Song Of The Guardians

Just A Little Kiss

Hermione sat in the library with a book resting on the table in front of her. Her eyes were on the page, but it had been several minutes since she had read anything. She was due to work on the potion with Severus in less than a half hour. She felt more nervous about working with him than she had in quite some time. A blush crept over her cheeks at the memory of waking up in the potions master's arms.

She was self-aware enough to recognize that she was attracted to Severus. Snuggling up to him in her sleep was one thing, but her stomach had fluttered wildly when he hadn't rejected her closeness and drew her back into his arms again. However, she couldn't wrap her mind around the idea of a committed relationship with Severus. Her last relationship had been a disaster and incredibly painful. She was reluctant to trust her heart to another man, when one of her best friends had been so careless with it. For now, she could be content with her work and helping the other guardians. Not that any of this mattered; Even if Severus was attracted to her, she was sure it was quite unlikely that he'd want to be in a relationship.

The subject of her musings entered the library and stopped at the opposite side of the table. Had he known her thoughts, he would have been able to correct her. Severus had been doing his own thinking. He was far from admitting anything out loud, but he had gotten past denying his attraction to Hermione. As he watched her frown at her book, he wondered how receptive she would be to his advances. Of course, there was really only one way to find out.

"Perhaps you should select another book if that one is offensive," Severus said, smirking when she jumped in surprise. "You've been scowling at that page for a few moments now."

"I wasn't scowling," Hermione responded, embarrassed. "I was just thinking."

"Indeed," Severus said, choosing not to ask about her thoughts. "I finished my paperwork early. We can move on to the lab now. Unless you would prefer to stare at your book a bit longer."

Hermione rolled her eyes but she was smiling. "We can head to the lab," she replied. "I can't seem to focus on this book anyway."

"The last few days have been overwhelming," Severus said simply. He reached over and closed her book, then moved to put it back on it's proper shelf. He returned to her side and they left the library together.

In the lab, Hermione found herself able to focus better. That is, until Severus moved to her cauldron to observe her progress. He questioned her choice of ingredients, made suggestions and observed her brewing technique. Hermione was waiting for the criticism to come. She nearly dropped her stirring rod when Severus reached over and pushed her hair out of her face. Moving carefully, he used both hands to pull her curly hair to the back of her head and secured it in a ponytail with a spell. "It is not usually a good idea to brew with long hair over the cauldron," Severus told her. "While you are a careful brewer, I would prefer not to take any chances."

"Of course," Hermione replied, feeling flustered. She looked into her cauldron and nodded. "This needs to simmer for an hour."

"As does mine," Severus said. "Come sit down."

He led her through an open doorway to a small room lined with bookshelves. There was a couch against one wall with a coffee table in front of it. Hermione sat down with a soft sigh. Severus waved his wand and a tea service appeared on the table. Nodding for Hermione to pour the tea, he moved to one of the shelves to select a few books. He returned to the couch and sat down, holding one book out to Hermione. She accepted it with a smile of thanks. Severus settled back on the couch, opening his book.

Hermione sat stiffly on the couch, anxiously looking toward the doorway. "Perhaps we shouldn't just leave the potions unattended," she murmured.

"Surely you had not planned to stare at your cauldron for an hour. I have charmed a bell to ring at the appointed time," Severus told her calmly. He rested his book on his thigh and gently grasped her shoulders, guiding her to sit back on the couch. He left his arm draped across her shoulders as he picked his book back up. He felt her body grow rigid in surprise for just a moment, but she quickly relaxed. He glanced at her face, and was pleased to see that she didn't look uncomfortable or displeased. She appeared a bit embarrassed and surprised, but she was smiling slightly. After several minutes, Hermione had even rested her head against his shoulder as she read her book.