AN: Sorry only a short chapter! I hope you enjoy it anyway.

I don't own Harry Potter and don't make any profit.

Severus was sitting at the breakfast table, reading the Prophet mumbling to himself.

"This little piece of…" his voice trailed off.

"Who are you talking about?" Neville asked curiously. Severus handed him the newspaper pointing to an article on page two.

Neville gasped.

"I knew he was bad news. You have to let her know how you are feeling," he whispered.

Severus sighed. Right at that moment Hermione appeared at the door to the Great Hall smiling radiantly. She happily bounced to the teacher's table followed by the stare of a handful of students, who had obviously read the article.

She slumped down next to Severus and said a very happy, "Good morning!"

"I don't know if it will be," he replied sarcastically and handed her the newspaper.

"Page Two," he mumbled. She took the newspaper and her smile faltered and disappeared.

"How dare he," she hissed.

Right that minute Luke arrived at the breakfast table, bending down about to kiss Hermione on the cheek, when she jumped up and slapped him across the face, "ENGAGED? WHEN DID YOU THINK OF TELLING ME THAT YOU'RE ENGAGED BACK HOME?"

Luke staggered back, bright red in the face.

"I'm glad I was not at the receiving end of that. That must've hurt," Neville mumbled towards Severus, who just nodded with an awed look on his face, admiring Hermione's temper.

"She is brilliant, isn't she," he whispered back.

"I'm not too sure about that," Neville mumbled.

"Hermione wait!" Luke yelled after her, but she was already gone, in a fury, that made students jump out of her way.

Minerva, who just caught that last part of the scene, came up to Severus and asked, "What was the meaning of that?"

"Well Mr. Golden Boy apparently is engaged back home and forgot to tell Hermione about it. Somebody saw Hermione and him holding hands and exchanging kisses at the Three Broomsticks last night and informed the newspaper."

Minerva was lost for words, while Neville huffed, "Git!"

It was the Thursday before Christmas and Hermione had let Severus known, that she couldn't make it to their weekly dinners, due to her not feeling well. As Severus had just seen her half an hour earlier quite happily docking off points of some Slytherins, he knew there was nothing wrong with her. He had already accepted her apology on not going to be able to be doing rounds with him on Tuesday. So this time he got a house elf to watch Elena and made his way to her quarters. When he knocked on her door there was no response.

"Hermione open up, I know you're in there," he banged at her door.

He could hear dragging her feet towards the door and she slowly opened her door, with an angry expression on her face.

"What do you want? I'm not feeling well."

Severus just pushed past her and said, "That's not true, I just saw you. And if you're not coming to my place, well I thought we'll have dinner here. You were avoiding me the last couple of days. Why?" He demanded.

"I didn't avoid you," she disagreed, prompting him to raise a questioning eyebrow.

"Okay I was avoiding you, but I was avoiding everyone else too. I'm really embarrassed about what happened," she mumbled.

"If anybody should be embarrassed it should be him," Severus huffed.

"Let's have dinner, shall we?" Severus called a house elf and they ordered some dinner.

They ate in silence, when Hermione suddenly said, "Severus, I made a fool out of myself. Well actually he made a fool out of me. I feel so humiliated."

She hid her face in her hands.

"Please don't be ashamed of yourself. You didn't do anything wrong. You just fell for the wrong guy," he said.

"I don't even know why I fancied him?"

"Well he is good looking and he is a talented wizard, so I heard."

"Yeah, but he didn't once ask one personal question. He was only ever talking about himself, he wasn't interested in me, except to get into my knickers. The knickers of famous Hermione Granger. That would have been a story for him to tell. I can't believe I was on the verge of sleeping with him. Now I'm glad I didn't give in. I didn't want my first time to be with somebody so dishonest and self-involved," she mumbled the last sentence so he hardly heard her.

"You haven't had…" his voice trailed off.

"No. Excuse me but I have been in a war and time was a bit limited," she replied sarcastically.

"Not even with Krum?"

"Severus!" She scolded.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"No. I just turned fifteen before I met him. He was the perfect gentleman and didn't try anything. We just snogged a couple of times. Do you want Elena to have sex when she is fifteen?"

"I guess not. Can we please change the subject now?" He said somewhat uncomfortably.

"I would love to, I don't want to discuss my non-existing sex-life with you anyway," she grumbled.

Severus looked around her place and smiled, "I like it here, it's very you."

"Thanks," she smiled back at him.

"So what are you doing for Christmas?" she asked.

"Well I actually wanted to ask you if you want to join Neville, Elena and me for a nice Christmas breakfast, but I'm guessing you are going to spend Christmas at the Burrow?"

"No. The Weasley's and Harry are away for a little holiday somewhere in Southern Europe. Ron and Harry invited them. So I'm free and spending Christmas with the three of you sounds perfect."

"And there is something else I want to ask you," he mumbled.

"What is it?" she smiled encouragingly at him, sensing his discomfort.

Severus straightened his back and asked, "Do you want to accompany me to the New Year's ball?"

Hermione reached over the table took his hand and said, "I would love to. I totally forgot about that."

"I think it's time for dessert. Trinky!" A house elf appeared with a faint 'pop'.

"Professor Snape! Professor Granger! How can Trinky help you?"

"Can you please bring two plates of 'Headmaster Snape's special dessert'"

"Certainly Sir," Trinky squeaked.

Hermione looked curious.

When the tiny elf arrived a couple of minutes later and served them the dessert she was delighted, "Thank you Trinky. Wow that looks delicious!"

The plates were quite large and held a miniature version of all the desserts that were served at Hogwarts.

"How come that this is your very own dessert?" she wondered.

"In the year I was headmaster, there was an evening, when I had kind of a breakdown. It was all a bit much and I felt scared and lonely. Trinky found me like this and she came back with that special dessert and that's how it started. Tuck in!"