"Professor…" came a voice from the end of the large, black, silver edged wooden table.
"Yes?" a cold-hearted reply came from the other end.
"Well, I was just wondering, the clothes in the wardrobe upstairs in the room I'm staying in." She said playing around with her food.
"What about them?" he said as he placed his knife and fork down next to his plate after touching the sides of his mouth clean.
"Well, I was just wondering… I mean… Well, who do they belong to sir?" She said finally, hiding her face down towards her plate as she continued to push her food around, pretending to be doing something.
"Well I knew you were muggle born but I didn't think even they had as bad as brain as you do. Hermione, they are brand new and are in your sizes who else do you expect them to belong to? The boogie wizard?" he said coldly as he took a small sip of his wine from the goblet in his hand.
"Well, um…sir if you somehow know something about them then you will be able to to tell me this." She started.
Here we go again, he thought to himself.
"Yes what is it?"
"Who bought them and why have I got them?" She said staring at him for any sign of a clue.
"I did." He said as he cut a piece of meat off and placed it into his mouth, chewing as he thought.
"Why?" she asked, completely baffled.
"Because you are coming to Hogwarts with me this year and are working with me. You will need new robes and dresses to look presentable there. I do not want an assistant that looks scruffy and muggle like."
"Well, um… I guess thank you Professor, but you needn't have done that. I'm sure my clothes would have been fine. I have presentable teaching clothes. You did not have to go to the trouble. At least let me pay for them." She replied.
"Yes it was necessary, no your clothes won't do and no you are not paying for them." He said as he placed his knife and fork down again.
"But sir I can ha—"
"Not buts about it Miss Granger, I bought them for you, you are not paying me back and that is final!" he said with a firm yet consulting tone.
"Fine, and sir, my name is Hermione. And thank you again."
"Well, Hermione if you don't mind I believe I am done here and wish to turn in. So if you don't mind I bid you goodnight." He spoke quickly and sharply as he got up from his seat at the other end of the table bidding Hermione goodnight.
"Goodnight sir." She whispered to him so only she could hear.
"Why am I doing this? I can't even think of a reason I am having these thoughts about her." He spoke to himself trying to assess the situation at hand. Why was he doing these things for her when a few hours ago he loathed her entirely?
He placed his foot at the top stair and stopped dead in his tracks. There wasn't anything to worry about because he wasn't having any feelings about anything, or anyone. He wasn't supposed to be happy because he was the coldest, evilest, potions master in the world. But just because he was like that on top doesn't mean that he can't love, or that he doesn't. He shook his head vigorously and continued on his lonely way to his bedroom when he was stopped by a soft and loving voice behind him.
"Professor wait." She said as she pulled herself up the stairs with one hand and the other on her deep purple, mesmerising dress, lifting it up a little so she could make her way up the stairs.
He turned around and looked at her. She was stunning, the dress hung delicately in all the right places, clinging to her to show her beautiful small frame in front of him.
He choked a little before replying. "Yes?" he said with his eyebrows raised.
"I may be a little wrong in doing this but I have to know in case anything happens to either of us which it is likely to, with everything that is going on around us." She said as she advanced towards him with a loving smile across her soft crimson lips.
"What is it Hermione?" He said to her breathing a little faster, shorter trying to grasp for the vital air he knew he needed to keep his brain working, as she was so close to him, closer than anyone had been to him in his life.
"This." She said and leaned forward. Their lips had barely touched when her hands could be found hanging on his shoulders sneaking round behind his neck.
He had been completely spun by this but he couldn't say that he didn't want it. He had never felt so close to anyone before in all his life. A few moments and the firmness of her lips against his told him that she wasn't going to back off soon. He could feel an explosion curse through his body and it was a good one. He felt so far away from her but in reality only another step and their bodies would touch. If he made that movement towards her what would she do? "Oh to hell with it." He could hear himself say as his hand came up from his body and brush a piece of hair from her face before placing it down on her cheek. His other hand slipped round behind her and landed on her lower back as he pulled her yet closer to him. The feeling of her crimson lips pressed against his was a feeling he thought he would never get in his life. He felt her body pressed up against his and he liked it, he longed for more, but now that he had it he knew that it was wrong and that he shouldn't be doing it, she had been his student for Merlin's sake. He pulled away from her and held her arms out in front of him. Their breaths short and raspy, he could feel her chest moving up and down against his also feeling his doing the same as they regained their breath. He looked at her with a puzzled sorry look on his pale heart warmed face and abruptly left her without an explanation, leaving one heart broken beautiful woman on the top of the marble staircase.