Chapter Three

Hermione stood facing the white façade of the Mediterranean villa. Sitting precariously on a high cliff overlooking the ocean, it stood alone on a deserted stretch of road, the scene was utterly breathtaking.

While in England the weather was cold, here it was cool and balmy and Hermione felt herself starting to sweat lightly under her heavy robes. She wanted to think that the sweating was a mere byproduct of the weather but in reality she knew it was so much more. This man, this enigma had haunted her teenaged dreams and she felt her hands sweat as she wrung them together, a nervous habit she'd picked up as a child. Staring up at the varnished double doors she felt her heart beat faster with a week's long anticipation.

No, this hadn't been just a week.

She knew it had been a long time coming.

She lifted her trembling hand to knock and as her knuckles came down on the flawless wood a small elf opened and bade her welcome.

"Tero is here to serve the master and his guests, your coat please, Miss Granger."

Hermione handed the small elf her outer robes and waited patiently in the antechamber for Tero to return. Once he did he directed her to a small sitting room. Hermione took in the grandeur of the villa and was impressed with its pristine architecture and bright colors. This was not at all what she had envisioned. Then again she didn't know the man behind the voice.

Tero motioned for her to sit and offered her a drink. Hermione kindly refused and sat with her hands crossed on her lap as she waited for Tero to find his master.

Hermione looked around the small sitting room and noticed a small table near the balcony that looked out over the ocean. It was such a peaceful room. Small candles lit the space and there was no clutter, no dusty tomes littering the pristine room. The hardwood floor shined and the few pieces of furniture gave the room a homey feeling.

Hermione walked towards the balcony and looked out over the ocean. The sun was just setting and the sky was painted in beautiful hues that reflected upon the rippling water. The moon had not made it out completely and it was as if Hermione caught the sun and moon just as they were exchanging places. The night breeze skipped across her skin and her hair fought against its plait to escape. It was such a serene moment she closed her eyes and breathed in the salty sea air.

"It is beautiful isn't it?"

Startled, Hermione turned and came face to face with her former professor. Being so close to the railing she felt his hand come out to calm her.

"P-professor, you startled me."

"It was not my intention; it seems old habits die hard."

Hermione tried to calm her breathing. She felt his strong hands hold on to her arms a bit longer than necessary before pulling away. He straightened his jacket and extended his hand to hers. She took it and he held it for a moment inclining his head in greeting.

"Miss Granger, thank you so much for agreeing to see me. Please come, Tero has prepared a lovely meal for us. We can dine and discuss something I believe can benefit us both."

Hermione stood there holding his hand, she could feel the warmth of his skin on hers and she fought valiantly to keep her knees from giving way. He was unlike anything she had expected. All charm and manners and she was delighted to notice that he wore none of the sneers he had as her former professor.

"Of course Professor, that sounds lovely."

"Please Miss Granger, I am no longer your professor, I insist you call me Severus."

He may not have been her professor anymore but Hermione had to admit she wouldn't mind learning a bit more from the mysterious man that had replaced her once dour and taciturn professor.

Hermione tucked a lose strand of hair behind her ear, the gesture aimed at hiding the color rising in her cheeks as she thought about all the hidden secrets this man could show her. Did his talents extend beyond Potions? She tried to shake the images of lustful trysts and honeyed words said in that voice that seem to caress every available syllable. For Hermione it was a feast of the senses and she felt lightheaded and giddy at the opportunity to hear it once again. As a young girl at school she had been privy to its pleasant timber whether at its best or its worst. She could not blame the man for his less than pleasant disposition. Having been put in a precarious position by the Headmaster, he had done the best he could, considering the amount of trouble that Harry had managed to get himself into. She hadn't made things easy either, setting him on fire and all.

Severus held out her chair and she sat, the small table set for two had a delicious meal that could rival any restaurant. They both ate in relative silence, the clinking of utensils and glass was all that was heard. At the end of the meal Severus took the napkin off his lap and wiped his mouth, in a gesture indicating he was done. He topped off their wine glasses and motioned for Hermione to follow him to the sitting area.

"Miss Granger, I am sure you have questions as to why I have invited you here this evening, so I will get to the point. I am sure you are aware of the news being reported about me by that leech Rita Skeeter. I have also noticed that you are a regular target of her ire and I wanted to offer you a proposition."

