Can I call you Severus?

Laying in bed that night Hermione opted to keep the light on. She was still unsure if she had imagined the tapping on her window or if it was someone playing a joke, either way, she was not turning the light off. Her mind wandered to the brief kiss on the neck she had received earlier that morning from him. Lightly she touched the spot he kissed with her fingertips. Her mind then wandered to Ron, he had been such a prat to her, he would be the type of person to push her down a set of stairs and claimed she tripped all the while denying it till he was blue in the face.

She did not know what happened to the sweet caring boy she knew in school it seemed he had turned in to a prat of a man, one she was glad to have no ties to anymore. Just as her mind was about to wander back to the man lying a few rooms away, there was a tap at her window.

She did not need to stay around to see what it was, she leapt from her bed and sprinted to his room again.

She pushed the door open, he was lying in bed, reading, the sheet tucked around his waist, his chest bare. A small spattering of black hair travelled from under the sheet, stopping at his belly button. She absent-mindedly raised a single brow her brown eyes raking over him quickly as she blushed.

"Can I help you, Miss Granger." He shut the book and placed it on his lap.

"The taping again," She managed to blurt out between fear and awe.

"And you wish to sleep in here, again?." Raising a brow in question.

"Don't you want' to go see what it is for me?."

"Not really," He replied flatly, yawning and stretching his arms above his head.

"Turn the light off on the way over." He slipped further into bed, staring into the now darkened room, throwing the book onto the floor.

He could feel the bed move beside him. "I think we will go to troll mountain, tomorrow night," He decided to break the silence.

"Ok," She simply said, fear ebbing into her every fibre, she was glad the lights were out so he could not see the fear that graced her features.

"Oh and Miss Granger, can you please keep to your side of the bed tonight. I wish to take my sleep uninterrupted."

"So if I just rest my foot here" She moved her foot so it was resting against his bare calf muscle. "That would be fine, would it?."

"No, that would not be fine, foot back on your side, woman," He ordered.

"So if I did this, you would have no qualms about it?." She rubbed her foot softly up and down his calf muscle. The hair on his leg stood on end as his body gave an involuntary shudder.

"Yes Miss Granger, I do have qualms about that." He pushed her foot back over her side with his leg, leaving his leg this time on her side.

"I am sure you would have no qualms about me leaving my leg on this side seeing it is my bed and all," he drawled. He quite liked this little game they were playing.

"No no, not a worry in the world, Severus. Oh, may I call you Severus." Her voice ebbed with amusement.

"Call me what you want, witch. Just do not call me late for dinner," He joked.

"Ok. Then. Severus" She punctuated every word with a slight push of his foot closer to his side. Saying Severus, was foreign to her as it passed her lips.

"Fine fine you win, now shut up and go to sleep," He snapped. For five blissful minutes, he had silence, golden silence. He could hear nothing but the sound of her breathing and he thought, maybe, just maybe she had gone to sleep.

So when she spoke again, he jumped, just slightly. "Are you naked?." She could not believe the words that had just fallen from her mouth, either could he. Since when was she so outspoken and had the courage to ask that?.

"I don't know, Miss Granger. Why don't you find out." he gently pushed.

"Not tonight." She flushed a crimson red and said nothing more, they both fell asleep.

SSSSSSSSSSSSS

Severus raced up the stairs of the astronomy tower if only he could get there in time he could save her from the manic. Midway up he saw her, falling, rolling down the stairs. He grabbed her in his arms but he was too late, she was dead. Gently placing her on the step he was on he raced to the top. There stood Ron, staring out in the night sky. He turned to the man a wicked grin on her face.

"I did it you know, you want to know why."

"Why," Severus' voice full of anger as he pulled his wand out of his robes and held it towards the man's temple.

"Because if I cannot have her, either can you. You should have seen her," he gave a small chuckle.

"She pleaded, pleaded for her life. Promised me the world, said she would get back with me. But... I knew she was lying. I knew once I let her go she would run straight back into your arms. And we couldn't have that now could we." He leant in close to the man, his voice now a whisper. "You should have seen her eyes, full of fear. But don't worry, before I pushed her, I made sure she felt loved. I gave her a wee little kiss on her perfect lips." He lent in a little closer.

"And you know something, she made this odd noise as she went tumbling down, like a hot water bottle being thrown against a wall."

Reaching out lightning fast, Severus ceased him around his jugular, press tightly Ron began to plead.

"Let me go, please," He gasped.

"Why, would I do that, Mr Weasley. You never let her go when she pleaded for her life."

Pushing the boy over towards the balcony he gave him a slight push, watching him tumble down to the ground, he too made the sound of a hot water bottle.

Hermione sat up in bed, shaking. Severus lay still, pretending to be asleep for a few moments more.

The girl began to sob, silently. He sat up, rubbing her back lightly. "What is up, Miss Granger." A question he really did not need to ask.

"Nothing, just a nightmare, really shook me," She spluttered out between body jerking sobs.

"It is ok, Miss Granger, lie back down." he tried his best to console her... He really was not good at doing feelings or fixing shattered nerves.

She took his order and snuggled back under the covers, her back to him. He was not sure what had overcome him, perhaps it was the insight that she thought of him as her protector in her dream, or if he just wanted the touch of a woman against him, but Severus Snape, the chit that knew barely anything about comforting someone draped his arm around her waist, and lightly caressed the silken cloth that covered her stomach.

"Oh, and Miss Granger... I am naked under here," he whispered in hear ear low in his throat an amused grin passed his lips slowly.

A/N: Ok here you go :) Sorry no smut this time :P I can hear you all groaning now. Next chapter we will all head on up to troll mountain..Maybe something a bit more will happen between our two favourite characters. Oh, also I totally think Ron has it in him to throw someone down the stairs.

I spoil you all... Two chapters in just about as many days. Keep a lookout for the next chapter by around the weekend.

I also suggest if you already haven't... but I am sure you all have that you check out my other up and coming story, Tears of a Malfoy. It is mostly HG/SS but has some DM thrown in there.