Swimming

by Dazzlious

Hermione is having one last holiday with her parents before sending them off to safety in Australia so she can help Harry in his quest for the Horcruxes. Time for a bit of fun in the sun!

A/N: You might be unsurprised to discover that this little plot bunny was inspired while I was on holiday. It took root in my brain and refused to leave, completely ruining any chance of working on the story I wanted to get finished. It's just a bit of fluff but I hope you enjoy it. Thanks to my wonderful beta, Mamacita, as always. Dx

---

Hermione looked around the pool area, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. Although it was during the school holidays, the small and apparently extremely exclusive hotel wasn't full of families with screaming children running at breakneck speed around the place like beasts and dive-bombing the swimming pool, ruining everyone's enjoyment. Instead, the clientele was older, more refined, and definitely not likely to cause any trouble.

She sighed happily as she lay back under the large umbrella that protected her from the relentlessly baking sun. This time of day was too hot for her to be exposed to it, even with a decent suntan lotion and the golden-brown tan she had acquired.

Hermione had been in this small seaside village in Crete for a week now and quickly realised that there was magic here. It was not purely magical like Hogsmeade otherwise her parents would never have been able to find the place to make a reservation, but there were pockets of magic around, like the way Diagon Alley slotted into Muggle London.

Wandering around the village alone, seeing so much more than her parents ever could have, had been fascinating for Hermione. The hotel itself was Muggle-run although considering the number of wizarding families that had chosen it for their holiday destination there was definitely some magic about the place. She had wondered several times now how her parents had heard about it as it was nothing like the usual type of location where they took their holidays.

Hermione had been planning what she was going to do to keep her parents safe during the wizarding war that she was sure was only months away now that Professor Dumbledore had been killed. She had come to the depressing conclusion that she had no choice but to remove herself from their lives completely and send them far away, where they would be safe from Death Eaters. If she survived the war she could go and get them back and they could once again take up dentistry in England, but if she died, as she half expected to, they could live out the rest of their lives in Australia, none the wiser that they even had a daughter, let alone one who had died during a wizarding war.

It was a heartbreaking decision to make, but Hermione knew she would never feel happy or be fully committed to the fight if she had to worry about her parents, and as one of Harry's closest friends she was certain the Death Eaters wouldn't hesitate to torture or kill them in order to hobble her in her bid to help him.

Hermione thought her parents must know something of what was happening even though she had been careful not to talk about what was going on in the wizarding world in case they suddenly decided to withdraw her from school. But however careful she tried to be there was a tension in her that wasn't there before, ever since the Headmaster had been killed and Harry had announced his intention not to return to Hogwarts but to search for the remaining Horcruxes instead. She and Ron had immediately agreed to go with him even though Harry was, as always, determined, to do it alone. This brought the timetable with her parents closer than ever.

It was then that her parents had announced this holiday, her father telling her that they deserved to go 'somewhere a bit special' for a change as they'd had a particularly good year at the practice, and so it was that Hermione had found herself in the Crete equivalent of Ottery St Catchpole although here there was a lot more sun, sea and sand and a lot fewer redheads.

Hermione took a sip of her now not quite so cold drink as she watched a man in the pool who was swimming up a storm. She wished she could swim as well and as fast he could. His muscles rippled as he cut through the clear blue water, and Hermione couldn't help thinking how extremely sexy he looked. Glad she was wearing sunglasses as it gave her the opportunity to play voyeur without being spotted, she watched as he swam several more lengths before finally exiting the pool at the far end where the shallow water ended in a set of tiled steps.

She studied him closely as he mounted the stairs, taking in his well-defined figure with strong muscly legs and an amazing bottom that fitted absolutely perfectly into the skin-tight black trunks he was wearing. He really was hot and she just about managed to stop herself from sighing with desire. She wished he would turn round so she could see what he was like from the front, hoping that he was equally impressive with a decent six-pack and rippling pecs.

Hermione was impressed with his deep tan, too; his skin gleamed like polished bronze. Drops of water still ran down his skin as he ran his large hands through his long dark hair, squeezing the water from it. He took the final step out of the water and turned slightly, making his way to join companions on the left-hand side of the pool, and Hermione glimpsed the first sight of his face, and in particular his prominent nose.

She froze for a second, not breathing, recognising the owner of the nose and feeling a moment of horror that she had considered him sexy. Then, realising that she hadn't been seen looking, she focussed once more on the man walking away from the pool towards a group of sun loungers arranged under several large umbrellas towards the perimeter of the pool area.

Hermione could only see his back now, but Hermione superimposed her mental image of the man she thought she recognised over it and realised she could be looking at the same person. She turned her gaze towards the other occupants of the sun loungers: three much paler characters, two men and one woman, all with the same fair hair which indicated they were family.

Her heart began to pound and a feeling of terror rose in her at what she thought she had just stumbled upon. She tried to calm down and convince herself that just because from a distance these people looked like her worst enemies it didn't mean it actually was them. Seriously, how likely was it that the Malfoys and her ex-Potions Master, Severus Snape — the man who Harry had said had murdered her former Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore — would be enjoying a relaxing holiday in Crete when their master, the megalomaniac who called himself Lord Voldemort, was preparing for war?

Careful not to draw attention to the fact that she was looking in their direction, Hermione watched as the dark-haired man pulled a sun lounger out of the shade into full sunlight and sank onto it and lay down, his hands behind his head, seemingly enjoying the fierce early afternoon heat. He turned his head and laughed at something one of the blond figures — the male with long hair — said to him and gestured towards the pool.

Almost immediately, the only woman in the group, a tall, willowy blonde, got up from her sun lounger. She wrapped a diaphanous pale green shawl around herself as if to protect her from the sun, pulled on a large brimmed hat, then picked up her bag. After a brief discussion with the three men, she stalked away imperiously in high-heeled sandals, heading in the direction of one of the smaller hotel blocks.

Hermione returned her gaze to the three men. She couldn't see their faces clearly because they were a little too far away and the sunglasses were very dark, but the woman who had left certainly reminded her of Narcissa Malfoy. She had met the woman only twice before but would never forget her due to Narcissa's uncommon rudeness towards her. The youngest of the three men had short hair, like Draco's, and the other blond had long hair like Draco's father, Lucius.

It seemed strange that with such pale complexions the Malfoys would choose somewhere as hot as Crete for a holiday, but the more she stared at the dark-haired man lapping up the sun the more certain she became that he was definitely Professor Severus Snape.

Panic infused Hermione; fear that somehow without meaning to she had led her parents into possible danger, but it was shot through with annoyance, too. Professor Snape was a murderer and a traitor. It seemed wrong to her that he should be here — although his being with the Malfoys wasn't a surprise. They were Death Eaters, after all, so were perfect friends for the treacherous ex-Potions Master. But what right did he have to be sunning himself and having fun in the Mediterranean while back in England people were desperately searching for him, wanting to put him in Azkaban for what he had done to the Headmaster?

For a moment Hermione debated whether to try to contact Harry or Ron so they could alert the Aurors, who could then come and arrest Professor Snape, but she knew it would probably do little good and could make things a darn sight trickier for her. Even if she could get hold of one of her friends, if she could persuade one of the local Cretans to let her send a bird all the way back to England, it was unlikely that they would be able to pass her message along to the right people.

The Order of the Phoenix seemed in disarray after Professor Dumbledore's death and no one knew who could be trusted at the Ministry of Magic any longer. If the wrong person heard about Hermione's message she could find herself in serious trouble and end up getting herself and her parents killed. It was an awkward situation. The best she could do was to try to keep away from the group and hope they didn't realise she was there.

Hermione lay there for a while, trying to ignore the men who were now blighting her perfect holiday. She tried to think about ways to keep away from them and wondered whether they were likely to go on the coach trips that she and her parents had been considering. That would be the easiest thing to do — go out on day trips and not be at the hotel. But if the Malfoys went on the trips too, it could be disastrous. If that happened there would be no way of stopping her parents from talking to the Malfoys and Professor Snape and then they would all be in danger. Perhaps the best thing would be to stay at the hotel and hope that the Malfoys went out instead.

Not wanting to stay under the umbrella any longer because it was too warm, but unable to go swimming to cool down in case she was spotted by her enemies, Hermione felt the urge to return to her nice cool air-conditioned room and work out what she was going to do about the unwanted holiday-makers.

