Insufferable Attraction

SeverusxHermione

Rated NC-17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

Insufferable Attraction

Chapter 33

Ever since finally confessing their love for each other, Severus and Hermione found that they could not keep their hands off one another. They had made love—yes, made love, not sex—several times those first two days, and finally left their bedroom midday of the third day. Luckily, the House Elves had had the foresight to have meals for them sent to their bedroom, appearing on trays on the table in the corner. Of course, they didn't spend their whole week together doing just that, though they could have. They read books in the library, talked, and even played the piano. Well, Hermione had been playing it after finding the Prince family music room by accident. Severus had found her in there some time later and had sat down to join her at the grand piano, his long fingers gliding along the keys and playing beautifully. For her husband to be so mysterious and intimidating by nature, he was the most wonderful book she had ever gotten to read, and she loved learning more about him each and every day. And as for Severus, though he felt he knew his wife better than ever now, he enjoyed learning more about her too.

After the week that Severus had said he'd allow to go by before beginning revision of his potion had past, he woke up that morning prepared to get dressed and head down to the Potions lab. He yawned slightly before moving to get out of bed, only to feel a grip around his waist hold him still. Looking down, he found Hermione's arm wrapped tightly around his bare waist, chuckling when he felt the brunette press herself closer against him. Looking over his shoulder at her, he said, "I have to get up, Hermione."

"No," Hermione replied, her voice muffled from her face being pressed into his strong back, sleep still evident in her voice.

Severus chuckled once more before reaching behind him and getting a good hold onto his wife, swiftly pulling her over him until she laid flat on her back, staring up at him with wide brown eyes. Bending down, he kissed her lips sweetly, Hermione sighing happily as she returned his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck as she did. Finally breaking the kiss, he whispered against her lips, "Good morning."

Hermione grinned at him and greeted in return, "Good morning."

"Do you have any plans for the day while I'm busy researching? Unless you plan on joining me."

"I thought I'd go out into London for a bit, do a bit of window-shopping."

"Don't you have to go to the Ministry for your internship?"

"Usually yes, but it seems that having the status of a Lady has some leeway, and I can take a break whenever I feel like it. And today I feel like it."

Severus nodded before kissing her once more, getting off her and getting out of bed, heading to the adjoining bathroom. Hermione watched her husband go, her eyes roving over his naked body, the strong muscles in his back, legs, and arms, as well as his tight arse. He really was such a fine specimen and he had made her body sing the night before as he made love to her. She giggled softly to herself as she recalled the previous night and how wonderful it had been before hopping out of bed as well, heading to the bathroom to join Severus before their day officially started. And she was sure her husband wouldn't mind in the slightest.

While Severus was busy researching to begin revision of his modified Fertility Potion, Hermione was out and about in London, walking along the streets and peering into store windows as she did. She had exchanged some wizard money for Muggle currency at Gringotts before heading into London, allowing her to buy whatever she decided to pick up while in the Muggle World. She had been walking around for a while until she stopped in front of Muggle bookstore. Smiling, she grabbed the door handle and tugged on the door, opening it and stepping inside.

Hermione nodded at the girl behind the counter when she welcomed her to the store before immediately browsing the bookshelves. She decided to drift towards the fiction section to see if they had anything interesting that looked like it would be a good read. After ten minutes of browsing, she found a book that seemed interesting to her; the plot revolved around an evil, exiled mage who finds the princess of the kingdom that exiled him marooned on his island and their story from there. Just as she was headed back to the checkout counter, she heard the familiar voices of Harry and Daphne. Following the sounds of their voices, she found them in the baby and children's section of the bookstore.

"Daphne, Harry, hello," Hermione greeted them, startling the couple a bit.

Daphne grinned and walked over to the brunette, grabbing her hands and kissing her cheeks in greeting saying, "Hermione, it's so good to see you."

"Yeah, hi Hermione," Harry said as he came to give his best friend a hug. Letting her go he asked, "Have you been alright since leaving the hospital?"

"Yes, I've been well. I've recovered nicely and Severus is still taking good care of me," Hermione answered.

