Those Who Favor Fire

Chapter Two

“Wishful Sinful” by The Doors

Wishful crystal
Water covers everything in blue
Coolin\' water
Wishful sinful
Our love is beautiful to see
I know where I would like to be
Right back where I came
Wishful, sinful, wicked blue
Water covers you
Wishful, sinful, wicked you
Can\'t escape the blue
Magic risin\'
Sun is shinin\' deep beneath the sea
But not enough for you and me and sunshine
Love to hear the wind cry
Wishful sinful
Our love is beautiful to see
I know where I would like to be
Right back where I came
Wishful, sinful, wicked blue
Water covers you
Wishful, sinful, wicked you
Can\'t escape the blue
Love to hear the wind cry
Love to hear you cry, yeah, yeah

- - -

After depositing her trunk in her new room, located down the hall from the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, Hermione made her way down to the Great Hall for dinner.

According to Professor Snape, the only professors that had returned to Hogwarts this early were Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Hermione, and himself. The rest of the staff would return in about two weeks, leaving a week and a half before the students would arrive.

‘I can’t believe I’ll finally have my own students!’ Hermione thought joyfully.

She skipped into the Great Hall to see that the only table present was the staff table, which had been moved to the center of the room and shrunk into a smaller, rounder table. There was a seat open between McGonagall and Snape, so she sat down and placed her napkin in her lap.

“Hermione! Welcome to Hogwarts!” Across the table from where she sat, Hermione saw a beaming Filius Flitwick, who was sitting on a few books so he could reach the table.

“Thank you, Professor Flitwick. I’m more than happy to be here,” she replied, giving him an equally large and sincere grin.

“Now, Hermione, feel free to call us by our first names, seeing as how now you’re one of us,” McGonagall cut in. “In fact, we should reintroduce ourselves. I can’t imagine that you know all of our first names already.”

“Actually, Minerva, I do,” Hermione smirked. Dumbledore chuckled. Pointing with her fork at him, she began, “Albus,” then at Flitwick, “Filius,” then Snape, “and lastly, Severus.”

“Good Lord, the girl pays attention,” Severus sneered.

Hermione frowned indignantly at him. “Actually, I read. You are all in the latest edition of Hogwarts, A History.”

Everyone at the table laughed. Hermione winked at Severus, then returned to her food.

‘Did she just wink at me?’ Severus was stunned. No girl, er, woman, had even batted her eyelashes at him before. However, considering how Hermione wasn’t the type of girl to be so flirtatious, Severus chalked it up to either friendly camaraderie or temporary wave of insanity.

Hermione was completely oblivious to the stares from the rest of the staff. Severus had not been the only one to see. Filius leaned over and whispered into Dumbledore’s ear, “I’ll be adding three pounds of Treacle Tart to the pool.”

Severus jerked his head around instantly. “What was that? Is there a bet that I have not been informed of?” If there was, they would not have told him for a very good reason: He almost always won. Even Professor Trelawney wouldn’t bet against him.

“Of course not, Severus,” Dumbledore twinkled. “Eat your food.”

Giving him a wary eye, Severus turned back to his plate and speared a potato.

Hermione, paying close attention to the exchange, knew that if there was some kind of bet going that they were keeping from Severus, he had to be what they were betting on. ‘I’ll just ask Minerva later…’

Soon after dessert, Flitwick excused himself, saying he had to get to work early on his lesson plan. Almost instantly, McGonagall and Dumbledore blurted out that they had business for the Order. Severus was about to ask to join them, but saw the look that Minerva was giving him, clearly as if to say, ‘Escort her to her room, you stupid boy!’

He and Hermione watched them stroll out the large double doors of the Great Hall, leaving the two of them alone.

“Miss Granger, may I have the honor of escorting you back to your rooms?”

“You may,” she replied. Hermione was starting to really enjoy this mannerly side of Snape. Taking his arm again, they two of them slowly made their way in the direction of Gryffindor Tower.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Minerva and Albus were hiding behind one of the tapestries in a secret chamber in the corridor outside of Hermione’s quarters. Minerva, now as eager as Albus to set the two of them together, had skillfully tricked Albus into changing the bet for her purposes. Now, in the staff room, there was a paper, readable by all the staff except for Hermione and Severus, that had the dates that teachers had placed bets on for the day they admitted in public that they were seeing each other. If you wanted to add a date to your bet, you’d have to add to the pool.

From their hiding spot, they saw Hermione and Severus walk down the hall to her door.