She turned to look at her parents, who both appeared to be asleep on their own sun loungers next to her. Hermione didn't want to wake them if they really were asleep but at the same time, she didn't want them to panic if they woke and found her gone as they might draw unwanted attention to themselves. She reached out to gently shake her mother's arm.

'Mum, are you awake?' she asked quietly.

Her mother opened her eyes and smiled at her.

'Are you all right, Hermione?'

Hermione nodded. 'I'm getting a bit hot out here. I think I might go back to the room for a little while. I just didn't want you worrying if you woke up and I wasn't here.'

'If you're hot why don't you have a dip in the pool?' her mother suggested. 'I went in earlier, it was lovely and refreshing.'

Hermione shook her head. 'I might go in later when it cools down a bit. It's too hot out there at the moment. I'll get burnt . . . and my hair will turn into a fright. I don't mind if I'm just about to go back to the room and do something with it but not if I've got to spend the rest of the afternoon with people around to see it. I'll be back down later on.'

'If you're sure you're okay?' Hermione's mother looked at her worriedly.

'I'm fine, Mum, honestly. To be honest, I'm just a bit bored with sitting here doing nothing and I've finished my book so I need to go and get a new one anyway.'

'Do you want an ice cream? There's some money in my bag if you want to get one,' Hermione's mother said.

Hermione leant down to pick up the bag, searching for the purse.

'Do you and Dad want one, too?'

Hermione's mother chuckled. 'I don't want one and I think your dad's asleep. I can hear him snoring. Just get yourself one.'

'Thanks. I'll get it on the way in,' Hermione said, smiling.

Having retrieved the required amount of money, she pushed the bag back under her mother's sun lounger and gathered up her book, leaving the towel over her own sun lounger for her return. Standing up, she slipped on her flip-flops, and with a final fond look at her parents, she headed over to the little poolside bar to buy her ice cream before heading upstairs to the small suite she shared with her parents.

---

Severus Snape, who was steadfastly ignoring the Malfoys' complaining about the heat again, noticed the young woman rising from the sun lounger. He watched with pleasure as she walked towards the swimming pool and wondered whether she was going to dive in. She didn't but carried on walking around the pool towards the bar.

He was enjoying checking out her attractive curves, accentuated in a bikini that left a lot to the imagination. He liked it. There were too many women flashing themselves in every way all over the island, it made a nice change to be able to imagine what was underneath that stretchy lycra rather than see it — it was far more satisfying for the soul and rather exciting in an arousing sort of way.

The young woman had the beginnings of a nice tan, not pasty white as most of the guests were on arrival, and he guessed that she had probably been out here for a week or so. She had left an older couple asleep on sun loungers, probably her parents. Severus frowned as he wondered how old she was. Too young for him probably, if she was here with her parents, although her sexy body certainly indicated otherwise. But there was no harm in looking . . . or even fantasising a little.

He risked a glance at the Malfoys, wondering whether either of them was checking her out too, but they were too busy bitching about the heat and covering themselves in high-factor suntan lotion to notice something as interesting as a sexy girl.

For a moment Severus debated whether to go to the bar himself. He could play it cool, see how old she was, and if she wasn't jailbait he could introduce himself, maybe even offer to buy her a drink. Obviously, her parents would limit a little bit the speed at which things could move, but there was no harm in taking that first step.

'Do you want a drink?' Severus asked casually as he sat up. He indicated in the general direction of the bar, careful not to point at the young woman.

'I've already drunk a gallon of water this morning,' Draco said grouchily. 'I don't think I can face anymore.'

'Nothing for me, Severus. I'm all set,' Lucius replied. He sounded little happier than his son. He pulled a large blue plastic bottle from beside the lounger and waved it at Severus with a sour look on his face.

Severus knew his expression was because it was water, not wine. Even Lucius had to worry about dehydrating in this heat and was being sensible. Once again, he considered how annoyed with him the family were for his choice of hideaway.

After he had killed Albus, Severus had immediately returned to the Dark Lord's side ready to take his orders, having proved even to Bellatrix's satisfaction that he wasn't a traitor. Voldemort had confided to him his plans with regards to both taking over the Ministry of Magic and the capture and killing of Harry Potter, and he explained how Severus was to be an important part of his plans — as the new Headmaster of Hogwarts.

Severus was a little shocked by this and part of him rebelled against the idea, still horrified at what he'd had to do to his friend, despite the fact that Albus had begged him to do it and he knew it was for the greater good, as the wily old wizard had guessed what Voldemort's next move would be. As the Dark Lord explained his reasoning, Severus had tuned him out to think instead about the discussion he'd had with Albus on the subject and how he was lining everything up nicely to help Potter when he most needed it.

Severus had anticipated having to hide away with various Death Eaters until the Ministry of Magic had been taken, expecting to have to abandon Spinner's End as it would be one of the first places the Aurors would look for him. Instead, the Dark Lord had sent him abroad, adamant that if he wasn't in the country there was no way he could be captured and ruin Voldemort's carefully crafted plans.

Lucius, who had recently been released from Azkaban, had offered him the use of their estate in the Tarn in France, but given the opportunity to go anywhere that didn't have a direct link with Britain, Severus had decided to go to Crete, an island he had visited once in his youth and a place he had always longed to return to.

He was told to keep a low profile and that when it was time for him to return to Britain, Lucius and his family would join him on the island for a short holiday. He would join them at their hotel and then return with them, hopefully with no one any the wiser that he hadn't always been a member of their party.

Severus had spent almost two glorious months on the beautiful island of Crete immersing himself in both the magic and Muggle worlds, enjoying visiting the many historic sites and loving the weather that allowed him to lose the sallow complexion that came from too much time working in a draughty dungeon.

Along with long walks and a lot of cycling which had taken him to some interesting and idyllic places, he took up running and swam several miles every day, which did wonders for his under-used muscles. He would have been perfectly happy to stay forever in the little cottage he had rented and forget all about Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter. It took a few weeks before the nightmares of the tragic night that had brought him here finally receded enough to allow him to sleep, but now, after so long alone, he was well-rested and more fit than he had ever been.

It was, therefore, a huge disappointment when he received a message telling him the Malfoys were due to arrive the following week and would be staying in a tiny village on the north side of the island, in a well-named hotel called Golden Sands, and that he was to join them as soon as they arrived.

Severus had checked it out before their flight and was surprised that the Malfoys had picked somewhere so modest . . . and so Muggle. Although their village and its larger neighbour were both dual-occupance, meaning inhabited by both Muggles and wizards, Severus would have expected the Malfoys, with their airs and graces not mention all their money, to want to stay somewhere far more elite and probably wizard-only.

But the decision and booking had been made for them and the Malfoys found themselves in a small and perfectly serviceable Muggle hotel where they had no choice but to interact with the other guests and staff. They had hated it from the moment they arrived: from the temperature in August to the Muggles at the hotel — the hotel itself, which was nothing like the sort of place they would have chosen if they had been given a choice — and most of all they hated Severus for coming out here in the first place and making them do the same.

Personally, Severus thought it would do them some good to get a bit of sun and he was hopeful that a week spent having to act like normal people for once, and with Muggles for company, would show the family that Muggles weren't all bad. But they were only on day two and so far it wasn't looking particularly hopeful.

It didn't help that they had been put somewhere so quiet and quite a distance from the main towns so Narcissa couldn't do any shopping. Heraklion was the nearest city and that was a thirty-minute car ride, but none of them could drive, none of the family was keen on the idea of going on a coach tour with Muggles, and the idea of using the local bus service, which meant walking up to the main road, was a complete no-no.

As this ruled out visiting any of the historical sites like Knossos, too, the Malfoys were left with no choice but to stay at the hotel all day, wander around the tiny village, or walk along the coast road with its sparse settlement of convenience stores and tavernas, the only bright spots in this wilderness area of outstanding beauty and fantastic beaches.

So far the family had spent the whole of the first day sitting in their suite of rooms, getting to grips with the air conditioner while they moaned about the rurality of the hotel and the horror of the flight over.

Severus had managed to get them to leave the room in the evening once the sun had gone and the temperature cooled a little, encouraging them into taking a walk to one of the tavernas where he proceeded to ply them with the local wine and raki in hopes that it might help them to relax. It had helped a little, although Draco had complained about the food.

