A/N - Warning: this chapter contains adult material

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Chapter 53
Forbidden Desires

Hermione let out a little snort of laughter, then coughed as the juice tried to go down the wrong way.

"You alright?" David asked, his voice amused.

Hermione waved it off, setting down the glass as she finished clearing her throat. "Fine." She managed to say. She couldn't help it. Never in her life had she expected to hear Snape make a comment like that! He'd been rather stiff and standoffish to begin with of course, but he'd loosened up quite a bit over dinner. Though she was sure he probably wasn't as open as David was accustomed to, he was still far more affable than she'd ever seen him... well while there was someone other than just the two of them in the room of course. She quickly shied from the memories that thought tried to dredge up.

"Glad to see you enjoy the juice." David commented.

Hermione glanced down, only just realizing the pitcher of juice on the coffee table between them was almost empty. She blushed. She didn't recall seeing either of them refilling their glasses. She hadn't really polish off over half a pitcher on her own, had she??? She felt mortified. "Sorry! I didn't mean to horde it all. I didn't even realize how much I was drinking. It just tastes so wonderful I couldn't seem to help myself."

He waved it off. "Not at all." He said, picking up the pitcher and pouring the last remaining bit into her glass. "I'm very proud of this one. It's a blend of a couple of very special berries I collected when I went 'walk about' in Australia in the late sixties. They are actually very rare in the wild and so the small groves are rather fiercely protected by a very strong species of magical beings that I've sworn not to discuss. You don't want to know what it took to get seeds from one of the protectors." He said with a reminiscent chuckle. He turned his head to Snape, "She was quite lovely. Now that was two weeks I'll never forget!"

Hermione blushed and chuckled as Snape laughed.

David turned his attention back to Hermione. "It took me nearly a decade to alter it enough to thrive properly in an environment I could properly maintain, and with patient work over the years I've now managed to get them to grow even better than they do in their native land, and they're just as nutritious as the originals. I've sped up their natural life cycle so much it takes insanely rich soil that needs to be supplemented almost daily, but with their current growth rates they need harvested at least twice a week. Even with all of that, I have yet to have a single plant die from age related issues. I was told some of the plants I received the seeds from were many centuries old, so I imagine mine will last quite some time, even as accelerated as they are. The plants are amazing really. Of course I can't really take all the credit since they started out rather amazing. Once I was done with the enhancing, the mass production was taken over by assistants, of course. The juice alone is wonderfully nutritious. It has more vitamins and minerals than any other drink made today. In fact, you may well be deficient in certain vitamins or minerals. In the test studies they performed, the ones who need it most to balance their nutritional needs tend to like it the most, and even often get cravings for it once their bodies recognize it as a source of what they require to be healthy. Not that it's addictive, mind you, just extremely nutritious."

Hermione blushed. "I do eat fruits and vegetables. Normally. And I liked the food! I just... I was feeling a bit off today..." She said, glancing guiltily over at her rather large (and nowhere near empty) dinner plate. Since Snape lacked a formal dining room they had just taken their food into his common room. She had been served a number of dishes that were obviously vegetables David had altered. There were still a number of barely touched servings of vegetables on the plate. She'd barely touched the 'steak'. Once she found out it was actually some kind of plant that he'd altered to take on the flavor and texture of beef... she just got the mental image of raw cow bits growing on stalks in rows like horribly mutated corn with little black and white leaves... the thought was amazingly repulsive for some reason. The bite she'd had hadn't tasted bad... but the idea.... as for the rest of the vegetables... well the cooked spinach was good and she'd eaten all of that (though she'd had to cut it with her fork since the whole serving appeared to be one leaf without any stem), and the large fruit slice that looked like a quarter of some kind of melon with a reddish purple rind, but that she was almost certain was actually a slice of a grape. That had been very good. She'd even eaten the miniature snow peas, and they were surprisingly good, though she usually didn't like vegetables with sauce on them. It had gone together better than she expected, the overly sweet taste of the peas balanced out quite nicely by the slight saltiness of the sauce. But the greyish lump of leaves that smelled faintly of fish turned her stomach, and the other two were just too bizarre looking for her to feel comfortable even trying. One looked like caviar, each bit the size of a large blueberry, completely clear except for a tiny blood red center, and oddly scentless. The other was light green, rectangular pieces somewhat reminiscent of large fries, but obviously cut from some kind of vegetable that looked like perhaps broccoli stems.

"Oh, don't take that as a disparaging comment, my dear." David quickly reassured her, "I'm sure most, if not all, of the students here are rather deficient in some vitamin or another. You skip a meal here and there when you're studying for an exam, grab a quick sandwich instead of a proper meal now and then. Before you know it, you're deficient in this or that. If I weren't drinking this rather regularly, I imagine I'd be quite deficient as well." He looked thoughtful, "You know, schools would probably be the ideal place for a juice like this, come to think of it. I'll have to have them send some over."

Hermione blushed when she realized she was nodding. No matter what it said about her dietary needs, the juice was marvelous, and she had no doubt she'd be jonesing for more in short order.

"It actually makes a simply marvelous sorbet as well." He added thoughtfully.

"I'm sure that'd go well at Hogwarts." She agreed. At least she hoped it would. That would save her the trouble of having to save up her money and order some herself!

David settled back, "Of course the most popular use for it wouldn't be for here. Before there was enough to make distribution of the juice feasible, they started making a kind of wine with it, which is how the natives generally prepared it. It's quite extraordinary, really. The longer it's left to age in the proper environment, the stronger it becomes, and the more apparent and interesting the magical properties of the wine become. When kept in a dark, warm but dry environment, like the caves the natives stored it in, it is a quite palatable wine within three months. By the time you get to one year, it would more aptly be called a liquor, and it requires a magical restriction label that warns against drinking or even having it in the presence of Muggles. Something quite extraordinary happened when it reached two years. At that point, it requires not only a Muggle restriction label, but also a daily consumption limit."

"What does it do?" Snape asked, obviously intrigued.

"It's hard to explain... and highly individual. Something in minute variances in the composition, slightly different ratios of the different kinds of berries, or how it was stored perhaps cause each bottle to have a slightly different effect, and it also seems to react differently for each different person who consumes it. The most general way I can describe it is to say it effects the senses. Most often taste or smell, but occasionally causing pleasant visual effects when you close your eyes. It's always a pleasant experience, but past a certain point can cause other reactions that we can't even predict. Thus why the intake must be limited. Luckily, once removed from the controlled environment and exposed to cold and light, the juice ceases to ferment almost completely, so they can offer the younger vintages without worry that they'll become stronger than the purchaser anticipated before it is consumed. As it turns out, it's a very lucrative product. When I was modifying it I didn't know if it would go well in public or not, and truthfully didn't really care. I just modified the berries because I absolutely love the smell and taste of them. Turns out, I'm not alone in that, so we're already having to expand the section to meet demand, even though it's already the highest yielding crop I've ever produced. In fact... this conversation is leading quite nicely into the present I brought for you, Severus."

"Present?" Snape asked in surprise, "You didn't need to..."

David waved it off, rising and going over to the crate Hermione had levitated in for him. He opened it up, revealing the tops of some nine bottles. "These three with the copper colored labels are the youngest, the next three with silver labels are the yearlings, these two with gold labels are two year vintages, though please do follow the limitations!" He said sternly, though there was a hint of a smile on his lips as he looked over at Snape.

Snape gave a little, amused breath. "I don't drink much anymore, you know that!" Then his eyes darted over to Hermione. "Not that I ever drank much!" He quickly amended.

She tried and failed to stifle her snicker. The slight discomfort and embarrassment that flashed over his face before he hid it said that probably wasn't entirely true.

"Yes, well this kind has a very serious kick, but it sneaks up on you very stealthily. And this one..." David said, extracting a thin bottle, this one having only a crude white paper label with what looked like hastily scrawled handwriting on it, "You must promise me you will be very careful with this one! It's from one of the initial sample batches, thus the smaller bottle size. This is from a crate that accidentally got left in the back of the fermenting chamber for nearly five years. It is insanely strong. I'm not even allowed to sell it to the public as a matter of fact." He slipped it back into its spot, then brought out the tall, thin box that had taken up the extra space beside it. He opened the box and took out a tiny shot glass not much bigger than a thimble. "That's a daily limit."

Snape gave a little snort.

"Don't laugh." David said with a grim smile, "That right there is more than enough to knock you on your arse. Two would probably knock Hagrid on his arse. The spout is measured. It won't let out more than one glass full per tipping so you don't have to worry about over filling." he slipped the tiny glass back away, then drew out a long, very thin glass tube. "You use these to drink it. Just put the tip in the glass and it will draw the liquid up, then you suck on the end. It will empty the glass in about three draws. Do not try to down it like a shot unless you like being unconscious!"

Snape let out an amused breath, "I'm not much for sucking on straws."

"Perhaps not, but trust me, this is worth it. Just make sure you trust anybody you chose to drink it with." David added with a smirk as he tucked the box back into its place.

"Lesson learned. No need to dwell on it." Snape said with worn patience, then his eyes darted over to Hermione and his cheeks actually took on a slight pink tinge as his eyes darted back away.

She giggled, simply dying to know what that was about.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably, obviously searching for something to change the subject to.

David helped him out, though from his smile he was obviously enjoying Snape's discomfort. "Shall we pop one open and give it a try?"

"I hardly think it would be appropriate to drink alcohol in front of one of my students." Snape said quickly.

"True..." David said, turning his gaze to Hermione, "How old are you, my dear?"

"Seventeen." Hermione replied.

"Excellent. It's not a problem then." David said, giving his fingers a snap.

The white clad 'chef' elf scurried out of the kitchen. David spoke to him in soft but quick French. The elf nodded and quickly gathered up the dinner plates and hurried off into the kitchen.

"David, I cannot give a student alcohol!" Snape said firmly.

"She's an adult, Severus. She can have liquor if she pleases..." He quickly waved down Snape's objection, "Just the mildest variety. She'd get as much alcohol out of a couple of butterbeers. Besides, it is I who will be giving it to her, not you. And of course only if the young lady wishes to try it." David said, shifting his attention to Hermione.

