Chapter 21

"Hermione, are you coming to Slughorn's party?" Ginny caught up with her friend as she was leaving Transfiguration.

"Oh, I don't know, Ginny." Hermione made a face. "Severus was not that keen when we received our invitation."

"So what? Go without him," the redhead's suggestion was made in the most nonchalant tone, as if she was asking for salt to be passed to her.

"And what's the fun in that?" The words spilled from Hermione's mouth before she had a chance to think and she immediately felt guilty. Opening her mouth to say sorry, she was interrupted by Ginny lifting her hand.

"Hermione, you don't have to apologise to me for wanting to spend time with Snape. You are newlyweds and now that things are going well between you, it makes sense that you want to be with him."

The bushy-haired witch gave her friend a long stare, but Ginny just smiled at her innocently. "Don't worry. It probably was just me that noticed the change. I mean, Snape is just Snape; you can never read anything from his face. But you were utterly miserable about a week ago. I was beginning to worry…" She gave her friend a sly grin. "But after you went away last weekend, you seemed a lot more relaxed." She lowered her head closer to Hermione's and whispered into her ear, "Which makes me think that Snape is as good in bed as the Slytherin girls seem to think."

"Ginny!" Hermione's outraged cry did nothing to affect her friend. Deciding to forgo her indignation and instead focus on containing her blush, the older girl fixed the young Weasley with a pointed look. "And what were you doing listening to Slytherin girls?"

"Oh, it was years ago. I just happened to be in the loo near the dungeons at the same time as they were; but don't worry, none of them had first-hand experience. Apparently they were saying that Snape was totally unattainable for any student to the point that there were never even any rumours about him."

"Glad to hear it." The thought of what the rumour mill was saying now made Hermione cringe and she rushed to change the subject. "Now why do you want me to go to Slughorn's party? You'll be busy with Dean Thomas."

"Not the whole evening," Ginny replied, "and in all honesty, I have missed you. We never hang out any more. Although, I understand that you have to focus on your marriage right now. It would be nice to see you for more than just a few minutes. The holidays are about to start and it's not like Snape would bring you to the Burrow on Christmas Eve."

Hermione knew her friend was right. In the emotional turmoil of the last six weeks she had pretty much ignored her friends, though she had little inclination to deal with Ron, who recently seemed to spend most of his time attached to Lavender's lips. She missed Harry and Ginny and, whereas with her only remaining best male friend, the necessity for secrecy meant that they at least met occasionally. With Ginny, it was merely a crossing in the corridors or bumping into each other in the library.

Noticing that her older friend started to relent, the redhead pressed on, "Just ask him, Hermione. Tell him that you'd like to go. He does not even need to stay there the whole time. As long as he escorts you in and then shows up towards the end, between Luna and I, we could keep you company."

Hermione could not resist such pleading. "Okay, fine, I'll ask."

Ginny's grin was infectious. "Great! Now, all I need to do is get you drunk enough so you spill the details of how good your sex life really is."

"Ginerva Weasley!" Her indignant cry was wasted since Ginny was already hurrying away, leaving Hermione to glare after her and then rush to her own class.

As Professor Binns droned on and on about the Goblin wars, Hermione mentally cursed the redheaded witch. Her questions and probing left Hermione unable to focus on the class as untimely pictures flooded her brain.

Ginny was right that the last weekend had been the happiest she had been this year. She spent it in the company of her husband, walking around the Munich Christmas market, having nice food, mulled wine, and some quality time in their hotel room.

Hermione had to be honest with herself; she had never seen her husband so relaxed. Although he was still Snape, which meant that his contribution to conversation was about a tenth of hers and his humour could be at best described as dry if not downright caustic, his stance was less rigid, his features lost their permanent scowl and, above all, he held her hand as they walked through the crowd. Once or twice, a small, almost imperceptible smile appeared on his face. It was enough to make her heart sing and her skin tingle from his touch.

