Strange Bedfellows

Chapter 4

Severus waited several minutes to allow Hermione to calm down before he approached her. When he entered the living room she was staring at the Pensieve with a sour look on her face.

As he sat next to her she looked up at him and one corner of her mouth quirked up in a half smile. Well good, apparently it wasn't him she was ticked off at, in spite of the confrontation in the kitchen. "You looked disgusted just now. Has that Pensieve offended you in some way?"

She shook her head, and turned to stare at the Pensieve again. "I was just thinking. I'm going to have to go back in there, to view the dream. That is... what I thought was a dream. What I mean to say, is I'm going to have to go back and review the sex. Even though I can't remember his face, I do have some very vivid impressions of what went on. Maybe viewing it will trigger some other memories." She paused and looked up at him. "Why is it I can't remember anything about that night after the two of us danced, yet I can still recall these brief graphic snippets of wild, intense, raw, incredibly passionate sex?"

Severus cleared his throat then, answered softly, "I suspect you remember it precisely for that very reason. Because it was just that: wild, intense, raw, and incredibly passionate. The combination of emotions and hormones probably affected your brain chemistry enough to throw off the effects of the potions briefly. Not enough that you could remember everything, just the most intense moments."

She considered this for a moment. "If your theory is right, maybe that's good. That means what I recall was not really the best sex of my life, I'm merely remembering the most intense moments—the highlights, so to speak."

"Thank Merlin. That would be hard to compete with," he said without thinking.

Realizing what he'd said, he glanced over at her in time to see her blush before she covered her face with her hands.

"Severus, I have to go in there alone. I can't have you and Harry watching, it would be wrong on so many levels. It would be like having my brother and my... my... well, someone I care for, watching some kind of porno flick with me in the starring role."

He didn't exactly relish the idea of watching her in such a role either, especially with Potter looking on. Severus felt his stomach churn at the thought of seeing Hermione in the throes of passion with some nameless, faceless wizard. Still, he felt compelled to point out the obvious. "It may be difficult for you to be objective. You may miss clues that a more impartial witness might catch."

She stared at him in skeptically. "Oh, and you think either you or Harry could be impartial?"

"Absolutely not," he declared emphatically.

"Good to know," she responded with obvious relief.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts until Severus decided it was time to put Harry's lesson to the test. "Hermione, about what we were discussing in the kitchen..."

"Severus, I don't intend to leave my home. I can take care of myself, I have been doing so for years," she said firmly.

"Yes, I do agree you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself," he said calmly, watching her face from the corner of his eye for signs of rebuttal. Ahhh, there, she'd just taken a deep breath to begin an argument but his agreement had thrown her off balance.

"You do?"

This was going well. Now to reassure and sooth her. "Of course, I never meant to imply otherwise. Not only are you highly intelligent, but you're a very powerful witch as well. However, you must admit that we just don't know what we're dealing with. It could be, as Harry said, some practical joke gone wrong, or payback from someone who bears you a grudge, or something much more disturbing by far. We just don't know, and neither do you if you are honest with yourself."

She seemed to consider his words for a moment before speaking. "Okay, you're right about that. But it has been weeks. Don't you think if someone were going to try something else, he would have done it by now?"

"It seems likely, yes. But someone who is obsessed can be very patient; he could simply be biding his time."

"Or it could have been a one off—he got what he wanted and he's moved on."

"Or not." Severus sighed dramatically, he hoped he wasn't overplaying his part. "Hermione, why did I come here yesterday?"

She looked at him guiltily then responded softly, "You were worried about me, because I'd sent you that note and then left you hanging without updating you as to what was happening. I am sorry for that, Severus, I never meant for you to worry."

"Exactly, but I did, and I will continue to worry about you until we get to the bottom of this. Harry will too, and with just cause. If some madman was willing to dose you with an illegal potion and take advantage of you in a public place while you were surrounded by your friends, what might he be willing to do if he managed to get you alone." He could see she was wavering at his calm reminder of the risks, so he went in for the kill. "And, it's not just your welfare you need to worry about now, is it?"

