Workplace Romances

Fast update again... I finally have all the chapters corrected from my beta, so my posting should be pretty quick from now on. Hope you're all enjoying!

Chapter 14- Workplace Romances

"Miss Granger, you mustn't look so flabbergasted," he stated blandly, stepping away from her and back out into the light. She watched him for a moment to see if he would do anything more before she let out all the air in her lungs in one long sigh. She gasped again for breath, letting her breathing regulate into a steady, slow rhythm. Then he had the audacity to smirk at her.

"What?" she asked, her brain still fogged and trying to sort out the fact that Snape had just been pressing her back against a wall of shelves in his storeroom, clearly dominating her, and taking such a delight in confusing her. He had almost kissed her, though. Hadn't he? Yes, yes, he had. He had been so close, but then it was as though a sun shade had been pulled down in front of his face, and he was back to regular, old Snape, moving as quickly away from her as was possible.

Wait, she thought. Severus Snape almost...

Hermione pinched herself, wishing that this was a dream or a hallucination of some sort. She had never wanted to be that close to the man before. All she had wanted was to be friendly with him. That was all. Had she sent him the wrong signals? Or had she sent him the correct ones subconsciously?

"Don't look so confused. It does not suit you," he said and walked over to the far wall in the storeroom, looking through the glass jars for a few things in particular. Or perhaps he was just trying to occupy his mind with other tasks. If that little moment had had such an affect on her, surely it was still replaying in his mind. It had to be... especially with such charged air that had passed between them. Even a cold, nasty man like Snape would have had to be melted a tad.

"B-but," she began and swallowed harshly. "You hate me."

"I clearly have never hated you, Miss Granger," he replied. "Disliked at times, yes. But I've never hated you."

"And I've annoyed you."

He nodded. "All the time."

"Then why..." she asked.

Snape looked at her, his jaw clenching for a moment before he spoke. "I've started to think about you differently."

"I knew something had to be wrong when you sent me those books," she fished, "and then agreed to let me into your private chambers to discuss them."

The left corner of his mouth quirked up in what looked to be a smile. But it was always hard to tell if it was intended to be genuine or was supposed to be a slightly softer smirk. "I am not completely to blame for this turn of events. I heard you speaking with Krum that evening."

"I knew it!"

"Here is a lesson for you, Miss Granger, one that you should not push aside in the future. One cannot successfully employ Slytherin strategy when the need to be an arrogant Gryffindor is engrained into your very being," he lectured.

"I don't understand," she admitted.

He rolled his eyes. "Slytherins would never discuss their toils out in the open like that. Gryffindors have the innate need to boast about their plans to everyone."

"I thought we were alone!" she cried. "How was I to know that you had chosen that moment to sneak about the castle grounds?"

"There are always eyes and ears that can overhear things," he continued, "especially at Hogwarts. You should know that by now. You were lucky students did not hear you, or some very vicious rumors would have spread. Some very vicious, untrue rumors about you liking the Black Bat much more than you would ever willingly admit."

Hermione scoffed, "You're not a Black Bat. And you know most of the rumors would not have been untrue. All I want is to be your friend, Severus."

"Why? I am not like the house-elves," he countered. "I don't need you to save me. And I certainly don't need a friend."

"I'm not saving you. Is it so horrible that I find that you can be a most interesting conversationalist when not in one of your moods?" she asked. "And you do too need a friend. If not a friend, then certainly someone you can speak with that isn't completely inferior to you. I know you'll say that I am inferior to you, but you know as well as I do that whenever we battle wits, you enjoy it."

He considered this for a moment and inclined his head in a slight nod. "Perhaps."

Hermione nodded and could not help a smile crossing her face. "You like it because it's a challenge to best me. You cannot deny that."

"I suppose," he said and turned back to her, one of his dark brows lifting quizzically. "There is a problem, though."

"And what is that?" she asked quietly, her throat scratchy from all the needless exclamations issuing from her lips.

He met her gaze and held it for a long while until he spoke. "I do not want a friend."

"You don't know it, but you do," she tossed back.

Snape gave her a look of disbelief and shook his head, glancing away from her and down at the jar in his hands. "I want something much, much more than a friend. And it seems to me that it is something you are unwilling to give."

Hermione was sure that she looked like a fish standing there, with her eyes bulging and her mouth opening and closing. If she had gills, it would have completed the look, she was sure. But that was not what was important now. What was important now was that Severus Snape was being completely truthful with her, completely stripped for one moment of all sneaky tendencies, and had told her what he intended. No, not intended. What he wanted. And the admission floored her... completely floored her and stunned her into silence.

"You do not even understand what it is I want, apparently," he observed.

"I do understand completely, and that's the problem," she replied, finally, in a strangled whisper. Sure, she had thought about him on slightly different terms as of late, but it was still a very large shock to her to learn that he had contemplated her on the exact same things.

He looked at her then with wide eyes of his own, but she saw the familiar sign that he was closing up and pushing away. The man could be so hot and cold at times. "And that is why you should stay away from me, if you are unwilling to fulfill what I require."

"Severus..." she said quietly. "Don't be like that."

He grunted and walked out of the storeroom. "If you would kindly step out of there, I have a class to tend to."

