Disclaimer: The characters, settings, etc. of the Harry Potter series are not mine. I just play with them.
Severus was surprised to find himself standing before Hermione Granger's door only ten minutes after he had checked his clock. He raised his hand hesitantly and knocked.
A few moments later, a rather flustered Hermione stood before him with floury fingerprints streaking her face. "Severus!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening. "You're early."
"My apologies, Miss Granger. I thought it would take me a bit longer to get here than it did."
"Well," she began, standing back so he could enter her chambers. "Please come in."
He did just that. He was surprised to see that her rooms looked very much like what he might expect them too. Three of the four walls were lined with book cases, books were stacked on the few end tables scattered throughout the room. There were books on top of the coffee table and stacks of books next to the hearth. The small circular table in the center of the room with its white linen tablecloth, candelabra, and place settings for two did seem a bit out of place, though.
He heard her close the door behind him, and he turned, forgetting his observations, to look at her. He was surprised to see her peering at him nervously, but at the same time earnestly. "You have a very nice set up here, Hermione," Severus said and realized too late that he was murmuring it and staring down at her rather intensely.
"Thank you," she said softly and, he noticed, gulped.
He smiled as he raised his gaze from her eyes and looked at her forehead. She looked so adorable with the flour smudged there; he could imagine her pushing her hair out the way in impatience as she cooked. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his handkerchief. "If you'd allow me, Miss Granger," he said, stepping forward. He grasped her chin with his free hand and wiping away the flour with the handkerchief.
She gulped again and stepped backwards. "Thank you."
Severus smiled and tucked his handkerchief back into his pocket. "You are welcome, of course."
"Um," Hermione began, clearing her throat. "You could have a seat, if you like." She gestured towards the table and its chairs. Severus nodded and walking over to the table, took a seat.
She sat on the other side of the table. "I want to thank you, first of all, for doing me that favor, Severus." she said as she poured him a glass of wine.
"It was my pleasure, Miss Granger," he responded as he took a sip of the drink she had just poured. "I actually found it to be somewhat enjoyable."
"Which part?" she asked as she ladled what appeared to be stew into a bowl and handed it to him. He took the dish and set it before himself, waiting for her to serve herself before beginning to eat.
"Well, it was fairly interesting as a whole, Miss Granger," he replied, thanking her for the piece of bread she passed to him. "Did you bake this yourself?"
She smiled wryly at him from across the table. "Obviously, Professor. I don't just go around smudging flour on my face in the hopes that some dashing man will come to lunch and wipe it off of me."
Snape snorted and took a bite of the bread. It was very good. "Well done, Miss Granger. You have perfected the art of bread making."
He noticed her blush. "Thank you," she said softly. "So, which part?"
Severus raised an eyebrow, but silently scolded himself. He should have known better than to think that Hermione Granger would let a question lie without having it be answered to her satisfaction. "The ceremony was rather interesting," he confessed.
"Oh," she paused to smirk, "I thought for sure you would have preferred the harassment by a drunken old man or lying to my best friend about my being beautiful."
Severus frowned. "I did not lie about you being beautiful."
"Oh," she said softly and looked down at her lunch.
They ate in silence for a few more moments. Severus knew he should say something or anything to make the awkwardness of the situation dissipate, but he could think of nothing to say. "More wine?" she asked after a bit.
"Please," Severus replied and thanked her after she poured more into his glass. He took a long sip. "The wine is very good, Miss Granger. It compliments the meal perfectly."
"Thank you," she said again. "But do you always have to call me 'Miss Granger?'" she finished, angrily.
"No, not always. I suppose I could call you Professor Granger, too."
"Or you might even call me Hermione once or twice."
"I believe I have, once or twice."
"Well then!" Hermione exclaimed, and for a moment Severus thought she might be at a loss for words. "I'd like to be your friend, Severus." she said a few seconds later.
Severus frowned. "You are my friend," he conceded grudgingly.
He saw her smile and turn back to her food. He did the same, but he was not, by any means, smiling. They continued to eat their meal silently for a bit, each simply enjoying the fact that they were not dining alone.
"Severus," she said after some minutes of silence.
He looked up at her. "Yes?"
"Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked quickly, ending her question with her cheeks becoming very obviously red.
