Chapter 30 (part two)
(Kissing 'n cuddling between two consenting adults in this chapter)
She made no fuss though when they went into the hallway where his front door was. There were two other doors there, and Hermione looked at him enquiringly, the impish look still in her eyes.
"My laboratory is through this door," he said gruffly, indicating the door on the right.
Following Severus, Hermione was interested to see that once the door was opened, it revealed a staircase that led down to another door that was a sturdy, ironbound wooden one. Severus tapped this door with his wand and murmured a few musical sounding words before the door opened slightly.
Small clear crystals set into the ceiling immediately started radiating steady white light that lit things up once they stepped into the laboratory itself. It was a sizeable room, neat and clean, with workbenches and cauldrons set just so upon them. There were shelves with jars of potion ingredients, and another ironbound door at the back which presumably led to a storeroom, Hermione thought. A hidden air vent or perhaps a spell was responsible for the relative freshness of the air, for it did not have a stale or damp feel to it.
"I like the way it is set up here," Hermione said in interest.
"Thank you," Severus acknowledged, gratified. It was impossible at times to remain in a sour or grumpy mood for long when he was around Hermione. Even if his house was showing signs of wanting to please her more than him.
"Perhaps at some stage we could carry out some experiments... I did not spend time teaching you Potions only to see my efforts wasted," he said.
Hermione laughed. "Yes, I would like that. I doubt though I will forget anything I learnt from you in a hurry," she said feelingly. A lot of his former students could no doubt stammer ways to make his potions in their dreams. But she did find herself quite liking the thought of conducting some experiments with him.
"Is that so," Severus murmured, his dark eyes intense now as he looked at her, his words conjuring up in her mind images of their twined forms in his bed.
"Now who is being the tease," Hermione told him with a smile.
Severus raised an eyebrow. "I said nothing untoward," he said silkily. "If you misinterpret my words, you only have yourself to blame."
Hermione's stomach chose to make a grumble at this point, and Severus looked amused.
"Hungry again so soon?" he asked.
Hermione looked a bit sheepish. "That cake I brought is starting to sound quite nice at the moment, I'm afraid."
Severus relented from teasing her further, especially as his sharp gaze noticed that Hermione would also appreciate sitting down again. Perhaps that wasn't so surprising, he conceded, since up to yesterday she had been working hard as a gardener at the retreat. The time you ceased such activity was when your body demanded a bit more rest than usual. Also, since they had become lovers, her body was no doubt adjusting to that as well.
"Very well," he allowed. "I shall make tea for us both, then. I suppose we may as well see if the… addition to the sitting room is worth sitting on. Even if it is in a Gryffindor colour," he grumbled under his breath, giving Hermione a look that dared her to contradict him.
"Thank you," Hermione said, managing not to smile as they both left the laboratory.
Once they were back upstairs and Hermione looked with interest at the unopened door, Severus said dryly, "That is merely a closet for keeping the coats of guests."
"I'll believe you, then," Hermione said sweetly.
When they went back to the sitting room, she immediately went to sit down on the chaise lounge, giving Severus an appreciative look once she had done so.
"It's quite comfortable," she said encouragingly.
"Hmphf," Severus said as he left the room to make the tea, Hermione's low laughter following him.
Hermione went to carefully clear the side table covered with books, peering around where to put them before deciding to place them on the floor near the bookshelves.
Severus eventually returned with a laden tray containing tea and cake for them both, and Hermione smiled at him.
"Thank you… I could get used to being waited on like this," she confessed.
"Do not expect me to do this all the time, madam," Severus said severely, though the corner of his mouth twitched.
"Don't worry, I certainly owe you a home cooked meal at some stage," Hermione said cheerfully, and Severus' black eyes warmed for a moment.
Severus had to concede that the chaise lounge was quite comfortable… perhaps a bit too comfortable, but it would be churlish to nitpick any further. Especially since the house could easily take offence and alter something of his to make it uncomfortable. Also, he was not really averse to sitting besides Hermione and perhaps stealing a kiss from time to time.