"I'm sure he is, if that happy glow about you is any indication," Daphne said with a knowing look on her face, a teasing smile gracing her lips.

Hermione blushed and cleared her throat before asking, "So what brings you two here?"

Harry held up the small stack of books he had in his hands. "Buying baby books. Daphne has never heard of some of the Muggle stories and fairytales we knew growing up, so I decided to bring her here to buy them. That, and we thought it to be a good idea to get a book on what to expect when expecting your first child."

"I just didn't expect for there to be so much," Daphne said. "But I'm happy, nonetheless."

"That's good. How far along are you now?" Hermione asked.

"A little over three months. I'm not showing yet, but the Healer says the baby is healthy and we should be able to know its gender in a few more weeks."

Harry nodded. "Yes, and we've already been thinking about it, but we want you and Snape to be our child's godparents."

Brown eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

Daphne nodded. "Yes. We want our baby to have two sets of godparents. We've talked and we've decided on you and Snape, and Draco and Astoria."

"Of course, we haven't told them yet, but we're sure they'll agree," Harry said.

"You think Malfoy will agree?" Hermione asked.

"Well, we're civil now and somewhat friends, so I don't see any harm."

"That, and Astoria will put him in line if he makes a fuss," Daphne said with a satisfied smirk.

Harry and Hermione chuckled at the blonde before Harry suggested they go to lunch to catch up a bit more. Agreeing, Hermione went to the checkout counter to pay for her book, the Potters following to do the same for the ones they had chosen. Once they had paid for their books and left the bookstore, they walked down the street for a bit before stopping upon a local Muggle diner. Entering the diner, they were escorted to a booth and given menus, ordering drinks before being left to look over what they wanted to eat.

As they chose what they wanted to eat and waited for the waiter to return, Daphne asked, "So Hermione, has anything new happened as of late since getting out of the hospital?"

Hermione wondered exactly how much to tell her friends about her condition since being discharged from the hospital. Or if she should tell them about what the Bloodline Restoration Act has demanded of her and Severus. Before she could think more on it, Harry asked, "Have you told Snape how you felt yet?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"Hermione is in love with him and I encouraged her to tell him."

Daphne gasped almost dramatically, her blue-green eyes widening almost comically. Leaning towards the brunette from across the table, she asked, "Did you?"

Hermione blushed a little before saying with a smile, "Yes, I did. I told him I was in love with him."

She laughed as the blonde witch let out an excited squeal, Harry chuckling at his wife's reaction. Grabbing Hermione's hands, Daphne said, "You must tell us how he reacted! What did Professor say? He's already attracted to you, even likes you, so how did he react to you telling him you loved him?"

"Actually, he told me he loved me first."

Harry quickly cast a Muffliato on the Muggle patrons as Daphne let out an excited scream. He shushed her to quiet her down, only canceling the spell once she had calmed down. Hermione shook her head as Daphne began to excitedly as more questions, only pausing when the waiter returned with their drinks and took their food orders. She glanced out the window as the waiter walked away for a brief moment, only to quickly look back out of it when she saw Ginny and Blaise Zabini walking down the street, Zabini's arm wrapped around the redhead. What in the name of Merlin…?

The moment the two of them got even with the window, Hermione knocked it four rapid times, startling the two and causing them to look at her. Both Ginny's and Hermione's eyes widened in surprise, Ginny's face turning red and looking somewhat awkward. Harry and Daphne were looking at them as well before Daphne beckoned them inside. Zabini nodded and led Ginny inside the diner, the two of them walking over to their booth.

"Hello Daphne, Potter, Granger," Zabini greeted.

"Hello Blaise, Weaslette," Daphne replied.

"Hi," Ginny mumbled awkwardly.

Hermione stared at them for a moment before Harry politely invited them to join them for lunch. Zabini agreed and let Ginny slide into the booth next to Hermione, him pulling up a free chair to join the table. The waiter returned to take the newcomers' orders before leaving once more, leaving the five of them in an almost uncomfortable silence. After another moment of silence, Hermione asked, "So how long have you two been dating?"

