Disclaimer: I woke up this morning and I was still me.

Life For Rent

Chapter 11

Severus awoke early and in a foul mood. The night before had ended on a somewhat high note what with kissing Hermione and not fighting, but once he was home alone he began to brood over the implications the flowers had for their relationship. He kept envisioning Hermione summoning the flowers back from wherever she vanished them to and staring at them with adoration in her eyes as she reread the short letter that came with them.

Severus knew he was being ridiculous and should give Hermione more credit than that but his fragile self-esteem refused to allow him to rest. He was far used to being betrayed and hurt by those whom he had been loyal to and it frustrated him to no end that there was a possibility it could happen again. His normal reaction would be to retreat into himself and end all associations with Hermione. It would be far easier to withstand their parting if it happened sooner rather than later. But the more Severus thought about giving her up so that her choice would be easy the more he loathed the idea of being matched with someone he was less compatible with. He told Hermione that he was not going to allow their contract to be absolved so readily and what he meant was that he would fight for her.

Now the only thing left to do was make some sort of gesture that signified his growing attachment, if not affection, for her. His first banal instinct was to push their physical relationship because that was one way he knew of showing affection, and for him his intentions moved far beyond kissing almost as soon as their lips first made contact. Hermione, however, might not see it that way and just by nature of their age difference, he assumed she'd had far fewer sexual partners than he and would not respond positively to his sexual advances so soon.

Severus pounded his fists against his pillow in frustration, his discomfiture only increasing the longer he dwelled on the situation. He was a brilliant mind, and accomplished potion's master, and a successful spy but he couldn't figure out what to do to charm a twenty-one year old girl that he was already engaged to. Severus growled angrily, just when he thought he had reached rock bottom some ass-faced prick had to toss him a bloody shovel.

Sending her flowers was definitely out of the question even if it was his modus operandi to send heavily clichéd gifts to women. No, he needed to be more creative for Hermione to be impressed. She was the type of person who would prefer something unique and practical at the same time. But what, he had no idea. Rolling over to pick up his watch and check the time he sighed hopelessly. He would be seeing her again in less than eight hours. That was nowhere near enough time for him to come up with something extraordinary. The only person Severus could think of that would know Hermione well enough to be of any help was Potter and Severus figured it would be easier to sell water to a drowning man than to meet with Potter in private and maintain his civility at the same time.

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Hermione left her lunch with Harry and Ginny in a much worse mood than when she had arrived. She was not really angry with Harry anymore for not telling her he'd spoken with David. She knew Harry well enough to know that he meant no harm. That didn't stop her from making it clear in no uncertain terms that he was never to do that again. No, that was not why she was in a pestilential mood; it was because David had visited her parents.

Toward the end of her lunch Hermione received an owl from her mother inquiring as to whether or not she would be willing to give David another chance. Hermione had not neglected to inform her parents' that they had broken up but she spared them most of the details. She also, quite intentionally left out the bit about the marriage law, and she most assuredly had not told them about Severus yet. Now she had a triad of quandaries to take care of. First she needed to warn her parents that she was with someone new, secondly, she needed to tell Severus that he was going to have meet her parents soon, and thirdly, she was going to have to call David to tell him to knock it off. And that left a fourth problem; she was going to have to tell Severus that she was going to have to see David.

In an uncharacteristic and probably painful bit of honesty Severus had admitted that he was weak when it came to matters of the heart. Hermione felt a small explosion in her gut that spread outward warming her when she thought about his confession. He'd also said that he enjoyed spending time with her and his stony silence regarding David signified jealousy which, for Severus, was basically a sonorous and barefaced affirmation that he had feelings for her. Hermione knew that he had probably exhausted his ability to be open and honest with her for a long time. She feared that it was common courtesy that had forced him to answer all her questions and respond to all her comments with honesty. She believed that he would continue to do so as long as she was rude enough to continue prying but she worried that would make him resentful. Hermione was already plying him with incessant questions during their potions study sessions and he was patient enough, it would be her gift to him to let him say what else he wanted to say at his own pace. With that in mind, Hermione vowed to ask him nothing personal for awhile, or to share information that would prompt him to make a confession like the one from the night before.

Taking a fortifying breath Hermione picked up her telephone and dialed a number that had become as familiar to her over the last few years as her own.

"Hello?"

