an overwhelming desire to win...

What am I going to say? Oh Bollocks, he\'s just standing e loe looking at me and...what can I bloody well say? \'Oh..Severus, lovely weather we\'re having lately\'..or perhaps, \'Severus! I was just in the middle of cleaning your fireplace when you walked in...I wanted it to be a surprise, I know how you hate to get soot on your cloaks when you travel.\'

\"Oh...Severus.\" Hermione managed to shakily exclaim, feigniurprurprise and walking towards him with a stupid grin plastered on her face. \"I just floo in to see you.\"

She didn\'t know why she laughed at her own comment, but as soon as Snape shut the door behind him and whirled around to face her, her small laughter died instantly. This left him standing by the door, looking to her coldly.

\"Hermione.\"

Silence was imminent and Hermione wondered if this was a good time to bring up the bet. He seemed quite peeved, not quite livid but...ticked. He spoke again, darkly and suspiciously.

\"You were spying on me?\"

Okay, evidently not the best of times to bring up the bet.

His dark eyes were colder and Hermione shivered under their scrutiny. She licked her lips and tried to think of a way of explaining the situation. Good luck at that.

Try explaining to Severus Snape that she made a bet with an enemy all about bedding the elusive Professor for a title. Oh yes, that would go over splendidly. He was still standing there by his door, arms crossed with a waiting frown and raised eyebrow.

\"O-of course I wasn\'t spying on you.\"

Now this in a way was true, she could always say she had been spying on Pansy. Oh bugger it all. Snape moved closer, that questioning eyebrow still raised and causing Hermione to wince at the mere sight of it. The man was still intimidating...interesting to see how this would play out in the bedroom...if she ever got him there again.

Oh Gods, one night and I\'m already a sex-starved harlot with her mind in the gutter.

She wrung her fingers together nervously with every slow step he took towards her, and she found herself quite entranced with his dark boots.

\"Hermione. Why are you here?\"

The way he said her name demanded her attention, and she tried to act casual as her eyes met his own. Why do his eyes have to be so...penetrating. Looks like he\'s reading my mind right n-
She broke the eye contact then, suddenly realizing that that might be precisely what the man was up to. Tricky Severus...very tricky.

Suddenly gulpine loe looked once more to his surprisingly earnest face, and flashing him a quick and tentative smile. Oh God I hope he doesn\'t know.

She began backing up to the fireplace, her heart pounding as she tried to think of a coherent plan, which was hard as Severus Snape, quite a bit taller than she was towering over her, stalking closer by the moment. What am I going to do?

She suddenly felt the cold stone of the fireplace under her shaking fingertips. Perhaps if she went home, got home..he\'d perhaps come for her, she could feed him dinner...perhaps get him sloshed and then...then they could discuss everything. Brilliant. She grasped the nearby floo powder, feeling its soft granule texture in her clenched fist. Snape now had a look of utter perplexity and was narrowing his eyes at her.

\"W-What the hell are you doing?\"

Hermione gave Snape one last, stupid smile before preparing to throw the nearby floo powder, her heart still pounding loudly in her ears. Snape was frowning and moving closer, so close Hermione could feel his radiating anger and confusion. She had to act quickly.

\"I suppose I\'ll see you at home then.\"

The floo power was thrown to her feet before Snape could say or do anything. \"Hermione Granger\'s house!\"

With that she left the still confused Professor Snape to stand, looking to the blank spot in the hearth where his lover once stood.

_________________________

\"What the holy fuck did I just do?\"

Hermione jumped out of her fireplace, looking around the said house in disbelief. Had she just disappeared out of Severus\' office with no explanation? Assuming that he\'d come after her? Smiling and waving? What the bloody hell...she probably looked like a raving bloody lunatic.

She flopped on the couch a moment, looking to the hearth in disbelief. Disbelief that because in the dark recess\' of her mind, she still believed he was going to come out of the hearth and proclaim his love for her. Tell her that he didn\'t care that she acted like a dolt at times, and that she lied so she could get...oh bother.

She stood, determinedly looking around her empty home. She really needed to talk to her mom. Not dad, he\'d just sit her down give her the sex talk for the millionth time, pat her on the head and say, \"Keep your nose clean kid.\" which an ian idiotic thing to say because Hermione never got her nose dirty in the first place, and she never saw how sex and noses ever really coincided

Perhaps Snape could obl-

NO. No more perversities. Especially since the man of her current affections was probably stewing about in his office, wondering what he\'d gotten himself into and how he could break it off without getting sacked. Her stomach began growling then and she thought this most inappropriate.

