I apologize for the bold type in my previous chapter, where the phrases "frock coat" (twice) and "savored" (once) were bold. I don't know what happened; all of that was accident.

I hadn't counted on being able to use my grandparents' computer, but that is where I am now, so I typed up all of this chapter of my story that I have been writing in my notebooks and posted it here, so yay! That is why it is up so much sooner than I had predicted. But again: I don't know how long it will be before I can post another chapter. Maybe sometime this week, but I cannot be entirely sure right now.

Days passed, and Severus was eternally grateful that it seemed as though Minerva had been considerate enough not to breathe a word of Severus and Hermione's relationship to anyone. He only hoped that this behavior from Minerva would continue until he and Hermione were prepared to alert the staff to their situation themselves.

He wondered for a moment why he referred to it as a "relationship" at all. It wasn't as if they had ever been on an official date with each other before. The dances and other occurrences did not truly count as dates, only as informal meetings between them.

Making his decision quickly, before he could change his mind, Severus wrote a short note to Hermione on a spare bit of parchment lying on his desk and called for his owl, Ebon. The animal quickly appeared before him and perched on his shoulder, ruffling its feathers proudly, though being careful not to dig its talons painfully into Severus' skin. He allowed the bird to nibble at a small bit of slightly stale biscuit from his hand, and then it flew over to the only windowsill in his office and stuck out a leg, to which Severus quickly attached his letter.

"Take this to Professor Granger," he commanded, and then sent the bird on its way.

Within a few short minutes, Hermione heard a sharp rapping on glass, and she turned swiftly to face her large window. The curtains had been drawn back, allowing the sun's light to flood magnificently into Hermione's office. She observed a black owl perched on her windowsill, pecking at the glass impatiently, its large eyes glinting malevolently in the sunlight. She promptly let the bird in, and it immediately flew over to her desk, where it ruffled its feathers and stuck out its scaly leg to her. She took the paper that he had presented to her and then glanced around the room, searching for an offering of her own. Spotting a slice of unbuttered toast sitting on her desk, she handed it to him, holding it directly under his beak, and he accepted, snatching the food out of her hand. He began to devour it hungrily, sprinkling crumbs over the gleaming surface of Hermione's desk.

She quickly sat down in her chair behind her desk and unfolded the letter. Instantly recognizing Severus' neat, jagged writing, her face brightened, and she beamed as she read the letter.

Hermione,

Would you like to join me for dinner on an official date, if you would like to refer to it as such? If so, please meet me at my quarters at seven o' clock tomorrow evening. We needn't attend dinner in the Great Hall, and so we also should not be pestered by obnoxious students or bothersome colleagues. Please reply soon.

Yours truly,

Severus Snape

Hermione raised an eyebrow at finishing the letter. "Official date". She would never have pegged Severus Snape for the sort of man to ask a woman on an "official date". Beaming anyhow, she quickly scribbled out a reply in her tidy, loopy handwriting, attached it to Ebon's outstretched leg, and allowed the owl to take flight just outside of her open window.

Dear Severus,

I would love to join you for dinner tomorrow evening. I will arrive at your quarters at seven o' clock. Thank you sincerely for the invitation.

Yours truly,

Hermione Granger

OoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOooo

After her last class of the day, Hermione left for her chambers to prepare for her date with Severus. She dressed in a deep navy colored skirt with a swingy hem that fell to just above her knees. For a blouse, she chose a bronze, cap-sleeved top with sequins lining the wide V-neckline, and on her feet, she slipped black leather mules with pointed toes and an elegant, feminine bow on each to top them off. She decided to leave her hair down, allowing it to fall in soft ringlets over her shoulders and back beautifully. After examining her appearance in the mirror, Hermione applied a bit of makeup to her face, though not much, and attached a pair of sparkling diamond earrings to her ears. Again, she inspected her reflection thoroughly before glancing over to check her clock. 6:55. Hermione panicked, realizing that this left her only five short minutes to arrive in the dungeons, and at Severus' door. Hastily, she spritzed perfume onto her wrists and neck, and then hurried out of her chambers and up the stairs.

When Severus answered the door, she was a bit disappointed to observe that he had not chosen to wear anything special for the occasion, as she had; he was clad simply in his usual black attire. Even so, she noticed that his black robes were clutched tightly around his lean frame.