He nearly laughed. "No, of course not. Don't you think you might have noticed, in all the time you have spent here if a woman was slinking down to the dungeons to be with me?"
Her blush deepened. "Yes," she admitted. "I suppose I would have."
"And I am correct in assuming that you do not have a boyfriend?" he asked.
"Well, obviously. If I did I wouldn't have needed you to come with me to the wedding."
"Situations can change over the course of two days, Miss Granger."
She sighed at the use of that address. "Indeed they can, Professor." She paused to gnaw on her bottom lip for a moment. "Do you want to get married?"
He nearly choked on the bread he was eating. He managed to swallow it though, and follow it down with a bit of water before responding. "Are you proposing?"
"No!" she exclaimed, her embarrassment once again made obvious by her reddening cheeks. "I was just curious if you had any desire to get married, if you met the right woman."
Severus frowned. "Yes. If I met the right woman, I suppose I would marry her. But, I have given up on her existing."
"Oh?" Hermione said, frowning.
"Yes," Severus sighed. "Well, I imagine she exists. I have met plenty like her, but they all seem to be a bit too disgusted by me to ever consider getting to know me beyond a second date, let alone marry me."
Hermione gave him a tiny, sad smile. "Do you want to have children?"
Severus looked at her. "No, not really. I teach children. I spend enough time with children as it is."
Hermione grinned at him. "I feel exactly the same way."
"Do you want to get married, Miss Granger?"
"Why Severus," she smiled, "I thought you'd never ask."
He felt his eyes widen and his heart skip a beat, but it picked up its natural rhythm when she erupted into a fit of giggles at her own joke. "Oh," she said, once she had calmed herself. "You should have seen your face."
"Yes, well, I am not sure how emotionally unbalanced you are, Hermione. Perhaps it was all part of your plan, luring me here and trapping me in a promise of marriage."
She giggled again at his words. "Not today, Severus. But maybe next time."
"Next time?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
She cleared her throat nervously, looking away from him. "I enjoy spending time with you. Is that a crime?"
"No." he replied simply.
"Do you enjoy spending time with me?" she asked, looking directly into his eyes.
"Yes," he heard himself reply, and he knew it was an honest answer.
"Good," she smiled. "Very good."
"Am I your new partner in crime now? Will we be sneaking around the castle under an invisibility cloak and trying to look at books in the restricted section?" he teased.
"Not necessarily," she said, smiling at him. "But I imagine I can figure out a few new ways for us to get into trouble."
Severus wondered if it was the wine that was making her statement sound like innuendo. He looked down at his empty bowl and half eaten bread. He then glanced at the clock. They had somehow managed to pass an hour and a half of time eating and asking pointless questions. "Well," he said, pushing away from the table. "I imagine I'd better get back to the dungeons now."
He stood from his seat, and Hermione did the same, frowning. "What's the rush? You've no classes, Severus. Stay for a cup of coffee. I made desert."
Severus looked down at her. She was completely earnest in her efforts. She wanted to spend time with him. She truly wanted to be in his company. He couldn't believe it, but there she was, staring up at him in a way very similar to how she had the night of the wedding.
"Severus," she said softly, stepping towards him.
He felt his body tense up and blurted out the first excuse he could think of. "I have to get back, Hermione. I started a potion before I left. I can't leave it unattended much longer."
"Oh," she said, faltering a bit. "Of course, I understand." She took another step closer, though, and he tensed even more. He felt her wrap her arms around him as she pulled his body close to hers. He had not noticed how short she was before this moment, but as she pressed herself against him, he could fully appreciate that she was a rather small witch. "Thank you, Severus. For everything," she said, her voice muffled against his shirt.
"Er," he said, lifting a hand and patting her gently on the back. "You're welcome, Miss Granger."
She released her grip on him, and he backed away from her slowly. "I'll see you at dinner?" she asked as he turned and went to the door.
Severus turned back as he opened the door and stepped out into the corridor. He usually skipped meals during the summer, but it would provide him a suitable reason to socialize with her. "Yes," he nodded. "Yes, I will see you at dinner." And with that, he closed the door and left.
Note: Thanks for reading and thanks for reviewing. Next two will probably be posted late next week.