The silence was deafening and you can feel the tension thickening in the air. Severus, for the first time in his life, was nervous being alone with one of his students and he hopes he can control himself with her.

'Shite! now what do I...' his thoughts were interrupt.

"Professor?" asked Hermione hesitantly at him. Severus twitched again as he dared to look at her.

"Yes?" he croaked. He cringed and cleared his throat, "Yes, Miss Granger?" He was glad he wasn't stuttering like an idiot and didn't call her anything informal like he wanted to, until he noticed her shiver. From what he's not sure until he looks up and sees her blushing. 'Is she blushing...Cause of me?' He felt his heart skipped a beat for some reason he's not quite sure why?

"Professor Snape? I don't care what Poppy say's...if your not up for company I'll understand...even if it means you don't want to see me." She said softly, sadly hoping he doesn't hear the last part she said. But he did, feeling his heart breaking as he sees her with her head down sad. 'She actually desires my company? ME!?' He blushed at the thought, a gorgeous woman like her wanting his presences.

Hermione, noticing her Professor's silence looks up and asked again, "Professor Snape? I can leave if you want. You don't have to worry about being polite about it." She pauses and shyly smiles at him, chuckling a little. "Then again you never did do you?" She hesitantly joked, in slight fear of how he'll react.

Severus smirked softly at her, 'Damn it woman! How the fuck do you want me to respond to you when you look at me like that, when all I want to do is throw you on this bed and shag the hell out of you and your angelic yet devilish body?' Severus was surprise at himself. He never knew how much profanity and dirty his mind could be. And to think about her, a sweet innocent woman, like this? 'I'm turning into a dirty, lecherous old man'. He couldn't help but lower his head in shame and try to calm his raging hard member, less she notices.

Hermione couldn't take seeing him like this and thought it was best to just leave, less she continues to embarrass herself more. So sighing she mutters 'good night Professor' and turns to leave, making Severus panic.

"NO!" He yelled and in a desperate attempt, grab her wrist softly. Both were startle when their simplest touch trigger a spark that sent shivers down their spines and immediately gazed into their eyes.

"Professor?" Hermione asked softly, staring at him with 'is that longing in her eyes?' He didn't dare to hope.

"Don't go," he said just as softly. "Stay if you wish. I don't mind as long as its only you." At this Hermione blushes and Severus couldn't help but give a small smile, "Please I insist."

And with that, without noticing, she sat besides him on the bed. Not noticing he was still holding her wrist, moved to hold her hand and started to rub back and forth with his thumb on top as he sat up straighter and continues to look in her eyes.

They sat there in silence, so close yet to them felt so far and were wondering what to say until Severus couldn't take the silence anymore, cleared his throat once more.

"So, how have you been since the war Little One." He curses himself for the endearment slip and was about to apologize until he felt her squeeze his hand. Looking up he saw how her eyes lit up, how she smiles at him and just let it slide, even he liked the way it sounded.

"I'm fine Professor. Just some bruises and cuts, no lingering damage on me." She said smiling, glad that he hasn't made her leave yet.

"Severus."

"Pardon Me?" Hermione asked confused.

"Severus. You saved my life Miss Granger. I believe you have the right to call me by my first name now." Severus said, in hopes that she'll say his name. 'Say my name Hermione. Say my name so that I can have the pleasure of hearing how it sounds like coming from your lips.'

Hermione was shock by his request and started to shake her head. "No, no Professor! It's fine. You don't need to do that. Really! I..." As she continues to babble, Severus smiles as he finds her acting like this quite endearing. With his other hand, he placed a finger on her lips to silence her, making her look up surprised.

"Miss Granger. I know I don't have to, but I want to. Right now you are not my student. Besides you did something nobody wouldn't have bothered to do, whether I was innocent or not and for that I am grateful." Severus said as he stares at her now tearing eyes and it was true. Innocent or not, none would hove bother. He was after all a cruel person and was still consider Albus's Murderer and would have left him to die.

Hermione couldn't help but give a watery smile and said, "Then, if you like that is, you can call me Hermione." She paused and started to giggle, "or Little One I suppose."

Severus blushed and even felt his ears warm up.

"Forgive me Miss Granger, I..." Now it was him who was surprise as she copied him by placing her finger on his lips. He silently groaned at the thought of just taking that digit into his mouth and suck it.

"It's all right sir. I... I actually like it. You... you can call me that if you like." Hermione said as she blushes from her strange yet desirable request at being called 'Little One' by him and started to lower her hand until he caught it in his own.

Severus looks to her eyes intently, "Hermione..." She unknowingly whimper's as he went to kiss her inner wrist. Hearing such a delicious sound he couldn't help himself, he kissed her palm and after nuzzling it he placed her hand on the side of his face. He closed his eyes at the feeling of her warm hand on his cold cheek. He also couldn't stop the soft little moan that escaped his mouth or the small smile as she rubs the side of his cheek with her thumb softly.

"Severus?" Hermione asked softly, hesitantly using his name.

