A Twisted Hearts Lover

Summary: Hermione Granger has been harboring a secret for over four years. Now that the war for the wizarding world is over and of course, our three favorite heroes have won, what are they to do? For the past three years they have all stuck together working as Aurors (which there is still a great demand for) but something that happened back when they were at Hogwarts has roused Hermione's emotions and now has her wondering if the love she walked away from them still exists somewhere within the walls of Azkaban. And if it does how can she tell Harry and Ron that she is in love with the man they hate as much as Lord Voldemort himself?

Author's Note: This is my first Hermione and Snape fic so keep it nice and simple. Not sure how long this is going to be.

Chapter 1: I Dream of Snape

She was sitting in the dungeon room where Professor Snape had taught Potions to her so many years ago. In all truth it had only been about four or five years, she couldn't remember. But she sat there as he stood in front of the blackboard writing the days assignment up. He didn't appear to realize she was there watching him which was a very good thing. It gave her time to look at him, really look and see him for maybe the first time as a man instead of a monster.

He moved with such grace and ease it was almost like he was dancing. He was so incredibly handsome with his long hair and flowing robes that draped so carefully over his body. She'd never really taken the time to know him before. Never taken the time to observe his easy movements and his great composure. Instead she'd chosen to hate him, brush him off for so long as another pureblood, muggle-born hating bastard. But he was a half-blood, she hadn't known it till late in her sixth year at school, after he had killed a man everyone adored and loved so much. And for what, so he could get in on the good side of the Dark Lord. No one knew, no one would ever know for he was now held in the deepest pits of Azkaban prison.

Sitting here now, watching him as she was she found herself unable to think of such things. Her thoughts were turned inward toward her pounding heart as she watched him move back toward his desk. Knowing she should get up and walk away, she found herself rooted to her bench. The twinge of something in the region of her heart kept her there, the way it had so many years ago.

After he'd slain Dumbledore she'd pushed the night out of her mind, pretending it was nothing but a fluke of nature. The few nights after her chance encounter with him but it had only been her imagination as it was now.

She'd dreamed this same dream for many, many months now actually since the night after the Ministry of Magic had discovered his whereabouts and taken him away forever. It always seemed to start the same way, some where different of course, her watching him then he'd notice her and come to her never wither saying a word and after she had relived that one tender night with him she'd wake up along and in the same house she'd lived in with Harry, Ron, and almost all of the other Order members who needed a place to sleep for the past three years.

Tonight was different from all the others for this time when he noticed her he spoke. His voice sounding as though he had been screaming for a very long time or his mouth was extremely dry.

"My dearest Hermione," he spoke softly walking toward her a smile tilting the corners of his lips. "I have missed you all these years." His hand gently grazed her cheek and she could fell his skin brush hers ever so softly almost like a breath of wind.

"Oi, and I you, though I fear admitting it." His smile grew and Hermione watched as his eyes light with the same fire they had that night in the castle dungeons at Hogwarts.

"Why do you fear what you and I both know is the most real feeling you've ever felt before in you young life?" She hesitated to answer at first not wanting to destroy the beautiful image her dreams had created for her. But before she could answer he pulled her up with the slightest tug of her hand and looked deep into her eyes. "You can tell me the truth my love, you can always tell me the truth." He pressed his lips so lightly to her forehead and his hands so gently explored her back that she could not stop the tears that came rolling down her cheeks.

"It's not the feelings I fear but what would happen if someone found out about those feelings. I'm not ashamed of what we had or what I still feel. I'm not even afraid of what they'd do or say to me if they found out but of what they'd do to you Severus." She pulled back to look up at him. He stared down at her with so much love and trust in his eyes she felt her heart do a little summersault. Heavens above how she loved Severus Snape, her Potions Master and lover for a night. She looked away and blinked, more tears coming.

"Quite your tears sweat girl, the worst they can do has already been done." Her head shot straight up and her gaze locked with his. Oh dear Lo… "They have locked me away and taken you from me. My heart aches so much death would be welcome if they have no plans of ever letting me out again or of letting me hold you in my arms other than when I dream." She buried her head against the solid wall of his chest and breathed. She could smell his scent, something distinctly his and could hear his steady breathing. The tears would not be quitted for her heart ached to. She missed him and though they had only shared one night and she had tried to forget it, the truth had always been right there at the surface rearing its head at night when she slept or when she sat alone with nothing or no one but her thoughts for company.

