A/N: Hey everyone, happy 4th of July. Sorry I didn't update yesterday like I said I would to a few of you. But it's my anniversary this weekend so I was a bit tied up.
Sorry for the cliffhanger but it couldn't be helped. Thanks for all the great reviews. I loved them all. Epilogue is next and its rather long.
Hope you guys join me when I finally finish and start posting my next story. Take Care Everyone and keep the reviews coming.
Chapter 21
Hermione gasped at Fred's nakedness, never having seen it before. Her eyes going wide as she saw how well he was endowed. She never would have guessed by looking at him. Seeing him attack Severus brought her out of her shock at seeing Fred. She tried to stand but with them wrestling, they rolled into her and she fell over again. George wasn't helping either, he was just laughing and holding onto the door for support. Damn bloody useless git. She thought, as she stared at George.
She grabbed her wand again since it had fallen out her hand as she fell a second time. She tried to holler at them, but they kept on rolling around and fighting. Pointing her wand at her throat. "Sonorus." She said, amplifying her voice.
"THAT IS ENOUGH OR I WILL PUT YOU BOTH IN A BODY BINDING SPELL, THEN DECIDE WHAT BEST METHOD OF TORTURE TO USE ON YOU BOTH." Hermione said in her booming voice while wincing as the loudness made her head ache a little, doing her best not to slur. Both men stopped rolling around to stare at her. She pointed her wand at her throat again. "Quietus."
She flicked her wrist and Fred at least now had a pair of boxers on. She then stood up again, or tried to anyway. Grabbing onto the bed for support, she finally got on her feet. She watched as both men stood up glaring at each other.
Severus dusted himself off. If one more person attacked him, he might just go ahead and kill someone. He looked up and saw that Hermione was wearing only a shirt and her knickers. From the looks of it, she wasn't wearing her own shirt either, but someone else's. He glanced down and saw her clothes just thrown all over the room. An oddity for her.
Hermione glared at him. "Severus what on earth are you doing here?" She asked her words slurring just a bit this time.
He raised an eyebrow at her. She was drunk too? That explained why her clothes were scattered over the room. "I came to talk to you." He said stiffly.
Fred snorted and Hermione glared at him before turning back to Snape. "What could you possible say to me now that you couldn't say all month that your doors were locked?"
He sighed. "I..." He turned to the two boys in the room. "Can you two give us some privacy?"
The twins grinned and said in unison, as they did most of the time anyway. "No."
Hermione sighed. "Boys, please give us a few moments."
George looked at Fred who stared back at George, then both boys turned back to her. Fred spoke. "But Mione, he...he made you cry."
Snape swallowed and looked away while frowning. Guilt at making her cry when she had already so much pain in her life was eating away at him. He didn't normally feel guilty over anything. Just another thing she had changed in him.
Hermione glared at both boys, then her look eased knowing they only wanted to protect her, that they cared for her. She smiled at them. "I know. It's okay, really. I'll shout if I need anything."
Both boys looked at her for another moment then both glared at Snape before leaving. Fred helped George who was having trouble walking without stumbling in his drunken state. Hermione sighed as she sat back down before she fell over again. She looked up at Severus who was frowning, but still not looking at her.
She shifted to get comfortable. "Severus, what are you doing here? How did you even get here?"
He glanced her way, seeing the haze in her eyes from the alcohol she had consumed. "I told you I came to talk to you." He walked over to her, squatting down to look at her. "Hermione, I'm sorry. I...I didn't realize the doors were still locked. I thought you just never came back down."
Hermione stared at him. "You didn't know the doors were still locked?" Stressing the word still. She cocked her head at him. "Were they locked to everyone or just me?"
He wanted to look away from her eyes, hazy or not they still saw more than he wanted them to. "They were locked to everyone…including you." At her raised eyebrow when he stayed silent, made him sigh. "I added a charm to keep from hearing you knock too."
She stared at him for several moments, nothing in her eyes giving away her thoughts, nor in her expression. He waited, knowing she would say something eventually. Suddenly her arms shot out and knocked him to the floor again. His bum starting to get sore from all the falls he had taken already tonight.
She stood over him, not thinking about the fact that she was only wearing a t-shirt and kickers, giving him a nice view. Though he didn't look away from her raged filled eyes. "You have the gall to tell me you're sorry. Not for locking me out specifically, but for not knowing you kept me locked out? You can go to hell."
