The next afternoon - a quiet Saturday - found Severus Snape in Albus Dumbledore's office, slumped in a low chair with his long legs extended, and thoughtfully tenting his hands as he searched for the words.

"How long have we known each other, Severus?" Dumbledore asked in his curiously rough, gentle voice.

"Too long?" Snape offered a small smile.

"It's not like you to hesitate speaking your mind. On any subject. You have my avid curiosity."

Moaning lightly, Snape ran a hand over his face and tenting his fingers once more, looked at the ceiling and spoke.

"I'm having a bit of a problem with a student, who seems to have …" pausing as faint color entered his pale features, Snape continued with difficulty, "developed a crush on me."

Dumbledore's lips twitched slightly. "Surely, this isn't the first time this sort of thing has come up."

Lowering his eyes to meet his old mentors', he stated flatly, "I found her, naked, in my bed last night."

Color flooded the headmaster's face. "Oh dear. I mean …. Oh my.' Momentarily at a loss for words, Dumbledore shook his head. "What a very forward child. What on earth did you do?"

Feeling his mouth dry up, Snape faltered for a moment, causing Dumbledore to intercede, "Severus! What did you do?"

"I kissed her. I bloody kissed her. Alright?" Glaring at the headmaster, "You try having a nubile 17 year old literally throw herself at you stark naked."

The lengthy silence was broken when Snape added in a low voice, "I may have touched her breast."

After a beat, Dumbledore asked, "Is that all?"

"Yes, damnit. I immediately apologized, and told her it would never happen again."

"Sexual relations with a minor, in both the Wizard and Muggle world is a very serious offense, Severus. At the very least, it would lose you your position here." Dumbledore sat thoughtfully eyeing Snape. "May I ask, who she is?"

Closing his eyes, he quietly said, "Hermione Granger."

After a moment of silence, he opened his eyes to find Dumbledore looking at him speculatively.

"Odd as this may seem, Severus, I've always had a notion that you two would eventually come together." Pausing to pop a lemon drop in his mouth, he added wryly, "I'd assumed you would both be adults, of course."

Snape sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, and spoke heavily. "I'm not going to ask where you got that idea, but I do need to ask you … do you think it wise that I continue tutoring her?" Grimacing, he said, "Things tend to get rather heated when we're alone together."

"Are you saying you can't control a little snippet of a girl, Severus?" Dumbledore chided him, and then held his hands up at the fierce scowl he received. "All right. All right. You may have a point."

Looking up thoughtfully, he spoke slowly, "Perhaps if you're lessons included another student, it would prevent further … occurrences? Why don't we add another needy student to your group? I'll assume you can manage a spell to keep her away from your sleeping quarters."

Nodding his head in agreement, Snape said, heavily, "I suppose that would do it." Standing, he added, "Although, she is incredibly tenacious."

Striding towards the door, he froze at the door at Dumbledore's parting comment.

"If she manages to corner you, perhaps you could just turn her over your knee."

Refusing to turn around, he stood still for a moment before continuing out, shutting the door forcibly. That damn man knew everything.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At the other end of the school, deep in the cloistering recesses of her favorite spot on earth, Hogwarts library, Hermione stood high upon a rolling ladder, illuminating with a flick of her wand each ancient title. It was here, somewhere. She knew it. The records showed it hadn't been loaned out in over 20 years. Inch by inch, she moved down the shelf. Lifting a heavy volume down, and blowing off decades of dust, Hermione read the title and let out a stifled, "Aha!"

Pressing it to her chest, she backed carefully down the ladder and carried the precious book back to a far corner table. Flipping the book open to its index, she bent over the table, leaned on her elbows, and began searching for the spell she knew was hidden in the antiquated text.

Thirty minutes later, she stood to stretch the kink that had formed in her back, and acknowledge to herself that the search would take some diligence. Spells of this nature were often hidden in subtleties to both avoid offending innocent eyes and keep the knowledge contained to the few who would search for it. She'd only become aware of it through an incidence of accidental eavesdropping. Two female Professors had chosen the restricted section of library to have a private tête-à-tête, unaware of the presence of a third, pressed flat into the shadows of the adjoining bookcases and holding her breath. (Hermione believed the entire library was hers to peruse. Completely aware of the rules regarding the restricted section, she blithely chose to ignore them.)

The conversation seemed to center on a rare nocturnal spell that sounded suspiciously like Muggle astro-traveling. Drinking the carefully brewed potion approximately one hour before its effects would kick in, you were to lie flat on your bed and think solely of the person who haunted your dreams. Assuming the other person was thinking of you – at that same precise time – the spell would cast you, bodily, into the room with them. Bodily, but not physically, or rather, not to the bare eye. You could touch, feel and be felt, but not seen. The spell turned you into a bit of an apparition. Depending on your weight and age, the magic would wear off and send you, spinning, back to your origins somewhere around the two-hour mark.

