Chapter 51
Hermione returned to the barn after work, flooing home into one of the two large fireplaces that were in the main lab. There was no sign of Draco, but Severus was there, stirring a tiny cauldron above a burning flame with his left hand, and making notes on a piece of parchment with his right.
He looked up at the noise of the Floo, his striking features breaking into a genuine smile at the sight of her. It warmed her heart. As she walked towards him, he cast a stasis charm at the cauldron to pause his work before gathering her into his arms, lifting her to sit upon the empty bench behind him and sinking his hands into her hair, cupping her head with a moan of sweet relief before helping himself to her mouth, kissing her with both a tenderness that melted her and an urgency that curled her toes.
She returned his kiss with eagerness, and ran her hands over his back, which was covered with only the plain white shirt he was wearing to brew; soothing him, welcoming him, reassuring him of her presence. His need for physical and emotional nurture had not abated and she was more than content to provide it.
Keeping one hand holding the back of her head, he slid the other down her body, tracing her curves down and slipping it under her skirt, pushing his hand along her bare thigh, reaching under and towards her bottom. She gasped as he squeezed her arse, hopping slightly up in surprise from the surface of the workbench where she was seated. Feeling him smile against her lips as he continued to snog her into incoherence, and grab himself a fresh handful of her bum cheek, she suspected that had been his plan all along.
He really could take her apart with just the passion of his kisses.
Neither of them heard the soft crack of apparition inside the porch and the door to the workroom open quietly.
"There aren't many sights that would put me off my food, but that is certainly one of them," came the sneering tones of Draco Malfoy as he entered the room.
Severus reluctantly stopped kissing, removed his hands from Hermione and turned around with a look of disdain and annoyance on his face.
"A few missed meals wouldn't go amiss, Draco, lest you end up as fat as one of your father's neglected peacocks," he drawled.
"My father himself is putting on weight faster than the stupid birds, stuck at home with no means of magical transportation."
Did she imagine it or had she just noted a glimmer of disgust in Draco's tone and anger flit across his face as he mentioned his father?
"Indeed. Why are you here? Had we not agreed you had finished for the day after delivering the order to Slug and Jiggers?"
"We had," Draco replied, sauntering over to the third workbench that contained neither Hermione, nor a brewing cauldron, "But I didn't take my books."
He began to gather up half a dozen advanced and mastery-level Potions textbooks into a plain leather bookbag, along with sheafs of parchments covered in scrawled notes, not appearing to be in any hurry to leave.
"You couldn't have taken those with you?" Severus chided.
"As well as four boxes of potions bottles? I had enough trouble apparating with them in one hit, without taking a bulging bookbag too."
Severus turned back to Hermione.
"You must excuse my apprentice. He forgets he is a wizard, from time to time, with the ability to shrink items at will."
"Well, I didn't know you two were going to be re-enacting a scene from one of Madam Pince's private book collections as soon as I left the building, did I? Should I presume, from the position I found you both in, that this little relationship is back on?"
He waved his finger vaguely between the two of them.
"Irma Pince's what?" Severus looked appalled.
Hermione blushed. She had read many of the librarian's private collection of erotica books during her later years at Hogwarts. What was a healthy young witch with a passion for reading to do? Severus turned and caught her guilty expression.
"I shall expect a full and frank explanation of these books later," he told her, making sure only she, not Draco, could see his black eyes simmering with wicked intent.
He turned back to Draco.
"Do you have everything you require, now?" he asked the young wizard, tetchily.
Draco patted his bag, mockingly.
"Everything present and correct. I am going. You can shove your hand back up Granger's skirt now."
"Oh, I intend to, Mr Malfoy."
Severus was wholly unabashed, and she bit back a smile of amusement at the verbal sparring between him and Draco. The younger man shook his head with a wry smile and headed back towards the apparition porch, closing the door loudly behind him.
Severus turned back towards her, reaching for her in such a predatory way that she only just remembered what she had to discuss with him before they got involved in anything ... else.
"Stop, please wait a minute, Severus," she blurted out, quickly.
