A/N: I should probably be doing math, but I've decided to pretend I don't
have any. :) Anyway, I'll be trying to get out as many chapters as I can
and as fast as I can, but that means doing less homework. How sad. ;).
Anyway, I'll leave you to the clutches of the story.
"Apology excepted." He said, dropping her hand.
"Really?" She asked.
"Really." He confirmed.
"Good. Now, earlier today you said something about a certain holiday . . ."
Trust Hermione to get straight to the point.
"Hermione. Stop." He said, holding up a hand.
She looked at him expectantly.
"Mione, I love you."
"Severus . . . I . . . I can't. Not right now . . . I mean honestly, I just knocked you unconscious and . . ." She talked herself into silence.
"Hermione, I know this is hard for you, but I mean every word I say. I love you."
"No. You can't. This isn't happening!" She said, running from the dungeons, but more from a fear that she might just love the man standing there back.
Severus just stood there. He was hurt, yes, bewildered, even more. But somehow he was glad that Hermione hadn't accepted what he had said. He wasn't quite sure how he had meant it, *if* he had meant it. Now the only problem was how to get Hermione to forgive him. Because "forgive and forget" was not her favorite motto in the world.
~!*!~~!*!~
Hermione ran through the castle looking for Harry and Ron. This was all happening to fast.
Making up with Harry and Ron, then chasing Cavan, getting Flooed back to the dungeons by Dumbledore, the argument with Snape, and now this?!
It was FAR more then she could handle.
She walked into the depressingly empty DADA classroom. She sighed. If she were Harry or Ron, where would she be? Playing chess. But where? "Where they always do you dolt." Hermione thought to herself, and made her way to the Gryffindor Common Room.
She walked up the stairs(and was caught off guard when one decided "Hey, now's a good time to move"), and chatted with the Fat Lady a minute, before asking entrance. The Portrait swung forward, and Hermione stepped inside.
She was relieved to see Harry, Ron, Sirius and Remus sitting around two chess boards playing Team Wizards Chess. It seemed that Sirius was very good, and Remus wasn't. Harry and Sirius made an unbeatable team, whereas Ron and Remus, could only throw half hearted defenses up. Sirius had checkmated Remus sometime before and was helping Harry with Ron.
She made a polite cough.
The four males looked guiltily around as if being caught by Filch trying to get down to the kitchens.
"Lo Hermione," Ron said as his bishop managed to get in the way of Harry's queen.
"Hello Hermione. Or should I say Professor Granger?" Remus asked in that way of his.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but may I speak to Harry and Ron privately please?" Remus & Sirius could only nod their heads, and their only form of entertainment left.
"What is it Hermione?" Harry asked, exasperated that he had almost beaten Ron only to be interrupted.
"I have to talk." She said, grabbing both of their arms in a very Mrs Weasleyish way.
"What?" Said Ron and Harry as soon as she let go.
"Severus told me he loved me after I had Stupefied him and threatened him." She said quickly.
"WHAT???" Ron shouted.
"Hermione! What the hell did you do? You didn't except him, did you?!" Harry said.
"No. I didn't. I ran. I didn't know what to do!" The last part turned into a desperate wail.
"Hermione . . . I - I don't know what to do either." Ron said after Harry shot him a glance. He was going to say "Hermione, he can't love you because I do!" But Harry had a knack at knowing when he would do something stupid, and this was one of those times.
"I just needed to tell you . . . I thought you otta know." She said, her voice muffled because of the arm that covered her face.
"Well Hermione. I've always found that problems are best solved if you deal with them straight away, instead of waiting." Harry advised wisely.
"Thanks Harry. I'll try. But, its just, he's so . . . Unapproachable." Hermione said.
As Hermione left Harry turned on Ron.
"You dolt, you don't go around spitting crap like that out!" He said quietly.
"I know, but-." Ron said.
"No 'but's Ron. She's, well, you won't be too happy to hear this, I think she loves him back." Harry said, grabbing Rons robes so that he couldn't do anything.
"What?? Nobody is capable of loving an over large bat with greasy hair like him!" Ron sputtered.
"Well I think she does, and if he's what makes her happy, and NOT you, then we should be happy for her." In his head he was thinking "Ron, I'm not sure if you can make ANY woman happy." (A/N: I know nobody really wants to know what I have to say, but I *really* don't like Ron, can you tell?)