Hermione's hands immediately closed protectively across her abdomen as she contemplated his words. "I suppose I could move in with Harry for a while," she finally agreed, reluctantly.

"No—" he began.

"No?" she interrupted with a suspicious look.

"Think, Hermione. The entire wizarding world knows how close you and Harry are. His home would be the first place someone would look for you." He paused, uncertain how she would take his next statement. "However no one would ever think to look for you at my house. You have to come to work anyway, and staying there would save you having to Apparate, which only aggravates your nausea."

"Severus, I couldn't impose."

"It's not an imposition. It's not like I'm still living in a two-up two-down. I have plenty of room, and outside work hours, in our spare time, we can try to figure all this out. Plus, we both know that there is a strong attraction between us, I know you can feel it as much as I do. In spite of your fears to the contrary, the fact that you are pregnant does not change my feelings at all in that regard. I want to explore it, now, more than ever."

She hesitated. "You discussed this with Harry?"

"Not about the attraction between us, but yes, we are both in agreement that you should not to be alone here right now, and this is the best solution," he lied smoothly. It was true that Harry and he had discussed getting her out of her flat until this was all settled, but they had definitely not chosen his home as the most likely location for her to stay. That was entirely Severus' idea. A very good idea it was, in his honest opinion. So much for the persuading, now for the begging, he thought. "Please, Hermione, won't you consider this idea? It would put Harry's and my mind both at ease. Please?"

She heaved a dramatic sigh. "Oh, very well. I still don't think I'm in any imminent danger, but I suppose it won't do any harm to get away from here for a few days."

While Hermione had dreaded the prospect of having to view her dream-sex memories in the Pensieve she was a bit perturbed when the option was suddenly taken away from her.

"Harry, you can't take it now," she objected, even as he was packing it up to go.

"Hermione, I have to. I just got a message from Millie down at the Aurory. She's on duty this weekend and she agreed to cover for me when I 'borrowed' the Pensieve, but there's been a big break in a case and our supervisor is going to be demanding it any time. I have to take it back or she'll be in big trouble."

"But I still need to watch the smutty stuff and see if I can learn anything." As soon as the words left her mouth, she flushed. "Errr... that is... I... oh, hell, that didn't come out right. What I meant was that I have to review my sex bits for research. Oh no... that doesn't sound right either. Damn it, you know what I mean."

Harry grinned as he headed toward the door carrying the Pensieve. "Sorry, love, gotta go. Maybe you can get Severus to help you research your sex bits."

"Harry!" She grabbed a pillow and threw it at him as he laughed, closing the door behind him.

She started as arms wrapped around her and a voice rumbled close to her ear. "Next time throw something heavy, it will hurt more. And just so you know, I'd be more than happy to help you research your sex bits. I'm sure we could both learn lots of things."

"Oh, dear goddess. You heard that part?" she said, leaning back against his chest. "How can you joke about it? It's awful!" she said, torn between misery and a desire to laugh

Severus drew her to the couch but instead of sitting her next to him he pulled her down onto his lap. "We've both made it clear that we care for each other and we want to try to make this work, correct?" Hermione nodded in agreement. "What happened that night at Draco's party is like the elephant in the room. We can tip-toe around it and pretend it isn't there, but it's not going to go away. Even if we try to ignore it, we'll have a permanent reminder by the end of this year." His laid his hand tentatively over her stomach.

Hermione choked up. "I'm so sorry. I wish we could start over and that none of this had happened." She sobbed once, trying to hold back tears.

"Don't apologize. You've done nothing wrong. Perhaps I am explaining this badly." Severus pulled her in close so her head rested on his shoulder. "You asked me how I can joke about this? I was awake half the night thinking of nothing but our situation and I came to this conclusion: I could be bitter and jealous and angry, but it would solve nothing. If these were normal circumstances and we were on the verge of a new relationship, neither one of us would be coming into it as innocents. We both have pasts to deal with. What happened that night is just part of your past, but you are in no way guilty of any wrong-doing. We will have to let the past be the past and start from right now—this moment."

