Itch
Chapter 1: Spiked Punch
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, I'm just playing pretend.
He had an itch.
There was no other reason to explain it, no other reason to justify his actions, his thoughts his decisions that lead him to falling so completely head over heels in lo- no, he had an itch. That old seven year itch, everyone talked about, complained about, except he wasn't married, and stayed far well enough away from relationships that rumors speculated that he was asexual. That made him laugh, well, if not laugh it made him raise an eyebrow an inch; did he look like a single cell organism? No, he just wasn't...affected, until that night anyway.
Hell, he didn't even know how to explain that..night. Wasn't even sure if 'itch' was the right term for the matter at all. Craving-craving seemed better, but that would demand a subject, he didn't have a subject...at least he thought he didn't. Gods he prayed he didn't.
But, whatever it was, itch-craving...need, he had it bad that night.
That night... when he met her again.
It had been a tenth anniversary of sorts, to commemorate the fall of Voldemort, celebrate good, blah blah blah. The whole thing was a complete monstrosity, the ministry of magic patting themselves on the back, so called hero's drinking each other under the table, more of an excuse for the new minister of magic to strut around in his new velvet robes like a peacock on parade. Severus never would have attended, had it not been held at Hogwarts-in the Great Hall no less. He only attended because Minerva had dragged him, dragon hide boots and all, by the ear all the way up to the lavishly decorated meeting place with firm and strict orders of 'stay here.' She didn't have to add the warning she hid behind a thinly veiled smile, the 'or else' laid where her fingers pinched painfully on his earlobe as she yanked his head down to hers so she could look him in the eye and tell him to remember to behave.
With a huff in indignation he stood up. Imagine Severus Snape, a grown man-hell an old man at forty-seven being tugged around every which way by a witch at least a foot shorter than him and by his ear!
Severus righted his coat and rubbed at his ear sorely missing his shoulder length hair that could have easily hid the inflamed lobe. Instead he raked a hand through, grimacing as his fingers met with the end of his short hair that curled over his collar.
Eying Minerva warily he made short work of the distance between himself and the punch table, with any luck someone would spike the damn thing and he could be merrily sloshed by the time the speeches were somberly doled out by people who hadn't even bared witness to the charred remains of the Hogwarts grounds after the final battle.
He dipped a crystal glass into the pink liquid and brought it upwards to his mouth, sniffing it cautiously he let out a sigh of relief when the small hints of firewhiskey burnt his nostrils. That was saying something, the party hadn't even started yet and someone had already spiked the punch bowl. Severus tilted his head back and downed the punch in one gulp his lips pressing thinly against themselves as the acidic taste of alcohol washed against the back of his throat.
He was on his fourth glass of punch when the guests began to arrive, slowly trickling inside the great hall in small torrents. Severus' lip curled back a bit in disgust, faces he hadn't seen in at least five years started to pop up in the crowd. He hadn't even achieved a nice buzz and already his past was accosting him, wasn't it bad enough he was teaching at Hogwarts? Knocking back his fourth glass, he deftly dipped his cup once again into the punch bowl, to hell with double dipping.
By the seventh glass he had a good rhythm going, sneer at past students, give a snide remark to the ministry personal who was trying to hedge in on some of the 'glory' associated with the war, and dip his cup back into the punch again. Bloody wonderful thing the punch bowl was, magically filled itself up again with spiked punch. He really had to see where he could get one for his own personal use.
He was thinking of all the fun he could have with a self refilling spiked punch bowl when a body barreled into him, hard enough to almost knock him over, hard enough to send that precious piece of liquid baring crystal crashing to the floor where it broke into millions of tiny shards at his feet. His free hand reached out to grasp the offending body, not in an effort to protect it, but in an attempt to distance himself away from it.
His gaze trailed down the length of his arm, down to where his hand grasped a warm, and surprisingly soft, bare arm. Severus blinked once, twice, three times fighting the slight buzz that had begun to make his brain sluggish, alarm bells were ringing somewhere but he couldn't figure out why. He could only focus on how soft, how bloody warm, the flesh was beneath his hand.
"Professor Snape!" a soft, breathless-womanly- voice exclaimed.
He frowned; voices should not be that soft, that breathless, that... seductive. Voices like that should definitely not belong to arms like the one he held. He closed his eyes briefly, his hold on the woman's arm tightened slightly dragging a gasp from her. He swallowed...hard.
