When Hermione woke the next morning, she had no idea where she was. It took her several minutes of surveying the room before she realized that she was in Severus' office. Her next panicked thought was, "what time is it?" After consulting her watch, she realized that it was halfway through her first class.

"Oh no!" she cried. She began to gather her things as the door opened and Severus came into the room.

"Good, you're awake. And… you look vaguely panicked. What is the matter?" Severus asked.

"I slept halfway through my first class!" she exclaimed.

"Oh. Is that all? I've already informed the Headmaster. I've told him that you were still having trouble dealing with your parent's divorce and that you would need today off."

"Thank you," Hermione replied.

"Now, I'm going to assume that you are hungry, as you missed breakfast. Therefore, I was wondering if you would care to accompany me to Hogsmeade for brunch?" Severus asked.

Hermione stared at him for a moment. Had Severus Snape just asked her out on a date? Severus began to look slightly uncomfortable.

"You don't have to, of course. I just thought that you might be hungry an-"

"Severus, I'd love to," Hermione interrupted.

"Really?" Severus' face split into a slow smile, another first for Hermione.

"Yes. Now, I'm going to go up to my room and change. I'll meet you back here soon, alright?" Severus just nodded. He was amazed she had agreed to the date.

Twenty minutes later, Hermione reappeared in Severus' office. Severus walked into the room a few minutes later. When he saw Hermione, he realized that he had to stifle a gasp. She was wearing a dark green sweater and a black knee-length skirt.

"How very Slytherin of you," he observed with a hint of amusement in his voice. Hermione's only response was to shrug and grin slyly.

"Ready?" She asked. When he nodded his head she began to move towards the stairs.

"Not that way," he said. "There's a shortcut through here." He pulled aside a tapestry to reveal a dark corridor.

"What do you use this for?" Hermione enquired. She wondered why this corridor wasn't on the Marauder's Map.

"Death Eater meetings," Severus responded stiffly.

"Oh." Hermione replied. They were both silent until they reached Hogsmeade. Hermione broke the silence by asking, "Where are we going?"

Severus looked up, clearly startled. Hermione wondered if he had forgotten that she was even there.

"We're going to the Flag Inn. It's a bed and breakfast, but they have a wonderful restaurant inside."

Fifteen minutes later they were seated and had ordered. They didn't speak much until their meals arrived. Then they easily fell into conversation.

"What are you planning on doing once you've graduated?" Severus asked.

"I was thinking about teaching or pursuing a higher degree in Potions."

"Why not do both? You could be a Potions Mistress at one of the schools in Europe."

"Yes, but the only place I would even consider teaching at would be Hogwarts. And I don't see you needing a replacement anytime soon."

They sat and talked for hours. Eventually, they ordered a late lunch, and then decided to head back to the castle.

"Severus?" Hermione asked as they walked back to Hogwarts. "Why didn't you have any classes today?"

"Oh, I did," he said mischievously. "But I left a rather nasty note on my door promising a gruesome death to anyone who attempted to attend Potions today.

Hermione left Severus in the dungeons with a kiss on the cheek.

"Goodbye," she whispered.

"Goodbye." He said back. He had never known anyone who made him feel empty when they left his presence before. Now, he felt a void whenever Hermione wasn't around him.

About halfway back to Gryffindor tower, Hermione heard someone calling her name and running toward her.

"Hermione!" Before she had a chance to identify her assailant, she was caught up in a possessive hug.

"Merlin, Hermione!" Ron panted. "Are you alright? Where have you been? No one's seen you since last night? You just disappeared! Where were you?" He knew he was ranting, but he didn't care. All he wanted to do was to hold Hermione until he was sure that she was alright.

"Ron! You're choking me!" Hermione gasped. Ron let Hermione go, but just enough to where she could breathe again.

"Where were you?" he asked again.

"Snape kept me so late that I passed out on the way back to my room. I guess someone found me because I woke up in the hospital wing." Hermione lied quickly.

"Well, thank Merlin you're alright," he said. Ron then tried to lean in for a kiss. Hermione placed a hand on his waiting lips.

"I can't Ron," she murmured. "I'm sorry." The next thing Ron knew was that she was walking off and he was left standing in the corridor feeling very confused.

For the next few weeks, Hermione tried to avoid both Ron and Severus. She was too confused to deal with them both at the same time. When it came time for Christmas, Hermione opted to stay at Hogwarts rather than visit Ron at the Burrow. She still wasn't ready to admit what she had done to Ron and she wasn't sure how she wanted things to go with Severus. Spending Christmas at the castle would allow her to spend time with Severus without worrying about Ron. She knew that it wasn't fair to either of them to keep playing both ends of the field, but she really didn't know who she could choose. She was attacking the entire situation like a school research project. She needed more information on the two variables before she decided which would have the most compatible reaction.

Hermione believed that if things weren't going well between herself and Severus or if she just needed a break, then she could just fade anonymously into the group of people who stayed at Hogwarts over break. She could always hole herself up in her rooms and only come out for meals. She just hoped it wouldn't come to that.