Hi, here's the next chapter. Sorry about what happened, Prettyflower and I hope you're enjoying your trip. I changed my pen name because Danielle Anderson is the pseudonym I use more often and I didn't want to create any confusion.

Hermione's astonishment was beyond expression. She stared and blushed, fighting the urge to ask him if she'd heard that right.

Crookshanks, who had been sleeping at her feet, was startled by this fierce declaration and he looked up at Snape with questioning feline eyes.

Hermione looked around swiftly to see if anyone was there.

Snape, on the other hand, didn't seem to care. Presently, he strode toward her, bent down and, grasping her arms, he captured her mouth in a searing, passionate kiss.

Hermione was too shocked to resist. He'd caught her gaping at him and he took the advantage of slipping his skillful tongue into her warm mouth, exploring it.

Her senses were on fire; she felt as if her bones were turning into liquid and her insides melting. If she'd been on her feet during this, she would have collapsed on the floor.

After what seemed like eternity, Snape finally lifted his head and looked into Hermione's eyes, glazed with passion. They were both breathing hard.

Embarrassed, he quickly moved away, turning his back toward her. "I'm sorry," he murmured. She was too shocked to answer. She touched her delicate lips, which were swollen from their kiss.

Snape faced her again and he continued with his earlier declaration. "I hadn't meant to fall in love with you – it just happened. And…I know this is highly inappropriate of me to behave this as your teacher and as an adult. I am perfectly aware that it could never work out between us…I must admit, my feelings for you have developed quite unexpectedly. I had no intention of falling in love with a student, especially a Gryffindor and I realize that there is an age difference between us, not to forget that you are still my student. To be honest, you're not my type and I don't like it when you help Longbottom even when I tell you not to but I'm overlooking that.

"I know you dislike me and nothing could possibly happen between us but…I was hoping…" he didn't need to finish his sentence to let her know what he was hoping. For a brief moment, he sounded so…vulnerable that at first, Hermione felt sorry for him regarding the pain he was about to receive.

But there was something in his entire speech which set her off. All the anger, hate and frustration that had been building up inside her suddenly needed to be released. And Snape was the perfect person to lash out at.

"Professor Snape," she said in a business-like tone. "If things had been different I would have felt gratitude toward you – but I cannot. I have never desired your good opinion and you have certainly made it clear that you have 'fallen in love' with me against your reason, against your will.

"From the moment I was sorted into Gryffindor house, you have been extremely disagreeable. You've taken practically every chance to deduct points from my house, even when there was no good reason. You're a miserable human being bent upon making non-Slytherins as miserable as you are – especially Harry, Ron and me. I never really noticed how biased you are toward your own house until this evening."

Snape paled with anger and embarrassment at her words but she went on:

"You knew damn well that Malfoy always starts a fight between us and him. Yet, you chose to ignore it and you deducted points from Gryffindor, just like the last time something like this happened. You dislike my helping Neville – but he wouldn't need my help if you weren't always bullying him.

"I suppose your hatred for Harry has increased ever since you discovered his lineage. But it's time for you to see him as someone other than his father's son.

"And as for your treatment of me," her anger was rising. "I might as well inquire why you humiliate me every time I try to answer your questions in class. Is it because I'm an insufferable know-it-all Gryffindor? Or is it because you love me – or claim to love me?"

Snape opened his mouth to say something but Hermione ignored him and continued.

"To tell you the truth, sir," she said, "even if you weren't my teacher, you're the last man on earth I would consider dating, you…" she tried to remember what Ron had called the Potions master earlier, "greasy-haired slimeball!"

Snape looked furious and shocked at the same time but he quickly covered his feelings with a mask of cold indifference.

"You have said quite enough, Miss Granger," he said, getting ready to leave. "I understand your feelings toward me. I am sorry to have caused you any distress: it was unintentional." With that, he left awkwardly.

Unable to deal with her current emotions, Hermione leaned against her pillows and cried for half-an-hour.

Nothing in her six years at Hogwarts had prepared her for something like this. That Severus Snape, the greasy-haired, hooked-nosed, menacing, feared Head of Slytherin house should be in love with her! And so much in love that he'd gone out of his way to express his emotions!

"Oh, Crookshanks!" she whispered when her cat came to curl up on her lap. How was she ever going to get any sleep tonight?

Unbeknownst to her, a mysterious figure slipped away into the shadows.