. He's leaving Samuel at Halliburton. He's not looking anymore."

"Yeah, I'm sure I was his last chance."

"Or the only chance he wanted."





Hermione gathered her nerve and her towel and walked up to the boys dormitory in the Gandit house. There were quite a few cat calls from the braver seventh years that new her well. She ignored them and kept walking. She took a deep breath and knocked. Samuel opened the door and his jaw dropped. His teacher was standing in front of him in a muggle style bathing suit complete with see through sarong. A group of guys had crowded around to admire her. She whipped her head around and gave them her not-so-patented death glare. They all backed off remembering who this was and that she graded their papers. She turned back to Samuel who was eyeing her cleavage that the bikini top showed off.

She cleared her throat, "Uh hum, eyes please." Samuel's eyes traveled back up to her face. "Grab your swim suit, we're going somewhere special. I'll be waiting at the main doors. I'll give you five minutes." She turned and left chanting her current mantra in her head. 'Please let this work, please let this work.'

Samuel came out of his state of shock and ran to the floo. "Severus Snape." Samuel saw his dad's head come into the flames. "Dad, Ms. Granger is taking me swimming or something. She just came up here almost naked holding a towel, told me to grab my swim suit." Snape's eye's almost rolled in the back of his head at the thought of Hermione in a skimpy little swim suit floating on her back in a crystal lake. "Dad, stop drooling! What do I do?"

"Don't be stupid boy, grab something to swim in and go. I'll be waiting at the gates of Hogwarts." He was gone. Samuel felt a little cheated at the thought that his dad just expected him to come get him. Of course he had to remember that Hermione wasn't interested in him, except possibly as a son. He grabbed his swim trunks, which were very much like muggle ones, with a few special exceptions.





Samuel ran down the stairs bare chested and his towel thrown over his shoulder the way he had seen Hermione do. She was waiting for him just outside the doors being worshiped by the sunlight. She had donned a pair of sunglasses and her hair was swept up away from her face in a nice way, rather than her usual skin tightening bun. He tapped her on the shoulder and she turned her face to him.

"So where is he meeting us?" 'Please let this work.'

"How did you know I would call him?"

"I know him" She leaned closer to Samuel, "and you."



"He said he'd be waiting at the gates, of Hogwarts." Hermione smirked, he hadn't come to Halliburton because he knew where she was going. Without another word they walked to the apparation point. She took Samuels hand and he smiled at her, then they were gone.