Day two had seen them spend only thirty minutes by the pool before Narcissa gave up in disgust. Draco looked likely to follow in her footsteps shortly. Only Lucius seemed ready to attempt to enjoy the holiday, and Severus knew that was only because there were several almost-naked women around for him to look at and it was easier for him to do so without his wife and son looking on disapprovingly.

Severus was certain that without Narcissa and Draco, Lucius would probably have quite a good holiday, which was another reason he was eager for his friend to not notice the sexy young brunette who was now at the bar waiting to be served, although she was probably wearing too much clothing for Lucius to be interested.

He walked towards her, still appreciating the curves of her body, but now she was closer he began to look at her face. She was wearing a large and very dark pair of sunglasses, which covered a lot of it but he was sure he knew her from somewhere.

Severus wracked his brain trying to work out whether it was someone he had met elsewhere on the island, hoping this wasn't the case as she was then either a stalker or he had probably not been quite as gentlemanly with her as he could have been. He wished she would take off the glasses so he could see her properly.

---

Hermione was waiting to be served when she realised Professor Snape was coming towards the bar. She panicked, unsure for a moment about what she should do. She was enjoying the nice breeze from the fan and she had really been looking forward to having an ice cream but if she stayed here any longer he was going to see her and everything would be lost. She glanced at him for a moment, moving her sunglasses so she could see him better but then knew she had already left it too long. She should have left the bar as soon as she realised he was moving.

Now he was looking directly at her and worse still, lifting his hand to wave, indicating that he had seen and recognised her. She couldn't leave the bar now, it would be rude, and she had no idea how the snarky teacher — and, she had to remember, dangerous murderer — would react. Trying to pretend she hadn't seen the wave, she put her glasses back on and turned back to the bar, praying the barman would get to her soon and wishing that there wasn't such a long queue.

---

Severus' heart skipped disconcertingly as the young woman pulled her sunglasses up and stared in his direction. Of course he knew who she was. He had taught her Potions almost every day for five years and Defence Against the Dark Arts for the last year. For a moment he wondered whether she was here in some undercover operation with the Order of the Phoenix, but he immediately dismissed the thought. She was clearly here on holiday with her parents. It was merely a fluke that she was unlucky enough to end up at the same hotel as him and the Malfoys.

Hurriedly he glanced around, wanting to make sure that neither of his colleagues had spotted Hermione Granger yet. Draco was still trying to get himself comfortable — a never-ending task, from what Severus could judge — and Lucius was infatuated with a topless woman with big breasts who was just getting into the swimming pool with her friend, who had almost no breasts. They were both squealing about the coldness of the water as they made their way into the shallow end, the big breasts bouncing alarmingly when the woman jumped as the water covered her knees.

Severus was pleased with this distraction. He didn't want the Malfoys seeing Hermione — especially when she looked so good.

He had honestly never taken any notice of the Hogwarts students' appearances except for Harry Potter, and that was only because he looked so much like his blasted father that Severus was unable to forget him. Large, small, fat, thin, he never really saw them as anything other than students, the people who made his life a misery and who he had no choice but to put up with. Occasionally there was one who was extremely pretty or handsome and they registered in a vague sort of way, but usually only because they were the ones who caused trouble — even if only indirectly.

Hermione was on his radar only because she was a good friend of Potter and because Draco liked to argue with her about her blood status, although Severus could now see that this might not be the real reason Draco did it. If someone had previously asked him to describe Hermione Granger, he would have said she was a bushy-haired, buck-toothed girl who was a bit of a know-it-all. But he realised now that this description did her no justice at all and was completely and utterly incorrect.

Severus raised his hand slightly to acknowledge her presence, knowing that she must have seen and recognised him, but she put her glasses back on and turned away without indicating that she had seen him, so maybe she hadn't been focussed on him but something behind him. He debated what to do now.

Hermione Granger was to all intents and purposes still his student, or at least she would be once he returned to Hogwarts as Headmaster and was, therefore, theoretically off limits. He knew that he should be putting out of his mind all those naughty thoughts he had been having before he knew who she was; about spending time alone with her without her parents around to see what they were doing. But it was hard, especially when she was standing right in front of him in that bikini.

Gods, she was a beautiful girl and the tan, which he could now see more clearly, made her skin glow in a most alluring way. Her figure was almost perfect: nice sized breasts encased in that bikini top that he had imagined removing, a flat stomach with the cutest belly button he had ever seen, perfect hips covered by those tight bikini bottoms that encompassed that area between her legs that he had also fantasised about revealing, and her tight, pert bottom. She was so tantalising it almost made his mouth water.

A quick calculation reminded him that she was old enough — seventeen, the age when wizards became adults — and he seemed to recall something about her being the oldest in her year which meant she was almost eighteen. Even better. She was still too young for him if he was being honest, but then since he had been in Crete most of his playmates had been young. The island drew them in and who was he to say no when it was so freely offered?

There was also still the problem of her being his student, but actually, that could be got round, too. After all, he wasn't currently working at Hogwarts, so she wasn't technically his student at the moment, not really. What happened when they were both at school could be worked out later, and by then he would be Headmaster so his word would be law.

But there was no guarantee that she was interested in doing anything with him yet. He needed to speak to her first to see how the land lay. Was she going to be a little prude who would brush him off without a second thought, or was the lovely Miss Granger going to be a far more interesting prospect?

He closed the gap between them, standing hip to hip with her at the bar.

'Good afternoon, Miss Granger . . . or perhaps I should call you Hermione as we're not at school.' Severus realised that his voice, which seemed to have got more gravelly, had an air of seduction about it. He grinned pleasantly as he looked at Hermione and waited for her response.

Hermione jumped as if she had been electrocuted when Professor Snape spoke to her. She immediately felt embarrassed at her reaction. It wasn't as if she didn't know he was going to talk to her.

'Professor Snape,' she acknowledged politely as she turned to look at him. 'I have to admit I'm surprised to see you here.' After a moment's pause to push down the re-emerging thought that he should be locked away in Azkaban, she added by way of explanation, 'I've never really seen you outside the dungeons and it just seems a bit odd to see you in the sun.'

'I've been in Crete for the last few months,' Severus replied, not mentioning his reason for being there. He was certain Potter would have told everyone it was he who had killed Albus, but he wasn't going to talk about it unless Hermione directly asked him something. 'I came here when I was younger and fell in love with the place. When I had the opportunity to come back I jumped at the chance.'

He could tell Hermione was feeling uncomfortable and awkward around him. He decided to try to put her at ease by offering her a drink. Perhaps then she would relax a little.

'Would you like a drink? I was just about to get one and I'd be happy to buy you one, too.'

Hermione shook her head. 'No, thank you, sir. I'm just buying an ice cream before I go back to the room. It's a bit too hot out here at the moment. I'm wilting and need a bit of a siesta. I'll probably come back down later when it cools down.' She suddenly realised she was talking too much and shut up abruptly.

Disappointed that Hermione had turned down the drink, Severus asked, 'How long have you been here? You've got quite a tan so I assume you didn't arrive yesterday like the Malfoys.'

'We got here last week. We're due to go home next Monday. It's been really lovely but very hot. I'm actually surprised I've managed to pick up a tan at all as I've spent most of my time chasing the shade,' Hermione told him.

'Have you been on many trips? There are a lot of fascinating places to visit on the island. Even I haven't managed all of them. I wish I could stay longer and do the whole island properly,' Severus said wistfully.

'We visited Knossos last week, which was really fascinating, but so hot that I thought I was going to pass out at one point. We also went on a boat trip to Spinalonga Island. I really loved it there and the boat ride was lovely, with all that clear water where you could see the fish,' Hermione said.

She remembered that Professor Snape had indicated that he would be leaving soon and a moment of fear went through her. Would he and the Malfoys be returning to England on the same flight as she and her parents? And why was he returning now? What had happened in the wizarding world to make it safe for him to return?

'When are you going back, Professor?' she asked, crossing her fingers down by her side and seriously hoping he would name a different departure day from hers.

Severus had picked up on Hermione's trepidation and gently began to reach out to probe her mind with his Leglimency, wanting to understand it better. He found that he was surprisingly annoyed that she kept referring to him as a teacher, quite clearly putting a line of demarcation between them. He needed to stop that if there was to be any chance of things getting more intimate.

