Disclaimer: None of these wonderful characters is mine; they are J.K. Rowling's.
Summary: Hermione graduated from Hogwarts 2 years ago and is now twenty. War rages on and she builds barriers around her heart.
Genre: Angst/Romance Rating: Mature/Lemon Warnings: This is very OOC. If you want the characters just the way they are in the book, stop now and click on the back button. This is also AU. If you do not like it, do not read it! Now for those who want to, enjoy!

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I Don't Believe In Love

Chapter Eight:

Harry and Ron's entrance in the Great Hall at breakfast caused silence. A pin dropped and a 'ting' sound reverberates throughout the Hall. After about seven seconds, the whole student body cheered.

"How perfectly marvelous. The celebrities have arrived." Snape muttered in a low, quiet, and sarcastic voice in the staff table. However, it was apparent that the statement was not said quietly enough for Hermione, who was sitting beside him, heard it.

"Severus. Do not ruin their visit." Hermione snapped.

Harry and Ron made their way to the head table. Albus smiled, Minerva beamed, Hermione grinned, and Severus scowled at them.

"Hi Herms. We missed you." Harry greeted her with a hug.

"Err...Let me breathe first." She could not feel her arms anymore.

"Oh. Sorry." Harry grinned sheepishly at her.

"I'm alright. So, how are you guys doing?" She asked. Severus had been glaring at the two visitors since they stepped foot in the Great Hall.

"Everything's fine 'Mione. How's teaching? Are the students giving you much trouble? Is 'he' giving you trouble?" Ron looked pointedly at Snape. Severus, however, narrowed his eyes at him, prepared to say a scathing remark, but Hermione got to Ron first.

"Ron. Don't you start anything!" Hermione warningly said at him. Surprisingly, Harry did not mention a hint of dislike against the potions master.

"Why are you defending him?" Ron's dislike of the potion master was widely known.

"Because he has not said a single thing to insult to you and yet you start insulting him. He's my friend Ron." Hermione's friends knew that once she has her mind made up, she would never change her mind.

"Him? How can you be friends with the greasy git?" Severus stood up. His chair made a scraping noise against the floor. He took out his ebony wand. Ron stepped back. The staff watched the scene unravel with mounting apprehension. The staff had never seen Snape angry before. But no one expected what happened next. He cast a silence bubble so only the four would be able to hear him, and he spoke.

"If you wish to insult me, I would suggest names other than the greasy git," He said in a dangerously low voice, He leaned towards the redhead, his hair swaying, eyes narrowed. "Try Snivellus, or The Bat of the Dungeons, or my favorite, The Black-Hearted Bastard of Hogwarts." With a wave of his hand, he lifted the silence bubble and made his way out of the great hall, head up, his robes sweeping, and billowing out regally around him.

'SMACK' she slapped him. Hard. "How dare you." Hermione said in a dangerous growl. She turned to follow him but someone stopped her. Ron was holding her arm, preventing her from going anywhere. She faced him.

"What is the matter Hermione? You never acted this way before." Ron pleaded with her. He hoped she would revert to the old her.

A slight shock of wandless magic was enough to warn Ron. "That was before. There are events in a person's life that changes them. I changed. But so did you. What happened to you?"

She turned and left the hall in search of Severus.

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She found him in the courtyard, hiding in the shadows. "I'm a spy Severus, and an auror too. Remember? You cannot hide from me. I'm sorry. Ron was--" He put one long finger on her mouth to silence her.

"I'm used to it. It is nothing special. Go back and enjoy your day with your friends. They are with you only for so long. Enjoy your time while you can." He felt a twinge with his every word. Oh how he desired to keep her for himself. But he would not hurt himself that way. He would not grow too attached to her for if something happens...He did not want to hurt. He deluded himself for quite a while now. Ron opened his eyes for him. People would never respect her if she were to associate with the likes of him.

"You are my friend too. I enjoy my time when I'm with you." She stepped closer to him, now hidden in the shadows as well. He caressed her cheek, and arm around her waist.

"I am not the most handsome man." His hand combing her short hair.

"Beauty is not everything." She shrugged. Her hands on his chest.

"I am old." He put both arms around her waist.

"Age does not bother me." By now, her hands have traveled the length of his chest and are now clasped behind his neck, playing with the tips of his hair.

"You do realize that we cannot do the normal things couples do." His forehead was now on hers. Eyes both locked on each other's.

"Since when did we ever do things normally?" She countered, an eyebrow raised in challenge, eyes glittering with mischief.

He smirked at her, pulled his head away from hers, and without warning, spun her around. She laughed loudly, her voice filling the empty courtyard. He finally stopped spinning her and set her down.

"Whatever the lady wishes, the lady gets." He said dramatically. "Now. I believe it is time for you to go back and forgive Mr. Weasley." She smiled at him before running away back to the Great Hall.

"You can come out now, Mr. Potter." Severus said once Hermione had gone.

"Good morning, professor." Harry said, taking off the shimmering, invisibility cloak.

"I am pleased to see that you have acquired some manners, Potter." Snape said acidly.

"Professor, whatever faults my father did to you should not be my burden. By now, I thought you might have realized that we are two different persons." Harry said without beating around the bush. "Truce?" He offered his hand.

Snape studied him for a while before taking the offered hand. Then he remembered something. 'After you win Tom.'

"Promise me Potter, that you will not let the dark lord win." Hermione's face was lingering in his mind.

Harry took a deep breath before saying, "I promise."

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Ok. I finally got them together. I got pretty fed up with all the fics with so much sex but has no substance. Thanks for those who reviewed. I need arguments. If you have any that you might want in the story. I got a special scene for it. But it's gonna be a bit farther than now.

Angelbabe385: He'll help her. Eventually...

little l: Thank you. I try my best.

Happiness Fooled: Oh my. I hope you get well soon.

lydia: Yup but neither one of them wants to admit it.

chibimecools: LOL. Thanks.

Varcolaci: Hmmm, I thought of that before, but it would collide with my ending.

Alias mel: I know, it was so sad. I feel so guilty for doing that to Hermione.

Obi-wan's lover: Thank you. lol.

Aleatha515: Thank you. I had to squeeze my memories of the other books out of my mind cuz I only borrowed them before. lol

sexiprincess1228: Yah. A lot of people agree with me that what he said that time was just mean.

aniamifan1988: lol. The creepy voldie-hermy scene will be later on. (cackles madly). Sorry, evil moment there.

deadlyabyss12: I'm glad it did.

Poppins: Thank you. That means a lot.

I GOT SO MANY REVIEWS!(jumps up and down) Anyway, I still feel guilty. (sigh) Hmmm...Oh! yeah. It's either next chapter or the next after the next that there's gonna be a duel. A sorta special one. Thanks for reading! Review. Please. - Darque