He stood back up when she turned to walk across the room. "Mione, you need to understand something. When I read your thoughts..."
She jerked back around to face him. "No. I don't want to hear anything you have to say about that night."
She grabbed her jeans off the floor, almost falling over in her drunkenness. He moved to catch her but she just glared at him after she caught herself. Seeing her glare, he backed off.
She shoved one leg in then paused to glare at him again. "You looked into my thoughts then run off after I go to sleep. How long did you wait to go? One hour? Two? Did you stay all night to be generous before hightailing it back to your dungeon to make sure I couldn't bother you again?"
His brows drew together in a frown. "Mione..."
She cut him off. "No, you know what? I don't care." She finished pulling her pants on, buttoning them and zipping them up. She grabbed up her bra and shirt, pulling off Fred's shirt and tossing it down, not the least bit concerned with him watching her get dressed. He's seen it before. She thought.
She slipped on her bra and shirt, sitting on the bed to put on her shoes. He watched her dressing, having no idea why she was doing it. "Mione would you please let me explain?"
Both shoes on she stood up, weaving just a bit as she took a step closer to him. "Why should I? I can forgive a lot of things. I forgave the dreams spell. I forgave you reading my thoughts and projecting your own without my permission. This...I'm not sure I can forgive."
He took a step towards her, but she backed up, so he stopped. His eyes narrowed at her. He could deal with a lot of things, but hated her shutting him out. "Because I need you to understand why I left you that night."
She grabbed her wand. "I told you I don't care." With a flick she was gone with a crack.
He started cursing. Both Fred and George came running in, something held in their palms. He frowned realizing he had seen those before. Expendable ears, those bloody bastards. Snape thought while cursing again.
Both twins spoke. "Where did she go?"
He sighed. This could take a while if she was planning on running from him all night, good thing for him she didn't know he could follow. He wasn't wasting his time asking around. He did that and ended up at the Burrow where it took forever to get Molly to let him go so he could just use Hermione's necklace to find her. "I don't know, but I intend to find out." With a flick and a whisper he was gone with a crack of his own. Leaving both boys frowning in confusion.
He found himself standing outside the back of a house he hadn't seen before. He saw her standing at the back door, just staring at it. Looking thru the glass at the people inside. He saw her shoulders slumping as she watched.
He stared at her frowning. Where were they? Why did she just stand there? She had just walked in at the Burrow, so why was she just standing there? Did she not know the people inside? Is that why she wasn't walking straight inside?
He didn't know if she would answer if he asked. With a whisper he was in her mind. All he saw was a wall of sadness and pain. His frown deepened. She didn't even know he was there yet, so why the wall?
Suddenly he knew where they were. They were at her parents home. That's why she had the wall up. It wasn't to keep him out, it was her protection against her pain with them.
He walked over to her, reaching out and placing his hand on her shoulder. She jumped and squeaked but at least didn't scream. He pulled her into his arms, holding her like he had wanted to since that night in the room of requirement. He breathed in her scent. The same one that had haunted him for weeks now.
He had missed her so much. He didn't think he had ever missed anyone like he had her. He cursed himself for his own insecurities and stupidity. If he fixed this with her, he vowed to never let his insecurities muck things up again.
She let him hold her, her pain at being home smothering her. Blocking out everything else in her mind. She snuggled against him, letting him comfort her. She didn't know why she bothered coming here. She hadn't known where she was going, it just popped into head a second before she left the twin's place.
She breathed in his scent. Something musky yet spicy that has his scent alone. She had missed his scent. Missed him. Her pain slowly fading as he held her. Making her remembering why she was here in the first place. She gasped and pulled out of his arms.
She looked up at him. "How are you here? I left to get away from you. I don't want to talk to you right now." She backed up and with a flick was gone again.
He sighed. Was this just a pointless thing he was trying to do? Should he just let her go? His face set in determination. No, he couldn't let her go. He loved he too much to just walk away. With a whisper and a flick he was gone again. Appearing this time back at Number Twelve Grimmuald Place, landing in the library with her.
She heard the pop of apparition and turned around. "How are you following me?"
Snape just looked at her with a slightly annoyed look. "Mione, I can do this all night. If you would just let me explain why I left..."
