AN: Note that there's been a rating change! I won't elaborate, but I felt it was warranted for a future chapter.

Thank you for all the support! it is very deeply appreciated!

Hermione slumped in her wheelchair. After what seemed like an eternity of pounding on the door and shouting Neville's name, it was clear he was not going to release them from the room. In fact, she doubted he was still in the castle. If she'd thought about things more carefully, she would known that Neville wasn't giving himself much time to reach Edwina after going for coffee with Hermione. He had been pushing her and Severus together for months now. How could she not have seen something like this coming?

After one last weak knock she resigned herself to her fate. Instead of being in a café with a platonic friend, she was trapped in a room with Severus Snape, a man she had anything but platonic feelings for.

It was her sweetest dream and worst nightmare.

"I suppose Minerva did want me to go on a Valentin's Day date," Severus mused aloud.

Hermione turned to him. He was far enough away that she didn't need to crane her neck to meet his eyes. It was a sweet gesture, even if she wanted him closer.

He continued. "She never said it had to be with Judith Turner."

"Oh yes, I'm a real upgrade from her," Hermione muttered.

"Of course you are."

She took a shaky breath. "Severus, please don't tease me, not tonight."

"I would never tease you about something as serious as this," his voice was softer. "I would rather spend any day with you than her. Hell, I would rather spend my day with you than anyone else."

She swallowed.

"I have no idea what Neville believes he will accomplish by locking me in a room with you, but it does not matter," Severus continued. "We have little choice but to make the best of it."

"At least until Judith comes," Hermione muttered.

"Let's not talk about her anymore. You're here, not her. I'm spending my Valentine's Day with you, not her."

"She may still come. Minerva knows where you are. She'll remove the barriers and let Judith in."

"If Judith comes, I will demand that she leave."

"You will?" She spoke as if he was about to buy her the latest, state of the art electric wheelchair which would operate in Hogwarts despite the spells.

"Yes," he purred, sending a shudder of desire through her body.

In the background, a song began to play. She straightened her posture as the notes became more distinct.

"It's the song we danced to during the Christmas party," she began.

"Indeed" He drew closer and held out his hand. "I am too famished to dance, but perhaps afterwards we can ask the room to play this song again and we can have a proper dance."

"Certainly." She took his hand and followed him to the table. "Though I'm not in the proper wheelchair for dancing."

"The room can do anything, including conjuring a proper chair."

"True."

"Even if it couldn't, we can always dance while flying."

"Very true."

He removed the chair across from him and ensured she was comfortable in her place. Then, he took the seat across from her and relaxed.

"Uh Severus?"

He hummed.

"How are we getting food? The room cannot produce food," she continued.

"Excellent question," He scratched his chin. "I had been wondering the same thing all evening."

POP

"Master Snape," a house elf appeared before them, a grin on her face.

"House elves?" She hissed,

"Mistress Granger?" The elf recoiled. "Why is she here?"

"It appears she is my," he shifted his glance to her, "date tonight."

"Tipsy thought you would be with Ms. Turner."

"I was, but Neville had other ideas." He didn't seem too upset by the change of events.

"I see," the house elf shifted her wary eyes to Ms. Granger.

Severus looked at his date and exhaled. "I will pay her for her trouble."

"How much?" Hermione asked.

"Tipsy doesn't need money," she began before grinning. "She only wants to see Master Snape and Mistress Granger happy."

"Then you'll accept this," he reached into his pocket and pulled out five galleons.

"I cannot accept this."

"We both insist."

"No, Tipsy works for free."

"If you do not accept the money you will be working for clothes tonight."

Hermione had never seen any being grab anything from a person's hand that quickly. "Tipsy will get you the finest bottle of elf made rosé to begin the evening, grab you some breadsticks, and then take your order."

"Good, and," Severus bent down and whispered into the elf's ear. She nodded before her grin returned.

"Tipsy is happy to serve Master Snape!"

POP!

"So we now have a house elf waitress," Hermione began.

"It appears so," Severus replied.

She hummed

"Is this a problem?"

"No," the tension left her muscles. "I'm with you, so there's nothing to be upset about."

"On the contrary. Anyone with me is having a horrid evening."

"No," she softened her voice. "I'd rather be with you than with anyone else in the world. I wanted you to be my Valentine's Date, not Neville."

"I am grateful to be your date instead of Neville," his lips curled up.

"Me too."

A comfortable silence fell between them.

"What did you tell Tipsy?" Hermione asked.

