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Severus flinched at the hard knock on his office door. People rarely came to see him, and this arrangement suited him just fine. There was very little advantage to having one’s own department buried deep in the bowels of the Ministry if one couldn’t at least avoid chatty, incompetent dunderheads. To make matters worse, his uninvited guest was disturbing him before his first cup of coffee.

“Enter,” he growled at the heavy oak door.

The door burst open to the sound of giggling and a swath of pink robes that never failed to remind him of Pepto Bismol. “Could you possibly sound any more robotic?”

Severus’ nose wrinkled as the cloying smell of roses accosted his nostrils. “I would remind you that you can exit through the door from whence you came, Miss Brown.”

She plopped a coffee cup down in front of him. “No need to be so grumpy. I did come all this way to see you.”

His eyes flitted back and forth between her and the proffered cup, prompting another giggle from the infuriatingly cheerful witch. “I’m not trying to poison you. That wouldn’t be in my best interests considering that I’m here to make a deal.”

He picked up the cup, slowly raising it to his lips and taking a tentative sip. Colombian. Half and half. Shot of hazelnut. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. “How do you know how I take my coffee?”

“Hermione told me, though I, for one, don’t see how you can stomach that hazelnut rubbish. It ruins the entire blend, Professor.”

Severus rolled his eyes. “I am not your professor, thank Merlin. Were you aware that one of the reasons I accepted this position was to avoid former students? It seems neither you nor Miss Granger are capable of understanding that it is rude to barge in where you are not invited, but since you’re already imposing on my time, you could at least have the courtesy to come to the point quickly. What pressing matter has brought you from the Department of Mysteries?”

Lavender pointed to his open lab door. “I’m here to talk about your research.”

Severus slammed the door to his lab with a flick of his wrist. “I assume that you also know about the nature of my research from Miss Granger. It’s bad enough she darkens my doorstep twice a week to ply me with coffee and interrogate me. I don’t have time to manage another nosy, meddlesome witch.”

She ignored his bluster. “Hermione said that you’ve been having difficulty finding volunteers for your potion.”

“That’s none of her concern,” he snapped, “and it’s certainly none of yours.”

She took a long sip of her coffee, regarding him over the rim of her cup.  When she spoke again, her voice sounded as though she were speaking to a toddler. “Your research focuses on improving the efficacy of wolfsbane,” she pointed to herself dramatically, her voice dropping to a sarcastic whisper, “and I…am a werewolf.”

“I do not appreciate your tone, Miss–”

“I am willing to volunteer for your clinical trials, but I demand something in return.”

Severus raised an eyebrow. “A quid pro quo? That could be construed as unethical behavior unbecoming of a member of the prestigious Department of Mysteries, Miss Brown.”

She snorted into her cup. “Resorting to threats, are we? I’ve produced more prophecies for the Department of Mysteries than they’ve seen in the last three decades, not to mention they love my fresh perspective, my fashion sense, and my wit.”

He made no response, but she was undeterred. “I don’t really think that you’re in a position to lecture me about ethics, Mister I-hid-my-bad-behavior-under-the-excuse-of-being-a-spy. Besides, my demands aren’t so bad. I’m just asking you to go on a blind date.”

Severus propped his elbows on the table and laced his fingers together in an obvious attempt to intimidate the young witch. HIs features contorted in a menacing sneer. “The fact that you are dating Mister Weasley is evidence enough of your willingness to settle, Miss Brown, but I feel no such compulsion. I am not desperate enough to consent to a blind date.”

She very nearly took the bait to defend her little “Won Won,” but she managed to control the impulse,smiling brightly at him instead. “I’m going to level with you, Professor. To recruit enough people for a proper sample size, you need volunteers from the packs. They will not speak with a wizard, but they will listen to me, particularly if I participate in the study myself.”

Severus’ fingers flexed, the only indication that he was considering her offer. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew that she was correct. He would never find enough research subjects for his study on his own, as he lacked both the social network and the knack for idle chit-chat to strengthen his relationship with the werewolves living in the wizarding community, much less the outlying packs. 

She stood from her chair, crossing quickly to the door. “I have to be going now. I’ll give you a day or two to think the matter over.”

“Fine,” he whispered.

She froze, her hand poised on the knob. “Pardon?”

He drew in a shuddering breath. “I agree to your terms.”

Her answering smile sent a shiver of fear down his spine. “Good. You’ll be meeting your date tonight at 8:00 p.m. I’ll owl you the details for where to meet her.”

He massaged his temples after the door closed behind her, an unaccountable sense of dread growing in his stomach.

