Eight

Something happened.

Something bad.

Hermione groaned and opened an eye, trying to remember why this feeling of dread had settled over her. It was Saturday, so she hadn't overslept...

"Oh my god!" she sat up in bed, dislodging the long freckled arm draped across her torso. "Ron, wake up!"

How could this have happened? She fell victim to one of the classic plunders! The two most well-known being "Never get involved in a land war in Asia" followed by "Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line." Only women knew the third: "Never have sex with your ex right after your friends tells you they're getting married and you aren't."

"What have we done?" she moaned into her hands.

Ron sat up next to her. "Oh, god, Hermione...I'm so, so sorry.. I was-"

"Drunk and feeling vulnerable because your friend, who is younger than you, is getting married and you're not?" Hermione supplied hopefully.

"Drunk," Ron finished.

Hermione decided that they both looked equal parts of relieved and offended.

Ron turned away and rested his arms on his knees. "Why wasn't it this awkward before?"

Hermione mimicked his posture and shook her head. "I think because we were both...thinking about getting back together this time."

Ron could only agree.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"So'm I." She threw her head forward and grasped the back of her neck with both hands. "What will Ginny and Harry think of me?" she moaned.

"What will they think of me?" he countered.

They sat in silence for what seemed like ages.

Hermione looked up. "It's really over now, isn't it?"

Sadness flitted across his face. "Yeah."

They both smiled bravely at each other, but there was nothing more to say. It was really, really done. She was ready to move on.

"We had a good go," she offered.

Ron put his arm around her and pulled her into his chest. "I'll always love you, Hermione. I mean it, I'm not just saying it because we're breaking up and I want to stay friends or at the very least not have you hate me. I will always, always love you."

A few tears escaped her tightly clenched eyes. "Me too," she whispered. "Me too."

The week went by quicker than she thought it would. Severus was a little cool towards her, but he began to sit with her and share his paper again. The Quidditch scandal continued, though fewer names were being printed. Games were being replayed, and The Cup was once again in a good way to come to Britain. There was a picture in the Sport's Page one day of Ron and Gabrielle De La Cour (as well as Bill and Fleur) after he had won a rather important game, and Hermione tried her best to not be jealous, though she did feel a rather sharp twinge in her chest at how happy Ron looked with his arm around Gabrielle. In truth, it probably meant absolutely nothing. At least, she'd keep telling herself that.

"You all right?" Katherine asked her Friday evening as they were clasping their cloaks around their necks.

"Fine," Hermione lied, brave smile still firmly in place.

"Yeah, right."

"Good night, Miss Christiansen. Miss Granger, would you mind staying behind a moment?" Severus asked as they were about to leave.

"G'night, sir," Katherine said, giving Hermione a squeeze on the shoulder.

Hermione felt a chill in her stomach at his words. She had been completely absorbed with work all week, and she knew that her potions had been some of the best of her life. He couldn't possibly be able to chide her for that, could he?

"Yes, sir?"

Severus put his hand on her elbow. "In my office, Hermione."

So he was using her first name again. Had he heard about her and Ron? Had he heard about Ginny and Harry? The Weasley's were going to have a huge party to celebrate the beginning of winter and announce the engagement then, but Mrs. Weasley was so excited about her only daughter getting married that she seemed to be telling everyone she came across about the "big secret."

"Is everything all right, Severus?"

He smiled down at her and steered her towards a chair by the fire, which was built up and crackling merrily. There was another chair next to hers, and he sat in it.

"Everything is fine. I just wanted to see how you are."

Hermione put her head down. "So you've heard about Harry and Ginny?"

"Potter and the Weasley girl? What about them?" He held up his hand. "Never mind, I don't care, and I can't keep up this façade forever."

Hermione laughed. "Then don't. I prefer you mean and nasty."

"Very well. Then I'll tell you that your potions this week were book-perfect, but absolutely dismal, and if you don't snap out of this funk, I may be forced to write a report about you."

Summoning up her best Gryffindor smile, Hermione stared straight into Severus's black eyes and lied. "I'm fine, Severus. I just have had a lot on my mind lately, and a lot to do. I am sorry that my potions were dismal. I will endeavor to do better next week."

Severus sighed. "You won't endeavor to do better, you simply will or I will find that I don't require your services any longer."

They both sat silently for a moment, she attempting not to laugh, and he looking as though he were absorbing something about her that she didn't understand.

