Scrub-A-Dub-Dub, Fun In The Tub
*Author's Note: This is in response to the WIKTT Bubble Bath Challenge. Hope you like it! *
It was quiet in the library. No, quiet was an understatement. In there, quiet sounded like Muggle London during Christmas. No, this library sounded almost like death, but with the underlying tension of stress. Half the library was taken up by the seventh-years, closer to the restricted section where the more complex books stood; the fifth-years occupied the area nearest to the front, where most of their books waited. All the books almost shone (if they could) in all their dusted, moulded, and mildewed glory. Prying hands and eyes tried to cram as much information in to parchment and mind as all those ill-treated books held.
It was test time. OWLs and NEWTs. Two more weeks to go until the Ministry-regulated examinations would commence and there wasn't one student who wasn't strained.
"'Mione, you should go take a break," Harry whispered to his friend across the table. It sounded like someone yelling and people noticed, turning their heads in disgust at the person who had interrupted their unblissful silence.
The only part of her that he could actually see was her curly hair, which was quickly becoming frazzled, because she was surrounded by piles and piles of books, the tallest probably reaching up to four straight metres. She poked her head around the outermost tower and stared at him, eyes bloodshot and emphasized by the large, raccoon-like bags underneath.
"Harry, I can't. I'm studying. These are going to probably be the most important exams in out lives!" Her head once again disappeared.
"Hermione, you've been studying for two months already," Ron mumbled, peeling his head off a large tome on which he slept, and drooled, upon. "You deserve one."
She sighed. "I guess you're right. But are you sure you'll be okay without me? I mean, I could always stay for the last two hours before the Slytherins and the Hufflepuffs come in."
"'Mione, go. That's an order. We'll meet you in the common around five or so. Okay?"
She stood and stretched, pulling her frazzled hair from her eyes and bunching it up at the back of her neck. She picked up her book bag and headed for the doors, waving to her two anxiety-ridden friends.
She paced the halls methodically. Maybe I should go outside. It seems nice. No, too much risk of running into Malfoy at the Quidditch pitch. Common room? No, She'd be too tempted to study. Oh, I know!
"The Room of Requirement! It'll have exactly what I need to relax!"
She hurried to the floor and paced in front of the wall three times before the door appeared almost unnoticed. It seemed to blend into the wall; the only thing that caught her attention about was the crack between the floor and the door, where she could see light streaming through. She looked closer at the brick wall, near eye-level, and saw a small embossed seem. She gently placed two fingers on either side of the little raised line and she heard the stone move on the left. She placed her palm against the cool stone and pushed gently, revealing a large, well-lit bathroom, sunken pool-sized tub in the middle of the floor, shower stall in one corner and toilet occupying another.
"Amazing," she whispered, stepping into the warm, welcoming space.
She looked around and saw that a bathrobe, toiletries, and some Muggle clothes (consisting of a white tank top, white jeans, white with silver accented accessories and, of course, white underwear) laying neatly on a wheeled cabinet.
"Very… Colour coordinated," she said, fingering the white and silver belt. "Well, might as well take advantage of this while I still can."
She stripped off her clothes and slipped on the white terry cloth bathrobe. She walked over to the pool-tub and knelt at the edge. No taps. Now, there's a problem.
She walked over to her floored book bag and pulled her wand from the pocket. Thinking of some sort of spell for a bubble bath, she let her legs dangle over into the empty space. Then it hit her and she giggled.
"Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble. Make my bath perfect, on the double! Merlin, it sounds like something out of a bad Muggle movie!"
Instantly the bath was being filled with water. It suddenly began to bubble and once the minty-green foam had reached over a foot it stopped. The whole room smelled like mint.
"Oh, it is perfect!" she exclaimed as she conjured up her rubber duck and dropped it in. Immediately it disappeared, lost amongst the bubble world that she had created. She giggled. It's going to take awhile to find that little bugger.
She accio'd her bag from where it lay and pulled out a Sidney Sheldon novel, 'If Tomorrow Comes'. She shimmied out of the white robe and began to step in when she stopped. Need to put up my hair. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and then twisted it until it was a bun. Now, something to hold it or tie it back… She saw an extra quill poking out from the corner of the tattered sack. She extracted it with one hand while the other held the twist in place. Then, readying the quill like she had done many times before with chopsticks, she poked it through her hair where it stayed, along with the hair itself.
As she slipped past the bubbles into the blood-temperature water, she immediately felt calmer. The pleasant sting of the mint water hit her bare flesh like a sleepy head hit a pillow. It was somehow comforting and soothing. After settling herself on and underwater ledge, presumably used for sitting, she cleared about six inches of bubbles until only a thin film of the suds protected her from any possible intruders. She grabbed her novel and settled back so that her neck rested against the ceramic tile of the bath edge.
She sat in contented peace, reading to her heart's content when she felt like there was something missing. She looked around but all she could see was the barricade of green (which looked somewhat more greener compared to all this white) that obscured her vision without having to turn around.
