an unlikely match...

\"Have you seen Austere at all?\" Hermione was curious as she and Ginny made their way to the ballroom later that evening, a bit nervous about the whole affair.

Hermione could barely believe that she was getting married...the whole flowers, dress aiantiant party. Hmmm would Ginny throw her a bachelorette party? The mere thought was a bit unsettling, especially after last night.

\"I don\'t know.\" Ginny shrugged effortlessly, \"Probably out getting a tux I suppose or has he bought it yet?\"

\"I\'m not sure.\" Hermione shrugged with an airy sigh. \"Seems I haven\'t talked to him much lately.\"

\"Didn\'t you say you two were together last night?\"

\"Yes well...\" Hermione pinked as she broke the connection with Ginny\'s peering eyes. \"We didn\'t do much talking.\"

Ginny gasped and clutched her chest as if she had never even heard of sex before in her life. \"Hermione, you tart!\"

The girls collapsed into laughter as Hermione shoved Ginny playfully, almost tripping down the large staircase. Suddenly a thought occurred to Hermione, one that she had been tossing around in her head the past few days thanks to her Mother\'s stupid Muggle traditions.

\"Do you think its really proper I wear white then?\"

Ginny paused giggling and looking as if she were actually contemplating the question. Her eyes probed Hermione, the older girl still refusing to meet her inquiring eyes.

\"He was your first right?\"

\"Yes.\" a tug at her heart puzzled her. \"He was.\"

\"So then...\" Ginny gave a careless wave of her hand as if to dismiss Hermione\'s worried thoughts. \"It\'s fine...he\'s the man you\'re going to spend the rest of your life with...it\'s practically the same thing.\"

Hermione snorted at her friend\'s answer and let herself be lead to the room where the tailor was waiting for her. Ginny beamed, looking herself as if she were on cloud nine, the whole wedding probably reminding her of her own.

\"The dress is going to be so beautiful.\" Ginny gushed, her eyes shining. \"And you\'ll feel like the prettiest woman on Earth.\"

Hermione nodded, not speaking. Her mind was constantly drawn to that book in Snape\'s room. Perhaps if she was quick enough in her fitting she could sneak back into Snape\'s room..take a quick peek and be back before tea with her friends later on. Snape wouldn\'t be back for hours she assumed...Hogsmeade had a way of stopping time.

\"Austere wanted a Muggle tailor, just to tell you.\" Ginny said sighing, throwing her hands up in the air as if in the throes of despair. \"God knows why.\"

Hermione giggled, \"I\'m sure he\'s convinced a wizard tailor might try to cheat him.\"

The two young woman laughed as they conversed about Austere and his penny-pinching ways and Harry in his grandiose spending on lingerie that Ginny positively hated.

\"..Seriously, this sheer little red two piece he likes me to wear on his birthday is the worst.\" Ginny was pink from laughter as was Hermione as she struggled to stand upright. \"Men and their house colors.\"

For some reason Snape flitted into Hermione\'s mind as Ginny spoke this, and that was when everything went a bit out of focus. They were still a few steps away from the ballroom where the tailor was and Hermione felt as if she was paralyzed.

\"Ginny.\" she breathed softly, \"Stop a moment.\"

Ginny looked to her friend as she fainted, rushing over and catching her just before her head smashed against a nearby step.

She was barely breathing.

_____ * ________ * _____

Ohhhh...he\'s going to hate me for this.

She lit the last candle and pegged it into the top of the small green icing laden cake she placed on a plate. It wasn\'t very big, she knew he couldn\'t eat too many sweets.

Happy Birthday Severus! shone on the top in black icing as a Slytherin symbol laced its way around the \'S\' in his name. It had taken her almost all morning to do so, she had refused to use the aide of magic.

Sighing deeply until it almost pained her lungs she licked her lips and smiled into the darkness. It was still early, she had wanted the advantage of a surprise attack.

All week he\'s been avoiding this...