She lifted her head to look him in the face. "Can we do that? I mean, do you think it will work?"

"I think it can if we want it to. I do have one proviso, however. I realize we still need to search for answers, to find out who the fa... that is to say, the sperm donor is, as he may be someone who could be a danger to you or to the baby. While I know it's too early for either of us to commit to something more permanent, what I propose is this: from this moment on, for all intents and purposes, this is my child—our child."

Hermione drew back in disbelief. "Severus, are you serious?"

"I have never been more serious in my entire life," he answered. "The baby is a part of you, that's what's important to me."

"Oh Severus!" she wailed, breaking into tears and sobbing on his shoulder.

He cuddled her close, his voice slightly gravelly as he whispered in her ear. "So, will you agree?"

"Yes, yes, of course!" she cried, wiping her tears on the sleeve of her shirt.

He handed her a hanky. "You know, if you're going to be crying all the time you should carry one of these."

"I never cry," she declared, wiping her eyes and then blowing her nose loudly.

"Of course you don't," he replied. "I'm sure it's the hormones."

Hermione threw her arms around his neck and snuggled close. "Yeah... must be the hormones. That's it—fucking hormones."

Not wanting to give Hermione time to change her mind, Severus set her to gathering whatever she would need for the next week or so. He assured her that anything she might leave behind could easily be fetched later. By the time Harry returned, Hermione was in her room finishing the last few things she'd forgotten to pack.

Severus took advantage of her absence to inform Harry of their decision. "Not that it is anyone's business, but from here forward, as far as the rest of the world is concerned, Hermione is carrying my child. I for one would appreciate your silence on the matter Potter," he commanded gruffly.

Harry looked at him with something akin to awe. "On my word of honor, your secret is safe with me," he promised, holding out his hand to shake on it. Severus grasped his hand firmly, only to be shocked when Harry mumbled, "Oh, hell!" and pulled him into a hug. "You're a good man, Severus Snape."

Severus sputtered briefly and shoved him away. "Yes... well... here," he said, pushing a slip of paper into Harry's hand. "It's the address of my home—it's secret-kept so you'll need this. Hermione, I am sure will be expecting you to come round, so you should know how to find us."

"Thanks. Isn't Hermione planning to come back here eventually, though? After we figure everything out and we know it's safe for her, I mean."

Severus hesitated, then took the plunge. "I am in hopes that by then I will be able to convince her to make our arrangement something more... permanent. If she will have me, that is." Harry's face broke into a grin and he made a move toward Severus who took a quick step back, hands raised. "No hugs, Potter. Slytherins don't hug."

Harry eyed him quizzically for a moment then asked, "But you'll hug Hermione, right? She's a very affectionate person, she'll be expecting it."

Severus nodded warily.

"Good. And you'll hug the baby too, sometimes, right? Babies need lots of hugs and attention."

Again Severus nodded. Where was Potter going with this?

"Great. So the truth of the matter is that when it comes to their family, Slytherins obviously do hug!"

"What's your point, Potter?" Severus said, figuring whatever the point was, he wasn't going to like it.

"Well, Hermione's the closest I'll ever come to a sister, so I guess this will make us sort of like brothers, or brothers-in-law at least. Face it, whether you like it or not, that makes me family," said Harry with a cheeky grin as he swooped in to hug Severus again.

"Dear Merlin, save me from Gryffindors," Severus muttered under his breath as he extricated himself.

"You know at one point, knowing I can never father a child of my own, I thought I might be a father figure to Hermione's child, " admitted Harry, wistfully. "But I think you're a great alternative, Severus."

"I'm sure that the baby will be needing an uncle or perhaps even the services of a godfather eventually,"

said Severus cautiously.

As Harry moved toward him again, Severus brought his wand up. "I swear to Merlin, if you try to hug me one more time, Harry Potter, I will hex your sorry arse!"

