I thank JKR for allowing us to play with her characters. As ever I make no money from this endeavour.
A/N: Again, I must grovel and apologise for the delay between updates; the outside world has seriously impacted my ability to sit and write. I hope it will not be the case moving forward and once again I pledge not to abandon this story.
No beta so please hop lightly over my mistakes :)
SS
Severus shuffled across the laminate floor of the kitchen before haphazardly rifling through unfamiliar cupboards in search of his drug of choice: caffeine. Once he had found his prize he briefly pondered why Granger kept the coffee next to the tomato soup; she always appeared so organised.
After having pulled and pressed a great number of buttons and switches he decided he was better off in not bothering to learn how to use what was, most definitely, an overly complicated appliance, so he charmed her coffee machine in to action.
Waiting for the coffee to brew he glanced around the small room; it was unsurprising, given that she was muggleborn, that Granger's kitchen was stocked with appliances such as a toaster, coffee machine and a microwave. On the few occasions he had been in to Lily's house as a child he had been mesmerised by the her family's need to have gadgets littered across the kitchen worktops. Severus recalled how, in his youth, he had sneered at muggles who had to invent machines to perform tasks he could complete with a simple charm. A charmed kettle was perfectly functional and more than met his needs.
His moment of reflection was interrupted as she called out from the bathroom, "Severus, I'm going to hop in the shower... but... later," followed by something even more unintelligible. Her flat wasn't large by any means, but he still couldn't make out what she was saying when she insisted on shouting from one room to another. Recently, he had come to the conclusion that it was one of her more maddening traits, along with an being unnaturally cheerful in the morning.
Reaching across the kitchen counter he grabbed two clean mugs and plucked the bottle of milk from the fridge. Severus held the bottle in his hand; growing up it was common practice for milk to be delivered directly from the dairy in the same glass bottles, something that was sure to be considered old fashioned in the muggle world. The coffee machine soon ceased its gurgling prompting him to fill the mugs with coffee, a splash of milk and a teaspoon of sugar for Granger.
Severus carried the cups through to the living room; set them down on the coffee table and was immediately greeted with a stark reminder of the previous evening, as if he could have forgotten. Hanging, rather awkwardly, across one of the sofa cushions was the pale blue blouse Granger had been wearing under her robes. He thought over her shameless proposition and couldn't repress a subtle smile. He had been hesitant at first; nervous of her expectations; of his own ability to please her; of the reality of their actions and what it meant for all of their future associations.
As he had pushed the blouse from her body to reveal the pale skin of her shoulders and the swell of her breasts, he had experienced a moment of unreality. He would have been lying if he had denied having imagined what she hid from his eyes with her practical everyday work robes, but his imagined image had paled in the face of the reality. Her skin had been so soft and her enthusiastic reaction as he ran the palm of his hand from her neck, along her shoulder and across her ribs had given him the confidence to continue. Though it was the morning after the night before, the very recollection still thrilled him.
They had moved to her bedroom rapidly where Granger had been more than eager to divest him of his own clothing; not for the first time in his life, he had wished for a different body. He wasn't a vain man by any means, that much was obvious, but he was a man with pride. They say that pride comes before a fall; never so much had be believed it when he prepared to display his naked body to other person. He frequently thought his skin too scared, his shoulders too narrow and his physique too scrawny, and yet, Granger had seemed to want to map and memorise every inch, quite literally in some instances.
She had kissed him desperately; her soft lips seemed to seek his hungrily, looking to claim him for her own, much to his surprise and delight. As far as he could recall no encounter with a member of the opposite sex had resulted in him feeling so revered and... wanted. Perhaps, in the past, it had been because he wasn't typically into taking a passive roll in the bedroom, or perhaps it was just because she desired him, and in typical Gryffindor style, set about making the fact known.
Their first union was at times awkward, frenzied and probably not of a sufficient duration to which he could be proud, but she had appeared satisfied. The second time, with more confidence, he had taken the lead and actively sought to draw out their pleasure and devote time and effort into pleasing her in as many ways as he could muster. Selfishly, he didn't usually take the time to learn a witch's body, but she was different; pleasing this witch was of the utmost importance.
Severus had woken early, as was his custom; he had watched her sleep and marvelled that he should find himself in such a position. It wasn't that he couldn't find a witch to bed if he chose, it was that Hermione Granger, inexplicably, had invited and encouraged him to her bed. She didn't appear to have giving any passing thought to their previous association: that he had been her teacher; that he had been a Death Eater; that he had treated her so poorly in the past. How could a person get over those things and find still him appealing? At that moment the pedestal upon which he had placed her had grown significantly in size.