"I know," she murmured, afraid to break her blissful silence. "Something to drink."
She sat up and set her book down on dry surface and replaced it with her wand only to see that she didn't need it. The bottle and a tall, fluted wine glass had appeared right beside her book. Hermione grinned as she twisted off the plastic cap and poured the sparkling, bubbly liquid into the glass. It was like pale, liquid gold and she knew, as soon as the fluid touched her lips, that it was champagne. A very good one, at that.
She picked up her wand again and dimmed the bright lights of the bathroom, replacing them with numerous lemon scented candles floating near the ceiling. To her, it was heaven. Her little slice of heaven.
~*~*~
Severus Snape strode down the hallway, giving dirty looks to anyone who passed him and dared to look. They were all beneath him. He had no time for them They were the underlings.
As he neared his door, his paced slowed. He thought about shooting down a bottle or two of Ogden's. No. It wouldn't do with a hangover tomorrow morning, he thought reasonably. And tomorrow morning, the damned blasted worst day of the week, he had his NEWT Potions Class. A double period, too.
"What a great way to start a Monday," he mumbled to himself sarcastically. "With a whole bunch of little hormonal teenagers who think they know everything."
He stopped in front of an apparently brick wall, tapped his finger lightly against the stone in a certain sequence (Muggle Morse code. Gotta love it.)
The brick wall slid away and dim, dancing fire light prevailed, brightening the darkened hallway considerably. As he slipped through the rectangular entrance, he could smell lemon and mint, he could see flickering candlelight by the crack under the door. Cautiously, he slid over, taking great pains not to make much noise. Brandishing his wand in one hand, the other outstretched, he kicked the door open and was confronted with a scream.
~*~*~
Severus' wand clattered to the candlelit tile as Hermione swam to where the bubbles were most dense, hiding everything but her head behind them.
"What are you doing here?" they cried in unison. Severus had a look of revulsion while Hermione's face sported one of pure shock.
"Get out of my bathroom, Miss Granger!" he seethed, noticing that a deep blush had risen to her cheeks. So deep that he could see it in this dim candlelight.
"Your bathroom? Excuse me?" Her face changed to an expression of pure scorn and distain.
"Yes, my bathroom!" he roared. "NOW LEAVE BEFORE I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING DRASTIC!"
She certainly wasn't leaving a perfectly good bath without explaining what had happened. And when she was told with that tone of voice.
"No," she said simply, wading back to her former spot and resuming her earlier activities. With her back to him, she sunk until her shoulders reached the water and her hands came out to retrieve her book and wine glass from the bath ledge.
He could see the outline of her body as she moved, her back to him. Her shoulder blades stuck out stuck out slightly yet elegantly. He could see her torso outline just before she sunk into the water. Oh, what I'd give to be in there with her right now, he thought and he gasped inwardly. He tried shooing the thought away but it was impossible. He could feel heat throughout his whole body, centering in on one certain place…
To hell with this, he thought furiously. He had a choice: make her come out, let her stay… Right now, he was thinking of making her stay, finish her bath then letting her explain herself.
"Well, could you leave?" she asked, tilting her head so that Severus could see her profile. Fine lines of an elegant face. Perfect nose, a bit rounded, maybe, but perfect. Full lips…
"Whatever for, Miss Granger?" he asked silkily. Oh, how he was going to get a kick out of this. "If you can recall, this is my bathroom."
She mumbled something then, "Fine. Be the damned voyeur that your probably are."
Severus just smirked and leaned back against the wall. Here was this beautiful young woman, in his bathtub, absolutely refusing to come out. Oh, how this is going to turn out, he thought mischievously, the smirk on his face broadening.
He watched her every move, each turn of a page she made, each sip of champagne she took. The bubbles surrounded her once again and it looked like faint green mist around her body.
"Well, aren't you going to leave or at least yell at me again?" she asked turning to face him. Her whole body was framed with bubbles, the delicate green-tinged orbs densely held together, keeping her decency.
"Frankly, Hermione, I don't really give a damn," he replied softly. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"What? Wha- wait.. Ex-Excuse me?" He smiled at her obvious discomfort. He shrugged off his robes, revealing a tall, well cut man in finely tailored clothes. A perfectly tailored midnight blue silk shirt and black slacks made him look like someone of Muggle high society. Casual yet elegant.
He rolled up the sleeves and kicked off his shoes and socks, making his way to an open mouthed Hermione.
"You heard me, my dear," he whispered, black eyes glittering un an unreadable fashion. "I don't give a damn, Hermione. You won't leave so I think I'll join you."
She was dumbfounded. Was he doing what she though he was doing? Impossible! But she found herself blushing under his gaze, walking a step at a time while undoing the buttons on his shirt.
"So I take it you won't mind my joining you. The bath is big enough for the both of us." His shirt buttons were undone and he was starting on the cuffs. "By the way, quite a nice scent you've conjured up there. Mint?"
