Seven

Chapter 7

Hermione tried to shut her eyes against the light, but like an impatient child it kept at her until she finally awoke fully. She glanced at the clock. She'd slept for only an hour all night. She'd cried, stared into space, rehashed events, and just mulled, but the thing she was looking for...sleep...had eluded her.

Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes. Her shoulders slumped. She had nowhere to be. She sunk back onto the bed. No, this wouldn't do at all. She had survived walking in on her husband of six years in an intimate moment with his whore, she would not let Severus Snape get the best of her. Rising again, she felt the depressive thoughts flow over her anyway. This was so much worse than her discovery of Ron, and she couldn't place why.

She remembered her admission to Severus that she hadn't loved Ron the way she should have. Could all this anger and depression be because she truly loved Severus? Her head hurt just thinking about it. She rose and went into the bathroom, rubbing her temple to ease the pounding within her skull. She hoped a shower would keep her mind off Severus. Unfortunately, the pounding water only made her think of his pounding on her door. She scrubbed quickly and shut the water off. "Enough!"

She dressed swiftly, throwing her jumper over her head in exasperation. She needed to talk to Severus, even if this was the last time she ever talked to him.

She touched the dragon necklace Portkey he'd given her and within seconds she was standing within the shop. The interior was dark; the place was obviously closed. Hermione went back into the lab. He hadn't been here yet. She wondered at that, as he never closed down the shop. What if he'd done something stupid? Worry filled her. She turned and with a pop, she was gone.

Appearing in front of Severus' home, she found the wards were down and his front door ajar. She knocked, but no sound came from within the house. Pushing the door open, the smell of alcohol assaulted her nose.

"Severus?" she called out. He didn't answer.

Hermione anxiously made her way into the sitting room. She found Severus there, his head draped over the back of the sofa, one leg stretched across it, the other one straight ahead, his arms akimbo.

"Severus?" she asked apprehensively.

"Uhhh," Severus muttered.

"Oh, thank Merlin you're all right," Hermione said as she stooped beside his sprawled out form.

"I ruin everything," he said in a slurred voice. "Should never open my mouth. It's filled with venom. Didn't need that stupid snake to bite me to fill me with it." He turned to Hermione and pointed a finger into her chest. "I know you can't be here, so you must be a vision. A beautiful vision, but I digress... I'm filled with venom. I should just... disappear." He waved his hand in the air. "Then I won't hurt anybody. Why do I always hurt the ones I love, Hermione-vision? I don't mean to. I just spit out that venom, and then they know what I'm filled with, and they never talk to me again."

"Severus, I'm talking to you." Hermione replied.

"See?! You can't be real. She would not be talking to me. She wouldn't forgive me." He got closer, and Hermione could smell the Firewhiskey on his breath. "Lily never forgave me either. Lily was right; I'm evil. You should run, Vision. Just go and be with real-Hermione or else I'll hurt you, too."

"Where's your sober-up, Severus?"

"Bathroom, right-hand drawer, why? You think I'm drunk? I'm not drunk?" he slurred.

"Of course not. I'll just be right back."

Hermione's mind raced as she made her way to the bathroom. He hadn't meant it, obviously. He was beating himself up about it right now. But he had a point. He could be venomous at times. Could she handle that? Did she even want to now that she'd been on the receiving end of his ire? She didn't have an answer to that. Not yet, at least. The next little while and what Severus said would determine that for her.

Returning to his side, she held out the potion. He scowled at it.

"I said I'm not drunk!"

"Drink the potion, Severus," Hermione demanded.

"Oh, Merlin, you're real. Only the real Hermione would take such a tone."

"Drink this so we can have a decent conversation... please," Hermione dictated.

"Yes, ma'am." He grabbed the potion and downed it in one swig. The effect was immediate. The slack jawed expression was gone. A look of sheer grief filled him before he looked away.

"Not only have I treated you abominably, now you have seen me at my most foolish," he muttered.

"Severus, can we talk?"

"Hermione, you were right. I'm not a good friend. I'm not a good anything. You're best to move on and leave me to my ugliness."

"Look, I know you were upset with me, but what you said..."

"Was unforgivable, I know." Severus looked down in his lap. "I know," he whispered.

