Disclaimer: Yup, don't own Harry Potter

A/N: Just a little fluffy, not too much, not yet…

After the Ministry arrived to collect an unconscious Viktor Krum, Hermione and Severus began their walk back to the school. She didn't say much to him as she took his arm to walk back. The wind in the night was chilly and she began to shiver before they ever got back to the castle. He looked at her and saw her lips quivering from the cold. He stopped and took off his robes, draping them around her. He put his arm around her and they continued to walk back. When they arrived at the castle, he led her inside and as he walked her back to her rooms she stopped.

"Severus? I don't want to be alone tonight. Can I stay with you?"

"Of course," he replied sensing her fear of being left alone after what had happened.

He led her down into his rooms and she walked over to the bed. She sat down and began thinking about the last time she had been in that bed. She felt safe there. She leaned back onto the bed and brought her hands up to her face. He walked over and took off her shoes and pulled down the blankets. She stood up and took off her robes and her skirt, and then got into bed wearing only her blouse. He looked at her as she climbed so comfortably into his bed. He walked over to the chair and sat down in it ready to sleep.

"Severus?"

"What is it my dear?"

"Can you… I mean, would you… hold me?"

He couldn't believe that she was asking him to share the bed with her. He nodded and pulled off his shoes and robes, careful to leave all of his clothes on. He got into the bed and lay on his back. She scooted herself over to him and placed her head on his shoulder. He drew his arm up around her pulling her as close to him as possible. He rolled over on his side to look at her. She wasn't sleeping, she was thinking.

"What are you thinking about?"

"It's not important, just things."

"What things? Please tell me, you look so worried."

"I don't sleep at night, ever. When I sleep, I dream and when I dream, I have nightmares. I just don't want to fall asleep."

He knew what she dreamt of and wanted to insure her that it would be okay but he knew that he could promise a lot of things, but he couldn't promise her that she wouldn't dream of him.

"Sleep Hermione. I'll be here if you need me. I'm not going anywhere." With that, he put his other arm around her and pulled her into his chest. She slowly began to drift off to sleep and for the first time in four months, she had a peaceful sleep in the arms of the man she loved. He didn't make any move to make her uncomfortable although he longed to be with her. She fell asleep long before he did. He closed his eyes and finally fell asleep feeling as if he had conquered the world.

When he woke up the next morning, she was looking at him intently. He opened one eye and looked at her.

"Severus, thank you."

"It was my pleasure," he smiled back at her.

"No, I mean, for everything. For finding me before Christmas and for taking care of me when he… and for yesterday. Thank you."

"Hermione, I'm only sorry that I couldn't have stopped what happened. I considered stealing that note from you somehow and finding out where you were going to meet him at that day. I was going to follow you there and try to talk some sense in to you. I didn't though and I regret that. Everyday I think about how I could have prevented all of this from happening. I feel as if it's my fault and I wish you would forgive me."

"You have nothing to be forgiven for, it was my fault, all of it. I just wish that I could have been stronger or gotten to my wand or anything. I'm so ashamed Severus, of what I did, I know that you must think that I'm just a filthy whore. What I did was unforgivable, I am so ashamed of myself for doing it."

He looked at her hurt as he sat up on his elbow and looked down at her. "Nothing that happened was your fault, you have nothing to be ashamed of. I don't think any ill of you and I certainly don't think that you're a whore. Viktor took what he wanted from you, he is in the wrong. You should know from being with other men that what he did was wrong. He shouldn't have taken that away from you. Your other relationships… you should know that making love is an experience to be shared, it's not one-sided."

She looked at him then looked away.

"What's wrong? Have I upset you?"

"No, it's just that Viktor was the first."

It hit him like a pile of bricks. She had never made love before him. That bastard robbed her. I've been such a fool to think that there were others before him. Gods Severus think man!

"I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not okay, it's far from okay."

"I just thought that that was how it was supposed to be. I didn't know, I'm so stupid." She buried her head into the pillow. He looked at her and saw her flushed face.

"Hermione, please don't say that. You're not stupid, Krum is stupid. He's a bastard and a fool. We're not all like him you know."

"I don't know. I mean, my father was… well, it doesn't matter. I just thought… I was afraid of you, did you know that?"

He looked at her hurt, "why would you be afraid of me?"

"Because I thought that you were just like the others, like Viktor and my father. I was terrified that you would beat me or do what Viktor did to me. I dream about it every night. I can see him in my dreams and he… I hate him! Why would he do that? Why would he?"

He didn't know the answer himself but knew she needed to have some kind of consolation.

"I don't know Hermione. I can't understand it. He's just a selfish bastard who can't love or respect anyone or anything. You deserve so much more than that. You deserve to be loved and cared for like a woman should be."

He could see her thinking and he looked into her eyes.

"I would never do that to you. Do you believe me?"

"I don't know. It's hard to believe. I can't really explain it but part of me wants to believe you but the other part is afraid that I'm wrong."

He took it like a blow to the gut. "I know I can't make you believe me. I don't know what to do except to try and prove it to you somehow. But at least hear me, I would never harm you in any way. I could never think of taking something from you or striking you. Hermione… I love you."

She looked at him as he was so sincere he trembled. He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. She returned his kiss. She wanted to believe him, she really did.

A/N: Now, let's work on some HG/SS romance with tons of angst… of course!