A/N-Thanks again for reviewing! Also, if you have any fic requests, just PM me and I'll see what I can do. Hopefully, writing different stuff will cure my writer's block on this…

Hermione woke up in her bed, confused as to how she'd got there. The last thing she remembered was arguing with Severus over a particularly inane article, and then finding herself home. Getting up fully dressed, she realised that Severus must have brought her home and put her to bed, quite a thoughtful gesture on his part. A small square of parchment was visible on her pillow. Smiling at the familiar handwriting, she read the note.

Hermione, I would like to thank you for joining me on what turned out to be a most enjoyable outing. I haven't had pleasant company like that in years, and would not be adverse to it happening again. Although I'm sure you have realised by now, I did take you home, because you fell asleep on my sofa again. Is something about it particularly comfortable to you?

Severus

Delighted beyond words, Hermione pressed her lips to the parchment in excitement. He'd enjoyed the time he'd spent with her! He didn't think she was irritating or childish; in fact he'd expressed the wish that they could spend more time together, albeit in a typically roundabout way. Thrilled, she penned him a letter in response to his note, and sent it off with her new owl Archimedes. Keeping him from being eaten by Crookshanks was admittedly trying.

The pair continued writing to each other every day for a month, not only exploring the intellectual side of the other but also getting to know each other better. In all that time though, they hadn't spent any time together in person. On the back of Hermione mentioning dance classes, Severus made a decision on a whim.

He would take her on a proper date. Dinner, dancing, the works.

Severus had never been this emotionally invested in a woman before. Yes, he'd had the odd tryst with women before, and he'd fancied himself in love with Lily, but none of that compared to this. None of them compared to her.

Over the weeks they had been talking, he had seen a completely different side to the usually reserved witch. She was an extremely passionate woman, and he wanted that passion turned towards him rather than work or a new spell. He wondered if she could come to see him as a partner, not just as a confidant and friend with the occasional innuendo thrown in.

Severus wanted to court Hermione properly. He had lived such a lonely, dark life until she arrived, bringing light and hope with her. Truly, in her, he felt that he had found a kindred spirit.

Aside from Ginny, Luna and Harry, the witch preferred being alone, a trait that was very similar to his own. She didn't suffer fools gladly, and her mind had only sharpened with age. In addition to that, he knew that it was fairly likely that he would be the witch's only lover, if she consented to court him. Her relationship with Weasley hadn't got to that point, as far as he could gather.

Admittedly, the allure of being the witch's one and only greatly appealed to his less than stellar side.

If Hermione decided to court him, she would never belong to another man. Severus was a covetous man by nature, and he knew that if he won something as precious as her love, he would never give it up. He'd do anything to keep it, to keep her.

But first, he had to get the witch to agree to court him.

Luckily, he had an idea of how to do just that.

Hermione smiled at the raven as it flew in through her window, taking the letter and tossing it a sliver of bacon as payment. The bird had eventually warmed to her, although she suspected that this was more due to her feeding him than any affection on his part.

Receiving letters from Severus had quickly become the highlight of her day. The man really was brilliant, and had a wide knowledge of almost every subject that came to her. He was also a witty and invigorating conversationalist, never boring her and often making her laugh with his snarky remarks. She could barely remember a time before his company.

Nevertheless, she was missing him horribly. They hadn't met since the seminar, and she really wanted to see him again, to catch a glimpse of that rare smile that emerged when he thought she wasn't looking.

Unfurling the scroll, she hungrily read the contents.

Hermione,

I must admit, your comment about dancing intrigues me. So much so, that I would care to see for myself if what you say is true, if you are as good a dancer as you claim. What do you say, witch? Care to put your galleons where your mouth is? I know a wonderful restaurant we could visit if that is the case, do send a message back with Mordant if you are amenable. I would like to see you again.

Yours,

Severus

Hermione almost dropped the letter into her tea in shock. Was he suggesting that he would take her out to dinner, and dance with her? She didn't think that her teasing would have prompted him to this!

Dear Gods, was he asking her on a date? Merlin knows she couldn't ask him, he'd bite her head off for being asinine and she might lose the opportunity.

She'd wanted to dance with him since he held her while apparating them to the seminar last month. The sheer strength of his arms concealed by the fabric of his arms made her imagination spark, and she contemplated all the delicious uses for that kind of strength.

Hermione immediately decided to go, hoping beyond hope that he wasn't just baiting her, that he was indeed asking her out on a date but concealing it beneath his usual façade in case of rejection. This could be the opportunity to finally show him that she wanted him, as more than a friend. She wanted him as a partner, lover, and maybe even more than that.

