Disclaimer: All characters that are from the Harry Potter series, along with locations & other things recognizable to Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter 8

"Oh yeah I remember that. How many times has Draco apologized to you since then?" Harry asked with a chuckle.

"To Hermione? Not once that I know of, but he's apologized at least twenty times to me." Severus said, shaking his head.

"Wait, wasn't I in on that fight?" Ginny asked. "Didn't I go after Malfoy first, and that's why the boys took off running?"

Hermione sat there for a minute and thought about that. "Oh yeah, that's right. I forgot; Pansy wasn't aiming for me but for you." Hermione said with a laugh.

"So I gave Pansy detention for no reason?" Severus asked. "And you lied to me? Why didn't you just tell me the truth at your first night of detention?"

George laughed at him, as if he got some inside joke that no one else did. "Don't you get it? She didn't want to give up-" George started.

"-Her detentions with her favorite teacher," Fred finished. They laughed harder as everyone just looked at them like they had lost their minds. "Don't you all remember that night when we were at Grimmauld Place? We were all in the library waiting for the meeting to end and Hermione had fallen asleep on the couch."

"Oh god. George, shut up!" Hermione said as she started to remember that day, her cheeks growing redder and redder as she realized everyone else started to remember too.

"Oh yeah, she moaned out Severus's name." Ginny said. "I forgot about her first dirty dream of the ole dungeon bat. No offense, Severus." Ginny let out a laugh when she saw his jaw had dropped open and he was looking at Hermione, who found the wallpaper to be very interesting.

"Oh George and Fred Weasley, once I get my hands on you, I'm going to kill you!" She snapped.

"Ah, you know you love us, Mia. One day you will realize it and run away with us!" Fred said.

"Just kidding, Professor. Don't hex me!" George said as he laughed, trying to pull Fred in front of him like a shield. "Okay, Mia. Call him off and finish the story."

"Don't worry Professor, I don't like my men young." She winked at him before placing a kiss on his cheek. "Okay where were we? Oh yeah, my first night of detention."

"You're late," Hermione said to Severus as he stormed into his classroom.

"Yes, well I have that right," He snapped. "Dust the books and organize them newest to oldest. I'll let you know when you can leave." With that Severus sat at his desk and started grading papers from his last class.

"Yes, sir," Hermione said quietly as she went to the back of the room. She started by pulling the books down off the shelves, dusting them by hand before starting on the shelves. It would take longer but Hermione wanted to do it the muggle way, allowing her mind to wonder. She didn't hear Severus get up from his desk to walk up behind her and watched her.

"You do realize that you're a witch, right, Miss Granger?" Severus asked her. "You don't have to do that by hand."

"I… I know, sir. But this allows me to get lost in my thoughts… and makes the time go by faster, sir," Hermione said barely above a whisper. Having him so close to her was sending shivers down her spine.

"What are you thinking about?" Severus asked.

"Why you might have been late," She was thankful her hair was hiding the blush creeping up her cheeks.

"Why would you wonder why I was late, but then wish to have the time of your detention with me go by fast?" Severus asked, feeling like she was hiding something from him.

"Because I like to have the answers, but at the same time, I don't know if I should trust you or not," Hermione looked over her shoulder to see his reaction to that.

"Well if you'd rather let Potter pick and chose who your friends are and tell you who can and can not be trusted, don't let me bother you any further," Severus snapped. "But since I'm feeling generous, I was late because Professor Slughorn felt the need to ask me for the umpteenth time on how to brew the Draught of Living Death to be stronger. Satisfied?"

"I do not allow Harry to tell me who I can trust or who I can like! Just because you don't like him doesn't mean I shouldn't be friends with him. He's more of a man then you. You probably told Slughorn that it was none of his business in your snide nasty usual tone," Hermione tossed the rag she had been using onto a stack of books not paying any mind to the cloud of dust that had risen. "Did it ever cross your brilliant mind that maybe you're the best option Albus had for Potions? And that's why it's taken so long for you to become the DADA professor; that you were better suited for potions? That maybe Slughorn realizes that and that's why he's coming to you? Of course not! Because you want to act like a spoiled little child!"

"Are you accusing me of not being a man? And what do you know of men, Miss Granger? I highly doubt what Mister Weasley does would even be level to what a man like me could do! And I did not tell that dunderhead of a potions teacher that. I told him what I had taught myself," Severus yelled back, trying to snuff his shock at her calling him brilliant.

Hermione was shocked by the outburst and by the fact that his claim of her and Ron was not even close to the truth. For all she knew Ron was busy learning how to breath through his ears with Lavender Brown or Parvati Patil. "I'm sorry, Professor. I shouldn't have spoken so boldly towards you. But you're wrong," Again she peaked a look at Severus before continuing. "I mean about Ron and I. We don't do anything… I mean to say we aren't… we aren't together, sir," She said as she looked down at her shoes. I'm in love with him and here I am telling him that I don't trust him. God, I'm an idiot! She thought to herself. When she looked back at Severus, a tear fell slowly down her cheek. "I'm truly sorry, sir."

Severus's hand beat her to the chance to wipe the tear away. Severus's thumb wiped the tear from her cheek and before he could think straight he brought his thumb to his lips and licked the tear from it. He saw the love flash in her eyes, along with the desire for him. Her feelings truly do mirror mine! He thought as she started to walk towards him.

"Professor, please tell me that what I see in your eyes isn't a lie. I know I shouldn't hope for those feelings from you or have them for you but, I can't help myself," Hermione said as she placed her hands on his chest and looked him in the eyes. She no longer felt the need to hide her desire and love for him.

"Hermione… Please," He said as he leaned down and kissed her. Next thing he knew her arms where around his neck, her body pressed fully against him and her fingers where playing in his hair.

"Merlin, I've wanted to do that since the end of last year," Hermione whispered against his lips as they pulled back enough to take a deep breath.

"I know," Severus whispered before kissing her again.

"Then what happened?" George asked.

"Then Mister Potter knocked on the door, completely ruining the moment and causing me to send her back to her dorm quite earlier then I had wanted," Severus said, still a little bitter about it.

"Oh yeah I remember that night. Not my fault you forgot you gave me detention for using your spell on Draco," Harry said with a smirk.

"Ha, should have kicked you out instead of Hermione," Severus said with a small chuckle.

"Good thing you didn't. Slughorn was coming down to ask another potions question or some such nonsense, but I told him you were called away by Dumbledore and wouldn't be back until the next morning," Hermione said.

"Wow, you were quick to lie to your Professor's that year, weren't you, love?" Severus said, turning a knowing smile on her.

"Yes, well seems Harry and I rubbed off on her by then," Ginny said, laughing.

"Lunch is ready!" Molly called from the kitchen. As everyone got up and hurried to the kitchen, Severus grabbed onto Hermione's hand to hold her back.

"What's wrong, Severus?" Hermione asked.

"If you want, I'll head onto Hogwarts now and get our rooms together, so that Ron is allowed back and you can have time with your friends before the wedding," He said. He really didn't want to, but he knew how much her friends meant to her.

"No. Even if you weren't here I'd still have had to beat up Ron for saying something about you. I love you, Severus, and I will be damned if anyone tries to mess that up or try to make it into something dirty," Hermione replied. Then she framed Severus's face with her hands and leaned down, kissing him hard, pouring all of her love and passion for him into that one kiss. "I promise."

"I love you too Hermione. My little Miss Know-It-All," Severus said with a chuckle when she stuck her tongue out at him. "I'd put that away if I were you, unless you plan to use it."

With that they walked into the kitchen hand in hand, and laughing.