Hermione blushed a bit. She wasn't used to being treated like an adult. "A little." She said, darting her eyes over to Snape, "I think a little would be fine, wouldn't it?"

Snape rolled his eyes. "Very well, just don't go getting her kaylied."

David grinned and fetched out one of the youngest bottles, bringing it over as the elf scurried in with three cut crystal goblets, setting them on the coffee table. The elf then snapped his fingers at the bottle David was holding out towards him. The cork popped right out as if of its own accord. The elf neatly caught the cork, then scurried on back into the kitchen.

David started pouring into the glasses. When he was pouring into the glass closest to Hermione, Snape cleared his throat. David let out an amused breath, but let up pouring when her glass was still about a finger short of where theirs were.

David handed her her glass, then Snape his before taking his own and settling back into his chair. "Be sure to sip. It draws it out."

Hermione nodded, then lifted the glass and sniffed it. It didn't smell much different than the juice really. A slightly sharper edge to it perhaps, but that was it. She took a sip. Like the smell, the taste was much the same... but as the liquid spread over her tongue a soft warmth followed it. The warmth followed it on down her throat, but with no burning like the harsh liquor she'd tried before. It was more like the welcome gust of warm, damp air from a hot shower that seemed to wrap around you like a blanket. She took another little sip, then paused, the liquid still pooling on her tongue. She thought she smelled something. She sniffed, getting tiny whiffs of something very familiar, but she couldn't place it. She swallowed, looking around for the source of the smell. Then she noticed David and Snape. They were both sitting with their glasses before them, their eyes closed, and there was a faint smile on Snape's lips. Curious, she took another sip, holding it in her mouth and shutting her eyes.

The smell came to her as if scented air had been blown straight at her. She breathed deep, revelling in the scent and trying to place it. It came to her suddenly. She remembered that day when she was but a child, not even yet in school. Her grandmother had taken her for a spot of shopping and she'd taken her into a sweet shop. They were making fresh taffy and other wondrous treats, the smell of it making her almost giddy. Her grandmother had bought her a little bag of the freshly made sweets and made her promise not to tell her parents. It was the only time she'd been in a sweet shop before entering the wizarding world. She took another sip and she could swear she could even taste a little hint of that amazing taffy on her tongue. It was funny... though he'd claimed there was little alcohol in it, she already felt a bit of a warm buzz flowing through her. She settled back in her chair more comfortably. She'd been sitting so straight the whole time her back had been starting to stiffen up a bit.

"Is it to your liking?" David asked.

Hermione opened her eyes and smiled back. "It's amazing." she said, glancing over and noticing even Snape was looking more relaxed and at ease.

"You should have seen it the first time Ephedra tried some..." David said with a wide, reminiscent grin. "Now that was amusing..."

"You didn't give this to a house elf!" Snape said with an incredulous grin.

"I did." David said matter of factly, "She wanted to try it and I saw no reason why not."

"What happened?" Snape asked with amusement and a hint of morbid curiosity.

Hermione grinned, suspecting the conversation was going to get a lot more interesting...

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Kevin shivered with pleasure as Jeremy pressed up against him, their wet skin slippery from the soap. He knew he should have tactfully declined when Jeremy asked him to stay... and absolutely should have said no when Jeremy asked him to shower with him... so why had 'ok' been the only word he'd been able to utter? Maybe it was those eyes. Big, warm, sparkling, imploring eyes begging him. Or the soft, tentative, yet determined sound of his voice... or the adorable way his cheeks flushed, embarrassed by the boldness of his request. How could he say no the first time Jeremy really put himself out there? He'd made the first real move, something Kevin would have never expected of the normally very timid boy.

Right or wrong, he was here, and he couldn't make himself want to leave. He knew this was a huge step in their relationship... one perhaps he shouldn't have been eager for, considering the physical limitations Jeremy had... but one he couldn't deny him out of hand without hurting him. Or perhaps that was just Kevin's mind trying to justify this. It was true though. Jeremy had never even let Kevin see him completely naked before, and Jeremy hadn't seen much of Kevin's body at all really. He was just a bit surprised how quickly Jeremy had gone from rather chaste kissing to showering together! His lips were just so eager... his tongue so sweet... and the tentative, exploratory touching had quickly become loving caresses that made his mind go places he knew it never should.

Kevin groaned and shuddered as Jeremy wrapped his hand around him. It probably shouldn't have been surprising, given the circumstances, but Kevin hadn't even realized how insanely aroused he had become. He knew he should stop... that he should leave... God it felt so good! He panted and groaned with mindless pleasure as Jeremy stroked him. He found himself leaning up against Jeremy, pressing him up against the shower wall. He closed his eyes, pressing his forehead to the cool tile above Jeremy's shoulder and imagined taking him. What he'd give to be able to make love to this boy... to press him up against this wall and shag him proper.

It was an embarrassingly short amount of time before Kevin pulled Jeremy up against him, calling out as he finished. The rush was mind blowing... but the euphoria quickly ebbed as cruel reality seeped back in. He could hear Jeremy's breath gasping in his ear, sounding as if he'd run a marathon... could feel the edge of Jeremy's leg brace pressed up against his own leg, trembling slightly. He fought down the sudden urge to sob. It wasn't fair!

He held Jeremy, supporting more of his weight as the boy sagged up against him a bit, obviously losing his strength quickly. He took a deep breath and steeled himself. "We should get you to bed." Kevin said softly.

Jeremy didn't say anything, but he didn't object either. Kevin quickly finished cleaning them up and then started drying Jeremy off. Jeremy tried to keep his back to Kevin, which made drying him rather difficult, but Kevin didn't say anything about it. He quickly caught Jeremy as the boy's leg gave, then swept him up into his arms and carried him into the other room, setting him gently down on the bed. He went back to the bathroom and fetched another towel since the first was under Jeremy now, then came back and gently finished drying him.

When he was done, Kevin started drying himself, feeling a heavy weight of guilt in his chest.

"I'm sorry..." Jeremy whispered.

"For what?" Kevin asked, studiously keeping his eyes on what he was doing.

"I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

"You didn't." Kevin replied quickly.

"Then why won't you look at me?" Jeremy asked softly.

Kevin sighed, looking over at him. "I just... I shouldn't have let that happen. You could have had an attack... you could have been hurt and it would have been my fault."

"No it wouldn't have. I didn't notice your hand wandering. Not that... I would have minded..." He said, trailing off with a slight flush to his cheeks.

Kevin noticed the way the boy's eyes were following the towel as Kevin brushed it down his stomach to get the last couple of drops of water. Kevin's eyes trailed down Jeremy, then he couldn't help but flash a little smile, his cheeks growing hot as he noticed the bit of tenting to the towel Jeremy had kept himself covered with. From what Jeremy had told him, he knew getting this aroused was a rather rare occurrence for the boy since his accident. Kevin had never really thought of himself as particularly attractive, though Blaise had done his best to convince him otherwise while they were together. He still found it difficult to believe that someone could get aroused just from looking at him.

He knew he was probably just increasing the evening's folly, but he couldn't seem to keep himself from going over and sitting on the bed beside Jeremy. He reached out, brushing his fingers over the telling bulge. Jeremy shuddered, but clutched the edge of the towel.

"Don't. It looks..." Jeremy said, trailing off and averting his gaze in shame.

From what he'd felt in the shower, Kevin had already figured out that the scarring had effected that area as well, but Jeremy had done a good job keeping it out of sight and keeping him distracted enough not to get a peek.

Kevin gently pulled on the edge of the towel and Jeremy let him pull it away. Kevin gazed down at him, getting his first real look. A little trace of a smile slipped over his lips. He reached out, feeling the delicately swirling scar pattern on the hot flesh... small swirls like on the boy's neck, but with firmer ridges. It wasn't overly large, a bit on the thin side and perhaps five and a half inches in length, but the texture was very intriguing. He couldn't help but think how much he'd like to know what it would feel like to have it inside him.

"It's beautiful." Kevin said simply, "Just like the rest of you."

Jeremy flushed, though he obviously didn't believe the comment. He was looking pointedly away from himself, as if the sight of his own body disgusted him.

Kevin took a deep breath and sighed it out, hoping he wasn't going to regret this. "Tell me if you need me to stop."

Jeremy's eyes darted over. He saw the seriousness in Kevin's eyes and quickly nodded.

Kevin knew it was risky, but couldn't bring himself to deny Jeremy's obvious desire. Jeremy let out a low, rapturous sound, immediately seizing Kevin's wet hair with both hands. Kevin closed his eyes, quite enjoying the feel of those strange ridges gliding over his tongue. The boy's size turned out to be surprisingly perfect for Kevin. He usually gagged when he went too far, but he was able to manage Jeremy's entire length without triggering that reflex.

Kevin kept pace with Jeremy's urging hands, and it was quite obvious from the little sounds he was making that he was greatly enjoying it, but after a minute or so Kevin slowed a bit. Jeremy's breath was getting rather labored. He stopped completely when he felt Jeremy going soft. When he shifted up, Jeremy's hands didn't try to keep him.

"Damn it, Jeremy!" He said in distress when he got a good look at him. His breathing was obviously distressed, so much so his lips were actually tinged slightly blue. He scurried off the bed and hurriedly found the right medicine, plucking it from amongst the many bottles that covered the bedside table. Jeremy didn't object as Kevin dosed him with the medicine. He even ended up having to use one of the emergency medicines to get Jeremy's heart rate back down to a safe level.

Kevin sat on the side of the bed, brushing the damp curls of hair from Jeremy's face and stroking his cheek. "Why didn't you tell me to stop?" He asked softly.

Jeremy opened his eyes tiredly, completely done in from the over exertion and the side effects of the medicine. "I didn't want you to stop." He muttered, his thin voice barely audible.

Kevin gave him a little smile. "Of course you didn't... that's why I said to tell me when you needed me to stop, not when you wanted me to."

Jeremy let out a breath that sounded vaguely amused as his eyes drifted back shut.