"Professor." the voice paused. He could hear her wetting her lips, didn't see it because he didn't dare look up for fear of what he would see, although he kept his grip on her arm couldn't seem to let go.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes," he bit out from between clenched teeth, "I'm alright."
Slowly, reluctantly, almost painfully he extracted his hand from the faceless woman's arm, recoiling at the cold air that suddenly slammed against his palm. Gathering his courage he lifted his gaze and wished he had gulped down an eighth cup of punch, or a gallon of firewhiskey.
"Miss. Granger." He neatly choked out as he tugged at his collar, why was the room so hot? Perspiration broke out along his forehead as honey golden eyes met his, and lush lips turned upward in a smile. He fumbled with his right hand, wiping it quickly against his pant leg, cursing sweat glands and clamminess. He felt like a damn teenager again, and he didn't like it-oh hell, he liked the way she was looking at him, but not the way she made him feel.
"I'm surprised to see you tonight Professor, you usually don't attend these", Hermione glanced around, "functions."
He raised an eyebrow, clenched a fist, "I'm surprised you have noticed my absence Miss. Granger."
She blushed. Severus traced the pink flush with his eyes as it slowly traveled from that delicate hollow where her collar bones met, up her slender neck, until it bloomed on her cheeks. His breath caught in his throat and he frowned.
At his age he should not be breathless over Hermione Granger, little Miss. Know-it-all, best friend to Potter and Weasley, owner of the most gorgeous smile he had seen in his life, a smile she was bestowing on him. Wait-
His mental processes stopped when she opened her mouth again and all attention was suddenly directed to watching her pink tongue slip out to wet her chapped lips.
"It's easy to spot out fellow," she paused again, trying to find the right word as she twisted her fingers together in a nervous gesture.
"Sufferers?" Severus supplied, arching an eyebrow in amusement, his lips threatening to lift up in a small almost smile.
Her eyes slid from where they sat staring above his left ear to his own as her smile broke open and laughter came pouring out. He took half a step backwards in shock, when she continued laughing. The light blush that had begun fading (much to Severus' disappointment) came back full force traveling down her neck this time blossoming instead quite beautifully on her chest and shoulders, which were left daringly bare by her strapless gown, a gown (which Severus realized with a start) that was colored the deepest shade of emerald and lightly accented with silver jewelry. After staring far too long at the delightful little diamond sitting in the delightful little hollow her collarbones made, he realized something with an uncomfortable start.
Hermione Granger was wearing Slytherin colors. Not only that! Hermione Granger was wearing Slytherin colors at Hogwarts, to the tenth anniversary of the Final Battle. The fact that she was also laughing at a joke he had made, at least she thought it was a joke, fully grounded Severus to the floor. He swallowed hard once again and resisted the itch to dip his cup back into the punch bowl. He was already lightly buzzed and he had made Hermione Granger laugh while being so, that fact itself was enough for him to swear off of all alcoholic beverages for the rest of his life.
Her eyes met his again as her laughter slowly died to small giggles, and her hand reached up to cover her mouth in embarrassment. Severus suppressed a smile, he didn't make people laugh often-never in fact, and he never felt the need to until tonight.
"I probably shouldn't laugh but it's just that what you said is…" she trailed off.
"True." He rumbled letting the corners of his mouth lift up momentarily.
"Yes." She brushed away a stray hair that had begun to rest comfortably against her cheek, a strand that Severus itched to push back behind her ear. "You seem to be getting good at finishing my sentences Professor; if I didn't know better I would say you've been practicing."
Severus arched his eyebrow in question, he had never been good with…socializing but he couldn't be wrong that she was teasing him maybe even, if he dared to go so far, flirting with him. "You have caught onto my secret Miss. Granger, every night I practice in front of the mirror."
"Surely I'm not the only one who's caught on Professor. I'm sure Minerva has already figured it out and there must be others, although they could believe you've been using legilimency on them."
He nodded slowly in reply, shocked that she would bring up legilimency so casually, he still remembered his first year back at Hogwarts when repairs were still being made, and his loyalty was still being questioned even after Potter had laid his memories at the feet of the Ministry. He remembered how no one would meet his gaze, how their shoulders would remain tense until he walked by, how even Minerva trained her eyes artfully on the curve of his cheek or the line of his jaw. Severus remembered it all, painfully, and here stood a woman who casually brought it up in an almost joking manner. He didn't know whether he should scare her away or kiss her, after a moment's thought he mentally shook himself, no, he would definitely not kiss her.
