Ginny's mind raced as she tried to think of a way to draw Harry and Ron's attention away from Hermione and Professor Snape. She smiled briefly when she noticed how content the dancing couple looked at that moment. Ginny focused her attention back on the boys and rushed over to them. Trying to sound casual, she said, "Having a good time?"

Harry's gaze flickered to her face for a moment before he looked back at Hermione and Snape. "All right, I guess," he said dismissively. "What's with Hermione dancing with Snape?" Harry glanced at Ron who looked furious.

"She turns me down but she dances with that greasy git," Ron said through clenched teeth.

"Turned you down?" Ginny asked, looking a bit confused.

"Ron tried to put his arm around her, but she pulled away and said that she only wanted to be friends," Harry explained, looking over at Ron sympathetically.

Ginny winced at Harry's words. "Well, perhaps she could have been a little more tactful," Ginny said carefully, "but, you really can't blame her for only wanting to be friends. She didn't want to lead you on Ron. Hermione would never intentionally hurt you."

Ron scowled and remained silent. Harry cocked his head and sent a questioning gaze in Ginny's direction. She met his eyes calmly. Harry looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. He glanced over at Hermione and Snape as they danced, and then looked back at Ginny curiously. Ginny raised her eyebrows at him and crossed her arms over her chest. Finally, Harry said, "I'm going to go dance with Parvati. I'll talk to you later Ginny," he added giving her a meaningful look before walking away.

Ginny sighed. "Ok, so Harry's putting two and two together," she thought. "He doesn't know anything, but he definitely suspects something." Ginny looked over at Ron. He had been far too busy pouting to pay attention to the silent exchange between Harry and herself. "He'll make a right prat of himself before the night is over, no doubt," she thought rolling her eyes.

Hermione glanced up at the man that was holding her securely against his body. She smiled when she thought of how relaxed he looked. When the song ended, he pulled back, a bit reluctantly. "Care to take a walk Miss Granger?" Severus asked stiffly, as if he had forced himself to say it.

Hermione smiled up at him and said, "I would love to." She allowed him to lead her through the Great Hall and out the doors. The couple did not notice that Albus and Minerva were watching them leave. They exchanged mischievous grins and then turned their attention back to the students.

Without thinking, Severus led Hermione down to his private chambers. They had walked in a comfortable silence, but once they were standing in the sitting room, they both felt a bit apprehensive. Severus looked completely horrified that he had allowed himself to lead her down to his rooms. Hermione saw his expression change and decided to help him feel a little more at ease.

Hermione stepped toward her potions professor and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head against his shoulder. She felt his body stiffen, but she smiled when he relaxed and wrapped his arms around her.

They remained in that position for several moments until Hermione lifted her head to look at his face. Her heart raced when his eyes drifted down to her lips. She sighed slightly when he finally lowered his head to brush his lips against hers. Severus brought up one of his hands to cradle the back of her head and the other he used to caress her cheek. He ran his tongue across her bottom lip causing her to shiver. Hermione's parted slightly, inviting him to explore her mouth. Severus responded by kissing her deeply and holding her more tightly.

They pulled apart when it became necessary to breathe. Hermione's face was flushed and she was panting slightly. Severus looked a bit stunned and he seemed to be attempting to calm down. Hermione smiled up at him, as he tentatively reached out and placed his hands on her waist. Severus smirked at her when she blew out a shaky breath as he ran his hands across her hips. He brought his lips down to hers again and held her against his body. She could feel his arousal through his robes and it excited her even more.

Severus slowly led Hermione into his bedroom, never daring to release his hold on her. Hermione trembled slightly when he gently pushed her down onto the bed and lay down next to her. Severus trailed slow kisses down her neck while slowly bringing his hand up to caress her full breasts.

Hermione brought her hands up to unbutton his robes, but stopped when she heard his sharp intake of breath. Severus rubbed his forearm with an irritated look on his face. "You're being summoned," Hermione said softly, watching his face.

"Yes," Severus growled. "Perfect timing." He got off the bed and straightened his robes, irritation evident on his face.

"I'd like to wait here for you," Hermione said quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking down at her hands.

"No," Severus said with stern finality. "I will escort you to your room and you will lock yourself in. We do not want Mr. Malfoy to get to you. I will send Miss Weasley to come in and stay with you as well." He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment and said, "I will contact you through the Floo when I return. I may be in need of your assistance at that time."

Hermione nodded and allowed him to lead her out of his chambers and into the hall. Once they arrived at her room, he ushered her inside and turned to leave again. "Be careful, Professor," she called to him. Professor Snape turned and gave a curt nod before he left her.

Several minutes later, a knock on the door announced Ginny's arrival. Hermione let her friend in and then locked the door behind her. Ginny immediately sat on Hermione's bed and looked over at her expectantly. "So, what happened?" Ginny asked, barely containing her excitement and curiosity.

"He was summoned," Hermione said shortly.

Ginny snorted with laughter. "Not that," she said rolling her eyes. "You know exactly what I'm asking about. I saw you dance with Professor Snape and then you left with him. I'm no idiot."

Hermione smiled slightly. "We went for a walk and ended up in his private rooms," she said conversationally.

Ginny's peals of laughter filled the room. Once she calmed she asked, "Did you sleep with him?"

Hermione hesitated, unsure of whether or not she should be sharing this information. "We ended up on his bed, but he was summoned before anything could really happen," she said.

"Bloody hell," Ginny muttered, shaking her head. "That's pretty bad timing. If you two had moved a little more quickly, you could have had it over and done with by the time he was summoned."

