Thanks so much for everyones reviews. They make my day! Also thanks to RenitaLeandra whose done such a great job!

Chapter 16- Seven o'clock

Seven o'clock arrived much quicker that Hermione would have liked. She spent most of the day furiously trying on robes and then cursing herself for turning into the kind of person who furiously tried on robes.

'What is wrong with me? Severus isn't going to care what I wear. And since when have I really cared what he thought anyway? Really, Hermione, you are acting positively silly.'

She finally settled on the emerald green robes, but she cursed her hair over and over as it refused to cooperate; her shaky hands unable to accomplish anything. Finally she managed to pull it back into a knot and prayed that it wouldn't all fall out before the evening was done.

Exactly as her clock was chiming seven, she heard a knock on her door. She went to open it and saw Severus standing there, looking as nervous and out of place as she felt. He had also dressed up for the occasion and for the first time she noticed that his hair, which was pulled back, had begun to grey at the temples giving him a rather distinguished look. They looked at each other for a very long awkward moment before Hermione finally spoke.

"Uh…hello," she said nervously.

"Hello," Severus said and cleared his throat. Suddenly Hermione began to giggle. He gave her a questioning look.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said calming herself down. "But all this awkwardness reminded me of going to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum when I was in fourth year. Do you remember? Probably not. I daresay that evening was more memorable for me than it was for you; all that childish nonsense. Anyway, I remember he and I didn't even speak for nearly the first half hour we were so nervous. It just seems so silly to me that here we are acting like a couple of children when we're both grown adults." She suddenly realized that she was babbling nervously and they had started down the staircase while she talked.

"Actually, I have quite a good memory of the Yule Ball," Severus said with something close to a grimace. "Not that I enjoyed it in the least. As I recall I ended up with a splitting headache after being forced into listening to the Weird Sisters for hours."

"Yes, well I never thought my feet would be the same again. Viktor Krum was much more graceful on a broom than he was on his feet. He stomped all over them that night." Hermione smiled at the memory. Severus was now leading her out of the front doors. "Where are we going?"

"Not far." He led her away from the castles in the direction, she noticed, of one of the greenhouses. As they reached it he opened the door and she walked in. Inside, the greenhouse had been transformed from the classroom that it usually was into a beautiful flower garden. All sorts of exotic flowers, bushes and trees, both magical and non-magical lined the walls and filled the ground. There was a path leading to a small table that had been set. Nearby there was a house-elf clearly trying to fade into the background. Hermione looked at Severus in surprise.

"You did this? It's beautiful!"

"Pomona owed me a favor," Severus said as they walked to the table. "Quite a large one, actually."

"Even so, I had no idea you were such a romantic."

"I suppose I will have to be completely honest with you," Severus said sighing heavily.

"What do you mean?"

"I told Pomona what I wanted it for. She was so excited she insisted on doing everything for me. Had it been up to me we probably would be using buckets as chairs and Merlin knows what we would be eating."

Hermione laughed and Severus seemed to visibly relax. They both sat and the house-elf brought over their first course along with a bottle of elf-made wine.

"Well, I will have to commend her for a job well done the next time I see her," Hermione said sipping her wine.

"Well, if there is one thing I don't want, it's for people to think that I'm romantic," Severus said with a smirk.

"Heavens no!"

The tension had broken and the evening passed pleasantly for both of them. Apparently Professor Sprout had let Professor McGonagall in on the secret and Minerva had gone down to the kitchens to personally oversee the food preparations. As a result, the food was as exquisite as the setting.

The conversation was also pleasant as they discussed an experimental potion that Severus was working on. It was a mind-strengthening potion that, according to Severus, could be used to help people who had lost their minds from magical causes. He said that the idea had come to him when reading a study of the Longbottoms in Magical Maladies Monthly and he was hoping to test it soon. They debated the pros and cons of such tests and it was refreshing to Severus to be able to discuss his work with someone he considered an intellectual equal. It occurred to him, as the house-elves served their dessert and poured yet another glass of wine, that this was possibly one of the most enjoyable evenings of his life. Hermione was the only person in recent memory who genuinely seemed to enjoy his company. Even as they continued to talk, she was leaning forward as if completely intent on what he was saying.

