AN: Well now, I'm on a roll here! This one's a little different than my normal fare…Please enjoy and REVIEW! If given the choice I would ALMOST take reviews over one night with Severus Snape. Notice I said almost. SSHG pairing. Don't like, don't read, and NO NASTY REVIEWS PLEASE!

SS

Disclaimor: I own nothing.

Chapter One: A Thought

It was going on midnight in Hogwarts castle, and to Severus' content it was blissfully quiet. Contrary to popular belief, his greatest pleasure in life was not patrolling hallways in search of errant students snogging in alcoves or shagging behind curtains. He rolled his eyes as he thought of how many couples he'd busted just this very evening. Some things never change, he thought. As he passed it, a tall grandfather clock chimed the witching hour and Severus sighed. Only one half hour to go and then his rounds would be over. Then he could get back to his reading, collapse in his chair by the fire with a glass of fire whisky. He could remove his robes and shake off the harsh persona that had kept his life, and the lives of others safe for so long. Then he would, no doubt, retire to his bedroom where he would throw back a draught of dreamless sleep so that the dreams that had plagued him for nearly six months could disappear.

Severus Snape had returned to his post as Potions master after the Ministry, with the help of the Boy-Who-Need-Be-Noble Harry Potter and his two tag-a-long companions, and though he tried to let go of the harsh demeanor that he had held onto for going on twenty years, old habits die hard, and he found himself now not only feared, but lonely as well…for fame and an Order of Merlin First Class, and all the Galleons in the world could not buy a Wizard love and companionship. And these thoughts, led his mind, of course, to wander onto his latest obsession, the one member of the Golden Trio whom had truly impressed him beyond measure, the girl, now woman who had entered his dreams and haunted him when he was alone.

When Hermione had come back to finish her schooling at Hogwarts, Severus Snape was neither surprised nor annoyed. He was merely indifferent. It was expected, of course. Surely no one thought that such a know-it-all busybody like Hermione Granger could simply walk away from earning her degree and pursuing greater endeavors. So he had simply thought he'd ignore the girl and move on with his life. Severus quickly discovered that ignoring Hermione Granger was not going to pan out.

He paced throughout the halls noiselessly, robes billowing in a silent flutter reminiscent of a butterfly's wings or a spider's web being spun. Why the devil is it so damned hard to get that girl out of my head!" he cursed as he passed the Fat Lady's portrait. He walked on and the answer was poking his brain, not allowing him to forget why it was so hard for him to forget about Hermione Granger.

The first day of Advanced NEWT potions had started out as any other class, the students, including Miss Granger had filed in. He had indicated the instructions on the board and then called for them all to begin. The heat in the classroom that August afternoon had been stifling, and the steaming cauldrons had done nothing to relieve the heat of the room. It had become so oppressive that Severus actually felt the need to say something.

"Students," he drawled in his usual manner, "Due to the increasingly uncomfortable heat in this room, I give you permission to remove your outer robes. I'd rather not have to waste any pepper up potions on the first day." The students, relieved at this permissive attitude as well as glad for the allowance, removed their heavy black school robes and were much more at ease in their muggle clothing which was allowed save for special occasions. And it was then that everything changed.

Severus found his eye wandering to Hermione as she shucked the offensive black garment and he had to cover his audible intake of air with an uncharacteristic cough. A few of the students had looked over in surprise, but quickly went back to work once they witnessed his glare at their attention. It was readily apparent to Severus that Miss Granger was no longer the little girl he remembered from first year potions, bushy hair and wildly waving hand in the air, so eager for approval. She was, now, most definitely a woman. When had that happened? He questioned as he watched her, hoping she would not notice his blatant ogling of her figure.

His eyes wandered from her cascade of honey brown curls that were anything but bushy to her blue muggle shirt that should have been considered indecent, though he knew it was not. It clung to her figure in all the right places, the moderate V-neck showing off her generously rounded, voluptuous breasts and nipped in just at her slim waist, flaring out at her equally generous but not too generous hips. Her tan cotton shorts were loose fitting over curvaceous thighs, and as she turned slightly to check the directions in her Potions book, he was graced with the sight of her curvaceous buttocks. His hand twitched, wanting to give it a healthy squeeze, and he mentally slapped himself for having such thoughts about a student, an innocent child! But really, he realized, she was no child. That much was clear.