Seeing the conversation was going nowhere, Kevin got up, removing Jeremy's leg brace with a few (by now) practiced flicks, setting it where Jeremy would be able to reach it in the morning. He then gently shifted Jeremy around to get the damp towel out from under him. He tossed it towards a chair, more concerned with keeping Jeremy warm than the laundry. The emergency heart medication made the boy's body almost completely incapable of maintaining a suitable body temperature for a few hours after being administered. Snape had warned him this posed the serious danger of giving Jeremy a chill that might progress into a serious illness in the boy's weakened body.

Kevin felt uneasy, not confident enough about his proficiency at warming spells to risk using them. Making a quick decision, he went around and crawled into the bed beside Jeremy, pulling a warm, thick blanket up from the foot of the bed and covering them both with it. A little smile played over Jeremy's lips as Kevin pressed up against him, slipping his arm around the boy and pulling him close. "This is for medicinal purposes only." Kevin said in a gently teasing voice.

"Is that all it takes to get you in my bed?" Jeremy whispered with tired amusement, "You should have told me it was that easy sooner."

He still felt guilty about getting carried away and putting Jeremy's health at risk... and yet Kevin still found himself holding Jeremy closer than really necessary.

Jeremy gathered his strength, then shifted himself towards Kevin, putting his arm around him and settling against him.

Kevin couldn't help but smile a bit. Not that the circumstances weren't bad... but it just felt so very good holding him like this. He worked his other arm under Jeremy so he could hold him proper. He couldn't recall anything else ever feeling so... right.

"Kevin?" Jeremy said softly after a time.

"Ya?" Kevin replied.

"Would you do something for me if I asked you to?"

"Like what?" Kevin said a bit warily. There was something in Jeremy's voice that worried him, though he couldn't really say why.

"Would you make love to me?" Jeremy asked, his voice soft but determined.

Kevin let out a pained breath. "I can't, Jeremy! You know that. You nearly suffocated when I was just going down on you a bit... if I tried shagging you... it would kill you."

"I know that... I just don't care." Jeremy replied softly.

Kevin shifted the boy away, looking incredulously at his face, but Jeremy's expression was serious. "Why would you even think of dying for a brief moment of pleasure?!?"

"I'd rather go pleasantly, on my own terms." Jeremy said firmly, "When this war comes to a head, and I have this unshakable feeling it will be soon, I'll be snuffed in the first minute of fighting anyway. Whether it's from an errant curse or my body simply reacting to the shock and shutting down, I don't stand even the slightest chance." He laid his thin fingers over Kevin's lips before he could refute it. "And I don't want you dying in a vain attempt to save me. You're smart and you're strong. You have a good chance of making it... but only if I'm not there to prevent it. Besides... let's be honest, my health is never going to improve, so a one-shot deal is probably the only way we will ever be together... and I can't think of a better way for me to die..."

Kevin reached up and pulled Jeremy's hand from his lips. "No." He said firmly, "I don't care how soon that day might come. I just want to be able to spend the days that lead up to it with you. If that means we never get to have sex, then we never have sex. Sex is grand and all, but there's so much more to a relationship! Having you here and just having you in my life is worth more to me than any amount of sex. I'm not looking for a one night stand. Besides, do you really think I could live with myself if I killed you? Even if it was accidental?"

Jeremy sighed. "I don't want to leave you... but I don't want to take you with me either!" Jeremy sighed in a pained voice.

Kevin shook his head. "Don't even think that way. I tell you what, if you promise to do your best to stay alive and with me, I promise when the time comes I won't try to defend you. That should clear things up."

Jeremy gave a little half amused snort. "I know you too well, Kevin. You wouldn't be able to keep yourself from helping me, even if you knew full well it was a hopeless cause."

Kevin quickly shook his head and forced a smile. "Nope. You're on your own when everything goes to Hell. You have my promise. If I break that promise, you can dump me and leave me forever if you like. Until then, you're going to have to trust me and take me at my word. Unless of course you want to insult me by calling me a liar to my face!"

Jeremy let out a softly amused breath, but his expression was still grim. "Kevin, I just think it would be best if..."

"I love you, damn it!" Kevin blurted angrily, tears crowding his eyes. "I don't know how or even if I'm going to be able to survive it when you leave me. If you have an ounce of love in your heart for me, you won't go and throw your life away! You'll give me as much time as possible before I have to go through the agony of losing you!"

Jeremy reached up and wiped the tears from Kevin's eyes with a shaking hand. "I'm sorry." He said in a soft, pained voice. "I was just thinking so hard about how best to protect you... I just didn't..." He let out a pained sigh, "I'm an idiot." He said softly, pressing his face to Kevin's shoulder and slipping his arms around him. "I'm just so afraid of what's going to happen..."

Kevin took a shuddering breath and sniffled a bit, pulling him close and holding him, feeling a right idiot himself for breaking down and crying. "Just promise me you won't do anything daft."

Jeremy gave his head a little shake. "I won't. I promise. I'd never want to do anything to hurt you. I love you, too." he said sincerely.

Kevin's heart fluttered oddly in his chest at those words. No other boy had ever said that to him. "I'll take you to see Derik in the morning." he said, unsure what else to say, "He said he'd see what he could do to help you. He's a very good healer. Well, he's an Auror really, but he does a better job at healing than those blokes at St. Mungo's do. Maybe with his help you can get stronger. It might give you a fighting chance at least. When I was young he was always fixing me up. I used to have asthma real bad when I was little. The healers just gave my mum some bloody potion to give me whenever I couldn't breath and called it good enough. Derik said that was bollox. It took regular treatments for several weeks, but he fixed me right up and I haven't had an attack since I was eight." Kevin stopped himself, realizing he'd started babbling.

"Ok. I'll see him." Jeremy agreed. He sounded slightly amused at Kevin's rambling, but also sounded more like he was agreeing just to humor him with no real expectation that it would help. "But... for now... could you stay with me?"

"Well, I have to stay for a bit, don't I? It'll be hours before you can keep warm on your own." Kevin said, wondering why the boy thought he'd just leave.

"I meant... will you spend the night?" Jeremy asked tentatively.

Kevin blushed a bit. "I don't know... I'm not really supposed to..."

"Please?" Jeremy said, looking up at him imploringly, "I get so lonely here all by myself. I promise not to try to molest you." He added with a little smile.

Kevin let out an amused breath. "Fine. Just for tonight."

Jeremy sighed happily, settling against him and closing his eyes... safe and content in Kevin's arms.

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Lavender slipped in the door, then very carefully closed it so it didn't make a sound. She then slipped silently across the room, stopping near Seamus' bed. She took a deep breath in through her nose and slowly exhaled it through her mouth, willing her fluttering insides to stop their nervous dance. She pulled out her wand, then paused. Would the lines be bright enough to wake someone? They hadn't seemed that bright before, but that had been in a lit office. If the one it led to woke up, would they make some kind of surprised sound and wake the others? She was far too nervous to even think on that possibility. Best to head it off right away. All of them had their hangings closed, so she quietly cast silencing spells on each.

Well, once that was done she felt a little better at least. Now she'd only have to deal with the one it pointed to, and then only if he woke up. She also didn't have to worry about being overheard. She'd just learned this spell from that book Hermione loaned her, and she'd never actually cast it before, so she didn't want to have to mutter it under her breath and risk bunging it up. She closed her eyes for a moment, gathering herself, then recited the carefully memorized incantation, waving her wand in the specified pattern. It was a bit awkward pointing her wand at her own belly for the final movement, but much to her relief, a glowing line immediately emerged.

She watched, tense with anticipation as the line came up from her stomach, then branched, one line diving immediately to connect to her chest (of course). She watched, confusion growing as the other line just wavered there, flowing like a bit of fine silk brushed by the tiniest whims of the sparse airflow in the room, but completely without direction.

She let out a little, irritated huff, pulling out the crumpled bit of parchment on which she'd copied the instructions and going over them by the pale light of the glowing lines. She'd done everything right! Why wasn't it pointing to the father?!? She'd kept a surreptitious eye on the stairs to the boys' dorms, so she knew both Seamus and Dean had gone up to their room earlier, and those were the only two she'd slept with any time recently enough to have gotten her pregnant. She knew it wasn't that despicable Cornfoot, because he'd been in Ravenclaw.

She sighed piteously, shoving the wadded up parchment back in her pocket. Perhaps she'd have to ask Hermione for help after all. It grated at her to even contemplate it though. That little know-it-all knew far too much about her personal life as it was! She'd at least wanted to keep the baby's father a secret until she decided what she was going to do. If Hermione knew who the father was she'd probably insist on blabbering to the boy if Lavender decided to abort it. In Lavender's opinion, that was her decision and hers alone! She'd already tentatively planned to get rid of it if it belonged to Seamus. He was a complete arse, and she certainly didn't want to have to deal with him for the rest of her life! Not to mention his family! She'd only met them once, but that was more than enough! If it was Dean's though... she wasn't sure if she could get rid of it if it was his. She still felt so wretchedly guilty about nearly killing him... she didn't think she could bring herself to kill his baby. Besides, he was so gentle and caring she was sure he'd be a good father. Not that she was absolutely positive she'd have the guts to tell him. Not that it'd be hard to figure out after the baby was born since he was the only dark skinned boy she'd ever slept with, but she felt like too much of a coward right now. Besides, maybe things would be better between them by the time the issue came up.

Still, those hard-won decisions were for naught if neither one of them was even the father! But who the Hell else could it be?!? Maybe they weren't even in their beds. She hadn't thought to check first, sure that it would be a simple matter of following the line. Well, that was easy enough to find out... but still she found herself just standing there. She was nervous and torn... she couldn't decide which bed to check first! She couldn't decide which of them she was hoping was the father... If it was Seamus she'd be able to get rid of the baby without anyone being the wiser... well, discounting Hermione and her little demonic lover that was, but she had enough on Hermione to keep the girl quiet. She'd be able to go on with her schooling, graduate, then get on with her life as if nothing had happened. Then again, she knew she'd feel guilty about it... and she got the feeling she'd feel guilty for the rest of her life... and that's not something she was looking forward to. On the other hand, if it was Dean and she ended up keeping it... what kind of life was she to have to look forward to? A teenage mother who'd probably never have the chance to finish her schooling, and would therefor have little to no career potential. She had no illusions her parents would help support her. They'd always been strict and rather overly critical... they'd toss her out on her ear the minute they were legally allowed... which, come to think about it, would be very soon... she didn't fancy the idea of waddling around with a huge belly, begging for money! It wasn't like Dean would be able to help much, even if he did forgive her enough to want to be part of the baby's life. The best she could hope for would be to find some well off man with a good job willing to support her and her illegitimate child. Rather unlikely, that. She teared up a bit as she dropped her eyes. She reached up, stroking the spot where the line of light emerged from her flat abdomen. She still couldn't wrap her mind around it. In her mind, she still wanted to believe she was just a bit under the weather and this would all turn out to be a mistake. The line made that vague hope rather hard to swallow.