***************

Severus fidgeted with the button at his wrist nervously. This was his first time wearing anything other than his frock coat since his stay in St. Mungo’s. In spite of the fact that he was wearing fewer layers, he found the outfit oddly stifling. To make matters worse, his date was already running fifteen minutes late. He was sorely tempted to abandon the entire enterprise, but the reward for staying was too valuable to run away. 

Lavender had provided the name that the restaurant reservation was under, but no details that he could use to identify the woman when she arrived. If nothing else, he was thankful that she’d had the good sense to choose a Muggle restaurant. The last thing he needed was to be paraded down Diagon Alley with a strange woman only to end up on the front page of The Daily Prophet . 

He perused the menu while he waited, trying to decide between the moussaka and caponata. When he finally made up his mind and moved on to the wine, he was so distracted by the selection that he didn’t notice his date arrived until the chair across from him scraped the floor.

His eyes widened in alarm when he looked up to find an all-too-familiar mop of unruly curls staring down at him. She wore a lovely dark blue dress that hugged her breasts and hips. The sleeveless dress showed off the dusting of freckles across her shoulders and the now faint scar from Malfoy Manor on her forearm. 

His brain fought desperately against the obvious conclusion for why she was standing at his table. She must be meeting someone else here, some brawny auror or bore of a politician. It was just a strange coincidence that she had ended up at this restaurant the same night that he’d been sent here for a date.

“Severus…you’re here,” she smiled down at him, and even Severus couldn’t deny how happy she was to see him.

The horror of the situation finally dawned on him. Hermione Granger was his fucking date .

She wasn’t here to meet some other wizard. She was here to meet him. Had it been any other witch, he would have been thrilled to find someone who was genuinely interested in him, but she wasn’t just any witch. She was his former student, the thorn in his side who constantly interrupted his work with the insistence that he needed a break.

Unaware of his distress, she took her seat, pulling the cloth napkin into her lap. “I’m so pleased to see you. I didn’t honestly believe that you’d agree to come tonight. I’m so sorry I’m late. I had to drop off copies of a proposed consumer protections bill to Gringotts for review, and I–”

Severus stood abruptly, nearly toppling his chair over. “Miss Granger, you are the last witch that I expected to see tonight.”

Her brow furrowed in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

The vitriol boiled over before he could make any attempt to stop it. “You can tell Miss Brown that I do not appreciate being mocked, and furthermore–”

“You mean Lavender didn’t tell you that I was the one you were meeting?” Hermione’s face was stricken, but Severus was unmoved. 

“Don’t pretend that you weren’t in on it. I have no idea what your motivation for this stunt was, but I will not forget it..”

Hermione shook her head. “I swear I had no idea. I thought you knew I was your date.”

He sneered down at her. “If that were true, then I would pity you for being hopelessly daft. Even if I set my mind to the purpose, I don’t think that I could imagine a more absurd match. Don’t you think you foist your company on me often enough when I haven’t solicited it?”

Her hand clenched in her lap at the unexpected insult. Her lip trembled as she tried to reign in her emotions. “I truly didn’t know.”

He made no effort to hide his bitterness. “I don’t believe you. In fact, I’ve no doubt the two of you have been plotting my mortification for months. Is that why you’ve been showing up to my office twice a week? To make a fool of me?”

Hermione bit her bottom lip between her teeth, avoiding his gaze. “At first, I came to your office because I was interested in your research. I thought that Lavender would be a good candidate for your study.”

Bile gathered in the back of his throat. “So you used me to get what you wanted for one of your real friends?”

When she didn’t answer immediately, he snatched his jacket from the back of his chair. She reached across the table to touch his arm, but he pulled it out of her reach. 

“Severus, please wait. I–”

He didn’t give her the opportunity to finish, storming out of the restaurant. He drew a number of curious glances from other patrons but pointedly ignored them in his haste. When he heard the click of kitten heels behind him, he increased his pace, practically sprinting to the nearest apparation point.

***************

Severus scowled irritably when a knock sounded at his door the next morning. He opened the door with a wave of his hand, but didn’t bother to look up from his notes. “Miss Granger, I do not have time for your incessant questions today.”

Lavender’s tinkling laughter filled the room ominously before she placed a cup of coffee on his desk. “I won’t keep you long, Professor. I just came by to thank you.”

“For what?” he snarled. “For the laugh that you and Miss Granger had at my expense? For making me believe that you were going to help me?”

Lavender settled in the chair across from him. “I am still going to help you. I will hold up my end of the bargain and participate in your clinical trials.”

Severus’ brow furrowed in disbelief. “And the packs?”

She smiled into her cup. “So mercenary. Yes, I will still recruit volunteers from the packs. The potion could benefit all of us, and may even give the Wizengamot cause to rethink their current policies for werewolves.”

He took a sip of his coffee. “If that’s how you feel, then what exactly was the point of last night?”