"There is one other thing I wished to speak with you about. A position will be opening here at the hospital in the Charms department. I know that you were always good at Charms, but that is not why I bring it up. Your name was mentioned at the staff meeting, and the chairman, Peter Piedmont, wants you to apply for the position. I feel that you should as well, particularly considering your goals."

Hermione remembered the coarse, rather brash man from The Wand and Pistil.

"I...I don't think I should."

"Why ever not?"

Hermione considered all of the delicate implications in her reasons why not, but then decided to tell Severus anyway.

"Lucius Malfoy introduced Mister Piedmont to me. That night at the pub. Remember?"

"I remember you talking to Malfoy despite my rather strong warning."

"I remember you looking rather cozy with a very pretty Witch."

"Jealous?"

Hermione made the slightest shake of her head. "You?"

"Of course not. And I still don't understand why you wouldn't apply for a position simply because Piedmont suggested you."

Hermione stared at the dancing flames of the fire, trying to shake off the urge to throw herself at Severus. "Lucius introduced us. If I took the position, it'd seem as though he gave me a favor. I don't want to accept favors from Lucius Malfoy, despite what you think about him and me."

She looked up from the fire to see Severus staring at her with a completely inscrutable look on his face.

"I want to meet with him," she said.

"Why?" he was still giving her that look.

"I want to know what his ideas are regarding the orphanage. Right now might be a really fine time for him to start making his moves, and I did promise to consider his proposition."

"Then why tell me?"

Why indeed? "You seemed...upset that I had ignored your warnings, even though I hadn't." She gave him a hard look. "I want you to go with me. He probably won't say anything inappropriate in front of you, and if he tries to deviate from the subject at hand, you could keep us on track."

"You don't think you could do that on your own?"

"Gryffindors. We get distracted by shiny objects."

"Hermione, please don't lie to me when you are asking me a favor."

"I just want you there, all right? Do I have to have an excuse?"

"And all I want you to do is apply for a Charms position, and you behave as though it's the most repugnant thing in the world, despite your aptitude for the work."

"It does feel rather as though you're trying to get rid of me."

The corner of Severus's mouth turned up ever so slightly in a smile, and Hermione smiled back.

"If I simply wanted to 'get rid' of you, I can assure you that there are far simpler ways."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"Indeed."

"Simpler, but perhaps traceable?"

"Not a stain would mar my lily-white hands." Expressively, he held out his hands first palm-side-down, and then with a slight flourish, moved them upwards. Contrasted against his black robes, they looked incredibly pale. "Really, Hermione, don't underestimate me."

She gave a laugh. "Well, I'll apply for the position on the condition that you arrange a meeting between Lucius and me, and promise that you will come too."

"As you wish."

She left the room before she did something rash, like kiss him.

Hermione ended up at her usual haunt that night, mostly because she didn't have any food at her flat, and she did need to eat. When she walked in, she very nearly turned around and walked back out again, because Harry and Ginny were sitting at "their" table, and they both looked up when she walked in.

Well, there was no hope for it, she was just going to have to confront them and explain to Ginny how she had used her brother the other night, and how heartily ashamed of herself she was.

"Hermione!" Ginny said, running to her and throwing her arms around her. Harry did likewise, and then with his arm around her shoulders, he steered her to the table.

"I am so sorry," Ginny started when they were all seated. "Harry and I did not mean to keep you out of the celebration the other night, but I wanted to tell my family first. Tradition and all that."

"Well, that," Harry said, "and there was something else..."

"Oh, you're going to think we're beasts," Ginny said.

"And it's no reflection on you," Harry added. "I just want you to know that we love you, and I loved...that night was incredible. You were incredible."

"But that was when we realized..."

"We knew that you would wonder what caused us to finally make a decision and set a date."

"And you'd never ask in front of my parents and brothers."

"I mean, it's between us, right? No one else's business, the nosy bastards."

"Five reporters have cornered me at The Ministry, and they all want to know. Why did I tell my mum? She's telling everyone!"

Hermione held up her hand to stop their flow of words. "All right. I'm clever, I'll grant you that, but I have no clue what you two are going on about. However, before you begin explaining-clearly this time, okay?-I just want to get this off my chest. I am really sorry about the other night. I know it seemed that Ron and I were getting back together and everything, but we weren't. We aren't. Ever. And...and I think I'm going to stop my experimentation. I think...I think I was using people, not that they weren't using me back, but I think I was using all of you to work out my feelings with Ron, and that wasn't right. Anyway, I'm really sorry, Ginny. I do love your brother, but there will never be anything more. He and I have discussed it, so don't think that I just left him hanging. I am better than that."

