I have an excuse for not updating. Oh and it's a good one too, This song should pretty much sum it up:

"Rainy Day Woman"

They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to be so good,
They'll stone ya just like they said they would,
They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to go home,
They'll stone ya when you're there all alone,
But I would not feel so all alone.
Everybody must get stoned.

As Severus sat on the edge of the couch only one thing ran through his mind. He was going to kill whoever sent that letter. He managed to make it through the massage without turning around and strangling Hermione. How could she be so blind. Didn't she realize that he was being nice to her, nice. Didn't she see why. He could no longer deny his feelings for her, and he knew the root of his anger stemmed from his jealousy. If only it had been him who had sent the note. But no, he could never have enough nerve to go through with it. He now found himself staring into the fire and thinking of ways to seriously, seriously hurt someone. He waited for Hermione as patiently as he could. As soon as she was done changing he was going to give her a piece of his mind. He would tell her about his feelings for her. But what did he feel for her. Was it love? How would he ever know, that term was all too foreign to him. After about twenty minutes he stood up and began to pace, he had to admit that woman worked wonders. There was no longer any pain or tension in his back and he found it much easier to move, he shook the thought away and wondered what the hell was taking so long. How long could it possibly take for her to get ready? As he paced back and forth over and over his mind drifted from thought to thought and perhaps for the second time in his life, Severus became unaware of his surroundings. He didn't notice when his bedroom door opened and Hermione stepped out into the sitting room.

As Severus sat on the edge of the couch only one thing ran through his mind. He was going to kill whoever sent that letter. He managed to make it through the massage without turning around and strangling Hermione. How could she be so blind. Didn't she realize that he was being nice to her, . Didn't she see why. He could no longer deny his feelings for her, and he knew the root of his anger stemmed from his jealousy. If only it had been him who had sent the note. But no, he could never have enough nerve to go through with it. He now found himself staring into the fire and thinking of ways to seriously, hurt someone. He waited for Hermione as patiently as he could. As soon as she was done changing he was going to give her a piece of his mind. He would tell her about his feelings for her. But what did he feel for her. Was it ? How would he ever know, that term was all too foreign to him. After about twenty minutes he stood up and began to pace, he had to admit that woman worked wonders. There was no longer any pain or tension in his back and he found it much easier to move, he shook the thought away and wondered what the hell was taking so long. How long could it possibly take for her to get ready? As he paced back and forth over and over his mind drifted from thought to thought and perhaps for the second time in his life, Severus became unaware of his surroundings. He didn't notice when his bedroom door opened and Hermione stepped out into the sitting room.

"Trying to wear a hole in the floor Severus?" She asked after watching him for a moment. He seemed bathed in the firelight, and his profile was outlined by it. His features were not as bad as they had once seemed to her. Perhaps it was that scowl that, as a teen, she had seen permanently plastered to his face. Now he was kind and nice. He no longer seemed like the cruel and callous man he had once displayed, and that softened his appearance a great deal. She had to admit to herself that she was growing fond of him, and greatly enjoyed his presence. He jumped a bit at the sound of her voice and she put a hand up to her mouth to cover her giggle. "Bit jumpy there huh?"

"Uh…yes." This was it, he was going to tear her apart, "Hermione, I thin-" Something stopped him, but it was not fear. He tried to keep his eyes off her as he spoke, but his attempt failed. He knew if he could just stop looking at her for a moment he could get his words out. That way he wouldn't have to see the hurt on her face. Once he had looked into her brown eyes all the thoughts in his head disappeared.

"Se-Severus are you alright?" She asked concerned, "Do you need to sit down?"

"No, no girl I'm alright." Wow he thought. She looked stunning. She had changed out of the clothes from earlier and into a different dress. The simplicity of the dress had almost brought Severus to his knees. "Hermione, you look a-amazing."

