an overwhelming desire to win...

He was clutching his chest as he raced to his room, his breathing heavy and his eyes scanning the halls nervously. She couldn\'t have been blushing because of him, could she?

Yes. She had.

He gulped softly, rushing into his chambers and feeling quite disoriented. Admittedly in the back of his mind he was flattered. She was quite a brilliant girl, and in his opinion not completely putrid looking...
Not that it mattered.

He disliked her immensely, for reasons he knew he had but couldn\'t quite remember at the moment. He knew he disliked her for her acquaintanceship with that ruddy dolt Harry and his sidekick Ron. Hermione always seemed to be shoved to the back, the brilliant sidekick of Harry-bloody-look-at-me-Potter.

Miss Granger to him always seemed neutral, all the Professor\'s knew she would receive top marks, be accepted into any wizarding school she wished and would go on to be satisfied with her life.

Part of him was actually a bit envious. He too had been brilliant when in his youth, gads that was forever ago...But Voldemort and his pledge to Dumbledore...so much lost. Now he was stuck. Stuck in a dead end job teaching horrible little prats learn potions while jobs that he actually wanted, (most pointedly D.A.D.A.) were given out to everyone but him. All the while with young girls like Hermione Granger going onto bigger and better things...not that they always deserved it. Now that he thought about it, he was starting to dislike Hermione Granger quite a bit, confused at the shiver that nipped at his lower abdomen.

No matter. He would deal with it in his own brash, cruel way.

He looked out the window of his chambers then, frowning more deeply than usual. He was not up to face the fact that Hermione Granger, Head Girl might have a crush on him.

* * * *

\"Wrong again, Miss Granger.\" Snape said swirling past her as the whispers continued, \"The answer is wormwood.\"

\"But sir.\" Hermione said frantically, sitting at her desk with her quill perched in her hand, \"That’s exactly what I said.\"

A raised eyebrow and a sneer awaited her last comment. \"I distinctly heard you say ‘beazol’.\"
\"But sir-\"

\"Are you insinuating that I don’t know my own Potion mixtures, Miss Granger?\"

Hermione didn’t answer, the room got suddenly very very quiet. Hermione felt like crying, and felt the tears welling up in her eyes. She didn’t answer verbally, she felt that familiar lump in her throat as her eyes grew itchy.

For the past two weeks ever since Hermione had that horrible encounter with the surly Professor, he had been increasingly cruel to her. At first it was things like knocking things out of her hands as he rounded the corner and blaming her, telling her she hadn’t been looking where she’d been going.

This had escalated to Hermione having points taken off when Snape had caught Ron and she laughing about something at what he described; \"An astonishingly loud decibel.\"

Hermione had shrugged this off. She had told herself it couldn’t possibly get any worse. She casually played off the sneers, the glares and the hurtful comments. But now…now he was getting worse, he waing ing unfair in the field that mattered most to Hermione; her intellect. He was making her out to seem idiotic, claiming she said things she hadn’t, telling her not to be so stupid when she asked questions none other’s had the courage to.

Now, at this exact moment Hermione wanted to shrink, she wanted to die right then and there. She knew he and the rest of her class were awaiting her comment. It was one thing to have one gaze on you, but forty was a much different thing. It was worse when the person being completely cruel to you was a man you’d just realized you cared for deeply.
She finally just shook her head.

\"I trust there will be no further interruptions.\" Snape snapped glaring at her over his shoulder, \"Now that Miss Granger has proven herself as inept as the rest of you, does anyone know the root for Blambroil?\"

\"Aleniite.\" Pansy said without raising her hand. Snape looked over to her, an eyebrow raised in obvious surprise, he was obviously impressed though.

\"Very good Miss Parkinson.\" He mumbled, nodding to her and then looking back to the class. \"Perhaps if any of you had read the last chapter you’d have caught that as well.\"

Everyone looked to Hermione, who was looking to her hands in obvious anger and shame. Why was he doing this? To her of all people? She did her work, she wasn’t late, she tried her hardest and always…always this unfairness.

