Secrets

Snape and Hermione spent the rest of their Sunday curled up on his couch together. Snape sat at the far end while Hermione stretched out with her head in his lap. With a book in one hand, and his other in Hermione's hair, they stayed like this, Snape reading quietly to her until dinnertime. He closed the book after his stomach growled loudly, expecting protests from Hermione, but she remained silent. Looking down at her still form, and feeling her rhythmic breathing, he knew she'd fallen asleep.

He slipped out from underneath her, moving smoothly. He looked down at her restful face and felt something long forgotten stir inside him- something he hadn't felt in a long time. Hell, almost any emotion besides hatred or bitterness was foreign to him. Another beautiful face arose from his memory- a face with lovely green eyes, but he pushed this memory down quickly. Snape walked into the other room.


Hermione awoke later due to some delightful smells accompanied by a rather pleasant heat emanating from Snape's small kitchen. Hermione wondered if Snape had actually cooked for her. She got up and crept to the doorway just opposite the one to his bedroom as silently as possible, watching Snape stand over the stove.
"If you'd like to watch, you might as well come in," he said, his back still turned to her.
"Why you so bloody hard to sneak up on?" she teased, only slightly annoyed that he had known she was there immediately. She walked in and hoisted herself up on the counter as he teased back, "Probably because I'm so bloody good at it myself." He turned off the burners and pulled the bread out of the oven, the smell of garlic escaping with it.

Snape walked over to the small table that had been pushed against the wall, and set out two settings for Hermione and himself. "Grab that, will you?" Snape said as he poured Hermione a glass of water and himself a glass of wine from a very dusty, old looking bottle. Hermione jumped off and went to the stove, taking a bowlful of noodles and the sauce to go with it to the table.
"It smells amazing," she said, serving herself a large helping. "I didn't realize how hungry I was."
"I did," Snape said, taking a bite of the garlic bread.

They ate in a silence that wasn't altogether uncomfortable until both had finished.
"Thank you for making me dinner, Severus."
"It was for the both of us," he muttered, getting up and taking both of their dishes to the sink.

"So, what now?" Hermione asked, wide awake now from her nap, "Shall we go for a walk?"
Thinking for a moment, Snape replied, "Very well. I need to collect some more valerian root."
Hermione rushed to her rooms to get her cloak, and at the last moment, put on a few drops of vanilla on.

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A/N- I'm SO sorry this chapter is so incredibly short, but it's getting really late here and I'm exhausted. I have more written down, I just don't have the energy to type it. So, I promise more tomorrow.

Thank you for reading, and for everyone's reviews. :)