Hermione holding the cake plate in her hand tightly, tentatively walked through the kitchen of Snape\'s chambers, a drizzling February morning on the way to his bedchambers. Her brown eyes danced merrily as she imaged his face when he woke up...

The coldness of the dungeon was creeping over her, goosebumps forming from that as well as the exhilaration as to what was soon going to conspire.

She slipped off her shoes quietly and left them by the door, trying madly to stop the gigglhat hat had built up in the back of her throat. Her heart was beating madly, not scared but more from the delicious anticipation.

She strode quietly into his bedchambers, clad in her school uniform and a small cake balanced precariously in her hands as she gingerly tiptoed over to the right side of the bed, for he always slept on the left.

Don\'t laugh...it\'ll spoil the whole thing.

She peered over her side of the bed and held in a small sigh. Severus always did look so sweet when he was asleep. That curtain of hair always falling into his face, causing him to make an angry fin hin his sleep. His chest was bare, he never slept in anything but those ridiculous silk black boxers of his. Quite sexy actually.

He lay on his side, one arm draped over the side of the bed, the other hidden under the covers as his chest rose and fell lightly, almost hypnotizing her. She couldn\'t see his eyes for that unruly hair fell over them in an inky blanket, but she could imagine them. Soothing, calm with lovely black eyelashes framing them.

She longed to kiss the open cheek that she had kissed so many times before but now refrained. This whole affair had to be perfect. He deserved perfect...he deserved more than perfect.

Okay...here goes.

She opened her mouth then, the sides curled up in an excited smile. She was about to speak when he suddenly whirled around causing her to gasp, jump back in fright and in the process drop the small cake she had been holding.

\"Sneaking into my chambers are you?\" he growled playfully, eyeing her smirking as she frowned back at him. Suddenly he saw the small piece of pastry on the right side of his bed, icing down. Blast.

\"Oh...Severus!\" she was crestfallen as she viewed the small cake she had spent all morning making for him as it landed splat beside him on his lovely bedcovers, the icing making a horrible squishing sound. All that work...

Suddenly a small flame ignited on the bedspread from the candles and she saw Snape\'s eyes grow anxious as he viewed his bed being burned to the ground.

\"Dammit, these are new sheets!\"

He leaned over to grasp his wand not noticing as Hermione on the other side of the bed gasped and grabbed the vase on the table next to her. It was full of black roses, another birthday present for him.

Throwing the flowers to the ground she quickly turned the vase over the small fire, she doused the small flame and in the process, her lover. He gasped as fre freezing water splashed him, and blinked while droplets fell down his face. She frowned deeply, looking at her hard work and placing the vaext ext to her on the floor and sitting on the edge of his bed sulkily.

\"I could have used my wand for that you know.\"

Silence.

Hermione didn\'t care to answer. All morning spent in doing something special for the man and it all buggered up as usual. She never had the upper hand on him, he always knew what was going to happen... he looked a bit guiltily to her.

\"Hermione I\'m sorry. I thought you were...\" he trailed off seeing her trembling lips, he tried to explain himself. \"You know I hate celebrating my birthday...and surprises.\"

Hermione nodded, holding back tears showing that she understood. She had wanted it to be immaculate. Being a perfectionist did that to her, and when everything fucked up as it usually did she was always at a loss, never knowing how to fully recover. Slowly a small tear slipped down her cheek as she was fixated disparagingly at the small upturned cake.

He tsked lowly under his breath as he saw that lone tear escape down her cheek as she brushed it away angrily, refusing to look at him.

Damn. I\'ve buggered everything up again.

Throwing the covers off of him he moved his way over to her slowly on the edge of the bed. She felt the weight of him slinking over to her from behind her on the bed and she sighed angry at him for being so suspicious and at herself for getting to riled up about everything. He sat behind her, tracing a knuckle lightly up and down her spine gently.