"What is the matter?" he questioned; his lips already halfway to her mouth.
"There is something that happened today, that reminded me of something else that I absolutely must talk to you about."
He raised his eyebrow to bid her to continue.
"I don't want there to be any secrets between us. None at all."
"I agree."
"I mean it. This is a fresh start for us. We gave so much of ourselves to make this relationship work, and then we almost lost it all through misunderstandings and not being honest with each other about things that worry us."
"Hermione. I said I agree. I absolutely agree. I will allow nothing to come between us again that it is within my power to prevent."
She hopped from the bench onto the stone floor and pulled over a wooden stool, which squeaked as it scraped along the flagstones. Severus followed her lead and sat down. She put her bag on the bench and opened it, pulling out two rolled scrolls; one the scented parchment that had come with the flowers, and the other a missive she had written at her desk that afternoon.
Taking a deep breath, she began.
"Severus. When we were apart from each other, I went out on a date with another wizard."
She spoke slowly, wanting him to hear and understand every word. He cupped his chin in his hand and began to stroke it with one long finger, thoughtfully. His eyes had closed down, they were expressionless. He was trying to guard his feelings.
"Go on."
"I did not know that we would get back together. I thought that our relationship was over, that you wanted nothing more to do with me."
She saw him visibly wince in pain.
"Although my mind was full of only you, my logical side took over when I was asked out for a drink. I did not want to begin another relationship, certainly not, but I thought it would be nice to go. He was, is, a decent and kind wizard, and I felt like I did not have anything to lose by accompanying him."
There was a long pause as she waited for him to process each piece of information. This would be the only way they could work through this, his jealousy and possessiveness were just too raw and as-yet untamed for this to be easy.
"I suppose," he said slowly, at length, "That it was I who was concerned that I was the sole wizard you had ... been with. In that respect I cannot fault you for following my advice."
He gave her a sad smile, and she continued.
"It was the night of the Wizengamot hearing. After I had seen you with Madam Tonks, I mean, Andromeda Black; and jumped to conclusions that the two of you were together. He was in court because he is one of the potions researchers at St Mungo's ..."
Severus cut her off.
"St Mungo's researchers? It wasn't that Bergin, was it, Caspar's son?"
"It was," she admitted.
"I knew that little shit liked you from the way you described him after the meeting in your office. "
"Well, clearly he did like me, yes, Severus, seeing as he asked me out," she replied, drily.
She would take things gradually, but she wasn't prepared to pander to everything. He grumbled under his breath, but did not say anything further, and gestured with his hand for her to continue.
"We went out that night, had dinner and drinks in the Leaky, and since there was a celebratory atmosphere following the werewolf ruling, Tom had opened the back room for dancing. We kissed while we were dancing. David, not Tom, obviously. Afterwards he walked me to one of the apparition stops in Diagon Alley, and asked to see me again. I said yes, as he was nice enough. He kissed me goodbye."
"A proper kiss?"
"What do you, a proper kiss?"
He gave a quick, quiet growl.
"Don't be obtuse. Did he put his tongue in your mouth? Did he touch you? I realise I have no right to ask, but I need to know."
She didn't answer him straight away, merely looked at him questioningly, allowing him time to calm himself and realise how silly he sounded.
"Yes. And yes. But he only held me around the waist. Nowhere else."
Severus had a sour look on his face as he processed this wealth of new information. He leaned his elbows on the bench and began to rub at the crease between his eyebrows, closing his eyes and looking pained.
"Are you in a confirmed relationship with David Bergin?"
"I most certainly am not. We have been out for one evening. The reason that I wish to discuss this with you now is because of a letter I received from him today."
She handed over the scroll of scented parchment and he took it with a wrinkle of his nose.
"It's scented."
"I realise that, Hermione."
"It came with a bouquet of flowers that were delivered to my desk and waiting when I arrived at the office."
"And where are the said flowers now?"
"I met up with Arthur Weasley at the end of day, in the atrium. I asked him to take the flowers home with him to Molly as a gift from me."
He flicked her an expression that she read as Nice one.