Ginny and Harry stared at her in bewilderment.

"Oh," Ginny said.

"Right," Harry said.

"Don't you two have a clue what I'm talking about?"

"You and Ron shagged that night," Ginny said. "But Hermione, we knew that you two were just sort of comforting each other."

"You're adults, you can do whatever you like. If we were to get down on you about that, we'd be hypocrites."

"So you're not angry? With us? But you don't understand...you must think I'm the sluttiest slag this side of the Nile. I have been shagging just about anything that will stand still long enough for the past several months, including the both of you. What must you think of me?"

Ginny and Harry exchanged a look. "You know," Harry said, "Ginny and I broke up and dated other people, and then made up only to break up again for the first few years of our relationship. You and Ron never did that. I just consider whatever it is that you're up to now as making up for lost time."

Ginny held her hand over the table. "You're a wonderful, beautiful woman, Hermione. You're smart and talented, and you have a good head on your shoulders. Whatever you've been doing with whomever you want to do it with is probably safer and more meaningful than most people's one-night stands. Don't feel ashamed. You should never feel ashamed of yourself."

"You can only go forward," Harry added.

"But this world, Ginny...it's so old-fashioned! Even if I did meet a wonderful Wizard, what are the chances that he wouldn't care that I've slept with most everyone I've ever known?"

Ginny shrugged. "Who cares what you did before? The new year is coming, Hermione, and with it, a new life for all of us. That's all that matters. Moving forward, like Harry said. Finding who you really are."

"And whoever that Wizard is, he'd be an idiot to not thank every single one of your partners for making you into the self-assured sexually aware Witch that you are today. Well, maybe not so self-assured this minute, but the second you get him into your bed, he'd better look out."

"Do you want anything to eat?" Ginny asked, changing the subject abruptly.

"Oh...yes. My usual."

Ginny left to thread her way to the counter, and Harry turned back to Hermione.

"We were hoping we'd see you tonight. We kept wondering why you were avoiding us."

"I wasn't avoiding you."

"Ginny thought it was because we hadn't invited you that night."

"Oh, you didn't have to worry about that, it was obviously a family event."

Harry took a drink of his beer and wiped his mouth. "Well, like we were trying to say earlier, we had been planning on telling you personally away from everyone else. You see, you played a very important role in the two of us finally making a decision."

"Because of your birthday?" Hermione blushed a little at that thought.

"Yes." Harry took her hand. "You see, we realized the next day that as completely wonderful as that was, we prefer each other, and we only want to be with each other for the rest of our lives. You probably think we're horrible."

Ginny sat back down and put a drink in front of Hermione.

"I don't think you two are horrible. After all...we were just experimenting, right? I mean, I knew it was a once-only fling. You don't have to explain to me."

"Yes, but we felt it had to be obvious to you," Ginny said.

Hermione laughed. "It wasn't obvious at all. I assumed that you both had gotten on with your careers and were ready to finally settle down. You do know that no one will be easy until the two of you have a baby, right?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Especially my mum."

"Arthur is convinced that Ginny is already pregnant, and that's the real reason why we're waiting a year."

"That way, no one can say that we moved forward too quickly."

A waiter brought their meals, and they were about to dig in when Hermione saw a dark figure looming in the doorway. He gave Hermione a slight nod and approached their table. Harry frowned, but Ginny stared at Hermione, obviously wondering what her reaction would be.

"Hello, Severus," she said. "Would you care to join us?"

"We'll wait for you," Ginny added.

Severus sat down next to Hermione and gave Harry a polite nod. "Potter. Miss Weasley. What on earth are you eating, Hermione?"

"Curried potatoes."

"Indian curry, English bread."

"They taste fantastic together," she assured him.

"What do you have against Naan?"

"What do you have against my own personal tastes? I'm in an English pub, and they never make Naan crispy enough for me, and I like it crispy."

"I doubt there's a clay oven in the kitchen."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "We have powers beyond what any Muggle could ever imagine, and yet we can't manage to make crispy enough flat bread."

"I'm sure they'd deep fry it for you," Ginny added with deceptive helpfulness.

Hermione made a face and Severus dipped a piece of baguette into her curry.

"Go get your own," she muttered, nudging him with her elbow.

"And miss the way your nose wrinkles so unattractively when you get annoyed? Surely not."

Hermione looked over at her friends to make a comment about Severus but stopped when she noticed the look of horror on Harry's face, and frank curiosity on Ginny's. Ginny even had the audacity to give them both a bright smile.

