The party was uneventful for the most part. Of course there was the usual entertainment of the patrons getting completely shit-faced and talking about the old days and how things will never be as good as back then. This was all to do with the fact that the bar was completely free and the house elves kept plying them with cocktails designed with the sole purpose of getting the drinker totally inebriated.

Severus didn't hold with cocktails and stuck to his bourbon until Remus brought him a glass of Ogden's best firewhiskey, single malt, 10 year reserve.

"Here you go Severus." Remus extended the drink with a somewhat shaky hand.

He looked at Severus and then Hermione with blurry eyes. He was swaying slightly as he sipped his Little Green Fairy. A cocktail that had been charmed to look like there really was a little green fairy flying inside the glass.

"How are we all then?" he asked slurring his words somewhat.

"We are all fine Remus." Hermione said walking over to him and putting her arm around his shoulder. "But I think you have had a little too many don't you dear?" she said as she started to lead him out of the hall.

Severus was yet again left standing on his own. He stared after the two figures disappearing. Staring into his glass he wondered what his next move should be. Or indeed if it would be wise to make one. It was not so much because his wife was present, Merlin, and indeed every other member of the party, knew of her illicit affairs and her adulterous ways. They also knew that Severus was also fully aware of them. It was not that he thought people would think ill of him for chasing a girl that was not his wife. No, his worries and hesitation lay more in that people were watching not to see if he would make a move on her, but when he would make a move. Never in the history of his life at Hogwarts had he known his actions to be of such great interest.

"I am sorry about that." Hermione had returned and looked slightly flushed. "I know what he gets like when he is drunk. He lets his mouth run away with him, and right now I don't feel either of us need to feel any more embarrassed."

"Embarrassed about what?" Severus asked taking another sip of his whiskey.

"Well you know as well as I do that our tentative attachment recently is being watched with more fervour than moody watches his hip flask."

Severus smirked slightly; she had hit the nail right on the proverbial head.

"Your right Hermione. And yet I can't help wondering if we really care about that fact?"

He looked at her and cocked and eyebrow slightly. Hoping and almost certainly knowing that her answer would be the same as his.

"I have never known you take any great care in your actions for the sake of other people Severus, and as you know neither have I."

Her eyes shone with desire and she seemed to exude a sexual promise that seemed all too far away and yet was close enough to touch. For a few brief moments they eyes had met and a fizzle of energy had passed between them. For a few seconds the drunken roar of the people around was drowned out. But soon returned when both parties had realised what they were doing.

From the far side of the room they were indeed being watched. Eleanor was stood in horror. Her loveless and yet comfortably wealthy marriage seemed in great danger. Although neither she nor Severus had any feeling other than disgust for each other, he had a great deal of money. She had become accustomed to being a lady of leisure and now he had found this girl, Eleanor's way of life was in great danger.

He had tried to file for a divorce on the grounds on an arranged marriage before now, but every time she had managed to thwart it. This time however she wouldn't be able to, this time he would push it and push it instead of retracting it. This time she was in serious trouble.

Hermione dared a glance in the direction of the fuming temptress. She smiled politely at her only to receive a glare that could floor and elephant. Turning round to face Severus again she saw the slightest hint of a satisfied smirk playing on his lips, betraying the fact that he could see exactly what Hermione was up to.

"Severus would you care accompany me to the gardens I feel slightly flushed in here." Hermione suggested with a seductive lilt in her voice.

The pair could feel Eleanor's laser hot glare follow them out of the room.

As soon as Hermione got outside she started giggling.

"I am so sorry Severus I thought I would have laughed in her face had I….."

The end of her sentence was lost as a suggestion as to what it might have been, because Severus had grabbed hold of her the moment she had turned to face him. He had made his mouth cover hers with little hesitation and now they both revelled in the softness and urgency the kiss held.

Every inch of her mouth was open for him to explore, his tongue working fast to becoming totally acquainted with it. Hermione resisted for a millisecond as she realised what had happened. The taste of whiskey entering her mouth and filling her senses with a drunken pleasure that had nothing at all to do with the alcohol.

If a perfect moment had flavour, to Hermione it would have been the slightest hints of whisky and bourbon.

She couldn't have told you what her body was doing all she concentrated on was her lips and mouth and trying to retaliate Severus's tongue with her own.

As they pulled apart after a few moments of absolute perfection Hermione looked into the eyes of the man in front of her. She pulled him close again and nuzzled into his embrace.

"You know Severus?" she whispered, "Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place."

From the glass doors of the hall Eleanor could see everything. She watched as the couple outside embraced and stayed there enjoying the feeling of the other being in their arms.

