For Mudblood_andProud

[wizardspy]

Severus glanced the clock on the wall then back to his drink. He'd arranged to meet Hermione at a pub in Muggle London, somewhere far away from Diagon Alley. He felt almost guilty that he had to sneak around to see her, as if he were somehow ashamed to be seen with her. But it was for her safety and his own that it be this way, they both had roles that still needed to be played. But with Dumbledore gone he truly had no one who cared for him, cared whether he lived or died. To find someone who genuinely did was both amazing and terrifying.

He blew out a breath of air shaking his head. He'd been distracted, thinking about her, of what could be and that wasn't good. If he was going to do this, to be friends with the girl -- woman, then he needed to compartmentalize her, keep her away from the darkness. Now he glanced at the door, almost willing her to walk through it.

Comments

[wizardspy]

"On Christmas, my Hogwarts colleagues tended to give me potion related presents," he said, smirking. "As though I had no other interests."

[mudblood_andproud]

"Some people are hard to Christmas shop for."

Sorry, been sick as hell

[wizardspy]

"Apparently," he murmured, rolling his eyes. "Will you show me that author you like, Crichton was it?"

sorry to hear that. Hope you feel better now

[mudblood_andproud]

Hermione smiles softly. She quickly scans the shelves of the bookstore, before leading him down one of the farther aisles in search of the books they are seeking.

From the shelves, she picks up titles such as "Rising Sun", "Jurassic Park", and "Disclosure".

"The interesting thing about that last book, is how he looked at sexual politics in the workplace from a non-standard prospective, with the male as a victim."