"Hm…oh, oh thank you Severus. You really think so?" She asked as she twirled in a circle. The black dress fanned out with the air, and Severus caught his breath. The strappy dress scooped down into a low v-neck that showed off her fabulous décolletage, and just a bit of cleavage. There was a sash that came together in the front that tied into a small bow right at the middle, and the bottom was angled just a little to the left. She topped it all off with the necklace from Ron and a charm bracelet. She carried a small black purse and wore silver, rhinestone studded heels. Her hair was once again up, but this time, it seemed, she had taken a little more care at pinning it that way. Severus enjoyed seeing her in his favorite color, he only wished it had been for him. "I had Ginny floo it over. I didn't think to bring anything like this with me."

"I really don't know about this Herm-," He started, but she was ready for him. She walked over to him in front of the fireplace.

"Severus," She interrupted, "I know what you're going to say, and I am truly grateful for your concern, but I can take care of myself. Don't worry about me." With that she once again took his hands into hers and she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. "I'll be back soon. Don't wait up." She whispered in his ear. As she pulled away Severus felt a strong sense of longing, and he wondered when and if that void would ever be filled again. Hermione reached for the door handle, she looked back, smiled and waved goodbye. As she stood outside of his room she leaned against the wall. For the second time today she had kissed him, she hadn't meant to, it just happened. What was she thinking? Why did she do it? Was it really flattery that led her to give him the kiss, or something more. She had always been like this. Ask her a question about arithmancy and she'll give you an answer, but ask her a question about her feelings and she'll be dumbstruck. She rolled her eyes as she pushed herself away from the wall, and as she began the long walk to the gardens she wondered if, when she kissed his cheek, Severus had felt that tiny shiver run down her back.

Five minutes later Hermione found herself standing in the gardens. They weren't far from the castle, but they weren't close either. Event though it seemed absurd, Severus' notions that the letter was foul play, involuntarily played through her mind, and as she stood there alone she wondered if anyone would be able to hear her. 'You're going mad.' She told herself. Why would anyone go through the trouble of capturing, or harming her this late in the game. A slight breeze ran through the night sky, and Hermione shivered a bit from the cold. Winter was coming, slowly but surely, and she welcomed it. She had always been quite fond of the cooler weather.

"A bit cold out here isn't it?" A voice asked from behind her, and it sounded all too familiar. She turned, slowly, to find Draco Malfoy standing four feet away from her, and another shiver ran through her body. This time it was not from the cold. She could barely see him in the dark, but she knew it was him none the less.

"Dr-Draco what are you doing out here." She didn't want him to answer, she already knew the answer and it gave her a dreadful feeling in her stomach. 'Please God, do not let it be him. Do not let it be him.'

"The same thing you're doing out here." 'No.' she thought, 'Oh no.' "Please, Hermione, don't look so shocked."

"It-it's just…I-I…You?"

"Yes, it was I who sent the letter," He answered with his usual drawl that had become familiar with.

"But Draco…I thought…" She stuttered out. What the hell was going on with the world.

"That I hated you."

"Well…yeah."

"I never hated you Hermione. I may have been afraid of you, but never did I hate you."

"Afraid of me, but why?" She was perplexed.

"Any man we be a fool not to be fearful of you. You're intelligence is a scare all in itself." He answered nonchalantly, "I, especially, was terrified that one day my constant torment of you would earn me a good hex. And if my memory is correct I think it did once or twice."

"Well then why did you torment me," Her defense was slowly decreasing, but she still had her arms wrapped around herself, almost like a personal barrier.

"If I hadn't acted the way I did, you don't think Crabbe and Goyle wouldn't have run off and told my father immediately. Or any other of his lackeys for that matter." He answered, "I only did it to protect myself…I-I'm sorry." She was gaping, but she did nothing to hide her shock. Draco Malfoy had just apologized for, what was probably, the first time in his life. "Again Hermione, don't look so shocked. You're hurting my feelings," He said jokingly.

"I- I'm amazed. I mean…you…wow!"

"Ha I know, I'm not actually the unbearable prick you thought I was. I just thought you should know."