'Stop calling me Professor or sir, Hermione. We're not at school now . . . and anyway I'm no longer your teacher as I no longer work at Hogwarts. Call me Severus,' he said, his voice warm and persuasive. Hermione looked at him, seeming unsure, and he smiled. 'Please. It'll be far less stressful for both of us if you do.'

Hermione gave him a small smile in return and nodded. 'Okay . . . Severus it is.'

'To answer your question, the Malfoys and I are returning to England next Monday. I assume we're on the same flight as you and your parents.'

Hermione tried to stop the sudden freezing terror that shot through her at his response but her brain was swirling as she tried and failed to think of a way to keep the Malfoys from knowing about and hurting her parents. It was too late for Professor Snape . . . Severus. He already knew about her, but although he had killed Professor Dumbledore perhaps he wasn't totally bad. But the Malfoys—

Severus was astonished at the thoughts that were jumbling through Hermione's brain in rapid succession. She was so scared for the well-being of her parents that she was easy to read without her even knowing he was doing it. He couldn't help smiling even more widely now, certain he had Hermione captured. Everything he had fantasised about and more would be his with this beautiful young woman if he wanted it. He just had to play her the right way. And the right way was to build on her fears about the Malfoys.

'Are you sure you wouldn't like a drink, Hermione? You look quite upset at learning that we're returning home at the same time as you,' he offered, sounding concerned.

Hermione shook her head. She was still trying to work out how she was going to protect her parents and didn't really notice when Severus took hold of her arm and pulled her away from the bar to lead her somewhere quieter. He didn't want to be overheard having this conversation.

'I suppose you're worried about what will happen to your parents once the Malfoys know you're here,' he said, repeating what he had seen in her mind. 'If I were you I'd be worried that they might kill them . . . and you, too. After all, you can't protect yourself from all three of them at once, can you? If you were out of the way it would be a big blow to Potter and would seriously lower his chances of defeating the Dark Lord, wouldn't it?'

'And you'd help them, I suppose,' Hermione retorted bitterly. The words slipped out without her meaning to say them, but now they were out there she knew she meant them.

'Why do you believe that?' Severus asked interestedly.

'You're one of them, aren't you?' Hermione asked. 'You killed Professor Dumbledore and now you're here on holiday with the Malfoys, having a great time as if nothing had happened.'

Severus felt another pang of annoyance that Hermione was misunderstanding him again, but then he remembered that she didn't know everything he knew. She and her friends hadn't been privy to Albus' plans so she couldn't be expected to know that he was only play-acting. Then again, he was about to use her fear to coerce her into doing something she probably would have refused to do under normal circumstances, so he wasn't exactly a saint.

'I have no interest in your parents one way or another,' he said half-truthfully, 'and I suppose I could consider keeping their proximity to the Malfoys a secret from them while you're out here . . . but there would be a cost.'

'What sort of cost?' Hermione asked.

There was a touch of desperation in her tone and Severus knew she really wanted him to help her but was scared that she couldn't afford the asking price. He looked her up and down appraisingly, taking his time and enjoying the sight once more before speaking as if he was seriously thinking about it. He could, of course, go straight for the kill, but he suspected Hermione might blanch at that and he would only get this one chance with her. Better to start with something tame and work up from there.

'Meet me at midnight outside Taverna Metze,' he finally announced.

'And why would I do that?' Hermione asked suspiciously.

Severus shrugged. 'I thought we could go skinny-dipping. The water's still warm at that time of night and the beach with the best sand is in front of Metze's.'

Hermione looked at him in surprise, her nose wrinkling in disgust. 'You want me to go skinny-dipping with you? You've got to be kidding. Why would I do that?'

Severus grinned like a shark as he responded lazily, 'Well, of course it's entirely your choice, Hermione, but if you don't then I'm afraid the Malfoys will discover that your little Muggle family have invaded their nice wizarding holiday and I'm sure I don't need to tell you how that's going to end . . . especially with so much wild land around where bodies might not be found for years.'

Hermione glared at him furiously, at a loss for what to say. She knew exactly what Severus was hinting about with the Malfoys and was aware that she had little choice but to do as he said. But his request was strange, to say the least.

'I just don't understand how you're going to keep them away from us, Severus. It'll be hard enough to do that at the hotel although I suppose it's just about possible if we arrange things properly. But how are we supposed to get home without them realising? They'll see us when we get on the coach for the airport or on the plane. There's no way we can get back to England without them knowing.'

'It's going to be extremely tricky,' Severus admitted, knowing he was going to have to do some extraordinary magic to pull it off, but another look at Hermione made him decide it would probably be worth it. His voice became even more seductive as he told her, 'But you just put yourself in my hands and I'll look after you. I promise.'

Hermione still looked anxious at the prospect. Severus wasn't sure if it was the swimming or his promise to take care of everything that was worrying her.

'I don't think I'm asking for anything too onerous,' he continued smugly. 'It's just swimming.'

'Naked!' Hermione pointed out tersely.

Severus shrugged carelessly. 'Have you ever tried it?'

Hermione shook her head, still looking outraged.

'Then you're in no position to judge, Hermione. As the old saying goes, "Don't knock it until you've tried it." It can be very liberating, you know,' he informed her.

'Perhaps I don't want to be liberated,' Hermione retorted.

Severus' eyebrows rose expressively. 'Well . . . that could be interesting, too.'

He stared at her again so intently that Hermione found herself blushing although she wasn't sure why.

'But why does it have to be naked?' she asked unhappily.

Severus' grin grew wider still. 'Because it's more fun that way.' He looked at Hermione for a moment, then shook his head. 'You really need to learn to enjoy life more and take some chances now and again.'

Hermione harrumphed loudly. 'This coming from the grumpiest person I've ever met in my life.'

Severus shrugged. 'That's at school. Can you honestly blame me for being grumpy there considering what I have to put up with on a daily basis? And not just from the students, either. I can assure you that I have just as much zest for life as anyone else, Hermione, but being a teacher at Hogwarts saps it out of you.'

Hermione looked at the ex-Potions Master in astonishment, surprised that he was being so open and honest with her. But that didn't change her predicament. He was still blackmailing her, even if it was 'just swimming' as he averred.

'So are you in agreement?' Severus asked enticingly. 'Your company tonight for a little swimming jaunt in exchange for my silence and help in keeping your family's proximity to Lucius and his family a secret.'

Hermione looked mutinous but eventually, knowing she had no choice if she wanted to keep her parents safe, she gave a curt nod.

Severus was satisfied with this. 'So, I'll meet you at midnight. Don't be late . . . and no drinking beforehand. I don't want to have to deal with you puking or anything.'

Hermione glared at him indignantly. 'I don't get drunk. Anyway, I'm not old enough to drink yet.'

Severus stared at her in astonishment. 'You're an adult now, Hermione. I'm surprised you haven't felt the need to join your peers in getting legless at every available opportunity. Draco certainly had a good go last night.'

Hermione shook her head. 'My parents don't really understand that wizards come of age at seventeen. It's eighteen for Muggles, so they tend to treat me as if I'm one of them still. I don't mind too much because I don't really like alcohol.'

'Perhaps I should have a chat with your parents, remind them that you're a witch and an adult,' Severus said musingly.

'Do you think they would listen to a teacher who's about to lead me into bad ways?' Hermione asked tartly.

'They're not going to know about that, though, are they?' Severus said. He sounded slightly menacing.

Hermione shook her head violently. 'I'm not going to say anything to them. I don't think my dad would be best pleased to discover I'm being blackmailed into going swimming naked with one of my teachers.'

'If you're really that opposed to my suggestion you could always change your mind,' Severus pointed out.

'But then my parents wouldn't just get a visit from you, would they?' Hermione replied sounding unhappy.

Severus shrugged. 'It's possible that Lucius and Draco might not do anything, and I'm sure Narcissa won't care. They are on holiday, after all — even if you'd never know it from all the bitching and whining.'

'I can't take that chance, though, can I?' Hermione said. 'I can't put my parents in danger, not from the Malfoys. You know how much they hate me. But I don't understand why you want me to go skinny-dipping with you.'

Severus slowly appraised Hermione again, making no attempt to hide what he was doing.