When he caught sight of her, Severus could have sworn that his heart stopped beating, if only for a second. Her appearance was absolutely breathtaking. For a moment, he was rendered speechless, staring at her, but of course, he quickly recovered and managed to stammer, "Y- You look very nice this evening."

Hermione grinned and, looking him up and down, replied simply, "So do you, Severus."

He nodded and took her hand, bringing it to his mouth and allowing his lips to brush against her knuckles. Hermione was very pleased by this gesture, and dropped her hand slowly to her side when he released it. Then he shut the door behind him and stepped forward so that it could click shut, and he now stood just inches from Hermione. She could feel the heat emanating from his body. She gazed up into his black eyes, and again, she felt herself drowning in them. As he looked down at her, she could feel his hot breath on her face. It smelled of peppermint, and she smiled.

"Shall we?" he asked quietly, stepping around her swiftly. He then turned to face her and waited.

Confused, Hermione glanced toward his closed door and then back to him. "I was under the impression that we would be dining in your quarters tonight…." she voiced uncertainly.

"Then you were under the wrong one, Miss Granger." A smirk appeared on his lips as he began making his way down the hallway. He stopped after several moments and glanced back over his shoulder to make certain that Hermione was following him. When he observed that she was indeed, he slowed his rapid pace for her, and she fell into step beside him.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

Severus glanced at her, still smirking, and then turned to face straight ahead once more. "You will find out when we arrive," he said smoothly, in a voice like silk.

They walked in silence for a long while, until Severus finally spoke quietly in his honeyed voice, "You look very nice, especially when you leave your hair down."

Hermione beamed at his words and replied, "You always look lovely too, Severus."

She noticed his steps falter a bit at her compliment, but he recovered quickly and continued in his smooth strides. Now, it was Hermione's turn to smirk.

Just as they reached a corner, Severus stepped in front of her and placed a hand gently on her shoulder to abruptly cease her steps. "Close your eyes," he commanded kindly, and she obeyed. He took her hand and led her slowly down the hallway, careful to ensure that she did not stumble.

Gods, she really is gorgeous, he thought as he watched her. Although her eyes were closed and she was blind, she walked softly, in smooth, graceful steps, maintaining the utmost poise.

Hermione heard a door creaking open, and then sensed herself being led through it, until she finally heard it click shut behind her. Severus moved to her back, and, placing his hands on her shoulders, he steered her to a different space in the room. There, still standing behind her, he slipped his arms around her head and covered her closed eyes with the palms of his hands. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, "Keep your eyes closed."

After hearing her murmur softly, "I will," he slid his hands away from her eyes and left her side.

Hermione could hear sounds throughout the dimly lit room, while the anxiousness inside of her grew rapidly. What was she doing here? Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Severus returned to her, and, standing behind her once more, placed his hands lightly on her shoulders. Again, he leaned down and whispered silkily in her ear, "Open your eyes."

Hermione's eyelids fluttered open and she gasped in shock, not quite daring to believe her eyes. Lit candles hovered throughout the room, as the moonlight poured in through the windows that lined the wall. In the middle of the room, there sat a small, round table covered with a green tablecloth, with chairs on either side of it. In the center of the table were two long, slender white candles sitting in gold holders. Gleaming plates were in front of both chairs, with silverware wrapped in cloth napkins at their sides.

Hermione stammered, "How….? When….? Who….? Thank you," she cried finally, and threw herself into his arms. Shocked, he nearly staggered backward, but then he simply wrapped his arms protectively around her body and hugged her to him.

"The house-elves assisted me in this matter," he explained.

She raised an eyebrow. "With the ideas or in setting it up?"

"Only in setting up the room," he answered quietly.

"Gods, you smell good," Hermione murmured softly after a while. Severus placed a hand under her chin and tilted her head up until she was looking into his dark eyes.

"What is it?" she whispered when all he did was stare at her. He only shook his head, however, and allowed the smallest of smiles to grace his features, making him appear much younger.

"I love it when you do that," she said, gazing into his eyes.

"Do what?" he asked, amused.

Hermione sighed happily, "Smile."

He pulled away gently and looked down at her. "Would you like to eat now?"

She nodded and allowed him to take her hand and lead her to the table. Before she had a chance to sit down, Severus pulled her chair out for her.

