an awfully big adventure...

Hermione and sat sat at the table at the Three Broomsticks a while later, sipping tea and leisurely eating the chocolate cake slice they had each ordered.

Ron ate it more delicately that Hermione had ever noticed very gentleman like. Black had always gobbled down his food, and Snape seemed to discreetly suck everything up like a vacuum.

She smirked as the image of Snape with a vacuum mouth entered her mind, she stifled as she thought of him though, and sighed while forcing another piece of her dessert into her mouth.

“What’s so funny?”

Hermione looked to Ron softly and shrugged with a faint smile playuponupon her lips. “Nothing really Ron…just thinking.”

He nodded, and turned his attention briefly back to his chocolate cake, and she took in his sweet face. He was a pale boy, constantly…but his eyes were merry and he had that mop of red hair on his head, it was rather endearing actually.

She looked out the window to Hogsmeade and sighed wistfully looking at the random couples holding hands, laughing and shopping. Bastards for being so happy.

Hermione’s thoughts drifted to Snape briefly as she tried to imagine him holding her hand in a public place…That would be a sight.

Ron’s hand suddenly fell onto her hand lightly, and she looked to him in surprise. She was still wary, sort of nervous that he would get too exuberant, like that time in the hall…when Snape had come to her rescue…

No. No more of that, Ron had just been a little overzealous, and this was her own fault for using him as a guinea pig.

“You look really pretty Hermione.” Ron said softly, “I’ve thought that for a long time…but I thought…I don’t know I-“

“Ron, it’s just the potion talking.” Hermione said softly, squeezing his hand reassuringly. Ron shook his head slightly, and the pit in Hermione’s stomach dropped farther.

“No, Hermione…I’ve liked you a long time…before the potion. I just never thought you’d like me.”

“Oh, Ron, I’ve always liked you.” She said softly, as Ron cut her off.

“Not like I like you ‘Mione…well, at least I thought…”

Hermione licked her lips nervously, trying to focus on what Ron was saying, but her heart was beating rapidly and she was trying to hear him over the rapid sound echoing in her ears.

Ron was completing his embarrassing speech with a clumsy;

“…and…well… I’m in love with you Hermione.”

He trailed off, his cheeks turning pink and leaving Hermione to look at him in new light and in a complete state of shock and disbelief.
_____________________________________________


“Don’t you see, Black?” Snape said almost excited, as they stood around the bubbling cauldron “We’ve gotten it! We’ve done it! Stop stirring!”

He stopped Black from stirring the concoction, and rushed to his back room, the sounds of glass tinkering and being moved sounded out.

Black wiped the sweat from his brow, and leaned against the nearby table. He tried to feel the cool invasion from the open window above him, but couldn’t quite reach it.

More tinkering sounded and a short “Aha” of recognition for an item found.

The only things that could get Snape excited were his potions, that was for sure. Black smirked as he viewed the feared Potion’s Master rushing about and preparing for the concoction to be moved to a vial.

Severus moved to the cauldron and instructed Black on how much to ladle into a large vial, and told him to be quick about it. My that man was demanding.

Black tipped the deep red potion into a large vial, and labeled it in his own clumsy script that would as Snape’s look indicated, be changed when he left.

Snape took a smaller stopped and with careful precision took three drops into the stopper, and carefully dripped them into the thin vial he held in his almost quivering hand.

This was her release, this was Hermione’s release from the bondage of Ron. Ron was what was in his way the entire time…why hadn’t he seen it!? She was pre-occupied with that stupid weasel she hadn’t been able to express her affections for him.

Not that it was really safe to say if she hadn’t had Ron as a distraction she would have even done anything about it. He didn’t even know that she could even really stand him…perhaps she had been using him for his help. This angered him beyond all reason.

But he remembered her face and blush when he had spoken those words to her at the Christmas banquet, as McGonagal had surreptitiously watched with delight.

“You look positively beaming, Miss Granger.” He had said gently and completely by accident, only because she had been.

Sitting in what seemed to be her own light or aura around her…she had looked stunning, in her own natural way, gazing up at him so tenderly…and he had wanted to do a manner of things to a student that were not looked well upon in such a place as Hogwarts.

Then the chatter of students had surrounded them, and they were taken from their locked eyes, and Hermione had turned back to her…friends, and he strode off not looking back.

