Chapter 9
Hermione and Severus walked out of their apartments and headed down the hallway toward the front doors. On their way out of the building, they were seen by several students who stopped in their tracks to stare at them. Hermione couldn't tell if they were staring because of her being with a guy or if it was because they knew who her guy was.
'He is NOT my guy! ... Okay, so maybe he is TECHNICALLY, but... whatever.' She tried reprimanding herself.
They finally made it to the doors and walked outside. The beginning of fall was plain by the changing of the leaves on the trees and some on the ground. It wasn't cold or windy that day so it was good they hadn't even bothered with jackets. Hermione had assumed that with such short notice that they would have to walk to Hogsmeade, but waiting not far from them was a horseless carriage that Hermione knew was actually pulled by Thestrals.
"Seems like Dumbledore knew that we were going out." Hermione said with a laugh.
"Yes." Severus said with a shrug and then headed towards the carriage. Hermione immediately followed. Severus politely offered Hermione his hand to help her get up the stairs of the carriage. Holding onto the railings, he hauled himself into the seat as well and off they went.
The ride to the village was just as silent as the walk and it was getting to Hermione, so of course, she started to babble.
"So... What are we going to do besides get new clothes for you in town? Did you need to get something? I want to go to the book store as well, if you are okay with it." She immediately knew that she was babbling and didn't want to stop, but she stopped talking anyway so he could answer her questions.
"After we get the clothes, then we can go to the book store. I also have a few things that I have to get from there." He paused for a moment in thought. "Then, if you want to, we can go get something to eat at the Three Broomsticks." He finished, then turned to look at her before saying, "Is that what you wanted?"
Hermione blushed, but nodded in answer. Severus placed a hand on his head right after that. Hermione immediately realized what was happening. "Sorry." She said, quickly. "I didn't mean to get embarrassed. I mean, I don't know how to control it, but i'm sure if I tried I could."
Severus looked at her and just stared for a few seconds before saying, "Why are you embarrassed about going to eat with me at the Three Broomsticks?"
Hermione was silent for a moment to think and realized something. "I guess, I am going to need to be as honest as possible around you, huh? Alright, I can do that. I had a crush on you last year and you saying that just surprised me into remembering all of my school girl crush fantasies of that year." Hermione said without looking at him. She tried her hardest not to get any more embarrassed, but nothing seemed to help.
"What kind of fantasies? I know you mean the sexual kind, but I mean more specific." He surprised her by saying. Looking over at him, she noticed that his hand had dropped from his head.
"Oh, Umm... Well... There was one that featured you and me in your class room in our normal clothes. It was a detention. Not the normal detention, either." She wasn't sure if she should go into more detail, but she was saved from having to do so by the carriage stopping. Hermione looked around and realized that they had made it to the village faster than she thought they should have been able to. Severus stepped down from the high steps of the carriage and then reached up to grasp her waist to lift her down. His hands felt comforting around her waist and safe, which didn't make any sense to her, but as he lifted her up, she placed her hands on his shoulders to steady herself. As he lowered her to the ground, she had a funny thought.
'Isn't this how gentlemen are supposed to help ladies from high places? I have never thought of Severus as a gentleman, but I guess this counts as a gentlemanly gesture. Sweet!'
The way he lowered her to the ground reminded her of the romantic moments in the movies, where the woman's body would run along the man's body and the two would look longingly into each other's eyes, as he lowered her to the ground. Looking into Severus' eyes was very mesmerizing and make it impossible to look away. After Severus placed her on the ground, his hands lingered for a moment longer than was necessary to make she was steady on her feet. Severus was staring at her with an odd look in his eyes, one Hermione couldn't understand.
All of a sudden, Hermione got an intense headache and an overwhelming urge to kiss the teen in front of her for no reason. She didn't fight the urge, but instead, lifted her hand and place it at the nape of his neck. Severus didn't react to the change in their position. She rose up to lightly placed her lips on top of his. She wasn't experienced with kisses, so she was very hesitant to move and do something wrong.
After a brief pause of neither moving, Severus began leading the kiss. He seemed to be trying to teach her how to lead and after the moment, he allowed her to take over and lead the kiss. They weren't allowed to continue their deep kiss though, because out of nowhere, Severus heard a wolf- whistle from behind him. Severus heard someone say "Get a room!" and he heard their foot steps as they walked away. A thought hit Severus hard and he began laughing, which broke the kiss.
Hermione looked at him in confusion and shock and dropped her hand. She had never seen him laugh and had never thought that she would get the chance.
'His laugh is so sexy! How come he doesn't laugh normally?' Hermione thought. She must have said it out loud, because he looked at her and stopped laughing. He still had a smile on his face when he answered her question.
"I used to until I joined the Death Eaters. You don't really have the opportunity to really laugh, but now that moldybutt is dead by his own doing, I have more free will and chances to laugh. The only thing that would make my life better would be if my mark would just disappear..." Severus trailed off as he gazed in shock at his left forearm, which he had raise while he spoke to show her the mark.
Hermione leaned over to see what had made him so speechless. She gasped in shock. The spot that used to sport the skull and snake tattoo was completely void of any marks that would prove that there had been anything there to begin with.
Severus lifted his other hand and ran his fingers down the clear skin in wonderment.
"What happened to it?" Hermione asked in confusion. "Was it fading after HE died?"
"No. I was hoping it would fade or even go away automatically, but it hasn't moved or changed in anyway since he died. I don't understand what happened to it. I saw it last night before I fell asleep, so it didn't disappear went I regressed in age." He stared at his arm for another few seconds before, out of nowhere, he looked up at Hermione and grinned full stop. Reaching out, he picked her up and spun her around in excitement. Hermione quickly put her hands on his shoulders to balance herself. His smile was very contagious and she found herself smiling at him as well. She could understand how exciting this moment could be to him and she was happy for him. Severus finally put her down and let go on her waist when he realized how out of character he was being. He cleared his throat and glanced around to see if anyone noticed his exuberance. A few people were looking at him and grinning, probably thinking that they were the cutest couple around town, but of course that wasn't what Severus thought.
"What? Nothing is of interest to you here. Stop gawking at me just because I am..." Severus was interupted by Hermione saying. "Sorry about him, he is a little embarrassed by his outburst, carry on."
Everyone who had stopped to watch them continued on with their shopping trips. Hermione turned to look at Severus and waited for him to get his full composure back. After a moment, he looked at her expectantly.
"Are you ready to go to the clothing store yet?" Hermione asked with a smile.
"Yes, Let's go." Severus said with a sigh. They both turned toward the local clothing store that sold muggle clothes. As they reached the door, Severus reached out his hand and took hold of hers at the same time as he opened the door with his other. This made her look at him in surprise. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and smirked at her. Hermione smiled and continued into the shop.
A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. I have been having trouble figuring out how I want things to happen. Writer's block hurts me so badly. I have been getting so many great reviews from people who really like this story and I appreciate all of your support! Please stay with me. I know this chapter wasn't even close to my best, but if you will bear with me I am working on making this story better. I don't have a computer currently so I have to write my stories the old fashion way and then type it up on my aunts computer.
I will immediately start working on the next chapter tomorrow morning.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please Review! I really enjoy all of the comments!
Questions I will leave you with:
Will Severus allow Hermione to help him pick out his new clothes?
How did Severus' mark disappear?
What will Dumbledore tell them about the bond after they return to the Castle?
