Erised Revealed

Free Talk

Chapter 16

They stood there for a moment, too engrossed in each other to notice anything around them. Hermione finally pulled away when she felt like she had to breathe. Severus looked down at her and then glanced around suspiciously, always one to be alert in any situation. After he had assessed their surroundings and found no one else there, he began walking back to their shared common room. Hermione watched Severus as he carried her down the hall. She wasn't sure how he was reacted to what she had told him and the kiss hadn't seemed to help anything. They were almost to their common room when he spoke.

"You know that wasn't a very nice way to tell me how you feel. I would appreciate it if next time, you would wait until we are in the privacy of our rooms. I have told you that I will change how I act around you, but that is only in private. When you said that in the hallway and reacted the way you did, anything could have happened, anyone could is seen." They finally reached their shared dorm and Severus paused only long enough to say the password to their rooms, before he walked through their living room and straight into their bedroom. He gently placed her onto their bed before walking over to the wardrobe and, reaching in, pulled out a nightgown for Hermione and a pair of night pants for himself.

"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you with my confession, but I had to tell you how I felt as soon as I was able to. For some reason in the hall way I just couldn't stop myself from feeling the way I did and saying it. I normally have more sense than that, as you know, but today I just couldn't stop myself." Hermione finally admitted, watching him walk back over to her to hand her the nightgown. He waited until she took it before he walked to the bathroom and partially closed the door.

"I wish I knew what to tell you in order to make you feel better, but I am just not that kind of person. I have never been the type of person to show or take emotions well, especially from others. I really don't know how to respond to your confession, but I suspect the feelings you have now are connected to the potion in the crystal that you fell on a few hours ago. Maybe I am incorrect and you have felt this way since the beginning of this ordeal, but for some reason I don't believe that. You don't seem the type to have a crush on a professor, except for the Lockhart incident." Severus stated as soon as he was behind the closed door.

Hermione looked down at her nightgown and contemplated it for a moment, before she finally stood, undressed, and slipped into it. Just as she was pulling it down over her legs, Severus opened the bathroom door fully and walked back into their bedroom. As she had expected and as he had done every night since they were first bonded, he was only wearing a pair of black night pants with no shirt on. Hermione smiled, 'Ginny would be drooling at this sight.' She thought before she realized that Severus was looking at her strangely. She belatedly realized that smiling right after he walks out of the bathroom half naked probably hadn't been what he expected her to do, so she said the first thing she thought of to cover up her mistake.

"Maybe you're right. We really don't know what is going to come from this new development. By the way, did Madam Pomfrey tell you anything while I was unconscious?" Hermione said, looking around for something to occupy her hands. When she didn't find anything, she quickly walked around the bed and climbed in under the covers. This didn't really help her any as Severus climbed into bed right next her.

"I'm glad that you are agreeing with me, because Madam. Pomfrey really couldn't tell what effects the new potion will introduce into your blood system." Severus said, before looking away and answering her other question. "Madam. Pomfrey mostly just asked me a lot of questions about what happened and what has been going on in these quarters since we first bonded. I answered truthfully. Good night." He finished before turning over and going silent.

Hermione could tell he wasn't being completely truthful with her, but she didn't think that what he was keeping from her was anything important, just something embarrassing to him. She didn't even consider that embarrassment was one of their intimacy triggers. She was so tired that her brain wasn't working the way it usually does, so she turned over on her side of the bed and fell asleep.