But now…he just didn’t know what to think.

Black was looking at him with a scrupulous look as he saw Snape’s dreamy look as he gazed down at the small vial in his hand.

“Er…Severus?”

Snape blinked and seemed to awaken from his trance, and immediately the scowl was back. Black stepped forward and looked to Snape tenderly, and for a brief and horrified second he was so afraid that Black was going to kiss him again.

Snape may have been lean and sort of muscular under those dark robes of his, but he wasn’t going to fool himself into thinking that he could take Black on. Black had been to Azkaban, Black had escaped death. Black was a man’s man. Suddenly that term gave off rare clarity.

But Black didn’t kiss him; he merely stood a few inches away, narrowed his eyes to a slightly flinching Snape and said softly; “Just go.”

Snape didn’t answer.
_______________________________________________

“Oh, Ron…” Hermione was saying gently, trying not to hyperventilate, and gazing all around to see someone who could help her. “I think you’re just a little confused…”

Ron looked near tears as she said this, and she broke off her gaze and forked more cake into her mouth, trying desperately not to say anything to make it worse.

“Hermione…can you honestly say you never felt anything for me at all?”

Hermione’s eyes went wide as she tried to shush him as his strangled voice was at an extremely loud pitch. The Three Broomsticks was actually vacant save for she and Ron…it was rather late anyway.

She had been going over in her mind over and over all the redeeming qualities Ron possessed, but his voice was already grating her nerves. She looked to his hunched frame and wondered internally how she could have even considered him as a possible suitor. She would rather be alone.

He wasn’t romantic, wasn’t passionate, wasn’t in her mind that attractive and certainly was not what she had thought she was looking for.

She wasn’t saying that Snape was all of these things either, but she wasn’t comparing Ron to Snape… She was seeing Ron as a man…a man she just couldn’t force herself to love, no matter how lonely she felt.

“Ron, I love you as a friend…but that’s all.” She was saying as she came to this realization, trying to be stern, but it was quite hard when Ron was looking at her with those large, puppy dog eyes. Ron nodded, trying to make it seem as if he understood…but really it killed him. He looked to her defiantly all of a sudden.

“Just one kiss then…” he said, licking his mouth in anticipation as he looked to her own full lips. “Just one kiss to prove there’s nothing there. And I’ll leave you alone forever.”

Hermione looked to him exasperatedly…she had done this before, the time in the hall and now she was tired, confused and just wanted to go home…right now. But she looked to Ron and his furrowed brow, and she understood how he felt…it was the way she felt when she was near Snape…

“Fine.”

Ron nodded eagerly and leaning forward over the table he raised an eyebrow…waiting for her. Hermione took a deep breath now; leaning over slightly and kissing him as his lips enveloped hers. She wondered what Snape would do if he tried it on the above mentioned. Probably scream.

Well if you’ve ever wondered what kissing Ron Weasely is like, don’t get too excited. His lips although soft were…too soft, no firmness. He was sloppy and tried to force his tongue into her clenched mouth. She wondered over and over how she had gotten into the predicament, she was about to pull away when something caught her off guard.


“Ah…Weasely, Granger, kissing games again?”

Said a deep voice from beside the table, as Hermione pulled away from Ron, her heart going like a jackhammer to a bitter and repulsed looking Snape. God that man was an overgrown bat sometimes.

He was standing beside the table, evidently had just arrived…or had been spying on her. His cheeks were slightly tinged with a pinkish hue, as it was a bit nippy outside, and his hair all in disarray was quite…

“Professor.” She stated softly, looking to him confusion and shame…Why shame? It wasn’t as if he owned her. But he was looking to her with those angrily glittering eyes as he stared at her. “Why are you here? Why aren’t you with…Black.”

He saw her wince at the last name, and the connection suddenly was there. She had been trying to make him jealous with Ron as he had to her with Black. He’d just been too daft to see it. His heart gave a slight flutter and he swayed a bit, then Ron’s voice broke in.

“Well, why are you here then?”

Snape glared at Ron, handing him a small glass vial. “Drink it.” Was all he said, watching him and waiting. Ron didn’t do anything at first, a staring match ensued…Snape won.

“What is it?” he asked tentatively, as Snape smirked and with a sideways glance at Hermione that read; ‘Not much of a boyfriend Miss Granger…afraid of his own shadow this one…’

“Your salvation, Mr. Weasely.”

