Thank you all so much for the reviews! No profit is made from this. As always, many thanks go to my beta, debjunk! On a side note, I'm working on another story! I didn't expect to be working on another one so soon…if at all! I am writing with another author (LisaBelleLove). We have posted a few chapters on a shared account, (ashabelle). I just love that we do not know one another at all and started coming up with an idea on a group on fb, haha. Anyways, I'm rambling so, without further ado, here's chapter 17…
Chapter 17
Ashley and Hermione walked out of the bedroom as Severus was coming out of the bathroom.
"Oh, Professor. Would you mind shrinking my things for me?" Hermione asked politely.
He arched an eyebrow at her. Surely, she could manage that on her own?
Hermione shrugged, "It's just that I'm still underage. I didn't want the Ministry barging in here, you know?" she asked him.
He smirked and bit the side of his cheeks. He wanted to laugh so badly.
Miss Granger, she was always thinking about the consequences of things.
"Of course, Miss Gran…ahem, Madam Snape," he corrected himself.
Ashley glanced at the two of them. "I'm going to go get some tea before it gets cold," she said and quickly darted down the stairs before either of them had a chance to say anything.
Hermine shook her head and turned around. Severus stood there a second longer before following her into her room. As soon as he walked in the room, he sneezed.
"Bless you," she said.
He nodded his thanks before he sneezed again, and once more. He backed out of the room, his sneezing stopped.
"Are you all right?" She asked as she stood in the doorway looking at him, concerned.
He held his hand to his nose. "Do you have feather pillows?" he asked roughly.
She nodded her head. "Yeah, they're amazingly comfortable…" she faltered as she looked up at him. "…But obviously, you're allergic. I didn't know you had allergies," she mused.
He dropped his hand and let out a small chuckle. "There's a lot of things you don't know about me," he chortled.
Her face reddened so much he thought she charmed herself into a tomato.
"Is it just your trunk?" he asked looking at said object on her bed.
She turned around and looked. "Yeah, it's all ready to go," she said crossing her arms.
"Well, I can shrink it from here. You'll just have to carry it," he took a tentative step forward behind her. His lips right next to her ear. "Unless it'll be too heavy for you?" he said huskily.
She whipped her head around, her hair smacked him in the face.
"Why, Professor, did you just make a joke?" she asked surprised.
He sputtered, some hair still stuck to his face.
She gasped. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she brought her hand up and wiped the hair that had stuck to his lips.
He nearly moaned, though he did lean into her hand.
Her touch, so soft and warm.
His eyes fluttered shut, and before he knew it, her lips were on his.
His eyes flew open to see her with her eyes closed. He slowly opened his mouth and ran his tongue over her top lip. She let out a soft moan as she opened her mouth to him.
He brought his left hand up to cup her face.
Stop! A voice in the back of his head shouted.
He put his right hand around her waist and pulled her tightly against him. He pulled back from her and turned his head.
"What happened?" she asked.
"AH-CHOO!"
Hermione sat up from the bed.
He backed away to the door.
When the hell did, they go to the bed? What the hell was about to happen? He thought frantically.
He flicked his hand at the trunk on the bed, and it shrank.
"I'll meet you downstairs," he said, arousal evident in his voice.
He turned quickly and nearly ran down the stairs.
SSHGSSHGSSHGSSHGSSHGSSHG
Hermione got up off the bed. She picked up her trunk and put it in her handbag. She checked her hair in the mirror. It was a little tousled. She flattened it down as best she could. Her face, well, was very flushed. She hoped no one would notice.
Severus was chatting with her parents when she finally made it downstairs. She looked around and saw Ashley and Professor Dumbledore talking very enthusiastically. They both looked over at her and then started laughing to one another in nodding their heads.
Like they were in on some secret, she thought.
They all walked over to where her parents were. Dumbledore looked at his watch.
"Well, I think we really should be off. I really need to get back to the school after I show you two to the cottage," he said, nodding to Severus and Hermione.
Hermione kept her head down. She wasn't sure she could look at her husband right now. She didn't know what to think about what had just happened. One second, she was brushing her hair off his face, the next she was kissing him.
