an unlikely match...

\"Memories?\"

Her voice was barely above a whisper as she looked incredulously at her ex. Professor, her eyes widening as the realization dawned on her, and he pulled away, worried at her actions.

By all accounts he had been expecting her to slap him, accuse him of lying and scream at the top of her lungs. Finally it seemed to register in the depths of those lovely chocolate colored eyes of hers.

Hermione suddenly did a double take almost knocking over a stack of books by his bed. She crossed the room where he stood leaning against the back of his chair stiffly.

\"Our Memories?\" she breathed, scarcely believing his words. \"What do you mean by that?\"

He was a bit exasperated, this having been quite a long and trying night. Her screeching was doing nothing for the headache that had just sprung up, and he rubbed his temples irritably.

\"Surely you know what memories are, Miss Granger.\"

\"I know what they are you git.\" she spat, looking at him venomously as he watched her with even boredom. \"It\'s just a bit..strange, you know, you saying that they\'re \'our\' memories and all. Excuse me if I\'m a bit confused.\"

He seemed to take her answer under consideration, and walked to his side table, placing the large black book upon it. He looked darkly at it a moment and surrepticiously took a glance at Hermione who looked at her wits end.

She was pacing, her dark hair flying out behind her as she muttered to herself. What had just happened? They were their memories? It made no sense.

\"You\'re lying.\"

He whirled around, \"Excuse me?\"

\"This is all just a trick, to get me from marrying Austere.\" she was convinced, and placed her hands upon her hips as he looked at her incredulously. Snape on the other hand looked ready to backhand her.

\"Why would I ever feel the compulsion to do such a thing?\"

Hermione was silent a moment, her brain on overdrive, \"You just don\'t want me or Austere to be happy...because you hate him so much.\"

\"You would too if you understood the circumstances.\" he snapped, looking at her harshly, something he was growing quite used to. \"He\'s a backstabbing foppet and you\'re better off without him.\"

\"So you admit you\'ve made all this book thing up.\"

He shook his dark head in exasperation. \"I never said that. I merely said you could do better than Austere.\"

Hermione snorted in a very un-ladylike manner, \"Like who? You?\"

Her words hung awkwardly in the air as she saw his face darken, his eyes boring into hers a moment before looking to the space by her shoulder, his arms crossing in a very shield-like manner.

\"I understand you’re confused and hurt,\" he was quietly speaking, his eyes having found a brick in the wall that captured his attention, \"And I\'ve tried to explain everything.\"

Hermione rolled her eyes, drawling her words sarcastically. \"Oh yes. Everything is completely clarified for me now.\"

He peered at her, and stole a few feet closer to her. She was stewing about in biting back tears and anger. When he spoke she felt compelled to meet his entrancing eyes.

\"I can just do what I did before.\" his words were quiet, solemn, as if he hadn\'t really wanted to offer but felt obligated. Hermione looked to him, the tears now running down her face.

\"And what exactly would that be?\"

His eyes were bottomless, as if they could swallow her whole. His alluring lips were curved into a thin line and moved only slightly as he spoke, entrancing her with that beckoning voice of his.

\"I could obliviate you.\"

* * *

\"Austere.\"

Ginny was almost silent in the hallway, gazing up at Austere as he glared at her and then at Harry. Austere was a bit taller than Ginny and she felt her stomach flipping in anger and concern.

\"Where did you come from?\"

\"I was just walking around a bit, getting some air.\" his eyes were glittering malvolently as he viewed the two pathetic creatures before him, grinning at their fear.

\"Oh, well.\" Harry bumbled, \"We were just on our-\"

\"Why don\'t you care for me?\" his voice was light but mocking, ignoring Harry\'s insipid speech. \"Are you that afraid of me?\"

Afraid? no. Furious? Yes.

\"No.\" Ginny was trembling with fury, \"We hate you, plain and simple.\"

\"You hate me?\" he pointed to himself as if he couldn\'t believe it.

\"We hate you for what you\'ve done to Hermione.\"

\"And what would that be?\"

\"You\'ve changed her. She\'s devoted to you against all odds, she doesn\'t see who you truly are you...bloody prick.\"

He tsked, looking to Ginny with false pity. \"Virginia, do you honestly believe that?\"

\"Yes. You\'ve done something to her.\"

\"I\'ve done nothing but be the perfect model of a soon to be husband.\"

\"I know you\'re cheating on her.\" Harry finally blurted out as the two looked at him with interest. \"You have been...with Charlotte all this time.\"

Austere was quiet, contemplative as he paced around the two, clinging to each other for protection. \"You have no proof. Even if you did Hermione still wouldn\'t believe you.\"

Ginny was irritable as she realized he was right. \"She\'s blinded by her love for you.\" she muttered, not looking anywhere but him, hoping he felt as bad as he should for treating Hermione the way that he was.

