As the couple made their way back up to the castle, hand in hand, Hermione lay her head on Severus' shoulder. He kissed the top of her head gently and then turned to look straight forward once more. For the first time, he did not care who saw him with Hermione, whether it be a student or a fellow staff member. He didn't mind showing his affections for her, as long as it was not in an especially explicit manner. It didn't matter to him anymore. All that mattered now was Hermione, and being with her. Because he loved her.

I love her, Severus thought, still a bit disbelieving of his feelings. He had, for so long, been denying them, he realized, and it felt good to finally admit to himself that he was human, and was capable of love and real emotions. In a way, love frightened Severus. Terrified him. Scared him to death. Crazy things have been done it its name. Some have even been put to death because of it. It often causes people to act recklessly and foolishly at times. Still, nothing can conquer it. Love will always prevail. Severus was willing to risk everything for Hermione Granger, to put everything on the line for her, if necessary. Because he loved her.

They were inside the castle, Severus realized suddenly. When had that happened? Had he really been so absorbed in his own musings that he had failed to notice such a vast difference in his surroundings? Yes, apparently so. Although Hermione's head was no longer resting on his shoulder, their hands were still clasped together, fingers interlaced. But still, he did not care.

Hermione, however, was unaware of his thoughts, and while she did not mind publicly showing their affections of one another, she feared that Severus would feel differently. However, he was making no move to jerk his hand away from her, nor was he making any attempt to step away. Perhaps he had finally ceased in believing that any sort of showing of emotions was weakness.

Finally, they had reached Severus' chambers. He held the door open for her while she walked through, as he had done countless times before. Now, however, it meant something; the simple gesture was no longer done out of pure courtesy, but it was now a sign of the utter respect and devotion he felt towards her. Slowly, he followed her into the living room and watched her as she peeled off her wool layers and lay them down before the fireplace. He did the same, and then, with a flick of his wand, yellow flames erupted in the hearth. Hermione smiled at him as he sat on the couch beside her, her grin illuminating the room. Slowly, she cuddled up to him and laid her head on his chest, while her arms snaked around his waist. He too put both his arms around her small body and hugged her close to him.

"I had fun today," she whispered.

"Yes. Thank you," he said after a moment.

"I didn't do anything."

"Yes, you did. When I am with you, Hermione, a side of me emerges that even I was not aware existed. With you, I am no longer 'Snape the Bastard'."

"You're not a bastard."

Severus snorted. "I believe that the rest of Hogwarts would beg to differ with you."

Giggling, Hermione cuddled closer to Severus' warm body. "I don't care; I think you're wonderful." Looking around, she frowned as she noticed that there was not a single holiday decoration put up in Severus' chambers. "It's Christmas Eve, you know. Why aren't there any decorations?"

"I have already told you my opinion of this holiday."

"Oh, right- 'Humbug'."

"That's correct. And you know what Humbugs do, don't you?"

She looked up at him, a mischievous glint in his eyes and a grin forming on both their faces.

"What's that?" she asked.

"They bite!" He leaned down and began to suck and bite carefully at her neck, and then her ears. She howled and squealed in delight, until finally Severus pulled away a bit. However, he was still close enough for his breath to graze her cheek as he whispered, "Would you like your Christmas present from me early?"

She nodded, dazed, and Severus stood and went to his bedroom. Present? Hermione knew what Severus was like, and so she had never expected to receive a gift from him. And yet, here she was, waiting for it.

When he reappeared, she noticed that he had taken off his frock coat, and so was clad now only in his black trousers and white button up shirt. In his hand, she saw a long, slender box wrapped flawlessly in silver paper, with an elegant, small green bow placed on the top-right corner. Sitting back down beside her on his sofa, he handed her the package.

Hermione slowly peeled off the silver paper and placed it neatly on the table before her. The box itself, she saw, was scarlet with a thin, gold ribbon tied around it. She slid the ribbon off and set it down with the paper. Finally, she lifted the lid off the box and gasped when she saw what was inside. Brilliant, glimmering diamonds met her eyes as she looked down upon the necklace she had admired in the window at Hogsmeade.