Hermione followed him out. He shut the door with a slam, whispered a few locking incantations and wards. She thought it odd that he would use verbal spells with her standing right there and able to hear what he said. Especially since she was the last person to be trusted since her second year. He gave her a short glance and turned on his heel down the corridor, robes billowing about him.

As he moved away, she heard him mutter between the clopping of his boots on the stone floor, "I am too old for these games."

--------

Someone was going to pay, but he did not know who it was necessarily going to be, yet. It could be his seventh-year Advanced Potions. Or perhaps an unknowing Hufflepuff scurrying in his path. But someone was going to pay for this. First for his rather horrible morning in which he had gotten an answer from Hermione that he had not expected. He had fully expected her to rebuff him, turn her nose up at him, and leave. It would have all been much simpler that way. But she had not. She stood there and practically admitted she wanted the same things, which scared him. Severus Snape had been terrified of the situation after that. She was not supposed to... to... like him. What he had done was intended to scare her away.

But then again, she had not admitted her feelings outright. She had only said she understood what he wanted. He supposed that was the most unsettling... realizing that he, indeed, was not alone in having such thoughts. It was realizing that now, if she did rebuff him in the future, it would hurt so much more.

Trying to dissect the conversation over and over had only led to him being preoccupied during his lessons that morning, nearly leading to a catastrophe of sorts when a Gryffindor nearly mixed in the wrong form of hellebore.

Now he was doubly cross because he had found out that someone (Minerva) had allowed all of the Bulgarian National Quidditch team into the castle to visit Krum. And evidently to cause a great commotion amongst the adoring students. On top of that, the dastardly Krum had set each of his admittedly handsome Bulgarian teammates around Hermione. They were all fawning over her like she was some sort of sports star herself. She looked uncomfortable around them, but played it off well, with her broken usage of Bulgarian that she had learned from Krum on a few trips to the country.

They seemed genuine in their fawning, though, and that's what troubled him. Especially when each of the men got up to the leave, they took her hand, bowed over it, and placed a kiss to the backs of fingers. Krum was the last to leave, and did not bow, but leaned over and kissed her cheek before disappearing out the side door to join his friends in a little Quidditch practice before the second half of the day started. What gave them the right to do that, anyway? Didn't they know what had happened earlier in the day? What gave her the right to enjoy it?

As soon as they were gone, Severus noticed Hermione visibly relax, leaning back in her chair and taking long sips of her tea. She glanced around the large Hall, her gaze landing on him in no inconspicuous manner. She lifted one finely-shaped brow high in question and made to stand up. He thought for a moment that she would come to sit beside him, making his mind race for something to say that would not anger her, but she continued on her way to sit beside a giggling Tonks.

"Severus," observed Minerva, "it has been a mighty long time since I've seen you so dour."

He glared at the witch, who dismissed his look with a wave of her hand. He had given such a look to her so many times in the past that she completely disregarded them now as it lacked its original potency.

She considered him for a moment longer before continuing. "I was headed down to the dungeons this morning to discuss with you the arrival of Viktor's friends, but I was unexpectedly waylaid by Peeves terrorizing a few first-years."

The old Gryffindor got more and more like Dumbledore every time she started out a story like this.

"On my way back to find you, I encountered something of the most peculiar nature."

If his face could have gone more pasty, it would have.

"Your conversation with Professor Granger was quite enlightening," she said.

"Was it?" he muttered, sipping his tea and trying to not look at her knowing eyes.

"I only suggest you should be more careful with the way you conduct your conversations, especially with such a delicate topic as you two were discussing," she warned. "It could be heard by the wrong people and spread around the castle."

Like you would make sure to do.

He knew the woman was just aching to go tell it on a mountain. Or a crag, in her case.

"Is there anything else, Minerva?"

"Aye," she said and nodded. "I do not condone workplace romances, Severus, just as Albus did not. They, more often times than not, end badly. And with children who could be affected by it, I must ask for you not to push forward."

Now that was a double standard if he had ever heard one. Weren't Tonks and Lupin seeing each other? They clearly were not quiet about it, either. Hadn't Minerva herself had a fling with Albus many years ago? Wasn't she the one who was trying to match up Krum and Hermione? Perhaps she was trying to protect a fellow Gryffindor from the likes of him.

"Perhaps you misheard the conversation, Minerva. Miss Granger could not ever want more than a friendship with me," he stated blandly.

Minerva nodded. "I do not want to begrudge you some happiness, but tread lightly, Severus. I urge you to think about what the students might say, if you take up with a former student... one barely out of school."

"Noted."

"And what trouble could occur between you and Viktor," she said finally.

So that was the whole purpose of this conversation. She thought Viktor a better match for the girl. Unfortunately, Severus had to agree, but definitely begrudgingly.

"If you are finished, I need to go prepare some things for my next class," he excused himself.

Minerva sighed and told him she was indeed finished. For being a romantic to everyone else, the woman sure did not show it when he was in context. Severus quickly stood up and made his way toward the Hall entrance, only to feel someone watching him closely. He turned slightly to the side, spying the fact that both Tonks and Hermione were the ones watching him escape. It was only slightly gratifying when Hermione quickly snapped her eyes back to Tonks and blushed deeply.

He grumbled to himself. Someone was definitely going to pay dearly for this decidedly horrid day.