That morning, Hermione had woken, disoriented, and disheartened, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that he desired her ... and only too well that he would not step outside the borders of decency that tied him. Reaching back to surreptitiously rub her still tender, but remarkably un-bruised, posterior, she vowed that she'd read through the book word by word all weekend long, if necessary, until she found the spell. And when she did … well … watch out Professor Snape. He couldn't very well push away a dream, could he? Keeping her imagination in check, she bent over the large text once more with the focused determination of frustrated desire.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hours later, Hermione pressed two handfuls of cold water to her face. Her eyes ached, but her heart rejoiced. She'd found it, and after painstakingly copying down the cramped six and a half pages of instructions, and double and triple checking it for accuracy, had managed to finally leave the library. Standing up to grin at her reflection in the mirror, she tried imagining his reaction tonight, for she fully planned on an immediate attack. Shutting her eyes, she remembered the feel of his body pressed against hers, slender but firm. The memory of the wiry strength of his muscles under her hands caused her breath to hitch. His voice ….lord, that voice alone made her melt … and his eyes. She could get lost staring into his dark, compelling eyes.

The door to the loo swung open as Ginny Weasley skipped in.

"Hello there, 'Mione!" Reaching over to give her a quick side-hug, she smiled broadly and asked, ""How's your love life?"

Since Hermione was known as a bit of a hermit and evidently above such base, physical things, Ginny loved to ask the same question and watch her friends's annoyed rolling eyes. "Mine's a bit slow at the moment."

Reaching into her purse to lean forward and carefully reapply her lipstick, she started at her friends reply.

"Actually, it's not bad."

"Wotttttttttttttttttt?" Turning enormous green eyes, she gave her friend a delighted grin.

"It's actually more of a crush."

"Who? Who? Who? Who?" Jumping up and down, Ginny could barely contain herself.

Pressing on one shoulder, Hermione laughed. "Calm down. It's a teacher. It's mostly one-sided. And I'd rather not say who right now."

"Oh come on. You can tell me. Who hasn't had a crush on a teacher." Leaning forward, "I used to have a thing for Professor Lupin. I kept imagining what an animal he would be in the bedroom."

"Ginny!" Hermione choked on a laugh.

"Oh .. and you'll never believe this one, but …" turning her head both ways to make sure they were alone, she whispered, "Professor Snape."

"Really?" Hermione raised her brows.

"I don't know if it's his voice or his eyes, but I had a big thing for him last year."

"All over it now, I hope?"

"I suppose so. I finally decided his tongue was a bit too sharp to my liking. Don't get me wrong. I'd still do him." Giving Hermione a wicked grin, she popped a piece of gum in her mouth, and chewing, added, "I'd just have to gag, and probably tie him up, first."

"Ginny!" Hermione gave a sharp bark of laughter, "I can understand the gag, but why tie him up?"

"So he wouldn't remove the gag, of course." Joining in her laughter, they both broke up with the mental image.

"No blindfolds?" Hermione asked when she could catch her breath.

"No. I'd want to watch those dark eyes." Snapping her gum, she leaned forward. "Watch them spin up in his head."

Hermione grabbed her stomach, laughing harder. Leaning against the tiled washroom wall, she attempted to get her giggles under control.

"Ginny Weasley! I am stunned and amazed. And … a bit curious." Tilting her head, she asked, "What exactly would you do to him to make his eyes roll up?"

With a rakish grin, Ginny proceeded to tell Hermione precisely what she would do.

It turned out to be quite an education.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thirty luminous minutes later, the girls left the washroom, both still stifling their mirth. Hermione felt slightly awestruck. She certainly knew who to turn to with questions about sex. Agreeing to meet for the evening meal, her and Ginny parted company, each wearing wicked smiles.

Playing what she had decided as her first plan of attack through her mind, Hermione ran quickly down a back staircase, skipping steps at breakneck speed and ran smack into what felt to be a dark padded wall.

Walking slowly up the steps, deep in thought, Severus was caught off guard - and off balance - as he was struck head on by a flying Hermione. The force of momentum, more than weight, propelled him down three steps and against the cold stone of the wall. Gripping her powerfully by the upper arms, he shifted his shoulders away from the wall and rotated his head, trying to gain both his balance and thoughts. With pain – the back of his head and shoulders throbbed like hell - came clarity, and he realized the bundle he was holding had had the air knocked from her lungs and was currently struggling for breath.

Scowling fiercely, he shook her until he heard her breath return on a sob.

"Ssssssstop it! Stop! It!" Rattled and dizzy, she stared up at him wide-eyed, and tried to remember how to breathe. Descending all at once – the memory of last night, her and Ginny's conversation, his nearness - she found herself fighting back a blush she felt certain covered her entire body.

"Miss Granger," he ground out in a deceptively soft, low voice, "That was rather careless of you."

Desire licked over her. She felt a scorching heat where ever their bodies touched. "I know, sir. I'm sorry."

When she began to tremble, he bit back a groan, and thrust her arms length away from him.

"Try to be more careful." He snapped, thin lipped, and releasing her, walked around and up the stairs, stomping and muttering with each footstep.

Turning to lean against the wall and watch and listen to his escape, Hermione fought to get herself under control. Dear Lord, she couldn't be near him without nearly swooning. So this is what lust feels like. No one had ever told her it would be like this. It's nearly overpowering, she thought.

Thinking with a racing heart of the evening ahead, she pushed herself away from the wall, running the list of ingredients needed for her special brew through her head.

Opening the corridor door, she looked up the staircase once more, and whispered, "Until tonight, Professor."