She was distracted from her quandary by movement. She looked up, staring at the glowing white line before her in puzzlement. The free end of the line had just perked up a bit, the end swivelling around purposefully, like a ghostly snake's head. She followed the direction it was indicating and found herself looking at the door to the loo. Was he in there?!? Another thing she'd never thought to check! Her breath caught in her throat as the knob turned and the door swung open. The white line dove forward.

Harry took a step back in surprise as the line hit his chest dead center and firmed. His eyes darted up, spotting Lavender standing there at the other end of the line, a look of confused shock on her face. His eyes traced down to where the line emerged from her stomach and he let out a groan.

"Oh, for fucksake!" He grumbled, pulling his wand out of the little wad of laundry at his hip and whipping it through the line, dismissing the spell. "I thought you had a contraceptive charm!"

Lavender was just standing there, her eyes wide as saucers and her mouth a bit agape, completely dumbfounded.

Harry strode over, reaching up and tapping his finger on the little blue stone pendant hanging from her necklace. "Doesn't this thing work?"

Lavender looked down at her necklace, then up at Harry. "It... it was my grandmother's. It's just a necklace, not a charm."

Harry groaned, then went past her and tossed the clothing aside, tucking his wand into the towel he had wrapped around his waist and opened his trunk, searching about for some clean boxers.

"But... but we've never had sex!" Lavender sputtered, still flabbergasted by the turn of events.

"Technically, we've shagged twice." Harry said, straightening back up. "Well, to be absolutely technical, we shagged quite a number of times. Only two different occasions though. That first time you were kind of wasted, not to mention pissed off at Seamus for diddling the little skut and in desperate need of a good lay. We only shagged a couple of times that night, because I was kind of tired... then you went off with Dean and let him finish shagging you into unconsciousness."

Lavender put her hand on her forehead, then brushed aside his hangings with her free hand and sat heavily on the side of his bed, feeling rather dizzy. How could she have been so completely wasted she couldn't remember having slept with Harry Potter?!? This just wasn't possible! This couldn't be happening! The only possible explanation was that she'd fallen asleep waiting for the boys to go up to their room and this was just some bizarre dream. "But... wait, no, this can't be right." Lavender said, shaking her head, "I haven't gotten drunk again since that night. How could I have slept with you a second time and not remember?"

Harry sat down on the bed beside her and let out a soft sigh. He was silent for a long moment, staring down at the floor, then he looked up at her. "Because I took away the memories afterwards." he admitted.

"You what?!?" She asked, taken aback. "Why would you do that?!?"

"Because..." Harry said softly, "I took other memories that night. Memories you didn't want..."

Lavender's eyes went round again as she realized which memories he was talking about. She hadn't given any more thought to who might have wiped the memories away. She'd just assumed it was one of the professors or perhaps Madam Pomfrey. Well, the timing would have been right for that to have been the night she got pregnant.

"But I wasn't supposed to." Harry continued softly, "Technically, no boy my age should even know how to remove memories, let alone actually be able to do it. It's something I learned on my own... quite some time ago. If it ever came out... what I'd done... it would have been very bad for me. Questions would have been asked. I'm sorry some good memories had to go with the bad. I just couldn't risk being found out."

"But... I don't understand..." Lavender said, shaking her head, "So you wiped my memories... but... I mean how did we end up shagging? Was..." She dropped her eyes and blushed, "Was that what you wanted for your help?"

"What kind of depraved bastard do you take me for?" Harry hissed angrily.

Her eyes darted up. Even in the relative darkness his disgust at the thought of asking for sexual favors in return for help was readily apparent. It looked like she'd accused him of being just as bad as the men who raped her. "But... then why...?" She asked meekly, afraid of angering him further, but unable to come up with any plausible reason for it on her own.

He stared at her for a long moment, then said softly, "I did it to help you."

"To help me?" She asked incredulously.

He sighed a bit irritably, then rubbed his hands over his face before dropping them once more. He shifted his gaze away from her, staring off into the depths of the dark room. "You obviously remember nothing of how you were acting after it happened. I couldn't even touch your arm without you flinching away from me. I took the memories, but the trauma doesn't always go away just like that. Even when you'd forgotten, you still shied from being touched... still flinched from sudden movements. Sometimes your body remembers being violated, even if your mind forgets. I couldn't stand the thought of leaving you like that... so I took you in hand and taught you what it was like to be touched properly again. I guess you could say I was retraining your body how to react to a man. I never forced anything on you!" He added quickly, darting a glance over to make sure she wasn't making that assumption.

Lavender shook her head, reassuring him she didn't think he would have done that.

"Something like that can ruin a woman for life. Make her so she can't bear being close to anyone, no matter how much she wanted to be. I didn't want you to wind up like that. So I kissed you until you wanted me to kiss you... touched you until pleasure replaced apprehension... let you touch me until it felt natural... then I made love to you until you asked me to make love to you again. And one more time after that..." he said, a little smile slipping over his lips as he glanced over at her again, "It felt like it would have been rude to get you to want me and then just leave you unsatisfied..."

She couldn't help but let out a little amused breath, but then she sobered. "I still... I can't believe I could have forgotten something like that so completely! I mean I still remember..." She forced herself to swallow, trying to fight off the pain and revulsion that clenched at her throat, trying to silence her. "What those men did to me. Not... well not in detail or anything, but I know what happened."

"You know because I made sure you knew. You had to know. If I'd wiped it completely you would have kept trying to remember. You might have even asked someone. If that happened, those bastards might have found out and decided to 'remind' you. It was a lesson to keep you quiet, after all, and I really doubt they'd mind repeating the message to make sure it stuck."

Lavender shuddered, hugging herself. "Oh... ya... I guess... umm...." She trailed off, too horrified by the possibility to come up with anything more.

"I can give them back if you want. The memories, that is." Harry said softly.

"No!" Lavender blurted, a shot of terror flowing through her at the prospect.

"No, no... just the ones of us. I would never give the other ones back." Harry quickly reassured her.

"Oh..." She said as relief flooded through her. She thought about it for a moment, then nodded her head. She still had some trepidation, but if he knocked her up she at least wanted to remember it happening!

"Lay on the bed." Harry said, getting up and reaching for the hangings.

Lavender went beet red, "I thought you meant just..." She began hesitantly.

Harry rolled his eyes and put the fingers of one hand over her mouth, stopping her. "I just don't want someone to wake up and see you here and start asking what we're doing. Awkward questions aside, this isn't the kind of thing that it's healthy to be interrupted during."

"Oh. Right." She said, crawling up onto his bed a bit awkwardly, having to pull her nightgown out of the way a bit to keep from getting twisted up in it. Butterflies raced through her stomach as he pulled the hangings shut behind them, then directed her to lay on her back. She tried not to think about it too much as he settled down beside her. Still, it was kind of hard to keep your thoughts under control in a bizarre situation like this... especially when the boy settling down beside you was apparently one you'd been intimate with... not to mention was very attractive and still wearing nothing but a towel...

She felt positively jittery as he leaned closer, resting on his elbow and reaching across her, his body mere inches from hers.

"Relax." He said gently, "This won't hurt a bit. I promise."

She nodded rather mechanically, clenching her eyes shut. She felt his fingers slide into place on either side of her head and wondered what he was up to. Didn't he need his wand? She was about to open her eyes and question him when his lips gently captured hers. Her mind went completely blank as she kissed him back automatically. It was so amazing she barely noticed the cool, tingling sensation that started at his fingertip and quickly, painlessly, sank in.

She remembered everything. His soft, impassioned words... followed by his patient, diligent 'retraining'. She couldn't remember anyone ever being so tender and gentle with her. He took hours with her, never once rushing her. He gently coaxed her along, but didn't make her do anything she didn't want to do. Her body, locked up with fear to begin with, seemed to come back alive under his touch. When he first took her, it felt awkward... but it was her trepidation, not any lack of skill on his part. Before she knew it she was writhing in harmony with him. It came to feel like his body was made to fit hers... he filled her, but never hurt her when he drove himself into her. She came to long for the sound of his breath near her ear... the feel of his body slipping back into place where it belonged.

She panted for breath as she blinked her eyes open, her mind reeling as her body filled with a desperate longing to feel him inside her again. She glanced over at him. He was watching her. It was dark, but she could see the slight glint of faint light reflecting off of his eyes.

"What are you planning on doing now?" He asked soberly.

She had to reel her thoughts back in before she could properly comprehend what he was asking. Oh. Right. She was pregnant. The memory of that fact made her stomach somehow sink and spin at the same time. "I... I don't know." She replied honestly. She looked over at him, trying to read his expression in the darkness. "What do you want me to do?" she forced herself to ask.

He groaned and flopped back onto his back, staring up. "This wasn't supposed to happen! This is so fucked up!" he sighed piteously.

Lavender looked away. She hadn't really planned on telling whomever turned out to be the father tonight, and she certainly hadn't prepared herself for this. She'd spent all day agonizing over her course of action and now everything was just out the window. What was she supposed to say? She knew they needed to talk about this... but she dreaded the prospect. She was frankly surprised she'd had the courage to discuss it even this much. She felt slightly ill, but she wasn't sure if it was more morning sickness or nerves. "So..." She took a bracing breath, having to force the next words out, "Does that mean you don't want it?"

