A/N: hello there, I hope you approved of 'the reason' random though it was, this is quite a sweet chapter. Thanks for the reviews, nice to know that some people appreciate me ;)

- CHAPTER NINE -

Curses and Kisses

Hermione patted Emma gently on the shoulder and walked slowly back up the dungeon stairs. Behind her Emma grimaced and knocked on Snape's door. She heard his heavy footsteps as he approached the door and pulled it open in her face.

"Yes?" he growled,

"You put me in detention remember? But don't worry, I don't mind if you decide to give it a miss." She grinned at him,

"I am your teacher Miss Burrage; please address me as Sir or Professor when you speak to me -"

"Well, I could … Sir, but you'll have to call me darling."

His lips tightened; this girl infuriated him. She thought that she could wrap the teachers around her little finger, she was very bright, though he never let her know it; she was a Gryffindor so it was a matter of principle. She constantly annoyed him, no abundance of punishments, detentions or house point deductions seemed to make any difference.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor for your cheek, now get in my office!"

"Chuh," but she grinned again and winked at him as she sidled into his dark office.

"So," he said menacingly, trying not to be put off by her grin, "I am trying to teach my fifth-years to recognise more dangerous letter curses. You will test each one to make sure that it's what it says it is on the envelope." He pointed to a pile of envelopes on a table at one side of the room, "You will sustain each curse for one minute and then use the counter-curse written on the back of the envelope to stop it."

She bounced into the air and leapt towards the next, "try not to make too much of a mess," he added hastily as she reached for the first envelope, "and shut the envelope very quickly, I don't want to waste the curses."

He sat back down at his desk and pulled out a long black raven feather quill, starting to mark a pile of seventh-year essays on the significance of serpents in the Dark Arts. But he wasn't really concentrating; he was waiting for the insolent girl to get her comeuppance.

She had opened the flap of the first envelope and barely after she'd closed it again her legs began to wobble violently. "Jellylegs Professor? Come on I know you can do better than that." She wobbled around the back of his office for a minute before speaking the counter-curse and walking calmly to collect a second envelope.

His eyes rose subtly from his marking to watch her as she brashly opened the second envelope. Her eyes widened for a moment as she felt a slash across her chest and she crumpled to floor. Snape quivered and stood up, walking to where she lay and drew out his wand.

There was a knock on the door and it opened suddenly. Hermione had come back and was staring open-mouthed at him.

"What have you done? Have you cursed her?" she ran forward and knelt down to check that Emma still had a pulse, he pushed her out of the way and muttered something under his breath, Emma's hand twitched and he walked away. Hermione followed him, her hair wild and her eyes even wilder.

"Have you been cursing students under my care Snape?" she roared, "Why do you always pick the younger targets?"

"I didn't curse her! Well I did … but not really, it's not serious. It was in the envelope, she was just testing my letter curses; it was a detention." he pointed at the pile of envelopes,

"Another detention? This girl spends her life in detention with you; it would be surprised if there were rumours about it."

"Better than the rumours about you two," Emma said as she leapt off the ground, looking slightly ruffled but not ailing. "And that did hurt you know Snapey, I wouldn't use that one if I were you."

"What rumours?" they both said simultaneously, Snape added, "and my name is Professor Snape."

"Do I really need to answer that?" she winked at them and sped out of the room.

Hermione and Snape both stood dumbstruck for a few moments, "Well," he said after a while, "I don't see why there should be any rumours."

"Of course not," she said defiantly, "Emma likes to stir things up, don't take her too seriously."

"You don't have to tell me about Emma Burrage, I've known she was a troublemaker since her first day. She seems to think that her intelligence can let her get away with anything. Other teachers may let her, but I most certainly do not. Slughorn adores her, and he knows her father – he's very high up in the world of Arithmancy." Snape scowled with distaste,

"Well it doesn't matter what she said, look I must go and finish my marking if I want to get any sleep tonight." She made for the door,

"Why did you come down then?" he asked, "Did you want to see me?"

"No, no it doesn't matter," she said distractedly,

"Hermione?" she turned around,

"What?" she asked gingerly,

"Nothing," he replied, and sat down at his desk,

"Severus?" he looked up, she had moved back towards him.

He stood up again, and walked around to face her. His black robes brushed the floor as he moved, his eyes sparkled and his hair flopped over his pallid face.

"I killed your best friend Hermione, you don't need me." He sighed heavily,

"But I want you," she whispered, coming closer to him.

He sighed again, and gently lifted her left hand, bringing it in front of her face. Her dull silver and sapphire engagement ring sparkled a little in the dim light of his office. Forcefully she pulled it from her finger and set it down on his desk.

"I was never going to marry him," she said,

"He can't live without you," Snape pointed out, he knew how weak Ron would be sometimes,

"Well I can't live with him; he doesn't understand how I feel, he's too caught up in his own world, he doesn't notice what I want from my life." She fixed her eyes on Snape,

"Hermione, please, don't be stupid."

"I haven't felt less stupid in my life," she said, "don't you understand? Or do all men really have the empathetic scope of a tea strainer?"

He frowned, "look at me Severus." she said,

"I am looking" he murmured, and bent down a little so that his thin tight lips brushed hers. He stroked the side of her cheek and looked at her uncertainly.

She drew away, gently placing his arm back down by his side. "Goodnight Severus," she said as she opened the door and stepped out into the corridor. Snape swooped down and picked up the ring she had left on his desk, and turned it over pensively in his hands.

A/N: Awww, it's sweet, but subtle, I'm a lot happier with this than I am with Here Forevermore. Reviews always welcome ;)