WLTM

Hermione and Ginny were sitting at her kitchen table, about to dig into the huge bowl of pasta between them, when Valentine’s owl arrived and tapped politely at Hermione’s window.



‘Sorry, Gin, dig in while I get this…’ Hermione stood to open the window. The small grey owl hooted at her softly and she removed the parchment, gave the owl a treat and sent it on its way.



Returning to the table, Hermione put the scrolled parchment down next to her and took a huge ladleful of pasta and spooned it onto her plate. She was feeling ravenous.



‘You going to open that?’ Ginny looked at her, her fork paused before her mouth.



Hermione shrugged. ‘In a minute I will.’



‘But…it’s from her, isn’t it?’ Ginny probed a little. Hermione had shared her quest for a life partner with her friend because she had no one else to talk to about it. Ginny thought Hermione was being fussy. Surely one of her nineteen dates should have been successful?



Hermione ate three mouthfuls before she looked up at Ginny again.



‘This is serious Ginny. Valentine Passiflora doesn’t just give you dates with hopeless losers. She uses her magic to match you with your soul mate… Soul Mate!’ She emphasised the point with the bit of garlic bread in her hand.



Ginny sighed. ‘What if she’s a fake?’



Hermione shook her head. ‘No, she’s not. She gives all of her clients a list of previous couples and you can contact them to check her out. I spoke to five couples Ginny, and they are all still together and happy and don’t regret it one bit. She’s no fraud.’



‘What about all of us other couples then, who haven’t been to Valentine bloody Passiflora?’ Ginny was a little irked, ‘are you saying that Harry and I aren’t soul mates and probably wont be happy forever?’



‘Don’t be silly!’ Hermione looked at her friend incredulously. ‘You and Harry are the happiest, most meant-to-be couple I know! I think you probably are soul mates but you found each other. You didn’t need any help with it. Not like me…’



Ginny softened a little. A guilty part of her felt bad for Hermione. They didn’t see each other very often because, well, she never had anything new to say and anyway, Ginny liked being with Harry. It was awkward.



‘Open it, Hermione. Let’s see if she has good news for you!’ Ginny beamed at her friend and Hermione smiled back, relieved.



‘OK!’ She laughed and grabbed the parchment, unrolling it and spreading it out on the table in front of her. Ginny watched as her friend put her hand to her mouth as she read.



‘Well?’ Ginny prompted her, ‘what does she say?’



‘She says my soul mate has been revealed to her. She’s arranged for us to meet at the weekend…’ Hermione whispered.



‘This weekend?’ Ginny looked at her.



‘Yes… oh gods, that’s only three days away…’ Hermione went pale.



‘Where this weekend? The whole weekend, or just dinner on Saturday night?’ Ginny was starting to get excited for her.



‘She doesn’t say where but I have to bring an overnight bag. She has arranged a portkey to take me to him.’ Hermione lifted the parchment and re-read it, her hand trembling slightly. ‘I’m not to mention it to anyone…. You won’t tell Harry, will you Ginny? Please?’



‘Of course not!’ Ginny had more interesting things to do with Harry than talking about Hermione’s love life. ‘What if you don’t like him? What if he’s ugly?’ Ginny was grinning at her now.



‘Stop it, Ginny!’ Hermione giggled. ‘It is ridiculous, isn’t it? But, if he’s my soul mate, I suppose I’ll have to at least try.’



‘You had better tell me everything on Monday!’ Ginny demanded.



‘Maybe not everything…’ Hermione murmured and as their eyes met, they collapsed into giggles.





****



Severus was reading his parchment with more detachment than Hermione. He wasn’t one for butterflies in the stomach and roses around the door romance. He did hope the woman wasn’t boring, but then he assumed if they were truly soul mates, she wouldn’t be. Severus had more faith in Valentine’s magic than Ginny Potter and trusted that, if his soul mate had indeed been revealed to her, then his soul mate she most certainly was.



It was intriguing to him and he wondered what she would look like. If Severus had been looking for sex, then looks would have been of paramount importance. He liked large breasts. Real or fake wasn’t an issue as long as he could rest his cock between them occasionally. He liked rounded bottoms too, and pussy’s that were pretty, with their clits visible so he didn’t have to search too much. He also liked full lips should he decide that kissing was appropriate. Given that he most recent encounters were with whores, there had been no female lips against his for quite some years.



Severus folded his parchment and placed it in his inside pocket, patting it slowly. The weekend would tell all, he had no doubt.







*****





Hermione was in the lab. She had taken her robes off and was in her muggle jeans and a white t-shirt, her hair tied back from her face as she read and then re-read her notes.



Severus had closed the shop and was puzzled. She was usually getting ready to leave by now.



‘I have closed the shop, Hermione, ‘ he murmured, not wishing to startle her.



He had been using her given name since their argument. It seemed appropriate. Hermione hadn’t plucked up the courage to call him Severus yet but he had encouraged her to do so.



‘I heard you… I just wanted to finish looking through this. It’s the idea I had. I never did get a chance to tell you, actually…’ Hermione looked at him and smiled, ‘if you have the time?’ She held her notes out to him.



Severus smirked a little. ‘Always the student?’ he teased her. ‘Don’t tell me you still want my approval?’



‘Well I never did get it in class. Sir, ‘ Hermione held his gaze and he could see the truth there.



‘It would have unprofessional of me to show favouritism, Hermione. Surely you understood that?’ He frowned at her slightly.



‘I was young, impressionable and my favourite teacher made me feel that my best was never quite good enough. No, I don’t think I did understand… Severus.’ Hermione pulled her gaze from his and handed him her notes, walking past him to make some coffee.



Severus turned his head and watched her for a moment. Of course she hadn’t understood, why would she? He looked down at her notes, her familiar handwriting pulling him back to the classroom. He felt as if he were marking her homework. He sat as he became absorbed in his reading, his hand automatically wrapping around the coffee she handed him as she waited for him to comment. His eyes went wide and he glanced up at her, nodding a little. His eyes went down again and he flicked over the parchment quickly, pouring over her formula with interest.



‘Incredible…’ he whispered and then looked up at her, her eyes bright and her face split in a wide smile, ‘Is it too late to award points to my favourite pupil for excellence?’ he smiled at her softly.



‘Do you think it will work? I just thought… well, the article said they were in the planning stages but we could be ahead of them. If we got the patent, we could be the exclusive wholesalers… it would be ironic, don’t you think? Severus Snape selling Bezoar extract? And the money… well, we could extend; you know…make the lab bigger perhaps. Even employ more staff…’ Hermione paused.



Severus was chuckling at her, his eyes glittering as he watched her.



‘Yes… I do think it will work. You are a bloody clever witch, Hermione.’ He smiled warmly at her and she grinned back.



‘I always have been. Don’t tell me you haven’t understood that?’ she giggled at him.



‘Touché,’ Severus nodded a little ruefully and looked back down at her notes.



‘Did you get an owl, Sir? From Valentine?’ Hermione didn’t know where the question had come from but the atmosphere was relaxed and she was interested.



Severus’s eyes flicked up abruptly. He was searching her face for some sign she may be mocking him but just saw open curiosity.



‘I did, as a matter of fact,’ he murmured, then without stopping himself, ‘did you?’



Hermione smiled at him. ‘I did.’



‘Good news, I take it?’ he murmured softly, watching as her eyes brightened and her lips softened into a dreamy smile.



‘Good news, ‘ she nodded, ‘you?’



‘I hope so, ‘ he smiled at her.









******





Sorry for the delay in posting this - PC has a gremlin I think!