Hermione reached out and pulled his chin until he was looking at her again. "I was going to say 'uncalled for'."

He pulled out of her grasp and returned his gaze to his lap. "I read Krum's letter after you left. You were right. He's giving me full rights to the labeling, and he is only taking 20% of the profit. He states that his business is flourishing, and he wants to make sure his Potions masters feel they're of worth." Severus gave a short, gruff chuckle. "Actually, I couldn't have asked for anything more perfect, and I owe it to you."

Hermione sniffed. "Perhaps if you'd read the whole letter instead of flying off the handle, we wouldn't be in this predicament." Her shoulders slumped. "Look, what you said yesterday... part of it... was true."

His gaze shot to hers. "What do you mean?"

"When you accused me of being a do-gooder." Hermione, too, looked down into her lap. "I can't help myself, sometimes. I just hate seeing people suffering unjustly."

"I am sorry that I said what I did," Severus told her. "I was just angry. I said things I never meant to say to you."

"Deep down you think it, or you'd not have said it. Do you really think that Ron..." She choked up and couldn't go on.

He looked up then. "I think Ron is the biggest fool on the Earth to have let you go. To not spend his time with you but to go elsewhere just because of his celebrity is the most foul thing a man can do. If you were mine, I would treasure every minute with you."

"Do you mean it?" she asked tentatively.

"It doesn't matter. What I said to you was unforgivable."

"Severus, do you think me to be the type who holds a grudge? I don't like that you exploded at me. Not one bit. I should have told you what I was doing from the start, and I'm sorry for not doing that. Perhaps if I had explained Viktor's business before suggesting you submit your potions to him, you would have been open to that suggestion. You were so adamant, though, I took it upon myself and went behind your back. It won't happen again. Ever." She took his hand.

"As for what you did," she continued, "I can't have you be cruel like that to me again. I understand anger; I understand fighting, but I won't have you throwing slurs at me because you're trying to wound me. If you are going to be like that, we can just forget about any possible romance between the two of us. It won't work out."

His head snapped up, and he stared at her. "You mean after what I said, you are willing to move forward with a relationship?"

"That was what you were going to ask me before the owl knocked at your window, wasn't it?"

"Yes, but..."

"Then ask me."

"Hermione..."

"Ask me, Severus, please," she whispered.

"Would you consider deepening our relationship? I find the more I am with you, the more I am... falling in love with you."

"Severus, I'm falling in love with you, too. I was so hurt by what you said that it felt like I couldn't breathe."

"Hermione, I promise you I won't use such tactics against you in the future. I will not let the venom within me poison you ever again."

She smiled then. "You are more than just venom, you know. Please, let's just put this behind us."

His eyes filled with warmth and gratitude. "You are worth more than any treasure imaginable," he said before pulling her to him and kissing her.

Hermione's heart soared. Severus' lips covered hers, and his tongue finally pressed her for entrance. Soon they were entangled in each other's arms, enjoying one another in a new way. Hermione groaned with the movement of Severus' lips. His kisses became even more insistent with her moans. At long last she pulled away.

"Your Slytherin tactics worked," she said breathlessly.

Severus arched an eyebrow at her. "Whatever do you mean?"

"I know you were trying to drive me crazy this last week. You wanted me so off kilter that I would just fall into your arms when you suggested we get together." She poked him in the chest. "Don't think I didn't know what you were doing."

"I swear... I am innocent."

Hermione tilted her head. "No, sir. You are as guilty as they come. Nonetheless, your little trick worked."

"You haven't fallen into my arms just yet," Severus replied.

Hermione threw herself into Severus' lap and put her arms around him. His arms embraced her as she leaned back. "Is that better?" she asked coyly.

Severus smiled then. "Ah, my plan has finally brought me my hearts desire." His smile deepened. "I see, though, that you will be hard to fool, my lady."

She kissed him on the nose. "Don't forget it, either."

Further conversation was impossible for Severus had once again pulled her to him and occupied her mouth in much better ways than conversation.

A/N: Geez, sorry for the delay. Am not quite sure how it became September so quickly. Thanks for reading, and thanks to slytherinlaurel for the beta work.