Thank you, all of my darling reviewers.
Livethroughtheater- Thank you very much. I hate people who tell me that Severus/Hermione is sick, and I'm glad that other people agree with me when I say Snapey rocks!
Lollylover- Thank you for your suggestions, I do appreciate them. I'm trying to make the chapters longer, but it's a bit hard. Like you'll write 5 pages on Word, and it will seem like enough, but then the chapter is really small. I'll start separating the characters voices more distinctly.
Hermione-
Hermione sighed contentedly, her quick shower having refreshed her thoroughly. Pulling on a pair of jeans and an oxford, she headed to the potions classroom.
Her still wet hair felt like ice in the cold of the dungeons. 'Damn me! I knew I shouldn't have taken that shower' She scowled and performed a warming spell on her hair.
Though it did little to warm her head, it made the cold a little more bearable. Knocking on the classroom door, she heard an annoyed voice reply.
"Come in Miss. Granger." Shouted Snape, his voice sounding muffled through the thick wood of the door. Smoothing her shirt in an unsuccessful attempt to relieve it of the cat hair Crookshanks had left on it, she stepped inside.
Snape was staring at her intently. She started slightly. He motioned to the chair in front of his desk. Hermione sat quickly, not wanting to anger him by dawdling.
"So Miss. Granger, it appears we must plan the Halloween Fair together." said Snape as though that last word was painful to speak. "Yes, Sir." said Hermione obediently.
"Well you best come with me, then." He said, getting up from his chair and sweeping off in the direction of the classroom door. 'He doesn't even look to see if I'm following him. How rude.' Hermione thought with disapproval.
She scurried off to catch up with him, but his head start and longer legs made this nearly impossible. Snape, now approximately 200 feet ahead of her, sighed theatrically and stopped, waiting for her to catch up.
Jogging and out of breathe, Hermione reached him, clutching a stitch at her side. Snape rolled his eyes at her pathetic display. "Perhaps if you ran more often, you wouldn't be so out of breath." said Snape sardonically.
Hermione's eyes filled with hurt. 'He thinks I'm fat!' her inner voice wailed, most pitifully. Snape, seemingly realizing what he had insinuated, tried to rectify the situation.
"I didn't mean I thought you were over-weight! I just meant if you exercised more you wouldn't be so weak!" said Snape desperately, knowing how sensitive woman were about their weight.
This only made matters worse. 'Oh, he thinks I'm weak now does he?' thought Hermione, resisting the urge to castrate the potions master with her bare hands.
Severus-
Severus knew he shouldn't have made the 'weak' comment, but he had had no idea how to fix the situation. 'Flattery is the only way out of this!' Severus' mind screamed at him.
"I'm sorry! That came out wrong! What I meant to say is that you are a strong, beautiful, thin young woman." Cried Severus, stressing 'thin'. Granger's cheeks grew hot, and she smiled, obviously embarrassed.
'Oh God! I shouldn't have said that! Now she'll think I'm going soft!..Oh God! Am I?' What with the war over, and his name being cleared, Severus' daily stress-intake had gone down dramatically, making him more congenial. Well…as congenial as he'll ever get. Perhaps he was going soft, or he just unexplainable soft spot for Granger. She was quite sweet with her thirst for knowledge and know-it-all-ness. She reminded him of himself at her age. And her bushy hair was kind of endearing. Severus had been lying when he said she was thin. She wasn't fat, but healthy, with full cheeks, and a few lone pounds of baby fat. She was now scuffing her shoe against the ground uncomfortably, and Severus chastised himself for having such thoughts about a pupil. "Umm…Shall we get going?" asked Severus, trying to draw attention away from his slip-up. "Um, sure!" replied Granger, seeming glad that he made the situation less awkward. After a small silence they began walking again, this time Severus walking at Hermione's pace. They walked out of the dungeons, through the entrance hall, and down to the tapestry directly across from the room of requirement. Hermione looked up at him with shock. "What? I practically own the school, you don't think I wouldn't know it it's every nook and cranny?" asked Severus caustically. "No, Sir." "Good" He then proceeded to walk back and forth, three times in front of the bare patch of wall, till it formed a door. He opened the door for her, and motioned for her to enter. "Ever the gentleman." Mumbled Hermione sarcastically. Severus decided to ignore her. She walked in with him following. The room had formed to what looked like a large den, with two couches, a coffee table in between them, and a fireplace. Upon closer inspection the coffee table had a blank notebook, colored pencils, a plate of sandwiches, a pot of coffee and two cups on it. Sitting down on one couch, Severus motioned her over to the one opposite from him.
She sat, looking around nervously. "Oh, don't be such a child." Severus scolded, annoyed. After pouring himself a cup of coffee, he gestured to her cup.
She shook her head. He began speaking, "Well as far as this mindless spectacle Albus insists we plan, goes, I have a few demands. Number one- absolutely NO Karaoke. Number Two- NO Ball. There, those are my demands." Said Severus snootily.
"Well I think there should be karaoke, and all staff are required to wear costumes." Hermione quipped.
"Absolutely NOT!" he cried.
Hermione glared at him. He glared right back. "Fine we'll compromise," Began Hermione diplomatically, "no karaoke, but all staff are required to wear costumes."
Severus glared. "Fine, I'll do it. But I'm not dressing up in anything stupid."
Hermione smirked at her victory. "Oh stop your smirking, it doesn't suit you." Severus cried.
"Oh, and it suits you?" countered Hermione.
Severus glared harder. This was going to be a long night.