"Perhaps I am using legilimency Miss. Granger but, I doubt you would be capable of feeling the subtle touches one makes when looking through another's mind." He whispered, his voice verging between gentle and harsh, he didn't know if he wanted to scare her away or draw her in.
Hermione eyes widened as her face flushed a deep red and her hands went up to clutch her temples. "Professor Snape! Did you, I mean, have you… legilimency!" she sputtered as her hands rubbed feverishly against her temples.
Severus did not stop the smirk that came to his lips as he watched a very flustered Hermione try to speak a coherent sentence, it made him want to delve inside her mind momentarily to see what she had really been thinking about to make her flush so amusingly.
"I can assure you that I did not use legilimency upon you, and if I did, you would know." He paused and the words hung heavily in the air between them, he reached up with his right hand and rubbed at the tension that had begun to settle in his neck. "Would you care for some punch? It's remarkably good."
Hermione nodded her eyes catching the candlelight of a nearby sconce on the wall, turning them into blazing amber. Severus tore his gaze away from her and picked up a crystal glass from the table using the matching crystal dipper he scooped out a generous portion of punch and handed the glass to Hermione. She whispered a thank you, her hand brushing slightly against his own as he relinquished the glass to her possession. He turned away and hastily grabbed another glass and dunked it into the bowl, he almost missed Hermione's startled gasp.
"This punch is spiked!" she cried thrusting out the cup away from herself in disbelief as she turned to look at Severus. "Can you believe that this punch is spiked?"
"What I can't believe is that," he pointed at the punch bowl, "is a self refilling spiked punch bowl."
"B-but I've been to dozens of these horrid events and none of the punch has ever been spiked! The Yule Ball punch wasn't even spiked for heaven's sake!"
Severus shrugged, "That's what you think. You know for being the brightest witch of her age you can be very dunderheaded sometimes. Have you ever drunk the punch at any of these 'horrid events'?" He paused to glance at Hermione who shook her head in response."Then you really shouldn't be saying those things. Everyone knows that punch gets spiked sometime at events like these that is why ingenious inventions like those were created." He said nodding at the punch bowl.
"I did drink the punch at the Yule Ball though." She stated raising her own eyebrow, "And you have an unusual obsession with that punch bowl."
"You were far too young to notice the punch was spiked at the Yule Ball, and I don't have an 'unusual obsession' with that punch bowl it's just a mild interest."
"I was not 'far too young Hermione huffed, raising her hands in quotation marks. "I assure you that I could have discerned if there was alcohol in the punch and there was none. That is not a mild interest; it's more like love at first sight."
Severus slowly sipped some of his punch; the slight buzz that had carried him through was beginning to fade. He studied Hermione from behind the rim; she was smiling downwards into her own cup, fingers laced together around it. He still found it strange for her to be smiling in his presence, even stranger that she would joke with him, would blush at his remarks, maybe she…maybe he… No, he wouldn't go down that road; the last time he did… the results weren't pretty. It was the punch he decided quickly; the punch was causing him to be so comfortable in her presence, it was the punch making him remember how bloody warm her skin was, how breathless her voice could be, how wonderful her laugh sounded. It was the punch and he'd be damned if he was going to stop drinking it now.
"The punch at the Yule Ball was indeed spiked; you have my word on that. I know what love at first sight feels like Miss. Granger and I do not have that" he paused, eyes narrowing as he searched for the right word, "connection with a punch bowl."
Hermione's breath caught and her fingers reached up again to clamp down on her lips, and Severus gave her a slightly puzzled look until a small, 'oh' escaped though her clenched fingers. Both of his eyebrows shot up when he realized what she was thinking, her awkward sputtering confirmed it.
"I-I-I didn't, I mean, I… oh!" She was blushing again, and muttering into her cup of punch, her knuckles were white from pressing her fingers tightly against the cup, and her lips. The bloody girl thought he was talking about his…infatuation with Lilly. That was not love at first sight, definitely not.
"If you must know," he paused waiting for her to raise her head until he continued, "it was love at first sight with my tea kettle."