He moaned again, louder, as he opens his eyes to look at her. Her face was crimson red and her breathing going a little faster, but when he saw her eyes, he saw that now not only was there longing in them but, 'is that... Desire? Oh sweet Merlin it is!, oh Hermione if only you knew how much I want to ravage you right now!'

Severus let's go of her hands to hold her face gently, making her moan herself and places her hands on his.

"Severus" she breathed.

"Hermione" he rasp her name as he brought her closer. He swallow the lump he felt in his throat.

"Little One, look at me," he asked huskily.

Hermione, not knowing when she had closed her eyes, opened them and saw the dark raw lust in his eyes, making her shudder. Holding the side of her face with one hand, he ran the other through her hair, making her whimper once more.

"Hermione, I know I haven't treated you or the rest the way you all should've been treated. I understand," he interrupts her when she was about to open her mouth, "that I had to because of the situation I was in. Nevertheless I still sometimes regret my treatment towards others, but regretted everything when it came towards you Little One." he ended softly.

"Severus, I understand what you're trying to say, but it doesn't matter to me anymore," she said desperately when she saw the uncertain and shame in his eyes. "I'm just glad that your alive...and safe...and I...I," she hiccups as she sheds tears from the overwhelming emotions and sheer embarrassment at how she was acting in front of him.

"Hermione..." Severus tightens his hold on her and thought what he could say to her, seeing something wonderful happening between them. 'Here is your chance fool, don't mess it up!' straightening himself, he started to feel a little confident in himself.

Keeping eye contact with her he said, "Hermione, now that I got the chance to tell you the truth and I can choose when I want to act like a git, I want to give you the words you're meant to hear from me when I had to stay silent and act cruel. Please, won't you stay and listen?" He asked desperately and she helplessly nodded her head.

Taking a deep breath he prepared himself what to say as he remembers his past regrets when it came towards her and looks intently into her eyes...

"Hermione Jean Granger, out of my nearly twenty years of teaching here in this school, I've never met one student who was as bright and as wonderful as you. At first year, while others were in fear of what they were going to face here, you kept your head held high and became a know-it-all in this school. While I love that about you, eager to learn something new, I also hated it when you would boast your intelligence and never gave others the chance to prove themselves. I then realize soon you didn't mean to, you were just trying to prove yourself as well as to others because you being a Muggle-born." At this she nodded crying silently at his words too fascinated to interrupt him.

He nodded as well as he smiles, "I thought so and hoped everyday that you would take that name with pride and not in shame, continuing with your brilliant ways. And as the years went by and I shamelessly tried to put you down with hurtful words, not praising you on your hard work as you should have been, I was glad you were strong and never lost your courage. You were definitely sorted to the right house my brave, little, Gryffindor lioness." He pinches her nose softly and gave it a little shake, making him smile as she started to giggle.

"But out of all the things I have said and done to you, the one thing I regretted the most is with Mr. Malfoy and your teeth." He grimace remembering back then and hugged Hermione as she cry's on his chest, too emotional to speak.

"You might not believe me, but it broke my heart with every word I said to you that day, when all I wanted to do was hex Malfoy, throw my robes around you and just take you into my rooms, care for you as the angel I know you truly are." Again cursing himself for using such endearments so early on what could be a possible relationship between them, but he didn't care. He was too wrapped up in his speech to care and it seems she didn't care either as she held him tighter.

"Afterwards, with Dumbledore's death, the one thing I hoped for was that you were safe and help you three, without giving myself away. When I heard what Bellatrix did to you at the Manor, I wanted to just go there and torture her myself. She's lucky that it was Molly that gave her the finishing blow to her life before I had gotten the chance to destroy her. I'm just glad they found a method to get rid of the scars she gave you so you don't have to be reminded of that day when you look at yourself." She was also glad as she shudders and rubs her forearm, remembering what she wrote on her and Severus places a kiss on her head to comfort her.

"That night in the Shrinking Shack," he had to hold Hermione tight as she sobbed, remembering how she found him so close to death. "I was so happy that I got to see you one last time and regretted at that moment that I couldn't tell you what I'm telling you now." And it was true as he started to realize. Out of everything he faced through the years after meeting her, she was always on his mind. Even if it was a mere moment, a passing thought, he will think about her and that shook him inside, realizing now how much he had always care for the little witch and now knowing how he felt was the feeling stronger.

With that said, Severus took a hold of her face once more and look at her eyes. "As I said before Hermione, now that the war is over I can say with pride and conviction that with everything you have faced, I'm sure Harry Potter would have not succeed in his defeat against the Dark Lord without you by his side. To me you are and have earned the title 'the brightest witch of age' that the world has seen yet. I'm proud to have had you as my student and after graduation, should you ever decide to follow the path in potion making, I'll be honored to have you as my very first apprentice."

I wanted to post this on Severus's Birthday, but I don't know what is going on in this website that I can't upload anything. I even notice that the other stories from other people tend to show up later than that date that it was posted.

Anyways Happy Belated Birthday Severus Snape : 3