His head darted over toward her. "I didn't say..." He sighed and turned his head back away. "I just don't know why you're asking me. It's your body. It's hardly my decision to make."

"Guess you're right." She said softly. It was exact what she'd been thinking all along... it just suddenly seemed less appealing when it came from him. "It's my body. My problem."

His head turned towards her again. "I didn't say it was your problem. I said it was your decision." He said a bit irritably. "If you keep it... I mean did you honestly think that I wouldn't support my own child? A child that, should I die, would end up being the very last Potter alive?"

She felt a little trickle of surprise go through her. The idea that she might be carrying the very last of his bloodline had never really occurred to her.

"I mean I have my inheritance from my father... it seemed immense at first, but realistically I can't afford anything extravagant if I want it to last. I'm definitely going to need to get a job once I graduate or ten years down the line I'm not going to have a pot to piss in. I couldn't afford you a lavish lifestyle... but I'd never let you go hungry or homeless. Not the world's best offer, I admit, but... it's there."

Well... it wasn't as if she had ever really thought she'd be rich when she grew up or anything. Sure, every kid has dreams, but with parents like hers she'd learned to be more practical and had long since abandoned that fantasy. A home and financial security was really more than she expected. "So... would we... um.... get married?" She asked.

"I offered you a home, not a marriage!" Harry said quickly. He sighed when she wilted a bit at the abruptness of his reply. "Let's be honest here! I don't love you and you don't love me. I'm not marrying someone I don't love. It wouldn't be fair to either of us. I'm willing to take responsibility though. I'd say that's a bit more than you can expect from your average teenage boy as it is."

She gave a quick little nod, remaining silent.

They lay there in silence, both lost in thought.

"You don't want it, do you?" He sighed after a time.

"I... I don't know." She admitted. "I mean I appreciate that you're willing... I just... it's a bit frightening and I'm not sure I'm ready for this."

He gave a little nod. "Not to mention it would be insanely dangerous for you to carry my child. If it ever got out that it was mine... do you have any idea how much Voldemort would love to get a hold of my child?"

Her insides went cold. She hadn't even thought of that!

"And if he wins and kills me... if he has any inkling I left behind an heir, I guarantee he will make it his next mission to hunt it down and eradicate it."

She unconsciously clutched her hands over her stomach. Merlin! He was right! She would be on the run with her child for the rest of her life! She'd been a nothing before, completely beneath the Dark Lord's notice... but this baby coming to light would paint a huge bullseye on her. She'd never be safe again!

She blinked her eyes open as she felt his fingertips lightly graze her stomach. He pulled away, going back to laying there, staring up towards the ceiling.

"It's ok." He said softly.

His voice was calm, but she could almost feel the sad, pained undercurrent. She realized guiltily that he'd been watching her face while she pondered her situation, seen the fear that was now flowing through her.

"I can get rid of it. I know how." He said softly, staring studiously up at the ceiling, "It won't hurt. You'll never even know it was there. I can even wipe your memory of it so you won't even have a moment's guilt over it. It'll be as if none of this ever happened."

He could do it, too. She was sure of it. She'd never even suspected he'd wiped her memory before. She'd forget all about it and everything would go back to the way it was before. The way it was supposed to be. She looked over at him again, gazing at him intently, trying to fathom how he felt. She reached over and brushed his cheek with her hand. He shifted his head away from her touch, but not before she'd felt the dampness of tears.

Her whole being ached. Now that her memory was restored, she couldn't help but recall the look on his face when he'd spoken to her that night. When he'd opened up to her... it just felt like he was completely alone in the world... and like he felt he always would be. There had been a kind of desperation to be understood... to feel a kinship with someone else, no matter how terrible the circumstances. And yet, when he'd found that kinship in her, he'd taken the memory away. If he'd left her the way she was he would have had someone like him. Someone who understood. He wouldn't have been alone anymore. He'd given that up to keep her from feeling that pain. She had no doubt that it was true that he didn't love her, and neither of them had any real expectation that he ever would... and yet he was willing to sacrifice his child to keep her from becoming a target.

She pondered her situation for quite some time as he lay beside her, waiting patiently. She'd never had to make a decision this difficult before... but when she finally made it, it seemed ridiculous that it had taken so much painstaking deliberation. The choice as pretty obvious.

She rolled over on her side, pressing up against Harry and draping her arm across his chest. She rested her head on his shoulder. He seemed so calm... almost as if he didn't even care... but when she pressed her ear against him she heard his heart hammering in his chest as if he'd just been running.

"Ok." she said simply.

"Ok what?" He replied, his voice neutral.

"I'll take you up on your offer."

"Fine." He replied, his chest so tight his voice sounded a bit strained. He pulled his wand out. "Don't worry. It'll all be over before you know it."

"No!" She said, grabbing his wrist and pushing it back down. "Not that offer, you daftie!" She said with amusement. "The first one."

"You mean..." He said in confusion, trailing off, sure he was misunderstanding her.

"I'm keeping it." She said firmly.

"But... he'll kill you..." He said in a pained voice.

"Only if he finds out." she replied, trying to keep her voice confident.

"You'll have to keep it from absolutely everyone else! Do you have any idea how hard that will be?!?" Harry said in a softly pained voice.

"Well, Hermione knows I'm pregnant... she was there when I found out." She said, hedging just how she found out and hurrying on, "But I didn't even know who's it was, so she has no clue, and I can just lie and tell her I got rid of it. She won't like it, but if she thinks it's already done I doubt she'll say or do anything. There are simple to make potions that will take care of the morning sickness and other physical ailments, and I looked through this book that tells how to charm your clothes to make you look completely normal, even when you're the size of a house. I'll have plenty of time to learn the charm and spell my clothes before I start showing."

"You make it sound simple." Harry commented.

"It will be!" She said confidently, "All we have to do is..."

"You won't even be able to tell your best friend." He interjected gently. "You really think you can lie to her and everyone else for the rest of the year?"

She fell silent for a long moment, then replied, "I said simple... that's not always the same thing as easy. How about you 'simply' snuff that old snake already and we won't have to worry about this so much!" She offered with a hint of amusement.

He let out a little humorless laugh. "I see your point. They're not the same at all." he replied dryly.

"I just... I want to try to make this work." She said when the silence started drawing out again.

"Ok." He replied softly. "Let's see how it goes."

She shifted up and over, straddling his waist and gazing down at him in the darkness. "You think you're going to be able to handle being a father?"

He looked up at her thoughtfully for a long moment, then his gaze drifted down to her stomach. He reached up, running his fingers hesitantly across her belly again, almost as if he was worried he'd hurt it. "To be honest, I've never given it much thought. I never really expected to get old enough to have the issue come up."

"You do remember that you gave me the memories back, right?" She asked with amusement, "You can't tell me you got that good without practice!"

He flashed her a little smile. "I wasn't trying to pretend I was a virgin before you. I guess I just don't really associate sex and babies in my mind. With magical contraceptives it's pretty much completely 'safe', so the originally intended purpose of shagging really never entered my mind. When I shag it's for enjoyment, not to procreate. I just got so used to magic making it just that, nothing more than a pleasurable experience, that the thought of what might potentially happen never crossed my mind. Guess I'm not the greatest role model. At my age I really should be more careful."

"If accidents never happened, half of us wouldn't be here." Lavender said gently with a little smile on her lips, "You really think my uptight parents wanted a kid? If my mum had realized the clasp had broken and that her charm was lying useless on the floor of her shower I'd certainly never have come about."

He reached up, pulling her down on top of him and holding her. He kissed her tenderly, and gave her a little smile. Then his expression sobered, "Well, if we want this to work, we're definitely going to need to set some ground rules..."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Hermione nestled back comfortably in her chair, listening to Snape and David talk. It seemed the more they drank the easier the ideas flowed and the more they talked. By now, it was just such an effortlessly free flowing, almost stream of consciousness conversation it was fascinating to listen to. Not that they wouldn't welcome the input, but she almost didn't want to interrupt. What they were saying was just so much more fascinating than what she could come up with... and when she occasionally thought of a tidbit to add, the conversation was three subjects down the road before she had an opportunity to speak without talking over one (or both) of them, and it would have been pointless to say it by then. Still, it was worth it just to hear them. The things they thought up and the stories they told... she didn't need to join in to enjoy it.

She shifted a bit, once more wishing she'd taken the time to properly unpack after the trip, despite how irritating it would be to have to find a way to hide it all from snooping roommates until she had everything sorted. Those packs were marvelous for their capacity, but they were made to be loaded up, then unloaded... being able to sort their contents without removing them wasn't their strong suit. Have you ever tried to find a decent pair of trousers while reaching into something that can hold half a dozen suitcases worth of stuff using nothing but your sense of touch? It was a lot harder than it sounds. Thus, she found herself stuck wearing one of her school uniform skirts, and she had no one to blame but herself. How she'd love to put a leg, or even both legs up on the arm of the chair and nestle in deeper... but that would be a bit indecorous in a skirt. So pulling her legs up and tucking them under her was the best she could do. Good enough, she supposed. Still, she longed to just melt into the chair, becoming one with it and having nothing to distract her from Snape.

Um, the conversation that is!

She forced her eyes back over to David. There was no doubt he was one of the most fascinating people she'd ever met... so why did she keep finding her eyes on Snape, her mind slipping away to places it really shouldn't go and having to shift her eyes back away just so she could hear their words once more? She shifted forward and took up her glass, draining the lovely dregs from it before setting it back. Over the course of the past couple of hours David had 'gotten distracted' and 'accidentally' poured a bit more in her glass instead of his several times... when Snape 'happened' to not be looking of course.

She closed her eyes, letting the light, euphoric magic of the wine seep through her. The scent she had been smelling had changed with each new splash of wine he'd poured into her glass. The last had been nearly a third of her glass, and she'd been enjoying it quite thoroughly... though she really shouldn't have been. As the sweet, lovely liquid quenched her thirst, a very particular musky, herbal scent had buffeted her like a heady gust of wind. It wasn't just proximity, as the usual bearer of that scent was in the chair that happened to be the one the absolute furthest away from her. Besides, what the wine let her smell was more than the cologne or whatever it was that he put on to smell like that... she could smell him... his warm skin, his hair, as if she were mere inches from him... as she licked the last drop from her lips she could practically taste his lips.