"What?" said Hermione from the doorway. "There's hugging and hexing going on in here? What's that all about?"

Harry proceeded to hug her and explain that Severus had revealed his plan to claim the baby as his own. Hermione smiled fondly at Severus and blinked back tears while muttering something about 'stupid hormones'.

Before Severus and Hermione set off, it was decided that Harry would check with Pansy and try to determine the origin and type of Lust Potion she had used and if she had noticed anything unusual that night. They would also need to get their hands on another Pensieve as Harry wouldn't have access to the one at work until possibly next weekend, if then. Severus admitted he might know where he could get his hands on one and promised to investigate the possibility.

Severus had a bit of an awkward moment when they arrived at his home. He hadn't planned any of this in advance and had no idea whether he should offer her the guest room or move her right into his own room. It seemed a bit bold to just move her in with him, but if that's what she was expecting and he put her in a guest room her feelings might be hurt. On the other hand, if she wasn't expecting to stay in his room then she might be offended. Fuck! This whole relationship thing was harder than he'd thought, and they'd barely started.

There were three bedrooms upstairs aside from his own. One of them he used as a makeshift library for his overflow of books and journals. Another was tiny and currently half full of boxes he'd never bothered to unpack even though he'd lived here for several years. The third was across from his bedroom, and was a fully functional guest room with a comfy bed and a nice goose neck reading light on the bedside table. He just didn't know which room he was supposed to offer her.

Hermione, who had stopped to use the loo, solved his dilemma without even realizing there was one. She came up the stairs and stopped before him as he stood in the hallway between the two rooms.

"So, which room is yours?" she asked, glancing from one to the other. He pointed to the room on the right. She poked her head in and looked around. "Great," she said. "I like it." She levitated her bags in and proceeded to rearrange the closet to make room for her things.

Well that was much easier than he'd expected.

She came out of the closet looking well pleased. "Is there room in the dresser for some of my things?"

"There's more?" he asked in confusion. "Your bags didn't look that big." Which was why he'd specifically mentioned back at her flat that they could come back for whatever she needed later. He had expected her to just throw together a couple days worth of stuff.

"Undectectable Extension Charms," she replied. "I perfected it when we went on the run, seventh year. It's handy to know."

"Hmmm... I often wondered how it is you seem to have just about everything in that handbag of yours."

"So now you know," she replied with a grin. "Any room in the dresser? I suppose I could use the charm and get by with just one drawer."

Severus was a bit flustered at her easy appropriation of his personal space, but at the same time pleased that she was making herself at home. "Not necessary. I don't have a lot of stuff, it's just spread out. I'll consolidate it. See, socks in with the pants, and I can move these over here... I really don't need to keep my old t-shirt collection in here, I'll put them in the spare room. There now... jumpers to this drawer and there you go. You have half the drawers free for your things," he said, looking up at her with a smile. "I'll put these away and head downstairs to start dinner. Take your time and come down when you're done."

Quite satisfied with how things had turned out, he wandered down to the kitchen humming a snippet of 'Stairway to Heaven' under his breath.

He fixed a simple dinner which they both enjoyed. Afterward Hermione volunteered to clean up since he'd cooked, and they discussed the division of the chores. While she tidied the kitchen, Severus went out to the lab to check his inventory for the project they were going to start the next day, and did some minor prep work on a couple of the ingredients.

By the time he came back in, Hermione had settled in the sitting room with a cup of tea and a book. She poured him a cuppa and he opened his newest Potions journal, ready to sit back and enjoy a relaxing evening. Life didn't get much better than this, he thought, congratulating himself on pulling it all together with hardly a moments notice.

Little did he know that before long everything was going to go pear shaped.

Hermione spent most of the evening pretending to read her book, while surreptitiously observing Severus from beneath her eyelashes.

