Part Twenty-Eight

Hermione was frustrated.

Not that she wasn't doing everything in her power to keep it from showing, but she was growing more frustrated with each passing day.

Their early success with recreating the topical love potion had spoiled her, and now the tedium of each experimental brew that ended in failure was getting to her. Isn't that how it always is, so easy to mess something up, yet so difficult to put it back to rights?

She found her gaze slipping toward Severus more and more on the nights and weekends when she would come over to help him brew another difficult potion, found herself wishing things might be different, that she might suggest that they take a break one night and go out for a bite to eat, or even just a walk to get some air. Anything, really, as long as she could spend time with him and have his attention focused solely on her, even for a brief moment.

Oh yes, her frustration wasn't just aimed at their failures in the lab.

Enough! Hermione wiped the back of her hand against her sweaty forehead and stretched, feeling the abused muscles in her back protest the hours she had spent bent over the lab table assisting Severus that evening.

She drew her eyes away from him once more and noticed a hint of movement from behind several vials, just a brief hint of moving rodent tail really.

"Clyde!"

Hermione used her wand to summon the escapee, then gently returned him to his cage. "I swear, if there is a rodent equivalent to a kneazle, then Clyde has to be one."

Clyde's cage mate, Lorenzo, paused in his grooming as she tapped on the edge of the cage. "This is strange. Severus, Jessica is right there in her cage, trying to attract Lorenzo's attention, and he's ignoring her." Hermione quickly examined the rest of the cages and found the other animals to be acting pretty much the same as they had been since Severus had administered the love potion to them – sleeping as close as the cages would allow, eating and drinking with at least some of their attention focused on their love.

She put her hand between the two cages, and while Jessica began to run in distressed circles when she couldn't see Lorenzo, he merely continued to groom himself.

"Severus?"

-~8~-

While watching Hermione's struggles with the errant Clyde, Severus had had a small smirk on his face, which vanished the instant she mentioned there had been some progress made. A tight, panicky feeling formed in the center of his chest, and he had to force himself to take normal, regular breaths of air. The initial panic faded, but there was a core of tightness left behind that whispered he – that they – should leave well enough alone.

Walking toward Hermione, and the apparently carefree Lorenzo, Severus frowned while studying the two mice. He hadn't enjoyed watching their behavior these past few months – wondering all the while if he had mimicked their besotted actions in his non-pursuit of Lily – wondering if she and Potter had laughed at him while enjoying their blissful domesticity. Even worse, he'd wondered if the mutt and the werewolf had enjoyed the spectacle provided by Snivellus.

"Indeed," Severus muttered.

This is a good development, he told himself, trying to convince that tightening feeling in his chest to go away.

"Fuck," he stated, while turning and walking as far away from the proof of initial success as he could. "Hermione," he ground out. "Don't misunderstand, please. I'm having difficulty – tight – panic..."

Whirling around, slightly wide eyed, he glared at her.

"I can't deal with any further efforts in the lab tonight. Would you care to accompany me on my first foray into the public eye this evening? A pint of whatever at the Leaky Cauldron, perhaps? I'll understand if you decline."

-~8~-

Her joy at what appeared to be the first sign of headway toward a cure quickly turned to concern at Severus' distress. She wanted to rush to his side when he walked away, but was glad that she'd contained the urge when he quickly turned to face her.

"It's all right, I understand." I think. "I'm not really dressed for– Actually, if you don't mind waiting, I can pop over to my place and change and meet you back here?"

If he was serious about wanting to go out as Severus Snape, then she wasn't about to let him go alone. Not while he was like this. Who knows what sort of trouble he might get himself into, she told herself.

It didn't even occur to Hermione that perhaps it wasn't her place to worry about him quite so much.

-~8~-

"Yorick! Nothing I have is suitable!" Severus bellowed from inside his bedroom. The wardrobe had failed to produce anything he felt would be appropriate to wear on his first official foray into the public eye. "What in the bloody, blue blazes was I thinking? I'm not equipped to traipse about, especially with Hermione– Oh, good gods!" Severus almost ran out of the bedroom and paused before the falcon's perch with a pair of trousers still in his hand.