'Call it opportunism, Hermione,' he said pleasantly. 'But the choice really is yours to make.'

At that moment voices pierced the still afternoon air. It was Lucius and Draco Malfoy and they were getting closer.

'. . . I've got no idea where he is. I thought he said he was going to the bar,' Draco said, sounding bored.

'Well, he must be around here somewhere,' Lucius said sharply. He stopped and scanned the surrounding area. 'Damn the blasted man for disappearing when I wanted to talk to him.'

Hermione stared pleadingly at Severus, knowing that Lucius must be talking about him. There was no way she wanted the Malfoys to find them together and surely neither would he. After all, that was the whole point of his blackmail attempt.

Severus understood the look and knew his agreement with Hermione wouldn't mean anything if Malfoy or his son saw them together, and more importantly if they saw her. He was jealously guarding that secret and wanted to keep it that way.

'Midnight,' he reminded Hermione hurriedly. 'Don't be late!'

Without another word he strode away, dived into the swimming pool and swam off, looking just as magnificent as the last time Hermione had watched him. She shrank back into the shadows as Draco and his father came closer, willing them to not see her. Hermione watched as Severus emerged from the swimming pool just behind the blond men, pulling himself up over the side with ease, rivulets of water streaming down his lean, lithe body as he swept his hands through his long, dark hair.

'Lucius,' he announced jovially.

Lucius looked at him with amusement. 'People will start to wonder if you're part Merman, Severus, with the amount of time you're spending in the water.'

Severus shrugged. 'You should try having a swim yourself, Lucius. Then maybe you wouldn't complain about it being too hot all the time.'

The blond man shook his head looking disdainful. 'Swimming isn't really my thing, Severus. I much prefer to sit and people-watch.'

He looked around, his eyes alighting on the two topless women he had been watching earlier who had now left the pool and were sunbathing. He indicated them to Severus with a nod, then belatedly seemed to realise Draco was still there listening to everything he said.

'Why don't you go and swim or something?' Lucius said tetchily to his son.

Draco looked mutinous for a moment. 'I do know what you're doing,' he said. 'Mother knows as well.'

Lucius shrugged uncaringly. 'Your mother has no interest in anything I do,' he told his son blandly.

'They're Muggles,' Draco said, looking at the two women in disgust. 'You don't like Muggles.'

'I can look at and appreciate a beautiful woman, whatever she is,' Lucius told him magnanimously. 'I'm on holiday. You could do with a lesson in chilling out, Draco. Really, you're as uptight as your mother.'

Draco scowled again, then without saying anything he turned and stalked off. Lucius watched him go, apparently not worried about his son's behaviour.

'The boy's bored,' Severus pointed out.

'That's because he has no imagination,' Lucius retorted. He glanced at the two women again before guiding Severus in the direction of the bar.

'I need to talk to you, Severus . . . .'

Hermione strained to hear what Lucius was saying in case it was anything that affected her or her parents, but his voice was too soft. It was time to leave. She waited for a few minutes to make sure none of the men were coming back her way, then made good her escape.

---

Hermione had been a little worried that she might have trouble getting down to the beach at midnight as her parents usually went to the bar for a few drinks after dinner and returned at about half past eleven to read for a while before finally going to bed. Most nights she stayed in the room and read, not wanting to sit in the bar if she wasn't drinking as it was too loud, but they always came to check on her and say goodnight before they went to bed and she expected that tonight would be no different. She wasn't sure what Severus would do if she was late but she didn't want to risk annoying him in case he told the Malfoys about her.

She had been anxious about bumping into the Malfoys in the restaurant or at the bar but was a little heartened when earlier in the evening she had spotted them heading off with Severus along the road into the village while she and her parents ate in the on-site taverna. She suspected the Malfoys wouldn't lower themselves to drink in the hotel bar either, but if they did, maybe without her there to stir their recognition they might not realise who her parents were. It was unlikely they would talk to each other, and even if they did, Lucius was hardly going to talk about wizardry in a Muggle establishment.

Although her parents had seen Lucius many years before in Flourish & Blotts, Hermione was certain they wouldn't remember him, despite the scene he had caused at the time, as they had been completely overwhelmed by Diagon Alley and its inhabitants and he had just been one small part of it. Even if they did it was unlikely they would connect the rude and angry wizard with the man on holiday. Fortunately, neither Draco nor Lucius knew anything about her parents and she was sure that Lucius had taken no notice of them in the bookshop.

So, as far as Hermione could judge they were safe, for tonight at least. But now she had to work out how she was going to meet Severus without raising her parents' suspicions. She was positive they wouldn't approve of her sneaking off to meet him, even without knowing what he wanted her to do.

As Hermione thought about going skinny-dipping she found herself feeling a little nervous and unsure still about his request, but at the same time there was a frisson of excitement there too, and a touch of arousal as well, she realised with surprise. Although she hated to admit it, Hermione was quite flattered that Severus, who had been improved immeasurably by his time away from the school, was interested in her and had recognised her as an adult, and she couldn't help remembering just how good he looked in those tight swimming trunks.

She had to stop thinking like that, though, or Merlin only knew where she would end up.

Eventually, Hermione decided her best bet was to fake a headache and cry off going to the bar again in favour of an early night. She managed to convince her parents not to look in on her as she was going to take some pills and go straight to bed in the hope that a good night's sleep would leave her feeling better tomorrow, and they fell for it. As Hermione lay in bed in the dark she heard her parents come back, debating quietly whether or not to check on her. They decided against it, not wanting to disturb her, and went straight to bed, leaving Hermione just enough time to get to the meeting place.

She waited for ten minutes first, in case they decided to get up again, but neither of them reappeared from their bedroom, so slowly and as quietly as possible she made her way out of the room, taking only a towel and her key, which she had attached to her bracelet so she could get back in.

The night was still and hot with only a little breeze making the palm trees rustle as Hermione made her way through the grounds of the hotel. There were sounds of laughter and music coming from the bar; the sound of someone singing karaoke badly reached her in waves as she passed, keeping to the shadows to make sure no one could see her.

As she made her way along the deserted beach road, moving to walk on the sand in her bare feet, Hermione began to wonder whether she was being sensible in meeting Severus alone without telling anyone where she was going. The fact was that while he may once have been her teacher, someone she was supposed to be able to trust, Severus was now a murderer on the run, and the way he had blackmailed her wasn't exactly teacherly or trustworthy.

Hermione was certain there were rules preventing teachers and pupils having any sort of relationship outside of the school one, and even though he wasn't technically her teacher any longer nor were they anywhere near the school, what he had asked her to do was extremely dubious, to say the least. She was pretty sure he wasn't interested only in swimming, but the bottom line was that she had no choice, not without putting her parents in danger and that Hermione wouldn't do, not if she could find a way to stop it. So however dangerous it was to do what she was doing, she would do it anyway, and whatever happened she would keep it a secret in order to keep them safe.

All along the road the tavernas were still open; bright lights shone from inside and from the lanterns outside and little candles on the tables twinkled away to add to the illumination. Sounds of laughter and talking, music and singing came from the various open doorways and the tables outside, and as Hermione walked she began to realise how alone and vulnerable she was.

Finally, she reached the Taverna Metze, its roof rimmed by rows of twinkling fairy lights, the lanterns outside flickering with the breeze that was coming off the sea. Although it was lit up, it appeared closed with only a few locals still inside drinking raki and playing dominos.

Hermione moved further onto the beach to get away from the light, unable to see anything but shadows. She glanced at her watch and realised with a sinking heart and a nasty roiling feeling in her stomach that she was almost five minutes late. She looked around in desperation, praying that Severus hadn't already been and gone.

'So, you finally decided to turn up, then,' Severus announced sardonically as he appeared out of the shadows. He, like Hermione, was wearing only his swimming trunks and he carried a towel, which was the brightest thing about him. 'I thought maybe you'd changed your mind and decided to risk the Malfoys discovering you.'

'I'm sorry I'm late,' Hermione replied anxiously. Her heart was racing although she wasn't sure whether it was with fear at being late or because of what was about to happen.

'I thought I told you to be here at midnight . . . and not to be late,' Severus reminded her. 'This isn't a game, you know.'

'I said I'm sorry,' Hermione said meekly. 'I had to wait for my parents to go to bed before I could get out. I didn't want them following me . . . or worse still, stopping me from coming.'