What would have happened if he hadn't sneezed?
She wasn't sure she was ready for the answer, though the burning/tingling sensation in her nether regions said otherwise.
Her mother wrapped her arms around her and squeezed her so tightly she was sure she'd break a rib.
"My baby's not a baby anymore!" she sobbed into her ear. "You can write to me if you have any questions about marriage, ok?" she whispered in her ear.
Hermione nodded her head, feeling the tears prickle again.
"Yes, Mum, I will," she promised.
Her dad came over.
"Don't squeeze her to death, Jean," he said chuckling.
Her mother smiled and let go. She kissed her on the cheek. She backed up and wiped the tears off her cheeks.
Her dad pulled her into a tight hug as well. He looked over her shoulder at Severus.
"You take care of my little girl," he said gravely.
"Yes, sir," Severus said politely.
He let go of Hermione and kissed her on the cheek as well.
"If you need anything, you know where we are," he said and stepped back.
Ashley nearly ran into Hermione's arms. They swayed a little.
"I'm not going to cry," Ashley sniffed. She let go of Hermione and held onto her shoulders, searching her face. "We'll talk real soon, whether it'll be in writing or face to face," she said and pointedly looked at Hermione's hair and raised both her eyebrows.
Hermione smiled and shook her head.
"Hush you," she hissed at her cousin.
They all said their goodbyes. Dumbledore turned to look at them both.
"I'll meet you at the cottage, I'm going to make sure it's ready," he said and with a wave to Ashley and the Grangers, he disapparated.
Severus opened his arms to her. "Ready?" he asked.
She nodded and walked into them, she put her arms around him. After being so close to him earlier, this wasn't any better. It felt like the Disapparation squeezed them even closer together.
He quickly let go of her and tried to step back. He looked down and noticed she was still clinging to him, her eyes shut.
He cleared his throat. "We're here," he simply stated.
She opened one eye, then the other. She lifted her head and looked up, she let go of him slowly. She stepped back and looked around. It looked like Hogsmeade, but she had never seen this part of the town before.
"We're in Hogsmeade?" she asked him, still looking around.
"Yes." He pointed down the street. "That's the Hogshead."
She looked down the road. Yes, she could see the main street. She didn't even notice Dumbledore coming out of the cottage.
"It's all ready for you two. I've really got to get back to the school." He walked forward and stopped in front of Hermione.
Albus held on to her hands. "I have never seen such a beautiful bride. Do enjoy your honeymoon." He lifted one of her hands to his mouth and kissed it.
"Thank you, Professor," she blushed slightly.
He nodded to Severus and turned and headed for the main street.
"Let's go in before your white dress gets dusty," Severus said to her.
He waited for her to walk towards the cottage. When she got to the door, he stopped her.
"Wait!"
She turned to look at him questioningly.
He stood behind her. He shrugged at her look.
"I'm old fashioned. Even though this isn't our house…May I carry you over the threshold?" he asked her timidly.
She smiled. "Oh, Professor, you don't have to do that. Plus, I'm not as light as I'd like to be…" she said, trying to discourage him.
"Nonsense." He swept her off her feet and into his arms. "You're as light as a feather. If anything, you need to eat more."
She gasped at his suddenness and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck. She was terrified of heights, even this much was too much for her.
He stepped over the threshold and kicked the door shut behind him.
"Why, Miss Granger, if I didn't know any better, I would say you were scared," he murmured to her, still holding her.
She held on tightly to him and softly laughed.
"Actually, I'm petrified of heights. And stop calling me Miss Granger," she hissed.
"Honestly, I'm only five foot nine inches,"
He bent over and set her feet on the floor.
She giggled. "It doesn't matter. I don't like heights, period," she sobered quickly, having a flash-back.
"Excuse me," she said quickly and headed for the back of the cottage looking for the bathroom.
SSHGSSHGSSHGSSHGSSHGSSHG
He sighed and shook his head.
Great, bringing up bad memories.