The class ended soon after, Her Hermione in a sudden gust of inner strength stood, gathering her things and slowly made her way to the front of his intimidating desk. He sat behind it, alreadrkinrking papers for the classes the next morning.

He didn’t notice her slow trepidation to his desk, her eyes no longer watering but looking rather glassy. She noticed how his eyebrows furrowed when he really concentrated, and when she noticed another ‘F’ making its way in his shaky scrawl across the paper she coughed to get his attention.

He made no acknowledgment of her of any sort, and so she stood there dumbly a moment before turning, preparing to leave. She heard him give a heaving sigh before his silky voice made its way over to her.

\"Well, what do you want?\"

Hermione turned around and walked to his desk shakily, a short but effective mantra ringing in her head she approached him, his beetle black eyes on her pale face. \"Professor Snape. \" she said clearing her throat after as he winced, \"I-I know you’re busy but I wanted to address something that has become somewhat of–of an increasing occurrence.\"

She saw as he frozot lot looking to her immediately. \"And what would that be Miss Granger?\"

\"Well, you see,\" Hermione said, dropping her large bag beside her on the floor, \"I know that you’ve never really tolerated me very much, whether it was my bragging or my company but I believe that I’ve matured a great deal in that time.\"

\"Does this lagging tale have a point?\"

\"It does indeed sir,\" Hermione said, teeth clenched and aggravated that he had interrupted her in the first place. \"Yee, ee, I don’t see why you’ve being so cruel to me lately. First it was the points taking, and the glaring, then the calling me stupid and trying to get me to live up to my new title today…I just…I don’t see why you’re doing this. \"

Snape didn’t answer very fast, which was strange, as he was a man of shrewd wit, which came quite quickly out of his mouth, and usually offended whomever it was directed at. But now, the man she had feared for so long was actually looking sort of dodgy.

\"I’ve had every reason to be.\" He sneered, his dark eyes glittering dangerously. Hermione licked her lips out of habit, noticing the way his eyes flicked to those lips and back up to meet her eyes.

\"Have I done something to cause offence?\" She said worriedly, \"Because I honestly don’t see why-“

\"Well I don’t suppose you would you silly little gir-\" he muttered miserably as Hermione cut him off, her hands on her hips and a spark of fury in her dark eyes.

\"I am not a silly little girl.\" Hermione said outraged, her outburst echoing around the almost empty Potion chambers, \"I am a grown woman.\"

Snape snorted at this.

Hermione looked up at him suddenly very much appalled. Had he just laughed at her? At her comment about being a women? She was passed offended. Now she was just damn right pissed off.

\"How dare you.\" She said just above a whisper, \"What gives you the right to say whether I’m a grown woman or not? I’m eighteen years old, I’ve been awarded early acceptance into any Magical University I want, I am a grown woman Professor Snape whether you wa-\"

\"Stop. Stop now. Get out.\" Snape snapped, pointing to the door and now standing himself and moving towards her to shove her out of his office. His hand landed on the back of her shoulder as he tried to guide her to the door.

Hermione whirled around as they reached the door, pushing his hand from her and glaring at him openly. She was backed up against the wall, and suddenly began to grow very dizzy. Her rehearsed speech suddenly forgotten and all that remained was a hurt ego and a flaming desire inside.

\"I am a grown woman, Professor.\" She was almost growling now, and Snape looked to her with a tight grimace, \"And if you don’t believe me…\" she suddenly licked her lips again, \"I suppose I’ll have to prove it to you.\"

Snape should have been expecting what would come next. All the signs were there. Her speech alone should have directed him. The licking of lips in anticipation. But he didn’t.

Perhaps it was because he had known her as reserved but brilliant student, perhaps it was because she was so young, and perhaps it was because she seemed so very furious at him…Perhaps it was a culmination of all of these things that mislead his mind, but when Hermione Granger planted a very steamy kiss on those long been chaste lips of his, he wanted nothing more than to kiss her back.

He wanted nothing more than to scoop up the current Head Girl of Hogwarts, place her on a nearby desk and ravish her until the sun came up the next day. And so he did the next best thing.

He kissed her back.