"Fine. Let go of me, will you?" Ron said, irritated.
"Where are you going?" Harry asked, after he had let go.
"I'm going to go beat your ass at chess." He said, walking away.
~!*!~~!*!~
"Sev?" Hermione asked tentatively.
"Mmm?" Was the only answer.
"Are you in there?" She asked.
"Well, would I be talking to you if I wasn't?"
"No. I guess not. May I come in? I have to talk to you."
"Goody." He said dryly.
"Severus." Warning had managed to creep its way into her voice.
"Yes?" He asked innocently.
"Let me in."
"But of course." He said, opening the door.
"Thank you." She said, and stepped forward, expecting him to give ground, but he didn't, and she ran right into him.
Hermione stumbled backwards, and Severus just managed to catch her before she fell.
"Are you all right?" He asked, and it sounded like he cared, like he really cared, but she still wasn't sure.
"Almost." She said, attempting to stand up.
"Good. What did you want to speak with me about?" He said, though he knew perfectly well what.
"Well, I don't really know how to say this. But I will. You said you loved me earlier today, and, I guess what I'm trying to say is, I love you too."
He just stared.
"Honestly, I thought I would get a better reaction than that. I just told you I love you, and all you can do is stare?" She said indignantly.
"I, well, I honestly wasn't expecting you to say that. I was expecting something like," Here he put on a high false voice, "How could you Severus, you don't mean that you never did!"
"Well, that's NOT what I said.
"So I see."
"Can you just stop being an ass for one minute?" Hermione asked, exasperated.
"Depends on who I'm talking to." He said, and managed to find his way to the couch.
"Can you just stop for me?" She asked quietly.
"Oh, but, you see, I need agreements, in a somewhat contract form, and contracts need to be singed." He said, another manic glint in his eyes.
"And how do you suppose we do that?" She asked, catching his train of thought. She came and sat down on the couch.
"Well, it all depends on who the I'm making a contract with doesn't it?" He said, sitting down next to her.
"I suppose it does." She said, before she felt soft lips pressing onto her own.
"God you're beautiful." He whispered into her hair.
She blushed. "Whatever you say Sev, whatever you say."
"Apology excepted." He said, dropping her hand.
"Really?" She asked.
"Really." He confirmed.
"Good. Now, earlier today you said something about a certain holiday . . ."
Trust Hermione to get straight to the point.
"Hermione. Stop." He said, holding up a hand.
She looked at him expectantly.
"Mione, I love you."
"Severus . . . I . . . I can't. Not right now . . . I mean honestly, I just knocked you unconscious and . . ." She talked herself into silence.
"Hermione, I know this is hard for you, but I mean every word I say. I love you."
"No. You can't. This isn't happening!" She said, running from the dungeons, but more from a fear that she might just love the man standing there back.
Severus just stood there. He was hurt, yes, bewildered, even more. But somehow he was glad that Hermione hadn't accepted what he had said. He wasn't quite sure how he had meant it, *if* he had meant it. Now the only problem was how to get Hermione to forgive him. Because "forgive and forget" was not her favorite motto in the world.
~!*!~~!*!~
Hermione ran through the castle looking for Harry and Ron. This was all happening to fast.
Making up with Harry and Ron, then chasing Cavan, getting Flooed back to the dungeons by Dumbledore, the argument with Snape, and now this?!
It was FAR more then she could handle.
She walked into the depressingly empty DADA classroom. She sighed. If she were Harry or Ron, where would she be? Playing chess. But where? "Where they always do you dolt." Hermione thought to herself, and made her way to the Gryffindor Common Room.
She walked up the stairs(and was caught off guard when one decided "Hey, now's a good time to move"), and chatted with the Fat Lady a minute, before asking entrance. The Portrait swung forward, and Hermione stepped inside.
She was relieved to see Harry, Ron, Sirius and Remus sitting around two chess boards playing Team Wizards Chess. It seemed that Sirius was very good, and Remus wasn't. Harry and Sirius made an unbeatable team, whereas Ron and Remus, could only throw half hearted defenses up. Sirius had checkmated Remus sometime before and was helping Harry with Ron.
She made a polite cough.
