Advances and Retreats

I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters; J. K. Rowling does. In addition, I do not make any profit from this fanfiction. Huge thank you to my betas Valady and AmyLouise.

Cinderella Man

Smash an hourglass, grab the sand, take his hand and cup 'em

Spit a rhyme to freeze a clock, take the hands of time and cuff 'em

Cinderella man, Cinderella man, Cinderella man, Cinderella man*

Advances and Retreats

Severus took off his sweatshirt, gently draped it over Hermione's shoulders, and led her from the bakery.

Black noticed them the moment they stepped outside, and of course, instantly began his ritual happy jumping...a habit of which Severus didn't approve. On the contrary, he found it quite annoying and tolerated it only because the pup was still young.

"Calm down, Black. Sit," muttered Severus quietly, trying to mollify his overly enthusiastic pet.

Naturally Hermione, even in her more-than-a-little distressed condition, reacted to Black just as most women did. Actually, the pup was a true magnet for ladies. It didn't surprise Severus all that much, however. He did name him Black after all, and evidently, certain legacies were awoken and transferred. Thus, Severus was ready for Hermione's delighted, "Oh." She walked closer and bent down in order to pet Black's furry head. "Hello, there," she said softly, and then, turning to Severus, asked, "Is he yours?"

The wizard didn't answer right away as he was thoroughly captivated by the sight of Hermione's delicate fingers gently caressing the pup's black fur. Severus felt a pang of absolutely uncalled for envy piercing his heart. Oh, please, don't be ridiculous, he scolded himself. Though it still seemed utterly unfair that Black was receiving the affection for which he had been yearning for so long.

"What's his name?"

Hermione's question interrupted Severus' ponderings. The huskiness of her voice reminded him about the witch's soaked dress and her icy fingers, forcing him to spur into action. The wizard shrugged his shoulders at the absurdity of his train of thoughts, tore his eyes from the witch's hands, and finally replied, "Yes, I must confess that this scandalously behaving creature is mine. His name is Black," as he hurriedly untied Black's leash.

"Black?!"

Smirking at Hermione's perplexed face, he commented, "Unexpected, I know. But, as you can see, it's a fitting name for him." And with that, Severus picked up Black from the ground. Keeping the pup under his arm, he took a gentle hold of Hermione's elbow and guided her towards the park. "You are cold. We need to get going before you catch pneumonia," he murmured. Hermione nodded, though she still eyed him with a quizzical expression.

The fact that they made it to the park in silence alarmed Severus. He couldn't help but wonder just where his smiling and chatty Miss Granger had gone? A few heavy sighs that Hermione drew while they were walking also indicated that she indeed had returned to her previous melancholy state. Worry and anger began to grow in Severus' heart as he discreetly watched the witch's face. What, for Merlin's sake, had happened? Just what had that oaf done? Those questions were spinning on the tip of his tongue, and yet he chose to wait. First things first...he needed to make the girl comfortable. There would be time for questions later.

Once they reached the park's secluded area, Severus gave her a short warning, "Hold onto me, Hermione," and Apparated all three of them home. Purely by accident of course, the arm that had been holding Hermione's elbow shifted during their short journey and somehow ended up wound tightly around Hermione's waist. Oh, how he savoured those few seconds of heaven. It had been so bloody long since he last held a woman in his arms, and even longer since he had held the woman he loved. He would have enjoyed those seconds even more if the dog under his other arm had stopped squirming. The moment they landed, the extremely discontented Black jumped out of Severus' hands, and as soon as his paws touched the floor, the dog fled under the sofa with a displeased grumble. The pup obviously wasn't too pleased with Side-Along Apparition.

After Black deserted him, the wizard became only too aware that his arm was still wrapped around Hermione's waist, and her slight body was still tightly pressed against his. The girl in his arms stayed suspiciously quiet. He was so much taller than she that he only could see her wild curls. Maybe she is dizzy, deduced Severus. His extremely loud heartbeat was pulsing wildly in his temples, making it difficult to hear anything. Finally, Severus managed to detect her shallow breathing, which was warming his shirt somewhere around his chest pocket. Well, at least she is definitely not shivering anymore, thought the wizard, while he was futilely trying to calm his pounding heart.

