"Your admirer doesn't have an ounce of creativity in the romance department," Snape said looking over the card, a look of disgust on his face. They were sitting in Snape's office, trying to brew a potion as they talked.

"Are you saying that you could do better?" Hermione said looking up from the roots she was slicing and gave him a look that plainly said, 'stop criticizing my card!' She turned her head back to the project at hand, trying to ignore the man in front of her for the time being.

"I never said that," Snape said, "as you have probably gathered, I'm not a romantic. Nor do I ever plan on becoming one." He sat the card down and shook his head before getting up and stirring the caldron full of liquid, more appropriately, wolfsbane.

Hermione had finished cutting the ingredients and was looking up at the potions master as he worked on the potion; she shrugged his comment off and contented herself with watching him and slipping into coming up with predictions on whom it was doing these romantic gestures.

The handwriting was eerily familiar, but she had been grading a lot of papers lately, so it could be any one of her students. All hundred students she taught throughout the week could have posted this. Something told her, however, that this wasn't one of her students.

She ran her fingers over the little card and let out a loud sigh, wondering who could have stuck this and the flower on her door. She shrugged and stood, needing to find a female to talk to about all this.

Professor McGonagall opened her door and ushered the young girl into her quarters and motioned for her to sit down in one of the wooden chairs. "What is it that I can do for you Miss Granger?" she asked with a mother-like worry on her features.

"Someone has been leaving me tokens of their… affection," Hermione said worring the card in her hands as she looked down at her lap, "I am almost positive that it isn't a student, I have this weird feeling that it's one of the staff or someone outside the school."

She placed the card in McGonagall's outstretched hand, looking down at her hands in her lap a moment later. When the older lady cleared her throat, Hermione couldn't resist looking up at her, a quizzical look on her face.

"I believe I know whose hand writing this is," McGonagall said handing the card back, "however, I think t should be between the two of you to figure this out, I won't stick my nose in where it doesn't belong."

Hermione took the card and nodded, "Thanks Professor, it felt good telling a girl, Severus wasn't very supportive, all he has done is tease me." She stood and walked out of the room, shaking her head to clear it of the thoughts she was having.

McGonagall gave the girl a weird look as she left the room, shaking her head how the young woman could be so blind. She pushed her glasses up on her face and looked down at the papers she was grading, a small smile spread across her face.

Hermione made her way back to her room, slipping around some of the less known hallways to get to her destination. She stopped, dropped the card, and stared. There, sitting in front of her room was a large, old book.

With shaking hands she bent down to pick it up, looking at the spine to determine what it was. She let out a gasp and opened her door quickly, flipping on the light and setting herself quickly on the couch.

She opened the book and there, in the familiar handwriting was the inscription:

Hermione,

I wanted you to have this, you above all others should be able to appreciate it's true worth. On a note that I believe that you will understand: love makes life so confusing, but without love would you really want to live?

Yours Always

Her fingers traced over the words on the page, a tear ran down her cheek. It was now that she knew without a doubt that her admirer was indeed Professor Severus Snape. Her heart pounded in her chest, confused if she should be happy or sad she let out a loud sigh and sat the book down on her coffee table.

She left her room after that, roaming the halls of the school just so she could clear her mind. This was what she wanted, so why didn't it feel so weird? Her feet led her around the school, the chill in the air indicated that she was in the last place she wanted to be right now.

"Hello Miss Granger," a smooth voice greeted her, "you look a little lost this afternoon, do you need some help getting anywhere."

She turned to look at him, her eyes wide with shock, "No I'm just fine, but I think I figured out who has been giving me gifts."

AN: Hey all! Nice to see ya'll once again. I hope you liked this chapter, I don't know if I'm happy with it or not.