"Severus…" she breathed. "You shouldn't have done this." However, it was evident by her wide, hungry eyes that she deeply appreciated the gift and desired it greatly.

"Why not?" he asked her.

"It… It is much too expensive."

"It did not break me."

"How did you know…?"

"I saw you admiring it. Don't you remember?"

Suddenly, Hermione averted her gaze from the necklace and looked up at him, her grin growing wider as she asked, "You never went to the Apothecary, did you?"

He shook his head, a small smile on his lips.

"Thank you," she breathed, and then threw herself into his arms. When she had pulled away, she turned so that her back was facing him and handed him the necklace over her shoulder. "Would you fasten it for me, please?" she asked, scooping up her hair and holding it above her neck.

"Of course."

When he had managed to clasp both ends together, Hermione released her hair, allowing it to tumble over her shoulders and down her back in soft, auburn curls once again, and turned back to him.

"How does it look?" she asked.

Brushing a bit of hair out of her eyes, Severus replied, "Gorgeous."

Then he leaned over and kissed Hermione softly on her mouth. She pressed her lips hard against his, deepening the kiss, while her tongue ran along his bottom lip. She snaked her arms around his neck, and his around her waist, pulling them closer to each other. Hermione ran her hands through Severus' raven locks- Gods, how silky, she thought- and then brought her hands down to the top buttons of his white shirt. She began to unfasten them quickly as Severus slid her black robes down off of her shoulders. Within seconds, Hermione's robes were on the floor, along with Severus' white shirt. He gently leaned her down, so that he was on top of her, and kissed her collarbone.

He continued to kiss her while trying to suppress a groan. He placed his hands on her waist, pressing his body against hers, and then pulled away by an inch or two so that his hands could lift her shirt, though not enough to expose her breasts. His fingers trailed up her smooth waist and stomach slowly until they met the edge of her laced bra. He pulled back and looked down into her eyes, searching them, hungry.

"Yes, Severus. Yes," she moaned into his ear, nodding vigorously.

Hearing this, his hands proceeded upwards.

"Your…bedroom…" Hermione uttered, her hands clawing at his shoulders, and he nodded in reply.

Scooping her up in his arms, he carried her down the hallway and through the door to his bedroom. He set her on his bed, and she leaned back, taking his hand and pulling him down on top of her.

Again, she pressed her lips to his and clawed at his back, while one hand rested on her hip and his other was tangled in her hair. A feeling suddenly overwhelmed her. A feeling of security, of shelter. A wonderful feeling, one like no other.

"I love you," Hermione whispered against his lips, and it seemed as if the world stopped for just a moment. Severus pulled away from her and looked down into her eyes, which widened in shock as she realized that the words she had spoken were true. She hadn't meant to say them; she didn't even know what had happened until they had already passed her lips and it was too late. But she did; she loved him.

Severus couldn't quite believe his ears. I love you. She had said it, to him. Those three small words were worth more to him than anything ever would be.

Hermione, however, was terrified of his reaction. What if he rejected her? What if he threw her out of his chambers? What if he broke up with her? What if…?

At that moment, the corners of Severus' mouth turned upward and he leaned down toward her. Pressing his lips to her ear, he whispered, "I love you too."

Hermione's heart swelled and she felt the room spinning uncontrollably as she drew in a deep breath. He loved her, and he had admitted it. Severus Snape loved her. Could this be true? Could she have imagined it?

"Say it again," she told him, just to be sure.

And it came, the same as the last time, "I love you."

He was lifting her shirt up above her head and kissing her face. She had brought her hands down and was sliding his belt through the loops on his pants. Then she began to unbutton them.

"Again," she commanded, moaning.

"I love you," came his growling voice. She grinned as he slid his pants off of his legs and threw them onto the floor behind him. Then he unzipped her pants and slid them off. This attire soon joined the rest of their clothes strewn about the floor.

For a second, Severus pulled away and looked down into her eyes while his hands reached behind her back. Slowly, he unhooked the clasp that his slender fingers found there.

"I love you," Hermione uttered as she pulled Severus closer to her. And she continued to scream it throughout the night.

OoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOooo

A mass of auburn curls obscured Severus' vision when he first opened his eyes the next morning. Remembering the previous night, he felt Hermione's warm body still against his and he smiled. She loved him. She had said it, more than once. Severus lifted his head and looked down upon the woman lying next to him, asleep.

Slowly, he stood from the bed and slipped his boxers on. Then he walked out into the living room and picked her robes and his white shirt off the floor. After draping them over the back of the couch and tending to a few other things, he entered the bathroom and took a quick shower. Then he used a drying spell on his hair and put his boxers back on. Quietly, he returned to his room and slipped into bed just in time for Hermione to awake.

"Happy Christmas," he whispered, kissing her forehead.

She stretched and yawned, and then replied back, "Happy Christmas."

She smiled as Severus wrapped his strong and surprisingly muscular arms around her.

"Last night was…" Hermione struggled to find the right word, but everything she could think of seemed an understatement to how truly spectacular last night had been.

"Mhmm…" Severus murmured, hugging her naked body to him. "I love you."

Hermione giggled as his hot breath tickled her ear. "I love you too," she answered, placing her arms over his. He smiled into her hair and kissed her neck. When she turned to look into his eyes, all he could do was stare at her.

"You're beautiful," he uttered, cupping her cheek with his hand.

She leaned up and kissed him on the mouth, and then lay down beside him again, snuggling against his body.

"Never let me go," Hermione said quietly, pulling his arms more closely around her.

"Never," he whispered into her hair.

"Promise me."

"I promise."

For several minutes longer, they lay there in silence. Then Severus turned around and reached over to his nightstand.

Etched into the skin on his back, Hermione could see dozens of faded scars still left from his Death Eater days. Slowly, she reached out a shaky hand and traced the pink marks on his pale skin. Instantly, Severus tensed, for he knew what she was doing.

"Severus-" she began, but he cut her off.

"Don't, Hermione," he told her gently.

She sighed and dropped her hand. Then she reached back up again and began to fondle his raven locks. When he turned back around, she lay back down on her pillow while he propped himself back up on one elbow. With his other hand, he reached out and touched the diamond necklace still fastened around her neck. She had never taken it off.

Hermione reached up and took his hand from her neck, bringing it to her lips. Severus lay down beside her, resting his head on his pillow.

"I wish we could stay like this forever," Hermione whispered, still clutching his hand in hers, and lay her head on his chest.

"What time is it?" he asked.

She lifted her head to glance over at the clock on his nightstand. "11:03," she replied.

"I haven't slept this late in ages," he said, running a hand over his face. "We've already missed breakfast. Shall we skip lunch too, then?"

"It isn't until noon. I expect we'll be able to attend, one way or another."

"Very well," he sighed.

Hermione grinned at him mischievously and winked. "But for now," she said in a low, seductive voice, "let's have a repeat of last night, shall we?"

He smiled as she rolled on top of him and slipped her fingers teasingly inside the waistband of his boxers.

"I believe we shall."

OoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOooo

After they had made love to each other again, they both lay on the bed beside one another, their chests heaving.

"Wow," Hermione whispered. Who would have known that Severus Snape could be such an amazing lover?

He can't have been with that many women. I mean, I know that I love him, but how many other women have found themselves desiring Severus Snape? If we are being realistic, then sadly, the answer is very few, Hermione thought.

Then, carefully, she considered the man next to her. I love him. He is kind, considerate, honorable, respectful, and he is a gentleman. I am lucky to have him. Of course, he is not without his flaws, but what man isn't? Silently, she chuckled to herself. If someone had informed me one year ago that I would be in a relationship with Severus Snape, I would have replied that they needed to be locked up in St. Mungo's at once. And yet, here I am, lying next to this brilliant man, whom I have fallen in love with. And he is kissing my neck…

This brought Hermione out of her thoughts, and she giggled as Severus continued to kiss all around her neck. Then he pulled away and looked down at her.

He asked her curiously, "What were you thinking about?"

"You," she replied simply, leaning up to kiss the tip of his nose.

"I think it's about time we got out of bed now, don't you?" he asked. He did not bother to glance over at the clock; he knew that it must be nearing lunchtime. "I seem to have worked up quite an appetite."