"I wouldn't worry Eleanor, its not like you haven't done that to him." Lucius' voice sneered in her ear. His breathe slithered across her neck; you could swear he was really a snake at time like this.

"Yes but when I do there is no chance of there being any feelings involved." Eleanor shot back.

Lucius merely smirked, ran his finger down her cheek and left to join his wife again.

As Eleanor turned back to look out of the window she saw the couple had disappeared. Turning and looking round the hall she searched the crowd with her eyes. There wasn't a sign of them. Then she spotted them a flash of pure white leaving at the opposite end of the hall.

As quickly as she could without drawing too much attention to herself, Eleanor made her way across the room to the door where she had seen them leave. She opened it and stepped out into the seemingly never ending corridor. She saw a mass of white running up the corridor and heard Hermione's unmistaken able giggle.

"Seems the mudblood beat you Eleanor." It was Lucius again as quickly as if he had apparated to her side.

"She has not beaten me."

"Come here," Lucius said extending a hand.

Eleanor ignored it and carried on looking up the corridor fuming to herself. The next moment she was pushed roughly up against the wall with Lucius lips bruising her own in a violent kiss. His mouth moved down to her neck biting at the skin.

"Stay with me tonight."

Eleanor said nothing as she looked over his shoulder and saw Narcissa stood silently in the doorway. Unlike Eleanor, Narcissa loved her arranged marriage husband. Lucius would sleep around and Narcissa would just have to deal with it or leave, and leaving is something Narcissa would never do.

"oh my god I can't believe we got away with it!" Hermione giggled as she collapsed into the armchair of her rooms. "I expected to get a leg locker curse from her as we ran up that corridor."

Hermione had turned into a muddled mass of white dress as she had settled in the chair, there was too much skirt and not enough chair.

"I'm sorry I am going to have to get out of this dress Severus its not very practical." She heaved herself awkwardly out of the chair and made her way into her bedroom.

Severus stood there feeling like the proverbial spare prick at a wedding. He looked at the clock. 11.10pm well at least he was bringing the New Year in with someone he liked for once. At least this year he wasn't sat in the corner nursing a drinking and thinking 'bah humbug.'

Looking at the bedroom door he saw she hadn't closed it properly and he could see her taking the pins out of her hair.

Silently he crept towards the door and stood at the doorway.

'Severus you big pervert!' his mind shouted at him, 'looking at a young girl getting changed through the crack in her door. Why don't you just toss one off while your at it then at least you will have true peeping tom status.'

Pushing the thought to the back of his head he silently slipped inside the room and approached her from behind. He leant forward slightly and whispered in her ear….

"You look stunning tonight, like and angel."

Hermione jumped so much she dropped all the hair grips she had been holding.

Severus kissed the back of her neck and ran his hands over her shoulders and down her arms.

"Severus I didn't hear you come in."

"I just needed to see you in this dress one more time before you took it off."

Hermione blushed and suppressed a smile as she felt Severus' mouth carry on its journey across her neck and shoulders.

Hermione turned round and claimed his mouth by pulling his head gently towards with both hands. She ran her tongue across his bottom lip and felt him sigh. Her tongue ventured deeper into his mouth tentatively. Soon her mouth and his were locked in a slow sensual dance of tongues.

Severus hands found there way round to her back and pulled her closer until only their clothing showed were one body ended and the other began.

Hermione pulled her lips away slightly, "Severus I think I'm in love" she whispered before returning to his mouth with such passion it left her breathless. Shifting her weight slightly she fell backwards onto her bed only forcing Severus to follow, still embraced.

"Excuse me a moment" Hermione said eventually in muffled tones.

Severus released her and she stood up.

"I'm sorry this skirt is driving me crazy." She announced.

She reached behind her and unhooked the skirt from the bodice of a dress and it fell to the floor, leaving the corset like bodice, and sat at her feet puffed up to resemble some sort of huge meringue. The skirt was hiding a particularly sexy pair of ivory lace French knickers and ivory lace topped stockings. The stockings themselves weren't ivory that would have looked cheap in Hermione's opinion. No they were natural coloured.

She stepped out of the dress and climbed back on the bed. Severus had said nothing during all of this; he now looked like next Christmas had come early.

Hermione looked at him letting her gaze travel down his body, seeing his reaction to her. The crotch of his trousers suddenly seemed to full.

A/N : well my darlings they nearly go there and I know its another cliffy but I assure you chapter 6 is already in the processes of being written and I promise it won't be too long before that's posted too.