Hermione closed her eyes at the sound of his voice. Try as she might she could not help savoring it's sweet familiarity for just a moment before she spoke. "David, we need to talk."

"Hermione! I am so glad you called. Did you get my flowers?" David asked and even through the distant channels of the phone lines Hermione could tell that his hopes of their reunion were skyrocketing.

Exhaling deeply Hermione answered his questions with patience. He was not going to make this easy for her. "David, I did get them and I also know that you talked to Harry and my parents. Now you need to talk to me. I don't want to drag this out David so listen carefully; we will not be getting back together."

Silence greeted her and she was about to ask if he was still there before she heard him take a breath and speak quietly.

"Hermione, give me a chance please. I know we can work something out that will be able to keep you in the magical realm. I should have committed to you right away but I just freaked out. I miss you so much and I love you. You can't possibly tell me that you would rather be with your old teacher over me." David's voice rose in pitch the longer he talked.

Hermione noted the rising tenor of David's voice which immediately made her think of Severus' deep baritone intonation. Imagining Severus' voice whispering in her ear strengthened Hermione's resolved. Her resistance to David's pleas surprised even herself as she calmly spoke her next words. "David, I'm truly sorry but it is over between us. In the end you'll be happier if you find someone that you don't have to hide from your family and that you can relate to. It really won't work between us."

"But Hermione--,"

"No buts, David. Now please leave my friends, my parents, and me alone." She said as gently as possible. "Goodbye, David."

Hermione hung up the phone without waiting for a response. As soon as she replaced the phone back on its cradle she felt like a coward for doing that over the phone. Her Gryffindor courage had fled her and she felt immensely guilty for letting him down over the phone. It was probably for the best that she not see him but it still felt wrong. She might as well have taped a note to his door. But what was done was done and hopefully she would never have to do something like that again. She wished she could just call her parents and tell them what she had to but that would not fly with them.

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"What movie did you bring tonight?" Severus asked Hermione as he pulled the baked chicken out of the oven.

Hermione was happily preparing a salad in his kitchen marveling in how well they worked together and shared a space. They both maneuvered around each other in a happy dance that spoke volumes about their compatibility.

"I brought Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon." She said. "Have you seen it?"

"No I haven't, I confess I don't know it all." He responded.

"Hm, I have not seen either." Hermione said cavalierly as she put the salad on the table. It had looked full of action and it was a foreign film so she didn't even know what to expect. "I thought it looked interesting. It had several good reviews."

Severus didn't comment. He really didn't care what the movie was about as long as he was watching it with Hermione. Severus had fruitlessly wracked his brain trying to figure out what he could do for her or get her that would show his feelings but had continuously come up short. The least he could do was be an agreeable man for her. Even if he hated the movie he would refrain from telling her so. The quality of the movie was the least of his worries at the moment. Hermione was in a particularly somber mood and she was being unusually quiet.

"What is on your mind, Hermione?" Severus asked as he poured them both a glass of red wine and then took his seat.

Hermione started at his words. She was so obvious sometimes and it annoyed her that she wore her sensibilities like a cloak for the world to see.

"What makes you think there is something on my mind?" She asked foolishly regretting it the instant she did.

Severus sighed; she was clearly going to be difficult. A minute amount of fear pricked in the recesses of his brain at her unwillingness to immediately volunteer information. Thoughts of her returning to David flashed through his mind once again and he fought hurriedly to suppress them.

"Don't be obtuse, Hermione. It is quite obvious something is weighing on you. You have barely spoken two words strung together since you arrived." Nice, Severus, insult her that will get her to open up.

Hermione looked at him critically for a moment. "Obtuse?"

"Forgive me that was a poor choice of words." He said taking a large bite of chicken and chewing slowly.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "But you believe them nonetheless. Sometimes you are quite obvious too." She didn't know why she was being so defensive other than the fact that she didn't like being called obtuse, even if what slightly true in this instance. She did still have her pride.

Severus looked chagrinned at her comment. He was very adept at hiding his feelings except when they were disdainful, in which case he usually had no problem insulting the person his negative feelings were directed toward. Voldemort and Lily were the only two people he could remember hiding even his negative emotions from.

"Oh, fine." Hermione said giving in, finally. "I spoke with David earlier today."

Severus said nothing but raised one aristocratic eyebrow at her. His eyes betrayed none of the emotion that was broiling inside him. The chicken in his stomach turned to rocks as he imagined her ending it with him right then and there.