She'd been attracted to the man within a few weeks of coming to work as his research assistant. It had come as quite a shock to her. She'd been excited to get the job, of course, because... well, because it was Professor Snape. He was without a doubt the most intelligent man she'd ever known and his research was cutting edge, which in itself was heart-poundingly exhilarating for someone like herself. She'd certainly never expected to find herself attracted to her former teacher in more personal, more intimate ways. Gradually though, she'd started noticing little things about him that she never had before: how his eyes lit up when they were brewing an especially difficult potion and it came out right, or how animated he became when they were debating the pros and cons of a controversial article from one of the journals, or how beautiful his hands were as he was preparing ingredients, writing notations on a new potion, or even just turning the pages of a book.

She gave herself a little shake and rolled her eyes. Get a grip, Hermione. You're waxing poetic over his hands, for Merlin's sake. Still, the truth was, she'd never wanted anyone as badly as she wanted him—and now, unexpectedly, in the matter of a couple of days, here she was living in his house and aching to crawl into bed with him tonight. It suddenly seemed overwhelming. In spite of the fact that she'd secretly lusted after him for months, they'd hardly touched except for earlier when he'd cuddled her on his lap. They'd never even kissed, for Circe's sake. What was he going to expect of her tonight? What had she been thinking? Oh, sweet goddess, this was a recipe for disaster if ever there was one.

A few moments later the clock chimed ten o'clock. Severus put his journal down and stood to stretch. "Ready to go up?" he asked, looking at her expectantly.

"Umm..." For an instant she considered telling him she was right in the middle of an exciting bit and wanted to finish the next chapter. Or three. Then she realized she hadn't turned a page in the last fifteen minutes and knowing him he'd probably noticed that. "Yes, I'm ready if you are," she said, pasting a bright smile on her face to cover her nerves.

There was an awkward moment when they got up to the bedroom, where they just stood next to the bed and stared at each other, then Hermione gestured toward the bathroom and said, "Why don't you go first? It will probably take me longer anyway. Girly stuff, you know."

He nodded and disappeared into the bathroom. She gathered her things together, then rushed in as soon as he came out, practically slamming the door behind her. Once in the bathroom she took her time. She put on her nightie, brushed her hair, started to lotion her legs then decided to use a quick Depilatory Charm first, lotioned them again, cleaned her face with cleansers and moisturizers, then brushed her teeth. She was in the process of flossing and staring into the mirror wondering what in hell she'd been thinking in accepting his offer to stay at his house, let alone in his room. Suddenly she froze, an icy feeling of dread trickling down her spine as she recalled the scene from earlier today when she'd come up the stairs. Had he asked her to move into his room? Or had she merely assumed that was his intention?

Hermione gripped the edge of the sink and stared at her reflection in horror with a hunk of floss hanging from between her teeth. He hadn't been busy clearing out space for her things, he'd been standing in the hall between the two rooms. She sat down on the closed lid of the toilet with a hard thump and stared sightlessly at the door that stood between them. What a total idiot she was! He hadn't objected, though, had he? Of course, how could he, when she'd just barged in and started rearranging his closet to make room for her things. Elbows propped upon her knees, she covered her face with her hands and moaned softly. How was she going to go out there and face him now that she realized the truth? This was so awkward. Maybe she could just flush herself down the toilet like the ones at the Ministry, or maybe if she sat here long enough he'd fall asleep...

A tapping at the door roused her. "Hermione? Is everything alright? Are you ill?"

Scratch that option. He hadn't fallen asleep. She had no idea what to do. The now-familiar tears stung the back of her eyes. Damn bloody hormones! She never cried, and now somehow, she'd turned into a perpetual watering pot—she was sick of it. Taking a deep breath she wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. She was a Gryffindor, she was Hermione Granger, and she was done with tears, damn it.

Severus stood outside the door for the longest time, unsure if anything were wrong or not. She'd been in there forever it seemed. 'Girly stuff,' she'd said, but Hermione Granger was the least 'girly' female he knew, so what did that mean? Apparently whatever it was it took an inordinate amount of time. He paced silently on bare feet across the room several times, finally coming to a stop before the door again. Should he wait? Was this normal? He leaned close to the door and and heard a soft moan from inside.