I am stng.

She sighed, angry at herself and walked dejectedly into to the kitchen. Opening the still warm over, she inhaled the tantalizing spices of her chicken and pulled it out.

If Severus wasn\'t coming at all, she would eat the entire meal. She had to wait for him the whole ruddy evening anyway. She supposed spying and confusing the hell out of the one\'s you love really built up an appetite.

She looked at her meal a few moments later, looking at the various food groups, not touching it at all. Preferring to stew about in her moronic speech prior this evening.

\"All I did was smile and say, \'I suppose I\'ll see you at home then?\'...what the hell was I thinking?\"

She was about to throw her meal away when she heard that familiar complaining voice from her living room.

\"Don\'t Muggles ever clean these blasted fireplaces of theirs?\"

Her stomach tilted as she pushed away from the table, throwing down her napkin and rushing into the said room, her eyes wide.

Snape was still emerging from the fireplace, wiping the soot off of his cloaks and giving her a puzzled look. Before she could say anything, he held up his hands in defense and began speaking himself.

\"Before you say anything Hermione I just want you to know something.”

Oh…oh no, how did he find out?

“I should have known why you came. You were worried or mad that I hadn\'t shown up for dinner. And I completely understand your motivations. I apologize for my tardiness, but it was crucial.\"

Hermione\'s eyes began tearing up. Why, of all times was he being so splendid? Why wasn\'t he mad at her? She certainly deserved it.

\"I had such a back up of marking that I simply couldn\'t put off,\" he was moving closer, giving her a weak smile, \"And then I had to have a meeting with Miss Parkinson and well, she put me in a horrid mood and I ran into you in my office and I scared you off and...well..I..apologise for being such a miserable git.\"

Hermione\'s mouth was parted as she looked to him in shock. No. Had he just called himself a miserable git? She was about to break down and confess everything to him when he looked to her suddenly.

\"Is that chicken?\"

Hermione nodded, weakly still in a slight daze from what had just happened. \"Er...yes. Right this way. I was just setting up a plate for you.\"

Snape nodded, suddenly grasping her hand gently and holding it as they walked. He played it off aloofly, making it as casual as possible while Hermione felt the guilt coming over her in buckets and she held back a sob. Here he was, vulnerable and sweet and she was a lying little wench.
Minutes later they were both eating. Well, Severus was eating and Hermione was picking at her food, feeling most ill. It wasn\'t just the lie that was eating away at her, it was them.

He had let go of her hand as soon as they entered the kitchen, helping her dish out the food and kissing her cheek once, gently and sitting across from her.

\"Thanks.\"

Did I just thank him for a kiss on the cheek?

Snape gave a small wry smile before taking a sip of the wine Hermione had brought out for the ocassion. Some ruddy ocassion.

\"Thank you again for dinner.\"

This was followed by an awkward pause before Hermione nodded and spoke.

\"No problem. I hope it tastes alright, it\'s a little cold and I\'m not the best cook an-.\"

She was going to go on with her rambling when Snape suddenly reached one of his long arms over the table and placed his hand over her own, stopping her speech. She tensed, not knowing what to do and in turn her pulled away hastily, looking bashfully down at his meal.

Was it always this awkward the day after sleeping together? Was it always this clumsy and bizarre. Not being able to keep eye contact for long amounts of time, mind always floating back to the night before.

Perhaps he\'ll want to do it again.

Hermione\'s stomach flipped at this, Snape and she together again. The mere thoughts sent shivers down her. Snape took a sip of the rich wine and looked to her and spoke tersely.

\"Are you cold?\"

Hermione forced a smile on her face and shook her head, looking back at her barely touched food. Suddenly the smell of chicken was making her sick.

\"Are you ill? You\'ve barely touched your food.\"

What if I was just that bad. So bad he doesn\'t ever want to sleep with me again. But...if I was, would he have bothered coming back?

\"No, I\'m not ill. Just a bit tired.\"

\"Not too tired I hope.\"

Hermione almost choked on the chicken she had finally decided to eat and looked up at him slowly, slightly reddening at his comment as he gave her a promising smirk, confirming her inner prayer that she wasn\'t hopeless in the sack. She supposed him being a Professor and all, he wanted people to reach their potential, tutor them a bit. That was just fine with Hermione, although that nagging problem still clung to her.