So they sat together and enjoyed each others company as they had their tea and cake. At one point Hermione spotted a pile of old Potions Monthly magazines on a shelf, and they ended up going through them together, sometimes arguing over the best way to make a certain potion, other times agreeing that it would be worth getting together at some stage and making some of the more complex potions together. Even if he was awarded the job of teaching the DADA class when he went back to Hogwarts, taking the time and concentration to brew potions was still part of his life, Severus thought.
Lunch was portions of shepherds pie that Severus heated for them both, and which they ate at the table in the kitchen. Eating tea and cake near books was one thing, but potentially messier food near them was another thing, in Severus' stern opinion. Hermione helped him clean up afterwards, and once they had both rested, he offered to show her outside.
Severus stopped by the door to change his footwear for the slightly worn pair of black boots that was on its own mat, before unlocking the door so they could go out. Although the sky was slightly overcast now, Hermione appreciated the fact that there was little wind. No doubt because of the tall trees that ringed Severus' property and provided shelter, she thought.
Another thought came to her, and she smiled.
"Severus?" Hermione said, and when he paused and looked down at her quizzically, she clasped his arm and reached up to kiss him softly upon his lips.
"Was there a particular reason for that display of sentiment, madam?" Severus murmured when she drew back, searching Hermione's face.
Hermione smiled up at him, a whimsical look upon her face.
"I just wanted to appreciate the fact that I can kiss you outside, without worrying about someone seeing us and making a complaint," she said honestly.
Feeling amused and oddly touched, Severus wrapped his arms around her.
"I see… then perhaps I should take proper advantage of the situation," he murmured. He bent his head to kiss her forehead first, Hermione obligingly lifting her face up to his to make it easier, her gaze sparkling. His lips moved down to softly kiss her nose, giving her cheeks even softer kisses before he swooped down to kiss her lips hungrily. Hermione parted her lips at his urging and his tongue slipped into her mouth, exploring the sweetness there. He groaned when her tongue twined with his and he clutched Hermione closer to him, feeling desire rise within him.
A loud 'miaow' close to them made them both pause, their kisses ceasing.
"Crookshanks!" Hermione exclaimed.
His lips tightening ever so slightly, Severus released Hermione. All of the cursed timing… but he could hardly prevent Hermione from seeing to her pet now.
Crookshanks uttered a more impatient 'miaow' as he rubbed his face against a leg of his mistress, and Hermione bent down until she was at his level.
"Hello there," she crooned, reaching out to stroke her cat and murmuring further things to mollify him. But this morning Crookshanks was not easily appeased, and he made a hissing sound in Severus' direction.
"Now stop that," Hermione said reprovingly, resisting the urge to smile ruefully at the jealousy of her cat towards Severus. "This is Severus' home we're at, and there's plenty of land to explore, hmm?"
Crookshanks made a plaintive noise that clearly meant Play With Me Now.
Hermione sighed and stroked him between his ears where he liked it. "I promise not to neglect you when we go home, but my time here with Severus is precious at the moment."
"Indeed," Severus said in a low tone.
At the sound of Severus' voice, Crookshanks stiffened, and then he stalked away in wounded dignity towards the distant trees.
Hermione got back to her feet. "Crookshanks just needs time to get used to you in my life, Severus, that's all," she said, putting conviction she wasn't entirely feeling into her voice. It was a pity that her cat had showed a marked dislike for Severus, but surely it would pass. It wasn't as if Severus would do anything to deliberately upset Crookshanks, after all.
"Of course," Severus said evenly.
Hermione looked at him and then he smiled slightly at her.
"Someone did make a complaint, after all," he said sardonically, and Hermione couldn't help but laugh.
She then followed Severus as they walked around the side of the house, and she was then greeted with the sight of a formal knot garden set out in the lawn. It was made up of low hedges that had been severely clipped to form tiny walls and pathways, which were lined with gravel. Half of this garden was devoted to herbs of all kinds, while the other half contained rose bushes with blooms ranging in colours ranging from pale lemon to darkest red, set just so within the low hedges like jewels, Hermione thought in a fit of fancy. One of the bushes was a miniature one with red blooms.
A seat of white marble was at the end of the knot garden, and only a few metres away rose a tall, vast hedge that Hermione knew was the hedge labyrinth.
"It looks nice," Hermione said, "though it must take a bit of upkeep at times."