\"As she should be.\"

There was a collective silence as these words hit home, Ginny and Harry stared at him not knowing they were all being watched. The figure peered around the corner, eyes trained on the three having a confrontation in the hall. The spy\'s wand glowed a bit under the heavy cloak.

\"What do you mean?\"

\"You think a smart witch like Hermione would ever fall for a man of the world like myself?\" he was almost laughing, \"Are you that stupid?\"

He stepped closer to the two, making sure his eyes were trained on them both. He looked a bit drunk, surely on Muggle wine. He seemed to indulge in that far too often. He gave Ginny a once over as Harry bit back the urge to throttle him. They\'d be of no help to Hermione if they were banished.

\"I need that inheritance money and Hermione and Charlotte were supposed to be that link.\" he was almost pouting as he explained his dilemma, \"I tried to set Charlotte up with Severus then..then everything would have been perfect. We\'d be rolling in money. But no. Nothing. They were repulsed by one another. So of course I felt responsible...it was really my obligation to see she stayed satisfied...as well as Hermione of course.\"

Ginny suddenly moved forward and with a large whirling motion she slapped him across the face, glaring and spitting at him as Harry dragged her back from Austere\'s unpredictable anger.

\"How could you do this?\"

\"Easily.\"

Ginny was shaking with anger, her face as red as her hair as she viewed the cretin before her, sneering and looking so very calm about the whole affair. \"You disgusting bastard.\" she was positively growling now, \"How doesn\'t Hermione know about all of this?\"

Austere grinned, looking at her with a look that conveyed the smug superiority he felt at this moment.

\"A little thing I like to call a love potion.\"

* * *

\"Obliviate me?\"

\"Do you repeat everything you don\'t understand Miss Granger?\"

\"No. It\'s just...\"

He sneered, waiting for her to go on. When she suddenly moved to the book again he grew panicked. She threw the book onto the bed and motioned for him to sit next to her.

\"I want to remember all of it. Right now.\"

Snape was wary, making his way to stand next to the bed with her placed upon it, the book opened on her lap. It was true, he had gone through that book a thousand times, constantly replaying their memories, but having her angry here with him. Would she even want to remember such things?

He wearily sat next to her, his arm grazing her own as he did so. She didn\'t flinch. She opened the book to the second page and peered at the boxes, then looked to her...she didn\'t know what to call him anymore.

\"Now, I noticed these words at the side, their in Greek.\"

\"Correct.\"

\"Well...why?\"

He gave a whisper of a smile, looking to her and seeing the woman he had...well, best not think about that right now. \"You knew I liked Greek.\"

\"I did?\"

\"Yes. It\'s in here somewhere...\" he flipped a few pages, \"We had a whole talk about it.\"

\"So this book,\" she pointed to it, careful not to touch a swirling box. \"Is all our memories?\"

\"Well, when we were together.\"

Snape and her, an item. Would wonders never cease? She pointed to a box at thetom,tom, squinting at the words at the side that had her forever curious. \"What does this one say?\"

Snape squinted at it, looking at the words around the box and offered a reminiscent; \"Halloween Party.\"

\"What happened?\"

\"There was a party evidently.\" he tried to be patient, \"A masquerade Halloween party.\"

\"And you came?\" she viewed his nodding, \"But you hate dances.\"

\"I was in disguise, obviously.\" he was grinning a bit at her surprised face. \"No one knew it was me...except for you of course.\"

\"Oh.\"

She grinned a bit, in awe at the fact that she and Severus had had some little world together, some strange little world that only she and he knew about. She was blushing, he was becoming so familiar and she was yearning for it now.

\"Strange to believe isn\'t it?\"

She nodded, squinting and seeing some of the swirling boxes had a small red thread running through them. She peered at that and was drawn to it. She glanced at the side of the box and could barely make out anything.

\"What does this one say
H
He flushed a bit, preparing to close the book. \"I think that\'s enough for one evening.\"

Hermione glanced at his pinked cheeks and tore the book from him, prying it back open and looking to the infamous box. Well, actually there were several with red thread running through it.

