Disclaimer: The characters, settings, etc. of the Harry Potter series are not mine. I just play with them.
Accidental Affection
Part Three
"Severus!" a voice called from his right, causing him to jump and spill the red ink he had been using to grade second year essays all over Jamie Meyers' paper.
"What!?" he snarled turning to look in the direction of the sound, and was fairly annoyed when he saw Draco Malfoy's head floating in the fireplace and smirking at him.
"Tsk, tsk, Severus," Draco drawled. "Why so jumpy?"
Severus glowered at him. "What do you want, Malfoy?"
Draco grinned. "We're having a small get together this evening with those who are important to the wedding. As my godfather, you are lucky enough to be considered one of the important ones."
Severus narrowed his eyes. "I went to that stupid engagement party in November, Draco, wasn't that enough?"
His godson sighed. "Yes, Severus, it was enough in November, but now it's January and you are yet to do your good deed for this month. So, here's your perfect opportunity."
"You're mistaken," Snape replied. "I've done my good deed for the month. I refrained from withholding hangover potion from the staff on the first.
"And two good deeds in one month will kill you?" Draco asked.
The older man sneered. "Yes."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Just come, will you? Tonight at seven."
Severus frowned. "Who else will be there?"
Draco paused as he thought. "Most of the Weasleys. The Potters. Oh and Hermione Granger who, consequently, isn't half as obnoxious as she used to be."
"Indeed?" Snape responded, hoping the heat he felt on his face wasn't visible.
"Yes," Draco replied, "All right I have to go invite the others. You'll be there, won't you?"
Draco did not wait for his godfather to answer before vanishing from the fireplace with a soft pop. Severus frowned as he turned back to look at the mess on his desk. He waved it away with his wand and sighed.
It had been just about two months since Hermione Granger had left Hogwarts by way of his fireplace. And in those two months, she had plagued his thoughts. He'd daydreamed about her in Potions class; he'd tried to come up with reasons to discuss her with Minerva; he dreamt about her almost five nights a week; and he'd almost invited himself to the tea she'd had with Minerva a few weeks before Christmas.
She was affecting his behavior in a most unsettling way. It was almost as if two tiny kisses, two tiny pecks on the cheek, had changed him completely. He felt himself waking to feel almost happy after he dreamed of her. Thoughts of her could bring a small smile to his face, much to the terror, confusion, and chagrin of his class of first year Hufflepuffs who had witnessed the miracle of Severus Snape smiling first hand. And now he was going to see her again for the first time in two months, and he just knew he was going to make a fool of himself.
"Bah," said Severus, frowning down at Jamie Meyers' paper. "Bah."
Severus Snape took another sip of his wine. Well, to say he took a sip would not be entirely truthful, as he took a very large gulp in order to prevent his having to answer the question Harry Potter had just asked him. The fact that he was drinking his wine, however, did not seem to be putting Potter off asking him at all. Even after Severus had swallowed and put his glass back down on the table, Potter was still watching him expectantly.
"Really," Draco said, "it's not your business whether or not Severus is seeing anyone, is it Harry?"
"I suppose not," Harry replied, grinning at Draco and Severus in turn, "but I do have a reason for asking."
Snape sneered. "Of course you do, Potter. You've never been one to pursue knowledge simply for the sake of it."
Hermione Granger snorted as she tried to hide her laughter, and Severus looked out of the corner of his eye to where she sat beside him. He had stopped breathing when she had strolled into the dining room, looking like some kind of angel in that lovely light blue dress, her curly tresses pinned so that they stayed out her eyes, but mostly hung loosely about her shoulders, her cheeks rosy like her lips, and her eyes bright and vibrant. She was a vision; she was a goddess; she was a dream come true.
And, oh God, he was pathetic.
"What's so funny, Hermione?" Ron Weasley said from where he sat on Potter's left.
"Nothing," Hermione replied. "Anyway, why don't you leave Severus alone, Harry? If he doesn't want to answer then he shouldn't have to."
"It's funny that you're asking me to leave the Professor alone, Hermione. Considering who asked me to obtain this information," Potter replied.
"Yes," Hermione said, and Severus thought, as he observed her with his peripheral view, he detected a hint of a blush on her cheeks. He ignored the voice in his head that nearly groaned at the vision of her. Her cheeks flushed, lips wet as her tongue darted out to trace over her bottom lip quickly, and that incredibly soft looking hair tumbling down to lay on her shoulders. Oh, what he wouldn't give to tangle…
"...do you, Severus?!" the voice of Ron Weasley exclaimed, pulling him from his thoughts.