Hermione glared. "No, would you just go. I don't want to know what you're reasons are for leaving and locking your doors. Do you hear me? I don't care. It's over and done with and I..."
Harry had walked in after hearing both apparition sounds. Hearing them both now, he knew Snape hadn't told her anything yet. He interrupted his dear friend's rant. "Mione, would you just listen to the man? He's been chasing you all night it sounds like. Just listen to him."
Hermione glared at Harry. "You're taking his side in all this?"
"No love, I just know that if you want any peace tonight, you are gonna have to listen to him." Harry looked into her eyes, saw the haze of alcohol.
With a sigh he left to go get her a sober up potion. He knew that with her, the alcohol just increased whatever she was feeling. When she was mad, alcohol just made her more argumentative. Nothing logical would get thru in her drunken state. When she was happy, the alcohol just made her more so. Nothing able to bring her down. Unless she got angry by another drunk then they were all screwed.
She frowned at Severus, her arms crossed over her breasts as she fought to not stumble in her current state. When she didn't speak he decided to just go on. "Mione, when I looked into your memories, I couldn't control what I was seeing and I couldn't pull away. I saw your walls and I was able to not look past the first one, but when it came back again to the owlery a second time..."
He sighed and saw her looking at the floor as she swayed a bit on her feet, her teeth grinding in her anger. He quickly went on again, afraid she would cut him off otherwise. "You were having such a hard time keeping the wall up and I tried to pull away. What I heard just about killed me. It sounded like you didn't want me, that you made a mistake being with me."
Hermione frowned at him. "What are you talking about? I never said I didn't want you." She stumbled over to the couch to sit, tired of weaving as she stood. Her mind was fuzzy so she couldn't remember the whole talk with Minerva. But she knew she didn't say that.
Severus squatted down in front of her again. His hands on either side of her thighs. "Mione, I didn't hear it all. I'm not sure what I heard exactly, but all I know is that I was angry afterward."
He saw Harry come back and pause in the doorway, but continued on anyway. At this point he didn't care who saw him with her or heard what he had to say. "I left you and went back to the dungeons and drank an entire bottle of fire whiskey over the weekend. I was so drunk and angry. I decided that if you didn't want me, then I didn't want you coming into my rooms either. I set the wards to keep you out early that morning after I left you. Only, after I sobered up again, I didn't remember doing it."
He saw her just looking at him thru angry narrowed eyes. "I didn't remember until Minerva came today to tell me you left. If I had known..." He paused, taking a deep breath. "If I had known you loved me, I never would have left you that morning."
She stayed sitting there, fighting her urge to flee at his words, not sure she believed him. "If what you heard was only that I didn't want you, how do you know that I love you? Whose says I do? Why would that even make a difference?"
He sighed, reaching up to touch her face, his hand cupping her cheek. "I'm in love with you." He saw her eyes flicker. "I've fell in love with you almost from the beginning and hoped that one day you might love me too. Hearing you say that either I take you on your terms or you would walk away...it hurt me. I knew our terms from the beginning and I knew you didn't want a relationship. I know we kind of settled into one, but I wanted something more permanent. Something you didn't seem to want. That's why I left you that morning before you woke up."
"Mione, I didn't want to leave you, but I couldn't bare the pain of thinking you didn't care for me at all. Seeing you laying there looking so beautiful and sweet in sleep, knowing I wouldn't get to wake up with you like that for much longer...it was killing me." His eyes showing the truth in his words
Hermione sat there staring at him. Seeing the pain in his eyes, she looked away. She had her own pain too. Pain he had caused by not even allowing herself the chance to explain. "Who says I even love you anyway?" She was hurting still and wanted to hurt him back. The past month of his rejections had hurt her more than anything else ever had before.
Harry stepped closer into the room. "I said you did. I know you still do too. Mione, you can't blame the man for doing what he did to protect his heart."
Severus looked up at Harry in disbelief at defending him. Harry smirked and went on. "You can blame him for not talking to you about it first. But not for being upset and hurt."
Harry handed her a vial. "Drink this love, it'll help sober you up. Maybe you'll see his point if you're sober."
Hermione glared at both men. Then tipped the vial back as she drank it. It kicked in quickly, clearing the haze from her eyes. She looked over at Severus who was still squatted down in front of her, not knowing how to respond to him.