'You're sharing a room with your parents, then?' Severus asked, sounding a little disappointed.

'We've got a suite. It's got two bedrooms and a sort of lounge/kitchenette area. Are you staying near the Malfoys?'

Severus nodded. They have a suite that sounds similar to yours. I'm in a room further down the corridor, close enough that they can keep an eye on me, but at least I get some privacy. It's not a patch on where I was staying before, though.'

'Why did you have to move from there?' Hermione asked, knowing she was trying to stall the inevitable.

Severus shrugged. 'They came over here to get me and I was told I'd be joining them whether I wanted to or not. It's not too bad, I suppose, and it is only for another few days. And at least I have the satisfaction of knowing that they hate every minute of it.' He grinned wickedly.

'Really? Why did they come to get you if they hate it here so much?' Hermione asked, sounding interested now.

'They didn't have any choice. We all do as the Dark Lord commands, Hermione. The Malfoys aren't particularly keen on the hot weather so it's making them more fractious than usual — which I'm sure I don't have to tell you is very dangerous under the circumstances.'

Severus stared at her pointedly, taking in the bikini she was wearing. This one was a slightly different style from the one she had been wearing earlier but still covered her up more than he wanted.

'So, are you ready to swim?' he asked, his voice subtly becoming more sensuous.

Hermione swallowed hard as she tried to prepare herself for what was to follow. She knew she had to do it but already she could feel embarrassment rising in her at the idea of having to swim naked. She looked towards the sea. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad once she was in there and at least the water was warm. If she could just get into the water first and then take off the bikini it would be so much better.

'Well?' Severus asked more curtly this time. 'Are we going to do this or not? Your choice, Hermione. But we need to get on, we can't stand here all night.'

Hermione nodded her head slowly, then realising that Severus might not be able to see her in the dark she said quietly, 'Okay . . . yes, let's do it.'

Severus appeared pleased with her response.

'Take your bikini off, then,' he announced flippantly and stared expectantly at her.

Hermione felt her stomach lurch again and shook her head.

'No. I'll do it once I get in the sea.'

'It doesn't work like that, as I'm sure you're well aware. Skinny-dipping means entering the water naked,' Severus told her, a touch of the sarcasm that she recognised from school creeping into his voice. 'We had an agreement, Hermione, and I expect you to stick to it, so take your bikini off now or go back to your parents and enjoy your last few hours with them.'

Hermione blinked, trying to keep back the tears that were prickling her eyelids.

'Come on, we haven't got all night,' he added cruelly.

Severus was aware he was pushing Hermione rather hard but now that she had come to him he was eager for the games to begin and he wasn't going to let her get away with undressing in the sea. He wanted to see the beautiful body he had been fantasising about all afternoon and evening and he wanted to see it now.

As Severus continued to stare at her, Hermione reached round to untie her bikini top. Then, swallowing again, she steeled herself to pull the halter neck over her head. With a tiny sigh, she dropped the top onto the sand, desperately trying to ignore the urge to cover her naked breasts with her hands.

Severus smiled like a shark. 'Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?' He stared at her salaciously for a few seconds longer than was comfortable. 'You look beautiful, Hermione . . . very nice,' he admitted.

Hermione knew she was blushing but there was a funny swirly feeling in her stomach again when Severus complimented her. Although it didn't make everything okay, it did make the situation feel less threatening somehow. But then, before she had a chance to relax, he turned everything on its head again.

'Why have you stopped? Surely you don't need me to tell you to take off your bottoms as well? I'd have thought that was obvious.'

Hermione cringed at his curt manner. She wasn't sure what she disliked the most — the fact that Severus was so uncaring of her feelings and her tender age that he expected her to capitulate immediately without any thought as to how it might be affecting her, or the way he made it sound as if he was only doing this to help her out and wasn't really interested in her beyond having to do this — almost as if the skinny-dipping had been her idea rather than his. Annoyed with him again, both for forcing her into this position and for being so cold about it, she decided to stand her ground.

'Why should I take them off?' she asked, exactly matching his curt tone. 'Are you going to take yours off or are you just going to bitch about me?'

Severus gazed at her for a second, a smirk crossing his face. Then in one swift movement, he pushed down his swimming trunks, kicking them off to lie in the sand. His dark eyes glittered as he stood proudly naked in front of Hermione.

Hermione stared in astonishment at his erect penis, rising from a bush of black hair at the base, unable to say anything yet equally unable to take her eyes off it. It was as ugly and unattractive as she had heard they were but at the same time, there was something so alluring about it that she couldn't help studying it and wondering what it would feel like.

Embarrassed at being caught looking, she squeaked, 'I don't really think I should be looking at your penis, Professor.'

Severus smirked once again. 'Why not? And it's Severus, Hermione, remember? I'm not your teacher any longer.'

'No, but you are a teacher and you're supposed to set an example,' Hermione pointed out, trying desperately to tear her gaze away from him although it was proving extraordinarily difficult. He really did have the most fascinating member.

'Oh, I'm about to,' he replied smugly. 'It's your turn now. Come on, get them off.'

Hermione thought about Severus checking her out the way she had been doing to him and although she knew it was hypocritical she really didn't want him to see her down there. The way he was looking at her already was bad enough. How much worse would it be when she revealed everything? Looking unhappy, she glanced at the sea once more. Why wouldn't he let her go in as she was? She had taken her top off.

She shook her head. 'No, I can't. I'm not taking them off.'

Severus sighed loudly and reached for his swimming trunks. 'Well . . . okay . . . if you want to welch on the deal, Hermione, that's your choice.' He picked up the trunks and shook them to get the sand out, clearly not at all bothered about still being naked. 'I'm sure Lucius and Draco will be dying to catch up with you once I mention to them over breakfast how I bumped into you and your lovely Muggle parents—'

'No!' Hermione shouted, then realised how loud it sounded on this quiet beach where there were only the two of them. More quietly she pleaded, 'I'll do it, I will, I promise . . . but please let me get in the water first, Severus. This is hard for me. I'm not used to being naked in front of other people.'

Severus looked towards the sea, then returned his gaze to Hermione. 'You're making it harder on yourself, you know. If you'd just taken them off when you took off your top we would have been in there and swimming by now, not still arguing about it. Take your bikini off now and let's get swimming.'

'In the water,' Hermione insisted, her voice as firm as she could make it.

Severus sighed, sounding extremely put-upon, but he gave a condescending little bow and dropped his trunks back onto the sand. 'All right, in the water. But once you're in there you take them off and give them to me.' Hermione shook her head but before she could reply he added coldly, 'This is your final chance before I call this off once and for all, Hermione. Take them off now and swim, or wait until you're in the water and give them to me. If you don't I'll take them off you myself.'

Hermione looked at him in shock. 'Don't you dare touch me!'

'As I said, give them to me and I won't have to touch you,' Severus retorted, laughing easily although Hermione could hear the unspoken 'yet' in his tone. 'Well, are you getting in the water or what?'

Hermione walked towards the edge of the sea. The tide had been coming in so it wasn't as much of a trek as she had expected from her visits earlier in the week. She felt the warm water lapping around her ankles as she looked out into the distance. Across the bay was an island and there were a few faint lights twinkling, from houses, she guessed. She took another few steps as she spotted buoys further out to sea, their red and green lights signalling danger or safety. She carried on walking, the waves now lapping around her shins.

'So you're in the sea now — take off the rest of your bikini,' a soft voice said right next to her, much closer than she had realised Severus had got.

'I'm not in yet,' Hermione retorted.

Severus indicated the water lapping around their legs. 'What's this, then, Scotch mist? Stop stalling, Hermione. Just take them off.'

I meant when I was up to my waist in water,' Hermione said petulantly. 'You know I did.'

Severus shrugged. 'You didn't specify. You said in the water and I've allowed you to get in the water.'

'But that's not—'

'Are you going to take them off or do you want me to do it?' Severus cocked his head and looked at her for a moment, then his smile grew more wolfish. 'Is that it, Hermione? Do you want me to undress you?' He stepped closer to her. 'You should have said in the first place rather than playing silly games. You must know I'd be more than happy to.'

He was standing right next to her now and Hermione didn't know what to do. She wanted to run away but that would leave her parents in danger. She gasped as Severus' hands skimmed her waist, pulling her closer as he found and drew down her bikini bottoms.