Laughing, she replied, "I suppose so." After kissing Severus once on the mouth, she stood and walked toward the foot of the bed. Her cheeks flushed a deep shade of red, for she could feel Severus' gaze upon her naked body.

"Stop staring at me," she mumbled as she slipped on her underwear.

"I can't help it," he said, a sort of half-smile forming on his face.

Then Hermione fastened on her bra and slipped on the trousers that she had worn the previous day.

"Toss me my pants, would you?" Severus asked.

Hermione bent down and picked up his trousers, glaring at them with distaste before throwing them his way.

"Gods, is everything you own black? I can only imagine what your entire wardrobe must look like," she said.

"See for yourself," he invited her, waving to his closet. She raised an eyebrow and quickly slipped on her blouse.

"Perhaps I will," she replied, going to his closet doors and yanking them open.

Indeed, there was an abundance of black robes and black frock coats, and also white button up shirts. In the back corner, however, a bit of color was tucked away: Green dress robes, several dark colored shirts, and the deep blue shirt that Hermione recognized from their first official date. She smiled at the memory, looking down to the floor, where several pairs of black shoes sat neatly in a row.

"Boring, boring, boring," she muttered, flipping through all of his clothes a second time. She picked out a black robe and shrugged it on over her shoulders. With her wand from the nightstand, she conjured a full-length mirror to hover before her.

"How does it look?" she asked, twirling.

Examining her reflection more closely, she saw that it was obvious that these were not her usual, more feminine robes. In fact, it was quite evident, even when it was Hermione Granger who wore them, that these robes belonged to Severus Snape. For one thing, they dragged the floor terribly, for they were too long by inches.

"Charming," Severus replied, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"You think so?"

"Anything looks exquisite on you." He kissed the top of her head and left to go to his closet.

"You aren't wearing those pants I tossed to you," Hermione observed.

"Excuse my wish to wear clean clothes everyday, then," he muttered.

Choosing a random pair of black trousers (they were all identical), he put them on and fastened them. Then, again choosing a random white shirt, he put his arms through and then began to button it.

"I think I'll wear this today," Hermione said thoughtfully, still gazing at her own appearance in the mirror.

"My robes?" he asked, reaching for a black frock coat.

"Yes."

"You know, that's just as good as telling the staff that we slept together."

"I realize this, but really, Severus, we can't attempt to hide our love from them forever."

"Very well," he sneered and looked away from her. He had just fastened the last button on his frock coat. Quickly, he put on his black robes and then a pair of black socks and shoes. Then he left the bedroom and made his way to the bathroom. He tried to avert his gaze from the mirror whenever he could, but sometimes, it was simply unavoidable. He cringed when he caught sight of his reflection and picked up a comb. He ran it through his black hair, closing his eyes. When he had turned his back to the glass, he opened his eyes and stepped out of the bathroom.

"I don't know why I've never simply gotten rid of that bloody thing," he muttered to himself before he came back to the bedroom. "Ready to go?" he asked Hermione, who was sitting patiently on the edge of his bed. He held his arm out for her.

"Ready." She gave a curt nod and took the arm that he offered her, standing up. After she had kissed him quickly on the mouth, they both headed out into the living room.

When they stepped around the corner, Hermione gasped at the scene that met her eyes. A towering Christmas tree had been erected to the right of the fireplace, adorned with radiant ornaments, shimmering in the firelight. Tinsel hung around the perimeter of the room, and there was a wreath suspended just above the fireplace.

"Severus… I thought you didn't like Christmas."

"I don't."

Beaming, Hermione threw herself into his arms, causing Severus to stagger backwards several steps. She giggled, pushing his hair back, and kissed his neck, and then his lips.

"Let's go," he said, taking her hand and leading her toward the door.

"But, what about…?" She looked to the Christmas tree longingly, but Severus continued to pull her away from it.

"We will deal with that when we return," he said. She nodded, feeling for the diamond necklace around her neck.

"Are you wearing that to lunch, as well?" he asked, eyeing her necklace.

"Yes. You gave it to me, and it's beautiful. Why wouldn't I want to wear it?"

Severus did not reply, but brought his hand up and trailed his fingers along the diamonds.

"Did you honestly double back to the jewelry shop to get this for me?" she asked.