“A galleon says he kisses her.”

“Minerva, when have you ever known Severus to take such a chance? If he kisses her, it’ll be on the cheek.”

“You’re not giving him enough credit! He’s taken plenty of chances for the Order, and you know that better than I do, you great oaf!”

“Minerva,” Dumbledore whispered, “unless you want them to hear us, I suggest you lower your voice.”

They both shut up just in time, for Severus and Hermione were now standing just in front of their tapestry. McGonagall put her ear against their side of the fabric, trying to hear every detail of their conversation. Dumbledore gave her a look, then muttered, “Video vidi visum.”

Instantly, they could see out into the hallway, but Hermione and Severus could not see them.

“Very tricky, Albus,” Minerva grinned. Dumbledore grinned and put a finger to his lips, motioning for McGonagall to watch the two younger professors.


“I appreciate your walking me back to my room, Professor,” said Hermione, hiding her grin. “But… who will walk you to yours?”

“I beg your pardon?” Severus replied, confused.

“Well, I’ll be safe and cozy in my room, but who shall protect you from the big scary monsters that roam the halls of Hogwarts?” She let her grin spread wide on her face at the look Severus was giving her.

Catching on to her joke, he arched an eyebrow. “My dear, what makes you think that I, myself, am not the scariest monster here at Hogwarts?”

Hermione shuddered at his husky voice. Gods, that voice could turn her into a lusty wreck!

“W-well,” she stammered, trying desperately to gain the upper hand again. “I’m fairly sure that your ‘I’m a big, black bat’ act works well on first years, but I doubt you’d be safe from the other monsters awaiting you in your dungeons.”

Severus smirked. “Oh? And what other monsters may be awaiting me?” He stepped forward, shortening the gap between them.

“Oh, you know,” she replied. “Large, ferocious lions, perhaps?” At this, Severus threw his head back and let out a full, throaty cackle.

“I assure you, Miss Granger, I can take a big, fluffy lion any day.” He winked at her then quickly turned on his heel and left.

Hermione stood, stunned. Was that a challenge? Wait…

“Professor!”

“Yes, Miss Granger?” He stopped, but did not turn.

“For future reference, it’s Hermione.” And with that, he chuckled deviously and continued down the hall towards his precious dungeons. Hermione stood, staring at his backside, until she could not see through the shadows, then turned and gave the password for her chambers.

Stepping out from behind the tapestry, Dumbledore held out his arm for McGonagall. They started walking down the hall, in the opposite direction of Severus, towards Dumbledore’s office.

“Minerva, I believe you owe me a galleon.”

McGonagall gave him a sharp look to freeze hell over. “If I remember correctly, you never accepted the challenge!” she huffed.

“Ah, yes, but I never did say that I would not, now, did I?”

“God damn you, Albus Dumbledore. I’ll get you and that little twinkle in your eye, too!”


* * * *


Severus was pacing in his rooms later that night, unable to sleep due to an overactive mind. ‘Gods, if only I could sleep…’ But he could not, for every time he closed his eyes and tried to rest his mind, he would think of her.

Hermione Granger. He’d loved her since she was a seventh year, for cryin’ out loud! It had been the year that she’d finally grown up, let loose a bit from her studies, and really turned into the beautiful, easygoing girl she was now.

‘Remember that, Severus old boy, she’s just a girl!’ While he continuously told this to his mind, his body was telling him something else. The sway of her hips as she walked, the slender lines of her arms, her pale neck, her pouty, luscious lips… Everything about the girl screamed, “WOMAN!” Hell, she’d even finally gotten her hair under control! The large, fluffy nest of hair had transformed into long, loose, flowing curls nearly overnight, not that Severus was complaining. Oh. Wait. He was complaining!

‘If she wasn’t so gorgeous… If only she wasn’t intelligent! Gods…’

Finally, he took a seat in the large, overstuffed leather armchair beside his fire and put his feet up on the wooden coffee table in front of him. His mind racing, Severus reached over for the glass of water on the table. Gulping the liquid down, he massaged his right temple with his fingers. Setting his water back down, he held his face in his hands.

He wanted her. He’d known this for five long years. From the beginning of her seventh year, which had been agony for HIM, all through her four years of University, he’d wanted her. And now, it seemed that she wanted him, too.

