AN: Wow guys. I need to thank all of you for the reviews, the PMs, and the favs! My inbox runnith over…
Chapter Eleven:
Hermione Granger had never once fallen asleep in a classroom environment. But then, she'd never fallen asleep with Severus Snape inside her either until last night….
She wondered if she looked as marvelously shagged as she felt…but aside from the relentless, sleepy grin on her face and the dark circles she was sure were under her eyes, she doubted it. She had no idea what the current speaker was saying, or even why they were here this morning. She was too focused on the pleasantly sore feeling she had every time she moved.
Severus was looking at her out of the corner of his eye, smirking. Damn the man. He needn't look so smug about it. Well…maybe he did. It had been an extremely long night. As long as he did it again as soon as they left this thrice-damned lecture he could smirk all he liked.
She managed not to doze, but she didn't recall anything the speaker said.
Severus took her elbow as the other guests rose to leave. "What am I to do with you woman?" He chuckled in her ear.
She grinned up at him sleepily. "I have a list…if we're done here…"
Her dark haired lover grinned. "As if you could stay awake. Insatiable witch. There's brunch and we're expected at it." He leaned down and whispered "But as soon as I get a few cups of coffee into you, I'm stealing you away."
She groaned. "Do we have to go?'
He nodded. "Well, technically, we don't have to go…but if we don't we might as well leave the conference entirely…"
She considered that for a moment, and he wondered if she would really forgo the entire convention and spend a few weeks shagging him senseless. It would be a terrible business decision…but it was certainly tempting.
"Fine. We'll go. But I'm going to need a lot of coffee."
He pulled her close as he helped her to her feet.
The lovers did not notice someone watching them. They were both too sleepy, too satisfied…and at the same time, too intent on the next time they could be alone…
Severus was speaking with several colleagues while Hermione sat like a lump at the table, sipping coffee. She didn't feel much like the brilliant business asset he claimed she was. Apparently, he didn't worry with things like sleep or food. I'm never going to be able to keep up with the man. She snorted to herself. That didn't mean she wouldn't try. More coffee…that's the ticket…
Not that anything was going to mess up her mood. She had an unreasonable urge to giggle every time she saw Severus…his feline prowl reminded her of last night as much as her sore muscles did.
His eye kept wandering back to her, and she could tell that he was having trouble suppressing a smile. A smug, possessive, naughty smile (she'd seen it a lot the night before) but still…she made him smile.
She laughed at herself. Though he was less dour than he'd been at the height of the war, it was probably best that he didn't suddenly break out in a full grin. There were a lot of elderly wizards and witches at the conference and she was certain that at least one of them would have a heart attack if they saw Severus Snape grinning openly.
She jumped when a shadow fell on her.
She spilled her coffee.
Martin Greengrass was standing over her.
"Sorry about that." The young auror put down a plate from the brunch buffet and cleaned the spell with his wand, refilling her cup.
He sat down and gave her a conspiratorial look. "Don't tell Potter, but I decided that I could kill two birds with one stone if I sat down and ate with you…"
She didn't know him well, but he was a charming sort of person. She sipped the coffee. Just the right amount of cream and sugar.
"Thanks. Out of curiosity, which two birds were you planning to kill?"
He was tanned, with dark brown hair and amber-colored eyes….almost golden in fact. She wondered absently if Martin didn't have a little something other than wizard is his genetic mix…maybe some lycanthrope a few generations back…
"Why, doing my duty to protect thee fair maiden…and eating eggs and bacon."
Hermione chuckled. She absently passed him the salt.
He frowned. "That's bad luck you know."
She cocked her head to one side.
"What is?"
Martin gave her a little half-grin. "My mother's people are from Louisiana. According to her, passing the salt is bad luck…and if you shake out a table cloth after dark, you're asking for a family member to be injured."
Hermione snorted, but she was fascinated none-the-less. Other parts of the world had their own magical traditions. "Hoodoo? I've read about it of course…it's incredibly interesting, but since there isn't a school that teaches it…"
Martin snorted. "Oh no. Everything is kept very quiet…the matriarch of every family keeps the spells and tutors her line…spells are never shared, grimoires are destroyed if the family line ends. There's nothing like Hogwarts for Hoodoo." He took a large bite of eggs and chewed it neatly.
"But you went to Hogwarts."
Martin shrugged and patted his mouth. "My father's family was from Wales, and we've lived here most of my life…we only visited the States during the war. I'm afraid that with a Squib for a mother, my father felt like discretion was the better part of valor."
Hermione softened. "I can see why he would. A parent has to protect his family first of course."
Martin raised an eyebrow but didn't look up from his breakfast. Hermione peeked around to look for Severus again.
"I imagine my father was more concerned with protecting the family fortune."
She grimaced. "Like that, was it?"
He took another bite of his eggs. "It hardly matters. I didn't really come over to discuss my rather depressing familial history with you…I wanted to get your take on the hearts."
She was wrong. There was a subject that could ruin her good mood.
"I've had this conversation with Harry already."
Martin snorted. "No offence to the man-who-hammered-his-way-through-everything, but he doesn't hold a patent on magical ability or knowledge. I feel like we're missing something important about the hearts…something everyone should get…something simple. I was hoping you might have some insight."
Martin looked at Hermione, and she recognized that look. It was a lot like some of her 'fans'.
She sipped her coffee, more for something to do than for the warmth and caffeine. "I'll look into it Martin, but contrary to popular belief, I don't carry around the entire library in my head. Have you done any research into it?"
The younger man shook his head and gave her an embarrassed half-smile. "A bit. Reserch isn't my forte. I'm of more use at dealing with wards and hexing things."