Enough was enough. He tapped on the door lightly. "Hermione? Is everything alright? Are you ill?"

"Yes... err... no... I'm fine. I'll be right out."

Hermione's voice sounded hesitant and a little shaky. The knob turned and the door opened a crack then swung open to reveal Hermione standing there. She was wearing a pale blue, knee length cotton nightie with a scoop neck and a bit of white lace trim. It was not something he would have considered sexy in any way, shape or form, in any other situation, but seeing her there now his mouth went dry and he felt an involuntary tightening in his groin.

"Are you all right?" he asked, his voice slightly gravelly. "I thought I heard a moan."

"Yes, I suppose you did." She chewed her lip for a moment then cleared her throat. "That was me having an epiphany that I somehow managed to move myself into your bedroom without so much as a by your leave. I am so sorry, Severus. When I came up the stairs this afternoon I put all my things in here, thinking that was what you expected."

He felt a heaviness settle in his chest. His cock had definitely gotten the message also and was no longer straining to attention. She hadn't wanted to stay with him; she'd only done it because that's what she thought he expected. He focused his eyes in the vicinity of her toes, not wanting her to see the disappointment in them. "It's perfectly all right. You may use the guest room, if you wish."

"That would be fine, if you'd rather I do that," she said, her voice subdued.

He glanced up quickly and thought he caught a fleeting look of something—disappointment, or longing perhaps? Had he misunderstood? She seemed to be mumbling something, so he took a half a step closer and listened carefully. "I'm a Gryffindor... I'm a Gryffindor... I'm a Gryffindor..."

Taking deep breath, Hermione stepped forward until she was standing directly in front of him, nearly touching, but not quite. She looked directly into his eyes. "Before I move across the hall, though, I want to be certain there aren't any misunderstandings here. I'll admit that I'm rather nervous and unsure of myself... of us. This is all happening very fast, after all. In just few short days, we've gone from being colleagues and friends to something much more, and for myself I want that very much."

She took half a step closer. The tips of her breasts now brushed lightly against his chest and it felt like an electrical charge. She reached up tentatively, her fingers just barely caressing his face. Even that slight touch caused his cock to twitch again and his legs felt like he'd been hit with a Jelly-Leg Curse. Dear Merlin, she could bring him to his knees with a mere touch.

"Honestly, I've wanted this for quite some time," she continued, her voice husky. "I am right where I want to be, Severus—here with you. I want that to be perfectly clear. But just a few minutes ago I realized that I sort of bulldozed my way in here earlier, so if this is moving too fast—if you think we should slow down—then you need to tell me straight out that you want me to take the guest room and I'll respect that decision. I assumed that you wanted me here with you, but you told me yesterday I should never assume anything without proof."

He reached for her then and jerked her body hard against his, wrapping her in his arms. "Come here, woman, here's your proof," he growled as his lips claimed hers in a searing kiss. Hermione groaned as she kissed him back with an equal fervor. He wasn't quite sure exactly how it happened. It seemed as if one second they were standing in the middle of the room holding each other, kissing, touching, hands roaming everywhere. Then somehow, the next thing he knew, they were on the bed, both naked, her nipple in his mouth and his knee pressed snugly against the apex of her thighs as she undulated against him and stroked his cock while she whispered filthy, dirty things in his ear.

The evening progressed rather quickly from that point on.

They lay in bed spooned together, exhausted but well satisfied from their exertions. Both of them were nearly ready to drift off when Hermione murmured sleepily, "So, I'm assuming I'll be staying in your room with you?"

"Mmm...Hmm... " hummed Severus, wrapping his arm around her and scooting her in even closer. "I must say, I think taking things slowly is highly over-rated."

Hermione shivered slightly at his words.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"I don't know... that was weird. When you said that, it was like déjà vu." She snuggled close to him. "G'night, Severus."

"Goodnight, love."

TBC