Severus was stunned as he felt warm lips against his when he hadn't actually done it this time, leaning down to meet her for a moment before she quickly pulled away. He was stunned that she had kissed him now, standing there for a moment as he looked down at her. "What was that for?" he asked softly.

Hermione quickly pulled away a moment later, flushing slightly as she shifted her weight. It wasn't really polite to kiss someone without permission "Sorry... I shouldn't have done that without your permission," she commented quietly, taking a deep breath. "But you wouldn't let me get my point across, and I needed a way to shut you up. Now will you listen to me?"

There was no response from Severus for a moment as he stood, completely astonished that she had kissed him. "I suppose I can listen to you... I'd hate to see what length you will go to otherwise to shut me up," he commented quietly.

Sighing in relief, Hermione took a moment to gather her thoughts so she could get this all out in one go. "What I was trying to say earlier was that you surprised the hell out of me. I didn't think you would kiss me, and then I thought, how am I going to face my professor when I go back to school? He teaches one of my classes almost everyday," she explain, moving her hands slightly to help her get the thoughts out a bit more clearly. She knew she had growing feelings towards the other, and despite his appearance, the two kisses had been nice. "It's also odd because I've only known for a few weeks, and we didn't exactly get along at first. At the same time, I've known your older self since I've started school. Usually, I keep the two of you separate but that was just such a shock that all I could register was I was kissing my professor."

She took a breath, slowly becoming aware that she was babbling. She needed to get through this though. The look on Severus' face was enough to make her worried that she was going about this the wrong way because he seemed to be withdrawing a bit as she continued talking. At least he wasn't interrupting her quite yet.

"And I am really starting to like you, Severus, so I don't want to ruin anything because you took what I was trying to tell you the wrong way," she mumbled, voice a bit softer. She didn't have a lot of close friends, but there was definitely a growing attraction to the dark haired boy. "So... I was wondering what you meant by the kiss. Just a kiss or did you want to be more than friends?" The breath she had been speaking on seemed to finally run out as she finished with question, looking up at him awkwardly.

Severus stayed silent for her whole spiel, unsure when she was done. Interrupting didn't seem like a good idea after the last time, not that he minded being kissed in the slightest. Her lips were warm. He mentally shook himself as she finished speaking. He nodded slightly. "It was a spur of the moment sort of thing. I hadn't planned on it when we made the bet," he explained after a moment.

"And yes, I suppose I am starting to think that more than friends would be nice," he explained, keeping his tone as even as he could without sounding like a coldhearted arse. Embarrassing himself was not on his list of things to do today, especially not in front of Hermione.

He hadn't thought about being in a relationship with anyone since Lily, and he didn't want to be harshly rejected for putting himself out there. There was definitely a shot worth taking in trying to be in some sort of relationship with her. Something that was more than friends. Something that he hadn't had with Lily before they go into a fight.

Hermione blinked in surprise before nodding and smiling slightly. "I'd be willing to give that a shot if you would," she commented quietly, glancing up at him with a little bit of hope. She'd been stuck seeing Harry and Ron in happy relationships after things hadn't gotten more serious with Krum. Now she got a chance at one too. Though, she would have to keep it to herself for a bit because Ron and Harry would probably both flip out if she told them she was in a relationship with Severus Snape, even if he was their age right now.

Severus blinked in surprise and then nodded slightly, giving her a small smile. "I would like that," he answered quietly. He'd have a chance to try a relationship with someone that he actually found interesting and was developing more feelings for as they studied together.

Hermione smiled broadly, face lighting up when he said he'd be happy to give it a chance. "Wonderful!" she said happily, looking happier. They were together now... She hadn't expected that when she came here to work with him. To get ahead on her school work and maybe get along with him was all she had expected out of this arrangement, but instead she got a boyfriend and a wonderful person to study with.

"Dinner time!" Molly yelled from downstairs, interrupting their moment with the call of food.

Neither of them got the chance to think of it further as they both headed downstairs, which meant neither of them got to think about the fact that they would be separated when Severus went home, leaving them to figure things out in their own times and Hermione to face her professor.

Instead, they both got to think about the fact that there was delicious Shephard's Pie waiting for them downstairs.

(So, I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter! I also love the reviews and the new followers I gained. Hope to update soon!)