'Step out of them,' he ordered as he released them to pool around her ankles.

Unhappily, Hermione did as he asked, that old embarrassment rising up as he bent down to pick them up. His face was level with her mound, which she was certain he had done on purpose. But instead of doing anything he straightened up and smiled at her.

'See? That wasn't so difficult after all, was it?'

Hermione wrapped her arms around herself, feeling exposed now she was naked. It didn't matter that Severus was naked too. In fact, that made it worse, somehow. Ignoring her unease, Severus turned and pointed in the direction of the island.

'Can you see that jetty out there? That's where we're aiming for. You make a start and I'll catch you up in a minute. I'm just going to put these with the rest of our stuff.' He held up the wet bikini bottoms.

Hermione squinted across the expanse of water, trying to make out the jetty floating in the middle of it. It seemed an awfully long distance to go, especially as she was nowhere near as strong a swimmer as Severus.

'It's a long way away,' she ventured hesitantly.

'Not really. It's probably about a mile or so,' Severus said. 'But as you've discovered this evening, this beach is particularly shallow so it doesn't get deep or even swimmable until you're quite some way out.'

'But I'm not a very strong swimmer,' Hermione admitted. 'I'm not as good as you, and I'm not very confident either.'

'I wouldn't worry about it. It's not a challenging swim, there aren't any nasty undercurrents or anything on this beach, in fact, it's very gentle. If you start now I'll be back with you by the time we start swimming properly and I'll stay with you in case you get into difficulties although I don't expect you to. Anyway, that's what we're here for, isn't it? To go for a swim.'

Before she could say anything else he strode back up the beach, not taking any more notice of her. Hermione watched him for a moment, then turned and slowly began to make her way towards the jetty. Severus was right, it was shallow, even though she had taken nearly three dozen more steps the water wasn't any higher than mid-thigh.

Severus dropped her bikini bottoms with the discarded top and watched Hermione as she went deeper into the water. She really was beautiful and her body was every bit as arousing as he had anticipated. He had been tempted to spend a little more time examining that area between her legs she was so desperate to keep hidden from him, but he didn't want to push it too early.

She was a little scared of him still, probably due to her naïveté, but once she was swimming she would relax and then . . . well, then he just had to get her up onto that jetty, out where no one could see or hear them. Then he would be able to explore her beautiful body in every way he had fantasised about. He licked his lips in anticipation and tasted the salt on them, placed there by the sea breeze. He needed to get back to Hermione before she got too far ahead of him and began to panic.

Hermione was focussed on walking, taking each step carefully in case the bottom suddenly fell away and left her treading water, so she didn't notice when Severus returned to her side. Although he had told her this beach was safe, she wasn't quite sure she trusted him. They were now waist-deep and walking was becoming harder with the pressure of the water pushing against her as it made its way to shore.

'Time to start swimming?' Severus suggested.

Hermione watched as he gracefully launched himself into the water. She wished she was that confident. She threw herself forward, desperately trying to keep her head above water and her hair dry as she tried an inelegant mixture of doggy paddle and breast stroke. She could see Severus was already way ahead of her, cutting through the water the same way he had done in the swimming pool.

She continued swimming, not with any expectation of catching up with him, but ploughing on slowly and steadily. Hermione realised that now she was actually swimming she was enjoying the fact that she was naked, without that wet lycra clinging to her body. It was liberating, just as Severus had told her it was, and she was surprised to find herself rather aroused.

Her nipples were erect, small hard buds, and she knew it wasn't anything to do with the temperature of the water since it was like a tepid bath in here. Instead, she knew it was the fact that she was naked in public, and slightly worryingly, it had something to do with Severus' naked body, too. Even as she swam she was unable to stop thinking about his penis, so rampant and magnificent, and once again she wondered what it would feel like. But she had no doubt that if she expressed even so much as a minor interest in it, she would find out, so she had to be careful.

Severus had returned to her side, having swum quite a way ahead. Having realised how slow Hermione really was at swimming, he turned back to rejoin her. At least she was steady and didn't seem to be tiring.

'Perhaps you should try the crawl,' he suggested as he trod water beside her.

'I'm not really very good at that,' Hermione admitted. 'I don't mind swimming but I never went too often before starting at Hogwarts and only during holidays since. I usually only swim in hotel pools and they aren't all that big.'

'I can show you if you want,' Severus offered, and he swam back and forth in front of her several times to demonstrate the stroke.

'I'll stick with breast stroke,' Hermione said after trying the crawl for a few minutes, imperfectly as she was unwilling to put her face in the water. 'I'm sorry if I'm too slow for you, Severus. I did warn you that I wasn't a very good swimmer.'

'You're doing well,' Severus insisted encouragingly. 'We're almost three-quarters of the way there.'

Severus swam off, reaching the jetty a few minutes later, then returned to keep Hermione company for a few minutes before swimming off again. He wondered whether she was more relaxed now; she certainly appeared to be.

Eventually, Hermione joined him at the jetty. He was out of the water, lying on his back on the still-warm wooden planks and looking up at the stars that shone so brightly there was hardly any need for lights. Severus wondered whether she would get out and join him or if he was going to have to coax her into it.

'So come on, admit that it feels great skinny-dipping,' he said smugly as Hermione pulled herself up out of the water, resting her arms on the jetty and her chin on her arms.

Hermione shook her head. 'I'm not admitting anything . . . although it was a nice swim.'

She smiled at Severus, trying not to look at the area where his penis was. She couldn't believe he was so blasé about flashing off his body, not when it was always so tightly cocooned at school under a myriad of shining buttons on the frock coat he always wore. He was a completely different person out here; Hermione actually found herself liking him.

'So are you going to join me?' Severus asked.

He sat up and held his hands out to help her onto the jetty.

'No, I'm okay here,' Hermione replied.

If she was honest, she would have felt more comfortable on the somewhat solid ground of the jetty rather than remaining in the water, but she was worried once again about her nudity. She was sure it wasn't a good idea for them to share the jetty, not with them both naked and showing signs of arousal. Severus might get the wrong idea, and out here there was little she could do to stop him.

'You'll get cold if you stay in the water too long,' Severus pointed out sensibly.

Hermione shook her head. 'It's warm enough. It's like being in a warm bath.'

'At the moment it is, but it'll soon cool down once you've been in there a while, especially if you're not swimming, and you'll catch a chill.'

He held out his hands to her again.

'I'm naked,' Hermione reminded him quietly.

'So am I,' Severus said, waggling his eyebrows playfully.

'I know, and that's rather the point,' Hermione said, a little more tartly than she meant to.

Severus shrugged. 'I still don't understand what the problem is.'

'You're my teacher,' Hermione told him.

Severus raised his hand. 'Not at the moment. Can I remind you that we're not at school? We're not even in the same country.'

'But you don't stop being a teacher just because you're on holiday,' Hermione said.

Severus chuckled richly. 'Of course I do, just as you're not a student at the moment. Anyway, the point's moot. I'm no longer employed at Hogwarts so I'm really not your teacher any longer.'

He saw Hermione shiver and knew she was getting cold from being in the water for too long. For the third time, he held his hands out to her.

'Come on, you're getting cold. You need to get out of the water for a while.'

Hermione hesitated for a moment, then said, 'You have to close your eyes, then.'

Severus stared at her in amazement. 'You're joking, right?'

'Not at all. Why would I be joking?' Hermione sounded a little upset.

Severus sighed and took hold of her hands, closing his eyes as he pulled her onto the jetty. Once she was firmly in place he released her and opened his eyes. His gaze swept over her, taking in the swell of her breasts, the small nipples he had considered so suckable were now stiff and just begging to be touched. Her flat stomach gave way to the mound between her legs, covered in coarse dark hair, allowing only a glimpse of what was beneath. He could feel himself stiffening even more.

'I don't know what you're so worried about, Hermione. You're beautiful,' he told her honestly.

'I'm embarrassed, all right?' Hermione muttered, her cheeks flaming as Severus continued to look at her. 'Don't stare at me!'

'Why not? You're definitely worth looking at,' Severus admitted.