The four males looked guiltily around as if being caught by Filch trying to get down to the kitchens.
"Lo Hermione," Ron said as his bishop managed to get in the way of Harry's queen.
"Hello Hermione. Or should I say Professor Granger?" Remus asked in that way of his.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but may I speak to Harry and Ron privately please?" Remus & Sirius could only nod their heads, and their only form of entertainment left.
"What is it Hermione?" Harry asked, exasperated that he had almost beaten Ron only to be interrupted.
"I have to talk." She said, grabbing both of their arms in a very Mrs Weasleyish way.
"What?" Said Ron and Harry as soon as she let go.
"Severus told me he loved me after I had Stupefied him and threatened him." She said quickly.
"WHAT???" Ron shouted.
"Hermione! What the hell did you do? You didn't except him, did you?!" Harry said.
"No. I didn't. I ran. I didn't know what to do!" The last part turned into a desperate wail.
"Hermione . . . I - I don't know what to do either." Ron said after Harry shot him a glance. He was going to say "Hermione, he can't love you because I do!" But Harry had a knack at knowing when he would do something stupid, and this was one of those times.
"I just needed to tell you . . . I thought you otta know." She said, her voice muffled because of the arm that covered her face.
"Well Hermione. I've always found that problems are best solved if you deal with them straight away, instead of waiting." Harry advised wisely.
"Thanks Harry. I'll try. But, its just, he's so . . . Unapproachable." Hermione said.
As Hermione left Harry turned on Ron.
"You dolt, you don't go around spitting crap like that out!" He said quietly.
"I know, but-." Ron said.
"No 'but's Ron. She's, well, you won't be too happy to hear this, I think she loves him back." Harry said, grabbing Rons robes so that he couldn't do anything.
"What?? Nobody is capable of loving an over large bat with greasy hair like him!" Ron sputtered.
"Well I think she does, and if he's what makes her happy, and NOT you, then we should be happy for her." In his head he was thinking "Ron, I'm not sure if you can make ANY woman happy." (A/N: I know nobody really wants to know what I have to say, but I *really* don't like Ron, can you tell?)
"Fine. Let go of me, will you?" Ron said, irritated.
"Where are you going?" Harry asked, after he had let go.
"I'm going to go beat your ass at chess." He said, walking away.
~!*!~~!*!~
"Sev?" Hermione asked tentatively.
"Mmm?" Was the only answer.
"Are you in there?" She asked.
"Well, would I be talking to you if I wasn't?"
"No. I guess not. May I come in? I have to talk to you."
"Goody." He said dryly.
"Severus." Warning had managed to creep its way into her voice.
"Yes?" He asked innocently.
"Let me in."
"But of course." He said, opening the door.
"Thank you." She said, and stepped forward, expecting him to give ground, but he didn't, and she ran right into him.
Hermione stumbled backwards, and Severus just managed to catch her before she fell.
"Are you all right?" He asked, and it sounded like he cared, like he really cared, but she still wasn't sure.
"Almost." She said, attempting to stand up.
"Good. What did you want to speak with me about?" He said, though he knew perfectly well what.
"Well, I don't really know how to say this. But I will. You said you loved me earlier today, and, I guess what I'm trying to say is, I love you too."
He just stared.
"Honestly, I thought I would get a better reaction than that. I just told you I love you, and all you can do is stare?" She said indignantly.
"I, well, I honestly wasn't expecting you to say that. I was expecting something like," Here he put on a high false voice, "How could you Severus, you don't mean that you never did!"
"Well, that's NOT what I said.
"So I see."
"Can you just stop being an ass for one minute?" Hermione asked, exasperated.
"Depends on who I'm talking to." He said, and managed to find his way to the couch.
"Can you just stop for me?" She asked quietly.
"Oh, but, you see, I need agreements, in a somewhat contract form, and contracts need to be singed." He said, another manic glint in his eyes.
"And how do you suppose we do that?" She asked, catching his train of thought. She came and sat down on the couch.
"Well, it all depends on who the I'm making a contract with doesn't it?" He said, sitting down next to her.
"I suppose it does." She said, before she felt soft lips pressing onto her own.
"God you're beautiful." He whispered into her hair.
She blushed. "Whatever you say Sev, whatever you say."