She leaned back in the chair with a self-satisfied grin. “Perhaps you are unaware, but Won Won and I have dated before. In our sixth year–”

“The entire castle was witness to your nauseating snogging sessions, Miss Brown, and the spectacular dumpster fire of your breakup.”

Her eyes glinted maliciously. “Then you must be aware that I broke up with him because I was certain that he had feelings for that bushy-haired bint.”

His hand flexed with the strange desire to throw a hex. “She’s your friend.”

Lavender snorted indelicately. “No, she isn’t. She stole my Won Won.”

“But you’re dating Ronald Weasley now.”

“That doesn’t matter!” she yelled, her shrill voice reminding him of Dolores Umbridge. “I had to watch for two years while he mooned over her. It wasn’t until after the war that I was finally able to win him back.”

Severus’ nose wrinkled, mildly disgusted with himself for engaging her in the conversation. “But that’s your own fault, isn’t it? You were the one to break up with him.”

“I had to do it out of self-respect. He was supposed to be my boyfriend, but he was already following her around like a lovesick puppy. I’ve been waiting for the chance to put the Golden Girl in her place. That’s why I wanted you to meet her yesterday.”

Severus’ breath caught in his throat as the truth of her deception sank in. “You knew I would berate and belittle her. You used me.”

She grinned evilly. “Yes. You are you, after all. She’s fancied you for quite a long time.”

“I sincerely doubt that.”

“Oh, she’s quite smitten. That’s why I asked you to meet her, and I cannot tell you how satisfying it was to see her get rejected. Now she knows how it feels.”

“You watched it?”

“Of course. I was watching from the kitchen the entire time. I had the loveliest bottle of Clos d’Ora to celebrate after she left in tears.”

His mouth pressed in a thin line. “So she really had no idea that I didn’t know who I was meeting?”

She stood from her chair. “No. That little detail was just the cherry on top. You should have seen her. Who knew Hermione Granger was such an ugly crier?”

The sound of Lavender's cruel laughter made him nauseated. “Thank you, Professor. You’ve succeeded far beyond my wildest dreams. I know you must be angry about the deception, but at least you’re getting the two things that you wanted most.”

Severus stared unblinking at his desk. “What I wanted most?”

“Of course, silly. You get the test subjects for your study, but more importantly, Hermione Granger will never dare to darken your doorstep again.” She raised her cup to him in salute as she stepped out of his office, closing the door behind her. 

Severus splayed his fingers over his desk to brace himself, but he couldn’t feel the wood under his hands. Lavender was right, of course. He’d often told Hermione to her face how disruptive her visits were to his work. 

He should be ecstatic at the prospect of being able to do his work without interruption, but he felt an odd pang at the idea of not seeing her again. This was followed closely by alarm at the mere idea that he might actually miss her, and as he was wont to do when faced with intense emotions, Severus doubled down, plotting a way to find out more about Hermione’s feelings rather than scrutinizing his own.

***************

Severus purchased a bowl of Mulligatawny and tucked himself into a far corner of the Ministry cafeteria. He didn’t have to wait long before Hermione arrived with Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood in tow. He cast a disillusionment charm to ensure that he could listen in unnoticed.

When Luna cast a muffliato to ensure their privacy, Severus used a handy bit of magic he’d developed in his service to Voldemort. The spell created a tunnel, breaching the muffliato charm while also avoiding detection. 

Harry looked at his friend curiously as he stirred sugar into his tea. “You’re awfully quiet today. How did last night go?”

Severus bristled at the question. Did everyone know that Hermione was supposed to be his date last night except him? He was beginning to regret not cursing Lavender Brown when she was in his office that morning.

She didn’t meet his eyes, fussing with the hem of her sleeve dejectedly. “Not well at all, I’m afraid.”

Luna placed a consoling hand on Hermione’s arm. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t feel up to it.”

Hermione tried to put on a brave face. “I’m alright. I’m just disappointed. I thought that for once someone who’s a good match for me wanted me back.”

“What exactly did he say?” Harry’s voice took on a hard edge.

Hermione grinned at him. “I don’t need you to defend me, Harry. Not even the Chosen One can protect me from disappointed hopes.”

“I respect the man, Hermione, but we all know what he’s like. It’s easier to imagine him insulting you than it is to see him letting you down easy.”

Luna squeezed her arm. “Was he cruel to you?”

She shook her head. “I wouldn’t say he was cruel. He just said that he couldn’t think of a more absurd pairing.”

Harry and Luna exchanged a look, but Hermione rushed to defend him before they could express their concerns. “In all fairness to him, Lavender didn’t tell him it was me. She told him it was a blind date.”

Harry sputtered into his tea. “She did what?”

