Hermione placed the quill down next to the piece of parchment that bared an ink stained message upon. She looked down at the note and explanation for her leave of absence. All of the explaining she believed she had in her was down and written upon that letter. She sighed deeply as she dropped her gaze to the fireplace a few steps from her. She picked up her suitcase and was just about to enter her hand into the pot of floo powder hung up on the wall of the fireplace just as a voice came into her ears.
"Miss Granger, what exactly do you think you are doing with that hand?" he said in a surprisingly calm voice.
Her hand suspended in mid-pick up just floated back down to her side as she took a deep breath to prepare herself for the explosion that she undoubtedly knew was about to occur. She dropped her suitcase down next to her with a loud clank that seemed to echo so loudly around the black hollow hall. Sliding her left foot round she rotated herself so she was facing the man she loved. The supposed evil malicious Potions master whom had no feelings but hate and a thirst for blood. But she knew ever since that night she had touch his lips with hers that he was nothing of the sort and never could be. It would be the death of him if he even uttered a single curse against her. Yet she feared him, feared what he would say, and feared how he felt about her. But why should she fear that because she already knew the answer? He hated her more than anything because she had broken his heart and shattered his feelings into a million pieces.
"I…I…"
"You what Miss Granger?" he said as he advanced upon her. "You were about to go to the one place that you would undoubtedly be killed. The one place that everyone in the Order has tried to keep you away from. Going to go get yourself killed after the sacrifices that have been made by wizards and witches everywhere have made for you. The place that I have forced you to go to." He spoke ever so gently as he approached her.
The hatred gone from his body, his eyes clear from all the anger and rage that had proceeded to show it's self-that fateful day. She couldn't tell what she was seeing from this amazingly proud and righteous man. He seemed to be blaming himself for her incentive to leave. To go and die. But it wasn't his fault it had been hers and the blame she felt and knew still lie within her.
"You haven't forced me to go anywhere. If I were going anywhere then it would have most undoubtedly been from my own choice. I am not too young and immature to make decisions for my self and my well being. If I were to go anywhere then that would have been purely out of my own choice Professor." She said as she tried to reinstate her intelligence.
"Out of your own stupidity more like." He said as he brandished a scowl to her.
Sighing deeply in frustration he took the last step that closed all space between. Ignoring the frown she had put on her face after being proved wrong yet again he stuttered to find the words to explain to her how he felt. Without letting himself open to have a wave load of regret and embarrassment placed upon his head for the rest of his life. Or whatever piece of a life he believed he could salvage. He believed he had feelings for her and that old coot Albus had basically told him that he did indeed love her confirmed it, as it was apparently obvious to everyone but him that he had these feelings for her of all people. But how to tell her was the question at hand. And how to tell her while still keeping himself intact?
"Look, Miss Granger. I—"
"Shh." She said soothingly as she placed a finger to his lips to shut him up. "I don't want to hear anything you have to say right now Severus." She said with hope in her eyes and love refilling her heart.
He stopped as she placed her finger to his lips and sighed in happiness inside at her touch. He really did love her and he really did want her. But he had to tell her before she left and—She just called him Severus. No one had called him by his first name since, well, actually it was classed as last week because of the order and everything but no one apart from his colleagues or Dumbledore had called him Severus in at least twenty years. It shook him inside to think of it like that but it also gave him the tiniest scrap of hope. Maybe she felt the same towards him. Especially with the way that she had said his name. It had rolled of her tongue in one of the most sensual ways he could have ever heard in his life.
"All I want…" she began as she let her hair down from the bun she had put it into and shook her head. Giving her a slightly sexy appeal towards Severus.
"…Is to kiss the lips that my fingers are on. To feel the tingling sensation as my lips meet yours and the completeness I feel when being close to you." She said and smiled at him.
He knew then and from then that he really did love her and was attracted to her in more way than one.
"Now," she began in a less subtle tone. "Are you Mr Snape going to comply? Or will I have to tickle you into complying?" She said with a slight grin on her face.
He didn't need anymore of an invitation than that. Picking her up into his arms he bent his head down to hers and sighed as their lips met in unison. His hands reaching to her lower back to pull her closer to him. Her hands snaking to their 'oh so familiar' place around his neck. He could feel her moan come out of her mouth as she pulled him closer to him. Making their bodies shiver with excitement. Their lips moving rhythmically with the opening and shutting of their mouths. But she and he both wanted more of each other. She took the first leap and dived her tongue into his mouth feeling around inside but she didn't have to wait long to be rewarded with his investigating hers as well. He lifted her up and she automatically wrapped her legs around his waist, letting her hang comfortably on his hips as she could feel sensations from down below. She rose up a little with her body and moaned with pleasure at the feeling she had gotten from that little move. She wanted to continue but had no breath to do so. She unwillingly let go of her lovers tongue and their heads leaned against each others forehead. Their breathing rasp and uneven.
Hermione was smiling to herself on the inside and the outside. The possibility of him actually meaning what he did that night had never even run through her head before. The sparkling presence in her eyes could tell she was happy. For the first time in years the light had been filled inside her again. Before she had made her way to the Snape Manor she had been dreading it and ready to throw herself willingly to dementors. But Dumbledore had seen right through that seen of events and had made Professor Sna—No, Severus pick her up from the ministry. She hadn't been grateful in the slightest but as she began to notice his discomfort in the situation she thought that she would play up to the part as being the happy, shinning, know-it-all Gryffindor every one had come to know and hate. They all knew her for intelligence and for her bright ideas in saving the others in the famous trio. She had been through everything with them but had only felt close to them as family. No more than family, even though Ron had asked her out. She smiled to herself briefly; as soon as he had told her his feelings towards her she understood why he was so possessive and moody when he found out that Viktor had taken her to the Yule Ball. But that sense of being cared for and noticed by someone who didn't stuff their face full of food every chance they got, made her feel, accepted finally into the magical society. That feeling had meant everything to her. Fighting so had for so long to prove that just because she was a muggle-born didn't mean that she couldn't be equally as good at magic as the pure-bloods. But in doing her hard work and making extreme efforts she had proved that she was far better than any pure-blood in that school. She had been the only student for the past century to match the intellectual status of the dreaded Potions master. But with her professor's intellect can pain, came disownment. His parents had been death eaters and had tried to enfold him into the tradition of the Snape family being worthy followers of he-who-must-not-be-named. Let's say because of the way he was treated at school he searched for acceptance from people. To be accepted into the world of those who were there for a purpose, who were there for reason and strived to be heard. Voldemort had been one of those people. He had a plan to change the world and boy had it done just that.
She leaned back at him with her breathing steadied and smiled to him. She was happy and it looked like for the first time in Severus' life he was feeling complete and accepted. And by a Gryffindor no less. He smiled to himself inwardly; this is what life was supposed to be like, here with her, together. But realisation hit him with full force. If Voldemort found out about this he would know he was a traitor then they would be separated for sure and most likely they would die. He didn't want that for her never would he want hat for her. He would die before he let her feel an ounce of pain in her body.