Chapter 6

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Neither knew quite what to say about what had just happened, and so they said nothing, continuing on their way in silence for several minutes. The marketplace and its noise disappeared on the path behind them, and soon they were left with only their thoughts and each other. Discomfited by the silence, Hermione spoke up. "I bought some food for lunch; there's a garden not too far from here, one of my favorites. I thought we'd stop there and eat before heading back." When Severus didn't answer, Hermione continued. "I'm sorry about back there... I don't know why Rosa assumed... I mean, silly really, isn't it?" She laughed weakly.

Snape's jaw clenched involuntarily. "Yes, absolutely ridiculous, Miss Granger. Can't understand why anyone would think that you'd even deign to consider the greasy old Potions Master as anything other than the professor who tormented you through seven years of school. I'd imagine you can't wait to get back home and floo up Potter and Weasley for a bloody good laugh about it." He increased his pace, wanting to put as much distance as he could between himself and that meddling old woman who'd made a shambles of everything.

Hermione's face was stricken. "That isn't what I meant... Severus, you've got to..." He continued walking briskly. "Severus, please." He stopped and turned towards her, still unwilling to look her in the eyes. "What I meant was that it was silly to think you'd ever see me as anything more than a buck-toothed, know-it-all little girl. I know you don't want to be here, I know that, but I wanted to enjoy your company for as long as I could. I'm sorry if I've made a mess of it." She bit her lip and, suddenly, seemed very small. Severus put his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching out to her.

"I'm sorry," he said, low enough that she might've missed it. After a few moments of tense silence, they continued on their way, each stealing sideways glances at the other and looking away quickly when they thought they'd be caught. In that same low voice, so quiet Hermione later wondered if she'd imagined it, he said "You're much more than a little girl, Hermione. And you'd have to be less observant than I not to know that."

She didn't know how to respond, and after a few minutes of blushing anxiety slipped her arm in his. He did not remove it.

***

"This is it. El Carmen de los Martires - the Carmen of the Martyrs." Hermione dropped his arm and stepped forward into the mottled shade of the garden. "It's not very much compared to some of the other gardens in the area, but for some reason it's become one of my favorite places. When I first moved here I would come and sit, for hours sometimes." Severus ducked underneath a low hanging palm branch and entered the garden. Immediately, he was refreshed; it seemed at least ten degrees cooler under the shade of the trees, by one of the numerous fountains that burbled contentedly. Statues were seemingly everywhere he looked; he stepped closer to one of them in order to get a better view.

Hermione came up beside him. "A saint - one of the martyrs this place was named for, I suppose." He touched the rough edge of the stone that bounded the neck and wrists - where there should have been palms and a face, there was nothing. The broken stone had been smoothed by the weather, he could tell; apparently the statue had been missing its appendages for some time. Hermione saw the question in his touch and continued. "Many of the statues here are missing their heads and hands - people would break them off and take them home, for good luck."

Now that he looked around, he saw that nearly every statue was indeed missing its head and hands, painting a rather gruesome image amidst the innocuous beauty of the garden. "I'll leave you to explore for a while, then," Hermione said, laying a hand on his upper arm and squeezing gently, familiarly. "Come find me when you're ready for a bit of lunch, will you?" And she was off, leaving him to himself and the foliage.

Severus watched her walk away, and realized that he'd spent the greater part of four or five hours in her company and hadn't once wished to be somewhere else. He was surprised at himself; he wasn't aware there was anyone alive whom he could tolerate that well. No, not just tolerate - actively enjoy, as difficult as it might be to believe.

Merlin, what had happened to him? Not even twenty four hours away from Britain and he was fifteen bloody years old again, mooning over a girl who'd never look at him twice. Had he learned nothing? Apparently not; he seemed determine to repeat his past until it finally killed him. And perhaps good riddance.

But... it wasn't really like last time, was it? This one seemed to like spending time with him, she'd even said as much. And he was not, thankfully, the same as he'd been twenty-five years ago. He'd learned a lot since then - too much, some would say.

And she's not Lily, he reminded himself. Besides the similarities - Gryffindor, taste in friends, sharp mind - there were some very significant differences as well. Lily had never had the same drive that Hermione exhibited, the same passion or spirit. And ostensibly, Hermione did not have that grand destiny to fulfill. For that he was profoundly thankful.

He watched her walk idly among the trees, trailing her fingers in the clear, icy water pooling at the base of a trickling fountain. The curls cascading down her back caught the sunlight, throwing it back at him in riots of mahogany and auburn. No, she wasn't Lily. She was Hermione. Beautiful, brilliant, stubborn Hermione, who would never be easy or retiring or simple, and who would never expect him to be any of those things. He groaned, and put his head in his hands. What in the world was he getting himself into?

When he looked up again, after a minute or two, he was mildly surprised to see Hermione was not alone. Surprise quickly turned to alarm as he realized she did not know the young man who was grasping her wrist and speaking to her in rapid fire Spanish. Severus was already striding quickly towards her when she wrenched her arm away from him and took a step backwards, trying to think of what she could say to persuade him she had no interest in leaving with him.

Snape barely had time to think before stepping up behind her, placing his palm on the small of her back and murmuring "Hello, darling," in her ear. She turned, eyes widening in surprise, and the only thought he was conscious of before pressing his lips to hers was oh, bloody hell.

He felt the muscles in her back tense under his hand briefly. Hoping she was not about to pull back and slap him, he rubbed a soft circle with his thumb over the taut muscles. She must've realized then what he was up to, as all tension melted away and she pressed herself to him, bringing one hand up to tangle in the fine hairs at the nape of his neck. Dear god, he thought vaguely as her mouth yielded beneath his and her tongue hesitantly touched his lips, seems the girl's a method actor. And then all thought was lost, as he opened his mouth to meet her.

Reluctantly (a bit too reluctantly, an observer might have noted) he pulled back slightly, brushing her lips with his as he asked "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" But the young man was already backing away, apparently having decided that even a prize like the girl was not worth challenging a man as dangerous-looking as that one.

Hermione and Severus disentangled themselves, smoothing disheveled hair and looking everywhere but at each other. Severus coughed slightly; he could still taste her on his lips.

Finally she looked up at him. "I could've taken care of him myself, you know. He was only a Muggle and I had my wand."

"I am aware. I had simply thought to offer my... assistance." He could not help smiling slightly at the understatement.

"Well, thank you." After a moment, "You do know you could have pretended to be my chaperone, or something. That probably wasn't strictly necessary."

"I'd thought of that." He did not elaborate.

She was silent for a moment. "Let's eat, shall we?"

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A/N: Thanks for the reviews, everyone. I'm taking a break after this chapter, just for a little while - long enough to get through finals and the premiere of RoTK, anyway. I'll see you all next week with the new chapter.