Hermione's eyes shot open, her cheeks going scarlet with mortification as she realized she'd let out a soft moan. David didn't seem to have noticed, but Snape's eyes went over to her, looking at her curiously. "Sorry," She said, quickly covering for her embarrassing slip, "I really have to go to the loo. Too much juice I guess." She said, carefully working her legs out without letting her skirt flip indecently.

Snape seemed to accept the explanation, going back about what he was saying without paying her any more attention, but she was acutely aware of David's attention shifting to her. She could feel his curious gaze on her as she hurried over to the door to the bathroom, quickly slipping in.

She gave a very soft sigh of relief once the door was closed behind her. Bloody Hell!!! She just wanted to slap herself (though explaining away a red handprint on her face would be even more embarrassing). What was wrong with her?!? Sure, she'd been thinking about Snape more and more lately, most especially the things he'd done to her... but fantasizing in her bed was bad enough... doing it while there was another person in the room?!? Completely inappropriate! Why couldn't she seem to get her mind off of sex lately??? She'd never been one to dwell overly much on the subject, but the last several days it had been almost constantly in her mind any time she wasn't actively talking to someone or doing something that required concentration. She'd never admit it, but she'd even dug around in her pack until she found the little bag Blaise had slipped into her shopping at the mall near the end of their trip. It'd been exactly what she figured it would be... batteries included. She had just thanked Merlin it had still worked in such a magically rich environment. It wasn't Snape of course (especially since he doesn't vibrate), but it'd been worlds better than just laying there fantasizing. Well, she'd obviously done a bit of that too... but it was better than fantasizing without 'help' anyway.

She went over and used the loo (because she had polished off what felt like about a gallon of liquids so far after all), then finished up, splashing cold water on her face. She just couldn't figure out what was wrong with her! Was this really just what happened to your mind once you'd had sex? Did thoughts of sex and wild desires plague your every waking moment for the rest of your life? What a bloody nuisance! Honestly, how did anything ever get done if all adults had their minds mired in thoughts of the flesh constantly?!? After that terrible incident with Draco claiming before the whole school that he'd bedded her she'd been so distraught and stressed out that it was the first time sex had left her mind in the better part of a week... and even then her dreams had still been more blatantly carnal than she would ever dare admit. Of course Freya's visit hadn't helped that.

This was just nutters. The bit of alcohol she'd consumed may not be much, but it was obviously enough to make staying here much longer inadvisable. It was probably late enough by now to excuse herself. It was probably after curfew by now actually, but she wasn't sure because she hadn't thought to put her watch on this morning. If nothing else, she could always say she had homework to finish. Not that she really planned to finish it tonight. She found herself trying to calculate how long that twelve pack of batteries would last her. She actually had no idea how long they lasted, so estimating was rather difficult. Would it stretch out until the Yule break? That was the soonest she could foresee being able to visit a Muggle shop, and it wasn't like she could ask her parents to send some more! She felt perverse and a bit dirty even worrying about such things... and yet at the same time she knew she couldn't handle feeling like this with no chance of any kind of relief!

She quickly dried her face, but then lingered. She breathed in, smelling his scent ingrained in the towel. She breathed deeply, feeling desire for him overwhelming her. She wanted to go into his bedroom and throw herself on his bed... to watch him come into the room and come over to her... to touch her like he did before.

With Herculean effort, she managed to pull herself away from the towel. Her eyes caught on the dirty clothes hamper. The lid had been left up and she could see the white of one of his shirts in it. She quickly turned away, fighting off the sudden desire to go over and snatch the shirt up and smell it. What the bloody Hell was wrong with her?!? She had to get out of there! She'd just go back, await her opportunity and excuse herself.

Course of action in place, she tugged her t-shirt to make sure it was in place, smoothed her skirt and composed herself, then went back out into the common room. The conversation was still going, the two men looking oblivious to her absence. She settled into her chair, but forced herself to pay attention, looking for an opening.

"So I said I'd take that bet." David was saying. "So I let her pick out one of the weakest plant in the whole batch and for the next two weeks I watered it with one part fire whiskey to two parts water. The judges showed up right on schedule and wouldn't you know it, that bloody liquored-up plant had sprouted up, almost doubling in size and beat the rest of the lot hands down! I wrote it up for the journal, but those bloody prudes wouldn't publish it! They claimed it was a fluke. I offered to rerun the test or to let them have someone else run it even, but then they just came out and said they wouldn't publish it because using alcohol on a plant seemed like a school boy prank and they didn't want to degrade their image by endorsing it."

Snape let out a derisive snort. "Sounds like that lot. Who cares if it works? They're too worried about their bloody image to be bothered with results. It's just making money and protecting their income for them. They wouldn't go out on a limb if Merlin himself handed them a paper on something they felt was controversial!"

David nodded, then glanced over at Hermione. Seeing this was one of those rare pauses in the conversation, Hermione quickly opened her mouth to give her excuses and bow out... but she didn't get a chance.

"Do you remember Tanya Seckle?" David asked Severus, his attention apparently completely focused back on the conversation.

"Tanya Seckle?" Snape asked, furrowing his brow, then his expression brightened, "Oh yes, the overly exuberant blonde a year ahead of me! Practically lived in the greenhouse. She was about the only one other than myself who really seemed to understand you most of the time."

David smiled, but it didn't look as sincere as his smiles usually did. "That would be the one. Can I let you in on a little secret?"

"Of course." Snape said, looking both puzzled and curious.

David settled back in his chair with a sigh. "She came to me one night when I was working late in the greenhouse. She told me she was in love with me... and something about her... maybe her eyes or her voice, or just the complete sincerity with which she said it left me with no doubt that she really did. It wasn't just a crush or a passing fancy... she loved me. Before I could even muster a response, she kissed me... and in that moment I had an epiphany. I had feelings for her too. It was amazing how subtly it snuck up on me. In that moment I could suddenly see it all... what life would be like with her... I knew without a doubt she was that one person I could connect with on such a deep level that once joined nothing on this world could ever part us. Do you have any idea what it's like to look at another person and see the other half of your soul staring back at you?"

There was a bit of an uneasy silence as David paused. Neither Snape nor Hermione took their eyes off of David.

"Do you know what I did then?" David asked softly.

"What?" Snape asked before the silence could draw out uncomfortably again.

David took a deep breath and sighed it out. "I did the 'right thing', of course. She was a silly little seventeen year old girl. Even if she didn't lose interest in me in a couple of months, a relationship would have been improper. I lied and told her I had no feelings for her and sent her along her way. That's the real reason I quit teaching. Dealing with witches old enough to be tempting was obviously just going to get me into trouble, so I made my excuses and went back to what I was good at... and kept myself safely secluded so something like that would never happen again. Yes, she was broken hearted, but she went on with her life. She got married a few years later, to a man much closer to her own age. She even has a son now. I was sorely tempted, but I followed the rules. I did what was right."

The word seemed to hang there in the air for a long moment.

"Can you do me a favor, Severus?" David asked softly.

Snape, looking rather uncomfortable (though he hid it relatively well), responded immediately, "Of course. What?"

"Don't make the same stupid mistake I did." David said seriously.

"I beg your pardon?" Snape asked, looking a bit stunned.

"I let rules and propriety take away the best chance at happiness I'll probably ever have." David said sadly. "I was so worried about what society would think I made the single most horrendous mistake of my life. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't regret it. Perhaps if I knew she was happy, I could handle it better... but she isn't. She doesn't love that man. He's handsome and popular, but she only married him because he knocked her up and they both know it. The only joy she has in her life is her son... and I could have given her that. I can't help but believe I ruined both of our chances for true happiness that day. When you find your soul mate, grab on to her and never let go. After all, once you've lost that... I mean what's the point in looking any further?"

"Seems like a rather grim outlook." Snape said, obviously trying to muster up a proper response.

"Grim doesn't mean it's wrong. If you let her get away, you're a damn fool." David said solemnly, then he shifted his eyes to Hermione, "Wouldn't you agree, Miss Granger?"

Hermione jumped slightly, having grown accustomed to merely being an observer in the conversation, and definitely not expecting to be asked her opinion on this subject. Here eyes darted between the two men who were now staring at her and she quickly nodded her head, not trusting her voice.

David smiled at her, then looked back at Snape. "Did I ever tell you about my childhood?" He asked out of the blue.

"Not much." Snape said, his posture loosening back up a bit, obviously glad for the change in subject, "You've told me a couple of stories from your schooling here, but nothing from before that."

David nodded. "Not a subject I usually have much interest in. As I'm sure you've gleaned from your fellow classmates, and later from your students, a magical child growing up in a Muggle world often has a rather rough go of it. To be quite honest, most of my childhood before coming here would be best forgotten entirely."

Hermione blinked, but remained silent. She'd had no idea David was Muggleborn. She'd just kind of assumed such a strong and influential wizard was from some long magical bloodline. She immediately mentally chastised herself for falling victim to the very same biased assumptions she'd reprimanded others for making in the past.

"It was bad enough that I was considered 'odd' and strange things always seemed to happen around me..." David continued, "When I developed my particularly strong affinity for plants early on, my father felt he had no choice but to step in. He was a police detective, and he'd always just assumed I'd become one as well. When he found I'd pilfered my mother's drinking glasses to bring 'weeds' into my room when I was about six or seven, he put his foot down. He tossed out my plants and started foisting off every bad crime novel on me he could lay his hands on in hopes it would inspire me to 'do something with my life'. He even forced some actual detective training manuals on me. I read them, since I had no real choice in the matter, but he was very disappointed in my lack of enthusiasm about them. Then, one day he handed me a copy of my first Sherlock Holmes novel. I don't know what it was about him, but Sherlock enthralled me. It was just so amazing to me that such in depth information could be discovered by simple observation and deductive reasoning alone. I must have read every single Holmes novel at least three or four times. Where my father's plan failed was in my choice of how to apply such knowledge and carefully cultivated observation skills. They were of great benefit when I started cross breeding plants. I noticed signs of weakness and incompatibility in failed crosses and was able to hone my selection skills to maximize a plant's strengths to make better crosses, and even spot normally overlooked attributes to cultivate and instill in my new plants. It's hard to explain, but simple observation was the one area I had unknowingly been lacking in, and ended up being the key to succeeding. It also helped a bit in my social life, of course. I quickly began to spot the people who would be more open to my particular quirks, which people to avoid... and what buttons to push to get the bullies I couldn't avoid to leave me alone. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was an absolute genius, and despite the time period he lived in and the handicap of being a Muggle, he was undoubtedly my biggest influence. I rather lost track of the Muggle world after I left it, so I don't know if his novels are even still around. They are quite old by now... have you heard of him?" He asked, looking over at Hermione.