"Yes. He had the audacity to visit with my parents and they wrote wanting to know if I was going to give him another chance." Hermione said finishing her wine. She was not very hungry and was therefore probably going to get herself drunk but she poured herself another glass anyway. Severus noted that she was eating little but drinking steadily and that only increased his worry that she was going to say something appallingly like 'it's over.'

"Anyway, I decided that it could not continue so I called him and told him that he needed to stop and accept that things are really over." Hermione said taking a small bite of her chicken. It was delicious but she was too nervous about telling him about meeting her parents to eat. Not for his sake, but for hers. They were still forgiving her for modifying their memories and sending them off to Australia. They constantly fretted over her well-being and safety in the magical world and she was afraid the law would put them out entirely and they would not forgive her for subjecting herself to such Ministerial abuses.

Severus of course didn't know a thing about that and was focusing on what she had just said. The rocks in his stomach were replaced with colliding butterflies as she absorbed the meaning of her words.

"You told him this over the phone? Wherever did your Gryffindor courage go?" Severus said jokingly.

That just irked Hermione though. "Right out the door with your Slytherin subtlety, I guess." Hermione retorted picking up her wine glass again.

"Touché." He said feeling slightly abashed. She had just essentially had to break up with someone she loved for years all over again and he was being an immature prat.

"Listen Severus, you're going to have to meet my parents very soon." Hermione said trying to keep her voice from betraying her nerves. "I think it is best that we act as if we met again and have fallen for each other without the circumstances of the marriage law acting as an impetus. I know David did not tell them about it or else they would have talked to me about it already."

"Why do you insist on keeping the law from them?" He asked, genuinely curious as to why she would lie about something like that.

Hermione took a few moments to explain why she was afraid they would not understand. "I just think it will be easier for them to absorb the news of our relationship if they believe we are a love match. It is going to take them awhile to get past the age difference and the fact that you used to be my professor. If we act as if we are happily in love they will be more likely to let those things go."

"I suppose the fact that I am an ex-Death-Eater is something is another point against me as well?" Severus inquired.

Hermione just shook her head. "No, that will not be an issue. They know nothing about your involvement with Dumbledore's death or your allegiances. They only know that you assisted Harry and are a war hero."

"Small favors." Severus said quietly. The death of Dumbledore was one topic that had failed to come up before now and he was certainly not about to discuss it with her or anyone. In a habitual move of self-preservation Severus cleared his thoughts of all emotion and he could feel the expression leave his eyes as he turned his mind into an impenetrable fortress. Not even Lily's death hurt him the way Dumbledore's did and he prepared himself for the onslaught of questions she was sure to have about it. He would not answer them but he would at least reject her inquiries as politely as possible.

Hermione watched his face turn impassive. She knew that Dumbledore was a very touchy subject and she didn't mean to bring it up so carelessly. Acting as if nothing had happened and that Severus' obsidian eyes didn't just turn cold she moved on with the topic at hand. "So, you're willing to have brunch with my parents next Sunday?"

"Yes. I daresay I am. I believe we have little choice in the matter."

"Oh unclench, Severus. I don't want to talk about Dumbledore and I can't read your mind so you can relax." Hermione said. She noticed his defenses go up and she was in no mood to put up with a cold Severus.

Severus ignored her comment but he did relax a fraction and they finished their meal in silence. Hermione was incredibly tired all of a sudden and was eager to just move on to watching the movie. They had yet to watch a movie in his house and it was a pretty monumental thing because his television was situated in his bedroom.

"Shall we go upstairs then?" Severus asked once they were finished clearing up.

Hermione shifted nervously but nodded her agreement. She was really nervous. Hermione didn't take being invited into his room lightly. The topic of sex had not come up with them, at least overtly, but she realized that he was a man with needs that might be a little different than guys her own age. His age and experience might dictate a more swiftly moving physical relationship than she was used to. She as not opposed to it necessarily since sex was inevitable but the thought did not provide repose for her nerves at all.

Severus took her hand and led her up the stairs. He wished there was room in his living room for the television but there wasn't even electricity in there. It was the one room in the house besides his potions lab that was purely magical and he liked it that way. Hermione obviously was thinking about sex he could pick up on her thoughts like they were a neon sign and it was driving him to distraction. He was not going to push her though, no matter how willing she may appear to be. Severus knew that she was not ready and if they were to go that far she would only be doing it out of a sense of obligation at this point. That was the last thing he wanted.