“She didn’t tell him it was me. When he realized I was his date, he assumed we were mocking him. He thought that I’d been visiting him for months to set him up for ridicule.”

Luna’s brow furrowed. “That would be a long time commitment for a prank. I’m surprised he hasn’t realized that you find him brilliant and handsome.”

Hermione gave Harry a warning look when he sputtered into his tea again at the characterization of Severus as handsome. “Putting aside Lavender’s actions, I probably should have known he’d be appalled. I pretty much confessed my feelings when I went to see him a few days ago, but he didn’t seem to notice or care.”

Severus wracked his brain to remember their conversation from earlier in the week:

Hermione sat on the couch on the far wall of his office, the ugly plaid one he typically used when he slept at the office instead of going home. She took a sip of her coffee, staring through the door of his lab at the neatly organized rows of periwinkle blue wolfsbane potion. He sat at his desk, trudging through the paperwork that the Ministry and St. Mungo’s required him to submit in order to begin testing his potion.

“Do you still live at Spinner’s End?” she asked curiously.

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

She twirled one of her curls around her finger absentmindedly. “It’s just that I never see you at the floo connections at the end of the day. I was starting to wonder if you live here.”

He gave a long-suffering sigh. “You know perfectly well that potions have phases during which they cannot be unattended.”

“I’ve also heard of a stasis charm,” she shot back.

“My new iteration of the wolfsbane potion would be rendered unstable and ultimately fail if exposed to a stasis charm. I don’t fancy the idea of losing months of research.”

She smirked over the rim of her cup. “I just thought that at your age, sleeping on this couch would be hard on your back.”

Severus raised an eyebrow in warning, but otherwise made no reply. Hermione pouted in disappointment. “You could at least humor me now and again when I try to ruffle your feathers.”

The corner of his mouth twitched in a grin as he continued his work. “Have you ever considered that I’d rather fill out paperwork than talk to you?”

Her head tilted to the side challengingly. “Have you ever considered that not kicking me out is tantamount to an invitation coming from you?”

That earned her a soft huff of a laugh that he tried to cover up by taking a sip of coffee. She took the response as obvious encouragement. “Tell me about Spinner’s End. What is it like?”

“Grimy,” he replied without needing to consider the matter. “It gives one the impression that no matter how much they scrub, it can never quite be clean. Even Molly Weasley’s prodigious arsenal of cleaning charms would be no match for the soot of Cokeworth.”

He dipped his quill in the ink bottle before continuing. “But it’s cozy enough for me. It has a functional kettle and a rather extensive library for such a little shithole.”

He glanced up to find her staring at him, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. He was prepared with a sneer if he found the slightest hint of pity in her gaze, but she surprised him. If he didn’t know any better, he would think that she was appraising him.

“What, Granger?” 

“It’s just–” she stared down into her cup.

“What!?” he barked.

“What about when you…have company?” she asked, her cheeks burning crimson.

Severus met her gaze, grinning wickedly. “I actually prefer to fuck my witches hard and fast against the wall of an alley.”

Hermione’s lips parted, her eyes flying wide. Still grinning, he dipped his quill in ink again. “Don’t ask crude, impertinent questions if you don’t want crude, impertinent answers.”

Her embarrassment swiftly shifted to annoyance. “I hardly think my question was crude.”

“But you admit that it was impertinent?”

She ignored the trap. “So you don’t take them home?”

His amused grin slowly fell. “On the rare occasion when I seek out such company, I prefer to go to the witch’s home. It’s easier to leave on my own terms rather than finding a polite way to kick someone out. Is there a particular reason for this line of questioning?”

She blushed to the roots of her hair. “I was just thinking that your library sounds lovely, so if you ever wanted to have someone make sure that your books are optimally organized, I’d be happy to browse your library.”

He signed the bottom of the parchment, finishing the last of the wretched forms. “You impose on my time enough in the office, Miss Granger. I can’t think of any reason for why I would want to encourage your bad behavior in my home.”

Luna’s lilting voice pulled him from his reverie. “You told him that you want him?”

“Well, not in so many words, but I strongly suggested that I wouldn’t mind visiting his home, and he looked appalled.”

Luna hummed thoughtfully. “That’s unfortunate, but it’s strange that he would tolerate your presence if he didn’t enjoy your company.”

Hermione shrugged. “That’s what I thought too, but he’s always told me that I disrupt his work. Perhaps I should have taken him at his word and just left him alone.”

Harry pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “I hate to say it, Hermione, but based on his history, you might not have ever had a chance. Maybe my mum is the only woman Snape can ever love.”

Severus felt cold, his rage making the hair on the back of his neck bristle. It was bad enough the boy had played his memories for the entire world to see during his trial, but now he was using them to drive Hermione away. His thoughts quickly spiraled: 

Always a fucking Potter standing in his way, keeping him from getting his witch! 

