Hey there, readers! I'm terribly sorry that I haven't been posting anything lately. My laptop died and I've yet to get a new one. I'm still hoping to have the old one fixed because she's been my faithful friend for four years! I know that I can't be the only writer on here that treats her computer like a best friend. I mean, hey, my computer knew secrets that I wouldn't let anyone else know. From my passwords to bank accounts to credit card information, she knew it all. I hope I can fix her.

Yes, I'm a little nuts. Oh well.

Here's another chapter. It's shorter than most of my other ones because I didn't have a lot of time to type. There are probably some typos to it. Sorry in advance.

I wish I had more time to type this out because there's supposed to be a lot of emotion behind it. Again. Oh well.

I'm also a little behind on reviewing the stories of people who have reviewed mine. If you reviewed my story and I haven't done so to yours then send me a PM with the name of the story that you want me to look at and I'll be sure to do so. Sorry about the delay.

As always, I don't own Harry Potter.

Eyebrows thrust towards the ceiling, Severus regarded her with a mildly bewildered look upon his face. "You'll have to forgive me if I don't understand without explanation."

His fingers wrapped around hers and warmed her skin when it was cold. The gesture was comforting to her but that didn't make the pending conversation any easier, considering that she hadn't spoken on the topic for many years.

"It's possible that I… I may have bewitched you." The corners of his lips twitched but she continued on anyway. "It was unintentional, believe me, and I'm not sure how I went about doing it but I don't think that you're meant to love me. I mean, we can do magick without meaning to, right? All witches and wizards can do some things without wands. Before I got my letter for Hogwarts, I was always making things happen. I hadn't a wand or any knowledge of this world, but I was still an active part of it."

Severus' eyes turned thoughtful. "Indeed… children do have a certain amount of strength before they come of a magickal age and you, being a well-trained and an intelligent witch could still possibly do the same unintentional magick. Though, what makes you think that I've been… bewitched?" It seemed as though the term was comical to him as his smile was brief.

It made Hermione feel like she was being mocked but she swallowed those feelings and pressed on, staring at the stone floor. "You're a fully-grown, established wizard, and the Potions Master of the greatest school of wizardry there is. I'm nothing but a bookworm student with frizzed-out hair and questionable looks. How else would you be interested in me if magick wasn't involved?"

Silence hung between them for a few moments before he suddenly got up and strode to his bookshelf. Hermione couldn't see what he was doing but she heard books sliding off the shelf and papers being rustled. He returned to the couch with a roll of old parchment. Unrolling it, his silky voice read its contents out loud.

"Contrary to what Muggles believe, love potions do not create actual love. Instead, they produce intense feelings of adoration within the person who has consumed it. Often times, it creates obsession and the person having brewed it is disappointed by the erratic behavior of their projected lover. The antidote is administered and a lesson learned.

Similar behavior has been recorded by people who have been affected by bewitchment charms and other spells of the same category. A person under the influence of someone else's magick will exhibit dilated pupils, a dazed look on their face, and a loss of memory that doesn't pertain to the magick-doer in question.

This is why I can say that "love" potions and charms aren't named properly. They are misnomers. Rather, they should be called "Infatuation" charms or "Obsession" potions. True love happens naturally and cannot be forced upon a person. When the time is right, love forms and when it does, then it comes without the aforementioned symptoms. While the rationale of the person in love may not always be fully intact, they will not have the symptoms of a bewitched individual."

Confused at first, Hermione listened to his words and her eyes grew larger as he progressed. By the time he had finished and handed the scroll to her, she understood why he had taken it from its home on the shelf. Now, with the parchment in her hands, she could remember exactly what the writing prompt asked of her four years ago.

"Explain the effects of love potions and charms. Furthermore, explain if they are aptly named and why you've come to that conclusion." Severus spoke the words as she thought them. "You were only a second year then, Hermione. If you had forgotten what you wrote on the final exam, it's right there in front of you in your hand."

With his wand, he tapped the parchment and she was left grasping the air.

"As you can see, I don't have the signs of someone who has been bewitched. My feelings for you are genuine, whether you have ridiculous reason to think otherwise or not. What you see when you look in the mirror does not affect my vision of you, Hermione. I consider myself lucky to call you mine."

As they were so often with her, his words were soft and barely audible. They danced through her ears and brought tears to her eyes. Quickly she wiped them away and leaned into him, wrapped her arms around his torso.

He welcomed and embraced her, a smile playing across his lips.