"Well, apology accepted." She said. She couldn't think of anything else to say, but she no longer felt distrustful.

"It's good to see you Hermione." She found herself, once again, floored. This time she held back her reaction, but couldn't help smiling. She stared awkwardly at her feet.

"You too Draco, well it is now anyway. A few moments ago I was about ready to curse you and run." He laughed at her comment.

"Well I'm glad you didn't." She gave a short discomfited laugh and he stepped closer to her. Her defenses flew back up again. She could now see his face clearly and she could tell something was wrong. She wasn't sure what it was, but one look and she knew not to trust him. Still he walked closer. A stray hair blew across her face, knocked out of her bun by the wind. She was still staring intently at the ground as he came ever closer. He reached out his hand and tucked the tendril behind her ear. Her body tensed at his touch and she had an odd feeling, like she would wretch at any moment. She pulled back a little, but Draco hardly seemed to notice. "It's really good to see you." He drawled out. Her mind was screaming now, 'run, run.'

"Draco," She whispered right before he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her towards him. His lips collided with hers in a searing kiss. It was not gentle or sweet as it had been with Ron, or even Viktor. The kissed seemed to burn her and she wrenched herself from his arms.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing," she yelled as she tried to compose herself.

"Don't you want me Hermione?" He asked trying to seduce her. 'Is he joking?' She thought. He sounded like such an idiot.

"What?" She screamed, "Of course not, and don't even pretend that I acted as if I did. How could I have been so dumb. You could never change."

"Please Hermione don't fool yourself. Of course you want me, everyone does." He said as he tried to reach for her again. Again she backed away and tears began to well up in his eyes.

"You are still the same arrogant little ferret that you always were. And don't you dare tell me what I want. You don't know me, and you have no one to blame but yourself for that."

"God, what the hell was I thinking coming out here tonight. You're just as you always were. A filthy little mudblood." Draco winced as Hermione's hand came in contact with his face. Quickly a florid red marking came to show on his pale skin. He touched his hand to where she had slapped him and looked at her with contempt. "How dare you touch me."

"If I remember correctly you were the one who touched me first." He seemed to have had enough after that comment because he raised his hand to strike her. With her quick reflexes she threw her hands up and blocked his hit. Then without a second to think she kicked him with force. As Draco collapse to the ground clutching at his manhood, Hermione began booking up the hill towards Hogwarts. Her hair was haphazardly flying around her, and a million thoughts racked her brain. She felt so stupid allowing him to flatter her like that, and actually believing him. She knew she had a good judge of character, and it took one look into his eyes to see he was a fake. She thought about how horrible her life had been up until that point, and knew that this was just the cherry on top of a great year. 'Well when it rains it pours.' As if on cue the skies opened up and the rain poured down. By the time she reached the castle she was soaked through and her hair had almost completely fallen out of place. She slowed her pace as she trudged down the corridors, checking behind her every so often to make sure Malfoy wasn't following.

She reached the door to Snape's rooms and stood there for awhile. How could she explain this to him? How would he react? Finally, when she had built up her confidence, she thought there is only one way to find out. She spoke the password, and stepped inside, feet making a squish sound as she did. She tossed her shoes and her soaked purse in front of the fire and stood in place. She knew Severus was coming, she didn't know how she knew. She just did. She found herself to be right as Severus walked out of his bedroom. He stared at her in shock.

"You were right." She whispered. She had her arms wrapped around her body once again, but this time for warmth.

"Hermione," he said almost inaudibly, nevertheless she heard him and could not help but feel ashamed. She wondered how she must look. He had been the one to tell her not to go, and she had argued. She again told herself how dumb she had been. Severus grabbed the blanket off the back off the couch and walked over to her in three huge strides. "What happened?" He asked. Hermione only stood there and stared into the flames, obviously lost in thought. "Hermione," he whispered taking her chin in his hand and turning her gaze to him. "What happened?"

"Draco."