When he nodded, she smiled and leaned up to kiss him on the mouth. "Let's go to lunch," she said and took his hand, leading him out the door.

The couple took the corridor that led to the door behind the High Table for staff, and this is where they entered the Great Hall. Consequently, no students took notice of their late arrival as Hermione and Severus took their seats at the High Table beside each other, although each member off the staff's head turned to glance curiously at them.

Severus inwardly groaned when he saw that he was also sitting beside Minerva McGonagall, who was smirking at them. On Hermione's other side was Hagrid.

"Yeh bof' missed breakfast, yeh know," Hagrid said as they took their seats.

"Now, you are even arriving late for meals together. You both apparently decided to skip breakfast entirely," Minerva said, though not in a reprimanding sort of way.

"Why, if I didn' know any better, I'd say-" Hagrid stopped when he observed Hermione's cheeks flush as she suddenly looked down at her plate of food, trying to suppress a smile. Hagrid, however, freely allowed a grin to light up his whole face, though it was barely visible through his mass of tangled beard.

"Professer, did you and 'Mione-?"

"That is no business of yours, Hagrid," Severus replied shortly.

"Well, it's not as if they are attempting with much effort to conceal it from us. I mean, it is rather obvious that she is dressed in your robes, Severus," said Minerva. "You have no reply?" she asked when he did not speak.

"Not at the moment," he said, staring hard at his plate.

She snorted. "That must be a first."

Beside him, Hermione giggled, and the other three turned to look at her. It was only then that Minerva noticed the necklace hanging around Hermione's neck. Staring at the diamonds, she said, "That jewelry around your neck is quite impressive, Hermione. I imagine that will be your doing, Severus?"

"Indeed."

"It was his Christmas gift to me," Hermione explained.

"Among other things, prob'ly," chuckled Hagrid.

Severus felt a tugging at the corners of his lips, but managed to stifle it rather quickly.

"I think the necklace is a marvelous gift, Severus," Professor Dumbledore said from his seat next to McGonagall.

Perfect, include more people in this, thought Severus, rolling his eyes.

"Hermione," Albus continued, "those diamonds look quite lovely on you."

"Thank you, Headmaster," she replied.

He went on to ask, "What did everyone else receive for Christmas?"

Underneath the table, Hermione took Severus' hand in hers and began stroking the back of it with her thumb. Again, Severus was forced to bite back a small smile.

What the hell is the matter with me? he wondered.

"What about you, Severus?" Dumbledore asked. "What gifts did you receive?"

"I do not yet know," he replied. "I will unwrap my gifts when I return to my chambers, though I doubt if the process will consume much of my time."

"I see. And you, Hermione?"

"Er… I will also open my presents when I return to my chambers later in the day."

"I ordered for your gifts to be sent to my quarters," Severus said quietly, though all who were involved in the conversation heard him quite clearly.

"Splendid!" Albus exclaimed.

Severus had just finished his meal and was beginning to rise from his seat.

"Goin' so soon, Professer?" Hagrid asked.

"Indeed. Good afternoon," he replied, nodding.

"I'll see you later, Severus," Hermione said.

Holding her gaze for a moment, he nodded and then swept from the Great Hall, again using the door behind the High Table.

"He seemed in much higher spirits than usual this afternoon," came Remus' voice from Hagrid's other side. "What did you do to him last night, Hermione?" he asked, smirking and raising an eyebrow.

"Remus Lupin! Bite your tongue!" Minerva cried at once.

"Like you said, it's not as if they are trying too hard to hide it from us, Minerva," he retorted.

"Perhaps, but that does not mean that you may ask such vulgar questions."

"Of course, I wasn't serious," he muttered.

"However, I must agree, he did have a bit of a spring in his step, didn't he?"

"I would appreciate it if you would kindly abstain from discussing Severus' and my personal lives in my presence," Hermione said finally.

This earned the response from Remus, "We'll just wait until you've left, then." He winked playfully at her, grinning.

"Leave the poor girl alone, the lot of yeh," Hagrid said with a kind smile.

"Thank you, Hagrid," said Hermione gratefully.

"O' course, 'Mione."

