It just...happened...

She wasn\'t going to feel sorry for herself that was for certain. If Severus Snape wanted to be a big baby then that was his prerogative. He could act as abashed and aloof as he wanted. She refused to.

She supposed this was all about his dignity. Being rescued by a girl. Perhaps that was why he resolved to push her away. No matter.

She took a long shower, scrubbed herself clean and got out of the shower, casting a drying spell on her hair and climbing into a small white nightgown. She tossed and turned in her bed, sighing and growing hotter and hotter under the stupid fabric.

She didn\'t want this. She didn\'t want a lonely bed after what she had felt with him. She wanted him here, in her bed beside her and holding her. No. Even better, she wanted to be in his bed and have him holding her. Yes. That was the one.

She growled exasperated, pushing the covers off of her and standing dizzily, she had been lying quite a while. She opened her door, poking her head about and listening.

Nothing.

Everyone must have gone off to bed. It had been quite an exciting turn of events. What reason wasn\'t there to celebrate? Hermione felt her heart swell with what could only be the result of feeling truly safe. Not that she felt complete, just safe for the moment.

Another deep sigh was taken before she walked clumsily over to the hearth in her room, grasping floo powder in one hand and in a deep breath of conviction she shouted, rather nervously;

\"Professor Snape\'s private chambers.\"

* * *

He\'d been sitting by the fire, although it had burned out hours before.

He couldn\'t get her voice out of his head. And oh, had he ever tried. He considered doing horrible things, like erasing her memory about them, or deny that anything had ever happened...like that one would work.

He leaned back languidly, his eyes falling shut. He imagined her with him then, her hands tracing along his inner thighs, her sweet smile pressed against his lips as her tongue danced along his lips. He smiled at this, his hands slowly beginning to undo the tops of his robes.

He was about to go on when a loud \'pop\' sounded in his firep, an, and suddenly the girl in his mind was there, right in front of him, brushing the ash from her small white, revealing nightgown. She looked to him utterly exasperated.

\"Honestly.\" she said, crawling out of the fireplace, \"Not very good planning on my part. What if you\'d had a fire going?\"

Snape didn\'t speak, to be honest he was in shock at her mere gall. She walked over to him, his sitting frame on his chair. She smirked and kissed him lightly on the cheek before sitting in the armchair across from him.

\"So, enjoying your infamous solitude, Professor?\"

Snape felt his stomach flip as she sat there, looking so smug and so delectable. He placed his hand clumsily beside him, reaching for his wine bottle that he\'d yet to open.

\"Would you care for a drink?\" he said in a strangled voice, nervous, not like his own at all. Hermione smirked smugly, much to Snape\'s irritation and shook her head.

\"No thanks. I\'d rather be sober for what I\'m going to do tonight.\"

Snape nearly choked on his wine that he had poured for himself, how presumptuous. \"Pardon me?\"

Hermione shrugged, ignoring his incredulous look \"So. Going to tell me why you\'re acting like such a knob?\"

Snape put his drink down. \"Miss Granger, I told you everything you needed to know earlier this afternoon.\"

Hermione nodded, \"Yes, but I think you were lying through your teeth Severus.\"

Snape\'s eyes widened, he was going to tell her that she hadn\'t the permission to use his first name...but that seemed pretty stupid considering the situation.

\"I wasn\'t lying. I meant what I said Granger.\"

Hermione snorted rather unladylike at this, shifting in her seat, \"Oh please. \" she shook her head, crossing her arms as she sat, \"What a cop out. You\'re simply too afraid to commit.\" she crossed her legs.

\"What happened out there in the forest Professor?\"

Snape felt his cheeks flush, \"You were there...you know...\" he trailed off, not able to meet her imploring eyes. She nodded, trying to be tactful about the whole thing.

\"You obviously felt something for me.\"

\"We\'ve been over this time and time again.\" Snape said growing agitated, \"I did feel something for you. I...But I don\'t anymore. You have to leave.\"

Hermione shook her head, \"You\'re lying.\"

Snape narrowed his eyes, of all the rude littl-, \"For your information, Miss Granger. Hermione. I simply want you to be happy. I hadn\'t any idea you\'re persecute me for such a thing.\" he prepared to take another sip of the rich wine when she spoke.