Hermione was also thinking about how enjoyable the evening had been. Severus was a much more pleasant and interesting person than anyone ever gave him credit for. He had a brilliant mind and he had made enormous breakthroughs with his potion experiments. As he poured her more wine she felt enormously at ease and comfortable, as if they had been friends for years.

Severus looked at Hermione as they finished their meals. Clearly she had had more wine than she was used to, as her eyes were beginning to droop.

"Are you falling asleep? Am I really that boring?" he teased.

"Oh no! I promise you're not! I just feel so relaxed," Hermione said, leaning back in her chair. "I don't know what's come over me."

Severus stood up and walked over to her, holding out his hand. She took it and he pulled her to her feet leading her toward the door.

"Come," he said as they walked. "It is obvious that you are not used to drinking. I don't want to be responsible for returning you drunk to your rooms, so why don't we go for a walk around the lake to clear your head."

"That sounds like a lovely idea," Hermione said as the cool night air hit her face. It was a beautiful night, although it still had the chill of early spring. Hermione looked up at the sky and saw that the moon was almost full. She could hear the Giant Squid splashing in the water, also apparently enjoying the beautiful night. They walked in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts.

"I have had a wonderful evening," Hermione said as they turned back toward the castle.

"So, have I fulfilled the obligations of the bet to your satisfaction?" Severus asked, clearly amused.

Hermione looked at him with a grin. "If I say no, will you take me out again?"

Severus laughed. It was a rich, clear sound that echoed across the lake.

"Insufferable wench! You are as scheming as the best Slytherin." They stopped walking and he looked down at her, his dark eyes staring into hers. "I was planning on that anyway."

He lowered his head and suddenly his lips were on hers, softly at first and then harder and more insistent. She groaned as he deepened the kiss, running her hands through his hair as he pulled her against him. After several long minutes, he lifted his head and looked at her.

"Oh," was all she could manage choke out. "That was nice."

Severus arched an eyebrow. "Nice? Surely I can do better than that."

And his lips were back on hers, kissing her passionately. Hermione felt her legs give out, whether from the wine or from Severus, she didn't know, and he lowered her to the ground pressing against her. She felt dizzy and light headed but he didn't stop. For what seemed an eternity they lay there under the moonlight, with Hermione's arms wrapped around him and Severus slowly kissing his way down from her mouth to her neck. Finally he stopped, panting and looked down at her.

"Well…that was very nice," Hermione managed to say once she caught her breath. Severus smirked.

"Yes, well, I'm afraid that if we don't stop now, I'll be returning you to your rooms in worse condition than just drunk," Severus said before pressing one last lingering kiss to her lips. He then stood up and looked down at her. Hermione's hair had long since come loose and had bits of grass stuck in it. Her lips were red from kissing and her robes wrinkled beyond hope. And Severus thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

"We better go in," he said pulling her up. "Before the Giant Squid gets more of a show than he bargained for."

Hermione blushed so deep Severus could see it in the moonlight and they headed into the castle. He walked her up to her quarters and paused at the door. He leaned over and kissed her chastely on the cheek.

"Good night Hermione," he whispered.

Hermione watched him turn and walk back down the hall before she let herself into her room. She felt lighthearted as she prepared herself for bed. That night she did not use her Memory Crystal and slept peacefully the whole night.

Hermione was woken from her sleep early the next morning with a loud knock on her door. Her head was pounding, no doubt from the wine she had drank and she grumbled as she climbed out of bed.

"Ugh! I'm coming…" She threw the door open revealing Minerva looking pale and shaken. "Minerva? What's wrong?

"Hermione, you might want to sit down," the woman said, nearly in tears.

Suddenly Hermione was hit with a wave of panic. What on earth could be so wrong as to bring Minerva McGonagall to tears?

"Minerva, why don't you just tell me what's going on."

"Oh, Hermione. There's been an accident."