Hermione fumed the whole way back to their rooms, as soon as they reached the living area she exploded.

"What the hell was Minerva thinking?" Hermione began to pace. "It doesn't make any sense for her to be defending him like that."

Severus stayed silent as he sat down on the couch.

"Severus, what do you think is wrong with her? She could be enchanted somehow I wouldn't put it past Mils to drug her or curse her somehow," Hermione said starting to sound slightly hysterical.

"Hermione will you shut up," Severus snapped.

Hermione stopped pacing and stared at him, her eyes wide.

"Minerva isn't under any sort of spell, she is merely doing her job." Severus said as he lit a fire in the fire place and propped his feet up on the coffee table.

"Doing her job?" Hermione screeched, "How is ignoring and even belittling a potentially dangerous situation, 'doing her job'?" Hermione asked using air quotes to prove her point.

"Look at it objectively Hermione, Minerva receives a complaint from a former employee and death eater about a current employee who, as of yet, has done nothing wrong." Severus looked up at Hermione. "Even if her most favorite lion cub is bound to said death eater, she isn't going to risk losing a teacher when we aren't even halfway through the year because of what she perceives as paranoia."

Hermione sighed and sunk down onto the couch beside Severus.

"I guess your right, but I still don't like how she spoke to you," Hermione said quietly looking over as Severus's face which was pointed up at the ceiling.

"I'm used to far worse treatment Hermione," Severus said his eyes closed.

"That doesn't make it right," Hermione said still looking at Severus's closed eyelids.

"I've been through hell for most of my life, a little bad-mouthing from Minerva McGonagall is nothing." Severus said cracking open one eyelid to look down at Hermione. She was close beside him on the couch, not touching him but nothing more than a hair's breadth away.

Severus sighed deeply and took a chance.

Hermione felt Severus's arm snake around her shoulders and suddenly she was pressed into his side.

"Now if you would kindly shut up and enjoy the lovely magical fire I made we may be able to salvage the evening." Severus said trying not to tense as he waited for her reaction.

Hermione got over the shock rather quickly and then without even a thought sunk into Severus's side sighing and placing her head onto his shoulder, "Alright, but we still need to be on our guard,"

"Of course," Severus said looking down at the mess of hair that was resting just beneath his nose.

How had this happened, he wondered, how had they ended up here like this.

Severus had a tight feeling in his chest he was resisting the urge to rub. He remembered this tightening, he'd felt it before and that scared him more than any dementor could.

Hermione's thoughts were a jumble.

She was very confused but also very happy, which only served to further her confusion.

She didn't know what she should do next, she wanted almost desperately to kiss him, but if she was reading him wrong, which she must be because this was her dreaded ex-professor and he couldn't possibly mean to be cuddling her in this way. He must simply be trying to reassure her, make sure she isn't afraid. Hermione sunk a little deeper into his side.

Severus felt Hermione relax into him more, what should he do now? Severus hasn't had a whole lot of experience in this he had been witness to some horrible sexual acts preformed by other death eaters at revels, but he had never participated, never enjoyed watching such things. I fact he hadn't even kissed a woman, his mother of course didn't count. He wanted to kiss this woman though, this woman who had been his student, who saved his life not three months ago and was now tucked under his arm on the couch they shared.

He wanted to kiss her, he wanted to press his thin pale lips to her full pink ones, and see what he'd caught so many students doing in dark corners was like. He couldn't do it, he was too scared. He was a coward, he was a lost little boy who did n't know where he stood in this situation, and that unnerved him.

Hermione snuggled into him a little more, she was trying to test the boundaries a little, how close could she get, before he moved away, or Merlin forbid did something else?

Hermione closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his thin chest expanding and contracting against her left breast. She wondered what he was thinking. She wished she could just slip into his mind and hear his thoughts, but she couldn't and knew she should enjoy the situation while it lasted.

Severus looked down at her wild curls that frizzed up into the air. He knew she wasn't a great beauty, but neither was he, maybe she could look past his exterior, and well his interior too, who was he kidding she'd have to look past a lot of things.

Severus frowned, what was he doing, this would spoil what they'd created, he'd scare her and make her want to get away from him, which she couldn't do. Well she could, and that scared him almost as much as her rejection did.

He felt her breathes deepen, he decided to make his move.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to the top of her head.

Hermione felt his kiss the top of her head and her drooping eyes shot open. She sat up and looked at him. His dark eyes were shining with a strange light.

"We should retire for the evening, tomorrow is approaching fast," He said his voice deeper than she'd remembered it being.

Hermione nodded her head stunned into silence.

Severus saw the shock on her face and panicked bolting from the living room and into his bedroom.

Hermione watched him go, then stood up and shuffled to her own room for a fitful night's sleep.