“His” witch? 

Since when had he thought of Hermione as…

Oh.

Oh fuck…

He didn’t have time to process the revelation before Hermione’s resigned sigh drew his attention. “I have no idea if Severus still loves your mum or not, Harry, but he’s made it perfectly clear that he doesn’t have feelings for me.”

“Except for disdain,” Harry supplied helpfully.

Luna gave him a reproachful look as she squeezed her friend’s hand. “Perhaps this is all a misunderstanding. Have you spoken with Lavender?”

Hermione’s lip quivered as she shook her head. “I thought Lavender was my friend too, but she went out of her way to ensure I was rejected. She knew he would never be interested in me. Now I feel like I’ve lost two friends.”

It was the look of defeat and disappointment that finally did him in. It was so rare to see her give up that he scarcely recognized the expression. He cancelled the listening spell with a twitch of his fingers just as Harry and Luna reached out to comfort Hermione and reassure her that she would always have their friendship. 

There was a time in his life when he would have taken pleasure in being the one to crush her hopes, to take the Golden Girl down a peg or two. Now the idea of not seeing her huddled in a blanket on his ugly couch made him feel empty. Now the thought of her wild curls made his fingers itch to touch them instead of making him concerned that she might contaminate his lab. Now…well, now he was completely and utterly fucked.

***************

Hermione glared balefully when a knock sounded on her office door. She had a suspicion of who might be on the other side, and she had no wish to speak to him. Severus Snape had sent her a memo that morning requesting her opinion about how his study might support the current draft of a bill designed to expand werewolf rights. The knocking was undoubtedly his reaction to the fact that she sent one of her department’s interns to see him instead.

When the banging intensified, she finally waved her hand at the door to open it. “Come in,” she barked irritably.

As she suspected, a sea of black robes swept dramatically into her office, slamming the door behind him. He held two cups of coffee but made no move to offer her one. “Why are you avoiding me?”

She didn’t bother looking up from her parchment, determined to give him the same treatment that he gave her every time she visited his office. “Good morning to you too, Master Snape. I can only assume that you are referring to the fact that I sent our intern to visit you this morning.”

“Ob-vious-ly. I asked for your input, not some snot-nosed rookie who flinches every time I speak to him.”

She finally looked up from her notes. “I sent Jonathan to see you because he helped to draft the most recent bill for werewolf rights. My work is largely with the goblins, and I wanted to make sure you had the most qualified person as a collaborator. The fact that it allowed me to avoid hearing how irksome you find my presence was just a bonus.”

He sat down in the chair on the other side of her desk, placing one of the coffee cups down in front of her. “You look dreadful, Granger.”

Hermione knew that she looked a sight. The skin under her eyes was dark from lack of sleep. Her fingers were covered in ink stains from repeated instances of late-night scribbling, and she sported no fewer than four quills in her hair. She normally would have reprimanded him for rudeness, but it seemed more expedient to remove him from her office than to give him further reasons to argue with her.

“I’ve had a very trying week, Master Snape. In fact, I was planning to leave at noon today to start an early weekend, so the sooner you come to the point, the sooner I can go home and relieve my fellow Ministry drudges of my ‘dreadful’ countenance.”

An annoyed grimace flickered over his face, but he quickly schooled his features. “I did not come here to argue with you or insult you, Hermione. I came here to apologize.”

Hermione was doubly shocked, both by the use of her proper name and the fact that he was going to apologize, but her anger ultimately won out. “Are you apologizing for eviscerating me on our date, or for listening in on my conversation with Harry and Luna in the cafeteria earlier this week?”

A slight twitch of his index finger on his coffee cup was the only indication that she’d surprised him. “Both, it seems. How did you know I was listening in?”

“When Harry and I were trying to find horcruxes after Ron left us, I developed new detection spells, ones that are capable of scanning for spells attempting to penetrate my wards.”

He couldn’t help but be impressed, though he did his best not to show it. She leaned back in her chair, and he could practically feel her assessing his motives. “Why were you eavesdropping in the first place?”

“If I admit to that, I’ll have yet another thing to apologize for, and I suspect I’ll be pushing my limit as it is.”

She watched him warily as he leaned forward in his chair. “I also apologize for insulting you on our date. There is no excuse for my behavior, but I genuinely believed that you were trying to make a fool of me.”

“Severus, I wouldn’t–”

“I know. I know you wouldn’t, Hermione. My anger outpaced my better judgment, and I regret it.”

Hermione took a deep breath, tears stinging her eyes in spite of her attempt to keep her emotions under control. “Since you’ve made some effort to understand my feelings, I will do my best to be considerate of yours. I’ve always enjoyed your company, but you’ve long told me that my presence in your office is an unwelcome distraction.” She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “I promise that I won’t bother you anymore.”