She didn\'t move at first, only grew drowsy at his ministrations. Slowly but surely the back of her head found his chest, and she was soon lying up against him as she felt his hand on her arm, rubbing up and down soothingly. It was a few minutes in this relaxed reverie before she wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand sloppily.

\"Why do you always have to be so suspicious of everything?\"

There was a low sigh and she felt the vibrations through his chest as he spoke, her eyes fixated on nothing in particular.

\"It\'s hard not to be.\"
kne knew what he was referring to, and she didn\'t care to press him. Enough sad nights had been spent talking with him about his past and the dark army.

His arm now lay lazily across her lap and she traced the dark mark absently. He no longer flinched when she did. He himself brushed his fingers lightly across her cheek, turning her face to meet his as he kissed her gently.

\"I\'m sorry.\" she finally uttered grimly, \"I just wanted your birthday to be something nice. Something you could look forward to. I wanted to make it special.\"

\"But it already is Hermione.\" he rushed on before he could get embarassed at his own speech. \"You\'re here with me, and that\'s really all I want. Honestly.\"

Hermione marveled at his taut features as heitedited her to laugh at him for being so sappy. It was strange, from anyone else that comment would seen contrite, redundant even...but from him it was tender, sweet and convincing.

\"Then Happy Birthday...and I have one more present for you.\"

She whirled around, pushing him to the bed and smiling as she leaned down and crushed his lips to hers, a quick sweep of his tongue on her lips signaling interest. She quickly parted her own lips, slipping past his own eager tongue and delving into the delicious recesses of Severus Snape who was quite enjoying himself.

Happy Birthday to me...

The collapsed backwards onto the bed, Hermione giggling as Snape tried to unclasp her bra from under her school blouse and remaining unsuccessful. She soon reached her own hand around her back, their mouths still hungrily moving as she closed her hands over top his own and helped him in his venture.

Soon they were back to kissing, both bare torso\'s as he kissed her collar gently, nipping at it and moving back to her lips his hands palming and kneading her eager breasts as she moaned, presing against him as things were slowly growing heated...

* * *

A while later they both lay breathless next to each other, Snape clutching Hermione under the new blankets he had brought out, muttering that he never liked the other one\'s anyway.

He kissed the tip of her nose softly as she smiled at him, a long finger of his brushing the strands of hair that stuck to her flushed face behind her ear.

\"I\'m sorry about the cake.\" he murmured in her ear gently. She finally felt that she could laugh at the whole affair, and did.

Tears of laughter finally fell down her cheeks and he graced her with one of those smiles that he held in reserve only for her. Finally with one more kiss she looked longingly to him and smirked.

\"I\'m sorry about your sheets.\"

_____ * ________ * ______

\"Hermione?\"

The voice that greeted Hermione was not that of a smooth, low tones of a Professor she had suddenly grown attracted to, these were the frantic wailing’s of a friend feeling helpless and worried.

Hermione\'s once glazed over eyes soon came into focus as she looked up to Ginny, confused and disoriented as the blurry girl came into view before slipping back into a mass of colors.

\"Hermione, are you alright?\"

Hermione looked up to her friend once more, blinking over and over until Ginny finally came into steady focus. Ginny was frowning, holding Hermione\'s face in her trembling hands.

\"What happened? What were you dreaming about?\"

Suddenly the whole vision came to her, almost smacking her backwards as a whirlwind of thoughts passed through her, her eyes fluttering as they took over her.

Severus. Severus Snape and she...celebrating his birthday in his bed. He ruined his own birthday cake. I was wearing my school robes...we made love...what the-

\"How do you know I was dreaming?\"

Hermione was suddenly suspicious, slowly raised herself up off of the ground and looked to Ginny in strange awe. Could Ginny read minds? Is that something she had been practicing on her time off? Oh no, she\'d know ever-

\"When you passed out.\" Ginny uttered softly as she bit her lower lip, a trait she had picked up from Hermione herself. \"You were...erm...mumbling a bit...Whose birthday were you talking about?\"

Hermione ice froze. She had hoped that it was some horrible joke, that she hadn\'t really dreamed it at all. Then again it hadn\'t really been a dream...more a memory.