Snape quickly turned his eyes on the youngest Weasley male and glared at him. "I do not recall giving you permission to call me by my first name, Mr. Weasley."
"Ah!" said Harry. "So, you gave Hermione permission to do it then, did you?"
"No," Severus drawled. "She took it upon herself to do it."
"Did you correct her like you did Ron?" Potter asked.
Severus glowered at him. "Potter, just because I prefer potion making to other forms of magic, do not suppose for one moment that I have forgotten how to perform some of the more painful hexes."
"Aha!" said Harry, as if Snape's response had proven some point. "So you're not seeing anyone, then. I think I have a good idea of who you'd like to see though."
Severus frowned, but was stopped from making a retort by Luna Lovegood-Potter suddenly bursting into tears.
"Oh, Luna!" Ginny Weasley exclaimed. "What's the matter?"
"It's nothing," said Potter as he patted his wife's shoulder. "Just hormones. Happened when she was pregnant with the last two as well."
Severus smirked as he watched Potter futilely attempt to calm his pregnant wife, and nearly gasped aloud when he suddenly felt something warm settle itself on his thigh. He moved his gaze immediately to his lap and was very surprised to see a small hand resting on his thigh as its thumb slowly rubbed circular patterns against his trousers. He trailed the path from the hand to its wrist up its arm past the shoulders and the lovely curly hair until he was looking into the warm brown eyes of the hand's owner.
She was grinning at him.
And suddenly, Severus felt his body respond to her touch, smile, and to, simply, her in a way he would have rather died than allow it to do at a dinner party. Especially a dinner party at which the gathered company consisted of much of the Weasley family, many of his former students, and his godson.
She continued to grin.
"Miss Granger," he hissed.
"It's Hermione," she whispered back, still smiling. Her thumb ceased its motions as her whole hand began rubbing back and forth on his thigh. His condition worsened accordingly.
He gulped. "I sincerely wish I could deduct points, Miss Granger."
She pouted, and he thought he might die. This would be it. His final moments were upon him. He had never thought that he would take his last breath in the dining room of Malfoy Manor. "Why's that, Severus?"
He growled softly. "You're. Touching. Me."
"So, Professor," a feminine voice on his left, distracting him from Hermione who, he was both happy and sad to discover, quickly removed her hand from his person. George Weasley's Muggle wife, Kathryn, was trying to strike up a conversation with him. Severus did not generally enjoy the company of Muggles, but he did not mind her so much. In the few times he had met her, he had decided that she seemed a bit more refined than most.
"Yes, Mrs. Weasley?" he asked.
She smiled. "I was wondering, what is it that you teach at Hogwarts? Everyone always refers to you as the Professor, but no one ever bothers mentioning what subject you teach."
"Potions," he replied, shortly.
"Ah," she said, smiling brightly at him. "I suppose that would equate to Chemistry in the Muggle world."
"I suppose," said Severus, giving her a tight smile.
"I've always admired teachers, don't you, Hermione?" she said, and Severus nearly sighed. Of course the amiable Mrs. Weasley had to bring Hermione into the conversation. Of course.
"Oh yes," Hermione said softly. "I've always admired my teachers. They do such a noble thing by imparting knowledge to young people. Especially Professor Snape; I've always held in him a very high regard."
He peered at her from the corner of his eye and saw that she was gazing at him steadfastly with both admiration and something like affection in her eyes.
"Oh, I agree. Teachers do a wonderful service and they receive so little in return," said Mrs. Weasley.
"Your admiration is enough, Madam," Severus said.
"Oh, Professor," she replied grinning. "And I am sure the admiration of the lovely Miss Granger must be more than enough?" she teased, and Severus felt his cheeks flush.
"Indeed," he replied softly, and he could tell by the way Hermione froze in her seat that she had heard him.
"So," Hermione interjected quickly, and Severus thought he could hear nervousness in her voice. "Ron happened to mention that you've been doing work for the ministry, Kathryn. What exactly have you been doing?"
"Oh, consultation work with Arthur. Research, really. We just discuss different aspects of Muggle lifestyle and I tell him everything I know about it before helping him use some Muggle research tools, like the internet and Muggle Public Libraries, to further his research. It's really quite fun, actually," she finished, smiling. "Oh and I will be helping with the wedding of course, since Ginny had decided on using the traditional Muggle ceremony."
"What?" said Severus. "What did you just say about the wedding?"