Severus looked amused. "Why do you ask… Are you volunteering to pull out some weeds?"
Hermione poked him gently in his side. "I've had enough of weeding for a while, thank you."
Severus took her hand and lightly smacked it. "Stop that at once. There are outdoors maintenance spells on my property, since I spend most of my time at Hogwarts chastising Gryffindors."
He walked into the knot garden and Hermione followed, the sweet smells of the roses reaching her nose. With the narrowness of the paths, Hermione thought it was a good idea that Severus had not put back on his outer robes, as they surely would have had the ends caught by the low hedges. As it was, Hermione found herself preferring the sight of him in his fitted black frock coat and trousers.
Severus stopped by the miniature rose bush and bent to pluck one that had barely started to unfold, before turning to Hermione with a glint in his eyes. She found herself smiling at the sight of Severus Snape holding a rose.
"This one will do," he said before deftly placing it within her hair near one of her ears. "There."
"You didn't have to do that," Hermione protested laughingly.
Severus arched an eyebrow. "Why not? After all, a rosebud means "Confession of Devotion."
"I see. You plan to give me flowers from now on, rather than actually whisper sweet nothings in my ear," Hermione said, teasing him.
This time Severus gently poked her in her side. "No impertinent Gryffindors will be hearing any sweet nothings from me in a hurry, madam."
But as he gazed down at her, the words of asking her to marry him, soon, hovered suddenly on his lips. On the day that they had both gone to Gringotts, he had privately brought an engagement ring passed down through his family out of his vault…
Something though held him back though… was it really the right time to ask her? He had not even met her parents yet, and she was just about to start university. He did not feel that she would instantly refuse him, but would it be fair to make her feel distracted from her initial studies, no matter how pleasant her distracted thoughts might be?
The moment passed and he let it go, but not without a little regret. He cleared his throat abruptly.
"Now, would you wish to see my labyrinth? It is not the danger that it would have been when my father was alive, but it may yet contain a surprise or two…"
Hermione eyed him. "Should I be worried when you say, 'a surprise or two', Severus?" she asked wryly.
"Nothing unpleasant, I assure you," he replied smoothly.
"I'll remember that," Hermione told him as she took the arm that he offered her.
But once they both reached the hedge labyrinth, there was no obvious entrance that Hermione could see.
"How curious," Severus murmured, but did not sound too surprised to Hermione when she looked up at him for an explanation. "Perhaps if the other sides were checked…"
"Well, you have to have an entrance to a labyrinth, otherwise how would you get in?" Hermione said patiently, though there was a speculative expression on her face as she looked at Severus.
Severus inclined his head to her. "I cannot argue against such logic," he said smoothly, indicating with a wave of a hand that Hermione was welcome to search for the entrance.
No doubt he was up to some Slytherin tricks again, Hermione thought with an inward sigh, and she shouldn't trust at all the expectant look she could see as well lurking at the back of Severus' eyes. Ah, well.
"All right, I'll go and look for the entrance while you wait right here," Hermione told him firmly.
Hermione then started walking around to the next side of the labyrinth, but there was no sign of an entrance there, nor was there one in the next two sides, to her bemusement. She didn't know whether it was her imagination or not, but she thought she could hear some furtive rustlings from within the labyrinth itself. When she stepped closer to have a better listen though, everything was silent.
When she returned to where she had started, she saw Severus still standing where Hermione had left him. Was there the slightest of smirks though upon his sallow face?
She began to say, "I couldn't find…", but the words died in her throat when she saw that there wasn't one but two narrow entrances side by side in the labyrinth near where Severus was standing.
Hermione folded her arms in front of her chest and said, "Now, if you say that they were there all along, you really are going to be in trouble," she scolded him.
"Do you hear me saying such a thing?" Severus replied, thinking again of how magnificent Hermione looked when she was angry.
Hermione huffed at him.
"All right, why are there two entrances anyway?" she sighed, thinking that she might as well give in to her curiosity.
"A good question," Severus answered calmly. "It appears that there are two different ways of reaching the centre… let us say that whoever reaches the centre first shall win."
"Win what?" Hermione asked swiftly.
"Well, then, perhaps the winner shall decide," Severus murmured, a simmering look appearing in his eyes for a moment. He then inclined his head towards the two entrances.