\"You\'re a bad liar.\" she sighed darkly, \"If you really wanted to make me happy, you\'d be with me.\"

Obviously he wasn\'t going to be able to drink anything tonight with her spouting rude comments every now and then. He placed the wineglass on the sidetable and straightened up, eyes trained on hers as he tried to strike some amount of fear into her.

Nope.

\"But I understand,\" she said with nod of her head, \"This must all be quite new to you. That\'s why I forgive you.\"

Snape chuckled darkly himself, \"Oh, how kind of you.\" In truth this was all making his heart beat painfully fast, his face feeling hot and the room growing stuffy, his head swam. He waited for Hermione to grow furious and slap him, screaming that she hated him and leaving in a huff. Instead she smiled softly and yawned.

\"My its late. I suppose if you don\'t feel up to talking anymore I\'d completely understand.\"

She stood, walking to the fireplace again. What a short visit this had turned out to be. She was passing him slowly, giving him a full show through the near transparent nightgown when his arm snapped out and he grasped her wrist, pulling her onto his lap in one short snap.

She looked to him in shock. How un-Snape like.

He was kissing her neck then, his intentions quite obvious as the bulge in his pants grew at an alarming rate. Already a sculptured hand was sliding down the front of her nightgown and groping...my that felt good...

Remember why you\'re here Hermione...

She removed his hand and still sitting on his lap crossed her arms and shook her head slightly, clearing it.

\"I\'m sick of your games Severus Snape.\" she announced, looking to him with a brooding look, \"Now either you tell me why you can go from detesting me to lusting after me in a matter of minutes...or I\'m leaving.\"

To prove her point she shuffled on his lap, hearing the groan that passed through his lips involuntarily as she prepared to stand. His hands quickly grasped her, pushing her back down. Ohhhh..should have guessed he liked it rough...

\"I don\'t detest you.\"

Hermione smirked, \"Well your body obviously tells me that. But your earlier actions...\" she tsked, \"They are quite misleading. I felt most unwelcome.\"

Snape didn\'t answer quickly, instead he played with the fabric of her nightgown under his fingertips, his eyes not meeting hers.

\"I want you to stay.\" he finally said like a sulking child.

\"Oh how kind of you.\" she said sarcastically. \"But, For how long?\" she asked, her hand tracing circles over his clothed chest. Snape didn\'t answer, opting instead to kiss her collarbone, as her eyelids fluttered.

\"I said,\" Hermione insisted, pushing his lips from her collar, \"For how long Professor?\"

\"Tonight. All night.\"

He was kissed her again, her collarbone, his breathing growing quite ragged as he made his way to the tops of her breast, moving slooowly downward.

Must remain in control...

Hermione drew away, pushing his lips away from her once more, although it was becoming painful. She longed to release the tension slowly building inside of her. And he seemed and felt more than eager to oblige.

\"Not good enough.\"

At this comment from her, Snape sighed and moved back in the chair, looking to Hermione who was still daintily on his lap. He looked to her lazily, \"What are you asking of me?\"

Hermione licked her lips, her eyes trained on his bookcase. She did have a request.

\"I say you give you and I a chance. A real one. Not some one night stand.\"
Snape\'s eyes darkened, \"And if I refuse?\"

Hermione looked to him hurt, didn\'t he understand how much those words hurt her? How much pain he could cause in one look or speech?

\"You lose me.\"

Snape seemed to take this into consideration. The air around them growing stuffy. His long fingers drummed the armrest of his chair. Hermione felt rather stupid sitting on his lap as he stared up at her, looking scrupulous.

\"I haven\'t a knut to my name you know.\" he said darkly, she needed to know he brought nothing to the table in this relationship. Hermione simply grinned and shrugged, snuggling deeper into his lap.

\"It\'s not your \'knuts\' I\'m interested in Professor.\" she said, then giggling on afterthought added with a caress of his undercarriage while he groaned, \"Or...perhaps I am.\"

Snape looked to her utterly confused as she waved the joke away with a toss of her hand and stood, walking over to him and kissing his wine stained lips. He was far from drunk, and was more in a slightly more uninhibited fashion. He kissed her back tentatively, his eyes trained on hers as he did so, he drew back suddenly.

