A/N: This story is dedicated to my best friend Deidre who asked me to write a fic to this song. I hope you all enjoy! Song lyrics in bold italics and flashbacks in italics.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Like Red on a Rose (J.K. Rowling and Alan Jackson do).

Like Red on a Rose

Like red on a rose

When your lips first smiled at me

I was captured instantly

To each his own.

Severus Snape lay in bed, under black satin sheets, watching the woman in bed next to him sleep. If someone had told him ten years ago he would be lying in bed with her today, he would have laughed darkly and recommended their admittance to St. Mungo's. But there she was. Next to him. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He remembered the first time he saw her; it was in the Great Hall, ten years ago…

"Another year, another Sorting," Dumbledore was booming across the Great Hall. Snape sat at the Head Table, not really paying attention to the students; he was too busy sulking about being passed over for the Defense Against the Dark Arts job—again. As he shot a dirty look at Professor Quirrell, his eyes landed on a bushy-haired first year standing nervously next to a boy who had striking green eyes and a lightening bolt shaped scar. While everyone else was ogling over the boy, he was struck by her. He could tell she was going to be a brilliant student; he just had a knack for predicting these things. She must have felt him looking at her, because she caught his dark eyes and smiled a shy smile. He found himself smiling back involuntarily. Of course, he didn't see her that way at the time; she was only eleven years old. But he knew, one day, she would be one of the most brilliant witches of her time. That was enough to capture his attention.

But as time passed, the eleven year old bushy-haired girl evolved into a beautiful young woman. He was right about her brilliance. She had never ceased to amaze him in his Potions class. Of course, he acted as if he could not stand her. Why, he did not know. It just seemed like the thing to do at the time.

Now, looking back on it, he didn't know why on earth he had ever acted that way. But Severus Snape had changed over the years in which he had Hermione Granger as a student; he was no longer bitter and cruel. He realized life could be good again; and Hermione had helped him to do that, without even knowing it. As she entered her seventh year, Severus felt his feelings for Hermione change. He was falling in love with her. He remembered how he had told her…

"How can I tell her how I feel without scaring her off? What if she doesn't feel the same way?" Severus's mind was racing, but he knew he had to do it. He couldn't keep his thoughts at bay anymore. She was seventeen years old, perfectly legal. However, there was still a problem; she was his student for another two months. He couldn't risk Dumbledore finding out. He smiled as he had an idea. A letter. He'd tell her in a letter. He sat down at his desk, pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill, and wrote:

Dear Hermione,

Please do not let this letter alarm you. You have done nothing wrong. However, I have something I must tell you. It cannot wait any longer. Meet me at the astronomy tower at midnight. If you do not come, I will assume you were not interested in what I have to say. However, I truly hope you come.

Yours,

Severus Snape

Hermione did show up that night. He had half-expected her not to. When he saw her figure coming up the stairs, his heart leapt to his throat. He wrung his hands nervously. She stepped out from the shadows, wearing the biggest smile on her face he had ever seen.

"Severus."

"Hermione. You came."

"Oh, Severus, I thought you'd never ask," at these words, she flung himself into his arms and kissed him full on the mouth. He had never felt so happy in his entire life…

Severus smiled at this memory. He reached out and touched her face gently with his thumb. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, and she looked at him with those eyes that made him melt. He leaned over and brushed his lips against hers.

Like blue in a sky

The gaze of your willin' eyes

Touched somethin' deep inside

And the truth be known

"Hermione, I love you," he whispered against her mouth. He felt her smile.

"I love you too, Severus," she replied.

That I love you

Like all little children love pennies

And I love you 'cause I know

That I can't do anything wrong

You're where I belong

Like red on a rose.

"Hermione, you're more than I ever hoped for out of my life. I full expected to be alone forever. I thought there was no hope for me to be happy, but that night you met me at the tower, I knew you were going to change my life. And by then, you already had," he said, propping himself up on his elbow.

"What do you mean, Sev?" she asked, positioning herself the same way he had.

"Before you came to Hogwarts, I never cared about my students. I didn't really care about much of anything, actually. But you changed all that. I began to care about your well-being, I even cared about Ron and Harry because I knew you did. You, Hermione Jean Granger, changed me. And I could never repay you for it," he said, leaning down and kissing her forehead.

Tears filled Hermione's eyes. She could not speak, she was so overcome. He sensed her emotion.

"Don't say anything; you don't have to."

And I love you

Like all little children love pennies

And I love you like good times

Of which I have known many

"Did you know how beautiful you are?" he asked, pushing a strand of unruly, bedhead curly hair out of her face. She shook her head.

"I look like hell, Sev," she said bluntly, looking down at her rumpled pajamas and running a hand through her messy hair. He shook his head and took her hand out of her hair.

"No, my dear. This is when you look the most beautiful to me. Your hair all a mess, your eyes still glazed from sleep. You're so naturally gorgeous, and you know what makes it better?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"The fact that I, Severus Tobias Snape, am here to see you wake up every morning."

And I love you 'cause I know

You give me a heart of my own

You make my blood flow

She smiled, finally taking his compliment.

"You're the reason I'm alive, 'Mione. And that's the truth," he said, kissing her passionately. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around him. He rolled over to where he was sitting on her lap, one leg on each side of her. He pulled something out of his pocket on his silk pajama shirt. She gasped and put her left hand over her mouth. He grinned and took it in his. He slipped the ring on her finger.

"Hermione Granger, will you marry me?" he asked, looking through her eyes into her soul.

"Oh, Severus! Yes! Oh my God, yes!" she squealed, sitting up, pushing him off her onto the bed. She climbed onto his lap and kissed him deeply. She suddenly broke the kiss and looked at her hand. "Oh, Sev, it's absolutely perfect."

The ring was white gold, with a 1 ½ carat princess cut solitaire in the middle. It was the ring she had always dreamed of, but had only told one person, and it wasn't Severus. He must've asked Ginny, she thought. This made it even better.

"Take it off and look on the inside," he suggested, watching her.

She did as he said, and her breath caught in her throat as she read the inscription

Like red on a rose.

She swallowed and leaned into him. She felt as if she were in Heaven.

He wrapped his arms around her gently and held her. They belonged together. Forever.

Like red on a rose…

fin

Please review! I hope you liked it! Love love!

-r