Disclaimer- I only own the plot. I used the lyrics from Dolly Parton's 'Hard Candy Christmas' as dialogue too. I know I am a lyrics and character stealing hack!

Read, Enjoy, Review.

Maybe I'll......



Hermione put the rest of her belongings into her chest. She sighed as she rested her head girl badge on the very top. Looking round the dormitory she smiled to herself. She was leaving. By rights she should have been happy, she had achieved brilliant NEWTS and she was free to unleash her power on the world. But at the back of her mind was the nagging feeling that she had forgotten something. Not a possession just something she should have done. Something she had wanted to do since she turned 16.

She decided to go for a walk. She had decided to miss the leaving feast and just go to the 7th year's party at the three Broomsticks. It felt strange, she thought going through the portrait hole, that she was walking round Hogwarts in her jeans and vest top and not her uniform. She wasn't a part of this school any more.

She walked down the stairs, stopping at every landing to look at the classrooms. Walking into the ones she had taken classes' in. past the library taking one last sniff of the dusty bookish smell. Into the girls bathroom to say good bye to Myrtle and give her a picture of Harry.

Finally she arrived at the entrance hall, all marble and familiar. She spread her arms wide and began to spin round looking at the ceiling, getting faster and faster till it was blurred.

"Hermione what the hell are you doing?" Harry asked.

Hermione stopped suddenly giggling. Her vision was wobbling and she could vaguely make out Harry and Ron.

"I just always wanted to do that, you know cos it's so big, I just wanted to spin and spin till it was blurred."

Harry and Ron looked at each other and laughed.

"Come on try it, as a goodbye."

They carried on looking at her as if she was insane. She ran up to them and pulled at their arms till they gave in.

At the top of the stairs a group of professors watched the fantastic trio spinning like infants across the marble floor and collapsing in a giggling heap as they collided with each other.

"What exactly are you doing?" asked professor McGonagall with a slight smile on her face.

The three looked up still giggling.

"Saying good bye." Hermione said laughing, "GOODBYE HOGWARTS!" she shouted upwards.

The professors and the trio started to laugh again as they dragged them selves from the floor.

"Sorry professor we just got a bit giddy." Hermione said looking at the audience they had.

Professors McGonagall, Snape, Dumbledore and Hooch just looked back. Professor Snape gave her a strange look and their eyes locked for a moment before he realised the other teachers had started to walk towards the hall and he quickly followed.

"He was giving you a bizarre look then." Harry said laughing.

"Yeah!" Ron piped up, "like he fancies a bit of Hermy lovin'!" he said and they lapsed into giggles again.

"He couldn't handle it!" Hermione said laughing.

'oh yes he could' came a voice in her ear which the other didn't seem to hear, she spun round to see him giving her one last look before he entered the hall.

Later that night while everyone else was getting ready to go the pub Hermione decided to go and say goodbye to her teachers, the ones that had helped her. She had bought them all a little present.

She was making her way to her last port of call, also the one she was dreading most. She knocked on the door of their office.

"Come in!" came the call from within.

"Hi professor it's just me. I just came to say good bye."

"I'm surprised you didn't enter spinning around and shouting it." Snape said with a sarcastic smile.

Hermione blushed and extended her hand to him which contained a wrapped box.

"Just a little something to say thank you for teaching me, not just potions but also that you can never please some people."

Snape gave her a wry smile and took the gift and unwrapped it. It was silver cufflinks with his initials on and raven feather quill that said 'you can't please some people' along the spine.

"Thank you." He said graciously.

"Wow! An amiable comment from Professor Snape." She joked nervously waiting for the flip when he would scream at her for insulting him.

"Yes I am not always a grumpy old sod. But some people aren't nice you have to live with it. Plus I look the part."

"Well like I said thank you professor." Hermione said and hesitated. "I know your going to say no but I'm going to ask anyway."

"Go on."

"I was wondering if I could give you a hug? I gave everyone else one."

Hermione thought how sensual he would feel pressed against her body. Tall and edgy, it made her toes curl.

Snape stood up and walked over to her and embraced her in a firm hug. She could feel and hear him laughing slightly. She felt his heat and heard his heart beat and wanted to find out more. She wanted to kiss him, strip him, touch him, fuck him.