"Hh-hmm." He cleared his throat and awkwardly stepped back, reluctantly removing his arm from the witch's waist. "I think a warm shower is in order, Hermione." Now, when he finally could see her face, he observed the lightly blushing witch. At his words, she began to shake her head vigorously.

"I am quite alright, Severus, really. There is no need for a hassle," she replied quietly, demurely wrapping her arms around her body, as if she felt too exposed. Actually, the wizard was exceedingly aware that her wet dress clung to her every alluring curve. However, he decided that it was impolite to ogle and focused on Hermione's face instead.

"I'll just use a drying charm," continued the witch, "I honestly don't know why I didn't use it earlier. I am such an idiot sometimes." With that said, she summoned her wand and was ready to cast a charm.

"No!" exclaimed Severus before he could stop himself, "Don't use the drying charm!"

Startled, Hermione gave him an anxious look. "Why?"

Utterly frustrated with himself, Severus inwardly cursed Pansy Parkinson, nervously pinched the bridge of his nose and attempted to explain, "As I have recently found out, the drying charm causes clothes to shrink." He paused, feeling that he succeeded only in making a complete fool of himself. Then, he took a breath and bravely continued, "It is a nice dress, and it would be a shame if you ruined it with a charm."

"Oh." Hermione blushed even darker rose colour. "I didn't know that. Though I don't use it that often. Still, Severus, I am fine, truly. I am already almost dry anyway."

"Nonsense." Not listening to Hermione's weak protests, the wizard conjured a fresh towel and a robe. "Here. The bathroom is down the hallway," he said in his most authoritative tone. "Go, you'll feel better. Meanwhile, I will make tea." That seemed to work, because the witch drew yet another sigh and took the towel and the robe from Severus' hands.

"Thank you," she said and disappeared in the corridor.

Twenty minutes later, when Hermione emerged from the bathroom, Severus had already served tea on a table in the living room. He regarded her the moment she appeared at the end of the hallway. His robe was entirely too big for her, and she was literally swallowed by the velvety green fabric. Still, she unquestionably looked better than before the shower. Warm water had erased the signs of fatigue, giving her skin that special after-bath glow. Her wet mahogany curls cascaded down her shoulders. The sight made the wizard's fingers itch with an intense ardour to touch them. No, he wanted much more than to simply touch them...he wanted to be tangled in them, feel their silky heaviness, inhale their jasmine scent.

"Um, where can I put my dress?" she asked bashfully.

Severus took the garment from her, and a second later it was floating in front of the window. "Yes, I think it'll do."

He then guided Hermione to the table where a pot of freshly brewed tea was waiting for them. Hermione sat down on the sofa, while Severus settled in the armchair on the other side of the table. Black surfaced a few milliseconds later, and boldly placed himself on Hermione's feet, earning himself a giggle from Hermione and an exasperated humph of 'Casanova' from Severus.

They started their tea in silence again. Severus just couldn't decide when would be the right time to begin asking questions. And so, he patiently waited.

Finally, after a second cup of Earl Grey and a third piece of baguette with jam, Hermione, to Severus' immense relief, began to talk. Her quietness worried him. The Miss Granger he knew couldn't stop talking even for a minute, and frankly, he missed her continuous babbling. Thus, he was genuinely glad when she focused her eyes on him and asked, "Isn't it bizarre that we met like this, in the bakery? I had been walking around London all night. I could have ended up anywhere. And yet, I walked into that bakery, your bakery."

"Peculiar, indeed," he remarked. "However," he continued, "the question that concerns me right now is why had you been walking all night? What happened, Hermione?"

Hermione bit her lip and lowered her caramel eyes, concentrating on her teacup once again. Her fingers began to tremble, causing the porcelain in her hands to tinkle melodically. Watching her wrestling with her emotions, Severus had a sudden urge to sit near her, to take her small hands into his and comfort her somehow. Though he certainly wasn't an expert in comforting witches. Maybe, a wild thought bolted through his mind, I just need to confess my love to her.

After a short contemplation, however, the notion about confessing was dismissed as completely untimely, unsubtle, and unwise. The wizard suppressed his impulses, and instead of declaring his feelings, he simply repeated, "Hermione, please, tell me what happened?"