She shrugged.
He unrolled the letter and read the note that had accompanied David's flowers. The time it took him, she guessed he had read it through more than one, branding the words on his brain, no doubt to torture himself with.
"Have you responded?"
"Not yet. I wanted to discuss him with you first. I do not want us ever to mistrust or misunderstand each other ever again. I have written a letter in reply, which I would like your opinion on before sending. I had thought to go and visit him at St Mungo's and explain in person, but that seems a little too much since we have only spent one evening together, there were certainly no commitments or promises made."
She passed him the second scroll, a plain Ministry-issued parchment filled with her neat, looping handwriting that he recognised so well from her several-feet-long essays she had regularly turned in at school. He took his reading spectacles from atop his notebook on the workbench and placed them on his long, hooked nose.
Dear David
Thank you so much for the flowers, that was very thoughtful of you.
Do not worry that you haven't been in touch since the hearing, I am sure you have indeed been over-run with extra work due to the new ruling.
I feel I must be blunt and tell you that I am unable to accept your invitation for dinner on Friday, or any time in future, as kind as it was.
When you and I had our evening together, I was estranged from my boyfriend with whom I have since reconciled; in fact, we are engaged to be bonded.
I apologise sincerely for any hurt this may cause you, I assure you that when we were together, I was a single witch and it was not my intent to give you any kind of false impression.
Wishing you every happiness and success for the future
Hermione Granger
This missive too, he read several times.
"What do you think?" she asked him, nervously.
He looked at her over the top of the letter, in a way she found strangely attractive. It must be the reading glasses; she remembered she had thought he looked sexy in them before.
"I think ... that you should owl this letter without delay. You may use one of my birds."
He gestured towards the door that led to the owlery and she looked at him, slightly surprised.
"You do not want to discuss this any further?"
"What I want to do, Hermione Granger, is hex the little bastard's filthy hands right off for taking the liberty of laying them upon you. However ... I believe that may be frowned upon. So I shall say this, instead."
He took both her hands in his, pulling her to stand in between his legs as he sat on the high wooden stool.
"You have done absolutely nothing wrong. We were not together at that time and you had every right to do whatever you desired. I am a jealous, angry and possessive man, but none of my character flaws are your fault. I refuse to allow my own toxic personality to destroy our relationship for a second time. Therefore I will let this pass. I must let it pass. It is entirely my problem, and not one bit yours."
She put her arms around his neck and began to kiss his mouth, pushing open his lips with her own, tasting his tongue with just the tip of hers, teasing him until she felt him give in and thrust into her mouth and hold her tightly around her waist, as if trying to purge her of anyone else, making her entirely his.
Which of course, she was anyway.
- xxx -
Breaking the kiss after a time, he re-rolled the parchment, sealing it arrogantly with a black wax seal clearly marked from STS Potions, and handed it back to her.
"Be careful in the owlery. There is somewhat of a loose cannon amongst my brood."
He remained on the stool as she pulled open the owlery door and heard a general hubbub of hooting from the small, normal owls, and then a giant honk from Hannibal.
"Oh, I remember you! You brought me the parcel at the Burrow that time. Hello, my lovely ... are you volunteering for the job? Thank you! Would you like a treat before you deliver my letter for me?"
He wasn't quite sure he believed his ears, so he strode quickly over to the open door and peered in. Hermione was standing with Hannibal perched on her bare arm, which was remarkably free of any blood or scratches, feeding him owl treats and petting his inky feathers as if he were a docile pygmy puff.
"Hermione, be careful of that owl, he might look placid now, but I warn you, he is a psychopath."
"Nonsense. Look at him, he's beautiful! A gentle giant, just like Hagrid."
Severus thought that if Hannibal was anything like Hagrid, then Professor Sprout was the illegitimate spawn of Grindelwald.
"I promise you, Hannibal is an ill-tempered, egotistical, vengeful bastard."
"Just like his owner, then?"
"He shits everywhere."
"So do most owls. Stop being mean. Don't listen to him, Hannibal, ignore the nasty man. Can you take my letter for me please?"