"Oh wonderful, you made coffee!" Granger interrupted his reflective thoughts and bounced in to the room, casting a drying charm on her hair. The result was a frizzy mass which she proceeded to cautiously inspect in the full-length mirror by the front door of her flat. "Urgh, why does it always do this," she continued, poking at her hair. "I am at my wits end!"
Severus, of course, had no idea why it bothered her so much; could she not see that she was beautiful? He reached to over and plucked the red mug from the table and offered it to her, before sitting back and taking a generous sip from his own blue mug.
"What are your plans for today?" Severus asked, hoping to avoid any prolonged silences between the two of them, which he knew would make him feel awkward.
"Well, I have a morning of meetings; unfortunately, but I am fairly certain that this afternoon I will finally be able to finish the Higgins report and perhaps even make a start on some of the work for Perkins." He watched her sigh dramatically. "This does, of course, rely on being left alone long enough to sit down and concentrate."
"I was under the impression that the Perkins project wasn't due to commence until next month?"
"Well no," she took a sip of her coffee, "but you can't wait until the last minute with these things, they don't do themselves."
Severus took care to try and hide the involuntary twitch of his lips. She really hadn't changed at all and the closer they became and the longer their association continued, the more firmly he believed it.
"I shall be spending the majority day with my assistants; we've got over a hundred bottles of anti-nausea potion due to be completed by tomorrow," he offered.
"A hundred bottles?" Granger asked, clearly surprised, "has everyone taken up with a sickness or eaten bad prawns?"
"I make and develop potions, it is not my job to enquire as to their eventual use," he replied, before abruptly changing the subject. "Might I ask if your desire to be left alone this afternoon precludes you from a visit to the Iron Duke? I do recall offering to take you if you were good; I hope you'll be pleased to know your recent... behaviour warrants a reward."
His own reward was the shy, but utterly desirable look she bestowed upon him from behind her mug. "How could I refuse?" Granger grinned, "shall we say one o'clock?"
Severus nodded his agreement and gulped down the rest of his coffee. "I should go and take a shower or we shall be late."
SS
"If you wouldn't mind assisting Hutchinson this morning, his apprentice hasn't turned up, yet again."
Eldridge nodded and obediently gathered her things before leaving the room; her somewhat disappointed expression and backward glance as she left, was not lost on him. He almost wished that Granger had not made him cognizant of Eldridge's awareness of his person. Just this morning he had noticed her eyes following him around the laboratory as he set up cauldrons and reprimanded Simpkin for being five minutes late. Severus didn't wish to lose a serviceable assistant, especially one he was able to tolerate, but he wasn't certain he should allow the situation to continue.
His two remaining assistants worked diligently as they juggled multiple cauldrons, prepared ingredients and bottled completed potions. Severus felt a small measure of pride in the way they both seemed to know exactly what was expected. It seemed that even Simpkin was coming around; Severus would make a potioneer out of the boy yet.
SS
"Are you absolutely sure that man wasn't a reporter from the Prophet?" Granger asked, pushing her chips around her plate.
"I thought it was my job to be the paranoid one in this relationship?" He startled himself at his casual use of the word 'relationship', but hoped she didn't notice.
"I'm just fed up with all my comings and goings being front page news," she complained,oblivious to his shock. "It isn't like my life is all that interesting! I working in arithmancy for goodness sake; most people would consider that decidedly uninteresting."
"Ignore it; if we do not, we are in very real danger of spending every moment together discussing journalists." Severus eyed the remaining chips on her plate. "You are one of Potter's friends and I am... well the less said about that the better; suffice it to say, people are interested. Besides which, we have been more or less ignored since that match fixing scandal; I don't see that we need concern ourselves too much." He wondered what had brought on this sudden melancholy.
Granger sighed and pushed her plate away. "That was before there was an 'us', just an imagined 'us'."
"Are you going to finish your chips?" Severus asked, fork poised in mid-air in anticipation. Granger nodded, dropped her fork, and folded her arms across her body dejectedly. He completed the motion and gathered one of her chips upon his fork. "I cast a charm; even if he was from the Prophet, which I doubt, it wouldn't make any difference." He hated seeing her like this, so unsettled and unhappy.
"You are right, of course, I don't know why I am worried about it," she sighed.
"Of course I am right," he replied, plainly, reaching for another of her discarded chips.
Granger managed a wane smile and took a sip from her glass. "And you say I am the 'Know-it-all'."
"The difference is that I am not constantly forcing my knowledge onto other people; it is enough for me to know that I know."
"But you used to teach at Hogwarts and now you have an apprentice, is that not, imparting knowledge?" Granger declared triumphantly.
"It was, and is, my job to share my knowledge with a select group of other people. It isn't the same as waving your arm around at every opportunity in an attempt to impress the other occupants of the room," he replied evenly. "You attended your lessons in order to learn, not teach."