His black eyes stared into her with heat clearly evident in them as he watched a drop of sweat slide slowly from her brow to her cheek, and he breathed a gentle sigh as he watched her delicate finger swipe the offending drop away. His own finger tingled with the desire to have replaced hers, and he nearly groaned aloud as he realized he was now sporting a very prominent erection beneath his desk.

Severus had continued to watch Hermione from his position at the front of the classroom and regarded her with near awe as she effortlessly completed her potion to a T, the ingredients perfectly added, the potion perfectly executed. It would be a success, that he was sure. If his eyes had not been so focused on the way her breasts bounced enticingly in her shirt as she gave the cauldron a final few stirs, he would have noticed that she had turned her attention from her potion and had looked up to meet his eyes. He started when he found himself looking back into her tawny gaze and for one split second he thought he saw something, what was it, arousal there? But that was impossible. He was the greasy bat of the dungeons and she was the Gryffindor Princess, one valuable third of the Golden Trio. The moment was lost as she returned her gaze to her table and began to bottle her potion.

Class came to an end and bottle after bottle was placed upon his desk for his further inspection, but he paid no attention. His eyes remained downcast upon the papers he was "correcting" and he did not look up, that is until he saw a slim hand linger for a moment as a vial was dropped off. He did not have to look up to know that it was her, and then, as if it hadn't happened at all, she was gone.

Severus was now passing the library when he heard a small noise, then all at once, he saw a figure coming toward him, wand drawn. "Lumos!" He uttered silkily, and the light from his wand illuminated the corridor and the person standing in front of him who was nw shielding her eyes from the brightness of his wand.

"Sorry, that's a little bright. Mind turning it down a bit? It's only me." The soft voice was undoubtably Hermiones and Severus dimmed the light coming from his wand and he met her eyes.

His heart pounded in his chest as he watched her smile. It was beautiful.

"Good evening Professor. So sorry if I've disturbed you. I've been up late doing research for my Advanced Transfiguration essay. It's due next week."

"You are not disturbing," Severus replied, willing his voice to remain steady. Gods he felt like a fifth year whose balls had only just begun to drop. "But are you aware of the hour, Miss Granger?"

"Yes, Professor. I'm aware it is very late, or very early depending on how you'd like to look at it, but as I am Head Girl, and as I am over eighteen, I am allowed to be out of my rooms as late as I want, provided I'm not…up to something." She smiled wryly, and he realized that she was quoting him. He felt decidedly ruffled and he was quickly beginning to realize that if he stood there much longer, he might very well embarrass himself. Already he could feel his trousers beginning to grow uncomfortably tight in all the wrong places.

"Right. As you were Miss Granger. Though, do be careful getting back to Gryffindor Tower." He winced inwardly. Had he just shown a modicum of compassion? What on earth was happening to him?

Hermione nodded in assent and made to move along. "Goodnight Professor Snape."

Hermione did not hear him whisper his response in kind, and if she had looked back, which she did, there was nothing to be seen but the retreating billow of his robes to indicate that anything out of the ordinary had happened at all.

Back in his rooms, Severus Snape divested himself of his suddenly too restrictive garments and strode quickly into the loo, turning the shower on full blast. With the steaming water pounding against his back and dripping off of his blue-black hair, Severus did something he hadn't done in a very long time. He jerked himself off to thoughts of a woman in his shower, and he came all over the wall with the woman's name spouting from his lips like a prayer…and the name was not Lily.

Four floors above, Hermione was laying in her four poster bed in her private rooms, a privilege for Head girls and boys. Her legs were spread wide and two fingers were buried deep inside of her tight pussy, and the name she was moaning out into the empty room was not Ron's.

TBC!

AN: Winks at readers. Did you like it? Please review and let me know! Hopefully I'll update soon, but reviews always make me update muuuuch faster. And by the way, who will you be thinking of in the shower tonight? Hmmmm?

SS