an awfully big adventure...

Christmas had arrived at Hogwarts.

Bah humbug.

Snape as a regular Scrooge was stalking his way down the halls of the school, sneering at the passing giggling mundane idiotic students that happened to pass him.

“Stupid girl.” He was muttering, forcing the door to his chambers open. He heard the creak from doo door, and slammed it hurriedly behind him. The snowflakes fell from his black cloak as he tossed it onto a nearby chair.

He collapsed into his dark and ornate chair, arms crossed in their usual stubborn manner as he muttered to himself inanely.

“I’ll see you at dinner…if you attend.” He drawled in a high pitched girly voice. He chuckled darkly and threw up his hands as he now stood, pacing around the room.

He knew he shouldn’t be thinking about her, she was a child for God’s sake…well, no that wasn’t accurate… she was a woman.

A young woman.

He felt himself giving into the subtle fact that he was deeply interested in her. She was bright, witty at times, sweet, kind, pretty in a non-conventional way…those lips of hers…

He broke away from this, shaking his head as his once unruly hair settled. He strode to the bathroom, climbing into the large and old looking shower. The water came on with a loud high-pitched squeak, and let the warming water soothe his thoughts.

Although at the moment, a cold shower would have been a wiser idea.
______________________________________

Hermione was still making her way to the Library, the snow falling lazily onto her dark robe, although she paid it no heed for her mind somewhere completely else.

Snape, to be exact.

She was contemplating what she could possibly have gotten a crush on him. Since her beginning at Hogwarts he had been the eternal thorn in her side. He had berated, humiliated and all around been cruel to her. She still recalled the time when her teeth had been spelled upon so that they reached past her chin.

Snape had known she was embarrassed about her teeth in the first place. But he had leaned down, looking at her in the eyes as she flinched and tried to shy away from him.

“I see no difference.”

She still remembered tain ain of humiliation tear her, as he smirked when saying those words, as she emitted a loud whimper and scampered off to her room to sob and sob and sob.

Now she was much more mature, she saw past the façade of his cruelty…although she knew below it hid more cruelty. She assumed this was just the way he was, and accepted him for it.

But now, as she was pacing in her room decided which robe to wear, she was thinking if her crush on him hadn’t been a stupid endeavor.

Sure, he was sort of handsome, not your usual run of the mill handsome, but if you got past the greasy hair and cruel sneer, he had quite a dashing and striking profile. And he was witty in a dark, sadistic and strange sort of way, but still…he was funny.

She finally picked a dark black dress robe, that was cut just a little more fancy, with a silver design through it, that fanned out more like a dress than a robe. She smiled at her reflection, and grasping her wand in a slender fist she made a spell for her unruly hair. Now it was smoother and swept to one side at the front, while the back fell in loose waves down her back.

Now all she had to do was get Snape to like her.

Easier said than done.
___________________________________

Snape stepped out of the shower minutes later, his hair still greasy, no matter how many times he washed it. Not that it mattered, for if he really did care that much about his appearance he could surely just do a spell to fix anything he wished.

His hair dried in minutes, and he pulled on a new black robe and pants…the ones with those buttons down the side. The man evidently loved buttons.

He started for the door, cursing himself for being nervous about eating a simple meal. Then, he stopped glancing at the dresser he rarely went to. He noticed a small vial of cologne he had made himself, and contemplated whether to wear it.

‘What would be the point?’ he thought miserably. ‘Not like she’d notice.’

Hermione Granger. Damn her already. She was always there in the back of his mind. He mustn’t let wayward emotions get in the way of professionalism. He would not even attempt to seduce a student.

He kept telling himself this as he placed the cologne on his wrists and neck.
_____________________________________

Snape was in the foyer, just outside the great Hall, and could hear the excited murmurs of students and Professors alike inside.

“Ah, Severus.” said Dumbledor striding shakily up beside him. Things had been awkward ever since the Black incident.

Snape acknowledged him with a brisk nod, opening one side of the large doors, preparing to go inside.

“My, something smells lovely!” McGonagal said striding up beside them, and quite close to Albus. Snape immediately went rigid and tried to play it off.