He went into the kitchen, got a glass from the cabinet and got the bottle of fire whiskey on the counter. There was a small note next to it.
You shouldn't need this for your honeymoon, but knowing my favorite potions master, you would like it.
Albus
He smirked and poured him a small amount. He took it back into the living space and sat down on the couch, he pulled his right leg up over his left knee.
Hermione emerged from the back, her hands wringing together. She sat down next to him.
"Sorry about that," she muttered.
He took a sip from his glass, "Nothing to apologize for. Memories haunt us all," he said more about himself then about her.
She leaned back into the sofa and cautiously she rested her head against his shoulder.
He stiffened. "Hermione…"
Oh, I love the way her name slides off my tongue.
She looked up, startled at him using her first name.
"Yes?" she asked.
He stared at the glass in his hand. "Would you like to talk about it?" he questioned.
She lifted her head off his shoulder and leaned back against the couch.
"It's stupid," she crossed her arms.
He turned to look at her but once he saw her he quickly looked away. The way she rested her arms-they made her breasts rise up, and he got an eyeful of a lot of cleavage. He took a big swig of his drink.
"You could never say anything stupid," he said quietly.
She sighed and closed her eyes.
"Well, when I was nine, my parents took me to Thorpe Amusement Park," she paused.
Against his better judgement he turned to look her at.
"I am familiar with the park." He urged her to continue.
She kept her eyes closed but Severus noticed a fear tears fall down her cheeks.
"My father took me on this ride called: Detonator: Bombs away—it's a ride that takes you up about one hundred feet in the air, and then drops—I begged my father not to take me on it," she opened her eyes and stared into his eyes.
Severus felt useless as he stared at her sadly. He wanted to hold her and make this memory fade away.
She continues on. "I had this really bad feeling. Something in my gut was telling me not to go, but my father kept assuring me I would love it once I got past the fear of something new. So, we get on, the whole time I'm crying and holding on for dear life onto my seat belt." She shuddered as more tears racked through her.
He pulled out a handkerchief and pushed it into her hand. She nodded her thanks as she dabbed at the tears on her face.
"We get to the top, and that's when I realize my seat belt was broken. All the while, my father is telling me to look around. He doesn't even notice my terror. I'm too terrified to say anything. The ride drops, and I go flying through the air." She was crying fully now.
Severus put the glass down on the table beside him and pulled her to him. He started rubbing her back, shushing her.
"I'm sorry Hermione. I'm sorry you had to go through that, I'm sorry for asking you about it," he apologized.
She held onto him and hiccupped. When she calmed down some she pulled back and looked at him.
"I landed in some trees, scratches all over my face, broke my left leg and arm. I was lucky my magic spared me, but I've been terrified of heights since then." She said sadly.
He shook his head. "You're not scared of heights, you're scared of falling," he said.
"What?" she asked in disbelief.
He stood up, picking up his glass and taking a small sip.
"Think about it. You enjoy looking out from the astronomy tower?" he asked her.
She slowly nodded.
"Yes, it's beautiful up there." She thought about it.
He nodded at her as she came into an understanding.
She smiled at him and stood up, she handed him his handkerchief.
"Thank you for helping me understand, Professor," she said.
He stared down at her, he wanted to make her feel better, but how? He thought quickly, his eyes fell on the wireless radio in the corner.
"Humor me?" he asked her.
She gave him a questioningly look. "How?" she asked.
He set his drink down again, and flicked his hand to the radio and a slow song started playing.
"Dance with me?" he asked her holding out his hand.
She smiled and stepped up to him, taking his hand she said, "I'd love to."
He pulled her close to him, placing his left hand on the middle of her back. They swayed together as if they had always done this. As the song slowed to an end, she kissed him softly on the lips.
He pulled back from her, "That's not a good idea."
"Why not?" she asked perplexed.
"I don't want to take advantage of you. I don't even know how we ended up on your bed earlier," he mused.
He walked over to his glass and headed into the kitchen to refill it.
Hermione shook her head and followed him, "If you can recall, I kissed you first. I just…well I didn't exactly get to memorize the kiss you gave me before that and something just pulled me in." She shrugged.