"My heart aches as yours does and I sometimes feel death would be easier to bare but I know that one day I'll get the courage up to tell the others about this but I fear it may come to late." She framed his face in her hands and watched as the smile turned into a frown but not one born of anger, no, but one born of passion and hunger. The same passion and hunger a man feels when he holds the woman he loves in his arms.

"So many years have been stolen from us already. Please understand the situation I find myself in." He raised his hands and placed them over hers that held his face. His gaze still holding that hunger and passion.

"I do Hermione, I really do. I wouldn't expect Potter or Weasley either one of understand what we found with each other that night in the castle. Neither of us were looking for anything and we found everything. Something that I for one wasn't expecting to find. At least not with a student anyway." His smile returned momentarily at the humor in the situation.

"How can you still find humor in that dreadful place?" She wanted to know. She was sure there was no way she could have.

"Well, since the Dementor's packed their bags and moved out it's not as dreary as it once was. It's more like a muggle prison." One of his hands came down and cupped her cheek raising her head toward his. She went willingly holding her breath until she felt his lips close over hers then breathing became useless.

All the years they had spent apart did not matter at that moment the present counted and if tomorrow the sun did not rise then that was simply that.

'But this is only a dream.' She reminded herself as he pulled away. 'Only a silly little dream and not the real thing.'

"I think we've talked long enough Hermione my love. You should probably wake up now and go fix breakfast for the house. Heaven's knows what'll end up on that table if you're not down there." He stepped back but held her hands tightly still. "Remember that time over the summer when you stayed with the Order and Tonks didn't know what to make so she zapped in the most massive pile of junk food any of us had ever seen." They shared a laugh and she nodded.

"Yeah, I believe I put on about ten pounds that morning and we never allowed Tonks near the kitchen again."

"I love you Hermione." He said with a heavy sigh and more than a little of his emotions made it to his voice. She jerked him back to her and after one more kiss they fell apart. She went back to her bench and he to his desk.

"I love you to Severus. I'll find a way to tell them soon, I promise." And with that Hermione was jerked out of her dream state by a loud crack and the sounds of Harry and Ron laughing while Ginny gave them both a piece of her mind.

But as she sat up her dream hit her harder than it ever had before. She brought her knees up and buried her face in the blanket that was stretched over them. Usually she didn't cry, it just felt as if she had spent the whole night being thoroughly ravished. Today however, it was different, he'd been there, she'd been able to fell his touch more profoundly. Her heart ached worst than it had in four years.

There came another loud crack and more laughter, this time more voice joined in and were again followed by Ginny throwing some very selective language at her brother and husband.

Harry and Ginny had been married since Ginny graduated two years after him. They had a wonderful relationship though it wasn't without its faults. Harry rather enjoyed his married life more because Ron was now officially his brother along with Bill, Charlie, Fred and George and he could finally call Arthur and Molly mum and dad (though he could have done that years ago if he'd wanted). Out of all of them Harry had come out this the winner. At least he'd gotten to keep the person he loved.

Deciding she couldn't put off the inevitable any longer she threw back to blanket and walked to the armoire that held her clothes. Zipping her broken heart up inside her jumper and running a comb through her hair she thought about going to visit Azkaban. No one would question what she was doing there and once she'd seen Severus and spoken with him for a few minutes she'd be able to…

'Able to what exactly?' She lectured herself as she opened her bedroom door to another loud noise this one followed by everyone's laughter. 'You are never going to get the courage up to tell anyone how you feel about Severus Snape. And you're never going to find a way to make things right between him and your friends.'

As she entered the kitchen she set to work on breakfast. Looking out the window she could see everyone standing in the backyard of number twelve Grimmuald Place gathered around one of Fred and George's joke cannons that every time you set it off something different popped out of the end. Right now a rubber chicken was chasing a rather large mean looking dog around the yard.

Shaking her head she turned from the scene and continued on with breakfast her mood grave and dark. There were several more loud cracks and suddenly everything was silent. Hermione rushed to the window and watched as a trio of owls carrying mail flew low overhead toward the open kitchen window. But only one caught her attention.

It was an Azkaban post owl, the kind that prisoners were now permitted to use to send letters to their families. It burst through the window and dropped the letter on the counter closest to Hermione while the others placed theirs in the bowl that was left by the window. The crows of people from outside came through the backdoor and watched as all the owls left.

"Whose the letter from Azkaban for?" Ron asked walking toward the bowl to retrieve the mail.

"Me." Hermione said picking up the letter that had her name clearly printed on the front. She turned it over and broke the seal pulling out a short not from Severus Snape.

TBC

Now that you've read please review.

-KC