Hermione dropped onto the jetty and wrapped her arms around her legs in an effort to cover herself up. She was sure Severus had noticed her erect nipples but hopefully, he would think it was because she was cold. She knew he was still watching her carefully but there was nothing she could do to stop that. Hopefully, sitting like this would help.

'So, what are we going to do now?' Hermione asked. She looked back towards the beach, a little shocked at how far away it seemed. She really was stuck out here, completely at Severus' mercy. 'I think we should be thinking about going back soon, shouldn't we?'

'Why?' Severus asked.

He lay down on his back again and stretched like a cat, and as he did so his magnificent penis bobbed, drawing Hermione's eyes back to it as if she was an addict. She was sure it was harder than when she had last looked at it. It was especially prominent now Severus was lying down.

'My parents wouldn't be happy if they knew I was here with you,' Hermione said. 'Regardless of what you think, you're still my teacher, even if you're an ex-one.'

'And I told you that doesn't matter.'

'I don't think my dad would be very happy about you showing me your willy,' Hermione pointed out.

Severus turned on his side to look at her with amusement. She watched as said 'willy' moved with its owner.

He sighed again. 'I don't know how many times I have to say it — I am not your teacher, Hermione, and you are an adult and perfectly old enough to look at whatever you want, regardless of what your parents think.'

'That won't matter to my dad,' Hermione warned.

'Then maybe we should find somewhere to hide it,' Severus suggested with a wink. 'Perhaps we should play a little game.' He moved closer to her. 'You should stop hiding yourself away, Hermione. I want to see you in all your glory.'

'I'm embarrassed,' Hermione mumbled.

Her heart was beating like a drum and she was surprised Severus couldn't hear it. She was worried about what he was suggesting but that arousal . . . oh, gods, that arousal was making her more interested to hear what he was suggesting, and she still couldn't take her eyes off his penis. She couldn't believe she had just called it a willy. How embarrassing and immature of her. But Severus hadn't seemed to care. He was talking about playing games and she knew what he was hinting at.

'I don't know why you're so embarrassed,' Severus reiterated. 'I've told you you're beautiful and I meant it. I'm not just saying it. You really are lovely, Hermione.'

He moved closer to sit next to her and trailed his fingers down over the soft skin of her shoulders as he spoke gently, seductively, calming her with his words.

Hermione stared at him over the tops of her knees. She could feel her arousal growing as Severus touched her. His hands were staying in safe places at the moment, but she knew if she gave him even the slightest encouragement they would move to other places, those areas Hermione had thought she didn't want him going anywhere near but now realised she desperately wanted him to touch. And if Severus touched her, then she could touch him in return. She would finally be able to hold . . . She realised that Severus was pulling her arm away from her knees, trying once more to reveal her body.

Hermione looked at him worriedly.

'Do you want to play a game with me, Hermione?' he asked softly, his voice so tender and smooth that it made her shiver.

'What sort of game?' she asked, wondering whether Severus would think her stupid for her answer or just naïve.

Severus moved closer, availing himself of the opportunity to take Hermione in his arms. She was definitely interested, he could tell, although she was trying hard not to show it.

'Well,' he said slowly as if considering. 'I know several games we could play and I'm certain you'd enjoy all of them.' He felt Hermione shiver again and he pulled her closer to him. 'But first I want to kiss you . . . if you'll let me.'

Severus clasped Hermione to him and bent his head so his lips touched hers, their mouths meeting in a perfect kiss; soft and tender to start with, growing deeper and more passionate as their tongues met and attacked each other.

Hermione wrapped her arms around him in return, holding him as tightly as he held her, her perfect breasts with those rock-hard nipples pressed against his chest. He was going to kiss them eventually, but he was enjoying this kiss too much to stop now.

'I want you so much,' he told her between kisses, and when he felt her hold him tighter he knew she was aroused, not just cold.

Hermione could feel Severus pressing against her as they kissed. He had moved slightly so she could hold him better and she could feel his muscular chest pressed against her breasts. She wondered if he could feel her nipples the way she could feel that wonderful erection of his, now pressed against her thigh. When the kissing stopped Severus was going to—

. . .

Hermione came to with a start; crying out in a sudden panic she jumped, looking around her for a moment and wondering where she was.

'I'm sorry, Sleepyhead, I didn't mean to scare you. I didn't realise you were quite so deeply asleep,' a gruff but pleasant voice said quietly.

For a moment Hermione's heart beat more rapidly as fear ran through her, but now more awake, she realised it was her father speaking.

Without missing a beat, he added, 'You've been asleep for quite a while, Minnow, and I was worried about you getting burnt. The sun's moved in the last few hours and the umbrella isn't giving you any shade any longer. I don't want you to end up with sunstroke or something.'

Hermione sat up and pushed her hair back from her face as she looked gratefully at her father. 'Thanks, Dad. Sorry — I must have really been out of it.'

Her father laughed. 'I expect it's this heat. It's wiped your mother out, too. It's given her a rotten headache so she's gone back up to the room to lie down in the dark with the air conditioning blasting in the hope that might clear it. I was just going to let you know where we were going . . . and see if you need anything before we go.' He paused for a moment then added. 'You seemed to be having a good dream. What were you dreaming about?'

For a moment a vision of Professor Snape kissing her as she surrendered to him filled Hermione's head, but she brushed it away, hoping desperately that she wasn't blushing as she remembered his naked body — or at least his naked body as she had imagined it.

'Nothing much, just holiday dreams,' she said with a smile and a shrug. 'You know.'

Her father nodded. 'Well, at least it was something nice, not those nightmares you've been having recently. So, is there anything you want before I go and join your mother?'

'A drink would be nice,' Hermione told him hopefully.

'I'll order one for you on the way in,' her father promised. 'Stay down here as long as you like. We're going to rest until it's time for dinner.'

As her father talked, Hermione looked at the position the sun lounger was in, then stood up to move it so it was under the large umbrella once more. She checked her skin to make sure she hadn't gone red and picked up her suntan cream to add some more just to be on the safe side.

Once her father left Hermione glanced across the swimming pool to where the muscular dark-haired man was still sitting with his blond friends, who she could now quite clearly see were nothing like the Malfoys. For the second time, she felt a flush of embarrassment run through her as she recalled her dream, which had without a doubt been inspired by the three men sitting on the other side of the pool.

Now she looked at the dark-haired man properly she could see he was younger than Professor Snape, and better-looking too although he did have the long dark hair and prominent nose that had reminded her so strongly of the ex-Potions Master and had been the catalyst for her dream. It was unlikely that the teacher had such a muscular body, but then it was also extremely unlikely she was ever going to find out if that was the case as Hermione had no idea where Professor Snape had disappeared to after killing Professor Dumbledore.

The man on the sun lounger did show what potential was there, though. If only Professor Snape would leave his dark and dingy dungeon and spend a few weeks in the sun then he, too, could have that perfect dark suntan that glistened every time the man moved.

As Hermione closed her eyes to slits, still surreptitiously watching the three men opposite her, she tried to work out why she had dreamt about Professor Snape and why the dream had been so sexual. She had never thought of the ex-Potions Master in a romantic way before, and certainly not after what he had done to the Headmaster, but now she'd had the dream she couldn't help thinking about him and wondering where he was.

Hermione doubted the feeling was mutual. She had never been his favourite student and he had always taken every opportunity to put her down. So, although she might dream that seeing her naked would have him lusting after her, in reality, he would probably be more likely to kill her as she was an enemy of his true master. Shame, though. She had never before realised what potential he held although of course, even if she had she would never have done anything about it while they were at school.

With a start, she realised that she was feeling aroused — probably a hangover from the dream, but it gave her wicked ideas as she looked once more at the dark-haired man and his companions. Maybe he wasn't Professor Snape and they weren't Lucius and Draco Malfoy, but they were all attractive and she wouldn't mind spending some time with them.

As a sudden idea ran through her mind, Hermione stood up and stretched, making sure her breasts were facing the three men as she did so. Through her dark glasses, she could see them stop talking as they watched her.

Without making it obvious that she knew she was being watched she pulled off her bikini top to release her breasts, pleased to see that her nipples were erect. By the time she had walked to the pool and dived in, gasping as she emerged from the cool, crystal-clear water that chilled her baking skin, she knew the men had left their sun loungers and were on their way to join her in the water.

Hermione smiled. This was going to be like shooting fish in a barrel and it was going to be so much fun.