"I'm sorry, Hermione," said Remus, still smiling.

Minerva added hastily, "Yes, Hermione, I do apologize."

"That's all right," she said, standing up. "Now, I think I will be returning to Severus' chambers.

As her hand reached out for the doorknob, Hermione heard Remus call from behind her, "Have fun!"

She grinned and shook her head, leaving the Great Hall. Just after the door clicked shut behind her, Remus received an icy glare from Minerva. With a grin, he replied, "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

Rolling her eyes, but still smiling, Minerva returned to her meal, as did the rest of the staff.

When Severus heard Hermione's unmistakable, soft rap upon his door, he immediately called out, "Enter."

She obeyed and the door swung open at once.

"There is no need to knock," he said, standing and making his way over to her.

"Of course there is; these are your chambers, not mine to simply waltz into unannounced."

"You are remarkable." He pulled her into an embrace, wrapping his arms around her.

"I'm glad you think so," she replied. "Let's open the gifts now." She wrenched herself from his grasp and went to sit beside the heap of gifts underneath the Christmas tree. When he had joined her on the floor, sitting beside her, she handed him a box, glancing briefly at the label.

"These are both from Dumbledore," she said, gesturing to the boxes in each of their laps. Both tore into the wrapping, placing the paper to the side and out of the way.

"Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and cotton socks," Hermione muttered,

"Chocolate Frogs and Pride and Prejudice. As if I don't already own a copy..."

Severus rolled his eyes at the Headmaster's foolish gift and reached for another package.

Next, they both opened Minerva's gifts. Severus sneered at his stationary set while Hermione examined her new book.

From Remus, Severus got potion vials and Hermione, a thick book on werewolves. Inside of it was written: Not that you don't know everything there is to know already. Happy Christmas! - R.J. Lupin

Hermione smiled and closed the book, placing it beside Albus and Minerva's gifts.

"Who is that from?" she asked as Severus untied a silver ribbon wrapped around a small, green box.

"Draco Malfoy," he answered.

"Oh." She watched as he pulled a black journal from the box. It was bound in black leather, with the letters S.S. embossed in silver letters in the top, right-hand corner. Intertwined around this inscription was a thin, green snake with a pink, protruding tongue and squinted, angry eyes.

"He sends you Christmas gifts?" Hermione spat in disgust.

"Yes. Apparently he considers me a friend of the family, as did his father."

"He- Draco- has a son now, doesn't he?"

"Two, actually. And another, I believe."

"Is he married?"

"Yes. He wed just after he graduated."

"Did you attend the wedding?"

"No, although I was invited."

"And his father?"

"They did not release him from Azkaban for the occasion, though that is not at all surprising, of course. He would only have wreaked absolute havoc."

"Right, so Draco and his wife got married just after graduating."

"Correct."

"And they already have three children?"

"Yes. Of course, one is on the way now. His wife is very early in the pregnancy at the moment."

"They were busy."

"It would seem so. Between his children is barely a year's difference."

"That jerk. I bet he forced his bloody wife to have sex with him."

"I seriously doubt it. He married a fellow member of Slytherin House and they appear to be blissfully happy. Almost sickeningly so."

"I don't care; he is still a jerk."

"He freed a house-elf last year. Did you know that?"

"Er, no… But I bet it was for his own gain."

"Hardly. The bloody creature wished to be freed- I believe he is related closely to that blasted friend of yours, Hobby-"

"Dobby."

"Yes. Well, at any rate, he requested his own freedom to Draco. Of course, Mr. Malfoy wanted the house-elves' whole hearts to be in their work, so he dismissed the creature at once."

"There you go: he freed that house-elf because it would be to his own advantage. He is still the evil, black-hearted scum he has always been."

"Have you forgotten that he was a very useful and loyal spy for the Order during the last war?"

"How can you still trust him? Don't you ever wonder…"

Their eyes met for a moment and Hermione saw anger flash there for a moment. She shook her head, cursing herself.

"Don't I ever wonder…what?" he challenged.

"If he has not entirely abandoned his old ways."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "What about the other former Death Eaters? Don't you ever wonder about them?"

"No-"

"It would seem so."