"Oh, yes." Hermione said, nodding, "They're still around. Pretty much everyone knows about them, even if they haven't read any of the books themselves. Over the years they have even made Sherlock Holmes television shows and films. The subject seems to have real staying power in popular culture. I've read a number of the novels, though admittedly probably not all of them. I quite liked his logical approach to things." She tried to hide how uneasy the direction of this conversation was making her, but she had no idea how to redirect it without being obvious. She just hoped it wasn't leading where she had a feeling it was.

"Splendid!" He said with a smile, "I'm glad to see it's managed to stay up with the times. The stories seemed to have a kind of timeless appeal, so I held out hope." He turned his attention back to Snape. "How about you?"

Snape shook his head and gave his shoulders a slight shrug. "I have heard vague references, but not much else. To be honest, I thought it was a Muggle historical figure, not a fictional character."

David smiled, "Well, he seemed very alive to me, but alas, he never actually lived. Except of course in the minds of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his readers. Sherlock was the most amazing man. He could walk into a room, and just by taking in the minute details of his surroundings and careful observation of the people around him, their speech patterns, their ticks, their unconscious gestures he could tell everything he needed to know about them. Would you like me to give you an example?"

Snape, looking intrigued, folded his arms over his chest and tilted his head a bit. "Certainly." He replied.

NO! Hermione was mentally screaming, but it wasn't like she could say it aloud. Besides, if what she suspected was coming it was too late anyway.

"Neville Longbottom." David said, "When your name is mentioned, he gets a nervous stutter and refuses to make eye contact and often stares at the ground. He also makes a number of nervous gestures, such as alternately folding his arms over his chest and shoving his hands in his pockets. From this, I deduce he's terrified of you. I suspect you're being a bit too hard on the boy in class."

Snape gave a snort. "Anyone could tell you that."

"Probably." David agreed, "His reactions are very open and obvious to anyone bothering to pay attention. You and Miss Granger here are thankfully much more subtle, so hopefully no one else has yet noticed."

Snape's arms tightened up a bit where they rested across his chest. "Noticed what?" He asked carefully.

David smiled, "That you've recently become lovers, of course."

Snape's pale cheeks flushed, "She's a student!" He began heatedly.

David held up his hand, stopping Snape's refutal before he could get going. "Please don't, Severus. I'm not judging you. All I'm trying to do is help. If I can spot it and be convinced enough of my suspicions to confront you with it after just a few hours, you really need to improve your subterfuge if you want to avoid detection by others. So answer me this... would you like to waste your time denying it and send me along my way, or would you like me to tell you what is giving you away?" David asked, looking them both over with a gentle smile.

Snape appeared locked in silence. He steadfastly kept his gaze away from Hermione, but couldn't seem to muster any response.

"How about I just take your silence to mean 'Yes, David, please do tell us'." David said with little amused breath. He looked over at Hermione. "Miss Granger. Let me start with you."

Hermione flushed darker still (if that were possible by this point), wishing she still had her time turner.

"There was nervousness when faced with entering Severus' quarters, but no fear despite the fact that I have no doubt Severus is one of the most... daunting professors here." He began, "But then, you are a strong young woman, so that could be taken as bravery. Harder to explain was why your pupils tend to dilate so much whenever you looked at Snape for any amount of time. That's a classic sign of arousal. I suppose that could be played off as a schoolgirl crush. However, should you ever enter his quarters in the presence of someone else, do try to look around curiously. What student wouldn't be staring about with avid interest when entering a professor's private quarters, especially a student as naturally curious as you? Act like you did in the kitchen... looking everywhere, completely oblivious to where anything was kept. The fact that that was the one room of his quarters you have never been in was obvious. You didn't look around at the shelves or the furniture in the common room, the bedroom door was ajar, but you never once glanced in there... in fact, your eyes carefully avoided that door. And for pity's sake, if you need to use the loo, ask where it is!"

Hermione felt like she was going to pass out. She'd completely given the secret away! And most of it was simply stupid mistakes on her part! She was so mortified!!! She wanted to just go to her room and hide in her bed and never come back out!!!

David gave her a warm smile, then turned his attention back to Snape. "You're the one who really gave it away, though."

"Me?!?" Snape blurted, startled out of his stony silence by the accusation.

David nodded. "From the beginning, you were far too tense around her. I could have passed that off as an overactive sense of propriety... but you called her Hermione three times. Never once when you spoke of her on previous visits did you slip and use her first name and I know full well you never normally refer to any of your students by their first names even when alone with them... well, except perhaps Draco. That and the guarded look you got when discussing her tonight are how I know the intimacy between you started some time after my last visit with you. You also need to stop touching her."

"What? I did no such thing!" Snape said indignantly.

"I'm afraid you did. Several times. When she was stirring the sauce and you came to check it, you stood close enough beside her for your shoulders to touch, then you placed the tips of your fingers on the small of her back as you leaned in to smell the sauce. You also placed your hand lightly on the small of her back when you both went back out through the kitchen door."

Snape looked over at Hermione, obviously about to deny it, but Hermione just gave him a little confirming nod. He may not have realized it, but she'd certainly noticed! It had sent a tingle up and down her spine both times. She'd noticed the slips with her name as well, but she really hadn't thought David would have picked up on it so readily. Snape still didn't look entirely convinced he'd done that, but he kept his silence.

David appeared to be rather enjoying the reaction his observations were getting. "Not to mention," He continued blithely, "That while you were working in that cramped little kitchen you bumped and brushed against her quite a number of times with no reaction, which indicates a familiarity not usually normal between most teachers and their students. Never once did you blush, apologize or shift away from the contact as you normally would. You also tend to stare at her when you think no one is watching. You're lucky your eyes are so dark... I quite imagine your pupils were doing interesting things as well."

Hermione's eyes widened and darted over to Snape. He didn't appear to be trying to deny that one!

David spotted her reaction and grinned, "Of course my seat also provided me with an interesting view of your reactions to each other's words during the conversation. It was most entertaining."

Snape reached up, covering his eyes with his hand and remained silent.

"Oh, come now." David said gently, "I've known you had an interest in her for quite some time now... not that I thought you'd ever act on that interest, especially while she was still a student... but it's easy to see why you have feelings for her. She's witty, sharp as a tack... quite brilliant really, and can be rather sarcastic at times. Sounds like a perfect match for you. Humans may wish to believe they are creatures of pure intellect, completely above 'baser' animal instincts... but no matter how logical we are, we still have needs. The need to be understood, to be touched, to feel pleasure... to be loved. If she fills your needs and you fill hers, then society has no right to judge you. That being said, society doesn't need to know right now, so do try to keep my pointers in mind." David clapped his hands together, then rose from his seat, "Well, I believe I have wreaked sufficient havoc for one evening. I should be off." He said.

He went over to Snape's chair and reached down, resting his hand on Snape's shoulder. "As always, it has been a pleasure visiting with you. I do hope you don't take offense to anything I've said... but just in case, I will leave it entirely up to you to schedule our next meeting. I do hope it will be soon. You are, without question, my closest and dearest friend. I will always support you in anything you chose to do. No matter what, I always want you to remember that." He said sincerely.

Snape dropped his hand from his eyes and gave his head a nod, but kept his gaze averted.

David then strode over to Hermione. "Miss Granger... it has been a sincere pleasure meeting you at last." he said, reaching out and taking her hand. He lifted it and gave the back of her hand a light kiss, then smiled warmly at her, still holding her hand in his. "This should get you back to your Tower without too much trouble." He said, turning her hand over and placing the ring he'd been wearing before on her palm. "Just put it on your finger to activate it. It has a built in Aversion charm. It won't let you avoid detection spells, but no casual observer will notice you unless they are looking directly at you when you put on the ring or if you speak directly to them while wearing it. In those cases, the ring's power encompasses them as well until you part company. You can keep it. I have several. I do hope we meet again. Many times. Look after Severus for me, if you would be so kind." He then leaned in and whispered into her ear, "And make sure he invites me to the wedding, won't you?" He asked mischievously before giving her cheek a little peck.

Hermione blushed furiously as he released her hand and moved away. She couldn't even bring herself to look over until the fireplace lit up with a burst of green flames. She had the briefest glimpse of him smiling at her, then he was gone. She put the little brass ring away in a pocket she'd added to her skirt, not knowing what else she was supposed to do. She should leave she supposed... but she couldn't just leave without bidding Snape farewell, and she couldn't bring herself to be the first one to speak.

They sat there in a kind of uneasy silence. Hermione's head was spinning. The mortification of getting 'caught' was wearing off, and her mind was choosing to sieze on the bits David had said about Snape. Yes, she'd noticed the direct touching, but the brushing against him... to be honest, she hadn't really noticed until it was pointed out. It was a bit surprising to realize he felt comfortable enough with her not to have noticed it as well. And her mind kept returning to one comment. Snape watched her when no one else was looking. She couldn't help but believe that meant he really did have feelings for her too. Why else would you stare at someone like that? If he was even half as interested in her as David seemed to be implying... and she hadn't heard Snape give a single real denial...

And David had said the word wedding!!! Yes, she knew it was insanely improbable that anything like that would ever happen between her and Snape... but at the same time she so wanted to believe it was a real possibility! Hearing that word coming from someone else made it sound so much more real! Well, less like a silly delusional teenaged fantasy anyway. She couldn't help but imagine how it would be. To go to sleep with him every night and wake up to him every morning... to be able to hold him and kiss him without having to check first to make sure no one could possibly see them... to be with him without having to hide how she felt... the desire for those simple pleasures that she'd been working so hard to suppress welled up in her once again. Her whole body ached for him in a way she couldn't deny.

