Chapter Two—Letters

Severus had thought that persuading Hermione to take an apprenticeship elsewhere would be the difficult part. That once he was free to court her everything would naturally fall into place, and they would fall into bed. Looking down at his arm, he realized of course that most things did not turn out the way he planned them and generally were harder than he had anticipated.

The truth of the matter was that he had never courted anyone before, not successfully anyway. And he desperately didn't want to mess things up with Hermione.

The last several weeks had been sublime except for the time they spent together in the lab. It had been a little awkward after that first kiss, both remembering the next morning of course that they would have to return to their roles as apprentice and master. But after class they often sat by his fireside, sipping coffee and talking or playing chess.

She played quite well and he had even let her win a few times—the look of joy on her face as she captured his king was worth it. If he had been the sentimental sort he might have admitted that she was slowly capturing his heart as well, but he wasn't the type.

He did wonder, however, when one had to stop asking permission to kiss one's date and could just grab her by the shoulders and plant his lips on hers. Maybe now that her apprenticeship had been terminated he wouldn't have to worry so much about propriety's sake.

But as he sat at his desk several days later, he wondered if it had been such a good idea to let her go at all. Since she had started working for the Weasley's he hadn't seen much more of Hermione other than to help her move her some of her things from the castle to a tiny flat she had rented in Hogsmeade. She had promised that she would still see him but she hadn't visited, flooed, or even sent an owl.

With dismay he realized that he might be missing her. That was ludicrous, of course he didn't miss people; he missed the quiet and solitude of his private quarters, he missed the summers—the only time he was free of students, but he certainly didn't miss his apprentice.

Except that he did.

Maybe she was waiting for him to make the first move. It was an awkward situation after all, having formerly been apprentice and master. He had assured her over and over again that he agreed with her decision to work for the Weasleys short of admitting his plot to rid himself of her. But perhaps she still required reassurance.

Taking up pen and paper, he quickly composed a short note asking her to dinner.

A large tawny owl flew in her small window, dropping an envelope on the table. Hermione scrambled through the yet unpacked boxes in her tiny kitchen, looking for something to give the bird for its trouble, but all she could find was a package of very stale biscuits.

"I'm afraid that's all I have," she told it as it turned away and lifted its beak in the air. She tried to scratch its head but it flew off before she got the chance. Picking up the note, her heart skipped a beat as she recognized the dark green seal as Severus'. She had been so busy moving and starting her new job that she hadn't had much time for anything else and to tell the truth she had been a little nervous after his reaction at the hospital.

Opening the letter she read,

Hermione,

I have been experiencing a slight discomfort in my chest for several days now that I first attributed to indigestion, (if you had to eat the slop these house elves call meals then you would understand.) When it failed to stop even after the stern talking to I gave the kitchen staff and after trying several different potions, I realized I might instead be missing you.

When you said we would still see each other I had assumed you meant sooner rather than later. If you aren't already previously engaged would you meet me for dinner tomorrow night at The Three Broomsticks?

Severus

Well, it wasn't the romantic love letter most girls expected but then Hermione had never really been like 'most girls.' Good thing, she decided. If she wanted romantic verses and moonlight serenades then she had picked the wrong man. She only hoped that he was kidding her about yelling at the house elves. He knew where she stood on that issue even if she had abandoned SPEW years ago.

Sitting down, she reread the letter and absently reached for a stale biscuit. She had thought that things might be easier after quitting her apprenticeship, but if anything she now thought it might be harder. They were no longer together on a daily basis. They would have to make a concerted effort to see each other. It made the whole thing seem suddenly so 'real.'

When she was his apprentice she could pretend that they weren't really dating, because in truth they really weren't. So what if she happened to spend her evenings in front of his fire chatting and playing chess? So what if he occasionally kissed her? But now everything was different. People would see them together and wonder why, especially now that Hermione had stopped working for him.

'Oh, god!' she thought all of a sudden. 'I'll have to tell Ron and Harry.'

She pictured their looks of horror and disbelief when she informed them that she had kissed the hated Potions Professor and not only that but she had enjoyed it and looked forward to doing it again.

Well she wasn't a Gryffindor for nothing. It was time for some of that courage that had seen her through the war and that first awkward date with Severus. Both of those had turned out well, hadn't they? She put down her stale cookie and looked for quill and a bit of parchment. She had two letters to write—one to her friends and one to Snape.

TBC

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter but the next two are in the works and should be both longer and funnier. Have a good weekend everyone!