A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Harry Potter Series…unfortunately… Because I would be sooo filthy, stinkin' rich, and not be writing this fanfic!
Chapter 3
Hermione was shocked yet again by the bathroom. It wasn't fair! How could a man who wasn't gay be so good at decorating? She thought about Dumbledore's flair for design, but, then again, he's always so happy, preaching about love and happiness. She shook her head and suppressed a shudder, "whatever…" she muttered, she'd rather not think about it. She took off her remaining clothing and stepped into the large marble tiled shower.
Severus sat by the fireplace in his bedroom, listening to the shower running. There was a young woman in his shower that wasn't there by force. She actually went willingly with him, and so far, had accepted his advances. He had been attracted to her since she had left the school to go out into the real world. He noticed her changing right away during the summer after she and the rest of the Golden Trio had left. She matured even more in, not only intelligence and behavior, but physically as well. He confessed his attraction to Albus, because of the guilt he felt in his crush on a much younger, ex-student. Albus assured him that it was completely all right, natural and understandable for a man to be attracted to such an intelligent, beautiful young woman, who was of legal age (of course). At the time, Severus had just looked at him and blinked, Albus seemed to think that he was some pubescent teenager that needed 'the talk'. But that intelligent, beautiful young woman was in his shower right now and he was in a different room, listening to her humming happily as the water and dirt washed it's way down her…. Oh gods…
Hermione felt like she hadn't taken a shower in months, she watched in horror as all the disgusting grime that covered her body go down the drain. She shuddered because she had never been that dirty before in her life, even when one of Neville's particularly thick and sticky potions exploded right next to her own cauldron during their final N.E.W.Ts examination.
She almost laughed aloud when she remembered the horrified look on her professor's face when he walked into his classroom after the exam was over. She also remembered the pursing of his lips as he waited for the door to close behind him. Following the click of the closed door they heard the cursing and the banging barely muffled by the thick wooden door. Neville had whimpered and cowered behind Harry. After the incident he was never able to look the Potions Master properly in the face without weeping his apologies.
When she finally felt clean again, she turned off the shower and stepped out.
From the fireplace, he heard the shower shut off and he knew it was a matter of time before she would be joining him in the chair opposite to him. This made him grow nervous, he didn't know if he should tell her of his feelings for her, and if he did, Severus didn't know what Hermione's reaction would be. He knew it was next to impossible for to have the same feelings or for her to understand how special she was to him. He had been unable to escape these feelings since she was in her seventh year, which was the year the war really blew up. It was a trust no one situation, and nobody seemed to be able to trust Severus, but she stood up to her best friends and the rest of the Order, alongside Dumbledore, defending his honor. He rolled his eyes at the thought of his honor. He thought to himself, what honor? His frustration in himself mounted and he about to scold himself to get over it and to stop being such a second year Hufflepuff about it when he heard the sound of the bathroom door opening. He turned around to see Hermione standing in the doorway looking uncertain about what to do or say.
He pointed to the chair across from him, "Please, sit. We have much to talk about." As she walked closer he could see the slight flush from the hot water in the shower mixed with slight embarrassment. She looked unsure of herself. She probably doesn't want to be here, he thought sadly.
She walked across the room to where Severus was sitting, as she approached, she noticed a sad look cross his face. He looked troubled and saddened by his thoughts. Instead of sitting in the chair across from Severus, she stood before him. He looked up at her in confusion, he opened his mouth to say something, but she bent down and hugged him tightly. "Thank you." She whispered, not letting go. She felt him tense under her, just as she expected, but was surprised to feel his arms go around her body and pull her down so that she was sitting right in his lap.
He buried his face in her neck, breathing in her scent, he didn't know if he would ever get to do this again so he reveled the moment. "Why are you thanking me?" he whispered hoarsely. He could hardly believe this was happening, he wished that the moment never ended, or that he would have more opportunities in the future to have more intimate moments, with the woman he fell in love with.
"I've learned so much from you, you've taught me so much. And you saved my life tonight. Thank you… Severus." She smiled at how easy it was to use his proper name. She was beginning to like the idea of calling him this often.
Severus broke the hug to look in her eyes, they were warm and calming and he felt himself getting lost in them. He brought a hand up to stroke the side of her face. She smiles and tilted her head so that she was leaning into his touch. "Hermione… You have no idea how long I've wanted to touch you this way. I know you probably think I'm being lecherous and that I'm taking advantage of the situation, but…" he hesitated, "I've had feelings that I cannot explain for awhile now… I want to be with you, Hermione." He dropped his hand from her face and expected to feel the absence of her on his lap. He felt like a moron, just blurting out his love for her. Say good-bye, Severus, old man, because you're never going to see her again. She'll never want to see your pathetic face again. Instead she brushed his hair from his eyes and titled his head so that he was looking at her.
"Severus, you're so sweet." She said softly and leaned in and brushed her lips against his.
Feeling her lips on his awoke something in him. He grabbed her face and kissed her deeply, responding to her moans, his hand moved down her cheeks to trace her jaw, then moved down to the side of her neck. They parted, panting from the intensity of the moment. They sat in each other's arms looking at each other, when a faint "pop!" came from the fireplace.
"Ah! There you two are!" Dumbledore's head lay in the fireplace, he wore his trademark twinkling and all knowing grin of his. "Unfortunately, there is still business to attend to about this war. I'm dreadfully sorry to interrupt the two of you and your little, ah… celebration, to ask you both to come to my office right away." With a wink and a "pop!" he was gone from the fireplace.
They both sighed. "I should have seen that coming." giggled Hermione, "That man always knows when to interrupt a moment." She stood from his lap and pulled him up with her. They moved to the fireplace, where Severus threw in a handful of Floo powder. Before they were sent zooming through the castle, Severus pulled her close and held her tightly around the waist.
Stepping out with his hand still around her waist, he looked up to see the eyes of most of the Weasleys, Potter, Lupin, Tonks and all the portraits all looking with shocked looks on their faces. The first to speak up was Tonks.
"And you thought Remus and I were so scandalous?" Tonks looked at her husband, who just shook his head in amusement.
"Hermione, he's the mystery man you've swooning over for past couple years?" Ron blurted out only to have his foot stomped on by Harry's who just smiled. He felt happy for his best friend.
"Yes, yes, we're all happy for the new couple, but we have many details that must be examined tonight for the ministry! Officials will be arriving soon to take everyone's statements for the ministry's archives." Dumbledore quieted the group down, "Also, there's reporters who want to speak to the 'Golden Trio' and the 'Double Agent'. I'm afraid that would be you Severus." The headmaster knew how much his Potions Master hated the press.
Severus just nodded grimly and looked to Hermione to see her reaction to the attention. She just smiled and squeezed his hand. Severus sighed; he just knew that the news of their relationship was going to make the front cover right under the headline of their victorious battle. He pictured the headline: You Know Who finally defeated by The Boy Who Lived and Hogwarts' Potions Master is in Love! The funny thing that got Severus was that he didn't mind it being announced to the entire wizarding world.
A/N: It doesn't stop there! Heehee. I'm sorry to the people that are enjoying this fanfic that it took so long or me to write and I don't really have that much of an excuse, except laziness and horrible time management. Lol. Thanks for reading and I hope you people keep reading the rest of the story (when I get around to finishing it…) and PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW!