Author's Note: I needed to write some fluffy stuff for my sanity's sake. This one's for you, Corvus Draconis!
That Animagus Nonsense
"Remind me again why I am accompanying you to this god-awful place?" Severus said, his eyes narrowed in the harsh sunlight.
"Relax, Severus, it's the beach, not the Sahara Desert," Hermione replied, handing him a pair of transfigured sunglasses. "Here, these should help."
"Could have fooled me." Severus snorted grumpily, but he took the glasses and placed them on his face, which added a bit of muggle flair to his outfit even though he had insisted on wearing his voluminous black robes.
"I know that it's already September," Hermione started, looking him over skeptically, "but I still don't see why you couldn't come more...prepared for the terrain."
"Simple. You have won the genetic lottery and are able to produce adequate amounts of melanin in response to sunlight, also known as a tan." Severus replied with a sniff. "I, on the other hand have two settings, pale as a sightless cave fish and red as a lobster. Believe me, Hermione, my robes are saving me from a rather nasty fate indeed."
They stood at the top of a slight incline, looking down at the secluded beach. Luckily, Hermione had chosen a sandy beach rather than a rocky one, and though the weather was unseasonably balmy, there was no one on this particular beach, likely because it was so inaccessible by vehicle that they'd used a Portkey to get there.
"I brought a picnic lunch," Hermione said shyly, "I figured that it may take a bit longer than I had originally anticipated."
"I don't know why you invited me instead of Minerva," Severus said, following Hermione down towards the sand with his arms crossed. "After all, she's the resident Animagus."
"You know why I invited you, silly," Hermione replied, turning back so suddenly that he almost barreled into her.
He stopped short and loomed over her like a great dark bird of prey, his cheeks flushing pink as she looked him straight in the eye and smiled, her hand sliding up to cup the right side of his face and stroke his cheek with her thumb gently. She watched his eyes go unfocused with pleasure at her touch and her pulse quickened as his breathing became heavier with each passing moment. His eyes finally darted away and he stepped back, trying to regain his composure.
"Well, in any case, I'm here!" he exclaimed, obviously flustered.
Hermione spread out a large towel in the sand and pulled a long umbrella from her tiny beaded handbag, sticking it deep into the ground and summoning some medium sized rocks with her wand to keep the umbrella in place. Though there wasn't much of a breeze, Hermione did not wish to take any chances. Setting down her bag, Hermione glanced over at She'd put on a bathing suit under her shorts and tank top, but she knew that Severus did not know this. Part of her was relishing his reaction the moment she started taking her clothing off.
They'd been playing this game for the past year or so- Hermione pretending that she didn't notice that he was watching her, and Severus pretending he was utterly uninterested in the twenty-one year old Transfiguration Professor other than as a banter and debate partner. For, though Hermione did not yet have a Mastery in potions, her knowledge was rather expansive, and Severus regularly told her that the only reason she didn't have it yet was because she'd not enrolled in the program and taken the tests.
One of the reasons they were at the beach in the first place was because Hermione wanted to become an Animagus and follow in her mentor's footsteps. Even though Minerva could still teach Transfiguration, her duties as Headmistress took up too much time, and she'd been very pleased when Hermione had finally applied for the position. Her Mastery in Transfiguration had almost been more of a formality, as she was highly gifted in the subject anyway, and though becoming an Animagus was not required, Hermione prided herself on pushing her limits.
The mandrake leaf part of the process was the worst, but she'd endured it. Severus had found it absolutely hilarious, as Hermione had been reduced to speaking very little and carrying around a small chalkboard that she would write her responses on. After that, he'd been gone for a month and a half at a potions conference in Geneva, but they'd still corresponded regularly by owl and Hermione kept him up to speed on her progress with the visualization exercises that she did each day to help her learn the Animagus form she would take. She knew, from Minerva's advice and the books on Animagus transformation, that the actual amount of time from the initiation of the ceremony to actual transformation could be anywhere from a few weeks to a few years. Some witches and wizards born with low levels of innate magic could never take their Animagus form. Hermione knew there was little chance of that, but still, she was incredibly relieved when, in one of her visualization exercises, she began to smell the ocean and feel water upon her body.
She had been so excited that she'd practically dragged Severus with her.
"I need someone to help me just in case something goes wrong. Someone I can trust." She'd told him, materializing on his doorstep the next morning.
"So, naturally, you thought of your ex-Death Eater former Potions professor from hell." Severus replied, deadpan, as he arched one eyebrow.
"But of course!" Hermione replied without skipping a beat, grinning from ear to ear.
He smirked at her and even before he said a word, she knew he would accept.
"I still don't understand why you're so invested in this Animagus nonsense!" Severus said, sitting down gently on the beach towel. "I mean, what if you're something useless, like a mussel or a clam?"
"Do you think that I am useless, Severus?" Hermione asked, turning to face him as she bent down to untie her shoes.
"N...no! That's not what I-" he trailed off, looking flustered.
"Well, I've already done most of the work involved, so even if I turn into a phytoplankton, I still want to see this through." Hermione said, her voice steady as she tried to keep herself from sounding unsure.
The truth was, she knew the risks. Some Animagus forms were so simple that the witch or wizard forgot that they were ever human. Some Animagus forms were so vulnerable to attack by other animals that it wasn't worth ever transforming into them. Still, Hermione knew that once she set her mind on something, she was not easily swayed from following through with it. Her stubbornness was something that she both loved and hated about herself, as she knew it often made her difficult to be around, but it was also a sign of how her beliefs were not easily swayed.
"Besides," she said, her voice softening slightly. "I have you."
Severus went silent at that, his face growing warmer and warmer until he looked as though he'd been sunburned.
Hermione stood and turned around, being sure to pretend that she couldn't see his gaze even though she knew he was staring. She started with her shirt, pulling it up over her head slowly, so that he could see the bare skin of her back. She smirked when she heard him take a sharp breath and swallow rather loudly. When she finally pulled the shirt off completely, she shook it out and folded it slowly, being certain to give Severus an eyeful of the halter bathing suit top that she wore. She placed the shirt down on the towel without looking back and then began to unbutton her shorts. She almost thought she could hear him gasp slightly when the unzipped them and began to slowly pull them down over her hips. She slowly stepped out of each of the legs and then folded them slowly as she had the shirt. The bikini bottom was standard, not a thong or anything too racy, but it did accentuate her curves and she felt that even though she was still a bit uncomfortable about showing her bare stomach, it was worth it for the reaction she was getting. She turned around slowly, and the look on his face was even more priceless than she'd hoped.
He'd removed his sunglasses, which had likely disappeared into one of the pockets of his robes. His eyes were wide, pupils dilated as he watched her move, his fingers digging into the material of his robes as though he were holding on to keep from falling off of a cliff. His breathing was quick and shallow and he was worrying at his bottom lip slightly. He nearly jumped when he realized she was staring back at him with a knowing smirk.
"This! I...It's not…!" he was even more flustered than before, wringing his hands together with embarrassment.
"Severus…I'm sorry." she said softly, approaching him slowly. "I didn't mean to upset you."
"I know it may not look it, but I am actually the exact opposite of upset." Severus replied sardonically. "Therein lies the problem. It is I who should be apologizing to you, Hermione. You must think I'm some sort of lecherous creep."
For a moment, Hermione stood there with her eyebrows pinched together as though she was trying to process his words, and then, she threw back her head and laughed. It was not a cruel laugh. It was open and honest; a laugh that made Severus relax almost instantly. And then, before he could react, she'd closed the distance between them and her arms were around his neck hugging him close to her rather sparsely clothed body.
"Don't be such a dunderhead, Severus," Hermione said softly. "I want you to feel like that about me. Because I...I feel like that about you."
Severus went utterly still in her arms and Hermione pulled back, worried that she'd offended him by being so forward.
"Are you...certain?" he said slowly, looking at her with a shocked expression.
"Well, I wouldn't exactly have gone bikini shopping for Flitwick or McGonagall, you know." Hermione quipped, relishing the snort of laughter that mental imagery provoked.
"But...ethically…" he trailed off.
"You're not my professor anymore." Hermione said with a shrug. "I've been an adult for almost half a decade. Sure, we're colleagues, but I've read the rules and there are no provisions against romantic relationships between faculty members as long as the other rules and duties are upheld. What is important is how you feel about me, Severus. I know...I know, I'm being embarrassingly Gryffindor by coming out and saying it, but I've liked you for awhile and I feel like it could be much, much more if you feel similarly. I thought that I could subsist on those sly looks you give me when you think I'm not looking, but it's just not enough."
"Hermione…" Severus breathed, his dark eyes wide with wonder.
"The only ethics in play, professor," Hermione continued, "are whether or not you return my feelings. If I'm overstepping any boundaries and I've completely misread your signals, just say the word and I'll never mention any of this again. Of course I'll be horribly embarrassed but-"
Hermione went silent as he drew closer to her, his face set in a blank but intense expression that she couldn't decipher.
And then, his lips were pressed against hers and her arms were around him again and her heart was beating so hard against her chest that when she came up for air she was utterly breathless.
"Again." He breathed. It was half question, half demand.
She was happy to oblige, curling up on his lap and pressing herself to him until she wasn't sure where she ended and he began.
They both lay on the towel under the umbrella, their chests heaving from such passionate kissing, and she smiled as he wove his fingers between hers and stared into her eyes with a half-smile of his own. It made him look younger than his age, and something behind those dark eyes flashed and she suddenly knew.
"You did it too, didn't you?" she whispered, her lips only inches from his. "The mandrake leaf. The visualization exercises."
"Yes." His reply was soft, and his eyes darted slightly to the side as though expecting rebuke.
"But...you called it nonsense." Hermione replied, her expression puzzled.
"I lied. I...I just wanted...I wanted to have something...something that linked us together." He wouldn't look at her now, his voice thick with shame.
"Have you been able to get very far with the visualization exercises?" Hermione asked, brushing a stray strand of dark hair behind his ear.
He looked up at her and nodded, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"But...aren't you mad at me?" his voice was soft, almost childlike.
Hermione smiled softly.
"I hardly think that I should be mad at you just because you like to keep things to yourself," Hermione replied matter-of-factly, "but the fact remains that you really ought not to call something nonsense unless it actually is nonsense."
"Duly noted."
"In any case, did you...smell the sea as well?" Hermione asked hopefully.
"I...I think so...but I can't be certain."
His expression was still a bit chastened, and Hermione couldn't help but kiss him again.
"First thing's first. Can you please put sunscreen on my back?" Hermione asked. "I think that going into the water will help me with my visualizations but even though I do tend to tan, I don't want to overdo it."
Severus looked a bit stunned but he nodded when she handed the sunscreen to him and did as she'd asked, his cool, thin hands rubbing the cream into her back and neck with an almost heavenly pressure.
"Can you do the backs of my legs too?" Hermione asked, nearly moaning with pleasure as he rubbed the lotion down her thighs and finished working it around her feet.
She could tell by his attention to her body that he was enjoying it nearly as much as she was.
Hermione waited until the lotion had soaked into her skin before turning over and doing her front and stomach. After that, she and Severus did visualization exercises until she was certain that the sunscreen was absorbed into her front as well.
"Are you sure you don't want to slip into something a bit more bathing suit-y?" she asked Severus, who gave her a look that said "Not a chance."
Shrugging, Hermione headed towards the water, which was deliciously ice-cold in the heat of the sun. She still had to work up her nerve to actually submerge herself in the water, and it didn't help that the water itself was murky so she couldn't see what was underneath. There was a moment when some stray kelp slid against her thigh and she immediately thought it must be some kind of eel or sea snake, but the feeling passed and she was able to relax once more until she was up to her chest in the ocean, feeling the gentle pull and push of the tide towards the shore. She looked back and waved at Severus, who raised his hand back at her in a silent wave.
She closed her eyes and felt the pull of the magic speak to her. She could feel the form growing less indistinct, the feeling of flipper-like fingers, of a thick, waterproof coat. She could feel whiskers gracing her cheeks, her eyes dark but intelligent. And then, she was no longer in her human form, she was small, she was fast and she dove beneath the waves fearlessly. Finally, she surfaced, squeaking loudly with joy. She'd done it! She was a sea otter!
She was filled with such a sense of accomplishment that she knew she wanted to share it with Severus as soon as possible. Yet, when she finally swam to the shore and shook the water from her oily, water-repelling coat, she realized instantly that the dark lump of cloth that lay on the beach blanket was oddly flat.
Severus!
Her mind called out to him as her mouth made strange, keening barks.
Over here, Hermione!
Her heart swelled with joy once again. There was a strange, loud splashing in the surf and Hermione turned, ambling awkwardly into the water again. She paddled out a bit and turned onto her back, her heart skipping a beat as something dark swam below her. And then, a dark, fuzzy face broke the surface of the water, staring at Hermione with expressive black eyes.
Hermione, I did it! I did it!
The sound of his voice in her head was so full of excitement that Hermione almost doubted at first that it was him. But while her own fur was a rich golden brown, the sea otter before her had a dark, oily coat as black as midnight.
Severus? Congratulations!
They touched noses in the sea for a moment and then Hermione dove down underneath Severus, popping up with his tail in her mouth.
Two can play at that game!
Severus grabbed Hermione's tail as well, and they twisted and played until they needed to surface to breathe again. They spent the day exploring the reef and the kelp forest, foraging for clams and mussels, cracking the shells open with sharp stones and sharing the fresh meat inside. For some reason, in their Animagus form, the raw nature of their food did not seem to bother them. In fact, it was only once the sun began to dip low in the sky that the two began to head towards the shore, their bodies shimmering into human shapes as they hit the sand.
"That...that was…." Hermione panted, looking over at Severus, who was wearing nothing but a faded gray pair of boxers and looking somewhat embarrassed at his state of undress.
"...Magical..." Severus said softly, his face growing scarlet as Hermione scooted over to him and wrapped her arms around him, kissing him properly this time now that they were human once more.
Oddly enough, the night on the beach was relatively warm as well, and without the light pollution from a nearby city, the night sky was awash with stars. They lay together after sharing the cold sandwiches and pumpkin juice from their forgotten picnic lunch, both of them filled with a sense of wonder and feeling as though the cosmos had shown its hand.
After that weekend at the beach, the two were inseparable, save during classes and assigned duties. Their relationship broke down much of the remaining enmity between Gryffindor and Slytherin, as it seemed impossible to keep up hating one another when it was obvious how Hermione and Severus shone with love for one another. It also helped that the two would transform and play in the Black Lake much to the amusement of the students and the Giant Squid, which delighted in launching the two sea otters into the sky and allowed them to slide down its tentacles.
Each year on their anniversary, they would use a Portkey to the very place they'd both first transformed into their Animagus forms, playing and frolicing in the waves and sleeping under the stars. And, when he finally proposed, under a starry sky that burned with tiny points of light, Hermione accepted without the merest hesitation, throwing her arms around him tightly and kissing him until they were both breathless.
Many years later, they would fondly tell and retell their children the story of "That Animagus Nonsense" and the day that had brought them together in more ways than one. For they were bound for life not only by the magic of their sea otter forms but the ferocity of the love that they shared with one another.