Hermione was completely ready for the wedding a lot quicker than she imagined being. Her hair was manageable, the make-up she did was actually fairly easy to manipulate, and the zipper on her dress hadn't given her any problems at all with a little flick of her wand.

Which, of course, left her with an abundance of time before Sem was supposed to show up so they could attend the wedding together.

Her heart was tugging at the thought of what would be like a first date for them. Now, she was trying not to get too attached, but she wasn't going to deny the fact they were mutually attracted to one-another.

A book was sufficiently distracting for the moment, but her nerves got the best of her as she worried the page corners, biting her lip.

Time felt like it was going slowly, but the knock on her door came sooner than expected. It was still, in fact, early, and Hermione assumed that it wasn't Sem knocking at her door.

She was wrong.

Somehow, Severus Snape had obtained her address and was standing right before her, looking far different than she recalled him looking during their school years. The impeccable suit and obvious attentiveness to his hair probably did it, but that didn't take away the struck feeling in her chest.

"May I help you?"

"I have to discuss something with you."

Hermione was very confused, and she stood in her doorway defiantly. He looked very much as though he wanted to be invited in.

"What business could you possibly have with me?"

Patience, she was getting patience from the man infamous for having none as he stood willing to answer her question in the hallway.

"I want to talk to you about Sem."

Worry gripped her, and knowing he was headed to the wedding as well because of the impeccable state of dress along with the coincidental timing, she let him in. Sem knew Snape as a benefactor, this wouldn't be so odd if he happened to come while the Potion Master was still there. Everything was going to be alright... at least she hoped so.

"What's wrong, if anything?" Hermione very well meant to come off with anger. She wasn't going to just let one of the most hated wizards in the world into her home without a little fuss.

"He's been lying to you, Miss Granger. Well, I have been lying to you. You see, Sem is just a storefront personality who runs the store... It's really me."

Very confused and fastly approaching dazed, Hermione froze.

"You mean to tell me that Sem doesn't own the store, he just works there?"

"No," Snape interrupted her quickly, "I was able to manipulate the polyjuice brew a while ago to something along the lines of giving someone the abilities of a metamorphmagus. I am Sem Samsen."

Realization hit her harder than she punched Draco in third year, and she felt nauseous.

Everything around her was spinning, but her thoughts were what hit her hardest. She was the smartest witch of her bloody age, and here she was fooled by some cousin of the polyjuice potion. While she was in complete awe, that didn't help the fact that she was attracted to Severus Snape. Well, not really his physical features, though she could also see herself admiring him in his normal state if he wasn't the worst bloody wizard on the entire face of the Earth.

"I am sorry, Hermione, I really am."

She could hear it in his voice now, the lilt and strange pattern that Sem had spoken with. That, and their height was the same, eye-color damn near identical, and the strange ruse of his funding the shop. Severus Snape would never sit on the sidelines and merely fund something... or at least she didn't think so.

What parts of him were Sem and what parts were Severus? Hermione closed her eyes, head beginning to throb.

"Merlin, I'm such an idiot," she cursed. She had her hand pressed to her head and eyes slammed shut, attempting to wonder how she hadn't realized it the moment she walked into the bloody store.

"Hermione," a soft voice said before her, startling her.

She looked up, having nearly forgotten Snape's presence. Just looking at him she felt entirely imbecilic. Hermione wanted to rip her heart out for falling for... whoever it was she fell for, it wasn't like Severus was acting while he was Sem, or at least she assumed not. He wasn't smart enough for that.

The worst part was is that she didn't even hate him, in fact, as she stared at him in surprise, she saw all of the parts of Sem that she'd enjoyed over the past couple of weeks. Her heart sank, and the true anger fell on Draco who very obviously knew the whole time!

"How many galleons did you win off of me being a dunderhead like you always assumed I was? Or did Draco have less faith in me than you did?"

"No, Hermione," he said sternly, "We didn't put any money down, I couldn't. While I didn't expect you to figure it out... I was flattered by the way you treated me, and I couldn't hurt you any longer by going under a false persona. I am truly sorry."

"Why?" She asked him in disgust, pitying herself for being so stupid, "I'm the idiot. Surely I should be very mad with you, extremely upset or whatnot, but really I am only angry at myself! All the signs were there, I was merely ignorant."

Considering that she was standing in the middle of her flat, looking slightly gross due to the crying and overall frantic from the situation, he looked very put together. She'd need to re-do her makeup before the wedding....

"Hermione," he put a hesitant hand on her cheek, and she forgot all about the wedding and all about Sem, looking into black eyes that were quite the luxurious color. The worst part was, is she really did want to hate Severus Snape, but his tender caress was everything she wanted and more. There were tiny little sparks going off in her cheek, and she hated all of it. "You are the least ignorant person I know. I will take your not knowing as a compliment... I worked hard to get that potion to do what I wanted it to."