"I asked her to ensure I gave you the most special Valentine's Day you've ever experienced." His eyes gleamed.

Her chest warmed at his expression. Merlin this man had a way of melting her heart with one look. She was hopeless against him, not that she ever wanted to be free of his spell. Still, if he knew the power he wielded over her, they'd both be ruined.

Yet how wonderful being ruined forever would be!

"I do have one ground rule," he raised a finger.

"Oh?" She tilted her head.

"I refuse to eat spaghetti with you, at least not from the same bowl." He looked at her as if this was amongst the most important things he'd ever said.

"That's an odd rule," she bit her lower lip.

"To pureblood, yes, but to a muggleborn it should not be."

"I can honestly say as a muggleborn that this rule makes no sense."

"Surely you've seen that insipid movie about the cocker spaniel and the mutt."

"Oh Lady and the Tramp," she gushed. "I loved that movie as a little girl."

"I despised it from the moment I saw it," he grumbled.

"Why?"

"I do not enjoy watching cute dogs commit several health code violations. My stomach churns when I think of how filthy that plate must have been once they were finished, or how much fur must have gotten into the other customers' meals."

"I didn't know you cared about health codes and food safety."

"When it comes to animals getting hair in my food, I care a great deal."

"You must hate watching Crookshanks then, because he gets his hair everywhere."

"I make an exception from him," he smirked. "That feline is the only creature more ornery than me. I respect that."

"He loves you too."

"Love?" Severus snapped.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh. Why couldn't more women see how cute he could be? Were they that oblivious to his unique brand of humor, or did they not bother to get to know him well enough to hear him tease them?

"I tolerate that beast for your sake," he continued.

"How kind of you to do so."

"I'd tolerate almost anything for you."

"Truly?" She swallowed.

"Truly," he tapped the table, "though returning to my earlier point, I refuse to reenact scenes from asinine dog movies. That scene is too nauseating for me, and I will not be reenacting it."

"Of course you wouldn't, because you were always more of an Aristocats person."

Even in the candlelight his face was pale, the smirk now gone from his face.

"Oh my goodness," she covered her mouth and laughed. "You do enjoy the Aristocats."

"I do not."

"Of course you do. It's clear from your expression that you like the movie."

"Fine, I may have seen the movie once."

"And it was memorable enough to remember the name."

"It most certainly wasn't." He frowned and put his arms over his chest. "I was bored one summer day and was flipping through the channels. It was the only thing on even remotely appealing. It was torturous sitting through it, and I was happy when it was over so I could watch the news."

"I'm sure you screamed in agony the whole time."

"I very much did."

"Then you rewatched it."

"Only because I was once again bored, and could find no other way to amuse myself."

"What was your excuse watching it the third time?"

"Self-torture."

POP!

"Here is the best house elf rosé." Tipsy held up the bottle.

"Thank you." He took it from her.

"Oh, Tipsy can pour that."

Severus glanced at Hermione. Despite the voice nagging in the back of her mind to go along with the whole thing, she couldn't help but give Severus a pointed look. Just because a house elf was their waitress didn't mean they couldn't exert a little self-sufficiency.

"That will be unnecessary," he stood and poured Hermione's wine. "I would like to show Hermione that I am in fact skilled at serving wine."

Tipsy gave Hermione a look and fidgeted. "So you do."

"Thank you," Hermione relaxed. This was the only man who'd made a genuine effort to respect her views on house elf rights, even if he'd alluded to not agreeing with her. Unlike the others in her life, he tried to respect her, and never mocked her for her enthusiasm.

How did he not have twenty women banging down his doorstep now, swooning over him, pleading with him for a date?

"Here are the breadsticks," Tippy interrupted Hermione's thoughts by putting them on the table, along with a plate of herbs and some oil. "What would you like to order, or do you need a menu?"

"Do you have chicken Alfredo?" Hermione asked.

"Tipsy can make it."

"I will take that. Thank you."

"I will have an eggplant parmesan," Severus answered.

"Very good."

POP!

"She makes a good waitress," Hermione noted.

"Indeed she does," Severus glanced at her wrist. "You're still wearing my bracelet."

"Yes," she put her hand on top of his so he could inspect it.

"You rarely remove it," he noted.

"Is that a problem? Do you want me to remove it?" Her chest constricted as her stomach tightened.

"Not at all," he gave her a genuine smile. "I am pleased it means so much to you. Most women receive a beautiful piece of jewelry and toss it in the back of their drawer, never to see it again. I am pleased you did not do that with this."