"Ginny," Hermione chided her. "I don't want to just have it over and done with. You make it sound like having to swallow some terrible tasting potion."

"Well, I don't much fancy Professor Snape," Ginny said mischievously. "For me it would be like having to swallow a disgusting potion." She laughed at Hermione's indignant scowl. "It's strange to think of Snape that way. He must be crazy about you."

"Hardly," Hermione said with a sigh. "He still snaps and scowls at me. He's still so sarcastic and bitter."

"That's just the way he is though," Ginny said reasonably. "He's got a strange little soft spot for you, and that says something. You can't expect him to turn into something sweet and cuddly. He'd be more like Dumbledore rather than himself." Hermione smiled and then began sharing some of the details of her evening.

After only two hours, the fire in Hermione's fireplace turned green. The girls watched with interest as Professor Snape's head appeared in the flame. "Miss Granger, your presence is required in the Headmaster's office," Snape said silkily. "Miss Weasley may join you as long as you move quickly." As quickly as it had appeared, Snape's face was gone.

Hermione threw some Floo powder into the flame and called out "Professor Dumbledore's office," as she and Ginny stepped into the fireplace. They landed in the Headmaster's fireplace with a thud. The girls dusted off their robes and stepped into the office to find Professor Snape already sitting in the room with Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall. "Welcome," Dumbledore said kindly, motioning for the girls to sit in the two empty seats next to Snape.

Hermione and Ginny sat down hesitantly. "Is everything ok?" Hermione asked nervously glancing between Dumbledore and McGonagall. She carefully avoided looking at Professor Snape.

"Professor Snape returned fairly quickly this time," Dumbledore said slowly. "Unfortunately, it was because he was simply being given instructions. This weekend, he was instructed to bring you to Hogsmeade to pick up some items from the apothecary. It is there that the Death Eaters plan to kidnap you and use you as bait to lure Harry out of safety in order to save you. Also, they seem to feel that if you are out of the way, Harry will have lost his 'voice of reason'." Dumbledore simply gazed at Hermione once he had finished this little speech.

"Oh my," Hermione said softly. She finally looked over at Snape fearfully. Turning back to Dumbledore, she asked, "What are we going to do?"

"We are going to send you to the apothecary this weekend," Dumbledore said with a slight smile. "But, not before we send the Order to await the arrival of the Death Eaters. We simply wanted you to know what was being planned. You need to be aware of the danger that awaits you. Young Draco Malfoy has been trying to get you out of the way for several months now but has obviously been unsuccessful. You must be careful."

Hermione's face was pale as she took in this information. Ginny patted her shoulder sympathetically and then addressed Dumbledore. "This sounds risky. How can you be sure that she'll be safe?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Professor Snape will be there to make sure that she is protected," McGonagall chimed in with a poorly concealed grin. Snape shot her a furious glare that was ignored entirely.

"Of course, we can't force you to do this," Dumbledore said gently to Hermione. "This requires that you put a lot of trust in the Order and, possibly most especially, Professor Snape. Are you willing to go through with this?"

Hermione glanced at the potions master before nodding silently. "Wonderful," Dumbledore said cheerfully. "I'll take care of the details with the Order and we'll let you know our final plans." The girls recognized their cue to go, and muttered goodnight to the professors before leaving the office.

Once the girls had disappeared back through the fireplace, McGonagall smiled at Snape. "Did you enjoy the ball Severus?" she asked with an amused smirk. Snape chose to ignore her, so she continued. "I saw you dancing with Miss Granger. She really seemed to enjoy it. She even left with you. You must have swept her off her feet."

Snape remained resolutely silent, although his cheeks were looking slightly flushed. "Minerva, don't pester him," Dumbledore chuckled. He peered at Snape over the top of his glasses. "We're just happy to see you enjoying yourself Severus. Miss Granger is good for you, I think."

"You would be wrong," Snape growled in irritation. "I was so out of focus when I was summoned. I was rather lucky that the Dark Lord was so concerned about his plans or he would have questioned me. This is the sort of weakness that I simply will not permit myself to have."

"Don't be silly Severus," Minerva said waving her hand dismissively.

"I will not be weak!" Severus shouted furiously. Minerva and Albus looked at him in surprise. Severus sat back in his chair warily. "I couldn't even think straight. I probably could have found a way to avoid this new situation. If the Dark Lord had chosen to enter my mind, I doubt that I would have been prepared." He rested his head in his hands feeling much frustration with himself.

"Love is not a weakness," Albus said quietly, causing Severus to look up quickly.

"I never said anything about love," Severus said.

"You don't have to," Albus replied with a smile. "As I said, love is not a weakness. You felt out of sorts because you've been fighting with yourself about this for a while now and then you suddenly gave in on a whim. You allowed yourself that happiness and then you immediately went to a meeting with Voldemort. If you would stop fighting it, you could function better." Albus grinned at Severus' look of discomfort. "Love can be such a great source of strength. In fact, you might find it to be where true strength begins. It allows you to trust another person, which can be rather helpful. Instead of relying on yourself, you have access to her strengths and abilities as well. You can hold each other up in a way." Minerva nodded in approval while Severus shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

"Perhaps we should retire for the night," Albus said kindly. "Think about what I said Severus. And, you should consider telling her how you feel, even if you don't want to admit it to Minerva and myself."

Severus looked at his colleagues with an unreadable expression on his face. After a moment, he turned and left the office. Minerva and Albus exchanged smiles before they wished each other a good night. Albus was left alone in his office, wondering what Severus would do next.