Without even consciously willing it to happen, she suddenly found herself on her feet. His eyes shifted over... and the minute they locked on hers she lost any remaining semblance of control. Before he could object, she found herself straddling his lap, her body undulating up against him as she claimed his mouth without bothering to wait for permission. God, this was pure bliss! The feel of his body against her... the feel of his lips and the way he kissed her... and no one could convince her he wasn't kissing her back! She parted her lips, but he turned his head away, so she shifted her head down a bit and kissed his neck.

"Hermione!" He said in a low, almost desperate whisper, "You promised!"

Hermione pulled her head back just far enough to see those amazing black eyes. "I lied." She groaned, forcefully reclaiming his lips. Without letting up, she seized his hand, pulling it up under her t-shirt.

"Hermione!" He managed to get out between her ardent kisses, obviously objecting to the move. He tugged to try to free his hand, but the effort was pathetic at best and he gave up the struggle after just a moment. She shuddered with pleasure at his touch, grinding her hips up against him. Despite his initial feeble objections, his other hand found its way under her t-shirt in short order as well and the clasp to her bra 'somehow' popped open.

She broke the kiss with a cry and a shudder of pleasure, her hips jerking up against him as he gave one of her nipples a little pinch. Bloody Hell! It felt like there was a nerve running from her nipple straight down to her loins! He saw that and rubbed her nipple with his thumb. She shuddered, grinding up against him more as she felt flush.

Snape gave up the pretense and pushed her t-shirt up out of the way. She cried out with abandon, pressing up against him as he took her nipple into his mouth. She felt slightly feverish as he used his tongue on her hot flesh while his hand continued fondling the other breast. She wrapped her arms around him, grinding her hips against him and crying out shamelessly, incensed by the pleasure he was giving her. She'd always loved it when he played with her breasts, but it had never felt this good before! She closed her eyes and lost herself in the pleasure. With the diligent use of his talented fingers and tongue, the pleasure kept spiralling higher and higher until she cried out as it broke over her in a sudden, unexpected rush of blinding ecstasy.

She panted, dazed and more than a little stunned. She'd never even gotten close to having an orgasm from him just playing with her breasts before. It was a nice warm up, but it'd certainly never been enough on its own. He hadn't even touched her knickers yet! She hadn't realized just how desperately she missed his touch!

She came out of it a bit as she felt her t-shirt slipping back down. She opened her eyes, looking at Snape searchingly. Much to her chagrin, the brief reprieve appeared to have been long enough for him to gather himself a bit and for 'logic' to reassert itself.

"Hermione. We can't." He said in a soft but firm voice. He closed his eyes to keep them from lingering on her, his hands moving aside to rest firmly on the arms of his chair.

She let out a little, shuddering sob before she could stifle it. Damn it! Damn it all straight to Hell! This shouldn't have to be so bloody difficult!!!! Nothing that made her feel like he did could possibly be wrong! Why was she the only one who could see that?!?

She dragged herself off of him, the anguish welling inside of her making her feel almost sick. She hugged herself, looking around a bit desperately for her robe. It was hard with her mind spinning so much and her eyesight blurry from tears, but she just wanted to escape. She wanted to run off and hide somewhere no one would ever find her, curl up in a little ball and sob until she ran out of tears.

Snape's chest felt heavy and ached fiercely as he watched her half stumble over to the chair she'd left her robe on. He couldn't stand it. It killed him to see her in such pain. He got up, unsure what to do, but unable to let her just leave. Not like this.

"Hermione!" He called after her.

Hermione ignored him, not bothering to put the robe on, just hurrying for the door. He easily caught up, taking hold of her elbow.

"Hermione, please!" He said in a soft, pleading voice, pulling her back towards him. She resisted, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the door, but he was stronger. The sight of her red-rimmed eyes and wet cheeks sent another sharp stab of pain through his heart. He pulled her up against him and put his arms around her, "Please don't cry." He said softly.

Hermione let out a low keen of despair, but sagged against him, pressing her face to his shoulder and letting her robe slip from her fingers.

"I never meant to hurt you, Hermione." He said, stroking his hand down her hair. He held her tightly until her sobs eased. When he shifted her gently away so he could look at her she kept her eyes averted, but didn't resist. "Don't cry." He said, wiping away the tears that still trickled from her eyes. "I'm not worth tears."

"Yes, you are!" She shot back immediately, her tears increasing again.

"No..." He whispered in a placating tone, gently kissing her forehead, "Shh... it'll be ok, you'll see..." He whispered. He reached up and put a finger under her chin, gently tilting her head up and gazing into her eyes. Oh, what those innocent brown eyes did to him... he had to shift his gaze down to her lips. "I am completely wrong for you. One day you'll look back and be glad this happened."

She let out a little pained whine.

He took her face in his hands, brushing her tears away with his thumbs as he gazed at her, letting his eyes drift back up to meet hers. "It's for the best." Another tear started making its way down her cheek. Without thinking, he found himself leaning closer, gently kissing the tear away. "Don't." He whispered, "No more tears." He shifted over, kissing away another as it fell. And another. The next nearly got away from him, but he caught it on the edge of her mouth. Her head turned slightly and he felt her lips brush his bottom lip. His eyes closed as a shiver of pleasure went through him. Her lips were slightly salty with tears, but warm and supple against his. He kissed away the salt until he could taste it no more. He pressed closer, seeking out her tongue. When he found it, it was just as sweet as he'd known it would be. He could still taste the slightest traces of the wine, though he knew she tasted heavenly even without it.

She came up against a low cabinet, though Snape hadn't even realized he was pressing against her enough to push her backwards. He eased up, but with a little hop she just sat up on the cabinet, then quickly pulled him back close, the extra few inches of height making it even easier to kiss her properly. He groaned into the kiss when he felt her wrap her legs around his waist. He pressed against her, feeling the heat of her through his clothes.

He felt her slipping her hand between them, tugging at the fastenings of his trousers, but he quickly seized her wrist and pulled it back away. She let out a whimper. He pulled away from her lips for the briefest moment, quickly muttering, "Not here." before reclaiming her lips once more. He slipped his hands down and under her bum. She tightened her legs and quickly wrapped her arms tight around his neck as he shifted his center of gravity, lifting her off of the cabinet.

Those lovely lips consumed his attention so completely he found it hard to navigate. He had to pause, pressing her against a wall while he broke oh so briefly to glance and get reoriented, then he perched her on the back of a chair for a moment, finally the door frame, but then he was pretty well set for direction. He reached the bed and crawled up on it a little ways on his knees before dropping down on top of her. They'd been snogging so fervently they were rather breathless as they quickly pulled each others clothes off with the speed of desperation.

He plunged himself into her and let out a deep groan of bliss. Merlin, yes! This is what he'd been dying for! He relished her exulted cries as he drove himself into her with uncharacteristic fervor. He didn't try to hold back to last longer, or to prove he could control himself... he had no illusions whatsoever that he was in control of himself at the moment. His rational mind was neatly blocked out right now. He allowed himself no thought other than pleasuring the woman writhing around on the bed below him.

Their movements were so fervent the sturdy bed jostled and creaked beneath them. He enjoyed the sound of the tormented bedsprings, but it wasn't nearly as gratifying as the sound of Hermione's mindless cries and moans. She quaked and shuddered beneath him a number of times, tightening on him exquisitely, but he didn't slow. A passion unlike anything he'd ever felt seemed to have taken over, driving him on relentlessly.

When his peak finally came, it crashed over him with such mind-blowing intensity he cried out, though he could barely hear his own voice over Hermione's. She bucked up against him, then gave several great shudders before slowly starting to calm down. They just lay there like that for a time... their sweat slickened bodies pressed tightly together as they panted desperately for breath.

Unfortunately, as the high began to ebb, the irritating, tortuous rational thoughts started to filter back in to his mind. What the bloody Hell did he think he was doing? Other than committing suicide, that is. Were momentary pleasures of the flesh really worth his life? He decided he shouldn't answer that one at this particular moment. Merlin, why did the best sex of his life have to be with a student?!? It was bad enough when it had just been great sex... what he'd just felt... he never knew it was possible for something to feel like that!

This was daft! He was just going to wind up either breaking her heart so badly she may never recover, or getting her killed. "I'm sorry..." He muttered morosely, "I shouldn't have done that..."

Hermione turned her head and they were staring at each other so close their noses almost brushed.

"We can't do this. It has to stop." He forced himself to say, though those eyes nearly rendered him mute.

She gave a little, sad sigh. "I know."

They lay there in silence for several minutes, but then she spoke again.

"Do you think... maybe..." She ventured tentatively, "We can stop tomorrow?"

Even though he knew it was completely wrong, and that he would undoubtedly regrete it later, he still found himself giving her a little nod. "Tomorrow." He agreed softly.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

A/N - and that was Saturday, Oct 5. Whoa... I just recently found out that there is an author named David Friedman. I honestly first saw his name 12/13/09, so my David is in no way, shape or form related to the real life author. Just wanted to make that clear. I suppose there's so many people in the world that any name I make up is probably gonna have at least one real life counterpart somewhere in the world. Just a bit startling when you stumble upon them unexpectedly. Perhaps a bit ironically, this chapter was marginally delayed in its release by Sherlock Holmes. The movie, that is. That was the exciting way I ended up spending my new year's eve. The movie let out at 11:59. I know, I know, I'm a party animal. Regarding a recent review I received, yes, my characters may be a bit shag-happy, but they're busy trying to balance out my complete lack of a social life, so give them a break :) If you guys are really getting tired of reading about all the shagging just say so and I'll keep those scenes to myself. Anyhow, Happy New Year and I hope you enjoyed it. Please review. Unless of course you didn't like it or get your jollies picking nits, in which case just roll your eyes, shake your head, mutter to yourself about what a piece of crap it is and hit the back button. No need to share that kind of thing.