He stared at her blankly, his expression unreadable. “Hermione…that’s not what I want.”

She shook her head, staring resolutely at the parchment in front of her. “The apology was enough. You don’t need to lie–”

“Drink your coffee, Miss Granger,” he demanded.

Her eyes snapped up to meet his. “What?”

His eyes narrowed. “Have you lost the ability to follow the most basic instructions? Drink. Your. Coffee. Now.”

She picked up her cup with a huff, her brow furrowing when she took a sip. “It’s half coffee and half hot chocolate.”

He grinned smugly. “Yes. That’s what you drink on Fridays.”

“How did you know?”

“I know I sometimes give the impression that I’m ignoring you–”

“Sometimes?” she raised an eyebrow.

He ignored the interruption. “But I do listen to you. I know that you love your job, but you wish that the DMLE would hire more legal consultants to handle the workload. I know that as much as you love your friends, you’d rather stay home with a takeout curry and a doorstop novel than go out. I know that you love your aging furball of a kneazle more than you love most people.”

His expression shifted, and it took Hermione a moment to realize that he’d dropped his occlumency shields. His usually stoic mask fractured under the weight of the interest and affection he wanted to show her. 

“I know that I made a mistake, Hermione. The truth is that I don’t want to go even one day more without seeing you perched on my ugly couch,” the hint of a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth, “unless it’s to see you on your back on my ugly couch with your hair fanning over the cushions and your lips parted as you come on my–”

He never got to finish the thought, as he discovered that Hermione had a talent for stoppering his filthy mouth by climbing into his lap and aggressively snogging him. Her thumb dragged over his bottom lip, and he happily obliged her, submitting to her eager tongue while he busied himself with rucking her skirt up around her hips. 

She moaned into his mouth when the calloused pad of his index finger teased her clit through the gusset of her cotton knickers. She finally broke the kiss, her head tipping back in pleasure as she rocked against his fingertips. He pressed a kiss to the hollow of her throat.

“You're distracting me, witch. I wanted to apologize for not complimenting that lovely dress you wore to our date, the one that hugged your arse, your hips, and these delightful little tits.”

He squeezed her right breast over her blouse with his free hand. Hermione leaned into the touch, pressing herself against his fingers in a desperate search for friction. Severus sucked her ear lobe into his mouth, dragging his teeth over the sensitive skin as the tip of his nose nuzzled the shell of her ear.

“If I’m being candid, though, I like you just as you are now, all disheveled with quills tangled in your hair and ink on your fingers.”

Hermione opened her eyes then, her smile lasting only a few seconds before it fell away in alarm. His fingers stilled over her clit, his eyes flitting over her face in concern. “Are you alright? We don’t have to continue if you’re uncomfortable.”

She looked down at her hands, cheeks flaming with embarrassment. “Severus, I just got ink all over your face.”

She expected him to pull away angrily, but he merely smirked up at her. His fingers slid into her knickers, curling around the gusset and ripping it out with a quick tug. “If you insist on making a mess of me, Miss Granger, then at least do the job properly.”

She squeaked in surprise when he cupped her arse and lifted her. Her arms found his shoulders as he gathered her to him, pressing her against the office wall. The first drag of his wool-clad cock over her swollen clit nearly gave her a concussion as her head smacked against the tile wall. 

He chuckled against her mouth, cradling her head and casting a cushioning charm behind her. “Careful, now. That’s not how I want to make you see stars.”

Her answering laugh quickly devolved into a desperate moan when he resumed his frotting, sullying the placket of his trousers with her arousal. One of his hands continued to support her bum while the other quickly untucked her shirt. She arched into his touch as his clever fingers traced over her ribs and slipped under the cup of her bra.

Hermione dug her heels into the small of his back in an effort to pull him closer. A jolt of pleasure shot up her spine when his buckle briefly grazed over her clit. Her fingers curled, nails digging into the cloth of his cloak as she clung to him, frigging herself on the cold metal. His crooked teeth dragged over the delicate skin of her throat, and when he finally latched on, bruising the exposed skin and moaning in her ear, she buried a hand in his hair, pulling mercilessly as she came apart. 

She’d barely come down from her high before she was demanding more. A puff of air against her neck was the only sign of his amusement when she struggled to unbuckle his belt.

“You know it would probably be easier if you hadn’t covered me in your juices.”

She blew a stray curl out of her face, staring up at him petulantly. “It would also be easier if you could leave off your obsession with my nipples long enough to help.”

He laughed as he helped her unbuckle his belt and lower his zip enough to relieve the growing pressure on his aching cock. She smirked when she wrapped him in the heat of her hand and his laughter ended abruptly in a helpless groan. 