He found himself relaxing when Hermione's smile returned and a giggle escaped through, "Really? But, wouldn't your tea kettle be jealous if it heard how you've been looking at the punch bowl?" She looked back at the bowl and just as he was about to open his mouth when her head whipped back around, "What do you mean I have your word the punch bowl was spiked?"
"Simple." Severus merely shrugged, "I spiked it."
Hermione, who had just taken another sip of punch, sputtered and turned crimson from an effort of trying to contain the liquid in her mouth at the shock of her former potion masters confession. She covered her mouth quickly with one hand, as coughs racked her body and tears filled her eyes. Slowly she quieted down, wrinkling her nose in distaste and dabbing at her eyes with the napkin she had wrapped around her punch glass.
"I think some punch went up my nose." She complained as she blew it upon the napkin and twitched it once, then twice in discomfort.
Severus merely swiped another napkin from the punch table and offered it solemnly to Hermione, who scowled at the smirk that was playing at the corner of her lips. "You don't have to be so amused."
"It isn't every day that I make a woman snort punch up her nose."
"I did not 'snort' punch up my nose, I was just taken by surprise at your confession and…choked on my drink." She narrowed her eyes at Severus and quickly snapped, "Just choked." When the man looked like he was going to protest.
"Choked then," Severus agreed.
"Did you really spike the Yule Ball's punch bowl?"
"Yes, Miss. Granger I did spike the punch bowl." He sipped more of his punch, and looked down at her upturned face. It still held the light flush from her 'choking' incident, and her eyes were still slightly full of tears creating a glossy surface heightening the golden highlights that glinted in the candlelight. He was finding it hard to swallow, to speak…to breath.
"Why?" she asked breathlessly, almost as if her own airway passages were constricting.
He swallowed hard and resisted the urge to tug at his collar, "For entertainment purposes of course, and I have to confess that balls are much more enjoyable when," he paused looking down Hermione's face which was upturned to him, glowing in the candlelit, Severus found himself momentarily speechless.
"When?" she gently prodded as she cocked her head slightly to the right and her lips curved upward in silent laughter.
"When one is thoroughly drunk." Severus finished with a hoarse whisper.
Hermione laughed a soft laugh that mixed into the air and sounded like a prayer, a whisper. Severus steeled himself against the images it brought, satin sheets, moonlight, soft- That was certainly enough. Shaking his head he threw back the rest of his punch and clenched the empty cup in his hand, so tightly that he could hear the fine crystal beginning to fracture in his grip.
"Oi! Mione!" A voice bellowed from the crowd, causing Hermione to turn her head revealing an expansive space of creamy alabaster skin to Severus' appreciative gaze. "What's taking you so long Mione?"
Severus tore his gaze away, his unfocused eyes scanning the crowd determined to find who was trying to gain Hermione's attention. They settled upon a shock of red hair which bobbed back and forth in the sea of people just as Hermione sighed, "Ron."
His grip tightened around his punch cup as he watched the Weasley boy slowly approach him, tightened until his fingers only gripped air, and the melody of a thousand pieces of crystal breaking apart permeated the air.
Hermione whirled on the spot, her dress lapping over the tops of his shoes as she lurched forward with a worried cry of "Professor!" She caught his hand, now bloody and embedded with a thousand sharp crystal fragments, between her own small digits and looked worriedly up at him. "You're hurt."
His lips thinned as an eyebrow rose in slight amusement, "How very observant Miss. Granger. I must confess I wasn't aware of the fact."
She blushed again, her hands relaxing their grip on his own, and the bottom of Severus' stomach dropped as he realized he had shamed her. A part of his mind, the only part not screaming at him to get down on his knees and beg forgiveness, calmly ordered he snatch his hand back and leave as quickly as possible. That part was quickly quieted when Severus' uninjured hand, acting on its own accord, covered Hermione's. "I beg your pardon, it's not every day I break crystal punch glasses."
Hermione gazed at their hands for a moment, leaned a bit further into Severus and smiled, "Don't practice that in the mirror then?"
"I'm afraid Minerva frowns on me breaking her fine crystal." His breath was shallow as he took in the close proximity between them, just a mere four inches he guessed, he could feel the feather light touch of her breath upon his lips, felt his own breath yearning to meet hers, every cell in his body screaming for contact. "That's not to say I didn't try."