Of course, there were some much more intimate delights when her whole body felt on fire as he reached places within her that she did not know existed. Never in her life had she thought herself capable of being one moment so incredibly tense, and the next become a boneless heap unable to move a finger. There was no question that Severus Snape had rediscovered her body in a way that she had never thought possible and that she enjoyed every minute of it.

Just thinking about it made Hermione feel flushed, her private areas throbbing and wet. She wriggled a bit in her seat, trying to focus her mind on understanding what Professor Binns was saying. The class had lasted for what seemed like ages and the Gryffindor witch found herself much relieved when she could escape to the comfort of their private chambers. Her mood was much improved when she lowered herself into a bath, deciding that freshening up was a good idea.

When Severus returned to his chambers, he found his wife in front of the mirror in their bedroom and struggling to brush her hair. The sight made him smile on the inside as he approached her from behind, his hands gliding over wild strands demonstrating once again his profess in nonverbal, wandless spells by arranging her messy locks into soft waves.

"I wish you would teach me wandless magic," Hermione murmured as she twisted her head to give him a kiss.

"And why would I do that?" He lowered his dark head to meet her lips.

"I think it's obvious, isn't it?"

"Wandless spells are very volatile and require a lot of discipline. You are currently learning non-verbal spells and you first need to hone that skill before embarking on a new one."

Knowing that he was right, Hermione gave a light sigh. "But you could always show me just this one?"

His response to her hopeful suggestion was a barely concealed scoff, "Regular brushing improves blood circulation to the scalp which is important for healthy hair growth."

She could not contain a giggle and when he pulled away, one eyebrow quizzically raised, she explained, "It's just if somebody told me three months ago that I would be receiving a lecture about hair care from you, I would have thought they had escaped Janus Thickey Ward at St Mungo's."

The sneer on his face made her regret the words but by now she knew him well enough to see that there was no real malice in his voice when he spoke, "Of course, what would the greasy git from the dungeons know about personal hygiene."

"If you would just stop covering your head with the Fire Protection potion all the time-then people would see…"

"Thank you very much, but I prefer to actually keep some hair; or did you think Longbottom was the only one prone to melting cauldrons?!"

Hermione managed to suppress her smile this time, "I would not argue with that," she said lightly, "You have beautiful hair, Severus."

"And your attempts to flatter me are as subtle as a Hippogriff, Hermione; but you forget that I am a Slytherin and you have to come up with a lot more compelling arguments to convince me to share my knowledge with you."

"Fine," Hermione pretended to huff but could not hide a spark of mirth in her eyes. "I won't ask you again, but remember that there will be a time when you want to find out something from me that I might choose not to answer."

"I always thought that blackmail was not a Gryffindor modus operandi, but thank you for informing me. As they say, forewarned is forearmed." Severus pulled off his outer robes, carefully hanging them in the half opened wardrobe. He then started unbuttoning his coat, giving Hermione a perfect view of his broad shoulders.

The young witch stared for a moment before remembering Ginny's request.

"Severus, would you mind escorting me to Slughorn's party on Friday? I know you were not keen on going, but Ginny asked if I could go and it would be nice to spend some time with her. You don't have to stay, just make an appearance at the beginning and the end."

Her husband turned to face her as he untied his cravat. "And isn't Miss Weasley going to be occupied with Mr Thomas?"

"Yes, but not all the time, and Luna is going to be there."

He regarded her for a moment and then a wicked smile appeared on his face. "And what would I get for making an appearance?"

The silky tone in his voice immediately changed the atmosphere in the room, making her shiver. "My sincere thanks," Hermione tried to make her voice sound flirtatious.

"Could I ask you to be slightly more specific?" He was watching her as a hawk follows his prey.

Hermione got up from her chair and moved towards her husband, coming to stand right in front of him. If he wanted to play this game, she would show him that she was up for it. Staring into his black eyes, she smiled sultry. "Let me give you a demonstration."

Slowly, she kissed him, her hands caressing his hair and then moving down towards his shoulders. He responded to the kiss, his tongue slipping inside her mouth. When they broke for breath, Hermione's lips moved to his neck, her nimble fingers undoing the buttons of his white shirt. She trailed the kisses down his chest, her warm tongue darting to lick his nipples.

