Chapter Seven: First Date
Hermione had expected the quiet dark atmosphere of the restaurant, hadn't been fazed when the waiter had addressed Severus by name, and had been pleasantly pleased when proven right as he ordered for the two of them. What she had expected that did not occur was the tense silence she had been sure would accompany Severus in the public eye.
She had been prepared for formalities and inane topics. Instead he had begun their conversation with a half smile "It seems that Potter is realizing his mistake."
Hermione gave him an appraising look. She didn't know how he would react to the declarations they heard from Harry. She wasn't worried that wounded pride would drag him into a blind rage, as he couldn't possibly miss all the comments that flew around about him at the school and hadn't killed a student yet; but she was concerned about the effect Harry's ongoing meddling would have on her own relationship with Severus. She could have been mistaking, it was a distinct possibility, but she thought that instead of completely claming up Severus had paid her a compliment.
Deciding that it was safest to not say anything she took a slow sip of water.
"I hope you don't mind my public invitation." He continued. "To be perfectly honest I felt that the chance to be with you and to make sure that Potter knew it was happening was too good to pass up." An elegant shrug accompanied this.
"On the contrary I found your public invitation to be quite wonderful. Not only did I get a public statement out of such an intensely private man, but I avoided Harry following me down to the kitchens."
Severus looked worried. "He follows you?"
Breaking a roll in half Hermione looked up at him through her lashes. "Are you worried?"
He faltered. Nothing he could say would sound right. His inner voice of caution warned him against sarcasm, and his voice of reason informed him that he had nothing to fall back on. He heaved a mental sigh of relief when Hermione took him off the hook.
"You needn't worry. I can handle Harry." A delicate bite of the roll had Severus following her tongue with his eyes as it swept out to gather loose crumbs. "Perhaps you should worry for him."
Severus snorted softly. "That seems likely. Trying to handle such a women as yourself has probably driven off the deep end. Now that he's lost you why should he bother to try and get back to shore?"
Hermione felt her eyes mist. To cover the emotion she gave Severus an accusing grin. "Why you're no bully! You're a closet romantic!"
He hit her with the full 'angry-potions-professor' look. His scowl managed to deepen as she giggled. "What, pray tell, is so bloody funny?"
"You realize of course that the tall dark and dangerous look is why half of seventh year is simply in love with you?" Another smile as Severus visibly blanched. "No? Well surely you don't think that there is another reason so many seventh years take advanced potions? Even Lavender was in that class."
Severus turned rather pale. "And…" he seemed scared to continue "what about… Longbottom?" He asked shuddering slightly.
"Hardly," Hermione said giving his hand a reassuring pat. "Sadly for poor Neville that class was required for his course of study."
A relived sigh escaped his lips. "Well as neither Potter or Weasley took that class, and seemed as happy as I about it, I believe I'll be able to sleep tonight." He watched Hermione laugh merrily and suppressed a rush of unwanted emotions. Before he could stop himself though his mouth was open and headed for sure disaster. "What about you?"
She gave him a serious look as the waiter put their plates in front of them. After a few moments of silence bordering on uncomfortable she spoke. "I'll make you a deal. I'll answer if I can ask you a question." He had opened his mouth to agree when she cut him off. "And, you Slytherin, you must answer it."
"A wise addition, I agree."
Hermione took a thoughtful bite of roasted chicken. "Well, to be perfectly honest I would have taken it anyway."
"Anyway… as in you did fall for" he thought for a moment "Tall, dark, and dangerous, was it?"
"I think I have a thing for you Slytherins to be honest. Your wit and cunning. I had a thing for Draco in fifth year, but I got over that one quickly."
"God. You Gryffindors don't go for subtlety do you?"
Hermione smiled at him "why bother when I have you around? You have enough subtlety to suffice for the both of us."
"Mm, I think that's where the 'dangerous' comes in." Severus said smoothly, giving a little extra emphasis to dangerous in such a way that it made Hermione's heart beat faster and a wave of heat cover her body. "So if your over Draco then does that mean…"
Covering for the flush she knew she couldn't hide from such astute eyes she glared at him and cut off the question. "No fair trying to distract me from my question. If you want to ask another question you'll have to wait your turn."
Severus felt a pang of nervousness. After all there were few things he liked to discuss, and fewer still that Hermione wouldn't think of. What if she asked about his days as a deatheater? She would run from the restaurant screaming at even a hint of the deeds he had committed. What if she asked about his family? That wouldn't be a good beginner to… whatever it was they were beginning. What if…
"Do you like to teach?" She asked, breaking into his thoughts.
Well he hadn't expected that one. But it was an amazing choice of questions. If he said no then she would know that he really was just the mean bastered that was hiding from one master by hiding behind the other. If he said yes then he would have a lot of classes to explain to the girl. 'Damn.' He knew even as he thought through possible variations of possible answers, that he couldn't lie to her.
"It… has its moments."
"Would you have done it be choice if circumstances were different?" Hermione clarified waving her fork as if gesturing to circumstances that never occurred, the choices made and over with.
He waited a moment thinking if there was anyway to answer that would be honest but conducive to his 'potions master' persona. There wasn't. "Fine, you little reputation ruiner. I enjoy teaching, had wanted to do it since my fourth year. Getting through to people like Longbottom makes me see hope in our future, seeing people like you get better scores than me on some of the test makes me realize that there are still things to learn." His eyes grew sharper. "That doesn't mean that I don't truly loath it some days. And I firmly believe everything I've said, especially about Potter."
"Everything you've said?" Hermione asked skeptically.
His eyes met hers and again he couldn't lie, though the words were fully formed in his mind. 'Everything, I stand by every word.'
"In… principle." Another look from Hermione made him sit up straighter, almost defensively. "Well you have to admit you ARE a bookworm, and you DID have all the answers. You may not have deserved all the things I said, I suppose the three-hundredth or so time I used know-it-all was enough."
"And here I had begun to think of it as an endearment." She saw that he was uncomfortable, got the feeling that he had said more than intended, and decided that she should… wanted to make it better.
She gave him a coy smile. "I'm not over you."
Severus looked lost. "Pardon?"
Hermione leaned across the table giving the area an intimate feel, unconsciously causing Severus to lean closer as well until they were a breath apart. "I may have gotten over Draco, but I'm not over you." She watched as Severus blinked in surprise, his eyes betraying for the briefest moment an open and unsure mood. She took advantage of the moment and closed the distance between the two of them.
His shock left him motionless for a moment, but he was over it quickly. He deepened the kiss and let his tongue travel over her bottom lip. Her mouth opened under his and for a moment nothing else existed. Severus came back to earth unsteadily, and pulled back.
He took a shuddering breath. "Are you sure that your drink wasn't switched for something strongly alcoholic?"
Hermione gave him a heated glance. "I'm sure. That was all me."
"Well then," Severus said giving her a smoldering look of his own, "Perhaps we should go to dinner more often."