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Unlikely Partners

Chapter 12

Severus retrieved the tea kettle from the stove and poured hot water into two teacups. He then opened a cabinet above his head and opened a box of tea bags. He took two packages out of the box, ripped them open, and dropped the tea bags inside into the cups full of water.

Hermione was standing in front of the counter and had taken a plate of fresh toast. Her gaze was focused on her light meal and she said nothing as she daintily chewed the bread topped with blackberry jam. Severus picked up a piece of toast from the plate next to him and took a bite. He looked over at Hermione, but though he knew she was well aware of the fact that he was watching her, she refused to meet his gaze.

"If you would like something more substantial, I do have better food in this kitchen," Severus told her.

"This is fine," Hermione replied. When she spoke she still did not look into his eyes.

Severus sensed a coldness in her tone and raised an eyebrow. He stared at Hermione for several long seconds, the force of his gaze slowly building until she looked up into his face.

"What?" she asked.

"Miss Granger, . . . it is not my fault that you have been put into this situation. Do not blame me for causing things to happen as they have."

Hermione didn't reply. She turned away from him and inspected the tea steeping in her cup.

After more than two minutes of silence, Severus stepped closer to her so that Hermione had no choice but to acknowledge his presence.

"Do you honestly think that ignoring me will make things easier for you?" he asked her. He stood less than a foot away from her and she stiffened at his close proximity.

"I . . ."

"The situation is what is is," Severus told Hermione. "Surely you understand that the affects of the Occlumency lesson were beyond your control."

"Yes, well I understand that it's not because of something I consciously made happen."

"Do you?" Severus asked silkily.

Hermione took a step backward. Severus took a step forward.

"Getting upset over something you cannot change will only hurt you," Severus told her softly.

Hermione stilled at the dark look in her former professor's eyes. Severus was now barely a hand's width away from her body and she could feel the heat of his body next to hers.

Severus stared at her, taking in every detail of her reaction to him. He could all too easily imagine what it would be like to reach out and position her against him and bring his lips to hers.

As soon as the thought entered his mind, Severus quickly returned to his senses.

"I'm sorry," he told her, stepping away from her. He turned back to his tea, silently berating himself for letting the effects of the Occlumency lesson control his actions to such a degree.

Hermione stared at him and turned his head slightly to meet her gaze. He was shocked to see that there were tears brimming in Hermione's eyes.

"Miss Granger, please forgive me. What I just did was out of line."

Shit. If she wasn't afraid of me before, she's certainly afraid of me now.

"You should have never tried to teach me Occlumency," Hermione told him. "There must be another way you could have stopped Voldemort's presence from affecting me."

"Besides letting you go free, there wasn't anything else I could do that would have made a significant difference."

Hermione blinked back her tears and glared at Severus.

"This is not how I planned on spending my summer. I didn't ask to come here, I didn't ask to be painfully affected by Voldemort's presence or be forced to think about you as a sexual partner. I don't want to stay here anymore. I'm tired of dealing with all the unforseen problems that are beyond my control. All I want to do is go home!"

"I can't let you do that, Miss Granger."

"Obviously," Hermione said scathingly. "I have to stay here with you and hope we don't end up fucking because the sexual desire brought on by the Occlumency lesson proves to be more than either of us can handle!"

Severus stared at an outraged Hermione, temporarily at a loss for words.

"I promise you, I won't let the affects of the Occlumency lesson get the better of me," Severus told her evenly. Hermione let out a feminine snort.

"You say that now, but you and I will have to stay with each other for the next two days at least. You can make all the promises you want, but can you truly, honestly, guarantee that you won't make another advance on me?"

"I already told you, you have no reason to fear me Miss Granger,"

"Don't you dare, "Miss Granger" me now, Snape! And don't you dare dodge the question."

Severus breathed out slowly.

"What precisely do you want me to tell you? That I'll keep my distance under all circumstances and no matter what I shall refrain from seducing you into my bed? Is that promise to your satisfaction?"

Hermione only looked at him, her gaze reproachful.

"You're pretending that this growing attraction between us doesn't exist. The only way that we will be able to deal with this rationally is if we both acknowledge that the affects of the Occlumency lesson are much stronger than what we first thought. If we can do that, we will be able put forth the effort needed to make sure the effects don't control our actions."

"I'm more than capable of dealing with this situation on my own, in my own way. I don't need you to tell me how to control my behaviour." Severus told Hermione icily.

For a fleeting couple of seconds there was a hurt look in Hermione's eyes. She quickly regained composure and hardened her gaze.

"Why do you have to be so mean to me?" she asked him. "Do you really hate me as much as you did during my first two years at Hogwarts?"

There was a couple seconds silence before Severus spoke.

"I never hated you, Hermione." he told her quietly. "I truly hate only a handful of people on this Earth and you are not one of them."

Hermione was shocked to hear him call her by her first name.

Severus suddenly realized what he'd done and looked up into Hermione's eyes.

"Perhaps we can put this argument behind us?" he asked her.

"I'd like that," Hermione told him truthfully. "But that doesn't mean we can forget about what was created by the Occlumency."

"I know. I don't think there is any reason why we can't but the attraction out of our minds and remain on speaking terms while we do so."

"You know it may not be easy,"

"If there was ever two people who could successfully resist the power of this artificial attraction, I believe you and I are the two who can."

Hermione gave him a small smile.

"I hope you're right."

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. Real life has recently allowed next to no time for writing. :-( I can't say when I'll get another chapter posted, but I hope to post again before the end of the year. Please review, even though it was a short chapter, I tried to make it as good as I could. ;-)