\"What does it say? Stop being so secretive.\"

Snape grimaced and finally resolutely offered a small, \"It\'s your eighteenth birthday.\"

Hermione felt her stomach drop, \"But...I went to Hogsmeade with Harry and Ginny and Ron. It was fun, I had my first taste of fire whiskey.\"

\"You didn\'t like it, did you?\"

\"No, I-\" she stopped, \"I take it you know that already?\"

\"I do.\" He smirked a bit, nodding. \"You did indeed go to Hogsmeade with your friends during the late afternoon,\" at the latter word he grimaced, \"But...well...it doesn\'t matter.\"

Hermione saw he was getting flushed again and now her interest was peaked beyond imagination. She looked to the swirling box again, smirking up at his worried face.

\"I want to see my birthday, a girl doesn\'t turn eighteen every day you know.\" she argued, moving his hand from turning the page. He went a little pink, shaking his head and pushing her hand away again.

\"No you don\'t need to see this.\"

\"Yes I do.\"

Before he could intervene she had already shoved her hand into the silverly swirl, seeing as he backed away from her and shook his head, obviously not wanting to follow this time. She felt her stomach lurch as she disappeared into the mist, wondering what could have Snape of all people so worried.

She ran down the familiar tunnel, sticking her body through the hole at the end and looking at the unfamiliar setting that greeted her on the other side. Normally it was his classroom, now it was different. Dark and musky smelling, like a good potion. She felt a bit of worry fall over her...why was she always so stubborn? Why was she always going against what Snape said? Didn\'t he have her best interest at heart? It was her damned Gryffindor pride. Always had to have things her way.

She was in his bedchambers. Strange, she\'d always expected him to be so boring...green and boring. No, viewing his chambers she saw he had quite the taste. Landscape paintings covered the room, an antique writing desk near a window, spilling in the sunset of the evening. Decorative pieces met her eyes, and a large looming mahogany bed, one with silken black sheets. Now, that was very Snape-ish.

The room was covered in candles, flickering gently in the light. Hermione noticed a small tray of chocolates at her side on the table, accompanied by a large bottle of red wine. Hmmm...how romantic.

Suddenly the door swung open and Snape walked it...well, actually Hermione walked in with Snape behind her, she was blindfolded, grasping his hands flushed and giggling.

\"Where are we?\"

\"Guess.\"

His voice was silken, and he looked impossibly attractive in his black trousers and black shirt and vest. Did the man own any other color? She noticed he had the two top buttons undone, he looked so tall behind her, his hands on her shoulders as he guided her to the bed. Hermione herself blushed as she watched her younger self move precariously towards the bed.

When she felt the covers under her hand she raised an eyebrow, \"Is...is this your bedchambers?\"

\"Good job Granger.\"

She grinned, grasping onto his forearms behind her, leaning back into his chest as he smirked. \"But, we never come in here...why now?\"

\"You\'ll see.\"

Hermione sat on a nearby chair, watching the whole ordeal with a fluttering heart. She could see what was unfolding. Things were suddenly sliding into home and memory as she watched the exchange. Suddenly she knew why Severus hadn\'t wanted to follow her this time. This wasn\'t a normal, sweet little memory.

\"Happy Birthday.\"

Suddenly Snape whipped off the blindfold and held Hermione round the waist, peering over her shoulder to see her face. She looked at the hundreds of candles all around her, her eyes wide.

\"Oh my...\"

It was beautiful, she viewed the chocolates and wine, the candles all around, the small card on the table...it was all so entrancing. She felt Snape\'s anxious breathing behind her, surely wondering if she liked it or not.

\"Oh Severus...thank you.\" she breathed, grinning madly and kissing him a minute before looking at the lights again. He was gazing tenderly at her, as she whirled around and hugged him tightly, as he hugged her back, burying his face in her hair.

Hermione watched the two, hugging and clinging to each other and felt a small stab at her heart. She wanted this. She wanted him...

\"Come.\" he suddenly said, taking her hand as she giggled, blushing as he lead her to the bed. She looked uncertainly to it a moment before he suddenly picked her up in a very chivalrous manner and seated her on the bed, looking at her longingly a moment before grasping the chocolates and wine and brin the them over on the tray.

She was smiling so much her cheeks were hurting as she looked curiously at the chocolates. He placed the tray over her knees and watched as she looked at the wine diplomatically. She hadn\'t had ever wine before.

\"I\'m sure it\'ll be fine if you have some.\" he ventured, \"You are eighteen now, are you not?\"

She grinned, nodding a bit and holding her glass as he filled it about three quarters of the way. She brought it to her nose, sniffing it a bit as he smirked at her. She playfully shoved him for mocking her nativity and took a small gulp.

He saw her wince a bit as she tasted it, swallowing it fully and placing the glass back on her tray. She looked to the bemused Snape and gave him a weak smile.


