She couldn't stop thinking of that strange encounter with Snape all weekend. Hermione desperately wished she had someone she could talk to about it, but she didn't know who. Ron and Harry were no good, for obvious reasons. Both of her best friends were… reactive, for lack of a better word. Which meant Ginny was out, because she couldn't have trusted her not to say anything to Harry. She could have spoken with Luna, but, for as much as she cared for the girl, she never really saw eye to eye with her. She briefly considered Neville, but then remembered his feelings towards their former professor. So, she stewed on it on her own.

It was strange that out of all of the places Snape could have chosen to go for his lunch, he chose the exact café Hermione had been going to, she thought for what felt like the hundredth time Sunday afternoon. If it were a Wizarding establishment, she wouldn't have found it quite as odd, but a Muggle business was the last place she would have assumed him to be. Despite, and possibly because of his upbringing. Was it mere coincidence, or was Snape possibly seeking her out?

She let out a laugh. "How absurd," she said out loud, as she paced the kitchen of her flat. Crookshanks, curled in a semi-circle in the corner, meowed in protest to the sudden noise.

For what reason could Severus Snape possibly have sought her out for?

Hermione was feeling restless, and couldn't stay inside any longer. She needed some fresh air, and decided to go for a walk.

She didn't really have a destination in mind as she walked. She kept to the Muggle streets of London mentally replaying the strange interaction from Friday afternoon. Snape was taking up more space in her head than she ever thought he would have. Of course she did think of him now and then over the last several years. Sometimes she'd even have nightmares of that night in the Shrieking Shack, when she desperately tried to stop the bleeding in his neck as she poured an antivenin down his throat, hoping to buy enough time to make sure he got to St. Mungo's.

Hermione stopped walking when she noticed she was right in front of the Common Grounds Café. She figured why not go in and have some tea, and perhaps one of their baked goods. Something sweet.

After paying for her order, Hermione turned towards her regular table and froze. Snape was sitting there looking right at her. He inclined his head towards the empty chair at the table. Her heart began pounding.

What the hell was he doing there again? He watched her as she crossed the room, which made Hermione suddenly self-conscious about the ratty jumper and faded denims she wore. She hadn't expected to run into anyone she knew, and certainly didn't expect to see Snape.

"Hello," she said softly as she sat down.

"Granger," he replied.

Snape had a mocha again, she was able to smell it, and her lips curved in spite of herself. His brow furrowed at her expression, but otherwise, he did not comment.

Once she settled in her seat, and had really taken a look at him, she was taken aback by what Snape was wearing. He was dressed more casually than she had seen him the previous week, and very Muggle. He was wearing a black knitted jumper, and a pair of dark denims. Something about the attire seemed so off for Snape, but if she were being honest with herself, he looked somewhat… sexy? Merlin, she thought in a panic, where did that come from? A rush of heat filled her cheeks.

Snape's brow furrowed.

"Granger, I've always assumed you were more well mannered than those pair of baboons you called friends, so I am sure you are aware that it is impolite to stare," he drawled, although she detected a hint of humor in his tone.

She bit her bottom lip and quickly averted her eyes down towards the table. If it were possible, Hermione's face grew hotter.

"I'm sorry, Snape, but I must confess, I'm curious," she admitted.

Snape let out a snort. "How out of character for you," he said dryly.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, I know. But the fact remains, it is rather odd that you've begun showing up here. Even more so, you keep returning."

She kept her eyes locked onto his, for any hint of what he may have been thinking in response to her words. As expected, they gave nothing away. She should have assumed as much, he wasn't a successful spy for as many years as he had been by giving away each thought with his expressions.

After an uncomfortably long stretch of silence, he let out a loud breath.

"They make a decent mocha," he began with a shrug. "Also, I do not find the company as… detestable as I assumed I would have."

Hermione let out a laugh.

"Well thank you for the compliment. I've always aimed at being slightly better than detestable."

He surprised her by giving a small smile in response.

"Congratulations on the achievement, Granger. It's not one reached by many," he said.