"Ladies first," he said.
Instead of immediately approaching an entrance, Hermione smiled at Severus sweetly. "You should be concerned then, in case I win."
She then gave him a deliberately lingering and heated look that ran down the length of his black clad body, stopping at various places along the way, before she walked unhesitatingly up to the right hand entrance and into it.
Severus was left looking after Hermione with a mixture of heady desire and amazement, followed by the immediate urge to pursue her and kiss her and…
His witch would regret showing such bold, provocative behaviour towards him, Severus thought as he stalked towards the left hand entrance, a dark smile upon his face as he shifted his body into his Animagus form.
He had not said after all that there could only be *one* form in which to travel to the centre…
Hermione smiled as she hurried along her path into the labyrinth, half-expecting Severus to pursue her after she had looked at him the way she had, instead of taking his own path. She doubted though that he would let her get away with it, which made it more imperative to her to win this 'contest', of course!
Her smile then faded slightly as she considered that she had only taken a few turns on the path so far, and already it seemed as if she was in the heart of the labyrinth. It was greenly dim and almost preternaturally quiet where she was in between the tall hedges, though she didn't feel threatened. She didn't remember the hedges being so tall on the outside of the labyrinth, and she could not hear anything apart from her own footsteps. Severus could only be a few metres away and she might not know it.
Her gaze determined, Hermione then changed into her Animagus form and then there was only a cat now racing along the path to what she hoped was the centre of the labyrinth. After all, Severus hadn't said anything against changing shape to reach the centre. But she had to hurry…
Severus-Crow flew on swift black wings along his path, the labyrinth almost seeming to obey his command to take him the shortest way to the centre. He would show his nest-mate that he was faster, swifter… triumphant. He would teach her not to play games with him!
Hermione-Cat finally saw the opening that led to the centre, and with a mew of relief and delight she dashed the last few yards and through the opening…
…only to see that Severus-Crow had already flown first through his own entrance to the centre, a loud 'caw' of triumph coming from him as he went to circle her overhead.
Hermione-Cat came to a halt, examining the soft green grass she was now on and ignoring Severus-Crow for the moment. Very well, so he had won, but there was no need for him to be so loud about it, she thought indignantly.
She peered about her, her feline eyes bright with curiosity. The central area of the labyrinth they were in was square shaped and a comfortable size. A wooden seat painted green was by a small pool, and she immediately wondered if there were any fish she could play with and eat within the pool.
Please don't, her other-self moaned inside of her.
Severus-Crow swooped down and landed gracefully in front of her, his dark eyes glinting in satisfaction as he turned his head to look at her first one way, then the other way.
Hermione-Cat continued to ignore him and his Alpha-Crow behaviour and promptly curled up happily upon the grass, her eyes closing. The air felt much warmer in here and yes, the sweet-smelling grass felt like the finest of beds. Mmm. Now would be a good time for a saucer of milk to be placed in front of her, and perhaps a dish of whatever fish were in the pond.
She then felt a firm tap of a beak in her side. Giving an indignant 'meow', she opened her eyes and saw Severus-Crow beside her now, his black feathers ruffling in vexation at being ignored.
Really, her Black One got irritated over the tiniest things, Hermione-Cat thought, so it was just as well she was quite a forgiving cat. She purred warmly at him and butted him lightly in his side with her head.
Severus-Crow wobbled slightly and then abruptly sat down with a disgruntled noise, looking grumpy and cross. Hermione-Cat sighed to herself and then shifted back into her human form and sat down beside him.
"Look, there's no need to act like that, really," Hermione gently scolded the crow beside her, reaching down to smooth his dark feathers back into a semblance of normality. "No need to ah, get your feathers into a fidget."
A chuckle escaped her despite herself, and then she saw the crow promptly change back into Severus, the now kneeling Slytherin reaching out to seize her wrist.
"No doubt you think such words and behaviour towards me amusing, do you?" he asked her severely.
"What words?" Hermione protested laughingly as she tried to break free of her clasp. Unfortunately for her, Severus had a grip of iron when he chose to use it, and he took the opportunity to draw them both to their feet.