She saw the pain in his eyes, the doubt. Saw he was braced for her rejection. She saw the truth in his eyes too. He did love her. She sat up, saw him flinch slightly when she raised her hand. She cupped his cheek gently. "Is it true? Do you love me?"
He took a deep breath, noticing Harry was backing out of the room. Saw him close the doors to give them privacy. "I do love you Mione. So much it scares the hell out of me."
She smiled softly. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you fight for me if you thought I didn't want you?"
He closed his eyes. "I was afraid I'd lose you anyway. I thought you would leave the moment you found out and I couldn't bare it. I waited for you to come back, willing to settle for whatever you gave me if it meant I could just be with you while I could. But I thought you just didn't come back." He opened them again, seeing a shimmer of tears in her eyes.
"Severus, I'm in love with you. I wouldn't willingly walk away. This month has been so hard. I hurried thru the rest of my exams since it hurt too much to stay there. I even turned Minerva down on a job offer at the school because I couldn't bear to be there, near you, and not be with you."
He pulled her into his arms, holding her close as he thought about how stupid he had been. "Mione I'm sorry for shutting you out. But what mistake did you make if it wasn't being with me?"
She pulled back just enough to look at him. She smiled softly. "I told the headmistress that I made a mistake because I fell in love with you. I didn't think you would want me if you knew. You told me you didn't want a relationship either that first night. I was afraid I'd lose you if I told you that I loved you."
He leaned up and kissed her softly on the lips. "Mione, you wont lose me. I made sure I would always be able to find you no matter what. Just in case."
She frowned at him. "How? I don't have any spells on me." She had checked several times since finding the last one he placed on her.
He smiled, and reached over, pulling out her pendant that he gave her. "This has a charm on it. I can always apparate to you. I'll always know if you are in trouble or need me."
She narrowed her eyes. "That's how you followed me?"
Uh oh. He thought seeing her narrowed eyes. "Yes." He waited, expecting her to be angry again.
She stared at him for several moments before shrugging and speaking. "Then we'll have to get you one too. So I can always find you." She said with a small smile.
He was confused for a moment, then understood. He pulled her into his arms, kissing her passionately. She wasn't going anywhere. She was staying with him.
Her arms twined around his neck, pulling him closer. Her fingers fisting in his hair, as their tongues met and swirled together. Both had missed the other so much that with just a kiss, their bodies stared to heat and burn.
He moved up and pressed her down into the sofa. Both ravenous for each other since it had been so long. He pulled away long enough to ward the doors as she tore his clothes from him, distracting him. He ripped her clothes from her body, pressing kisses on every inch of skin he uncovered.
It didn't take long before he was buried inside her, moving with her as they both whispered their love to each other. Her cries echoing off the walls as she clenched around him as wave after wave of pleasure washed over her body. He groaned as his thrusts became deeper and harder.
Neither realizing that in either haste, they forgot silencing spells. Their moans and cries echoing loudly throughout the almost empty house. Harry heard them and was immediately bombarded with images that he didn't want of Snape shagging his friend.
He tried to ignore them, but after several hours of things crashing to the floor with their rambunctiousness and Mione's screams of pleasure as well as Snape's loud groans and grunts, he was forced to leave his home. Cursing both of them as he went to the Burrow to hide.
Several hours after he left, the couple was lying on the floor that was now littered with debris. Panting while covered in bruises and red marks. Both still craving the other, but too exhausted to do anything about it.
They didn't think there was a single place in the library they hadn't made love on or against. It hadn't been intentional either, it just kind of worked out that way.
She had gotten off the sofa after their first round, to go over the to table of books, but he had spun her around against it since he wasn't finished with her yet and crushed his lips to hers. His body hard and ready for her again.
Between the hard chair she had pushed him onto to ride him, and the table he all but threw her on to pound into her harder. Plus, the bookcases he had pressed her into a bit later, or the various small tables or hard surfaces they had used. Not to mention the plush armchair she had pushed him into so she could climb on top of him again or the one he had bent her over, all furniture was used quite thoroughly. She had finally pulled him to the floor so they had more room and stopped knocking things over.
Things had fallen from the walls having been rattled off their wall hangers with his hard and fast thrusts, books knocked from the shelves as her hands had flown out to brace herself, things pushed off the tables so he could set her on them. Pillows and cushions thrown out of the way just so they could get a little bit closer together.