Severus would swear on several graves that the giant bird looked over Hermione's shoulder as she held him up to the entry-hole to release him, and met his eye with an insolent look that might as well have said, Fuck you, arsehole.
He would pay for that. There must be a recipe for Owl Pie somewhere.
- xxx –
Closing the owlery door and walking back into the lab, he put his arms around her and began to kiss her neck, anxious to resume what they had started when she'd first walked in from work. He felt her stomach rumble under his hands, and chuckled low against her ear.
"Even I, being the bastard that I am, cannot fuck you whilst you are starving, little witch."
"It's been a busy day. I missed lunch."
"Then it is even more urgent that I feed you. Could I entreat you to finish my potion so I can commence cooking all the sooner? It is at the stirring stage and only needs twenty-seven minutes before it is completed. Eleven clockwise stirs, followed by an anti-clockwise."
"Of course, if it means I can eat sooner. I am surprised you trust me with one of your potions though, I know how meticulous you are about every potion you send out being perfect."
"That is indeed true. However, this is not a brew for an order; this is a supply of your contraceptive potion, so it is in your own interest to brew it correctly, unless you wish to be caring for a screaming infant with an oversized nose."
She kissed him on the top of his own oversized nose, and sent him up the stairs to make food for her, removing the stasis charm on the cauldron and beginning the pattern of stirring that Severus had instructed. She certainly did not want to be caring for a screaming infant. Not yet, anyway.
- xxx –
The following day she sat at her desk at work, trying, with various degrees of success, to hide the smile that she was finding it impossible to wipe from her face. Esther had already commented on it twice, and strongly suggested that Hermione might be the recipient of a sneaky hex to focus her mind on work if she caught her again.
Last night at the barn had been sublime. She had completed the stirring of the contraceptive potion, decanted and stoppered it, before following the delicious smell that was trailing down the open-plan stairs from the loft room above.
Severus had been barefoot in the little kitchen area, his long hair pulled back and wearing his soft grey lounge pants slung around his hips with his white shirt unbuttoned. Sod the dinner, she had thought, I'll eat you.
"Don't even think about it," he warned, before sending her off to change out of her work clothes. She opted for her usual pyjama shorts and vest, leaving off her bra for comfort, which certainly got his attention as he stared longingly at her pert nipples through the thin, stretchy material.
He'd made an amazing chicken chasseur that tasted as good as it looked, and poured them both a goblet of dry white wine to accompany. They started off sitting opposite one another at the small square dining table, but had quickly moved to the same corner, eating with their arms and legs touching, their reunion still so new and delightful that they could not bear to be separated, not even by a table.
They had spent the evening post-dinner reading a Shakespeare play together, leaving the wizarding world outside for just one night and embracing their inner muggle as they read sonnet after soliloquy to each other, totally immersed in the flowing, archaic language.
Settling down for the night in the sumptuous sleigh bed, they had tenderly stripped each other of their sparse garments, and Severus had made love to her with skill and passion, drawing out both their orgasms and playing her body like an exquisitely tuned piano. He had brought tears to her eyes and kissed them away with promises of love and fidelity before wrapping her in his arms and protecting her as she slept.
The blissful memory was written all over her face today.
She was definitely not concentrating on her work as a lilac internal memo aeroplane hit her on the head and got lodged in her hair. Esther laughed, and Hermione flicked a paperclip at her, which landed in her cup of tea.
The memo was from Arthur in his department, asking her to meet him in the atrium at lunchtime, and advising he had brought her a salt-beef sandwich and a flask of pumpkin juice from Molly so not to worry about buying anything. Bless him.
They sat by the fountain in the atrium eating their packed lunches alongside many other ministry workers, catching up on the goings-on in each other departments to the backdrop of the tinkling water falling, echoing around the vast atrium. Arthur was enthusing about baby Keah and her progress, and how well Ron was doing. Clearly he had embraced life as a grandfather with great gusto. He also said they were suspecting an announcement from Bill and Fleur any day now, as they had visited the Burrow at the weekend and Molly had manage to convince herself that Fleur was expecting.