"Would this be considered a date?"

When Yorick didn't answer, Severus threw the offending article of clothing toward the dining alcove.

"You've got an opinion on everything else! Why use any decorum now, you sorry excuse for a reptile?"

Yorick merely turned on his perch and looked pointedly at a closet near the front entrance. Severus – without turning his head, as he didn't want to give the bird the satisfaction of making him look – glanced in the same direction, and realized his salvation might be inside.

Bloody know-it-all-bird! He must be taking lessons from Hermione.

Poking the bird in the side to make sure it was aware he hadn't turned his head, Severus waited until Yorick looked back at him.

"You're no help," he stated bluntly. Striding into the dining alcove, Severus reached down and picked up the trousers he'd tossed there earlier. Being ever so casual, he deliberately walked over to the closet.

"I should hang these up," Severus said while brushing them off and opening the door to obtain a hanger. "There's no reason... Well, well. Look here, Mister I-know-everything. I'd almost forgotten about these. Why didn't you remind me?"

Satisfied that the bird could take no credit in his discovery, Severus proceeded to shuffle through various shrunken boxes.

"No, not those," he mumbled to himself as another box was returned to its shrunken state and placed in the pile he'd already gone through. "Why, with all your continual nagging, didn't you advise me to label these bloody boxes, you ungrateful chicken? It would have been the least you– Ah, ha! At last."

One last tiny little box was kicked back inside the closet before the door was slammed, and Severus, holding an enlarged carton, turned in triumph to glare at Yorick.

"No thanks to you, I might actually be presentable."

Stalking back over to Yorick's perch, Severus lifted his chin and prepared to lambaste the bird again. Instead, a small smile lifted the corner of his mouth.

"All right, you wretched blackmailer, I'll leave you an extra mouse in the usual place as long as you keep your beak shut," he said with a note of genuine affection in his tone before turning and heading into the bedroom.

Once there, the carton was reopened, garments were withdrawn, sorted, and a Freshening Charm used on the ones that were deemed appropriate. Seeing them laid out on his bed waiting for him, Severus paused and was drawn to the wardrobe containing his Muggle clothing.

"Enough," he muttered, fingering the fabric of a shirt between his fingers. "I am not Simon Sopohorous, and I no longer have to dress as though I am." Severus released the shirt and closed the door with a click. One of his hands caressed the wood for moment. "I shall – in a way – miss you, Simon, but I no longer need your protection."

A quick shower and shave proceeded the donning of Severus' personal armor, although he didn't see it that way. Each layer added to the feeling of rightness, and by the time the black, full flowing cape was added, a broad grin graced the face of one Severus Snape. Walking back and forth, turning briskly, he was overjoyed to feel the whip and snap of the beloved robes around his legs once again.

Throwing open the bedroom door, Severus jumped out into the sitting room – arms and hands spread wide, feet spaced accordingly – and yelled, "Ta-da!" in Yorick's general direction.

"What do you think, my chicken?" he asked while walking toward the perch. A small fleck of something was picked off the immaculate black sleeve, and he turned slowly to give the falcon the full view.

"Don't you think these are much better than the clothes you're accustomed to seeing me in?"

Sliding his wand up the type of sleeve it was supposed to be housed in felt bloody wonderful.

"Good night, my chicken. Don't wait up," Severus advised with a cheeky grin before he turned and Apparated to Hermione's door.

-~8~-

She had told Severus that she would just be a few minutes, but once she had arrived at her place and taken a good look at her messy hair and sweaty face, Hermione had made the split second decision to take a shower.

Her hair was magically dried and shoved up with hairpins, potion-brewing clothes exchanged for something nicer – But not too nice! – and Hermione was trying to decide if she had time to put on something more substantial than a bit of lip gloss before leaving for Severus' when someone knocked on her door.

"Now is not the time, Mrs Carmichael," Hermione muttered as she rounded up a pair of shoes with a low heel. The knock came again, and she stopped to slip on her shoes before pulling the door open. "Just a second, Mrs Carmichael!"