"Actually she's a beetle, but I could see where you would make that mistake," she smirked as she took another small sip of her glass, waiting for him to speak.

"Yes…well, regardless, you do realize these stories are fabricated, aimed at inciting the public against me." He had not sat but instead stood by a large fireplace that burned steadily, its heat warming the cool night air.

Hermione didn't trust her voice again and nodded her head for him to continue. He paced for a moment before coming to sit in front of her. Placing his glass on the side table he turned and faced her.

"As you know the ministry is having a series of celebrations and public events to commemorate the five year anniversary of the war. I wondered if perhaps you would agree to accompany me to one of these events and be seen in public with me for a couple of weeks both prior and after these events so as to dissuade the public from thinking I am orchestrating plans on becoming the next Dark Lord."

Hermione could not believe what she was hearing. She tried to school her features but she knew that the wide eyes and open gape of her mouth gave her away so she immediately closed her mouth and took a longer sip of her wine, finishing what was left.

"I understand that this sounds unconventional and maybe even irrational but I thought that maybe if the public saw two war heroes together at these events, public opinion would dissuade from these kinds of salacious news pieces. I know she has not been kind to you either Miss Granger so I imagine this may benefit you as well."

Hermione knew he was right. The idea was genius and she wondered why she had not thought about it sooner. Maybe not with him of course but she could have maybe spoken to Dean or Seamus, hell even Neville would have been a good option.

Severus was up again, grabbing their empty glasses. He refilled them and returned to sit beside her on the sofa.

Hermione turned slightly; she still hadn't answered and she could see the affect her silence was having on the man. He fidgeted slightly with his maroon colored waistcoat and adjusted the crisp white sleeves of his linen shirt. She took him in for a moment and admired just how much he had changed since the war. His hair was longer and pulled back into a leather thong allowing Hermione to admire the sharp lines of his cheek bones and the aquiline shape of his nose. His eyes were limpid pools of blackness that gave nothing away but asked everything. She did not see how she could deny him, when denying him would mean denying her the opportunity to be near him.

"How would we go about this? What besides Rita off my back would I garner from this arrangement?" She asked nervously.

Severus exhaled; she noticed he relaxed at bit at her question thinking maybe that he had convinced her.

"There has been talk that your orphanage is suffering financially. I would gladly donate the funds needed to assure it remains open for many years to come or for as long as it was needed to gather new sponsors. I am sure that there are many coffers available that you are not aware of Miss Granger; I can help you find the money you need to keep those children safe until they can go off to school. Does this seem amenable?"

Hermione thought of all the good his money could do for the orphanage. She knew he was ridiculously wealthy and had become a bit of a philanthropist in the last couple of years what with his anonymous potions work he thought no one knew about. The man had a soft heart and no one was the wiser.

Hermione however had other ideas aside from the size of this man's coffer.

She thought back to her time as a student at Hogwarts. Her turn as a prefect had allowed Hermione to come across many as pair of students in flagrante delicto. She had at times watched and listened as the boys had spoken whispered words that both scared and excited her. She'd hidden and watched as a Slytherin seventh year snuck up behind a Ravenclaw sixth year and pushed himself against her, her back to the stone wall.

The girl had asked loudly who it was and what he was doing but Hermione could see it was a game. The girl teased the boy and he answered that he wished to explore her chamber of secrets. Hermione tittered remembering such a cheap line but at the time it had been whispered in the most dulcet and sexy tone Hermione had ever heard.

She watched then as the boy's hand caressed the creamy flesh of the girl's thigh as it wrapped around his leg, pulling him closer to her. His mouth at her ear, his words were pure sex and his hands caressed patterns on the clothes of the writhing girl, her face hidden, thrown back in pleasure.

To this day, Hermione had never seen or done anything like that and she wondered what it would be like.

She thought back to her fantasies after that night.

She had imagined herself being surprised and spoken to like that and she had always imagined the voice to belong not to the nameless Slytherin student but to Slytherin's head of house. Hermione surmised that if his students spoke like that she could only imagine what their teacher could say in his husky voice. A voice that was smooth and dark like chocolate.

It was now or never. She wouldn't get another opportunity like that. It was time to test the waters.

"I have a caveat to your proposal Professor."

"Go on Miss Granger," he said, seeming to tense momentarily at her tone.

"Well, you see…"