an unlikely match...

Her blood was icy, her eyes widened in terror. Hermione had read somewhere that people\'s different facial expressions were actually for a useful purpose. At this instant the widened eyes were used to view the entire book, surrsurroundings as her blood rushed in her ears.

S.S. & H.G.

There were only two people with those initials and Hermione didn\'t need to double check. Bugger.

How will I ever explain this to Austere? WHy does SNape have this? Why...why is everything geting buggered up! WHY WHY WHY WHY?????

She growled softly to herself, looking over her shoulder in habit to make sure she was ed sed safe from scrutiny from an outside party. Then, grasping the boot clumsily she streaked into the closet she had searched before.

She snuck into the closet, pushing back the Severus scented cloaks and burrowed into the corner, shining her wand with a small “lumos” above the large and not very dusty tome on her lap. Surely the initials were coincidence. It was unnaturally heavy. She was very uncomfortable but determined to unveil Snape’s little secret.

He he he…you Severus Snape will be shown no mercy. she smirked devilishly, You won’t ruin my wedding you overgrown bat.

She looked to the cover of the dark book again, tt had black binding and the most interesting Serpent design on the cover. She wondered why she never saw Snape with it during school. Then she recalled the initials and rolled her eyes at her own stupidity.

The initials are probably something no one knows about. But it wouldn’t do well to have a personal book with the coincidental initials of a certain know-it-all student. My…what a horrible coincidence. She could practically hear the Slytherins jeering her now.

She opened the creaking book, detecting a familiar smell. Strange, she knew it but couldn’t seem to place it. She squinted in the dim light of the wand and looked at the first page in curious interest. She scanned the small dedication a moment and shut the book again, her heart pounding as she stifled a gasp.

No. I read it wrong. It didn’t say that. It couldn’t have.

Trepidation of fear encased her…what the holy…she slowly peered inside the book as if something was to jump out at her and kill her. Slowly she flipped back to that first page, the page in which Snape in his own scratchy handwriting had written something quite intimate in nature.

To Severus Snape,

All my love. Good bye.

Hermione Granger.

* * *

“What of myself and Miss Granger?”

Austere gave a small, dejected sort of shrug, retiring to his seat once more and pouring another glass of Merlot. He paused and expressively looked to the still standing Severus. “Severus…are we that far gone? Can we never be friends?”

Snape rolled his eyes, “Enough idle commentary.” He felt himself actually growing pensive, why was Austere being so damn calm about the whole thing. Something was definitely amiss and he wanted no part in it. Best get things over with so he could retire to his room. ”What of Miss Granger and I, Austere?”

Austere gave another mighty sigh and gulp of wine before looked to Severus with almost a pout. “Hermione says that it was mighty stupid of me to even suggest setting you up with Charlotte.”

“She did?”

Now that was not expected. If anything Severus had assumed Hermione would be shoving the tart into his face constantly if it meant he’d be away from her and her precious friends. Yet, she’d actually come to his defense. What was the world coming to?

“She did.”

“I see.” Snape held in a small smile. Well done Miss Granger.

Austere sat patiently. “Well? Aren’t you going to explain your cryptic little speech about Charlotte and I?”

Snape leaned over his baby brother, a deep look of intensity in his dark eyes. Every movement he made was fluid and surreal, as Snape seemed to read Austere’s unwilling mind. Finally Austere heard his silken voice creep into his own ears and fell under its spell.

“Even if you haven’t Austere,” Snape murmured, “You’ve thought about it. And you’d better stop. She’s a sweet girl, and very much…attached to you.”

Austere scoffed openly, breaking the spell that Snape had over him. “I don’t know what your on about Severus.” He sipped from his wineglass again as Snape backed up, heading off. Austere whipped around looking suddenly bleary eyed.

“You know what else?”

Snape turned, his hair whipping into his face and making him seem even more distant. Austere didn’t care, he was a man that cared very deeply of what affected him. Everyone else came second to what he needed. “She even went so far as to exclaim that she knew you better than I. Me, your own brother!”

Snape looked to Austere with a malicious expression of disdain. This pompous little prick knew nothing of him. A person on the street would have a better and more accurate opinion of Severus Snape if they ever ran into him. Austere was a twit.

He walked darkly to the door, hearing as his brother squirmed in his seat waiting an answer, or just watching him leave. Snape looked over his shoulder at his brother one final time before speaking dimly, his gruff words cutting into the silent study.

“That’s because she does Austere.”

* * *

All my love? Good Bye? What the holy hell?

She wondered briefly if someone had made a Polyjuice Potion and taken her body down Mt. Snape and set up camp. No, surely she would have noticed another bushy haired girl rushing about to Snape’s chambers. And Snape…well…he would have let things slip up somehow. An inappropriate caress, a small smile. Everything that was anti-Professor Snape.

Sure there was tension, but she doubted it was due to some student prank. This was even her handwriting…Hmmmmmm…. All my love? That was the strangest thing she’d ever seen. It was if she’d lead a double life. It struck her, an ice cold grip around her heart.

Oh God, what if I’ve got a split personality and I just don’t know it? One side of me is in love with Snape and the other side is in love with Austere? Oh no…this is too horrible…but I think Austere or…Snape, would have noticed if I did have a split personality.

She absently turned the page as she thought this inner monologue in her head, going over all possible scenarios. Suddenly light from the pages below entranced her and drew her eyes downward.

There were silver swirling squares, about four boxes on each large, thick page. Their strange beauty captivated her, they were breathtaking. They were boxes spread out over a page of the book, She squinted, trying to see into the light that shone from the page. She saw the little swirls contained something inside of them...words.

She squinted further, trying desperately to read the phantom script that swirled lazily around the small squares on the page, the light reflecting in her dark brown eyes. The words were thin, cramped and white in the silvery pool, and in turn a bit hard to read. Looking into the first box she deciphered that the word contained in that specific one was...

What the?

She sighed darkly, Of all the bloody languages... the words were in Greek. Greek of all languages! A language even she hadn\'t bothered trying to learn during her time as a student and scholar.

The real question was why would Severus Snape of all people have a book dedicated to herself and him? It made no sense. He hated her through school, although she never received detentions…that she could recall hazily.

Severus Snape. Of all people. She couldn’t even stand the man. Perhaps this was confusion, perhaps some strange and elaborate prank. He knew that she was curious by nature. Perhaps he’d set this all up. The prick.

No, something about all of this rung strange. The inscription, the dedication, the insignia on the cover, the swirling boxes…my they were beautiful. She longed to touch one but feared the repercussions.

What the hell did the words mean anyway? How would she ever figure that one out? The anger seemed to fade a bit as she found herself being pulled to the boxes that beckoned to her. They begged to be touched and she too was seduced by their muted calls.

She was about to tentatively lowered her index finger into the swirling mass of silver when she heard the door to Snape’s room unlock and open, and the man himself strode into the room.

Oh bugger…