She was already thinking of excuses to hurry the older woman on her way when the opening door revealed Severus.

"Oh! Oh, my – I wasn't expecting – Would you like to come in for a moment while I fetch my wand?"

Hermione had become accustomed to Severus as Simon in his Muggle-style clothing, but this was familiar to her, although she had had the nearly uncontrollable urge to add "sir" to the end of her question out of habit.

-~8~-

"I would," Severus stated quietly while glancing down the hall toward Mrs Carmichael's door. He held onto the secret wish the old crone would stick her head out the door for as long as it took him to cross Hermione's threshold. Severus was back in his proper attire and felt invincible, even to the odd, old biddies that inhabited both the Muggle and Wizarding world.

Shutting the door behind him, in case the aforementioned biddy tried to make an appearance, Severus turned and got his first real look at Hermione. The burning itch to take her hair down was quashed with no small effort when he reminded himself he no longer had the right to do so.

"I know you indicated you'd return to my flat when you were ready, but..."

Prepared to give a scathing comment concerning women who took too long to dress, Severus floundered for a moment, checked the shine on his boots and raised his head to meet Hermione's gaze.

"I decided I wouldn't change my mind about going out if I met you here instead of waiting there."

-~8~-

Part of her wondered if staying in might not be the better choice. There was no way to predict how people would react when they saw Severus out and about, but she suspected that it would not end well. There might be glares and muttered threats from cocky wizards, or fawning and calf-eyes from silly witches who didn't know any better. Neither would please him, she was sure, and both would annoy her terribly.

Hermione tucked her wand away and looked at her companion. She made a point of taking in his appearance from head to toe and back again. Her grin was flirty – she hoped, although knowing her luck, it might have been closer to slightly deranged – and her tone matched, "Look at you. All those buttons. It's almost enough to drive a poor girl to distraction."

She sighed melodramatically. "I guess I'll just have to do my best to keep my wits about me this evening. Are you ready?"

-~8~-

Severus didn't quite know how to feel when Hermione inspected him. Insecurity fell neatly onto his shoulders, making him want to check every aspect of his attire. The smile on her face let him relax slightly, but he didn't quite know what to make of the button comment.

Button, button, who's got the button?

Blast.

The sigh brought out a quirky little half-smile to his face and allowed him to refrain from delivering a sarcastic comment about not being ready and returning to his flat.

"If there was ever anyone who always had their wits about them, Hermione, it's you, so I don't imagine you'll have anything to worry about."

Holding out his elbow, Severus opened her front door.

"Shall we give Mrs Carmichael something to tell the other neighbors about?" he asked with an almost mischievous smirk on his face, "or would you rather play it safe and walk out of the building?"

-~8~-

When he asked if they should give Mrs Carmicheal something to gossip about, Hermione felt her breath catch. Then she realized he was talking about Apparating, not snogging in the hallway. She tried not to let the tiny flicker of disappointment show.

Hermione locked her door and then took his arm. "As much as I'd like to pretend I'm the daring sort, we should play it safe."

And you had best remember that, young lady. You are two friends, going out on a friendly outing, doing friendly things. As friends. Save the naughty thoughts for later, after you're home. Alone. Again. Bugger.

"Lead on, Severus."

-~8~-

Several hours later, Severus murmured, "After you," as he held open the outer door of Hermione's building and allowed her to precede him. As far as Severus was concerned, the evening had been a resounding success. He wasn't quite as sure Hermione shared this opinion. She hadn't objected to the occasional arm around her shoulder or the quick hand on her waist that had pulled her out of the drunken sot's way, but the other things...

Perhaps she didn't notice?

Time will tell.

-~8~-

If her "Thank you," was a bit more stilted then usual, Hermione thought she should be forgiven. She led the way to her flat, telling herself she really shouldn't be annoyed with him. After all, he really hadn't done anything too bad, and most of those idiots had probably deserved what they got.

Hermione stopped outside her door, and turned to face him. "Well, that was certainly an – interesting evening." There might have been a hint of amusement in her voice; she wasn't sure.