Severus closed his eyes, letting himself savour her caresses. They may not have been the most skilled he had ever experienced, but she took such care in exploring him, and her touches were so sincere, that, probably for the first time in his life, he was happy to just relax and let her worship his body.

Hermione was getting high on the feeling of power. So far, it had mostly been Severus taking control of their intimate encounters. Although it was highly pleasurable, she cherished the opportunity to learn his body at her own will.

She pulled his shirt off and moved around, taking time to kiss his shoulders and back, tracing her fingertips down his spine and arms. Making a full circle, she started licking his toned stomach and then lowered herself to her knees. Unbuttoning his trousers, she let them fall off his slim hips, his underwear quickly following suit.

Severus hissed as she grasped the base of his shaft, her eyes glued to the tip, where a drop of moisture had already gathered. Seeing her kneeling in front of him appealed to the darker side of his nature, but he restrained himself and allowed Hermione to take her time. Thankfully, it was not long before her lips parted and she took him into her mouth. The dark wizard groaned and, this time, could not resist burrowing one of his hands into her thick curls.

He tasted of clean skin and something else - something uniquely Severus but now more potent. It was a heady mixture and, although Hermione was still learning how best to move her lips and tongue, her ministrations seemed to please him. His hand in her hair carefully angled her head and encouraged a rather steady pace. He did not force himself any deeper than she was prepared to take him, but every time she did, something he particularly enjoyed, his grip on her curls tightened. Soon enough, his hips started moving as well and, when Hermione used her teeth to lightly bite him, Severus groaned loudly. Both his hands were now in her hair and he pulled her head away from him. Her lips released him with a quiet pop and she felt a shudder go through his body.

Looking up at him in confusion, she watched his heavy eyes gaze down at her. "If you don't want to go all the way, we should change positions," he sounded raspier than usual. She must have appeared confused because he added as an explanation, "Most women don't like the taste."

Mention of other women made her frown. "Well, I am not most women." Not waiting for him to respond, Hermione returned her attention to his cock, taking him deep into her mouth.

Severus felt like he was in heaven. His little minx of a wife had her lips wrapped around him again, her tongue and cheeks creating a delicious friction around his shaft. She showed no sign of slowing down. His undoing came when one of her hands grasped his balls and her other hand started to massage him where her lips couldn't reach.

Forgetting everything, he gripped her hair and started thrusting his hips in and out of her mouth, hitting the back of her throat with every push. It only took a few jerky movements and he came undone, his legs shaking and his voice raw.

The taste of him was not unpleasant - bitter and salty. Hermione quickly swallowed his release, focusing on the velvety feel of his softening flesh. Her eyes drank the sight of his slack face and his heaving chest as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Have I convinced you?" Hermione forced herself to remember their previous conversation.

Fathomless black eyes opened lazily. "Are you sure that the Sorting Hat did not offer you Slytherin in the first place?"

Hermione chuckled as she got up, giving much needed rest to her knees. "I will take that as a compliment."

"It most certainly was," her husband purred.

"Then I am sorry to disappoint you, my dear, but I am a hundred per cent Gryffindor."

"Who said anything about disappointment?" The dark haired wizard kicked off his shoes and then removed his socks and trousers that were pulled around his ankles. "It means that I am rubbing off on you."

Hermione was always surprised by how comfortable he was with his nudity. For a man who, most of the time, was covered from head to toe and hid behind voluminous clothes, Severus Snape had absolutely no problem with striding stark naked to her and wandlessly removing her clothing and carrying his wife to bed.

XXXX

"I am so glad you've made it." Ginny got ahold of Hermione as soon as she and Severus said their greetings to an already inebriated Slughorn. Leaving the Deference Professor to their host, the witch followed her younger friend. "So how did you convince him to agree?"

Hermione hoped that the make-up she applied to her face would hide her blush as the memory of that evening and night surfaced in her mind. After giving Severus her first blow job, he had returned the favour by giving her two orgasms, first with his fingers and mouth and second as he pounded her into the bed sheets.