Ginny blushed and shook her head saying, "We're not."

"Not yet, but almost," Zabini said. "I haven't properly asked her yet."

He laughed when the redhead lightly punched him in his shoulder, Hermione watching their interaction carefully. There were obviously feelings present between the two, and they were flirting, even if it was subtle flirting on Ginny's part. Taking a sip of her tea, she then asked them how they came to be spending time together, Daphne and Harry wondering as well. Ginny then went on to say that she ran into Blaise and Malfoy at the Leaky Cauldron and how Blaise had suggested they hang out sometime.

"She didn't trust me one bit in the beginning, but she was open to it and I showed her I was sincere," Zabini said. "But she still won't admit she fancies me."

Hermione nodded before saying with a sincere smile, "Well, I'm happy for you."

The redhead looked surprised before saying, "Thank you. And…I heard about what Ron did to you. I'm so sorry that happened to you, Hermione. I didn't think he'd do something like that, especially to you. I wanted to see you while you were in St. Mungo's, but I didn't go because I didn't think you'd want to see me, or that I'd be welcomed. I know my family went, but I chose not to because I wanted to give you and Snape some space. I'm really sorry for what happened to you because of my stupid brother, and I understand if you want nothing more to do with me after today, or my family in general."

The brunette blinked in surprise, not having expected an apology from the ginger witch. And yet, she found that she appreciated it and could tell it was heartfelt. She had known that like Ron, Ginny hadn't taken the news of the B.R.A. well, but it seemed like she had grown since then and had accepted all that had happened, unlike her brother. Smiling softly, she took hold of Ginny's hand and gave it a small squeeze saying, "Thank you, Ginny. I appreciate it and accept your apology."

Ginny smiled at the brunette and nodded before turning to Harry and Daphne, apologizing to them as well, saying she should have accepted their marital news, especially when she knew there was nothing to be done. Harry and Daphne accepted her apology as well, just as the waiter returned with all their orders. They tucked into their lunch and continued talking, having a jolly good time together. Hermione and Harry found that Zabini—Blaise, as he insisted they call him—was actually a rather comical fellow and he fit in quite nicely.

In a break of their talking, Harry said, "Next time, we should invite Luna and Rabastan."

"Lestrange?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, she married him as a part of the B.R.A. as well."

"Can he be trusted?"

"Luna loves him, and he loves her; I'd say so," Daphne said.

Blaise nodded saying, "Sure, let's do that. And Granger, bring Snape next time."

Hermione thought about her husband spending time with all of them for an outing and could already see his less than excited expression in her head. Shaking her head, she said, "No."

Everyone at the table burst into laughter, all of them amused and having a good time together. It felt good to let bygones be bygones, and Hermione was happy that things seemed to be back to normal with her friends again. All except one, but she no longer thought of him as a friend and hoped he never showed his face ever again.

In Chelsea, Ron stood lurking in the shadows, plotting his next move while watching people walk by. He cursed that evil Death Eater Snape and stupid swat Hermione for his predicament. They were the reason he had been kicked out of the Auror Academy; they were the reason he was being hunted by Aurors because of "attempted murder" on "Lord and Lady Prince—more like "Corrupt Murderer and Treacherous Bitch". He still couldn't believe Hermione had betrayed him like this and was allowing all this misfortune to be brought upon him because of her sham marriage to Snape. But she'd get what was coming to her in time, as would Snape. They had crossed him one too many times, and he would get his revenge. He just needed to bide his time until then.

Across the street from him was a public library and coming out of its doors in a school uniform was a curly haired brunette teenager. Ron blinked in shock, his blue eyes widening as he saw her. Was that Hermione? He almost stepped out from the shadows and called out to her, only to stop when she lifted her head and he could see her properly. The girl was pretty, her hair a lighter shade of brown than Hermione's, though just as curly, and her eyes were a brighter brown, hazel it looked like. Yes, she looked like Hermione, except that she wasn't. Even so, Ron couldn't keep his eyes off her. As she began walking down the street, presumably towards home, the redhaired wizard began imagining that the girl was Hermione and began to follow her.