"Thank you," she murmured quietly, lowering herself into her seat. He nodded at her, scooted her chair closer to the table, leaving it at a comfortable distance for her, and then began to lower himself down into his own chair directly across from her. However, he stopped suddenly and straightened back up again.

I suppose I must do it now, he thought, mentally sighing in reluctance.

Hermione watched in interest as he removed his black robes and draped them over the back of his chair, and then took his seat. She stared at him in awe and grinned.

"Yes?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Color," she replied simply, gaping at him.

Severus kept his face neutral as he gazed fixedly back at her, though he was inwardly scowling. When he had very briefly examined himself in his mirror dressed in this deep blue shirt, he had sneered at his reflection, and then quickly turned away and moved on to other tasks. Granted, this shirt was no different in style that his white ones- still, it was a button-up, with cuffs and buttons at the wrists, but it was, as Hermione had so plainly put it, "color".

This was the reason that he was so surprised when she said to him, "It looks very nice on you, Severus. And this," she gestured around the room, "is magnificent. I would never have thought you capable of something like this, but you have quite pleasantly surprised me and proven me wrong."

"I possess the ability to charm women; I have, in my years, though, simply found it nothing more than a tedious waste of my precious time."

"And what about me?" she asked coyly.

"You, Hermione Granger, are never a waste of time," he replied, sipping the wine that had appeared only moments earlier in their glasses. A blush crept into Hermione's cheeks at his flattering words, and she looked down to attempt to conceal it from him. Along with the wine, the first course of their meal had arrived on their plates.

"Severus, may I ask you a question?" Hermione said after a long while, in which only the clatter of silverware could be heard. He nodded, taking a small sip of his wine.

"All right." She sighed. "I don't mean this question to appear rude, but I am curious: Why did you do all of this?"

Severus stared at her for a moment, and then answered, "I thought that you would appreciate it, like it."

"Oh, I do!" she said quickly. "I love it."

He nodded and resumed eating his meal. By now, the second course had appeared in front of them.

An uncomfortable thought had been plaguing Severus for the past two days, ever since he had asked Hermione to dinner, and he furrowed his brow as it entered his mind once again. Deciding that to rid himself of it, he must ask her the question that he had been wondering, he took a few minutes to mentally prepare himself.

"Are you all right?" Hermione asked, apparently noticing his discomfort.

"I, er, wanted to ask you something."

"Yes?" she prompted when he said nothing more.

"There is a…significant age difference between us. Won't that be a bit uncomfortable for you?" he asked unsurely.

"Is it uncomfortable for you?"

"No, it isn't, but won't you feel at least slightly strange being with me? I am a man nearly twice your age, Hermione."

"Really?" she retorted. "I hadn't noticed. Severus, when will you just come off that subject already? If a younger man was what I desired, do you really think that I would be here, having dinner with you, now?"

Thinking for a moment about what else he could throw at her, Severus finally asked, "What will your friends say?"

"Who cares what Ron and Harry think of you, or us? They aren't the ones dating you."

"Let's hope not."

Hermione laughed and continued, "I am. Of course, a year ago, I would have considered Hagrid to be more compatible for me than you. But now…." She reached across the table and took his hand in hers, letting them both rest in the center of the table. "Now, I see how wrong I was."

"If you're sure…."

"I am. One-hundred percent. I could not be more certain, I assure you."

"Very well," he replied as the dessert appeared on their plates. After they had completed their entire meals, Severus took one last sip of his wine, stood, and then walked to Hermione's chair and held his hand out to her.

"Would you like to dance with me?" he asked silkily. Hermione nearly melted at the sound of his deep voice, and, feeling as though she was not able to speak, replied with a nod and placed her hand in his. He pulled her gently to her feet and then, with a flick of his wand, the table and chairs vanished and soft, slow music began to play. Hermione smiled as she wrapped one arm around Severus' neck, and he took her free hand in his, while his other arm snaked around her waist and his hand came to rest on her lower back. Hermione leaned into him and, laying her head on his chest, closed her eyes. She felt warm and contented in his arms, while he savored the feeling of her beautiful body against his.

"I never want to forget this," she whispered.

"This night?"

"Yes, and this feeling," she replied quietly. "Thank you, for all of this, for everything."

