(AN: Welcome to Chapter 14 of Confessions, I know I've been bad and should have been updating more but I've been busy I'm sorry, read the Author's note at the end of the chapter to get all my locations so you can kick me in the butt more often eh? Enjoy!)
Confessions
Chapter Fourteen
"You know you really don't have to stay with me, I can take care of myself." Hermione groaned as she began preparing a nest on the couch of her small apartment just down the hallway so her professor could stay and maintain her safety. Well, he probably wasn't worried about her safety more so the two children that were cradled deep within her womb just beneath her heart.
Time had been sluggish since both Hermione and Severus had left St. Mungo's that morning. Hermione was still in a state of shock, and had been hard pressed to say no when Snape insisted to stay with her in Muggle England.
"Until we can get you closer to the Wizarding World I'm not letting you out of my sight. You and your little friends got into enough trouble as children; I can only imagine what you are up to now."
Hermione scowled and rolled her eyes, her arms crossing over her chest indignantly, "You must think my life is pretty glamorous then. I'm not leaving until my apprenticeship in the Muggle Life Studies Course is finished."
To his dismay it was the only condition she wouldn't waver on from him, and in the end he allowed her at least that luxury. Although the conception of these children was a complete accident, now that the decision was made to continue on with the pregnancy, he wasn't going to allow her to jeopardize his heir's with her gallivanting all over hells half acres.
Hermione hadn't been too keen on the idea of having her ex-professor stay at her house the first time, and now he planned to stay until she decided to move to a house in Diagon Alley. He was intolerable.
"Well," she had just given him a small tour of her house, Crookshanks in tow quite enthralled with the familiar visitor. "There's food in the fridge that you can microwave, if it's too cold. You can use the coffee maker anytime. If you need to make any phone calls feel free to use the one on the dock over there." She pointed towards the television but was met with a blank stare.
"I have no idea what ANY of those items you just listed are. I'm going to go ahead and assume that the coffee maker is the thing on the counter." He pointed at the machine sitting on the counter. "And the fridge must been that large white thing." He hated how stupid he sounded to himself, a potions master baffled by the simplicities of muggle life. How she had lived so simply without the aid of magic for so long he would never understand. She was a witch; why not use the benefits of magic to her advantage?
Despite her seriousness, Hermione felt the corner of her mouth lift, "Don't worry about the phone, I'm sure you will just use owls anyways."
She pointed towards the living room couch, "That's where you will sleep; I don't have a second bedroom so you will just have to make yourself at home here."
"Thank-you for your hospitality," He replied stiffly with a curt nod, he looked over the surroundings suddenly debating whether it was the best idea to stay with her, he shook all inhibitions aside.
Hermione has since disappeared into the bedroom and was dialing on the phone. Snape eyed her quizzically as he prepared his bed on the couch. Crookshanks was sitting in the window next to the couch watching the Professor spreading his blankets. His yellow eyes glued to the stranger invading his house, and making his mistress smell so different.
Snape felt uneasy with the cat staring at him and attempted to shoo the creature away. The animal hissed and struck back with a feral growl then disappeared under the couch.
"Foul tempered Beast." Snape snarled, examining the scratch on his thin hand. Blood began to bead along the pale white of his skin. He wasn't aware Hermione came into the room until she spoke.
"Don't mind the cat. He doesn't like strangers who stay over." She had changed into her pajamas and was standing gripping the front of an oversized Mickey Mouse t-shirt. Her bare legs were thin and pale, and sporting a plaid pair of short shorts. Her brown hair was hanging loose and long down her back with tendrils curling above her ears, twisted gracefully at her collar bone. "I ordered some pizza if you are hungry."
Snape was awestruck at her appearance and simply nodded in reply. He was shocked with how much she had changed from the scrawny, knobby kneed, know-it-all he had taught all those short years ago. True he had seen and touched her milky flesh once before, but he had not had the time to truly appreciate how much her body had changed since she had been young.
She had continued into the kitchen, her face flushed with embarrassment, and opened the fridge to get a glass of water. "I'm assuming you will be fine with cheese and pepperoni. I didn't order mushrooms so if you like them, I'll cut up some now and we will add the when it gets here." She was panicking a little, her voice higher than usual and blathering on like an idiot.
Her heart was pounding with anxiety; this was all too much to take. From her pregnancy to having twins, to having her old professor not only move in but being the father of her children… A shudder fell through her, and she clutched the cool counter.
"Are you alright?" Snape had risen and come close, his hand hovering an inch from her shoulder, afraid to touch the girl. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, just give me a moment." Hermione panted in reply, working through her panic attack, his presence only making it worse.
As it slowly passed, he stood diligently behind her, the silence in the room apart from her labored breathing was deafening, and she jumped when there was a rapping on her door.
Taking that moment to duck away, she went to the door, and pulled out her wallet.
Snape went back towards the living room inhaling deeply to calm his own heart. Perhaps it was the fact that she was the only person he had been intimate with in a long while that caused him to feel the way he did. Or perhaps it was the intoxicating whiff of perfume from her neck that made him weak kneed and drunk with sudden lust. He was aware though of his own weakness for the girl and fought to keep it under control. Taking a seat on the couch, he ignored the claw foot that attached to his ankle with an angry growl.
Hermione returned and placed the pizza box on the table, she heaved a sigh, "The prices for these things are ridiculous. It's almost better for me to make my own then buy one. Save myself a lot of money in the long run." She took a cheesy slice and began devouring it immediately.
"I could have paid for it." Snape sat, back rigid in the comfortable seat.
She stopped eating for a moment and looked into his onyx eyes earnestly. "That isn't necessary I can take care of myself."
They sat silently, as Hermione continued to eat a monstrous amount of the extra-large cheesy morsel before her. As she neared the half point she became very aware that her guest wasn't joining her. Taking a moment to pull back, she saw a small smile creep on his lips through his peripherals.
"You are eating for three. It's fine." He raised his hand, and she began to eat (less voraciously) once more.
Full at last, Hermione took the remaining three slices from the box, and wrapped them in plastic wrap before sticking them in the fridge. As she headed back towards the hallway to her room, her eyes skimmed the clock, and she decided going to bed, to escape the awkward silence was her best defense.
"It's late, I better, Um…" she motioned her thumb towards her bed and the still Snape nodded in reply. "We will discuss… this, in the morning." Her eyes darted to her belly for a moment, before she turned and locked her front door. Flipping the light switch off in the hall she continued to her bedroom, and locked the door…
Her hand drifted to her belly which was swollen from having gorged herself. "How on earth am I going to do this?"
AN: I know I haven't updated in a few weeks, and I'm really sorry, I've gotten kinda sucked into the forums on and they can get kind of addicting. But don't worry I plan on continuing to update my blog on this story as well as on Fanfiction. Also I'll post all the links you need on my profile to find me if you ever want to chat or the like. I'm on facebook, twitter, and deviantart pretty much constantly, just tell me you are from here and I'll chat, Subscribe and Review please!