\"It\'s really good.\"

\"Really.\"


\"Yes.\" she wiped her mouth and tried to rid her mouth of the taste, \"A little strong but good.\"

He laughed then, dark chuckles as she blushed, feeling stupid for saying it. He brought a hand up to her cheek, stroking it a moment tenderly. \"Don\'t worry, I don\'t care much for it myself.\"

Hermione looked relieved and leaned forward to kiss him, he eagerly leaned forward and was about to kiss her waiting lips when there was a knock at his door.

\"Honestly..\"

He looked to her a moment, \"I\'m sorry. Just give me a minute.\"

Hermione looked a little peeved but nodded, waiting for him on the bed as he exited in a huff, muttering obscenities under his breath. She leaned back on the pillows and listened intently to the voices in the next room.

\"Headmaster, what a surprise.\"

\"Well Severus,\" there were sounds of bumping as Dumbledore walked in. \"You left after dinner in such a state I was worried. You were positively trembling.\"

Hermione on the bed smiled tenderly a bit, looking to the closed door. She heard the impatience in her boyfriend\'s voice. Yes, her boyfriend. He was so sweet.

\"I was tired. And not surprisingly still am, so if you wouldn\'t mind...\"

She heard the surprise in Albus\' voice as they mumbled a bit more, something Hermione couldn\'t hear and then Albus finally admonished, \"Oh, I\'m sorry m\'boy, I hadn\'t realized. Well, I suppose I\'ll be seeing you tomorrow. For the meeting.\"

\"Yes sir. Goodnight.\"

\"Goodnight.\"

Hermione suddenly leaned back on the bed, shaking her loose curls over one shoulder and unbuttoning her blouse a bit. She pressed her lips together soundly and then licked them as she awaited his return. He walked into the door, shutting it behind him she spoke.

\"What did he say?\"

\"Who?\"

Hermione rolled her eyes, \"Dumbledore.\"

\"Oh, he said for me to enjoy myself.\"

Hermione looked decidedly eager as she gazed up at him from the bed. \"You mean you finally told him about us?\"

Snape looked to her surprised, \"No. I told him I was entertaining \'someone\' in my chambers. He got the idea and buggered off.\"

\"Right.\"

Hermione looked crestfallen a moment and then nodded, looking to him with a small smile as he crawled upon the bed and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. \"Now.\" he said grasping a small chocolate in between his thumb and forefinger. \"Open wide my little Gryffindor.\"

Hermione smirked at his latter nickname and reluctantly parted her lips enough for him to slide the chocolate into. She bit into it, relishing its strawberry coated flavor. Her tongue sliding over his finger as she viewed his shiver and ragged breathing.


Hermione sat on the chair, watching this whole exchange growing decidely aroused herself. Surely this wasn\'t real? Snape and she celebrating her birthday? For some reason she deeply wanted it to be real.

She saw Snape getting flustered and suddenly he broke away from Hermione\'s gaze and exquisite tongue, reaching over the side of his bed and coming back up with a small package which he presented to her with a small grin.

\"And now for presents.\"

Hermione nearly squealed, taking the small package from him and holding her breath. She gave him another brightening smile as she gently tore away at the paper, coming to a small box. Her hands slowly opened the box to reveal a small necklace with the initial \'S\' on it.

\"It\'s beautiful. Thank you.\"

\"I don\'t want you to have to explain to your friend he he said, moving around her head with his arms to clasp the necklace as she shivered in his embrace, his hair tickling her lips. \"So I\'ve made the chain long...you can wear it under your school blouse. No one will ever have to know.\"

She nodded, looking to the ornament again, running her hand over the small letter before speaking .\"Why an \'S\'?\"

\"So you know that you belong to me.\" his smile was wicked and Hermione sighed good-naturedly, pushing him a bit as he chuckled and leaned in for another kiss. This time it was Hermione who pulled away grinning mercilessly.

\"Well...don\'t keep me in suspense.\"

\"I...I want to give you something special for your birthday Hermione. If you\'ll let me...I wanted to wait until your eighteenth birthday.\"

\"Yes?\"

\"Just a moment.\" he grasped the blindfold and looked back to her, \"I can\'t say it with you staring at me like that.\"

Hermione laughed softly as Snape tied the blindfold loosely around her eyes and then leaned back, looking to her and gazing. Hermione at the side felt her own heart melting as she saw them together.

\"I truly care for you, Hermione, you know that.\"

\"Yes.\"

Hermione nodded, groping around and then placing a hand upon his own to see he was shaking a bit. Nervous as to what he was about to say next. He was so very out of his element, for once it was he asking questions. When he did speak his voice was stern, commanding in the only way he knew how.

