Three: Books

Disclaimer: It all belongs to JKR.

A/N: Forgive the cliches. They infiltrated this segment. *ducks rotten vegetables*

Morethansirius gave me a delicious prompt - Severus (unexpectedly) asking Hermione out and then having to come up with a first date location - and it absolutely ran away from me.

Prepare for more backstory than you ever wanted. *headdesk*

Severus had treated Hermione to a new book at Flourish & Blotts – he himself had had the desire to read fiction, as well. (Hermione had shot straight to the Muggle Classics section.) They were now spread out on their sofa, each reading their new gateway to paradise.

Well, Hermione had been reading Jane Eyre. She was asleep in his arms.

He shifted – her weight was comfortable, but his limbs were angled at such –

There, he thought as her body slipped down to the couch, her hips resting in the V of his thighs. His legs felt much better now.

He inhaled the smell of her – she was all spice and sweetness at the same time. The roses, he thought. She bathed with floral-scented body wash; it seemed that the aroma in the flat only brought out her scent more –

Which reminded him…

*

Three Years Ago

Severus was in a foul snit. He’d bumped into Hermione fucking Granger not once but twice in a single day.

That was more than double his yearly quota.

He would rather not see any member of the Golden Trio – for that matter, any Gryffindor (ever) – but given Minerva’s scathing tongue and Remus Lupin’s unfortunate ability to send him on a guilt trip, he was currently in attendance at the annual Anniversary ball.

A wretched event, he thought. He and Lupin owed each other their sanity, and as the two remnants of a lost generation, they had become – better acquainted. Friends, if one were optimistic. When Lupin needed a break from his wife, his terrible son, or the Weasleys who festered in his house on a weekly basis, he came to Severus, whose supply of firewhiskey was second only to that of Hogwarts’ formidable Headmistress.

But the damn ball – to make a long story short, Lupin’s “If I’m going, you’re going” speech inexplicably worked every year.

*

If it wasn’t enough that the room was currently crowded with inept and inane Ministry sycophants, Fate had decided to curse him with Her presence.

His fucking savior.

Hermione had been the only one with the presence of mind to remember that Severus had been bleeding out on the floor of the Shrieking Shack. She and Kingsley had retrieved him and subsequently taken him to St. Mungo’s. Much as they would have preferred to keep him in the Order’s care, no one had the medical expertise to treat him.

Lupin had been his roommate in the hospital.

*

He threw back a shot and casually observed the dance floor, where Tonks was running roughshod over Lupin’s feet, Minerva and Kingsley were fighting over who would lead, and Hermione Granger was –

Dancing with Viktor Krum.

And looking far too good doing it.

Did she realize how much thigh she was showing?

She hadn’t been showing that much skin at Flourish & Blott’s earlier, Severus could tell that.

He threw back another shot. The annoying know-it-all had had the audacity to save him, see him against his wishes in the hospital, and then fight with him upon his release over whether or not he should have weekly check-ups.

He had won. They had not spoken since.

They had, of course, seen each other, and Severus preferred to not dwell on the exaggerated swing she threw into her hips whenever she walked by him.

Saucy wench.

Decent women did not walk like that.

Or dance like that, either.

The song ended, and he left the ball with a singular destination in mind.

*

He arrived in the Hogwarts gardens a mere moment later. They had been his respite – his sanctuary. Here, among the enchanted lilac bushes, the plethora of rose bushes, the flowerbeds, the shrubs, the weeping willows – here he found peace. Solace. Connection. With something. Anything.

He walked slowly along the paths, breathing in the flowers’ rich scent –

He bent over a bush of Double Delight roses – a ridiculous name, but a gorgeous flower. He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly, savoring each whiff, oh the scent, so sweet –

“Professor?”

He jerked upwards, scratching his cheek along a thorn.

“Bloody –”

“Here,” she said.

And then he realized.

Hermione Granger.

Had she followed him?

Fuck, he thought.

She pulled a handkerchief out of her –

“Forgive me, Miss Granger, but why do you keep a handkerchief in your cleavage?”

She blushed prettily as she cupped his clean cheek with one hand and dabbed the cut one with the cloth.

“I have a cold, and there’s nowhere else to put it.”

Well, the dress did wrap about her like cling-film.

*

“Professor, I have a question for you,” she said, still dabbing his cheek.

“Mm.” Gods, keep –

“Why do you hate me so much?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Damn.

“What did I do to you, honestly?” she continued. “I saved your life and you turned me away! You refuse to speak with me! I’m shocked that you’re doing so right now –”

Oh, what a man will do for attractive scenery, he thought, suddenly desperate to cut off the flurry of accusations she was launching at him. It was Angry Female Speech, and it was fucking disconcerting. What could he do to shut her up? Oh come on, something, anything –

“Let me take you to dinner.”

Well, fuck.

*

That hadn’t been quite what he’d had in mind, but it certainly did the trick. She clammed up and gasped.

“Um –” she stuttered. “Ah, okay?”

Silence.

“Why?” she asked suddenly.

‘To shut you up’ did not seem like a good answer.

Neither did ‘Because your dress looks like cling-film and it would peel off nicely.’

“Ah – I’ll explain tomorrow.”

Surely he could come up with a reason by then?

And he Apparated away. Not entirely graceful, but bloody fuck, what was he supposed to do?

And where the hell was he supposed to take her?

Lying in bed wide awake hours later, having exhausted his remembered list of all Muggle and magical restaurants in the area, it dawned on him.

There was a very large Muggle bookstore that had a café very near the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron.

Barnes & Noble, he thought it was called. That should make her happy.

*

A/N: Yes, I made Lupin and Tonks undead. They are two of my favorites and I was very put out about that. *hmph*