"Are you-" Proud of yourself? "That is, did you have a good time?"

-~8~-

She noticed.

Leaning against the wall next to Hermione's door, Severus pondered only a moment before replying.

"I, my dear Hermione, had a wonderful evening in your company. Those that attempted to share it with us would probably describe it a tad differently," he advised with a decided smirk on his face. "It was quite – refreshing – to see old acquaintances and to add a few faces that I will definitely remember in the future."

Tilting his head, Severus studied the indignant look on his companion's face before exclaiming, "Oh for Merlin's sake, Hermione. Nothing I used will last beyond mid-day, and you have to admit most were deserved, were they not?"

-~8~-

It would probably be pointless to remind him that, deserved or not, it was still considered rude to hex people in polite company.

Of course, the way a few of them acted, they probably wouldn't have counted as polite company anyway.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "All right, I may be willing to concede that some of them might have possibly deserved some sort of – behavioral adjustment."

Hermione felt a smile creep over her lips as she leaned just the tiniest bit closer to Severus. "Other than the hexing, I had a wonderful evening, too." She wanted to suggest doing it again sometime, but didn't want to seem overeager. Or desperate. Or desperately overeager.

-~8~-

The mood had shifted again, and this was one that Severus approved of. Hermione's demeanor seemed to have softened, more like the lover she'd been, and not the friend she'd become. Hope arose in Severus' chest, but a trace of fear accompanied it. The wrong move could set them back firmly in the no-touchy land of friendship.

One of his hands rose slowly to grasp a bit of her hair that had escaped the dastardly pins she'd used earlier. The silken strand was gently placed back in its prison, but his hand didn't return at once to its owner's side. It stayed and gently caressed the side of Hermione's face.

"We'll do it again, soon, shall we?" Severus asked with one raised brow. "After all, the sooner they get used to seeing us – me – out and about, the sooner the need for the behavioral adjustments will end."

-~8~-

It was difficult, but Hermione managed to keep from leaning into his touch. Somehow, she was even able to keep her eyes from fluttering closed.

Even more spectacular, as far as she was concerned, Hermione refrained from jumping up and down in glee when he said "us." Yes, he corrected himself, but the slip still made her irrationally happy.

She nodded her agreement, not sure she trusted herself to speak until she'd cleared her throat. It wouldn't do to squeak like a giddy schoolgirl, after all.

"That would be lovely," Hermione replied, pleased to see that she sounded relatively normal, if a bit breathy. "Although, it may take several attempts before that one lout who spilled his ale figures it out. He struck me as the type who only seems to learn through repetition and negative reinforcement."

-~8~-

Ah, good. Missed that one, did she?

Relieved that she'd agreed, even though his reason for going out again was clearly transparent even to him, Severus slowly nodded his head in agreement. He pulled away from the wall and inched slowly closer to Hermione.

"Saturday next?" he asked quietly, knowing it was less than a week away and not sure he wanted to wait that long. "Perhaps after dinner we'll find a worthy play or one of those Muggle movies to attend?"

-~8~-

Is he moving closer? She thought that he was. She also thought that if she were truly the exceptionally bright young woman she was rumored to be, she would take that as her cue to put more space between them. The sort of space that was acceptable between friends.

Perversely, her feet didn't seem willing to move. "Saturday. I believe I have no other plans for Saturday."

Hermione quickly moistened her lower lip. "Whatever you want to do, I'm sure would be fine. I mean, a play or movie or something like that. After dinner. Would be fine."

Could I be any more incoherent? Focus on the conversation, not on how good Severus smells. Or the thought of opening all those buttons. Her gaze dropped down to the front of his frock coat before jerking back up to his face. Her cheeks began to flush with embarrassed heat.

-~8~-

Encouraged by the flush, which he firmly decided was a sign of attraction and not anger, Severus moved ever closer, watching as though he were Yorick for the prey to corner itself. His patience was rewarded when Hermione's slow, infinitesimal retreat had her back meeting the door of her flat.