"That good?" Ginny's word interrupted her reverie. Hermione frowned at her friend.

"Honestly, Ginny, get your mind out of the gutter," she sighed. "I asked him to go, he said that he needed to be here anyway, so it all worked out."

"If you say so," the redhead smiled innocently. "So how good is he really in bed?"

Hermione could not contain her exasperated laughter. "You are incorrigible, you know, but I am stubborn as well. This is none of your business, Ginny, so I suggest you give up and go find Dean Thomas."

"But I am supposed to keep you company."

"Luna is at the refreshments table. I am going to get a drink and something to eat whilst she's there and then we can catch up properly."

Hermione made her way to the Ravenclaw witch, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Severus was engaged in a conversation with Draco. She listened quietly as Luna talked about a new issue of The Quibbler. Her eyes wondered around as she saw people drinking, eating, and talking. A lot of her classmates were here and she realised just how much she had moved on with her life.

Majority of students present were concerned about which boy or girl was looking their way or not, how to sneak some Firewhiskey and not be caught, and how much homework they would be given for the holidays. She was a married know-it-all, which meant she had already completed all her assignments and had no interest in either dating or getting drunk at a school party. Despite such different worries, everybody around her was part of the war that was simmering just under the surface and threatening to tear apart not just her marriage but the rest of the wizarding world.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Ginny, and the three girls took some time to eat, drink and gossip. Initially, Hermione kept glancing at Severus but, at some point, she lost track of him and presumed that he disappeared, as per their agreement. She enjoyed the unhurried chatter with her friends, even managing to exchange a few words with Harry, and it reminded her of the evenings spent at the Gryffindor Tower.

By the time the music started, the room was very busy. Hermione separated from her friends to search for Severus, thinking that it would be a good time to disappear. She was just near one of the heavy drapes when she was pulled unceremoniously behind it.

"So how does it feel to be bedding a Slytherin snake, Granger?" Cormac McLaggen was standing right in front of her. He held a glass in his hand and by the look on his face, he wasn't drinking a Butterbeer.

"It's Mrs Snape to you, Cormac, and I think you are drunk." She turned to leave, but he stopped her.

"Oh, not so quickly, princess. You were always so high and mighty, holding court in the Gryffindor common room. One part of the Golden Trio, the brightest witch of your age, but it turns out that you are not so much of a goody two-shoes but a teacher's pet, getting your marks any way you can."

Hermione felt her face flush red. Was this what people really thought of her now? That she slept her way to high marks? Not wanting to attract any attention to them, Hermione forced herself to remain calm. She narrowed her eyes at Cormac. "I suggest that you take yourself and that nasty tongue of yours straight back to the dormitory before I hex you into next week." Giving him a disdainful look, she added in a bitingly sweet tone, "I'll pass your apologies onto your date."

Cormac's face turned crimson. "Oh, I did not bring a date." His sneer became downright nasty, "You see, I was planning to ask you, before all of this… But then you showed your true colours." He took a step forward and Hermione had to back further into the alcove to keep some distance from him. Cormac must have taken it as a sign of fear, as he nearly spat in her face. "Fucking the dungeon bat, Granger. You are a disgrace to our House."

Hermione was shaking. Her rational side was telling her that it was just McLaggen being drunk. But a traitorous voice in her head whispered that this was what all the students were thinking- that she was just a slut that slept her way to high marks and probably got banged up and had to marry a teacher. Tears welled in her eyes, but she managed to keep them from falling.

Wishing she could do wandless magic, she raised her palm and slapped Cormac. "I would never have come here with you," she hissed. "You are just a school-yard bully that couldn't get your way. No self-respecting witch would be seen dead with you."

With every word, colour was rising in Cormac's face to the point that he looked like a very ripe tomato. "You Slytherin whore…" He tried to grab her by the arm but before he could succeed a jet of red hit him and he was lifted into the air.

"Insulting another wizard's wife is a punishable offence, Mr McLaggen." Snape held his wand casually in his hand. "I could challenge you to a duel as you are of age…" He let the last words hang.