He pulled away and looked at her.

"There will that satisfy.."

He never finished his sentence as Hermione had reached up and pulled his head towards her and had her mouth firmly pressed on his. It was as if someone had pressed an action switch as soon as their lips met Severus was kissing back just as passionately, his hands roaming her body.

Hermione pulled away suddenly.

"I didn't know you.." She began.

"But I thought you." Severus said at the same time.

"You like me?" she asked stupidly as if she was 12 years old again.

Severus just laughed.

"It was you whispering in my ear? And the cards on Valentines Day? And the flowers? You?"

"Amongst other admirers yes. Not my best move, lusting for a student but yes."

Hermione moved towards him again, running her hands under his jacket.

"Lusting?" really?"

Severus nodded and pulled her closer he bent down and kissed her again, stroking her neck and running his hands down her back. He reached down and put her arms behind his neck before putting a hand behind each knee and lifting her up. She hooked her ankles together to grip him better.

He walked over to his desk and deposited her upon it. She reached under her back side and removed a sharp looking quill and laughed throwing it aside and running her hands down Severus' chest.

Severus stroked the back of her neck the result being she smiled and her head fell back slowly revealing the underside of her chin and her throat. He leant down and kissed down her throat then let his tongue trail back up.

Hermione gripped him tighter with her legs pulling him closer into her, letting her hands roam over his body, finding ways to get underneath the material and caress the skin underneath. Mean while Severus was working his way along her collar bone. His hands were softly moving towards her breasts when a noise was heard outside.

Minerva bustled in and stopped in her tracks at the sight.

"Severus the staff de briefing? Have you forgotten?" she said trying to pretend she hadn't just seen her brightest student and Hogwarts snarkiest teacher kissing on his desk.

Severus nodded at her and she left quickly. As soon as the door shut he laughed and his head flopped on to Hermione's shoulder.

"I don't want to but I have to go. Until next time." he said and kissed her.

"Will there be a next time?" she asked still sat on the desk as she watched him head to the door.

"That's for you to decide." He said and left.

Hermione arrived at the leaving get together half an hour late so as to ensure she wouldn't be the first there. As usual it hadn't taken the Gryffindors long to get the party going. She got herself a drink and sat down next to Lavender and Parvati.

After many drinks and many goodbye snogs the group had quietened somewhat and the talk had turned serious despite the slurred words and unfocused eyes.

"So Lavender what you gonna do next then?" Parvati slurred.

"Dunno, maybe I'll dye my hair, maybe I'll move somewhere? Maybe I'll get a car and drive so far that I'll lose track."

The group giggled and the bizarre answer.

"What bout you Neville?" Lavender asked.

"Maybe I'll sleep real late, maybe I'll lose some weight. Maybe I'll clear my junk. Maybe I'll just get drunk on mulled wine." He said laughing and the group relapsed into giggles.

"Hey, maybe I'll learn to sew" said Ron laughing hard



"Maybe I'll just lie low" roared Harry



"Maybe I'll hit the bars, maybe I'll count the stars until dawn" giggled Parvati.

Everyone turned the only group member that wasn't drunk and wasn't laughing.

"Hermione what's up? What are you going to do?" Harry asked as the laughter died down and the sudden silence was eerie.

"Me?" she asked coming down to earth in a bump. "Maybe I'll settle down, Maybe I'll just leave town. Maybe I'll have some fun. Maybe I'll meet someone." She giggled at this point and looked towards the door that had just burst open.

Stood there was a tall dark figure dripping from the rain pouring down from the heavens like diamonds. She smiled and got up and looked at the sea of expectant eyes that watched her.



"Maybe I'll make him mine." She said before running towards the door and embracing the figure.

The group watched her go, trying to figure out who the man was. As they left the pub into the pouring rain they caught a glimpse of long black hair, a hooked nose and a grin they didn't associate with that man.

"I'll be just fine!" Hermione shouted to them before the door of the pub shut itself, leaving them all stunned and somewhat confused.

For a while they sat silently thinking about they had seen in their drunken states. When suddenly in true 'Ronald Weasly' style, Ron shouted.

"Hey that was Snape!"

THE END