"Will you ever allow me to have the upper hand?" she asked, pretending to be annoyed at his arrogance.
"Only if you are very good," he responded suggestively and watched her cheeks redden. He was relieved that he had not upset her with his comments.
Severus wanted nothing more than to reassure her that it would all work itself out in the end. Many of his own skeletons were already out of the closet, much to his eternal embarrassment. Did he like his personal business published for all to discuss over their breakfast cereal? Of course not! He wanted to protect her, but what could he do, realistically? Lately he had come to the conclusion that more than a modicum of acceptance was going to be required as they moved forward.
"I don't suppose I could interest you in dinner at my place again this evening?" Granger asked, finishing the last mouthful of her wine.
"I could be persuaded, as you asked so nicely."
SS
Her hand swept across his bare chest as looked up at the ceiling, he thought he would never tire of being touched that way: so simply. Granger had wrapped herself around his body, her head resting on his shoulder; it made him feel trusted, protective and valued.
Honestly, he couldn't remember there being many, if any, happier moments in his life. Granger had insisted on going out for a 'special lunch' to celebrate their three month anniversary; whether such a thing existed had briefly been a matter for debate as she attempted to lure him out of his office with the promise of a ploughman's over at the Iron Duke. It had all been a ruse... they'd never made it.
In his post-coital haze he wondered if he had always been the sort of man who left work in the middle of the day for a lunchtime 'interlude', or if it was a new aspect to his personality. Working and living in a school as he had grown in to adulthood certainly meant it was unlikely that such opportunities would present themselves.
Granger sighed, pulled herself closer and ran her hand down his chest to rest on his hip. He was changing, he could feel it; he couldn't say how exactly, he just felt lighter, less weighed down with the prospect of the future.
"We should probably think about getting back." Granger mumbled before lifting her head to kiss his shoulder.
"I suppose we must," he replied regretfully. "Merlin only knows what will become of the the laboratory if I leave them to their own devices." He rolled out of bed and scrambled around by his feet in search of his clothes.
"Severus."
"Yes." He pulled his shirt on over his shoulders and felt his body stiffen; he didn't care for her business-like tone.
"My parents have asked to meet you."
"I see." He didn't need to turn around to know she was staring at him expectantly; he chose to remain silent and wait for her to speak again, no doubt it would be with an offer of something she knew he liked, as bait.
"We thought maybe Sunday, over lunch. Mum said she'd do a roast."
There is was."You have had this all planned I suppose." He lifted his waistcoat from the end of the bed and put it on. "Lure me in to your bed before leading me like a lamb to slaughter to towards the scrutiny and displeasure of your parents," Severus spat, fastening his buttons hastily.
"Don't be so ridiculous!" Granger moved around to his side of the bed.
"Yes, I am frequently known as 'Severus Snape, the Ridiculous'," he snapped.
Granger had the audacity to try and suppress a laugh, which irritated him no end. Could she not see how this would be difficult for him? He knew she was going to ask it of him eventually, but it felt too soon; it was surely too soon?
"My parents are nice people Severus, they want to meet you because I have told them how wonderful you are and how important you are to me." Granger grasped his hands in her own. "It isn't a big deal; we go and have a nice roast dinner with yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes and then we leave. That's it."
"You have conveniently left out the part where your mother takes you in to the kitchen to help her with dessert while your father takes me out in to the garden at gunpoint and instructs me never to see you again."
This time she did laugh. "My parents are dentists from Surrey not members of some... firm. They're very middle class, actually."
"And I suppose a middle class person has never committed a murder and dentists are everyone's favourite people," he replied sarcastically. As if a person's class came made any difference in such a situation!
"Well they're two of my favourite people and I would very much like them to meet one of my other favourite people." There was no doubt in his mind that his reluctance was beginning to cause upset; he could tell by the hurt in her voice.
Severus closed his eyes and took a calming breath. "Fine."
"Fine? What does that mean?" It was her turn to snap.
"It means I will come with you on Sunday and subject myself to the scrutiny of your parents," he replied solemnly. "But I shall warn you now, if they refuse to allow you to see me again you will have no one to blame but yourself."
Granger smiled. "This isn't the eighteenth century Severus, I shall see whomever I choose, regardless of my parents' approval. It doesn't matter anyway because they'll going to adore you as much as I do." She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him in for a kiss. "Well, maybe not quite as much as I do." He eyed her cautiously as she withdrew. "Your buttons aren't aligned properly," she pointed at his waistcoat before leaving the room in search of her dress.
He felt like a condemned man.
SS
A/N: A 'firm' is another word for an organised criminal gang.