Severus smiled as Hermione kicked off her shoes and gingerly settled onto his bed as he put the movie in the player. He settled on the bed about a foot away from her and picked up the remote off his bedside table.

"Oh, wait. I almost forgot." Severus said waving his wand quickly. A moment later a bowl of chocolate covered strawberries came flying into the room and settling on his lap.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him and much to her delight he had the decency to blush.

"I realize that these are a bit um, well sensual, but you mentioned they were your favorite dessert so I thought we could have them tonight." Severus stammered. "I am not trying to imply anything here."

Hermione laughed. He was truly an enigma. One moment he was forcing her to remember that he was a grown man and then in the next he was stammering like a teen aged boy. She loved getting to know him so intimately and felt a secret thrill that only she could see him acting so adorably foolish sometimes.

"Well, I am very glad you remembered they look delicious." Hermione said reaching for one.

Severus started the movie and kept an eye on it for about fifteen minutes. It was full of action and the story line was quite good. The movie was in Chinese which meant that he had to read the subtitles. He liked subtitles because it made him feel like he was doing something more intelligent than just watching a mind numbing action movie. He felt Hermione reach for another strawberry and turned his gaze in her direction.

The vision of her wrapping her lips around the strawberry and sucking slightly on the end to get the chocolate off was driving him to distraction. Hermione was completely engrossed in the movie and was completely unaware of what she was doing to him. Severus picked up the remote and paused the movie causing her to look at him curiously.

"Something wrong?" She asked innocently.

"Only that I want to kiss you." He said bluntly moving the bowl out of the way and closing the distance between them. He didn't give her a chance to respond. Keeping his hands planted firmly on the bed in between them he leaned over and captured her mouth with his. She was surprised at first but then she responded eagerly moving her lips in motion with his. He prodded gently with his tongue and she acquiesced eagerly. They both tasted like chocolate and strawberries and Hermione reveled again in that flavor she knew was uniquely his. Hermione snaked a hand around his neck and laced her fingers through his hair. She dragged her fingers across his scalp and Severus moaned softly into her mouth.

Severus senses were on fire. No one had ever massaged his head that way before and fireworks were popping in veins as he savored the feel of her fingers on his head. He was thanking his lucky stars that his shampoo formula left his hair so soft and touchable because he didn't know that his head was one of his erogenous zones until then. Severus leaned even closer to Hermione as he deepened the kiss. He kept his hands planted on the bed still but he unconsciously pressed his body against her. Hermione gasped as she felt the full hard length of him against her leg. Even through both their jeans she could feel how warm it was.

Hermione's gasps awakened Severus to how close he had gotten to her and he quickly pulled away. Breathing heavily he turned back to his spot on the bed. Hermione was looking at him, slightly hurt.

"I apologize. I got carried away." He said dragging a hand through his hair.

"No you didn't." Hermione said simply.

Severus looked deep into her eyes. Yes, she probably was willing but he wasn't. He wanted it to be more than sex and he was confident that she would agree when they got past the heat of the moment.

"Can we just go back to the movie?" He asked, almost pleading with her.

Hermione nodded a slightly disappointed look on her face. She moved the bowl of strawberries out of the way and snuggled up against his side. Severus smiled down at her and wrapped his arm around his shoulder.

"It's a good movie so far." She said slightly relieved that he had stopped things when he did. She found herself easily aroused by him and was glad he wasn't going to push her because she would have given in.

Severus pressed play on the movie again. He lazily stroked circles on Hermione's arms while he watched the movie. After awhile he felt her lean more heavily into him, her breathing even. Looking down he saw that she had fallen asleep. She looked lovely and innocent in her sleep. Glad she couldn't see him grinning like a love sick puppy he pulled a blanket over her and turning off the television and dimming the lights he lay down next to her and pulled her close. She murmured quietly but then settled against his chest once more. Severus slept more soundly that night than he had in years.

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A/N: Thanks to whoopsydaisy for being an awesome beta! She is feeling better so we can start sending her chocolate now instead of soup!

Thanks for all of my amazing reviewers! I love to hear your comments and I would also like to thank jessirose85 for giving Ginny a job.