"Ginny and Draco have opted to have a traditional Muggle wedding. They thought it might be an interesting thing to do. Arthur's positively thrilled about it, of course, and I thought the least I could do would be to lend my expertise on the matter," she paused to giggle. "I never thought I'd end up working as a wedding planner for a bunch of Wizards." She laughed again, and Severus noted that though Hermione joined in with her, the laughter sounded a bit forced.
He turned his head slightly to look at her, and when his eyes met hers, he was surprised to see her cheeks flush vibrantly.
"Draco," Severus said as he stepped out onto the front steps of the Manor with his godson. "Draco, are you really going to have a traditional Muggle wedding?"
"Yes," Draco replied, raising his chin in an obviously defiant gesture. "We thought we'd do something unique for our wedding. Not many Pureblood unions are consecrated like Muggle ones, right?"
"Right," said Severus as he furrowed his brow. "But Draco, you hate Muggles."
Draco shrugged. "Things changed after the war, Severus. I changed after the war. The old Draco Malfoy might not have had a traditional Muggle wedding, but the old Draco Malfoy probably wouldn't have ever fallen in love with Ginny Weasley. I'm awfully lucky I changed, Severus, because falling in love with Ginny is probably the best thing that's ever happened to me."
As someone who prided himself on his consistency, Severus could not help but think Draco's change to be, well, silly. Though it was not as silly as his describing his falling in love with Ginny Weasley as one of the better events of his lifetime. He was distracted from making a scathing observation, however, by Hermione Granger strolling out onto the front steps.
"Oh Severus, good," she said as he eyes landed on him. "I'm glad you haven't left yet."
Severus gulped. "Indeed?"
"Yes," she said, "I was wondering if you'd apparate back with me to my flat. I'm a bit intimidated by the thought of going on my own."
Severus frowned, wondering what Hermione Granger, brave and powerful witch that she was, could possibly be intimidated by but found himself nodding anyway. "Certainly, Miss Granger."
"Great!" she exclaimed. "Well good night, Draco. Dinner was lovely."
Severus watched as she slipped her hand around his and gripped tightly. "I'll do the apparating, Severus. Don't want you getting lost."
He smiled and blinked, and when he opened his eyes, he was standing in the hallway of a building he did not recognize. "So," said Hermione as she released his hand.
"So," he said softly, "I suppose I will bid you a good evening, Miss Granger. It was nice seeing you again."
"You too, of course," she said softly, and he watched as she lifted her hand and settled it onto his shoulder. He nearly cursed aloud when his body responded to her touch, innocent though it was, in the exact same manner it had earlier. This was ridiculous; he was certain most men didn't respond this way to a simple touch by a woman. Even a woman they were incredibly attracted to. What was it about Hermione Granger that was driving him to behave this way?
"Severus," she said gently, and he felt his condition worsen.
"Yes, Miss Granger?" he said, gulping as he attempted to convince himself that if he focused on that freckle on her nose and not on the pleasant sensations resulting from the way her fingertips were lightly stroking his shoulder, his condition would fade.
"Would you like to come in? For a drink maybe? Some coffee?" she asked, softly. His surprise at her question distracted him from his freckle watching and his gaze immediately met hers. He felt a jolt travel through his body as he did so and felt her grip on his shoulder tighten slightly.
"I..." he began, inwardly cursing his body for being so responsive to her touch.
"Yes?" she asked as she took a step closer to him.
This, thankfully, spurred him into action for there was no way, simply no way, he would allow her to feel for herself what her touch inspired in him. "I need to be getting back to the castle," he lied. "I have an early meeting with Albus, and it would not do for me to be overly tired in the morning."
"Oh," she said, and he could see the disappointment in her eyes. Maybe it wasn't too late to retract his statement? "I understand," she said, and he knew he'd have to go home now.
"Well," he said awkwardly, taking a step backwards.
She grinned at him again, and he was only slightly surprised to see her take a step towards him. "Well," she purred, and he thought he might die when he felt her brush up against him slightly, sweeping her lips across his in a terribly soft kiss. "Good night, Severus. Thank you for seeing me home."
"Good night, Miss Granger," he replied, not missing the strain in his voice, and knowing that she didn't either.
With one last smile, she opened the door and he watched as she slipped inside. When she'd gone, he leaned against the wall and released a deep sigh. This was getting entirely out of hand.
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Author's Note: Thanks so much for reading and many thanks for all of the lovely reviews! Next part will be put up either today or tomorrow, so keep your eyes open if interested. Thanks again!