"Let me see, Hermione," he said, a glint in his black eyes as he looked down at her. "Ignoring me just before, and then there were your words advising me not to get my feathers into a what, fidget? Then there were your earlier words advising me to be concerned in case you won, were there not?"
"Well…" Hermione hedged.
Severus leaned closer to her, his black gaze fixed unblinkingly upon her face.
"Do you deny saying such words?" Severus murmured, his body only inches away from hers. His grip upon her wrist had eased slightly, and now his thumb was lazily stroking the inside of her wrist, sending tingles throughout her body.
"No," Hermione admitted, but refusing to be cowed, she looked straight back at him.
"Can you deny that it was in fact I, who won?" Severus continued, clearly enjoying himself now.
"No," Hermione had to admit as well.
"What then, do you suggest I could do, now that I have won?" he said softly but with a sensual undertone that brought heat to the pit of Hermione's stomach.
Making the effort to retain at least some self-control, Hermione murmured sweetly in reply, "Have a nap?"
"I think not," Severus grumbled, lightly shaking her arm. "Will you always continue to vex me?"
"Of course, just like you do to me," Hermione replied in a voice that was huskier than she had intended.
"Oh? And how am I vexing you?" Severus murmured, his eyes an intense black now.
"Look, you're the one currently holding on to my arm and bent on seducing me," Hermione pointed out.
Her lips felt dry and she automatically went to run her tongue lightly over them. Severus' gaze immediately darted down to her lips.
"I could say that you are more intent on seducing me," Severus said in a low, rough tone. "The way you looked at me before entering the labyrinth, practically inviting me to chase you, and…"
"And?" Hermione echoed softly.
Severus had been quite intent on having the upper hand in this situation, but now seeing her heated brown eyes focused upon him, Hermione dressed as she was in those form fitting Muggle garments, he could feel such resolve draining away.
"I…"
Before he knew what he was doing, Severus reached out with a slightly trembling hand to brush his thumb over Hermione's lower lip, fascinated anew with its full softness.
She heard his breath catch as she quickly kissed his thumb, moving to gently suck it with her warm mouth for a moment.
Severus immediately felt a jolt of desire pass through him, his breath catching in turn in his throat as he felt his body harden in his suddenly too confining trousers.
"Surely you should be punished anyway, for making me want to make love to you during the day," he murmured as his other arm wound around her waist, drawing her closer to his body.
Hermione pressed against Severus in turn, the quiver she felt from his black clad body contrasting with the hard, insistent feel of him against her. Heat stirred in the pit of her stomach. His words gave her a glimpse of the colder, more severe man he used to be, where perhaps intercourse would be an activity done only swiftly with someone just expected to lie there, the words 'making love' not even part of his vocabulary. She leaned up to kiss him, putting as much passion and love as she could into it.
"You do say the loveliest things," Hermione countered, wrapping her arms around him. "That was me saying 'yes' by the way," she murmured as she went to kiss his throat, feeling yet another quiver go through him.
"Yes to what?" Severus asked, wishing to hear again that Hermione desired him.
"Yes to wanting to make love to you too," Hermione said. "But why not during the day?" she went on, stroking his back as she did so. "It just means you're wide awake for it, and you can feel more energetic," she said in a teasing tone, thinking that at one time she would have never considered saying such things, least of all to Severus Snape.
Severus' eyes flared hotly, his embrace of her tightening. "Is that so?" he said roughly, further heat surging through him. "Is that so? Then we shall take full advantage of feeling wide awake, madam. Here."
Severus then brought out his wand and after pointing it at the green seat, said the words that transfigured it into a simple yet comfortable looking day bed that was just big enough for two. The colour of its coverings were a pleasant mint green.
Hermione's mouth dropped open in surprise, but a feeling of naughty delight followed quickly on its heels and she shut her mouth. A respectable witch such as herself would not make love outside, surely, but she was tired of feeling respectable…
"Well?" Severus said huskily as he looked down at her, dark challenge and hope in his eyes as he put his wand away.
There was no way that Hermione would be turning down such a challenge. Her mind quickly reviewed the valid points of the situation… here was a bed, and though they were outside, it was still in a secluded area. No one knew they were here, nor was anyone going to bother them. The air was definitely warmer in here, and it was not about to rain. Many boxes had just been ticked, she concluded to herself.