He rutted into her hand, his voice strained as he struggled to hold back his release. “What do you want, Hermione?”

“I want it fast and hard,” she panted, squeezing him for emphasis.

Severus captured her wrist, pulling her hand away from his painfully hard cock. “Keep that up and it will be a moot point, little witch.”

He watched her face with rapt attention as she slowly sank onto him, barely biting back his own heady groan as her heat enveloped him and her mouth fell open in shocked pleasure. He rocked his hips, seating himself completely and letting her feel the full length of him. She pulled him in for another kiss as his free hand returned to supporting her against the wall.

“Are you ready?” he murmured against her lips.

Her eyes narrowed. “Are you taking the piss? You’ve only just realized that you fancy me. I, on the other hand, have been pining for you for months, and you’re asking me if I’m ready? You have some ga–Ahhh!!!”

Severus cut off her scolding with a sharp thrust. He dug his fingers into her arse, holding her in place as he set a brutal pace. Each thrust was punctuated by a harsh grunt, but he remained just articulate enough to whisper hotly in her ear. 

“I was merely asking out of courtesy, Miss Granger. Your drenched little cunt already answered the question.”

Hermione promised herself to give him a verbal lashing later. As it was, she was far too busy chasing her release to concern herself with his cheek. She was too distracted by the look on his face as he watched her breasts bouncing under her tight-fitting blouse to be arsed about the tile digging into her back. She was too transfixed by the sound of his skin slapping against hers to worry about a silencing charm.

Her eyes flew open in alarm. “Severus!”

He looked at the wall behind her as if reading her mind. “I’m not going to cast a silencing charm, Hermione, and neither are you. I want all of your little sycophantic interns to know that their fearless leader is getting right and properly fucked. They all saw me come to your door. They’re all going to know that Hermione Granger, the champion for creatures’ rights, the war heroine, enjoys nothing more than taking her old professor’s cock.”

He grinned when he felt her walls squeeze him in response, pounding into her with abandon. “I may have only just realized that I fancy you, but once aware of it, I am nothing if not decisive. I want you, Hermione, and I want everyone to know it.”

“Severus!!!” she cried out as she clenched around his pistoning cock. 

His strokes slowed with the resistance created by her tight heat, his face contorting in pleasure as he spilled into her. He crushed his mouth to hers, their teeth nearly clashing in his fervor. She returned his embrace, wrapping her arms around his waist as he slowly helped her find her footing again.

She cast a cleaning spell to remove the ink smeared all over his face. They’d just managed to right their clothing when the door to Hermione’s office opened with a bang, a loud giggle and the sickly sweet smell of rose perfume disrupting their quiet moment of intimacy. Severus spun to face the interloper, his wand at the ready and his free arm extended to protect Hermione behind him.

“Miss Brown! Where are your manners? Didn’t anyone ever teach you to knock?”

She ignored his bluster. “Oops! Looks like I got here a few minutes early. I thought the two of you would be finished by now.”

Hermione stood on tiptoe, glaring at the intruding witch over Severus’ shoulder. “Lavender, what the hell are you doing in my office?”

Lavender paused to pull a small, shimmering globe from her pocket. “I just wanted to congratulate the two of you for finally pulling your heads out of your arses,” she tossed the globe before either of them could protest, “and I wanted to give you this.”

Severus instinctively reached out to catch the object, holding it up for Hermione to examine with him. They were shocked to see an image of Severus pinning her to the wall, Hermione’s legs wrapped around his waist in exactly the same way they’d been only a few moments ago.

“You gave a prophecy about us?” Hermione asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Lavender nodded, the smug grin never leaving her face. “About a month after the end of the war.”

“That was three years ago,” Severus’ voice was still tinged with disbelief.

She shrugged. “That’s true, but some things can’t be rushed.”

Severus crossed his arms over his chest. “Taking action to make a prophecy come to pass is highly unethical, Miss Brown.”

“And illegal given your contract with the Department of Mysteries,” Hermione added over his shoulder.

“I gave the prophecy before joining the DoM, and I’ve been determined to make it happen ever since.”

His lips pressed together in a thin line. “Then why did you betray your friend?”

A look of hurt flashed across her expression before it was replaced by anger. “You know, for as much as Kingsley goes on and on about how brilliant the two of you are, you’re hopelessly daft when it comes to reading other people.”

Hermione and Severus both opened their mouths to argue with her, but Lavender lifted one menacing, perfectly manicured nail to stop them. “Did you ever stop to think about why I happened to mention that Hermione didn’t know that you thought you were on a blind date?”