\"I\'m not going to change you know. I\'m old and mean and sarcastic. an-\"

\"I know.\" Hermione interrupted, placing a sweet kiss on those welcoming lips of his. \"And I think that may just be what I like about you.\"

Snape smirked, kissing her again as she slid off of his lap, onto the floor and faced him. She began to undo the numerous buttons on his dark shirt as he sat there, watching her. It was more erotic that thought possible. Every brush of her against his inner thighs was exquisite torture.

\"I think you wear all these clothes,\" Hermione said diplomatically undoing another button, \"Because like you, they keep everyone out. They\'re like your own shield. It\'s really quite the Freudian nightmare.\"

Snape actually grinned at her and Hermione felt her heart stop. Why the hell didn\'t he smile more often? She loved it. The way his eyes sparkled, the way his lips went ...gods, she felt weak in the knees already, thankfully she was kneeling on the floor.

\"Why don\'t you smile more often?\" she finally uttered softly, her hands stopping momentarily. He looked to her bemused.

\"Because Miss Granger,\" he said playfully, \"If I did, I might have legions of young women like yourself, knocking down my doors.\"

\"Not that you\'d act upon any advances.\" Hermione said smirking.

\"Well you know me Miss Granger, I am quite the rogue.\"

Hermione burst out laughing and crawled up to lay beside him. He was really quite funny in a dark, sardonic sort of way. His hand wrapped around hers while the other brushed her cheek gently.

If only other people could see him the way I do.. Hermione thought tenderly, looking up to the man that had literally changed her life. For the better.

His hand slipped under her blouse, and cupped a welcoming breast in his palm. Hermione tried not to groan, but that was unsuccessful. She wanted to question him, ask him where they were going, relationship wise. But all that flittered from her mind. All she wanted at this very moment was him, the future didn\'t matter.

He stood then pulling her up with him, grasping her in his arms and guiding her with kisses to his own bedroom. Her eyes were clamped shut, her arms trapped under his own as he kissed him back with fervor, tongues exploring and tasting.

She didn\'t even know where they were when she opened her eyes and felt the soft warmth of his bed below her. Her eyes had opened and all she saw was him, his eyes closing and kissing her deeply. She had inhaled his sweet scents and grasped him by the neck, drawing him closer to her. She tossed her wand over her shoulder as it landed on his side table.

She nipped at his earlobe playfully, relishing the groan that escaped him. Almost as payback his tapered fingers worked with the blouse that was soon open and along with all her other clothing, discarded at the end of his rather spacious bed. It was strange, Hermione would have thought he\'d have a boring, narrow bed.

The man was full of surprises.

The most inticing of which nestled in between her legs and firmly thrust into her, causing her to moan instantly at the friction. He still held onto her, his own clothes discarded as well as the fabric of the blanket covered them slightly.

\"My God.\" she breathed, already growing heated, his lips against her breasts as he moved his tongue at the same rate of his hips. Her hands grasped his lower back, guiding him deeper and deeper.

\"Yes...\" he said, his teeth clenched as he slid deeper into her, seeing the pleasure that spread over her features. He kissed her brow gently, gasping at the feeling spreading in his lower abdomen. He felt her hands slowly stroking downward, moaning as he himself moved. What was she trying to do to him?

His hands were worrying her nipples, feeling them growing hard under his hand, as hs pelvis continued its job, thrusting harder and deeper as Hermione clung to him, arching with every ministration.

\"Oh...oh..yes.\" she said into his hair, his kisses warm on her neck as he began moving faster and faster until it was a blurry mass of colors in front of her eyes, her passion filled scream ripping the air.

Soon he called out her name, her real one. Her lips finding his own as they continued moving, slower then and slower. The passionate intensity dimming as he rolled out of her, still pulling her close to him and kissing the back of her neck.

Their shining bodies, gently hidden by the black satin that covered them, they held each other. Snape\'s arms around Hermione as she turned and had her cheek to his chest, feeling his warm form against her own.

Hermione wanted to say something, to make the moment more meaningful, but she didn\'t. It was he who broke the silence.

\"You know when I gave you detention in the forest?\" Snape asked looking to her. \"And you were sitting next to me helping me find that plant?\"

\"Yes.\"

\"Even then I was was taken by you, although I never would have admitted it...you were so...\" he trailed off, looking to her tenderly and pushing a stray curl behind her ear.

Now, no boy or man had ever called Hermione \'beautiful\'. She had always been \'clever\' or \'sweet\' or a \'bookworm\'...closclosest thing she had ever gotten to a compliment was when Ron and Harry had discovered she was a girl.