Not looming, but not giving up any spare space, Severus' head slowly lowered to hers. Keeping eye contact, while trying not to stare at the moist, appealing lips, he used what wiles were within his power when he whispered roughly, "Our evening, it seems, has come to an end. A proper date ends with a kiss, does it not, my siren?"

-~8~-

Thankfully, the door at her back provided some support when her legs threatened to get wobbly. It had been far too long since he'd used his voice to tempt her like that.

She knew she should open the door and duck into the relative safety of her flat. Her hand actually made contact with the door, in search of the knob, before she remembered that there was a sofa in the living room. And a bed just down the hall.

Safer to stay where she was, she told herself.

"That is how proper dates end, so I've been told." Hermione wasn't sure if their evening counted as a proper date, but she wasn't really in the mood to quibble about such a silly matter.

There were a thousand and one reasons why she should make her excuses and run away, and one very tantalizing reason for why she was tilting her head up to better align with his.

Severus had called her his siren.

Just a kiss. I've been so good for so long; surely I deserve one tiny, little kiss?

-~8~-

His heart skipped a beat when Hermione's hand started to search for the knob of the door, and his withdrawal was partly planned when she apparently changed her mind.

Thank the gods.

Permission, of a sort, had been given, and now the kiss was taken, taken softly and sweetly with a thousand blessings bestowed upon the head of the one it was being taken from. An ominous creak down the hall had Severus thanking his lucky stars that he hadn't, as yet, taken Hermione into his arms. The wand slid quickly and quietly from its sleeve, and a small Sticking Spell was applied to Mrs Carmichael's door. The resulting rattle of her doorknob was efficiently silenced a moment later.

Not this time, you nosey old bat.

His left hand had risen to take possession of Hermione's graceful neck and, hopefully, distract her from what his wand hand had done. The right hand, sans wand, joined the left and tried to persuade its master that the ugly pins needed to be removed from her hair.

Next time.

Severus deepened the kiss as much as he dared while his thumbs traced the bones of Hermione's jaw. Slowly releasing her mouth, he pulled back enough to again meet her gaze. Saturday was a long way away, and if she was willing, he'd be a fool not to try.

"I could make you a cup of tea if you like," he advised, knowing full well she wouldn't misunderstand, especially since his thumbs were still tasting her flesh.

-~8~-

Hermione felt bereft of something vital when he drew back from their kiss. Her mouth wanted to follow his, to urge him to continue with his delicious assault.

Her tongue slipped out to flick across her lip, and Hermione thought she could still taste him. She placed her hand on his chest, fingers tenderly stroking the material of his frock coat for a moment before she gently nudged him to give her space.

"I think I've had enough to drink tonight." Even she could hear the regret in her words. "I should probably go to bed. Alone."

Her fingers stroked one of the buttons on his coat before her hand fell back to her side. "Will you need me in the lab before Saturday?"

-~8~-

He admired the way she attempted to change the subject and the move designed to make him retreat. He admired them, but it didn't mean he was going to let her change the subject up for discussion.

A small smile bloomed, and he nodded his head.

"Need you? Yes, I'll definitely need you before Saturday, my sweet siren, but I will manage to blunder through until then if you have other commitments."

He leaned down far enough to give her one last chaste kiss before stepping back and preparing to Apparate.

"Ah, before I forget and a small tragedy occurs – after I leave you might want to remove the spells I placed on Mrs Carmichael's door. You'll have no difficulties – just a Sticking Spell accompanied by a small Silencer," he stated with a larger smirk before he turned and disappeared.

-~8~-

She watched him leave, shaking her head at his audacity.

Of course, she was also grinning like an idiot.

"Which I am, for agreeing to go out with him again. Friends do not go out on dates with friends they are trying not to fall into bed with. Again. Especially not proper dates that end in oh-so tempting kisses. Damn it. Where is my self control? Where is my will power? Why can I not resist that man when he turns on the charm?"

Predictably, the empty hall offered no answers to her questions. Hermione pushed herself away from the door and unlocked it. She slipped into her flat and then leaned out of the doorway to flick her wand at Mrs Carmichael's door, removing the spells Severus had cast.

********