His 'please' probably did the trick, and the witch told him everything. She told him how from the very beginning she always had felt that something had been missing between Ron and her. How, at first, she had thought that maybe it would get better with time, but it hadn't. How, later, her little doubts and concerns had slowly grown into huge ones. How she had felt rushed by Ron and pressured by their friends and family into saying 'yes'. And how she eventually had begun to suffocate with all that tension around her.

Severus absorbed Hermione's words eagerly. He found the facts to be very comforting. He was afraid that Ronald Weasley had done something stupid and broken the witch's heart. He would have to simply kill the nitwit if that was the case. Luckily, it was she who broke the engagement.

Remarkably, it had been Molly Weasley who had noticed Hermione's growing uneasiness with the wedding. The older witch simply had cornered Hermione, and once they had talked, she had given Hermione her blessing. As Molly herself had put it, "It will be better to call off the wedding now than to live through divorce later. My heart breaks for Ron. He is my baby, and I know he truly loves you. But, Hermione, you are like a daughter to me as well. I don't want you to marry him because it's expected of you. It's not a solid reason. I want happiness for all my children. Enough sacrifices have been made already. Go and talk to him, dear."

After listening to that particular detail, Severus had to admit that he felt grateful to Molly for what she had done, even though it pained him to do so.

"Yesterday I talked to Ron," the witch continued her story. "He wasn't as understanding as Molly. He just couldn't comprehend why I had said 'yes' in the first place. Why did I wait for so long? He called me a traitor and a coward. I think that he is right. I am a coward and a traitor. I misled him by letting him believe that I love him. I should have been strong and honest and said 'No'."

The witch's voice broke, and Severus could no longer restrain himself. The last couple of weeks of misery, and the previous night's excessive drinking, took a toll on the wizard's self control. He rose urgently from his place and in a few hurried strides covered the distance between the armchair and the sofa.

Once he reached her, he took her hands into his and spoke, "Hermione, listen to me. You made a mistake, yes. But we all make mistakes sometimes; that's what makes us human. The important thing is that you managed to remedy it before it became too late. Take it from a wizard who knows a few things about 'mistakes' and 'too late'. It was a very brave thing to do, and you are not a coward and certainly not a traitor. Ronald Weasley was never very bright. However, when he does find a witch who loves him, he'll thank you, you'll see. You just gave him a chance to find his true happiness."

Hermione sniffled and lifted her face to look at him. "Thank you," she whispered and smiled. "Thank you for everything."

Sitting so close to her that their knees were touching and still keeping her hands in his, Severus gazed into her eyes, almost amber from tears, for a long moment. He felt her warm breath on his face and smelled the scent of his sandalwood soap on her skin. Emotions flooded him, causing his mind to lose its grip on reality just for a second. The fact that Hermione didn't avert her eyes and didn't remove her hands from his only drove him even deeper into sheer madness. And when she parted her lips slightly and let out a shaky breath, Severus came utterly undone.

The last logical thought fled from his mind, and he captured her succulent lips in a kiss. Tentative at first, he felt how she froze just for a moment. However, before he could retreat, her hands wrapped themselves around his neck. A heartbeat later she responded to his demands and opened her mouth for him. The kiss quickly became deep and passionate. Euphoric, Severus began to place open mouth kisses on Hermione's neck, while his fingers found the belt of her robe and untied it.

Sure enough, that unsanctioned bliss was extremely short lived. As soon as Severus' hands parted her robe, the witch stiffened. "I have to go," she whispered suddenly, her eyes wide, and her palms now frantically pressed into his chest.

Severus instantly realised his mistake. "I am sorry, Hermione, I shouldn't have," he muttered and promptly removed himself from the witch and the sofa.

Hermione sprung up hurriedly and repeated her agitated, "I have to go."

"Hermione, please, let me explain," pleaded the wizard and tried to catch her arm.

Alas, he wasn't quick enough. The witch disappeared with a pop, just as she was, wearing his robe and leaving behind her dress, which was still floating in front of the window.

Severus muttered, "Shit," and sagged into his armchair.

* Eminem/Cinderella Man