\"No.\" she finally answered, still blushing. \"Not too tired.\"

He didn\'t answer, but seemed pleased with this response. Hermione picked a bit more at her food, but couldn\'t get it past that lump in her throat. Perhaps she should just tell him and get it over with. Yes. Good plan.

She opened her mouth to speak then and caught sight of his small smile as he ate the chicken slowly, relishing its flavor and looking about the small kitchen as if trying to memorize every tile and finish. Trying to cling to this memory.

He looked so blissful that it really seemed a crime to take it all away from him. Tell him that he\'d been the butt of a bet before she realized just how high she held him in regard.

No. She had to tell him. The longer she left it, the madder he\'d be. Perhaps she should wait until he drank a little mo-

\"Do you mind if I take a shower?\" Snape suddenly inquired breaking her thoughts and looking to her a moment in curiosity. \"I’ve never used one before, I’ve only ever had a bath in my chambers.\"

Hermione\'s heart leapt into her throat at the mere mention of his chambers and his bath and then it clicked in her mind that he was asking to shower in her bathroom. Snape...showering in her bathroom? Naked?

You can sleep with the man Hermione, but you\'re shocked at the idea of him being naked in your bathroom?

Damn common sense. Hermione gulped and nodded, standing and clattering her cutlery on her plate. \"Sure. I\'ll show you the way.\"

Snape followed her olooklooking at her tenderly. He watched as she nervously peered into the opened linnen closet and produced a large pink towel. She handed it to him and he looked at it questionably, raising a small giggle from her.

\"No one\'s going to see you.\"

\"You will and I\'d like to maintain a certain amount of dignity.\"

Hermione sighed, looking back in the dark cupboard and looked back to him with a shrug. \"Sorry, the rest are all handtowels.\"

Snape scowled good-naturedly, kissing her cheek roughly as she pointed him in the direction of the bathroom. She followed him in, appreciating his fine form from where she stood.
She showed him the showerhead, and pointed to the knobs labeled \'hot\' and \'cold.\'

\"The hot is pretty hot in here, so be sure not to-\"

\"Hermione.\" Snape said matter of factly, taking her wrist and drawing her near to him. \"I think I can deduct how to use a Muggle shower.\"

Hermione nodded, realizing he meant no malice in his words and shrugged. She blushed a bit as he traced the back of his forefinger against her soft cheek, gazing at her. \"Right, of course.\"

Snape nodded tenderly and kissed her lips softly, pressing his own to hers. The towel dropping to the floor as he smothered her mouth in an increasingly passionate kiss. She could taste the red wine embedded on his lips and felt as his tongue slid expertly through her parted lips.

His arms wove around her delicately, pulling her close as she felt her hips connect with his own. She heard him groan a bit, and instantly became aroused. It was strange, that one little sound of vulnerability sounding from Snape managed to send fireworks off in her.

His hands tweaked at her nipple through the thin dress that he obviously liked. He barely even had to touch her, just standing so close to him send sparks through her. Her moans floated through their open mouths suddenly closing, and tasting as Severus\' tongue drew circles about at the top of her mouth. The man had a gift.

She felt as his hands began lifting up her dress, and she suddenly panicked, feeling wrong for almost leading him on in a way although it felt oh so right.

She broke away, looking to Severus with her face flushed. He accounted this to the fact that the bathroom was so hot, or he was doing better in the kissing field.

\"Dishes.\" Hermione managed to choke out, licking her lips and gulping silently. Severus raised that trademark eyebrow of his and smirked.

\"Not much better than \'Cookie\' my dear. In fact I think I almost prefer that one over \'dishes\'.\"
Hermione clued in a moment later at the joke, rolling her eyes at his bizarre humor and pushed him playfully from her.

\"I have to go do the dishes. I\'ll see you after your shower.\"

He watched her go, sighing softly to himself as she shut the door behind her. He had fully been inclined to ask her to join him, but refused to push her, she seemed almost intimidated by him at first. Tense. But that kiss most certainly confirmed that she wasn\'t all that nervous. Gods this was paradise. Marvelous company, good food, warm home...who could ask for more?

Snape smiled suddenly and decided to leave the bathroom door unlocked. Who knew if a certain bushy-haired Gryffindor may want to join him later on...