He explained that the reason for asking her to meet was to formally invite her to dinner on Saturday night, they were having all the children and their wives and partners over as Charlie was visiting from Romania, he even expressed hope that Ginny might be able to get some leave from the Holyhead Harpies to be there. Harry, as honorary son and Burrow resident, would also be present.
"Molly and I would be delighted if you came, Hermione, and brought your young man. We consider you a daughter, as you know, and it is high time we met the wizard who has captured your heart!"
Hermione stared at him for a long time, to such an extent that he began to dab at his mouth, thinking there was perhaps a piece of beef sandwich stuck to his lip.
No more hiding, she thought to herself, and took a deep breath.
"Arthur, I'd really love to. I would really love for my boyfriend to come too, and for you all to meet him, and see how special he is and how important he is to me. I'll need to ask him, but I'm sure he will come if I want him to."
"That sounds good, young Hermione; you've got him well-trained already? Molly will be pleased to hear that! Shall we say seven o'clock, Saturday?"
"Mr Weasley, Arthur, there's a little more to it than that," she started, placing her hand on his forearm to stall him, as he had already started to rise from his seat.
"There is?" he looked confused, as if he was mentally running through a checklist that Molly had given him entitled Things to Ask Hermione.
"My boyfriend has asked me to bond with him. Not now, only when I am ready. He respects that I have things I wish to achieve in my career first. But nonetheless I accepted and we are engaged."
"But that's wonderful news! We can celebrate on Saturday!"
He looked relieved, but then glanced at her nervous expression and realised there was more to come. Clearly the news of the engagement was not the main event.
"You already know my boyfriend, my fiancé. In fact you know him very well indeed."
"You're not secretly back with Ron, are you?" his face lit up and she felt a pang of regret at the knowledge that he would love to have her as a daughter-in-law.
"No. Ron and I haven't been together for a very long time. No secrets there. The only thing I have been keeping from you is that I have been seeing Severus Snape. Since the beginning of the year."
Mr Weasley's mouth dropped open in a gormless way that reminded her strongly of Ronald.
"I know that it seems like a curious match. However, I can tell you that we love each other deeply and completely. There is nothing I would not trust him with, and he feels the same way about me. Harry and Ron already know, and George found out ... by accident."
Arthur seemed to be struggling to find the right words, and she loved him for it. He didn't want to offend her, didn't want to say the sort of wrong thing that slips out at a time like this and is so very hard to forgive.
"Hermione," he began, taking her hand, "Hermione, I trust your judgement. More than I trust the judgement of some of my own children; I'll have you know. I am not going to say I'm not shocked at your choice of bond, but it is your choice to make. Molly and I are always here for you. We would be pleased to have you and Severus over for dinner on Saturday night."
She gave him a quick hug, and they both hurried back to work. Hermione couldn't help smiling as she thought of Mr Weasley at his desk, willing the afternoon to go faster so he could get home to Molly and tell her the brand-new gossip that not only was Hermione sleeping with her old professor twenty years her senior, their ex-Order of the Phoenix colleague and tormentor of their children – no, not just that. No, she was engaged to bond with him too.
Ah well. It had to come out sooner or later. She wasn't prepared to hide it anymore. She was proud of being Severus' partner and was ready to tell the world.
Severus. Now there was the other side of the sickle. He was less ready. But if they waited for him to be ready they'd be a hundred-and-five before they walked down Diagon Alley holding hands. He had agreed to be social, confessed his fear of it, and asked for her help. She couldn't and wouldn't ask for more than that.
He was certain to be delighted (horrified) at the thought being expected at a dinner hosted by the full contingent of Weasleys at the Burrow.
Hmmm. If he wanted to be with her, that meant coming out in the open and living his life, no more hiding away. He could do it, and she would help him. She smiled at the thought, shortly before being hit on the nose with a pepper hex, making her sneeze violently a dozen times.
Esther was grinning from her desk, slipping her wand back into her handbag after delivering the threatened hex. She'd caught Hermione smirking inanely to herself once too often today.