He set his glass on the counter and turned to look at her.
"It's not the kiss really, it's…" he crossed his arms as he leaned against the counter. "…What if I wasn't allergic to your pillows? I'm afraid I almost lost my control there and might have deflowered you in your bedroom," he stated sharply.
She snorted. He gave her an incredulous look.
"I'm sorry, but, Professor," she paused and looked him squarely in the eyes. "What if I didn't want to stop?" she asked seductively.
He nearly melted at the heated look she was giving him. He turned away from her.
"We both agreed that sex was off the table. You don't know what you're asking for," he said determined for her to see reason.
She'll end up regretting it. The greasy bat taking her virginity. No one ever wants me for me. Surely, not Miss Granger. Even if she did, she's too pure, too good for the likes of me.
SSHGSSHGSSHGSSHGSSHGSSHG
Hermione walked over to him. His back to her. She wasn't going to force him. Heck she wasn't even sure if she was ready for sex anyway. Yes, the kissing was nice, and her body heated up like she was sure it was supposed to. But what if they went too far, and she really wasn't ready? She couldn't very well tell him to stop.
"I'm going to go have a relaxing soak. Would you unzip the back of my dress please?" she asked him politely.
He let out a hard breath of air through his nose. He turned around to her standing in front of him.
"You'll need to turn around," he said.
She turned around slowly. She felt the zipper come down slowly, until it reached the top of her arse.
"There," he said so hoarsely he wasn't sure she heard him.
"Thank you," she said and headed down the hall to the back of the cottage.
She walked into the bathroom and turned on the water. She looked under the bathroom counter for some bath salts but it was empty.
"Ugh, I'll have to do without I guess," she muttered to herself.
POP!
Dobby apparated in front of her. Hermione let out a scream.
Within seconds the door burst open. Severus stood there with his wand drawn and was looking around. His eyes fell on Hermione.
"What happened?" he asked breathlessly.
Hermione held her hand to her chest. She started laughing a little.
"Dobby scared the daylights out of me. I'm sorry I startled you, sir," she said, trying to calm her racing heart.
He put his wand down and shook his head. He muttered something under his breath, but she didn't catch it. He shut the door behind him.
Dobby's ears flattened. "I am sorrys, Miss. Headmaster has sent Dobby to see if you and Master Snape needs anything," he said quickly.
Hermione relaxed, she looked over at the tub filled up halfway.
"Actually, I could use some bath salts. But really Dobby it's no…" POP! "…trouble," she finished saying to an empty bathroom.
Seconds later Dobby was back with her usual lavender scented bath salts. He handed them to her. "Anything else, Miss?" he asked.
She smiled, "No, thank you. I appreciate it, Dobby," she said as she added the salts to the water.
POP!
Dobby was gone, she slipped out of her dress and hung it over the linen closet door. That should suffice until she could hang it up in the bedroom. She turned off the water and slowly sunk into the tub. Steam filling the room.
"Ahh," she moaned.
Forty-five minutes later she smelled something delicious coming in from under the door. Her stomach rumbled. She didn't even know she was hungry.
She let the water out and stepped out of the tub. She towel-dried herself off and looked around. She forgot to bring in any clothes. Just as she was going to wrap a towel around herself and make her way to the bedroom, a Slytherin-green silk bath robe appeared on the bathroom counter.
She smirked and shook her head to herself. She wrapped the robe around herself and tied it. It was a little short for her liking, stopping just above her knees. She left her hair down to air-dry.
As she padded down the hall way towards the smell, she breathed deeply. It smelled like steak, onions and mushrooms. She walked into the kitchen and leaned against the ice box with her arms crossed over her chest.
Oh my gods, those hands. So precise, no matter what he's doing. Her heart started pounding. What was wrong with her all of sudden? She had never been attracted to Severus Snape, had she?
As she thought about it, she remembered she had started watching his hands at the beginning of the year. She suddenly realized she'd a semi-crush building up since then.