\"Beautiful?\" Hermione asked tentatively, holding her breath. At this Snape shook his head, his dark hair swaying.

\"No. I didn\'t think you were beautiful.\"

Hermione felt her cheeks flush, and even though she was willing to give him every part of her, this mere faux pas was causing her to blush madly and feel a fool, she looked to her hands embarassed.

\"Oh. Right.\"

Snape had smiled softly then, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand, \"You weren\'t beautiful then or now. You\'re beyond beautiful to me Hermione. You\'re exquisite.\"

Hermione\'s eyes darted up to meet his, and he was shocked to see the tears that had started. He looked to her concerned, what had he said? \"What\'s the matter?\"

Hermione wiped the tears, laughing at being so overly emotional. \"It\'s just..no ones ever called me, \'exquisite\' before.\"

Snape smiled softly, looking at her beautiful form against his own.\"I don\'t believe that.\"

\"It\'s true.\"

Snape frowned, obviously confused at this. She was so very darling to him, she seemed so much more attractive than all the other twits he\'d been surrounded by. She was different and he liked it.

He kissed her then, as an elegant and exquisite young girl should be kissed. Tenderly, with arms around her and his eyes closed. He kissed how he felt with her. Loving.

She sighed as they broke away, her head on his chest, his heart sounding below as he kissed the top of her head gently. She smiled to herself, fiddling with his collarbone.

\"Severus?\"

\"Yes?\"

She propped herself up on her arms and looked to him smirking, \"Remember when you were alone in the forest, looking for Harry and I was following in the invisibility cloak?\"

\"Vaguely.\"

She slapped him playfully on the chest, \"Well, do you remember what you were muttering about? You were muttering about honeysuckle and jasmine and I think...I think rose petals was it?\"

Snape smirked and flushed a bit shrugging, \"I don\'t recall.\"

Hermione\'s eyes twinkled, \"I think you do Severus Snape. Now tell me, or I\'ll never kiss you again.\"

Snape shifted under her, his eyes rolling. \"Now that\'s unfair Miss Granger.\"

\"Life\'s unfair.\"

He smiled faintly, \"I was...I was trying to...I was trying to decipher what perfume you were wearing. I couldn\'t decide if it was rose petals or honeysuckle...or perhaps even jasmine.\"

Hermione looked to him earnestly, he had been thinking about her that long? \"Honestly?\"

Snape shrugged not meeting her eyes, \"Honestly.\"

Hermione couldn\'t help but feel her heart go just a little bit faster, her hands balanced on his shoulders. He had felt something for her all along, as had she. She realized he was more than a spy, a bitter Potions master...he was so much more. And if he would let her, he\'d be hers.

\"Severus?\" she finally said, kissing his cheek and moving to his lips.

\"What?\"

\"It\'s Jasmine.\"

Snape nodded, kissing her brow.

\"I figured as much.\"

* * *

She woke the next morning, his arm in her hair, and his face in the crook of her neck. He lay with her arm tossed over his stomach, as the two lay comfortably asleep.

She woke moments later noticing how cold it was and recalling last nights passion filled session of love making, blushing as she traced his lower lip tentatively with her fingertip. This was all so surreal.

She rolled over, her back to him and reveled in his warm form. When his breath caught, she was horrified he might wake, push her from him and he\'d confess it was a mistake.
Had it been a mistake? She didn\'t think so.

She felt her heart swell a bit, it if was even possible which she would tell you wasn’t, but she did feel it. She wanted to kiss him ever so much at this moment, and she assumed it was from her euphoric state of mind. She felt her gaze fall upon the shoulders in front of her, shoulder she herself had gripped tightly last night, the earlobes she had nipped at playfully, and the lips she had savagely taken as he had her own. She wanted to tell him what she felt, what she was feeling…but what was it? Who could put it into words? Did she even know herself?

\"Severus..I-\"

She stopped looking to his sweet face once more, deciding to talk to him in the morning. Her own fatigue finally won over her nerves as she fell into a pulling sleep as the two lovers in an entanglement of lust slept on, undisturbed for the moment…

And that\'s it how Hermione and Severus ended up in bed together, and would end up for years to come...although that was another story all together. When asked years later how they had come to be together they often shrugged, and in the end could only say that;

It just...happened.