"Yes," she said decisively, certain that the sudden heat from Severus' eyes would surely have scorched her if it was capable of doing so.
"But you forgot a few things," she added.
"Oh?" Severus said suspiciously, looking like someone who has just been told to wait before helping himself to cookies.
Hermione leaned up and kissed him softly.
"Wait a moment," she told him before slipping out of his arms.
There were a couple of leaves on the ground that would be perfect for her requirements. After bringing out her wand, Hermione quickly transfigured them into two velvety pillows that any Gryffindor wouldn't mind using. In a rich red colour, naturally. She picked them up and then placed them both on the bed before putting her wand aside, intensely aware of Severus' gaze upon her back while she did so.
"Now it's perfect," she said approvingly. She laughed when she felt a black clad arm wind swiftly around her, Severus then sweeping her up into his arms and scowling down at her. The corner of his mouth twitched, though.
"If I wanted some Gryffindor-looking pillows, madam, I would have put some there myself," he said meaningfully as he went and tossed Hermione lightly upon the bed. "Yet another reason to punish you, I see."
Hermione laughed and then scooted forward so that she was sitting on the edge of the bed, tingling excitement running anew through her veins. She bent down so that she could take off her shoes, but Severus kneeled down in front of her in a fluid, black movement and lightly batted her hands away.
"I shall be the one undressing you," Severus told her in his deep voice as he started deftly taking off her shoes, his hair looking a glossy black from the sunshine upon it.
"Don't I get any say in this?" Hermione enquired, humour in her tone, taking the opportunity to take some of the contraception potion she had put in her pocket earlier… just in case.
"No," Severus said meaningfully.
He laid her shoes aside upon the grass before removing her socks, the long fingers of his hands gently massaging her feet.
"Mmm," Hermione sighed as she leaned back a bit on the bed, her legs moving apart slightly.
With sweet temptation before him, Severus was unable to resist slipping a questing hand between her legs to touch her so, Hermione gasping in response. Even though she was wearing jeans, her skin felt sensitised to his every touch.
"Hermione," Severus said huskily as he reached for her belt buckle, his fingers first running briefly over the curious Muggle material of her jeans before he unfastened it and pulled the zipper down. Disregarding Severus' earlier words about him undressing her, Hermione put her wand aside on the bed, stood up and started pulling down her jeans.
"So disobedient," Severus chided softly, but rose to assist her as she stepped out of the jeans. A breeze playfully stirred her bushy hair and the sunshine on her semi-undressed person made Hermione beguiling to him in a new way. Severus breathed in the smell of grass and the fertile earth below them, and in the heart of his labyrinth here with his witch, he felt something relax and unfold within him, even as his senses were stirred by Hermione.
Hermione then went and kissed Severus fervently, her hands reaching up to touch and run through his black hair. Severus kissed her back, holding her close as his mouth plundered hers with equal need. He slipped a hand between their bodies and once he encountered her underwear he stroked Hermione teasingly again between her legs. She moaned against his mouth before retaliating by slipping a hand between them in turn so she could touch and stroke his hard length.
"Aha!" Hermione said in pleasure, as she felt him twitch and heard him growl in response.
His breathing ragged, Severus began tugging up her top. "Wicked, wanton Gryffindor," he said severely, hoping that his face wasn't too flushed.
"Tormenting, teasing Slytherin," Hermione retorted, lifting up her arms so that her top could come off more easily. Severus then tossed it aside, an almost fevered look in his black eyes as he stared at her near-naked body.
"Your body is a torment all by itself," Severus whispered, aching to bury himself again within her.
"Well, what about you standing there in all of your… your buttoned up blackness," Hermione pointed out huskily as she reached out to start undoing his frock coat.
"I have said I do not dress to excite impressionable female minds," Severus grumbled, his black gaze dropping though to watch her hands.
"I'm not that impressionable," Hermione told him firmly as she reached for another black button. "Although I am excited," she added as she eyed him with simmering brown eyes.
Severus' heartbeat raced at her words, and he found himself hastily summoning his magic to aid her efforts by making his frock coat buttons undo all at once. Unfortunately, in said haste the buttons of all of his clothing came undone at once, even on his trousers.