‘She couldn’t possibly…’

Although Severus was not the most attractive man alive, he, too, had improved over the past few years. His sallow skin had gradually tanned slightly from his outings that he would take to gather potions ingredients in the mid-afternoon. Ever since a fellow Potions Master had sent him a special recipe for a deep-cleansing shampoo, his hair no longer looked as greasy, and he had allowed it to grow to just past his shoulders. Since Voldemort’s demise, thanks to Potter the year after he graduated, his body had begun to fill out a little. When he had been a spy, the constant stress had prevented him from eating that much. Now, he’d developed some muscle on his lean frame.

As a total package, Snape wasn’t that bad. In fact, unbeknownst to him, quite a few of his sixth and seventh year students had crushes on him, male and female students, alike.

Finally, he started to feel sleepy enough to go to sleep. Crawling under the satin covers of his canopied king-size bed, he let himself relax and drift off to sleep.

About two hours later, the door to Severus’ room opened, and two dark figures quickly tiptoed inside. One figure moved silently over to his bed, checked to see if he was sleeping, and gave the sign for “all clear.”

The other figured crept up to his wardrobe and murmured, “Omnis infucatus rufus.”

Snickering, the two figures quickly left the room, leaving Severus asleep, completely oblivious.


* * * *


Hermione was eating her porridge quietly, enjoying the peace of eating alone. After she finished, she sat sipping her coffee, reading the Daily Prophet. By the time she had read half the front page, Minerva and Albus had entered and sat down with her at the table.

“Good morning, Hermione! I hope you slept well,” Minerva said cheerfully. She elbowed Albus in the ribs, who was laughing silently.

“Yes, as a matter of fact I did,” she replied, looking strangely at Dumbledore, who had started laughing aloud. She shook her head and returned to reading her paper.

Moments later, the doors to the Great Hall came crashing open, and a very mad Severus Snape walked in. Hermione’s head jerked up at the sudden intrusion, and she was surprised to see that Severus was dressed entirely in red robes.

“Albus…” he fumed, his face nearly as red as his clothes.

“Why, Severus! What a pleasant surprise. You know, red suits you nicely.”

Severus raised his wand and pointed it in the Headmaster’s face. “I’ll hex you to oblivion if you do not revert my wardrobe back to its previous state!”

Albus cackled. “I’ll have you know, Severus, that I am unable to do so.”

“WHAT?!”

“I cannot undo the spell, since I did not originally cast it.” Dumbledore took another look at the red robes and matching red face and laughed openly in Severus’ face, clearly amused at his frustration.

Severus, momentarily astonished, quickly glanced over at McGonagall, whose eyes were tearing up with her laughter. “Minerva! Undo this spell instantly!”

Forcing herself to look serious, she stated, “You have absolutely NO sense of humor, Severus Snape.” And with that, she muttered a few phrases, and his clothes were black again.

Finally, he sat down in the seat next to Hermione, who was hiding behind her paper, shaking with laughter.

“Oh, stop it! It wasn’t that funny!” Severus muttered impatiently at her, pulling the newspaper away from her face.

“Yes, it was! Professor Snape, in the eleven years I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you in any color other than black… until this morning! Forgive me if I find it hilarious,” Hermione retorted. Taking her paper back, she added, “And I must say, it was a nice change, though I’m sure you’d feel more comfortable in, say, Slytherin green?” Hermione grinned widely.

“My pride will never get over this,” he muttered, buttering a piece of toast.

Hermione gathered up her paper and coffee mug, leaning over to whisper in his ear. “Oh, I’m sure it will…” Giving him a quick, but soft peck on his cheek, she hurried out of the Great Hall and, presumably, in the direction of the library.

Flushed, Severus looked down at his plate, then back at the door. He touched the spot on his cheek where Hermione had kissed him, the corner of his mouth rising slightly.

Across the table, McGonagall and Dumbledore looked on in amusement. Obviously, Severus was quite smitten with the former Gryffindor Know-It-All.

Inclining her head towards Albus, McGonagall muttered, “And so it begins.”

“Indeed. I suggest, though, that we do not take such evident measures in the future, hm?”

“Yes, that’s a good idea.”

The two old coots finished their breakfasts in silence, glancing occasionally at the wizard in front of them, whose blush remained the entire time.

A/N: Phwew. Another chapter. I think I have some structured ideas for where this story is going, now. I probably won’t continue to update this often, but I’ll certainly try, if at least for my own sanity.

Video vidi visum = To observe.
Omnis = All
infucatus = Colored
rufus= Red

If any of these translations are incorrect, I apologize. I’m just using a English-Latin translator.


-SS-