Hermione felt something akin to butterflies in her stomach. It was the first time she'd ever seen Snape genuinely smile. Sure, she'd seen him smirk, or occasionally after an insult his lips would turn up cruelly, but she never classified either of those as a smile. The way his eyes crinkled, and the way his scowl smoothed out from between his eyebrows made him look his age for once. It was… nice.

"You should smile more often," she blurted out unintentionally. Her cheeks heated up in response.

Snape brow furrowed, and a soft snort escaped him.

"Life hasn't presented me with many reasons to."

There was the bitter tone she had been more accustomed to. From what she knew of the man, she supposed he was right. Life had been a bit harsh to Severus Snape. His own choices had played a part in that, but she also knew that there were some unfortunate circumstances that had been out of his control.

"I'm sorry," she said, just barely above a whisper.

"I do not require your pity, Granger," he snapped.

Hermione gave him a sad smile. "I know, but regardless…" she trailed off.

Snape huffed, but thankfully did not argue further with her.

She glanced around the café and noticed a few people looking at them. Hermione assumed they must have made an unusual pairing. Yes, it was obvious there was an age gap between them, but there were also stark differences in their appearances. Snape, who was in all black, with his long dark hair, and shockingly pale skin, pale even by England's standards. Whereas Hermione wore a bright yellow jumper, that made her golden skin almost glow. It was like the moon and the sun sitting together at the table.

"Granger I-" Snape began, before stopping abruptly.

Hermione cocked her head slightly to the side.

Snape hesitated, then reached for his drink. He took a sip, looking as if he were preparing himself. For what, she wasn't sure.

After setting his mug down, his eyes again burned into hers. Again this made her pulse race. What was this effect he was suddenly having on her, she wondered?

"Granger," he repeated, then inhaled through his large nostrils. "I've never thanked you," he said quietly.

Hermione's lips parted just a hair. This wasn't where she imagined their conversation would have gone. At this point, she just assumed what happened that night was an unspoken understanding between them. She almost didn't know how to respond.

"You don't have to," she told him.

She meant that. Hermione never wanted him to feel indebted to her for saving his life. He spent enough time being indebted to people. What she really wanted was for him to enjoy his life freely.

"I know I don't have to, but I… I felt it necessary," he told her quietly.

Hermione felt her face heat up under his intense stare.

"Really, it's not necessary," she mumbled in embarrassment.

Needing something to do with her hands; some sort of distraction, she picked at her brownie, and popped a small portion into her mouth. He was still watching her, which made her even more self-conscious. She always hated when someone watched her eat.

Snape finally took his eyes off of her, and took one last drink of his mocha, then set the empty mug on the table. He scooted his seat back. Hermione frowned.

"You're leaving?" she asked, unable to keep the small hint of disappointment out of her voice.

Snape's lips twitched as if he was fighting a smile.

"Will you be having your lunch here again tomorrow?" he asked, in lieu of a response to her question.

Hermione swallowed another bite of her brownie, and nodded.

"Yes," she told him. "I always do."

Snape nodded once and stood from his seat.

"Tomorrow then, Granger."

Hermione felt a little flip in her stomach, as her lips tilted reflexively.

"I look forward to it," she said.

This time, he did smile.

"As do I," he said, before walking away.

As Hermione watched him leave, she wondered what exactly was happening between the pair of them. For so long now her days have been repetitive, almost all blending into one. Ever since Snape started coming into her café, she hadn't been quite sure what the next day would bring. She found herself actually liking the uncertainty.

ooo

A/N - Hello! I know it's been ages since I've updated, and I'm sorry about that. I really just had no will to write for quite some time. But, thankfully, recently it's come back, and I've promised myself that I was work on finishing my SS/HG WIPs. I've finished Saving Severus Snape, and have been posting weekly updates for several weeks now. I've also returned to both this, and Alive. So I'll be posting updates for both from time to time. I might be jumping back and forth between both fics. So I'm not going to have a schedule with these two, like I have been with SSS. But the updates should be way more frequent than they have been.

Anyhoo! I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! This fic isn't going to be long at all. Maybe like 2 or 3 other chapters after this. This was intended to be a short, light, fluffy little fic. I hope you all like it!