She smiled at him. "Those are good talents for an auror to have."
He nodded. "They aren't the ones needed here if you're going to figure out what's going on with this."
She sighed. "You're right. I'll give the research another go as soon as the conference is over. Thank you for taking such an interest."
He smiled at her.
"You are the cleverest witch in Great Britain. I owe you more than I can say for inventing the Squib potion. The difference it's made in my mother's life…" He shook his head and reached across the table to pat her hand…just once…and then pulled his hand back. "The moment she wrote me and told me about how it changed things for her…I knew that I owed you everything."
His eyes were shining with emotion, it made her nervous. Hermione looked up for Severus again.
She met his dark eyes for a second. Thank God, he was coming over.
She tried to smile at Martin. "You don't owe me anything. I do my job…you do yours. You've saved lives as an auror I'm sure…"
Martin leaned forward. "There's a big difference between knocking a jinx away from someone and making an intolerable life livable."
She felt Severus' possessive hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him and smiled gratefully. The conversation was uncomfortable.
"Auror Greengrass. Is it customary to eat with those you are protecting?"
The younger man didn't bother to hide his dislike of Severus. "Well, it did allow me to get close to her. She was relatively exposed here in the middle of the room."
Severus glared. "Armed, in a room full of witnesses, and I promise you, I was watching the entire time." Hermione wasn't sure about the threat in Severus' voice.
Martin shrugged, unaffected by the other man's glare. "And we're dealing with a very clever person. If he wanted to take her somewhere he could simply Imperioused you."
Snape snorted. "Idiot boy. I've been throwing off the Imperious longer than you've been alive."
Hermione stilled Severus with a hand on his. He looked down at her.
"Thank you both." She gave Martin a small smile and got up. "I appreciate the care you're taking to keep me safe." Severus offered her his arm, and she took it gladly. "I would love to hear more about your mother's experience with the potion sometime soon…"
The young man smiled. "Please, call me Martin."
She nodded, just a tad uncomfortable. "Then you must call me Hermione." She smiled a bit and turned to Severus. "I didn't sleep well last night, would it be acceptable if we returned to the room?"
"Thank you for playing knight in shining armor."
He chuckled. "Yes, you need a knight errant to save you from the effusive thanks of fan boys."
"His mother…."
"I caught that part of the conversation. There are worse things, I suppose, than gratitude…but that does not mean that I liked the way he touched you, or the way the boy sneered at me. It reminded me a bit too much of all the sanctimonious prigs I've dealt with over the years…men who would sneer as I saved their damn lives."
He hadn't meant for the bitterness to leak out.
"Like Harry you mean…"
Severus snorted. "Potter? No, Potter was an arrogant little berk as a boy, but he somehow managed to grow up into a decent man. One cannot blame a child for not having an adult's grasp of a dangerous situation…especially when one realizes that most adults don't grasp it either."
He shook off his mood as they reached their room.
He started taking the spells down non-verbally long before they reached the door, and he leaned down to rumble in her ear "Now, mistress mine, I believe that you were the one that suggested that we return to our rooms…"
Her smile held so much lazy satisfaction that he was glad that he was the only one who could see it. It was a look that spoke of spectacular sex. If he hadn't already been hard to start with, that look would have done it all on its own.
She reached up and kissed him, softly, sweetly, but burning at the same time. She nuzzled his neck and whispered… "Make love to me."
Ye Gods…the witch is going to be the death of me…
He pulled her to him; neither noticed that someone was watching.
They barely made it into the room, shut and quickly warded the door, before their clothing came off with a quick spell. He was inside her with her back against the door, causing it to move with each thrust.
"Dear Merlin woman…how is it that you were so wet…."
She gasped at the force of him moving and wrapped her legs around his lean waist… She took a shuddering breath as the pleasure threatened to cut off her ability to think… "My body seems to be under the impression that if we are together you should be inside me."
He laughed and bit her neck, then licked her ear lightly. "Hmmm…I like how your body thinks madam. It might make business meetings a bit awkward, but I'm sure we can work something out…or skip the damn things."
She laughed, but the way his body was moving quickly caught her entire attention. She wound her fingers in his hair and kissed him…she poured everything she was feeling into that kiss and he responded by groaning and adding to the pace that was already driving her mad.
She was just inches from blacking out afterward. He was resting his sweaty forehead on her cheek, breathing raggedly. Her orgasms seemed to trip his. She eventually realized that they were lying on the floor on his robes, and her head was resting on his shoe.
"Mmmm…Oh god Severus. Why didn't we wait until we got to one of the beds?"
He chuckled and his breath on her heated flesh sent another wave of want down her body.
"I'll admit it witch. I couldn't wait."
"I'm going to have to get up before lying on your shoe gives me a crick in my neck." She fumbled in her discarded robes and found her wand. Severus found his without any fumbling. Typical.
He stood quickly and helped her up, then actually swept her up into his arms.
He kissed her as he carried her to his bed.
The sheets were cool. She almost hated to get into them as messy and sweaty as she felt, but he didn't ask. He laid her on the bed and snuggled in beside her, leaning on one pale lean arm and looking down at her.
She snuggled into his chest and yawned.
"That good was it?"
She gave him a sleepy grin. "Hmmm. You know it was. Modesty isn't one of your flaws."
He pushed back her curling hair and kissed her gently. "No, I daresay it isn't. Sleep now, I'll wake you in time for your speech."
She opened her eyes. "Stay with me?"
He laughed. "Of course witch. Didn't I tell you that you're never getting away now?"
She was almost asleep when he heard her mutter "good…"
AN: This is my favorite chapter so far! More Draco in Chapter 12…I'll upload it tomorrow after I finish editing!