Severus and Hermione exchanged a puzzled look that prompted a frustrated huff from their uninvited visitor. “I knew that once you realized that Hermione was innocent, you’d feel guilty about yelling at her at the restaurant. That guilt would help you to acknowledge her good qualities, and acknowledgement is remarkably close to admiration when one has suppressed feelings for a person already.”

He stared at her in shock, unsure whether to be angry that she’d fooled him twice or relieved because she hadn’t betrayed Hermione. 

Lavender’s eyes met Hermione’s over his shoulder. “I would never do anything to purposely hurt Hermione. If she hadn’t stunned Greyback during the Battle of Hogwarts, I’d be dead. When she found out about your wolfsbane research, she told me about it because she knew it could change my life for the better. She’s,” her lip trembled, “she’s my best friend.”

Hermione finally moved from behind Severus’ back, crossing the room and pulling her friend into a hug. Lavender’s nose was buried in Hermione’s neck, the tears finally coming unchecked. “I’m so sorry I hurt you. I really was just trying to help.”

Hermione patted her back soothingly. “It’s alright. I don’t condone meddling in other people’s affairs,” she ignored Severus’ incredulous snort, “but I do forgive you. I know you just want me to be happy.”

A grin twitched at the corner of his mouth. “Yes, Miss Brown, I suppose we can forgive you just this once since your intentions were good.”

Lavender laughed as she wiped her tears away on the sleeve of her robes. “I wasn’t apologizing to you, Professor. I don’t regret deceiving you. If I hadn’t, you might never have realized what you were missing. You should really be thanking me.”

She gave Hermione’s hand a squeeze before opening the office door and addressing Severus again. “You can start by buying me lunch at the canteen on Monday. Won Won will be back from his trip, so he’ll be joining us, and I’m sure Harry and Luna will have all sorts of questions for Hermione’s new boyfriend .”

Hermione beamed at him when the door closed, but her smile quickly fell when she saw his nonplussed look. “Severus, are you alright?”

He still didn’t answer, staring past her at the bookshelf behind her. Hermione fussed with the end of her sleeve, not meeting his eyes. “You came here and took me hard and fast against a wall. Are you going to leave now?”

Her question finally shook him from his stupor. “What?”

Her voice was barely a whisper. “Just like your other witches…”

Hermione yelped when her back hit the wall again, Severus’ dark eyes pinning her. “I haven’t pursued a witch in years, Hermione. I merely said those things to shock you into ending your line of questioning at the time.”

She gave a sigh of relief. “I was worried. You looked mildly horrified just now.”

“My mind was reeling at being over forty and called a ‘boyfriend,’ as though I were some clumsy, lovesick teenager.”

She ran her fingers through his hair. “Well, I think it quite suits you.”

He crowded closer, pressing the length of his body against hers as he cupped her cheeks. “Do you now?”

She nodded vehemently as she craned her neck for a kiss. “I do.”

He brushed his lips against hers teasingly. “Well, that being the case, your boyfriend would like to invite you to Spinner’s End for the weekend.”

Her fingers toyed with one of the buttons of his frock coat. “To organize your library?”

His voice dropped to a low rumble. “I may have underrated some of my home’s modest charms. The hob, for instance, is quite equal to the task of helping a surly potions master make dinner for his witch to make up for ruining their first date.”

“Well, it’s the least he can do for being such a prat.”

He pinched her arse in retaliation before leaning in to whisper sultrily in her ear. “In addition to the prodigious library, there happens to be a very large bed, one whose general coziness could only be improved by a tangle of wild chestnut curls.”

“And a warm bundle at your feet?” she asked coyly.

Severus rolled his eyes fondly. “Fine. Your aging kneazle is welcome to come for the weekend as well.”

She rewarded him with an eager kiss before she pulled away slightly, her expression turning serious. “And what about Monday?”

He understood the implication behind the question. He twined his fingers with hers. “On Monday, I will buy Lavender lunch when we meet with your friends as a thank you for pulling my head out of my arse, and then–”

“Then?”

He smirked smugly. “Then I get to make every wizard in the Ministry jealous by walking through the halls with you on my arm until we get back to my office,” his eyes trailed down her body suggestively, “and I spend the remainder of the afternoon eating dessert on my ugly couch.”

Hermione’s breath hitched as the image of Severus’ head between her thighs flitted through her mind. She waved her wand at her desk, hastily straightening the paperwork on her desk and extinguishing her lamps before tugging on his hand. 

“Let’s go pick up Crookshanks on the way.”

He allowed her to lead him by the hand down the corridor, enjoying the gawking faces of several Ministry minions as well as the cheering and wolf whistles from Hermione’s room of interns as they made their way to the floo network. Severus couldn’t remember a time he’d been so happy to return to Spinner’s End, though he had the suspicion that no matter where he went from now on, his life would be better with his witch by his side.