Hermione sighed, feeling his thumb brush away a tear that had slipped out.

"Did you get it to taste good?" She wondered weakly.

"Merlin, no, I might be good, but I could never be that good."

She chuckled, looking up at him with a smile, their faces so very close.

Oh to close the gap, but her old prejudices held, and she remembered her smeared face and the looming happy event.

"Professor Snape-"

"Severus, please, Hermione," he interjected hopefully.

"Severus," it sounded horrifyingly strange and very wrong as she took a step back from him, "I shouldn't forgive you. You know? And then there's the strange feelings going around... I think it best if I take some time."

He reached for her, but she stepped too far away.

"Accompany me to the wedding nonetheless? I know my image in the public is poor at best, but I care for you a lot, and there is nothing that Sem said that I haven't meant. After that, we can go our separate ways and never see one-another again if you would like."

Hermione looked at him pleading with her and felt a sting of pity. Oh if he could red into her mind at that moment, he would certainly not have expected her to say, "Sure, why not?"

There was a pause. She hadn't been sure what her answer would be. Overall, it really came down to the fact that she wasn't prepared to attend such an event alone, and Hermione rushed away, her feelings completely on the fritz.

-

Severus stood there, his hand still motionless in the air, completely surprised that any of that had actually worked. They were still going to the wedding together, and she wasn't completely and utterly pissed at him.

He counted his blessings, attempting to recall how breathtaking she'd looked while he awaited her to get freshened up, not that he thought she needed it! Oh, Merlin's balls he was going to be on edge the entire evening.

To be fair, with Hermione on his arm as himself, he could probably brave the entire reporting agency of the Prophet and still come out with a smile on his face.

She came back looking quite gorgeous, if he was to take a liberty or two, and by then it was time for them to arrive at the wedding.

Severus felt like steel as he walked through the judgmental welcoming committee at Draco and his bride's formal place of marriage, the bride's own backyard, and the whole thing was utterly not his taste. His iron nerves, however, came from the woman on his arm who actually seemed semi-pleased despite the debacle back at her flat.

And eventually, she became angry, the stares he got was nothing new, it happened everywhere he went, but Draco was happy to see him which was all that mattered for that day. Still, Hermione remained angry, even as her friends interacted with them oddly, giving her strange looks and asking to speak with her alone, which she denied every time.

The only person who was pleased to see them both (besides a beaming Draco) was Harry Potter. He was always amiable to him however, and Potter was the kind soul who didn't seem to give any cares in the first place. His wife, the Weasley turned Potter, was slightly less sure, however.

Still, they passed through it until the ceremony, where Severus was seated relatively close up with Hermione. She continued to be antsy until the end of the ceremony, which Severus could subjectively say was quite nice. He understood, and he was well on his way to releasing her if the stares were getting to her.

Hermione, in her fashion, seemed to want to have the first word.

"Do people look at you like this everywhere you go?"

"Almost."

She rolled her eyes, frustrated, "I am so sorry I was ever one of those people. Did you mean what you said in my flat, that all the things Sem said were true for you as well?"

"Of course," he said warily.

"Well," she took both of his hands, everybody floating over to where the reception was to be held, so no eyes were truly upon them in the moment. She hesitated before she continued, "Come back to mine after this?"

"If that is what you wish."

"I very much wish it."

Nodded succinctly, Severus wasn't one to deny her.

After that, she seemed to be far more relaxed, everyone else more so as well with a little firewhiskey floating about in their veins.

A beautiful dinner and lots of joyous dancing later, Hermione stepped out onto the floor with him, inviting him out and seemingly drawing the eye of everyone there besides the couple who was so wrapped up in one-another. The floor was so full that everyone swayed to the music gently, Hermione seeming unafraid to be so close to him. It was intoxicating, and while he couldn't pin down her game, he was more than glad to play victim to it if it got him this close one more time.

Then, everything ended, and he was brought back to her flat which was still a very confusing thing to him.

There was so much that could happen when they landed back from apparition, she could yell or tell him he forgot something, or she could very well determine that he was useless and to make sure he forgot that any of it ever happened.

Regardless, nothing could have prepared him for getting his back pushed against the door and lips on his, someone much smaller than him having the complete upper hand. Merlin himself couldn't have predicted the attack, but nothing on the face of the planet would Severus have let interrupt the moment. Without intending to, he let his hands come about her waist, feeling her harsh breathing and pulling her in.

It was bliss, and before he could enjoy it too much, he had to check his reality.

"Hermione," Severus said, breaking the kiss, looking into curious brown eyes, "Am I really what you want?"

"Absolutely... who else would be my plus one?"

{4/4}

A/N

I hope everyone enjoyed! I struggled to get the ending right, but I liked this one. It was simple and closed everything, and I hope to see you all for my next work! (I finally have another full length in the works, thank goodness.)