Perhaps if he accepted her in person, he would stop invading her dreams. She was sick of having to scourgify her sheets every time she woke up.

Severus looked up at the sound of Mordant's claws tapping at his window. Quickly allowing him entry, he took the letter from the raven and began to read.

Severus,

I would be delighted to accept your offer. You know I won't back down from a challenge like that. Dinner and dancing, you say? I must say I'm intrigued by the prospect of dancing with you, as long as you don't step on my toes like an over-excited teenager. Although, I suppose you are much too mature to allow such a thing.

Anyway, where and when would we be going? I need to make sure I dress to suit your needs; after all it wouldn't do for me to embarrass you.

Yours,

Hermione

Severus felt his mouth twitch up at the corners at her cheek. Honestly, if she dressed to suit his needs she wouldn't be dressed at all. The 'teenager' comment was hardly appreciated either, the witch knew that he detested all reference to his time as a teacher and the analogy brought back particularly trying memories of the Yule Ball. Chaperoning a room full of drunk, hormonal adolescents really wasn't his idea of fun.

But she had accepted. He could take her to his favourite restaurant, a small, friendly place in southern Valencia that catered only to magical folk. Best of all, the press wouldn't know to look for them there.

He wouldn't have to restrain himself with the witch.

Severus quickly sent her a reply, detailing the dress code (formal) and that he would pick her up at 7 o'clock that Saturday. He couldn't wait, but he had also never been more nervous about doing anything in his life. Even facing down the Dark Lord had been less nerve-wracking than the thought of her rejecting the offer of courtship he would make that night.

Severus hadn't realised it yet, but he was falling in love with her.

Six-thirty arrived all too quickly for Hermione that day. She was already dressed, but was absolutely petrified of his opinion. Had she tried too hard? Or not hard enough? At least Ginny had done her hair, so at least there were no worries about it coming out of its restraints this time. Nibbling on her lower lip, she waited for Severus to arrive.

As if on cue, there was a curt knock on her door. She rushed to open it, almost getting her heel caught in the hem on her dress in the process.

Opening it slowly, she came face to face with the man she hadn't seen in over a month.

"Are you coming, witch, or continuing to gawp at me all evening?" Severus asked, with one eyebrow raised in question.

Snapping out of her reverie, Hermione answered "Yes, of course. I'm sorry." She shyly opened the door fully to reveal herself fully to him.

Severus' jaw almost dropped, but he stopped it just in time. She was absolutely stunning. Her hair was tied into a neat bun at the back of her head, a couple of tendrils loose to frame her delicate face. She wore a long dress of ice blue, with a daring slit up one side that allowed full range of movement and flashes of creamy leg as she moved. The dress also allowed a hint of cleavage to peek from the neckline, another rarity for the witch. All in all, she was a vision.

"You look utterly radiant, Hermione." He breathed, still taking in the sight of her.

"Thank you, Severus." She replied quietly.

When he looked up, she was biting that damn lip again. Swallowing hard, he motioned for her to take his arm, not trusting himself to speak again. He'd be mortified if he squeaked like some pathetic boy.

Blushing a light pink, Hermione allowed herself to be whisked away by the one wizard she could let herself fall for.

They landed in a pretty courtyard outside a pleasant building, which had several vines climbing its surface and boxes of colourful flowers on the windowsills. It was definitely warmer than it had been in at her flat.

"Where are we?" Hermione asked, looking around as he led her inside.

"Las Locan, Valencia."

"Valencia?" She exclaimed, as they were seated in a private booth of the restaurant. Their table lacked a centrepiece and was small enough to be intimate, but still gave them enough room to be proper.

The restaurant itself was cheerful but muted, the dim lighting offering more privacy to its patrons. The key element of the place was the large dance floor, central to the room, which Severus planned to introduce Hermione to later.

"Yes. I found myself here after the war, while searching for the ingredients needed in a rare type of restorative draught. There is a species of fanged snapdragon native only to the forest here, which is necessary in most potions of that type."

Hermione nodded. "So what brought you to this restaurant?"

"I was on my way to the apparition point, but the scent of paella was absolutely mouth-watering so I had to sample it. It has been a favourite ever since."

Hermione seemed to mull this over as the waiter arrived.

Severus chose his favourite seafood paella, and Hermione opted for a range of tapas as she hadn't had the opportunity before. They had a dry white wine as an accompaniment, and sorbet for dessert.

Again, the range of expressions on Hermione's face as she ate intrigued the wizard. If she was this expressive about food, what would she be like in other areas? He was extremely eager to find out.