She smiled a shy, shy smile that belongs on brides or women in love; it was a secret smile, the secret smile of a woman in the presence of her lover. It was a smile Severus had never been given, and he didn't want to let go yet. He licked his lips nervously, his throat convulsing as he saw her eyes follow the movement, watched in torture as her own lips copied the action and parted slowly, causing him to stand on the very tips of his toes in anticipation when-
"There you are Mione. I've been looking for you." Ronald Weasley barged in, wrapping an arm tightly around Hermione's shoulder giving it a quick squeeze. "Look we're all settled down at the table, why don't you come sit down, I think the ceremony's going to start soon."
Hermione, looking back and forth between Ron and Severus took a small step backwards although she did not relinquish her hold upon Severus' hands, nor did he to hers. "Oh, Ron, I was just talking to Professor Snape." She paused a moment, tilted her head to the side and arched an eyebrow.
Ron's brows crinkled in confusion as he glanced at the man from his past. "Professor Snape!" He yelped, "Oh, I see you two have been keeping yourselves entertained." Ron's hand slipped to the back of his neck, which he rubbed awkwardly as he shuffled his feet back and forth, "Right. Didn't even recognize you."
"Yes, yes I'm sure he thinks the same with you Ronald. But, as you can see," Hermione lifted her hand away from Severus' and displayed the injury, "Professor Snape needs some medical attention."
Severus, taking this as his cue to leave began to slip his hand out of Hermione's grasp, but the girl yanked it harder, without breaking from her dialogue. "Which I'm going to see he gets right at this moment, I'll try to return as soon as I have this taken care of."
"R-right." Ron nodded, "I'll just," he pointed randomly back in the direction of where he had come from, nodded quickly and with a brief, "Professor." He was gone, engulfed in the sea of people again.
"What do you say Professor?" Hermione edged closer again, the hem of her gown licking at his heels, "Can I help you with your hand?"
Severus tried for words, grasped for some sort of hint of English language, but could only respond with a quick nod of his head as his heart sped as Hermione smiled at him again and slipped her arm through his.
They remained quiet, except for the hammering of Severus' heart against his ribcage, as they slipped through the great hall's double doors pausing only until they were in a shadowed corridor. "The Hospital Wing is closed." He mumbled, eyes trained at where Hermione's arms laid against his, as he desperately tried to memorize the feeling of her close to him. "You should go back to the ball, your friends; they are waiting for you I suppose."
He swallowed, hard, as Hermione lifted her gaze to his, her teeth gently tugging at her bottom lip. "Or, I could help you with your hand." She slipped her own over his uninjured one, "It was my fault that you hurt it."
Severus cleared his throat, fighting the urge to tug at his collar, "I-I" he cleared his throat once more, pausing to take a deep breath, "I would appreciate your help in fixing my hand, although, it wasn't your fault."
Her hand tightened around his, and Hermione smiled, "Well, no matter whose fault it is the only thing that matters is that we're going to fix it."
"Yes, I suppose that is the only thing that matters." Severus whispered as he allowed himself to be pulled away from the Great Hall. He kept his eyes on their entwined hands and swallowed hard again, reveling in the warmth of her palm and the way her dress whispered against the stone floor, hardly noticing when she pulled up short to the entrance to his private chambers.
Hermione nibbled her lower lip in worry, "I'm sure you have medical supplies," she glanced at the door then back to Severus. "If you'll let me come in I'll-"
She was cut off as Severus pushed her against the door his hands tightly gripping her hips, "You know perfectly well Miss. Granger that a healing spell can fix something like this." He lifted his injured hand and watched as the injuries healed over, he looked into her eyes as he cupped her cheek and lifted her face to his, "So why is it that you want to enter my private chambers?"
Hermione licked her lips nervously; her eyelashes fluttered as he gripped her hip tighter to emphasize his question. "Please, no questions." She whispered as her eyes met his, "Please, Severus."
His breath hitched and he leaned forward his lips mere inches away from hers, he could smell the sweet scent of her skin, and feel the warmth that radiated from her. "Are you sure Miss. Gran-"
"Hermione." She cut him off, "Just for tonight, call me Hermione."
"Hermione." He breathed as her lips claimed his.
A/N: I've been kicking this story around for almost a year now, adding bits and pieces here and there until I finally realized the only way this will be truly finished is by making it into a chapter story. I don't know how many chapters this story will end up being but there will at least be one more chapter, maybe more. I'm slightly unsure of this story so any reviews would be appreciated and greatly cherished. Thank you for reading.
-LifesDarkFire