Ron finally nervously nodded, and taking the vial he downed its meager contents. He was about to say something when his eyes suddenly shut and he slumped soundlessly onto the table, and promptly began snoring.

Hermione looked to Snape horrified, “What did you do to him?” she stood now, looking absolutely livid. She stood and he dragged her from the table to a shadowed corner of the Three Broomsticks.

He stood in front of her, her back pressed to the cold wall as he stood with his stomach almost pressing against hers. She was muttering and nervously watching his hands, which ended up on either side above her shoulders on the wall of which she balanced on.

“Listen.” Snape hissed to Hermione as she obeyed out of shock, “Now. I merely laced the potion with-“

Hermione cut him off with a shrill, “He’s going to suffocate!” as she looked to Ron, who was face down in his chocolate cake, and not stirring much. “I can’t believe you did this, he’s your own student you bastard!”

Bastard. Great.

“Why are you doing this?” Hermione said angrily, her eyes brimming with angry tears. “You’re always doing this…”

“Doing what?”

“Showing up…making me feel bad…making me…” she stopped here, very embarassed and looked to him. Snape cocked his head to one side, glancing her over.

“Why would I make you feel bad?”

Hermione felt herself go overboard as she almost growled, throwing her hands in the air as she spoke, “You are the most manipulative, narrow minded prick and all I-“

“Do shut up Miss Granger.” Snape said piercingly as he waved his wand in Ron’s direction. Ron sat up and his neck slumped into his chest, he continued snoring.

“There. All is well. You’re boyfriend is fine.”

“You know for a fact he’s not my boyfriend.” Hermione said with an angry glare at him. Snape raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

“Oh, I didn’t see you two kissing like madmen?” he asked bemused at her flushed expression.

“You wouldn’t understand.” She said sullenly, her words cutting more deeply than she knew.

Snape’s head whipped back to Hermione and looked to her darkly, eyeing her up and down as she spoke, her chest heaving as she breathed deeply, that small notch in her neck becoming all the more evident…he liked it.

What he didn’t like was her staring angrily up at him, her arms crossed and not moving. He had to force himself not to kiss her though. The other thing he didn’t like was her voice being so darkly quiet as she berated him.

“You’ve could’ve poisoned him. Your own student, You’ve go-“

“Do you ever stop talking?” Snape said incredulously bemused. Hermione opened her mouth in shock, not knowing what to say as Snape seized his open opportunity.

His firm, reaching lips smothered hers as she closed her eyes rhythmically. The words she was about to speak were swept from her lips, which Snape was now licking eagerly and forcing his tongue in her almost eager mouth.

He was roughly trailing his hands all over arms, which she had pressed against the wall in shock…up and down…up and down…those experienced fingers taming ever inch of them, before pressing his hip to hers as a raging heat inflamed her insides.

Her eyes flew open as he smirked and kissed her even more deeply, his hands slowly moving down to her hips, as he felt around them, tightly thrusting her to him from behind. She gave a small whimper as his tongue went further, dueling with hers as he held her up with his strong arms, as her head was starting to feel faint.

There was a mutter from Ron and Snape pulled from Hermione quickly, he gazed at her flushed and glowing face and suddenly grasping her wrist in his hand he dragged her to the front desk after him.

“I’ll be requiring a room for the night.” He said to the miserable innkeeper who grunted in reply and held out his hand for the galleons. Snape thrust his free hand into his cloak and placed the random coins on the wooden table, he tried not to appear overly eager.

The innkeeper grunted once more and headed into the back to get the key. Snape looked to the wobbling and dazed Hermione, she looked a bit disoriented and he tried to conceal a smile.

“I doubt Ron’ll need a room to sleep in.” Hermione suddenly said diplomatically surprised that Snape himself hadn’t thought of it before. “We can just floo him back to the school.”

Snape chuckled darkly and looked to her, and uncharacteristically brushed a strand of hair from her eyes as she sighed softly.

“The room isn’t for Weasely.” Snape said with a look on his face that was positively snake like. His eyes roamed her body, and she felt herself involuntarily relish in it before his dark eyes snapped back up to meet Hermione\'s as he spoke darkly.

“The room, Miss Granger is for you and I.”