"But-"

"Draco has redeemed himself-"

"That doesn't matter; he was still a filthy Death Eater before that!" Hermione cried angrily.

It took all of two seconds for them both to realize exactly what she had said. When it dawned upon them, Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth, as if to take it back, but it was too late. Severus froze in the middle of opening his second gift from Draco.

"What did you say?" he asked slowly, in a low voice, though he had heard every single word, clear as crystal.

"I- I'm sorry, Severus. I didn't mean it, I wasn't thinking," Hermione stammered. "I-"

"Get out," he growled at her.

"No, Severus, please-"

She reached out a hand to touch his shoulder, but he jerked it away as he snapped angrily, "Do not touch me."

"I'm sorry-"

She fell silent momentarily when Severus stood abruptly and stalked into his office.

"Severus, come back. Please. Severus?" She heard a clinking of glasses and quickly followed to join him. She was horrified by the scene that met her eyes: Severus was pouring a generous amount of gin into that same glass that she had seen all those weeks ago.

"Severus, what are you doing?" she cried. "Stop, please! Don't do this!" He gulped down the liquor in the glass. "Not again!" She ran over to him and yanked the glass out of his hand, slopping a bit of the gin on them both.

"Damn it!" For a moment, the thought of raising his hand to her ran through his mind, but it passed within seconds. When it had, he was thoroughly horrified with himself for having even thought such a ghastly thing, and this was clearly evident on his face.

"Are you all right?" Hermione asked him.

Running a hand over his face and sitting behind his desk, he snarled, "Why would you care? I'm just a filthy Death Eater, after all."

"That's not fair. I wasn't talking about-"

"-Me? You might as well have been."

"No!" She slammed the glass down noisily on his desk. "You know very well how I feel about Malfoy. I was only trying to come up with anything against him that I could-"

"That also applies to me."

"Stop it!"

Severus reached out and took the goblet in his hands, cradling it protectively.

"I spoke without thinking, and I shouldn't have. Had I done so, I would have realized that it was horrible and untrue."

At this, Severus stood angrily and came to stand directly in front of Hermione, glowering at her fiercely, for which she didn't blame him one bit. He was seething and his chest was rising and falling rapidly. He raised the hand that the chalice was held in and Hermione cowered, shielding her face with her hands. Severus hurled the glass into the wall behind her and the moment it made contact, it shattered.

"I wasn't going to strike you," he said quietly. "I would never hurt you."

"You can't know that," she whispered, lowering her hands.

"I will never hurt you. I… I…"

She looked up into his eyes and saw nothing but sincerity there. Even so, she thought sadly to herself, I may never hear him say those three little words to me again.

"I love you too," she said.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, Severus. Honestly, I am. I promise you, I didn't mean it."

"Then why would you have said it?"

"Because I am a complete idiot who should think before she opens her fat mouth."

"Shall we return to my chambers?" he asked, taking her hand.

"I think so."

When they both were back and sitting beside each other by the Christmas tree once more, they began pulling their presents toward them. Severus' second gift from Malfoy was an extremely nice, costly bottle of wine.

Harry's gift to Hermione was a year's subscription to the magazine Potions Weekly and two Chocolate Frogs. A gift for you and Snape, he had written on the card. Although it was clear that this had been done only to sufficiently satisfy Hermione, and he was not even giving Severus a second thought, his effort was nonetheless appreciated greatly. From Ron, she received a five Galleon gift certificate to Flourish and Blotts. From the Weasley twins, she got several biscuits that she never intended to consume, for fear they were bewitched to transform her into something along the lines of a purple toad with nine legs. Then came Ginny's gift: a Chudley Cannons robe set.

Those boys have corrupted the poor girl with all their Quidditch talk, Hermione thought sadly, shaking her head.

Then she opened Hagrid's gift: a copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Next were the gifts from her parents: a pleasant-smelling perfume and a brand new book to add to her collection. However, opening these only proved to remind Hermione that Severus had no mother or father to receive gifts from, and no other family either, as far as she knew.

"Have you opened my gift to you yet?" Severus asked quietly, her present to him sitting on his lap.

She looked at him and asked, confused, "What? You mean, under the tree?"

"Yes."