"You are welcome, but the look on your face was well worth it," he said, looking down into her brown eyes. The corners of his mouth turned slightly upward. "You looked like a fish," he said, and Hermione giggled and grinned up at him.

Slowly, she leaned up, standing on her tiptoes, and, placing her hands on his shoulders to steady herself, pressed her lips to his. He licked her bottom lip with his tongue, and she slowly parted her soft lips to allow him entrance. She pressed her body up against his, and his hand quickly became tangled in her auburn locks. He continued to explore her mouth as she placed one hand on the back of his neck and tried to pull him closer to her. For a moment after that, her fingers lingered over the top buttons of his blue shirt, but then they moved to his biceps, where they rested.

"Perhaps…we should…return…to our…chambers…now," she muttered against his lips when they surfaced for breaths of air.

He nodded and pulled away from her, staring down into her deep brown eyes. A weight dropped in the pit of his stomach and he felt his palms become sweaty. He discreetly wiped them on his black trousers and then reached out to take her hand. She grinned and kissed his palm, and then, clutching his hand in hers, began walking with him toward the door. He opened it and let her walk through, and then, after he had grabbed his black robes off the back of the door, he joined her in the hallway. Then he slipped on his robes and took her hand again, though she hesitated, glancing back toward the closed door.

"Er…the mess….?"

"The house-elves will tidy up for us," he answered, then began once more to lead her down the hallway. By now, only staff members would be wondering the halls, as it was past curfew. They met Hagrid a while later and he greeted with a sharp nod and a wide smile.

In his gruff voice, he said, "Evenin', 'Mione, Professer Snape." Then he glanced down, saw their hands, still interlocked together, and winked at Hermione. She rolled her eyes, but grinned at him gleefully. Severus pretended not to notice the exchange between the two, and only nodded to acknowledge Hagrid's presence. After they had passed him, they encountered no one else in their journey to Hermione's rooms, luckily. When they reached her classroom, Severus held the door open for her, and again, when they entered her office. Each time, she mumbled a quiet, "Thank you," to him. At the door to her chambers, however, he stopped and turned to face her. He brought his hand up to cup her cheek lightly, and he then gently pushed away a few wisps of hair that had fallen into her eyes. She smiled up at him and covered his hand with hers, intertwining their fingers and bringing it down to rest lightly just above her heart. Severus leaned down to kiss her, and breathed in her sweet scent before he pulled away and gazed into her eyes once more. He kissed her quickly upon her forehead as she blushed and smiled at him.

"Goodnight, Severus," she whispered to him.

"Goodnight, Hermione," he replied quietly, and kissed her forehead one last time before he stepped back and began to walk slowly out of her office. The doors to her office and her chambers clicked shut simultaneously. Inside of her living room, Hermione leaned against the door and sighed happily, closing her eyes and smiling.

A similar occurrence was happening outside of her office door, where Severus was standing, swaying slightly on his weakening legs. He staggered to a nearby desk in her empty classroom and clutched it to remain standing.

I didn't have that much wine tonight, he thought, searching for any explanation for his odd behavior other than the truth.

Leaning over to keep a firm grasp on the desk before him, he closed his eyes and smiled slowly. His heart pounded in his chest and his breathing quickened. He was sure that at any moment, his legs would give way beneath him.

Gods, Severus, he thought, smiling, what is this woman doing to you?

OoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOooo

The following weeks of December passed slowly, with as many more dinner dates and meetings as the couple could manage. Still, somehow, the news of Severus Snape finally acquiring a decent girlfriend never reached the students, though for the life of them, Severus and Hermione could not understand how, as it seemed as though the entire staff was now aware of the relationship that had developed between them.

One pleasant morning, during a breakfast that Hermione was forced to eat alone in her office, as she was swamped with papers to grade, Severus took a seat beside Minerva McGonagall. He was scowling, as usual.

"Is anything the matter?" Minerva asked him.

He glared at her and replied shortly, "No, nothing."

"You may eat with her in her chambers, if you so wish," she said, receiving another glare from him.

"She is in her office, not her chambers," he growled, helping himself to a bit of food.

"Why don't you join her?"

"Must we do this now, Minerva? I'm trying to eat."

"As I am well aware, Severus," she said to him, and left him alone for a short while as he ate his food sulkily.