The room was an utter disaster, but neither cared. A few flicks with their wand and all would be repaired. It might take a bit more for their own bruised and sore bodies to be repaired, but he knew he had a few potions and salves to fix them up.
Finally catching his breath, he rolled onto his side, a hiss escaping his lips as he pressed against a rather sore spot on his side from hitting some hard surface as she had tried to get him where she could slide onto him.
He looked down at her flushed and exhausted face. "Mione, I don't know how we'll figure everything out right now, but I don't want to spend another day without you. Will you come back to Hogwarts with me? I'm sure we can get Minerva to work with us, at least until summer and we can go where we please."
Hermione smiled at him. "Severus, I'll follow you anywhere. But..." She paused as she saw him frown. Giving him a small smile again. "I need you to promise me something."
He ran his hand down her smooth stomach. "Anything love."
She shivered at his touch. "I know you will probably keep scanning my thoughts, and for the most part I don't mind. If you need to do it, then do it. But promise me that if you see anything that upsets you, you will always talk to me about it. Promise not to shut me out ever again."
He leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. "I promise. I love you. You really don't mind if I scan your thoughts? You wont be upset at the invasion?"
She smiled. "I trust you with anything you might see. Just keep in mind my thoughts are sometimes scattered and incoherent. I might have multiple thoughts going on at once and it may seem like something totally different than what it is. Just know and understand that I do love you and would never do anything to hurt you."
He gave her a gentle smile. "I know you love me and wouldn't hurt me purposely. I know you do have scattered thoughts and I swear I'll just ask you about whatever I see inside your mind if I don't understand it."
She nodded and slowly stood up. Her body aching but she wouldn't have it any other way. "I guess we should get dressed and go find Harry. Then head back to Hogwarts."
He stood up too. Stretching out sore muscles. He wasn't an old man by wizards standards, he wasn't even middle aged, but he wasn't in his twenties anymore. Though he had performed longer and better than he ever had in his twenties. He needed a bit of practice to do what they had just done without feeling like he had just been tortured for hours.
He flicked his wand and started to put the room back in some sort of repair as he watched her start to dress. He smirked, doubting he had ever looked forward to practicing anything more than he did with her. He forced his thoughts away from Hermione and the things he could do with her lush body. He pulled on his own clothes, amazed that none were torn too bad with their haste. Nothing a few flicks of the wand couldn't fix.
Once the room was back to normal, they walked hand in hand to go find Harry. Not finding him, both shrugged as Hermione wrote him a quick note to let him know where she was going. Thanking him too for his help tonight. Without him stepping in she probably would still be running from Severus, refusing to listen to him.
Grabbing a few things to hold her over for a few days, she shrank it down into her pocket. Having what she needed she walked back over to Severus.
He took her hand and apparated them back to his offices. He quickly floo'd Minerva to let her know that Hermione was back and in his rooms. They would go talk to her first thing in the morning, if that was alright.
Minerva assured him that it was fine. She wished them a goodnight and smiled as the flames in the fire placed died back down showing the connection had ended. Severus picked Hermione back up and quickly carried her to bed, where he loved her one final time before they passed out from complete exhaustion.
Minerva smiled as she sat at her desk. She looked at the picture of Albus. "Albus, my dear, I think all will be well with them now."
"I think so too my love. You did good by telling Severus about her leaving. I hope this means she'll take that position in the library." Albus said from his frame.
Minerva smiled. "I'm sure she will. No doubt tomorrow will find her inquiring if she can start her apprenticeship as soon as possible to stay here with him until the end of term. Pince will be thrilled at the idea of retiring even sooner than she planned."
Albus smiled, the twinkle in his eyes. "And just where will the young woman stay while here? Will you even bother giving her rooms here?"
Minerva chuckled. "I doubt she'd ever use them. But I will give Hermione her own set of rooms. I'll just make sure to put them down in the dungeons near Severus. I think the only time she would use them would be to change her clothes. But that is fine with me. As long as the students don't catch wind of their nightly activities, then I don't care at all. I'm glad they found each other. They both deserve to be happy."
Back in Severus's rooms, they were indeed happy. Snuggled together as they slept, both sure of their futures together. Both positive they'll make the other angry at times, but positive too that they will do everything in their power to make it work. Having vowed to never shut either out ever again.