"But, I thought…" She reached up and touched the necklace he had given her last night. When he shook his head, she smiled and asked, "You got me two presents? But…I only got you one. If I had known…"

"It doesn't matter."

"Really?"

"You are worth it."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Am I?" she asked, grinning.

"Always."

She threw her arms around Severus' neck and hugged him tightly as his arms snaked around her waist.

"Thank you," she breathed, kissing his neck.

"Open it, and then you may thank me."

"All right," she sighed and pushed herself off of him. Slowly, she began to unwrap the gift, but stopped abruptly when she noticed that Severus was not moving.

"You need to open mine as well!" she laughed.

He nodded and promptly began to peel the paper from the box in which his gift was contained. When they had both fully unwrapped their boxes, they tugged on the lids and they pulled away at the same time.

Hermione gasped and pulled her gift out of its container. It was a special, limited edition of Hogwarts: A History, bound in red leather with a moving photograph of the first year boats gently gliding across the lake towards the glowing castle, the stars twinkling behind its towers and the moon shining brightly.

"This is brilliant!" she exclaimed as Severus pulled his gift out of its package. "I hope you like it," she said as she watched him. "You are very difficult to shop for, but I finally decided on this."

Severus stared at his new book, bound in black leather, with flawlessly white pages and written on the cover in simple, red lettering was the word Villette.

"Do you like it?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"Yes. Thank you." He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, running his fingers through her hair. "Interesting choice," he muttered, turning it over in his hands.

"What do you mean?"

"Charlotte Bronte."

"Yes, just like Jane Eyre."

"Jane...? Of course."

"Why do you think it is an interesting choice?"

He shook his head, examining the book.

"This is by far the best Christmas I have ever had," Hermione said happily.

Severus wasn't sure how to reply to her statement, so he only smiled slightly and remained silent. He fingered the pages in his book so that he would have an excuse to keep his gaze from drifting to Hermione's face. Her earlier comment kept echoing in his mind, uncontrollably replaying itself over and over again. He could not forget the hatred burning in her eyes when she had spoken of Draco Malfoy, the boy who was frighteningly alike to Severus at his age, apart from the fact that Draco had inherited his father's good looks. Severus remembered the way she had uttered those offensive words, as if they were pure filth or poison.

"Filthy Death Eater," she had called him. She may as well have been speaking so maliciously about the man beside her now.

She would not have spoken the words if she did not mean them, Severus thought. She is not the sort of careless person to simply blurt out whatever comes to mind, as her dear friends Potter and Weasley have done on countless occasions.

Her words made Severus wonder whether or not she had truly meant what she said all those weeks ago: that she accepted him. Did she really, or was that just an act?

"I love you," she said, but furrowed her brow when he didn't acknowledge her. "Severus?" she asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Yes. Er, me too," he answered, still contemplating Hermione's sincerity as she continued to unwrap her remaining gifts still left under the Christmas tree, while he sat quietly, gathering the remaining paper still left on the floor.

There is finally a lot more action! And not only that, but they said "I love you" to each other. Honestly, I think I have been anticipating this just as much as you! Lol.

And before I forget: What color are Ron's eyes? Does anyone know?

My new school and having constant off/on internet has prevented me from posting this chapter sooner, but here it is now, anyways.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You are all so awesome!

deppforever07- Thanks! And there was a small conflict here, but nothing too major. Wait til next chapter…

olivialynlee- Thank you! And here, as you read, they finally admitted their love to each other! Yay.

fahzzyquill- You wanted more action? Well, here ya go! Lol.

Tamara- Wow, thanks. But I would never go so far as to call my story perfect.

Narcissa- Lol. I love Remus too! And I hope I made your day too by updating. Hehe.

By the way, Chapter 26 received the most reviews of any chapters so far! Yay! Thank you all so much!

Hard to say when Chapter 28 will be posted, seeing as how everything around me is rather unpredictable right about now, but it is quite a bit shorter than the other chapters, so it shouldn't be too long.

Disclaimer- (See Chapter 14)

As always: Please Review! Even if you don't like my story, tell me what you dislike about it, and I will try to work on it in the future. It only takes like 30 seconds, so please just do it. Thanks!