\"I want...I want to give you, myself.\"

Hermione was blushing, her mouth hanging open. She slid the blindfold up onto her forehead and seemed in total disbelief as she stared at him.

\"You mean it?\"

He nodded, moving closer to her on the bed and taking the blindfold off of her head with a small tug, letting it lie beside them on the bed. Hermione was trembling as she beheld him.

\"I know that we haven\'t been together all thong.ong...only a few short months.\" he was lurking closer, \"And I know that its been on your mind..\" he saw her blush that confirmed his suspicion, \"And I just wanted to wait until you were eighteen. Until you were...ready.\"

Hermione was blushing madly, watching as he crawled closer to her on the soft bed, the world spinning before her. She was going to sleep with Snape? She whirled around, refusing to watch this spectacle.

\"I\'m ready.\"

Why oh why am I such a tart? Hermione was positively glowing with heat from the blush on her cheeks. She heard them...there was kissing that much she could hear, a few mutters...incoherent. She pressed her face to the wall, she couldn\'t see this. She\'d never be able to meet Snape\'s eyes again.

\"Undress me.\" his words were mumbled, but intensely erotic and she felt her knees wobbling. One little peek wouldn\'t kill her. Slowly turning she held in her breath as she saw them, kissing on the and and moaning into each other\'s mouths.

Hermione was trying to unbutton his shirt whilst still kissing him madly. He was grinning into the kiss and playfully batted away her hands as he ripped the shirt off himself. Hermione fanned herself as she saw this primal action from the normally conservative man.

\"Oh.\" the younger Hermione whispered, looking to his beautiful body in awe. He was so finely sculptured, so beautiful in a manly sort of way with that creamy white skin against black eyes and hair. He grinned and kissed her again, his hands moving under her blouse to the breasts that awaited his fingers.

She had foregone a bra this evening, much to his immediate surprise. A surprise Hermione felt, hot against the outside of her panties. She was a bit nervous, her chest heaving as she watched his ministrations, she couldn\'t look away from him, he was exquisite.

He suddenly unbuttoned her blouse, helping her out of it and throwing it to his side, lowering his head to the breasts that moved up to meet him, his hot breath upon them. Hermione moaned as his lips brushed on erect nipple, moving his hands along her thighs. His hands slowly moved to her panties which he pulled down slowly, pleasure flooding her as the air from his room hit her most sensitive of areas.

She slid his trousers down his lithe body, and felt the fabric of silken boxers. She smirked a bit as he brushed her lips again, and she grasped him through the material. She saw his eyelids fluttering as he groaned into her mouth, moving into her hand. Soon though as she went faster and saw as his cheek reddened he took her hand away, placing her arm around his shoulders as she sighed dreamily.

With that incentive he suddenly lowered his boxers and slid into her, slowly until he was rested in her. Small tears fell down her face but she didn\'t look away from him. \"I love you.\"

He nodded, suddenly moving about in her as she winced and then. Woah. White head seared her abdomen sending waves of pleasure through every fiber of her body. She tried to pull him closer, send him deeper as he gazed at her and with every thrust gave her a small kiss on the lips.

His arms were on either side of her as his thrusts went deeper, shaking the bed as he watched her face through almost closed eyes. She was writhing below him, mng ang and almost purring at him.

Hermione could actually feel the emotions in this scene and she finally looked up again for as soon as she had seen herself top naked she had looked away. Now she watched Snape gazing at her face as she clutched him tightly to her.

\"Se..\"

He went faster, waiting for her, begging her with his eyes for her to shout out his name.

\"Sev..\"

Perhaps that would have to do, he felt himself slowly losing inhibitions, his thrusts slowly and becoming more pronounced. Suddenly her own hips met his and her back arched.

\"Severus!\"

He himself suddenly spilled into her, his head falling into the crook of her arm as she hugged him to her. He kissed her collar, panting as was she. He could hear her rapid heartbeat through her heaving chest.

\"I love you.\"

Hermione saw herself smiling into his hair as she played with his hair with her fingers. She didn\'t need to answer, she had already made her emotions known moments earlier. He rolled over and out, bringing her into his arms and kissing her gently once more before offering a small \"Happy Birthday\" as the two fell into a light slumber.

Hermione knew that this memory would soon be over, and so she left through the hole, looking for the white light to lead her home. Home to the Snape manor where Snape would be standing, cross and embarrassed at her.

Suddenly a horrifying thought occurred to her as she stood, waiting for the white light to encase her, and wordwords were almost silent in comparison to the screaming she had just witnessed.

\"He was my first.\"