\"Er...Isn\'t Harry\'s coming up soon?\"

Ginny clucked her tongue aimlessly, helping her friend up and looking to her strangely, not bothering to answer her friend\'s obvious lie of a question.

\"You sure you\'re alright?\"

\"Yes yes.\" She stood shakily, brushing the dust off of her skirt. \"Enough fussing, I want to go make my wedding dress. Doesn\'t happen every day you know.\"

\"Unless your Pansy Pnsonnson.\"

They both offered weak giggles at that. It was common knowledge that Pansy Parkinson had become quite the gold digger after her family went bupt.upt.
had had in her short lifetime been married five times, setting memory charms on her beau\'s and taking them for everything they were worth. Then charming them to make it seem as if they had kicked her out and kept her quiet with some large sums. Quite ingenious actually.

\"So you\'re alright...for sure?\" Ginny\'s light eyes were still those of concern as Hermione offered a weak and what she hoped to be, reassuring smile.

\"Yeah.\" Hermione nodded, pausing. \"Did I say anything else in the \'dream\'?\"

Ginny shook her head, not meeting Hermione\'s eyes thought as they both pushed the doors to the ballroom open.

\"A-hem.\"

Hermione\'s blood chilled...images of Umbridge filled her head, but were quickly displaced as they viewed the Muggle in front of them.

Ginny smiled warmly at the small, squat miserable woman that stood alone in their, mirrors and material all around her as she tapped a fat boot up and down on the shining floor.

\"Sorry we\'re late.\" Ginny offered as she Ginny raised a speculative eyebrow and cocked her head towards the graying, frowning woman in front of them. She expected for Hermione to say something to attest to this, but instead understandably she seemed a bit out of sorts.

\"Sorry about that, my friend had a bit of a fainting spell a few minutes ago.\"

\"She did, did she.\"

Hermione nodded, her thoughts going from Snape and her dreams to Austere. The man she was about to marry. She had to speak to Severus, she had know what was happening...what was in that strange book. For some reason she was sure it held all the answers, she looked to Ginny in a daze.

\"Ginny, maybe I should just floo Sev-\"

Ginny stopped Hermione before she could go on, dragging her to the side as Fanny sighed emphatically her foot still tapping away on the glossy floor.

\"Hermione, this is Fanny the new Muggle tailor...remember?\" She emphasized the important word with a hiss, giving Hermione a very obvious glance.

Hermione felt her stomach heave, why did Austere have to pick a Muggle tailor? Thank goodness for Ginny... What would she do without her? The said young woman was looking to her eagerly, shooting nervous looks at Fanny over her shoulder.

Hermione blushed, embarassed at her sudden lack of tact and memory. \"Of course,\" she extended a polite hand, \"Pleasure to meet you Fanny.\"

Fanny was no larger than 4\'11 and had a surly sour expression on her face, obviously one she obviously wore for her face bore many wrinkles around her mouth. She did not bother to shake Hermione\'s hand, leaving Hermione embarassed as she lowered the offending appendage.

Hermione couldn\'t help but wonder if Professor Snape wasn\'t somehow related to her, both cross, both miserable and trying to embarrass everyone. Snape...why these visions? Why were they laced with a feeling of such strong recollection? She knew exactly what she was going to say in those dreams, remembered every caress as if she had encountered them before.

\"Hermione?\"

Hermione shook her head, looking to Ginny who continued to look at her confused and slightly embarassed. \"Ready to start?\"

Hermione nodded, shooting a nervousk tok to Fanny, all thoughts of one surly ex Professor gone from her mind at the moment.

Perhaps everything would be fine...perhaps she just needed to give poor Fanny a cha The The said tailor\'s yellowed teeth glinted off the chandelier light as she spoke crossly

\"Let\'s not waste any more time, I\'ve got a deadline.\"

Then again, perhaps not...