"WHAT?" He yelled and Hermione jumped at the huge increase of his voice. He began pacing, "What did he do to you? Did he hurt you? I must alert the Headmaster immediately."

"Severus."

"He will be sacked for this, I'll make sure of it."

"Severus."

"What," He asked a bit too coldly. This time she didn't jump.

"He didn't hurt me. Although he did try to hit me," seeing the look on his face she quickly spoke again, "But I blocked it and then…" She looked back into the fire.

"Then?" He prompted her.

"Then I kicked him." Slowly a small grin crept onto his face.

"You kicked him?" She couldn't help but smile herself.

"Yes." As if he couldn't hold it in any longer he began laughing uncontrollably.

"Stop laughing at me." She said still smiling.

"I'm sorry, but that is hilarious. You mean to tell me you subdued Malfoy by kicking him."

"well it's really a matter of where I kicked him." Again he laughed. As he controlled himself he stared at her with a kind yet scrutinizing look.

"I told you so."

"Oh shut up." She said grinning. Normally she would have given him a playful punch along with her sarcasm, but her heart just wasn't in it. Neither was her mind really. It seemed her thoughts would drift from what happened a few moments before, and what was going on now. Again she faced the fire finding herself unable to look Severus in the eye. She was so cold and her body trembled, but it may have been fear that sent those chills down her back. She would be seeing Malfoy soon, whether she wanted to or not. Hermione was awoken from her stupor by the feel of a hand on the small of her back.

"Here," Severus said, "Move closer to the fire. You need to warm up or you'll catch a cold." He pushed her closer and she lowered herself onto the floor. The oriental carpet cushioned her bottom, and she felt comfortable. She tightened the blanket around her shoulders and stared intently at the fire willing it to warm her.

"God, what an asshole." She said absentmindedly.

"W-what?" Severus asked as he too lowered himself to the floor, "I hope you're not talking about me."

"Of course not." She answered briefly making eye contact.

"Any man who raises a hand to a woman is an asshole." He said back to her, his face a pallet of complete seriousness. "Hermione I know that you would not wish me to do it, but if I see him…I-I will make him pay." He was a bit shocked when he saw her smile at him.

"Well you're right, I don't agree with that, but I commend you for your offer." She answered. They sat together in silence a while longer. Severus had called up a house elf and Hermione now had a cup of chamomile tea in front of her. He had offered it, and she had accepted all in complete silence, but still she was comfortable. Comfortable, how often that word seemed to be coming to mind lately. Comfort had seemed a luxury long lost, at least before something changed. She wasn't stupid by any means, and she knew that the deciding factor had been Severus. Him and nothing else. She had finally given up on trying to deny it, what was the point. You can't lie to yourself, because you'll always know. She looked over to her old potions professor and noticed that, he too, had found himself lost in thought. She slowly stretched a hand across to him and placed it gently on his forearm. "Severus," he quickly turned his head towards her and locked gaze. "Thank you, and I'm sorry."

"W-what? For what?"

"First of all, thank you for trying to help me." She said, she meant to continue but got cut off.

"My, my aren't you arrogant. What makes you think I'm trying to help you." Hermione merely raised an eyebrow in response.

"And second of all," Hermione continued ignoring his comment, "I'm sorry for being so stupid. You tried to tell me…" Once again she was cut off, but this time by Severus' hand.

"You are not stupid." He whispered.

"I was stupid enough not to see Malfoy for what he was."

"But you did. In Hogsmeade today, I could have sworn you were holding on to me for dear life. I think I just may have a bruise from where you squeezed me." He answered now rubbing the spot where she had clutched at his arm, "Who knew I tiny girl like you was so strong? You knew he was bad news right away. Whether you realized it or not doesn't matter. Subconsciously you knew, and immediately you threw up your defenses. Do not doubt yourself like that Hermione. Trust me if you do, in time it will begin to wear you down." Hermione did not miss the undertone in his comment, but she kept it to herself. Something about the way he said it, she knew he wasn't ready to talk about it. "Hermione?"