Even through the haze of his alcohol-fuelled brain, McLaggen had been conscious enough to visibly pale. Snape's face was expressionless.

"However, I don't think I would go to such lengths, since you obviously are just a juvenile imbecile and deserve a punishment suitable for a child. A hundred and fifty points from Gryffindor and a month of detention with Mr Filch. Plus, you will report to your Head of House tomorrow. Now get out of my sight."

Snape flicked his wand and McLaggen was unceremoniously dropped on the floor. In his drunken state he did not manage to stay on his own two feet and sank to his knees, emptying his stomach onto Snape's shoes in the process.

The Head of Slytherin House stared at the boy as if he was vermin and, with another flick of his wand, cast a quick Scourgify. "Another month of detention," he drawled in a bored voice. He then extended his hand to Hermione, which she gratefully accepted as she stepped around McLaggen.

Cormac was still shuffling on his knees and Hermione did not dare to look at her husband. However, she did not miss his words that had been uttered in a low tone that only the three of them were able to hear. "And if you ever come within fifty yards of my wife or utter another bad word about her, be assured that I will know and you will never be able to call yourself a man again."

Without another glance at the boy, Snape turned around, nodded at Slughorn, and ushered Hermione out of the room.

Their trip to the dungeon was silent but when the door behind them shut, Hermione rushed to the bedroom and dropped onto the bed. She desperately tried not to cry. McLaggen was not worth her tears, so she focused on taking deep breaths in and out whilst taking out her hair clips one by one. When she was done, she moved on to her dress and then went to the bathroom to remove her make-up and brush her teeth. When she returned to the bedroom, she found her husband already in his night clothes.

The half an hour of solitude he gave her allowed Hermione to compose her emotions enough that she did not fear bursting into tears and was grateful for his tact.

"Do you need anything?" he asked, his dark eyes studying her carefully. He had seen enough upset females in his life to have a pretty good reading that, this time, his wife did not want to cry on his shoulder.

She shook her head slightly. "No, I am alright. Thank you for coming to my rescue. He was very drunk and was not going to listen to reason."

"It was my duty as your husband and also a wizard and a teacher in this school. Mr McLaggen's behaviour was beyond poor. I will be having words with his Head of House and the Headmaster."

Hermione looked up at him anxiously. "I don't want this to escalate any further. It's bad enough that a number of people at the party saw you hex him. The rumour mill will be going at full speed."

"It already does and speaking to McGonagall and Dumbledore will not make it any worse or better."

The young witch nodded dejectedly, knowing that he was right. "Do you think it is true then? What he said about me? Does everybody think the same? That I slept with you to get good marks and married you because we got caught?"

Black eyes surveyed her. "I presume you would like an honest answer from me?"

Hermione lifted her chin. "Of course."

"Then yes, some people do think like that, mostly those from middle class pureblood families like McLaggen's, who can't contemplate how a Muggle-born witch could be brighter than their offspring. They have been so busy proving to everybody that they are pureblood and deserve a sit at the big boys table that they forget that magic without brains is like a broomstick without its tail: utterly useless. However, they are a minority. Most of those who have even some semblance of intelligence understand that it's not that simple. Although our union is highly unorthodox, they know that both of us are surrounded by enough people of sufficient moral standing that this is not just a cover up for a sordid affair."

"So do they think that we have fallen madly in love?" she scoffed.

"I would think that after today they would pretty much understand the truth." Seeing her surprised face he added in a quiet tone, "The marriage law has been passed today by the Wizengamot and the reading of it is much worse than initially thought. I would think that a majority of your schoolmates that have a misfortune of having already turned seventeen are not going to be coming back from their Christmas breaks unless they can find a spouse within these walls."

To be continued

Dear All. Thank you for all the reviews. I am sorry if I don't respond personally to each of you but it I am so busy that it's difficult to find time to simply write a chapter-hence such a long time between updates. Please be assured that I read every review and much appreciate them all.

I know it's been a long wait but I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.

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