All she could do was stare and nod. His shirt was off and Hermione's eyes travelled up and down his torso, taking in all the rippling muscle and the map of scars.
"Do you like what you see, Hermione?" he whispered slowly, kneeling in front of her, face inches from hers.
She didn't trust herself to speak. Too dangerous; she might just say yes…
"Now, now. You know it's impolite not to answer when someone asks you a question, Hermione…"
She gulped and shut her mouth, involuntarily licking her lips. She was aware of the sexual tension here. It was so thick that it was palpable.
"If you don't want to use words, Hermione," he said, his voice a low husky whisper, he face moving ever so closer. "Then I don't mind. I assure you."
In a split second, he had his hands in her hair and his lips were crushing hers. His tongue snaked out of his mouth and licked her lips slowly, seductively. As she gasped, her mouth opened and Severus took full advantage of that, darting his tongue inside and caressing hers with his.
Hermione moaned but they never heard as it was swallowed by Severus. She couldn't take it. She needed to have him. She threw her arms around his neck, pulling him in, slacks and all.
"What was that for?" he asked, shaking his head of water and bubbles, after breaking from their kiss.
"You know, I really wish you'd just shut up," she replied, pulling him close once more. "Really, that's all you need to do to get people to like you sometimes."
"As you wish," he murmured as she gently placed her lips on his. He could feel her wet, slick chest rub against his own and he groaned, knees buckling slightly.
She pulled away, smirking at the fact that she had (almost) brought the most loathed teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to his knees. Almost.
"You know, it must be really uncomfortable with you trousers on, Severus," she purred into his ear, her hand tracing its way past the bubbles rest dangerously close to his erection.
"Merlin, don't do this to me," he growled. He felt his belt coming undone, then the top button on his trousers. Then they were gone in an instant, either hidden amongst the bubbles (which he seriously doubted) or gone, never to be seen again. He felt her hand circle his engorged member and he moaned into the room.
"What's this, Severus?" she purred once more as she slid her hand back and forth, stroking it lightly, teasingly. "Is that my rubber ducky or are you just happy to see me?"
Severus gritted his teeth and let out a low, throaty growl.
"Now, now. You know it's impolite not to answer when someone asks you a question, Severus…" she whispered, relaying his earlier words in his ear before she began nibbling on the lobe.
"Happy," he gasped as she started nipping at the skin of his neck. "Very happy."
Hermione chuckled. If anyone had told her that she'd be coming on to a teacher, she'd think they were sick. If they had told her it would be Snape, she'd have taken them to see Madame Pomfrey. If they had told her that she'd be in his bath, with him, she'd would have carted them off to St. Mungo's. But now…
Severus was sharing similar thoughts. But when he opened his eyes and saw her body draped over his, he banished all coherent reaction and went purely with his instinct. He began nipping at her neck, moving downwards, lifting her body up as his kisses went down.
"Oh, good Lord," she moaned as he came in contact with one of her breasts. He licked his way to the pert nipple then did the same to her other breast as one of his hands pushed through the wet mass of curls between her legs. His fingers teased the folds until they fount her clit. He began rubbing harder and harder until she was screaming, her orgasm taking her over. He ravaged her lips as she rode out her pleasant storm and then she went limp in his arms.
"I'm not done with you yet," he whispered, lifting her up onto the tiled edge of the bath-pool.
"Uhmhph…" Hermione sighed, none of her words comprehensible. When her backside hit the cold ceramic tile, she clung to him, yelping. He just chuckled.
"You'll warm up soon enough, Hermione…"
Severus pushed them both back so she was laying on the tile underneath him. Propping himself up so he wouldn't quash her, he eased into her slowly, rocking his hips in a little more and more. She grasped his face in her hands and brought him down for a passionate kiss, opening his mouth immediately with her tongue.
That kiss was explosive. He had almost forgotten about what he was doing until Hermione started bucking her hips. He thrust in hard, jerking both of them up a few inches away from the bath.
Gasping and moaning, Her nails scratching his back and shoulders, they drove each other to ecstasy. As he thrusted, she thrusted her hips back. Her could feel her tightness get tighter and he waited for her howl of pleasure. In three pumps it came and so did he, her lower half milking him dry.
Panting for air, they lay together until he lifted her sleeping form into the bedroom. But one thing oblivious to them was the fact that a set of emerald eyes had watched every single movement since his Potions Professor had been pulled into the tub.
~*~*~
Harry had went looking for Hermione yet he couldn't find her anywhere. Using the Maurader's Map, he had found her dot in the Room of Requirement. He didn't bother checking the fact that her dot was also in the same place on a different floor: the teacher's corridor. He went looking for her and when he checked the map again outside the seemingly invisible door, he saw the second dot hovering millimeters from hers labeled Severus Snape.
He had been all for busting in there was a loud bang, but when he did walk in and saw what they were up to, he walked right out, wishing someone would perform the strongest memory charm that magic could make…