She pressed up against him and kissed him with lips that seemed perfectly fitted for his own to capture. If his mind had been processing properly, and he wasn’t in a state of drowsy lust he would have seen this grave error. He would have pushed her from him instantly…he would have yelled and deducted points.

But instead he stood rigidly, only his lips betraying him. Slowly his tongue tentatively slipped out of his own mouth and into hers, circling hers as he felt his lower abdomen give off a flash of pleasure inside. Suddenly he felt his body betray him…the first sign he was losing absolute control and when she brushed up against it, her hands flew from his shoulders and her lips broke from his own as she stumbled back.

\"Err…\" she stammered, looking to him wide eyed, wiping her lips in shock \"I’m really sorry…I didn-\" She didn’t even finish her sentence before she had turned and bolted out of the door, never looking behind her.

* * *

She knew she should feel ashamed and angry at herself, but Hermione couldn\'t keep that smirk off of her face. Her fingers trailed over her lips as she felt them tingling still.
Who knew such a miserable git would kiss like that?

In the privacy of her Head Girl chambers Hermione shrieked, pulling a nearby pillow over her face, until her face was flushed and she was giggling like a mad woman, jumping up on her bed she proclaimed loudly;

\"I just kissed Professor Snape!\"

She felt on her back onto the bed, looking to the ceiling. Funny. She always thought if something like this happened she would berate herself, be angry at her lack of control. But now, in the midst of a drowsy post-steamy kiss the only thing Hermione Granger wanted to do was rush back down to those cold dungeons and have Snape sh-

She blushed, giggling again. She wished she could tell Pansy...anyone...but that would just be stupid. This was a good thing though, the contract would only ever disappear after one of them shagged the Professor, and evidently none of them had. It wouldn\'t tell if one of them had one, innocent little kiss.

Not really innocent mind you.

More giggling and goosebumps ensued and finally Hermione stood, bright eyed and suddenly finding that she wasn\'t nervous about anything...not about her exams, not about the fact that she still hadn\'t bought Christmas presents, not at the fact that nothing mattered...all that mattered was...him.

Everything told her to stay away from him then, he was g to to be furious in Potions the next day. The mere thought of that even turned her on. Snape, staring at her, glaring...as she smirked...somehow even that was sexy to her now. The guilty thought began then to perhaps even confess to Dumbledore her actions. But she didn\'t. She wouldn\'t. She wanted to kiss Professor Snape again.

Not that she ever could.

* * * *

Oh damn…

He surely hadn’t meant to have an obstacle like this pop up, err…perhaps not the right choic wor words at the moment.

Snape was sitting in his private chambers, his shades drawn as he sat in his large armchair, in agony as his now obvious erection strained in his now too tight black trousers. He refused to touch it.

What the holy hell had she gone and done that for?

No, more precisely why hadn’t he stopped her? Yes, that was a much better question. Why hadn’t he stopped her?

Because he liked it...and in all honesty it had been the first time he\'d acted upon such an advance.

Yes it was true. Snape had been the object of many young girls’ lusts, he never really understood how he ever became such a thing but Minerva claimed a few years back at some staff party, something about him having the ‘bad boy thing’ going on.

Now while this seemed a good reason to Snape he also recalled she had consumed far too many daiquiris to be making too much sense. No, clarity was not something a drunk Minerva McGonagall was known for.

He frowned, a crease in his forehead evident then. He wondered what had made her kiss him.

Hormones.

Definately.

Surely he hadn\'t been asking for the attention. Honestly, he\'d followed through with his usual plan of attack when it came to lusting young girls like Hermione Granger:

1. Be cruel to them until they stop liking him.

And if that didn’t work:

2. Blatantly ignore them.

Perhaps that would be the trick…ignore her. Brilliant. That was precisely the thing, ignore her until she gets the hint and goes away. Even if he did kiss her back, he’d claim it was a mistake…he had one too many firewhiskey’s before class was all…He’d ignore her and then he’d never have to put up with her again. She\'d leave him alone and he\'d be able to get on with his life, not having some little twit mooning after him.

There was only one problem with this little plan;

What if he didn’t want her to stop?