“Probably just the food Minerva.” He said patronizingly, as McGonagal sniffed the air around the three of them.

“No...no, it smells like a cologne…or perfume of some sort.” She said as Dumbledor started sniffing the air as well. Snape sighed loudly and prepared to walk inside when he voice entered his ears.

“Why, are you wearing cologne Severus?”

Snape flinched, his shoulders straightening a moment as he turned to them. “Not that it’s any of your concern, Minerva. But yes.”

“Out to impress?” she asked craftily, knowing full well he couldn’t do anything drastic with Albus standing right there. Snape glared at her, and was about to say something when Albus interrupted.

“Hmmm Black’s missing.” he remarked absently looking into the hall from where they were standing, only realizing what he had said as air hissed past Snape’s teeth. He turned casually to the sullen Potion’s Professor, who now closed the door to the hall and stood at his full height looking down at him.

“And just what is that supposed to mean?” Snape snapped furiously and dangerously quiet. Albus shook his weather-beaten head, smirking under his beard.

“Nothing Severus.”

“If you must know, Black has been acting like a hormonal teenager.” Snape snapped quietly, glancing around to see that no one was listening. Albus smirked and nodded.

“It’s sort of creepy, really.” Minerva said softly, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

“See what happens when you meddle Minerva?” He spat at her, “Try to be nice to Black! Try to be kinder! Well, look what happens when I try to be civil!”

“Please Severus. Keep your voice down. We’re going to go into that hall, sit down and have a nice Christmas dinner and THAT IS FINAL!” Minerva said roughly, almost shaking at this exclamation.

Snape looked to her surprised a moment, and didn’t answer, but raised his head and walked away unnerved. Albus patted McGonagal’s gnarled hand, comforting her, as she looked livid.

“Calm down Minerva. He’s just confused.”

McGonagall looked to Snape’s striding figure as he sat down at the two tables pushed together. As it was Christmas and not a lot of children stayed for the holidays.

He walked down the row, sneering at anyone who looked at him sideways. Finally his eyes rested on Hermione who looked all to involved in her turkey. Ron and Harry were talking to her.

Snape stopped behind her chair, looking down at her with a strange look on his face. Hermione looked up to him, noticing his pained expression.

Snape said something to her, and she ducked her head, sort of blushing and nodded. Snape looked confused to her, nodding slightly.

After that confrontation he slipped away to a few chairs down, near some Professors, a small smile on his normally miserable face.

McGonagal suddenly let out a small shriek of laughter, and caught Albus off guard.

“I understand it now.” She said giggling, as Albus looked to her confused. She pat his hand reassuringly and guided him inside the Hall to his seat.

“Don’t worry Albus. He’s just confused.”
_______________________________________

Dinner went on as scheduled, all the food was abnormally delicious. Hermione tried not to sneak glances at Snape, who smelled so very delicious…

Plus, for no reason at all he had asked her to meet him on Thursday for further work on their ‘project’ as he so called it. Ha, the dress had worked.

“Hmm...those house elves must have been busy today.” Harry said mindlessly, stuffing himself with the meal that lay in front of him.

At the mention of the house elves, Hermione went rigid and began referring to the countless time to the lack of participation in her campaigning of S.P.E.W. much to the groaning and begging to stop from Ron and Harry.

She made her speech quite loudly, looking angrily to her classmates for their lack of participation when a silky voice interrupted the conversation.

“Perhaps Miss Granger if you didn’t force a badge in everyone’s face at the time in question, they might have been a little more eager to oblige.”

He smirked as he awaited her reply, she looked to him shocked and her face contorted angrily as he waited for her to reply with something truly shocking…perhaps something he could give her detention for? But, no…she seemed to reconsider what she was going to say…and finally in a sense of defeat, turned from his gaze.

‘What was this? No smart ass reply?’ No. Instead Hermione was looked embarassedly to her meal, eating it grudgingly as Harry told her quietly, to ignore Snape. Snape glanced to her…was she crying?

