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He knew she was watching him as he worked at the desk. She shouldn't have been in there, but she was trying to be good, sitting there in the little nook between the bookcases. He occasionally heard her shuffling about, but he couldn't call it fidgeting, more a quick stretch and easement. However, he could feel her eyes on him, watching his every movement. He wouldn't acknowledge her, though. If he did, she might see it as encouragement, even if he snapped at her.
Finally he was done, and turned sharply to glare at his uninvited guest. He caught her looking at the books on the shelf closest to her; not touching, just being curious. He huffed in grudging approval, and her face shot round to him. He found himself staring into big, brown eyes that gave away all the want and hope she kept bottled up inside.
He couldn't help himself as he was drawn to her, slowly but surely stepping up to where she sat to attention, never breaking eye contact. He looked down at her for an extended moment before gently reaching out to touch her jawline and, finding no resistance, moving up to behind her ear, stroking around until his fingers were under her chin. She held her head back at an angle, her eyes now half closed and unfocussed. So trusting.
He made a crooning noise at her as his hand moved from her neck to her shoulder, and he felt her melt under his touch, leaning into him as he moved soothingly up and down her back, then around her ribs before spreading his fingers and resting his palm gently over her belly. He heard her whimper under his ministrations, urging him to go further, be a little more ardent maybe, and he was tempted to give in to her.
Just then the door swung open and the pair were caught by his colleague’s astonished gazed. There was no disguising what he'd been doing, so he simply straightened up and put a comforting hand on the back of her head. The woman in the doorway simply huffed at the scene before moving to the desk to deposit her armful of parchments.
“Severus Snape, I thought you said you couldn't abide dogs when I took the stray in, yet here you are fussing the beast while my back is turned,” Hermione said, amused. However, her teasing tone changed as she turned hesitantly towards him. “Does this mean you'd consider... letting her stay?” Hermione asked. Severus looked from the witch to the mutt, each with their frizzy-looking hair (would hers be as surprisingly soft to the touch as the dog's had been?), big brown eyes and watchful, hopeful stance.
“I find that she has... grown on me,” he said. The woman gave a little squeal and launched herself across the room while the happy dog danced on the spot, but Severus found himself the unexpected recipient of a full and careless hug before Hermione dropped to her knees and fawned over the animal. 'Yes,' he thought, his small smile unseen as he turned back to the desk, 'she has grown on me indeed.'