"Ah Severus!" exclaimed Lucius as he walked over to his old friend. His hair was even longer than it was in his seventh year, bleached blonde and dead straight. He had not seen his friend since he married Narcissa. The most beautiful of the Black sisters. "I thought you said Narcissa was coming with you" Snape enquired. Lucius took a deep breath before quickly saying,"It wasn't my idea, I told her it wasn't a good idea but she didn't listen and now..."Severus heard a cackle he knew all too well. Lucius trailed off as a look of sudden realisation flashed across Severus' face. "Oh God no!" He thought to himself. Just then Narcissa walked over to the table they were sitting at... Followed by none other than her sister, Bellatrix.

Clearly, she had not known that this was a set up either because she instantly turned to walk away before her sister dragged her back. "Cissy! Why on earth did you bring me here?" She shrieked. The whole pub was looking over at them now. Severus felt extremely uncomfortable now and felt the sudden urge to leave immediately. Lucius ordered some drinks and made to sit down. Severus sat opposite Narcissa and she kept smiling slightly when she saw the uncomfortable expression on his face."Bella, sit down" said Lucius. She shook her head adamantly and replied, "I will not tolerate this Lucius! You know I despise him!" Severus chuckled softly to himself before saying sarcastically, "And here I was thinking you liked me". She eventually sat down next to Snape, glaring across the table at her sister.

"Severus, Lucius tells me that you've travelled recently. Anywhere nice?" Asked Narcissa trying to defuse some of the tension. He had indeed been travelling but he wouldn't call it nice. Visiting Lily's grave was never an easy thing to do."Just collecting rare potion ingredients" he replied nonchalantly. The door of the pub opened and in came Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley. They were both very dressed up for entering the Leaky Cauldron. The two girls ordered their drinks and sat at a table directly opposite Severus'. He glanced over at Hermione but she was already looking at him intently. Her fitted, red and above the knee dress had caught his attention when she came in to the dusty old pub. It wasn't the first time he had noticed her beauty. On the last day of term, he had seen her in a new way. And she had looked at him then, the way she was looking at him now. There was lust in her eyes and she licked her lips flirtatiously. Severus returned her gaze and shot her half a smile before clearing his throat and excused himself from the table. "It was great to see you but I really must be going now. Try not to miss me too much Bella," he mocked. As he walked away Bellatrix stuck her tongue out at him." Very mature" he called back to her. Narcissa, Bellatrix and Lucius left the Leaky Cauldron moments later, deciding to go into Diagon Alley for a while.

Severus waited outside the door to the pub. He wondered if she'd come after him."See you later Ginny. Tell Molly I said hello!" Called Hermione as she exited the pub. She turned to see her potions Professor leaning against the exterior of the historic pub. He wore his usual dark robes and his long black hair was ruffled by the gentle wind. He looked... Mysterious, handsome even. She was intrigued by his scent. He smelled like spearmint and fresh parchment."Fancy seeing you here Miss Granger" he said darkly. Hermione looked up into his face, studying his unreadable features. She had known he would be here, that was why she got dressed up."Professor, I didn't know you were in London" she replied. She had overheard him talking about it with Dumbledore in the entrance hall a few days ago. Severus looked at his watch and whispered,"12:30... It would be very irresponsible of me to let a young woman like yourself walk home alone at this time of night. Wouldn't you agree?" A hint of a smile flashed across his lips. Hermione nodded in agreement and whispered back, "I completely agree Professor."

Severus was not sure where Hermione was staying. The two of them kept walking side by side until Hermione stopped suddenly."I've forgotten my key! And my parents are out of town..." She cocked her eyebrow at Severus. Was she really suggesting what he thought? "I'm sure I could make up the spare room for you. After all, it would be irresponsible of me to let a student sleep on the street," he suggested. Hermione smiled to herself as they carried on walking.

They arrived in Spinner's End in no time. Severus unlocked the front door of his house and ushered his guest inside. Hermione was fascinated by all the books on his bookshelves. She removed her jacket and sat down on the sofa. Severus poured them both a fire whiskey and sat down next to her. He noticed her long, toned legs and her petite frame. He turned to look at her but she had beat him to it. "Is there any point in preparing the spare room?" She asked while smiling. She kicked off her stilettos and moved closer to him."I don't have a spare room" he whispered. He could feel her breath on his face as she leaned towards him. All rational thoughts left his mind, even the memory of Lily. Finally surrendering to the feelings of lust and passion, Severus pulled Hermione closer to him and kissed her. Her lips were soft but she kissed him back ferociously, forcing her tongue into his mouth. He pulled her onto him as he lay back on the sofa, all the while deepening the kiss they were sharing.

The next morning:

There was a knock on the door and Severus ran downstairs to answer it. He opened the door, wearing only his black boxer shorts and sporting a well defined six pack. Standing in front of him was none other than Lucius Malfoy. "I'm guessing that's not Bella you have hidden upstairs" he said, nodding towards the red dress lying in the middle of the hallway. Severus rubbed the back of his neck, sighing slightly. "Ah Miss Granger, Long time no see" added Lucius as Hermione appeared at the top of the stairs wrapped in a white duvet.

"I'll call back later when you're both fully clothed" he laughed, putting particular emphasis on the 'fully clothed' part. Severus closed the door and turned towards Hermione. "Well, that could have been awkward," he joked. She giggled and he ran up the stairs, taking her hand and leading her back into the bedroom.