Ron followed the girl for about five minutes, being sure to keep at least ten yards between them as he did. He did duck into a nearby alleyway when the girl stopped suddenly, a boy about her age or a little older straightening from his leant position on a wall. Ron watched as the boy smiled at the girl, hugging her and giving her a kiss; he was obviously her boyfriend, the bad boy type. The boy had long black hair pulled back in a man bun, him wearing black jeans and black leather jacket. Watching them interact with each other, the wizard found himself becoming angry at them. He was irritated as they looked just like Snape and Hermione together. What right did they have to be happy? What right did Snape have to take Hermione from him?

The couple began walking down the street, the boy presumably walking her home, and Ron followed after them. While following them, he found them to be perfect. He didn't know when he'd strike against Hermione and Snape, but the young couple in front of them would do for him to practice on, good test subjects. And he knew they'd be perfect practice for what he had in store for the real thing. Yes, it was decided, they'd do nicely.

Hermione walked back into Prince Manor, returning home from having lunch with her friends. It was quiet in the large house, and it made Hermione wonder if her husband was still down in his Potions lab, not that she thought him to be about making noise. Just as she was going to head down the corridor leading to the lab, she saw Severus exit the room, running a hand down his face tiredly. Smiling, she walked over to him, giving the older man a kiss and hug before saying, "Hi Severus, I'm back."

Severus smiled and kissed her once more saying, "Yes, I see that."

"How has the researching been going today? Are you taking a break?"

"Yes, for a bit. And the research is going well. I believe I have all the information needed to completely begin revision of my Fertility Potion. However, I won't know entirely until I commence brewing."

The brunette nodded and was going to ask another question, when suddenly the air was filled with the sound of a low rumbling. Hermione frowned when she heard it again, realizing the sound was coming from Severus's stomach. Quirking an eyebrow, Hermione asked, "Have you completely worked through lunch?"

Severus wrapped his arms a bit tighter around his wife and mumbled, "Perhaps."

"Severus, you have to eat something sometimes when you are working."

"I know that, but I also focused reading these books, and don't want my focus severed by anything trivial."

"Eating something while working is not trivial. Anyway, you go sit at the table and I'll begin preparation for your lunch."

"You don't have to."

"But I will. Now go on."

Hermione released her husband and pointed down the corridor, Severus looking down at her with a raised eyebrow before obediently walking towards the dining table. As he did that, Hermione made her way to the kitchen, thinking of something quick and simple, yet delicious to make for Severus's late lunch. And the one thing that she thought of was fish and chips. Everyone liked fish and chips, and she was positive Severus would eat that dish. Entering the kitchen, Hermione was greeted by the House Elves and she replied to their greetings before announcing she was making the master of the house his lunch. Some of the elves looked appalled at the thought of their Mistress cooking when they could easily do it for their Master, but left her be as they had figured out some time ago that she liked cooking and baking and preferred no help.

She washed her hands and rolled up her sleeves, putting on an apron before getting to work, taking out all the proper ingredients to begin making fish and chips. A few House Elves stuck around to watch their Mistress, fascinated by the way she moved around the kitchen, preparing everything meticulously and without a bit of magic—it was just so Muggle. Hermione ignored their stares, knowing they didn't mean any harm and were just curious. The brunette was so focused on her work, that she was a bit startled to feel strong arms wrap around her and pull her back against a hard body. Knowing it was Severus, she turned her head slightly and asked, "What is it?"

"Nothing," Severus answered. "I just want to hold you for a while."

A smile spread across Hermione's face. "You mean you didn't get enough last night?"

Severus smirked and pinched her buttocks through her jeans, causing her to squeal in response. "Cheeky witch."

Giggling, Hermione turned and hugged Severus as well, resting her head against his shoulder. The two of them stood blissfully for a while, neither really wanting to let go of one another. Eventually, Hermione did pull away and shoo her husband out of the kitchen, demanding he let her finish his meal. Once Severus was gone, Hermione turned back to the stove, quickly turning over the piece of fish she had frying in the pan, smiling at the nice golden color she had gotten on it.