Severus turned around with an empty plate in his hand. When he caught sight of her, the plate fell out of his grip. It shattered once it hit the floor.
She started to walk over to help him when he stopped her.
"Don't move!" he hissed at her. He flicked his hand and the shards of glass disappeared. "You're barefoot. I didn't want you to cut yourself," he said quickly.
She nodded her head.
"I didn't know you owned Slytherin colors," he said quietly, a light in his eyes.
She shook her head and took a few steps towards him. "I don't, or I didn't. It just appeared in the bathroom when I was finished drying off," she said with a shrug.
Severus smiled and shook his head. She had never saw him smile before. It was nice; his whole face lit up. She vowed to make him smile more often.
"Must be a gift from Albus." He looked her up and down. She started to get a little nervous at his stare.
"What?" she asked shyly.
He shrugged and shook his head. "Nothing," he said and turned his attention back to the stove.
"It was something, I'm sure, Professor," she said.
His shoulders slumped. He turned his attention back to her. "Hermione, when we are alone like this, can you call me by my given name?" he asked.
"Severus…" She nodded her head. "I think I can manage that, Severus," she said softly.
He smiled again-that nice smile she wanted to keep putting on his face.
"And as to what I was thinking earlier, I was thinking you look amazing in green." He quickly turned away from her.
She was thankful he turned away because she felt her cheeks heat up once again.
"Shall I set the table?" she asked.
"If you want to. Why? What are you eating?" he teased.
She stood there flabbergasted. That was the second time today he had joked with her. She really didn't know her Potions Professor at all.
He chuckled. She picked up the plates and took them over to the table in the middle of the kitchen. He set the steak with onions and mushrooms piled on top, on the table and turned back around nearly running into her as she was coming back with the forks.
"Oops, I'm sorry," she said.
He nodded and went over to get the broccoli off the stove. He set it in a bowl and took it to the table. He turned and picked up two wine glasses and put them on the table.
She sat down at the table as he brought over a bottle of red wine. He poured a small amount into their glasses.
"I know you're not of age, but given this is our wedding night, I think I can look the other way." He smirked at her.
She smiled at him. "Thank you, Severus, for everything you do." She leaned over and kissed him quickly on the cheek.
He cleared his throat. "Well, shall we eat?" he asked her. He quickly cut into his steak.
After dinner, Hermione thought it best to get some clothes on. Severus walked into the bedroom after her.
"I'm sure it's safe for you to use magic now, given that we're surrounded by it. The Ministry will never know," he said.
He opened the dresser drawer and grabbed a pair of black pajama bottoms. He looked over at her as she had her trunk on the bed.
"I'm going to take a shower. You know Dobby will put those away for you, you need only ask." He smirked and walked out the room.
She pulled out a pair of knickers, and a pajama set. It was a pink tank top and pink shorts. Once she heard the shower running, she quickly changed. She put her clothes away. Whether Dobby wanted to do it or not, she didn't need help doing menial things.
"What are you reading?" a voice rumbled.
Hermione looked up to see Severus standing in the middle of the sitting room, shirtless. She was sitting on the couch with her legs tucked under herself with a book in her hands.
She stammered. "Um…shirt…I mean, Advanced Potion Making," she said with a shrug and quickly looked back down.
Don't look up, don't look at him… but those abs, who knew her Professor was hiding such a body under those robes.
She looked up to find him standing in front of her.
"You're blocking my light, sir…Severus," she croaked out.
He sat down beside her, "May I see that?" he asked, holding his hand out. She handed him the book.
He flipped through the pages, tsking here, muttering there. She watched him curiously.
"Is there something wrong with my book?" she asked.
He laughed and handed her the book back.
"I just feel like it needs to be updated," he said with a shrug.
They both yawned and smiled at one another.
"I guess it's time for bed," he said and stood up.
He doused the lights in the kitchen.
Hermione stood up.
"Um, Severus?"
"Hmm?" he mustered.
"Are we sharing the bed?" she asked.
A/N: The song I picked out is "This I promise you" originally by NSYNC but I prefer Anthem Lights version. If you haven't heard of them please check them out.