Severus muttered something unintelligible under his breath, looking self-conscious. Endearingly so, Hermione thought, as she guessed what had happened as she looked at her lover, glimpses of his chest showing now due to both an unbuttoned shirt and frock coat.
A smile spread across her face. "The wonders of wandless magic, hmm?" she said teasingly. "I didn't know you were that impatient."
"It was not supposed to happen exactly like that," Severus scowled, struggling to grab back some shreds of dignity. "This is all your fault."
To his vexation, Hermione continued smiling at him. "Is not," she told him serenely.
"Is so," he grumbled, his temper evaporating though when Hermione moved her hands to stroke his chest, seeking out his flat nipples.
Severus groaned at that and attempted to move even closer to her, making a soft rumbling noise against her hair, his hardness insistent against her stomach. His mouth then sought hers and he kissed her, hard, before his hands were moving to remove his black frock coat.
Hermione then helped him remove his shirt and then he bent to swiftly remove his footwear and socks, the sunlight kind on his pale, scarred back. Without his white shirt tucked into his trousers anymore, said unbuttoned trousers started sliding slowly down his narrow hips when he stood back up.
"Mmm," Hermione said encouragingly.
"Such noises are very distracting," Severus said sternly, spots of colour on his sallow cheeks. Hermione laughed and then went to kiss the hollow of his throat, feeling a quiver go through his body as a result. Severus briefly tangled his hands gently in her hair before he went to remove his trousers and then his underwear. He turned his attention back to Hermione, his breath catching when he saw she was in the process of removing her bra, her posture proud. Her breathing though was coming more rapidly, he noted with satisfaction.
"Exquisite," he said huskily when the bra was cast aside, feeling spellbound as he watched her slowly pull down her underwear, her skin becomingly flushed. Hermione gasped as Severus sank in a feline way on to his knees before her afterwards, as if in reverence.
"Hermione," he breathed as he kissed her stomach, his prominent nose unintentionally rubbing gently against her skin there.
"That tickles," Hermione said, a laugh escaping her and a hand of her moving to stroke his black hair.
"Does this as well?" Severus purred as he slipped an exploring hand between her legs, seeking her warmth, his other arm slipping around his witch to hold her steady.
"Oh!" Hermione gasped, arching against his hand and clutching at his hair now. She had been expecting him to do something like that, but it still set her nerves on delicious fire… a breeze ran over her breasts, but she didn't even feel capable of shivering right now. All she could focus on now was the way Severus was making her feel.
When her legs started shaking, Severus took pity on her, and after rising to his feet he urged her back against the bed, drawing back the coverlet. Hermione sat and then laid herself down, her arms immediately opening to welcome him.
"Severus," she breathed, entreaty as well as command in her voice.
"Yes?" he replied huskily, his black eyes intense as he swiftly knelt between her parted legs and then lowered himself upon Hermione, a groan nearly escaping him. After leaning on his elbows so that he could look down at Hermione, he raised an eyebrow in sincere looking enquiry.
"Is something amiss?" he murmured as he settled himself properly between her legs, the feel of his hardness nudging against her softness there drawing a heated moan from Hermione's throat.
"No… oh, yes, you impossible man," she scolded as she wrapped her arms lovingly around him. Somehow the coverlet was over them now, making Hermione feel as if they were both in a warm cocoon under the sky. "Come inside me, now. Please," she added, gasping as Severus groaned and thrust swiftly into her.
His body rocked gently against hers before they both found their rhythm, love guiding them. Words of passion tumbled from lips as he thrust fiercely within her warmth, her body pinned to the bed with each snap of his hips.
Pleasure rose to a heightened pitch within Hermione, her nails raking Severus' back as she approached the edge, writhing under him. Sensing her impending climax, Severus looked down at her with blazing eyes… panting as he withdrew and then thrust deeply again and again into her until Hermione arched and cried out in passion, convulsing around him. A loud cry escaped him as he climaxed in turn, collapsing upon Hermione before he eventually shifted so he was beside her. He sighed and nuzzled the warm skin of her neck, closing his eyes for a moment.
Hermione blinked when she heard a low snore escape the Slytherin, before smiling to herself and snuggling against his side.
TBC