"When did you two get so close?" Harry demanded.

"We work together, Harry," Hermione said. In answer, he made a face, but it was probably more due to the fact that Ginny had very obviously kicked him.

"Have you received an invitation from my mother for our Winter Solstice celebration?" Ginny asked Severus, blatantly changing the subject.

"I have, thank you for inquiring."

"I hope you can make it. Hermione does, too."

Hermione felt like kicking Ginny, especially when Severus grew a little cold and stood up.

"I would not want to disappoint either of you, so I have already sent my RSVP to your mother. I will see you at the party. Hermione, I will see you tomorrow night. I have arranged the meeting that you asked me about."

"Oh, thank you, sir. I will see you later, then."

He nodded and left, and Hermione felt very despondent but tried to hide it.

"I'm sorry," Ginny said.

"No, it's okay. I guess..." she didn't finish the sentence. She guessed what? That she had misread her relationship with Severus? Apparently so. She had actually been feeling quite...friendly towards him. More than friendly.

"I can't believe this," Harry muttered.

"I think I need to go. I'll talk to you both tomorrow."

"Don't splinch yourself," Ginny cautioned. "Walk if you have to."

Hermione nodded numbly and decided to walk the few blocks to her flat. Along the way, she thought about Severus and why she had feelings towards him. How could she, anyway? She had finally just ended things with Ron!

Well, no...she hadn't just ended things with Ron, but she had finally given up on the idea of Ron. She had also finally given up on her idea of being a female Casanova. Men like Lucius Malfoy thought that she was a ripe fruit for plucking, and while her friends didn't really care much about what she did, other women would think she was a tramp. She was twenty-six years old, and single with her entire life ahead of her. Really, that was a good place to be.

She rounded the corner and walked up the steps to her building, removing her key from her pocket as she did so.

"Miss Granger."

She turned, flushing as Severus Snape came out of the shadows and moved towards her, his face set grimly. They didn't speak, he simply took the key from her hand and opened the outer door, then motioned for her to precede him inside. She led him to her flat where he once again opened her door for her and followed her within.

Bubo was on his perch, resting up for midnight when he would go out to scrounge and fly and meet with the other owls. Crookshanks lay on the table, a ginger cushion of fur. Neither of them looked up when Severus came up behind her and pulled her against him. When he turned her and pressed his lips to hers, they continued sleeping in silence. When he pushed her up against the wall, though, they both discretely left the flat to allow their mistress her privacy.

Severus maneuvered her so that she was straddling him, and he moved between aggressively, his intent marked by his actions. She wore next to nothing underneath her skirt, and she could feel the buttons from his placket against her, smooth and hard, and behind them, more smooth hardness. She ground against him slightly and gasped. The buttons were cool against her hot skin. They felt exquisite. He opened his mouth over hers and she willingly thrust her tongue inside, enjoying the taste of him and the way he slid against her, exploring within as they continued to pleasure themselves against each other.

Then, as abruptly as it had all begun, it stopped and he set her down.

"I can't do this," he rasped out, his voice hoarse. They were both shaking with need and she was about to slide down onto the floor; her legs were like jelly.

"W-what do you mean?"

He moved to the door. "I mean that I will not do this. I won't... I will not enter into this sort of a relationship with you unless we are very clear about a few things."

She hesitated, studying him as blood began pumping to her brain once again. "All right." It seemed a safe thing to say.

"I do not like to share, Hermione. I will not share. Not you. If you want me, if you want to try and make this work, I want you to know that up front so there is no question later."

Hermione tried her hardest to wrap her sex-addled brain around what he was saying. "I see."

"Please, do not think of this as an ultimatum. In fact, I feel that we should not make any sort of decision regarding a pending future relationship until after you have been promoted to a different department. I wouldn't want the gossip wags to say that we had something on the side, and infer that you were promoted purely because of that. Plus, you will have plenty of time that way to decide whether you wish to give up your freedom for something a little more permanent."

Something more permanent. Gossip. Promotion. Ultimatums. His words were finally sinking in, and she realized that he was offering to be her lover-her exclusive lover. But not while she was his underling. He was also giving her a chance to think about it and decide if she wanted it.

"All right, I will think about it."

He nodded. "All I came here to tell you was that I forgot to tell you that we are meeting Lucius at Chantelle's Bistro tomorrow night at seven."

It would be several weeks before Hermione fully realized how carefully he had orchestrated the entire charade in her flat, but by that time, she wouldn't care.

TBC