"It's special to me. A very special man in my life gave it to me. I want to be reminded of him whenever I wear it, so I wear it often," she matched his serene expression.

"He must be a very intelligent man if he has won your esteem."

"He's wickedly intelligent, snarky, witty yet," she continued in a quieter voice, "underneath it all, he is one of the kindest, most considerate men I have ever met."

"You seem to have a high opinion of him." His eyes turned to the breadsticks. "I hope he can live up to your assessment of him."

"Most of the time he does, yet even when he doesn't, he's easy to forgive. He is worth having someone by his side, a fact I hope he knows," she answered.

"I think he's beginning to believe it, because the most beautiful women in the world, a woman whose beauty transcends her body and soul, has faith in him."

"You are the one person I will always have faith in."

"I will always have faith in you." He took a breadstick before pouring the oil onto a plate.

She took a breadstick before asking "why didn't you tell me about the bracelet?"

"What?" He paused.

"Why didn't you tell me where you really got the bracelet?"

"I told you where I got it. It's from the Prince vault."

"Yes, but that isn't the whole story, and we both know it."

"What do you know about the bracelet?" He set his breadstick on his plate.

"A few weeks ago I saw Lucius. He saw the bracelet and told me it was the one heirloom your mother prevented your father from pawning." She swallowed. "Why didn't you tell me that when you gave it to me?"

"I only wanted you to see a beautiful bracelet," his eyes betrayed his vulnerability. "Not the boy who hid it under his bed, clinging to it while his parents screamed at each other. I wanted you to see a strong man, not a boy crying because it was the only thing he had left of the world he'd been expelled from, the one he desperately wanted to join. I wanted you to see another Christmas gift, not the boy who had given up on giving it to anyone because he thought nobody would ever find him worthy enough to feel any type of affection for him."

"Oh Severus," she choked. "You really did give me one of your most prized possessions, didn't you?"

"As I said," he rubbed her hand. "I cannot imagine it on another woman's wrist. You are the perfect woman to wear it."

"I am honored you would give it to me." She squeezed his hand as a tear came to her eyes. "I am more honored than you can imagine."

"Hermione," he whispered as his lips moved closer to hers.

"Yes?" She shuddered in anticipation.

"Why couldn't you have been my first date? I would've been so much happier if it was you." He captured her lips before any words could escape her mouth.

In a moment Hermione could only describe as selfish, she welcomed the kiss. Her body moved in rhythm was his, until a hard leg spasm brought her back to reality, the reality where Severus needed a woman who could make love to him whenever he desired, the reality where he wouldn't need to tend to someone if the rain were to fall, the reality where he was better off with someone who could give him everything he desired.

"No," she muttered. "No, we can't do this."

"No what?" He jerked back. "D-did I hurt you?"

"No, not at all."

"Was that kiss nonconsensual?"

"No, not at all. I wanted that kiss."

"Then what is the problem?"

"There," she wheeled backwards. "There are things I cannot give you, things a man needs."

"What kind of things?" He asked.

"The kinds of things a woman gives a man." She stopped moving. "Walks along the beach, hiking in the woods…"

He frowned. "I've had enough of hiking to last me a lifetime."

"Fine, but there are other things you could have, like access to bookstores, a woman who can make love in the rain."

"I couldn't care less about any of those things."

"Maybe you should," she turned her eyes downward. "I do."

"Perhaps it is good I am not you then," he answered. "I can spend the rest of the evening demonstrating how much I care about you. I want to spend the evening showing you that if something is inaccessible to you, it is of no importance to me. I choose you over anything and anyone else."

"Don't speak so hastily. You may not care about inaccessible things now, but one day you will. One day, you will see what you cannot do, and yearn for a nice hike in the woods."

"I've lived forty-eight years without wanting a hike in the woods. I think I can go another one hundred without the urge to traverse Hadrian's Wall."

"I know, but there is a reality with living with someone like me."

"Yes, one where I am infinitely happy."

"People will point out how much you are missing out on."

"Those people can sod off. I'd hex them right now if I could just to prove how deeply I care."

"I know you would, but I want you to experience life to the fullest, regardless of my emotions towards you."

"Is this your way of rejecting my advances?" The hurt was evident in his eyes. "Is this your way of saying you do not feel as strongly about me as I do you?"

BANG!

Both of them turned around.

Hermione's stomach churned at the sight of a fuming, angrily stomping towards them, Judith Turner.