Chapter 22

Severus had done it – he had actually done it: he had asked Charlotte of Avenham on a date. And he still hadn't figure out why the hell he had done it…

Marcus hadn't lied when he had described her to be intelligent, quiet and beautiful. She had long silky black hair and brilliant blue eyes, like sapphires. She further was an excellent scholar in the field of potions, her studies were fascinating and her ideas genius. To his surprise, she genuinely seemed to be interested in his persona and work. She wanted to know all about him, his teaching career, his potion researching, what were his tastes and pursuits, everything, and in such an elegant manner, too.

Marcus was indeed right: they would make an excellent match.

But there was one problem: Hermione… All evening long he compared Charlotte with Hermione, in both appearance and intellectuality and although he found Charlotte to be prettier and calmer in her manners (which was very much to his liking), she just wasn't his Hermione. Her eyes were not brown, her hair not bushy, and her remarks never feisty or teasing, which in his eyes made her somehow boring. Maybe this was the reason he agreed to the date in the first place – he wanted to find out what he thought about Hermione and if there maybe could be someone else in his life…

"Severus?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at his date. They were eating in a fine restaurant near London. "What?"

"I merely asked you if you wanted dessert," she repeated the unheard question.

"Um, no thank you."

She looked at him with sad eyes, while her hand on the table brushed lightly against his. "You're not enjoying yourself as much as I do, do you?"

He sighed, took his hand away from hers and replied honestly: "I'm afraid not."

"May I ask why?" It didn't sound aggressive but rather hurt. "Don't you find me to your liking?"

He looked her in the eyes and said firmly: "No, it's not that. You seem to be a wonderful person and if circumstances were different I believe we would fit together perfectly." He gave her a small encouraging smile.

She mirrored his smile before asking quietly: "What circumstances?"

Severus gulped and then admitted for the first time, even to himself: "I have already given away my heart and I am quite certain that I shall never take it back…"

Charlotte nodded after a silent while, then stood up and took his hand into hers.

He looked at her confused but she gently told him: "I wish you every joy you can have, Severus, and I hope that this woman knows how lucky she is." She gave his hand a short squeeze, he smiled gratefully at her – and then she left the restaurant.

He remained for a few more minutes at their table, processing what had just happened, before paying their bill and leaving as well, back to Hogwarts, back to Hermione…