Chapter 10
"Thank Merlin… Finally…” Hermione collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily from exhaustion after tidying up.
“Well done, Granger.” Snape smirked, bending down to scoop her up effortlessly. He cradled her in his arms as if she weighed nothing.
“Hey! I’m not a child! Put me down!” she shrieked, her legs dangling in midair.
“Are you sure?” he teased before pressing a soft kiss against her lips. Without waiting for an answer, he sat down on the couch with Hermione now settled on his lap.
“Are we going back to Hogwarts today?” she asked, glancing at the clock on the wall.
“It’s already six in the evening. It’s quite late,” Snape mused. “I have a guest room—you can sleep there tonight.”
“Guest room? You mean your room? Because I am not sleeping in the guest room alone tonight!” Hermione huffed, reaching up to tug on his hair.
Snape exhaled, tilting his head back slightly. “Whatever. You can sleep with me if you want to.” His voice was laced with forced indifference, as if he wasn’t secretly pleased by the idea.
Hermione gasped, shifting back to put some distance between them. “Hey, Sev! You’re so mean! I know you want me to stay.”
Before she could move too far, he pulled her back into his embrace. She buried her face in his robes, inhaling the familiar scent of herbs and potions.
“Fine. It was a joke. I’m sorry, okay?” he murmured, his fingers stroking her back.
“The mean, old Potions professor I’ve known for years never jokes,” she mumbled against his chest.
“You’re calling me mean and old? Then why are you dating me?” His tone was amused, but the question made Hermione’s face heat up instantly.
“B-because… It was the potion’s fault!” she stammered.
Snape arched a brow. “Oh? So that means you don’t like me anymore? Granger, perhaps we should just break up.” His lips twitched into a smirk, though she didn’t see it.
Hermione’s eyes widened in horror. Thinking he was serious, she clutched his robes tightly. “No! I like you! Don’t break up with me, Sev!”
His smirk grew wider as he tightened his hold on her, pressing a hard, lingering kiss to her lips before moving to her forehead.
“Severus…” Hermione whispered breathlessly.