Snape felt his heart drop at this. Why had he said anything in the first place? He looked to her again…no, she wasn’t crying. Just looked bored now.

He went back to his meal, trying to ignore Dumbledor and Minerva’s glances at him. Dumbledor looked confused, whereas McGonagal looked enthralled with the whole thing.

Hermione was thinking if her latest action had been the right one. She decided if she was to win the affections of the bitter Potion’s Master she may as well try to appease him. That meant not talking back, or acting like a know-it-all.

She ate her meal quietly, trying to get Ron to stop making dreamy faces her way. Finally the dinner was over, and everyone was full and happy. She pushed herself away from the table, forgetting to see if Snape noticed her new dress.

Ron followed her out, insisting on walking her to her room. She nodded slightly, out of guilt. They walked slowly up to her chambers, then stopped in front of the door.

“Thanks for walking me back, Ron.” She said grimacing as he looked at her with that same moony expression he had been cursed with.

“No problem ‘Mione.” He said gently, smiling as he kissed her cheek in a friendly way. But, the kisses didn’t stop at her cheek, he was suddenly kissing her roughly, trying to slip his tongue into her unwelcoming mouth.

She shoved him off, and wiped her mouth.
“Leave. Now.”

Ron looked to her with a strange expression on his face, “No.” he said roughly, he looked at her with a crazed look in his eyes, and Hermione was suddenly petrified. Ron was a great deal stronger than she was, and they were all alone in the corridor.

Ron advanced again roughly, pushing his lips to her’s as she felt suffocated. He pushed her to the wall, his hands groping her all over as she struggled with him.

“Honestly Ron.” She said pushing him from her, “I said leave me alone, and I meant it.”

Ron stepped closer, as Hermione backed away from those eyes of his glittering dangerously and prepared to speak when a silky voice boomed over them.

“I suggest you leave her alone, Weasely.” Snape saidthinthingly as he stepped out from the shadows. “Or I’m afraid Filch’ll have his hands full for the next year.”

Ron looked as if he were going to say something, then decided against it and started backing away. Suddenly he turned and snapped Snape across the face with his clenched fist.

Hermione uttered a sound of horror, and ran beside Snape who in shock had tumbled onto his knees, slipping on damp floor.

Ron seeing what he had done ran off down the hall, and didn’t look back, all that could be heard were his shoes against the stone floor.

Hermione kneeled down beside Snape as he put a hand to his lower lip that was now bleeding. Inadvertently she slipped her hand up to cup one side of his face, stroking it gently. He looked to her in surprise and didn’t flinch or pull away. Instead he seemed to look to her in admiration. She noticed his face wasn’t half a cold as she thought it would be.

Suddenly realizing where she was and what she was doing she brought her hand away from his cheek, and cupped them together on her lap.

“Please Professor.” She said gently, now looking to her hands, “Don’t blame Ron. He was just doing this because of the effects of the lust potion. I deserve to be punished for this…”

Snape suddenly went rigid, looking sullenly to her, the look of admiration gone and now replaced with a mask of anger.

‘Always sticking up for Weasely…’ Snape thought as he wiped the blood from his lips, ‘Gave the lust potion to him…always having him around her…now she’s seen his beat me’ he grimaced at this, ‘She’s probably repulsed by me…but…she seemed so happy when I asked her to meet me on Thursday…oh forget it, I’m acting like a hormonal teenager…worse than Black.’

At the mere thought of Black and Hermione in the same context he felt all the anger of his jealousy blinding him as he stood at his full height, looking down at her with misguided anger.

She was still shaking on the floor and he rapidly bent down, and raised her by her shoulders as she quivered in his hands, looking up to him…never noticing how broad his shoulder’s were…or how tall and menacing he was.

“Fine Granger.” Snape said ignoring the thin trickle of blood that slipped down the side of his rapidly moving mouth. His hands were still around the tops of her arms, digging into her soft flesh and making her squirm.

”You want punishment?” Snape hissed darkly, his eyes looking all over her face…her quivering lips, her wide eyes and most of all, the fear he saw in her eyes, and that power coursed through him.

“Well here it is…”