After their meal, they talked for an hour or so about wandlore, another area of study he stumbled across while in Spain. Apparently, the species of creature who donated materials for the wand, like a phoenix feather or unicorn hair, would always favour the owner of that wand.

This actually rang true with the man, because Fawkes seemed to favour him, and normally the phoenix would stay out of the way when the Headmaster had visitors. Therefore, he attributed it to the core of his wand, which was obviously a phoenix feather.

Both of them looked up as a waltz began to play on the speakers. Clearly, the evening had grown late enough for the dancing to begin. Taking her hand, Severus led Hermione to the dance floor.

The way the positioned themselves was so smooth it looked like they had been doing it for years. In no time at all, he was holding her close to him as they danced, spinning her expertly before gliding across the dance floor with her.

He surprised her with just how good a dancer he was. His motions were completely in time with the music and never faltered, not even when he dipped her dangerously low, arching his lithe body across hers. She felt her breathing speed up as his dark eyes bored into her own.

Severus could feel her pulse racing as he brought her back into his body, and decided to turn up the heat. Wandlessly, he spelled the speakers so a tango began to play.

Now she'd see exactly how well he could dance.

Hermione bit her lip, hesitating as she saw how intense the look in his black eyes had become. Gods, he looked like he wanted to devour her. Deciding to go with it, she let him lead her in the first, staccato steps.

Slow, slow, quick quick slow. Daringly, she wrapped her leg around him.

His eyes blazed into hers as he ran one hand down her thigh, before pulling her into him. She could feel how muscled he was under her leg, and it only served to inflame her further.

As the dance continued, the pair lost all sense of the world outside, only seeing each other. The heat between them could be physically felt, as the waiting staff found out when they caught sight of the couple. The dance ended with the witch bent backwards over Severus' arm, him leaning over her in such a way that screamed his desire to take her, to claim her as his own.

The witch was hardly helping him keep control, her eyes bright with lust as she kept herself wrapped around him wantonly. Gods, he could feel the last dregs of his self-control slipping away as he stared at the beautiful witch.

Finally realising where they were, they straightened to find half of the restaurant looking at them with something akin to awe.

Ah.

Hermione blushed prettily and hurried to sit down, Severus trying to ignore that fact as he struggled to calm himself. Not becoming aroused was an increasingly difficult task for the wizard when she was around.

The witch had wanted passion, and this wizard had it in spades. She never dreamed he could dance like that.

"Well Severus, do you believe me now?" Hermione asked coyly.

"I must admit defeat here witch, you certainly can dance." He replied, smirking.

Again she blushed, thanking him.

"I think it's time I return you to your flat, although I have greatly enjoyed spending time with you this evening."

Hermione looked at him, smiling. "So have I, it's been lovely."

"Would you join me like this again? I wish… to court you, Hermione, if you would be amenable."

The witch could see the wizard's vulnerability shining in his eyes.

"That would be wonderful, Severus. Truly." She beamed at him. "I really want to explore this further." Hermione took his hands in hers in emphasis.

The fact that he didn't shy away from the contact was another indicator that she was the witch for him. One of his rare smiles brightened his face.

"Good, witch. I intend to explore this to its fullest potential." He purred, kissing her hand lightly. "Come now, we'd better get you home before you fall asleep somewhere again."

She rolled her eyes at him, but allowed the wizard to lead her from the restaurant having paid the bill. Settling herself into his arms again, she trusted him to take her home. Hermione still felt safest when wrapped in his arms.

Landing at her flat, Severus revelled in the feeling of her soft curves nestled into his body. Carefully letting her go, he took her hand and pressed it to his lips again, a hot look in his eyes. Hermione's breathing hitched.

"It won't be a month until I see you next, I can promise you that." He silkily told her. "I would like it if you kept writing to me, it gives me great pleasure to hear from you so often."

Hermione nodded, assuring him that she would.

They said their goodbyes and he disapparated, leaving Hermione to enter her flat. She stood just inside the room with the front door closed, biting her lip.

Yes, he liked her. Yes, she liked him. But she's never done this before. She doesn't know how it works.

What was she going to do now?

Well she was certainly going to enjoy it. Their date had absolutely clinched it for her. He was a wonderful, passionate, brilliant man, and he would be hers. She could already feel herself falling for him.

He said that he wanted to court her, but what was his intention? She was the type of witch who would only fall in love once, and forever. There would never be another man for her. But would he fall for her in return, or was she just a pleasant pastime to him?

She just didn't know.

A/N-Nobody kill me, I tried to update as quickly as possible. Longest chapter yet! Please tell me what you think, I do love to hear from you.