CHAPTER 10

Hermione looked in awe as Snape leaned in to rub off the icing with his thumb and in more awe when he took the thumb to his to lick it off. Totally unaware of what he had just down, he finished his sandwich.

"So, I was thinking…" He looked up to her to find her staring at him. Caught staring, she looked away.

Clearing his throat, he continued, "I will be at Hogwarts anyway for teaching. You can either be here or at your home."

"My stuff has been magically brought to this place. So I guess I will stay here for a while. If that is ok with you."

"Fine by me. But find a way to leave me as soon as possible. Is that clear?"

She just nodded.

MASTER BEDROOM

"It is ok Hermione, just one day," she said to herself.

"Just one day," repeated Snape as he entered the room with Hermione.

"So, how do we do this?" asked Hermione looking at their bound hands.

In a quick spin, he had his arms around her waist as she looked at him with eyes wide open.

"We don't have a choice do we?" he said, heading towards the bed.

"Wait!"

"What?"

"Hm…"

"Miss. Granger. I have to attend classes tomorrow. I'm sleepy."

"I need to take a shower."

"Even I do. But it can wait till morning," with a swipe of his wand they were both dressed for bed.

"You should warn me before doing something like that," said Hermione still uncomfortable with his arms around her.

"Fine. Next time."

"What next time?"

"Woman, can you please come? I need sleep."

She followed her husband to the bed, as she lay on the bed with his arms still around her waist.

With another swipe the wand, the lights of the room dimmed.

NEXT MORNING

He woke up with her still in his arms. His hand hurt like hell. He tried to take his hand away only to find that it was still stuck. Was it stuck like this till they consummated or something? Gosh! He started to panic waking up Hermione in the process.

"Stop struggling," she said as she snuggled closer to him.

Just then the clock struck 8, releasing Snape from the bound.

Letting out a huge sigh of relief, he freed himself before going to the bathroom for a shower.

When he came out, Hermione was up and made way to the washroom.

When she came out, he was gone.

With a sigh, she made way to the dining room.

DINING ROOM

He was there fully dressed for school, reading the Daily Prophet and sipping his coffee.

"Good morning, Severus."

He dropped the newspaper and the cup of coffee, the coffee spilling on him and jumping from his seat.

With one eye closed, she bit her tongue when she realized she was the reason for it. Gathering courage, she mimicked him, "Twenty points from Gryffindor, for not respecting a professor."

"Not funny, Miss. Granger."

She controlled her laugh. Gosh, how much she loved to get on his nerves!

"You are to address me as Professor Snape. Is. That. Understood?" He said in a voice dangerously low.

She just shrugged and said, "I will think about it," saying so she made way to sit next to him in the dining table and began filing her plate with food.

As annoyed as ever, he summoned Dobby to bring him another cup of coffee.

Happily munching on her toast, she grabbed the Daily Prophet from his hands.

"Miss. Granger. What do you think you are doing?"

"Let's share the newspaper. After all we are going to share our lives," she said batting her eyes.

Muttering curses, he just threw the paper to her and concentrated on his food.

As soon as she opened the front page of the Daily Prophet, she choked on her food.

"I am going to kill Rita Skeeter. How did she even get this picture? She was not even in the wedding."

On the front page was the moving picture of Snape slipping her arm around her and winking at her at the wedding, just when he confronted Ron. The headlines said, "TEACHER-STUDENT ROMANCE ENDS IN MARRIAGE!"

And the text that followed had a rather graphic version of their supposed romance in Hogwarts when she was a student.

"I'm so going to hex her when I see her next."

"She is just doing this against me."

"Why?"

"It's nothing."

"No. Tell me."

"She has made advances and I have rejected it."

"Wow! She has bad taste!"

"What?" getting annoyed by the moment.

"Why don't you just sleep with her and we end this crap?"

"Why don't you just sleep with Potter or Weasley and we end this crap?" It was Hermione's turn to get annoyed.

"Just go to school before I hex you."

"As if I would want to stay," he said before flooing to Hogwarts.

Feeling suddenly lonely, she got ready to go to her office.

EVENING

HOGWARTS – DUNGEON

7:58 pm

"Mr. Teddy Lupin and Mr. Jason Riley. My. My. My. You actually thought it was safe to forfeit my detention and listen to Dumbledore's orders."

"But sir…"

"Quiet. Go and start scrubbing the cauldrons and don't dream of going to sleep early today…" as soon as he said it, he felt an invisible force whisk him and a pain starting in his left arm. He closed his eyes, only to open them when he felt water sprinkling on his face.

BACK HOME

"WHAT THE…?" shouted Hermione.

Snape closed his eyes again trying to erase the picture of a very naked Hermione in the shower from his mind.

(TO BE CONTINUED)