"She talks about you all the time, you know," Minerva said quietly after several minutes of what Severus considered comfortable silence between them.

He replied lazily, not bothering to glance up from his plate, "Really?"

"Oh yes. There is not a more favorite subject of Hermione's than you. Well, when you are not present, of course."

"What…does she tell you?"

"Nothing of great importance, I assure you. She truly cares about you, a great deal."

"It would seem so."

"Don't you return the same affections for her?"

"I suppose."

"Love is a strange and complex matter, Severus-"

His head snapped up instantly upon hearing that small, inevitable, four-letter word. "What did you say?" he asked slowly.

Minerva furrowed her brow in confusion. "What have I said?"

"Love," Severus repeated quietly, as if uttering the word too loudly may result in the shattering of the Great Hall's windowpanes.

"Well, of course. After all, you two have been together for quite some time now."

"I am aware, thank you. B- But…love?" Again, he hissed the word quietly.

"Why, yes, Severus, of course. Like I said, you both have been together for quite a long while, have you not? Soon, you will want to be considering asking for her hand in marriage."

At this, Severus choked on the pumpkin juice he had been swallowing and began to sputter terribly. Minerva clapped a hand gently on his back to help him. The commotion caused a few interested looks from students seated near the High Table, though they quickly turned away and began to mutter to their friends upon receiving angry glares from both professors.

"Severus, are you all right?"

"Marriage?" he asked, his voice in a slightly higher pitch than was normal for him. Then he cleared his throat and his voice returned to normal, though it was shaking slightly as he asked, "Is Hermione aware of this?"

"She hasn't mentioned it to me yet, but-"

"Yet?" Severus yelped, his voice rising once more. However, again, he cleared his throat and regained his usual cool stance.

Throwing him an annoyed look at the interruption, Minerva continued, "But, I am quite certain that she is aware of the issue."

"Minerva, if you had not noticed, I am not exactly the marrying sort."

"Of course you are, Severus!" she exclaimed, chuckling. "Every man is. It is only a matter of getting him there."

"Women really are wicked, aren't they?" he asked, and received a sly smirk from Minerva. Running his hand through his black hair, he muttered, "Marriage," as if it were poison on his lips.

She rolled her eyes at his behavior and muttered, "Typical man," under her breath, earning a glare from Severus. Then, she pulled down the hand that he was using to pinch the bridge of his nose, and his arm hit the surface of the table hard.

"Hermione is already hopefully monitoring her monthly cycle, you know," she said, deciding to have a bit of fun with him.

"What?" he yelped.

Laughing, Minerva placed a hand on his arm as he asked, his voice once more in a noticeably higher pitch than was ordinary for him, "Are you serious?"

Through her chuckles, Severus heard, "No! Calm down, I was only joking."

"It wasn't funny," he replied through clenched teeth. It had taken a full fifteen seconds for it to occur to him that he and Hermione had not even had sexual intercourse yet.

"Well, at least now we know what you two are doing when both of you are unable to attend staff meetings," she said to him, smirking.

He scowled and stood up to leave, and although his back was turned to her, Minerva noticed that he flinched when her voice rang out, "Though it is quite all right. After all, you two are in love."

Choosing not to respond to her childish remarks, Severus resumed his stalking out of the Great Hall, taking his leave through the wooden door behind the High Table.

I got Hermoine's outfit for her date from Her skirt was Marc Jacobs, her shoes were Dior, and her blouse was DKNY.

Thanks to everyone so much for reviewing! You people are awesome!

SwissMiss1- I am glad about everything that you liked. Luckily, I was able to get this chapter up way, way, way quicker than I had anticipated, which is fantastic, so yay again! And like I said before: The bold type was a complete accident. I don't know why it was like that. Thank you!

merrymagic- Thank you. I try to keep him as much in character as I can, but in romance fics, it is sometimes quite difficult. But I try, anyways.  Thanks.

M-M-X-M-X- Lol!

she-elf- Wow, thanks! And again: Sorry; those bold words were accidents. 

Yuki- I understand what you mean: Sometimes, I just have to read the entire story, and then I review the last chapter. Neville was reappear much later in the story; patience.  Thank you!

Disclaimer- (See Chapter 14)

As always, Remember: Review, Please! Even if you don't like my story, tell me what you dislike about it and I will try to work on it! Thanks!