Inka, who had been standing with the other House Elves, stepped up to her Mistress and asked, "Mistress Hermione, may Inka as Mistress a question?"

"Of course, Inka," Hermione replied.

"Does Mistress believe Master Severus will fix his potion? Does Mistress think Master will get her pregnant before deadline?"

Hermione paused in her cooking for a moment before continuing, a contemplative expression on her face. She thought about the head House Elf's questions for a moment before saying, "I'm not sure about falling pregnant in time. Even if I don't, it isn't like the B.R.A. can do anything about it. Severus and I will continue to stay married, even if there are no children. But as for him remodifying the potion, I'm positive he will get it finished. I believe in him and I know he'll get it done."

With that being said, she finished Severus's fish and chips, plated the dish, and walked out of the kitchen to the dining room, asking Inka to bring a pot of tea and a cup for him to drink it out of. Entering the dining room, she found her husband sitting there reading a book, the book that she had bought earlier that day. Putting his plate in front of him, Hermione took the book from him and said, "I haven't even read it yet."

Severus thanked her for his lunch and began eating, saying after he swallowed his mouthful, "It doesn't seem interesting so far. Then again, I only read the first two chapters."

"Already? Don't tell me anything, I just got it."

The Potions Master nodded before turning back to his food, Hermione opening her book to the prologue, beginning to read with interest, despite her husband saying it wasn't interesting so far. A comfortable silence flowed between them, the two of them stealing glances at each other and the silence only being broken by the clinking of silverware on china and the turning of pages. By the time Severus had finished his late lunch—it was damn delicious too, making him wonder what exactly his wife had done to the fish—Hermione giggled and shook her head, turning another page in her book.

Raising an eyebrow in question, Severus asked, "What is so funny?"

Shaking her head, Hermione answered, "Nothing really. I just thought of something and it made me smile."

"And that would be?"

"Well, I just realized that we're in the honeymoon stage of our relationship."

Severus gave the brunette a puzzled look before saying, "We've never had a honeymoon to be in a "honeymoon stage"."

Hermione laughed and put her book face down on the table. "No, the 'honeymoon stage' is an expression."

"Expression of what?"

"An expression of a relationship. When couples enter the honeymoon stage, everything is perfect and they always want to be together, touching each other; you know, completely in love. Usually, that stage occurs at the beginning of a relationship, but in our case, it isn't surprising it happened so late. The honeymoon stage ends eventually, but it isn't necessarily a bad thing. And for some couples, the honeymoon stage is ongoing, just not as intense as in the beginning."

Severus stared at her for a moment, his black eyes looking into her brown ones before picking up his cup of tea and taking a sip before saying, "I see."

Hermione tilted her head as she stared at her husband. "You've never heard of this, have you?"

His response was a deep hum, causing her to giggle in amusement. To get her mind off laughing at his expense, Severus asked her what she did while he had been in his lab. As Hermione told him of her outing, he began thinking. Severus understood the concept of the honeymoon stage, but it did make him think about the fact that he and Hermione had never had a honeymoon since becoming married. Of course, their situation was unique and neither had been too thrilled about it in the beginning, but things had changed and were different now. And considering everything that they had gone through, especially Hermione, he believed a belated honeymoon was in order for them to get away for a while. It would be something for them both to enjoy. That, and he wanted to see the brunette's face light up in happiness. Deciding that was just what he would do, Severus began thinking of places to take his wife on their belated honeymoon.

"Oh, by the way, Blaise suggested the next time we all go out to eat, you should come as well," Hermione told him.

Severus raised an eyebrow, briefly thinking of himself in the midst of young adults he had nothing in common with. And to be questioned by Mr. Zabini and Ms. Greengrass, he couldn't think of anything worse. Giving Hermione a deadpan look, he simply said, "No. I couldn't think of anything worse."

Hermione laughed out loud, her laughter causing Severus to smile and chuckle at her mirth. The two of them moved from the dining room to the living room, settling down on the sofa and continuing to talk, enjoying each other's company and spending time together.