"Hm?"

"How did it come to happen? Did he just come up and try to hit you?"

"No…No actually we had a civil conversation beforehand." She answered. She took a sip of her tea and continued, "He was standing in the dark for the most part, but I knew it was him all the same. It wasn't until I could see his face clearly…There was something about his face that was…wrong." She continued with the rest of the story and told him about the kiss. When she finished she found that she felt immensely better.

"Hm." Severus said as he thought over her words, "I'd say you do have a good judge of character Hermione."

"With Malfoy it's easy."

"I'm surprised you didn't fall for his charm and good looks." He said, but Hermione wasn't sure if he was serious or not. She stared into the fire and took another sip of tea. She turned her head and caught his gaze before answering.

"Some people are like crystal, Severus, nice to look at, but you can see right through them." She paused a moment, still capturing his gaze, "Others though, are a little more difficult to interpret."

"Are you insinuating something Miss Granger."

"Nothing sir. Nothing at all." (A/n: I plead the fif! Lol, anyone who watches Chapelle's show will understand.)

Let me just say this, last night I sincerely wished to update, but certain natural occurrences…well occurred. You see these past ten days have been my spring break, and you would think that during that time I would get a lot of writing done. Yeah well so did I. Picture this: last day of school before break. Me in my ugly ass brown school jumper, pink SH emblem stuck onto my left boob, brown stockings, brown shoes, and my yellow blouse. I know what you're thinking 'wow stylish.' And in my head I'm thinking (you know besides worrying about the fact that I look like a big pile of walking poo) 'Yes spring break. Can't wait to get home and do some writing.' Well as you know I also have a life. Something I have quite forgotten about for a while. Anyway it sure did catch up with me……WooHoo did it catch up with me. You should be extremely, extremely happy that I did not update. For if I had it would most likely have been some drunken nonsense. I doubt I was straight for more than three hours in the past ten days. I think this writing is the only thing that keeps me from going into alcoholics anonymous…okay so I'm not that bad, don't look down on me for it either. I just like to have fun, lots of it. I still go to school, get good grades, and manage to do everything else. Now allow me to blog for a moment: Last night, family party for my aunt Jessie who, guess what, is younger than me (?) anyway there's me bored out of my skull, oh and what's this that catches my ear. Jessie's older cousin talking about a certain smoking utensil. Imagine that! So I innocently scoot over to where this intelligent young man is sitting and I work my charm on him. By 10:30PM I was blazed out of my effing mind in the back of his extremely dirty car. So about 20 minutes later I peace out and I'm driving in the car with my step-mom. Mind you we were in some backwoods gun club in New Jersey so it's a pretty long drive. I'm listening to the perfect stoner song, 'Rainy Day Woman,' by Bob Dylan and then it hit me. Bam! Motion sickness, Bridget (my step-mom) had to stop four times. EW! I felt soooo bad for her, but at least she knew I was, umm incapacitated by a certain, natural, "drug". So there you have it, my excuse for why I have not updated (if you really care). I love ya'll madly. Please R&R!

"First Day Of My Life" Bright Eyes

This is the first day of my life
I swear I was born right in the doorway
I went out in the rain suddenly everything changed
Their spreading blankets on the beach

Yours is the first face that I saw
I think I was blind before I met you
Now I don't know where I am
I don't know where I've been
But I know where I want to go

And so I thought I'd let you know
That these things take forever
I especially am slow
But I realize that I need you
And I wondered if I could come home

Remember the time you drove all night
Just to meet me in the morning
And I thought it was strange you said everything changed
You felt as if you had just woke up
And you said "this is the first day of my life
I'm glad I didn't die before I met you
But now I don't care I could go anywhere with you
And I'd probably be happy"

So if you want to be with me
With these things there's no telling
We just have to wait and see
But I'd rather be working for a paycheck
Then waiting to win the lottery
Besides maybe this time is different
I mean I really think you like me