Disclaimer - Everything belongs to JKR
A/N: This is it - the epilogue! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I am only tying up a few loose ends; the rest will be in the sequel (un-named as yet). Yes, the tattoo is revealed here, but not Cleo, as I think their relationship is still too new for that. What you read here is only the morning after.
Thank you to Sunglow999 for beta reading.
Chapter 10 - Epilogue
Severus woke to an empty bed as dawn was breaking. He sat up and scanned the room, noticing the neat pile of clothing folded up on the chair beside the bed. Or rather, his neat pile of clothing; Hermione's silver dress was draped over the back of the chair, a stark contrast to his sombre clothes. Perhaps it was symbolic - light and dark. Pulling on his boxers, he slid out of bed to find Hermione, an uneasy feeling in the back of his mind that she'd transfigured a cushion for clothing and disappeared on him. A faint humming came from the top of the tower so he cautiously made his way up there.
He watched from the doorway as she lay in the huge bath, her hair piled on top of her head and secured with a ribbon, humming softly and soaping a long smooth leg.
"Since when has the Astronomy tower had a bathroom?"
Hermione looked up to see him leaning casually against the doorway. Her face lit up, and the tension he hadn't known he was feeling, drained away. She hadn't left him, and it looked like she hadn't regretted last night either. She actually looked as if she was pleased to see him.
"You're awake!"
"That usually happens after a surfeit of sleep." He said dryly.
"We didn't get much sleep."
"I am aware of that. Does that feel good?" he nodded towards the bath.
"Why don't you come in and find out?" she looked at him through her eyelashes and smiled at the speed at which he crossed the room. She scooted forward as he stripped off and sighed as he settled behind her, pulling her back to lean against his chest. He wound his arms round her waist to hold her in place, and pressed a soft kiss against the side of her neck.
"What happens now, Severus?" she asked softly.
"I don't know. What do you want to happen?" he asked, not sure he wanted to hear her answer. He didn't have much experience with talking about feelings; the closest he'd got recently was talking to a snake.
"Not fair. You can't answer a question with a question."
"Is this a new rule of courting etiquette I don't know about?"
"Is that what you're doing? Courting me?"
"Now who's breaking the rules?" he nuzzled her neck playfully.
"Look who's talking!" she said breathlessly as his hands, with those incredibly long fingers, smoothed over her stomach and brushed the undersides of her breasts.
"We're not breaking any rules. As you said yourself, I'm not your teacher anymore. As of midnight, in fact." He didn't want to push her any further than she wanted to go, although if he had his way she'd never leave his dungeon, or his bed.
"Oh, I don't know. I think there's a lot you could teach me." She wiggled her toes against his foot, twisting her head round to look at him.
"Are you willing to learn?" he growled against her lips.
"I'm always willing... if it's a subject I'm interested in.."
"It will mean spending a lot of time with me.."
"How much time?"
"Day.. and night." He went to kiss her, but she pulled back, twisting round so she lay on top facing him.
"You never answered my question."
"Which one? You ask so many." He said dryly.
"Are you courting me?"
"That's a very old-fashioned word for what we've been doing most of the night."
"I'm an old-fashioned girl."
"Yes." He frowned, remembering it had been her first time. "How is it..?"
"No-one likes a know-it-all, Severus. Not one with bushy hair, buck teeth and no figure to speak of."
"That's not true anymore. Apart from the know-it-all bit." he laughed as she slapped his arm. "Anyway, they're fools, and for once I am eternally grateful for their ignorance."
"So?"
"So, what?"
"Are you courting me?"
"Do you ever give up?"
"No, not when it means something to me."
"Do I mean something to you?" he murmured, and she saw the hint of uncertainty in his dark eyes. She leaned forward, sliding her hands up his chest to hold his face between her palms, her thumbs touching his lips gently.
"More than you could possibly know."
He tightened his arms and then stood up suddenly, lifting her with ease against him. She squealed in surprise and hung on.
"We're in danger of drowning if we stay here. Let's go back to bed." He growled against her neck. Hermione snagged a towel from a chair.
"Hermione, why do we have drying spells?"
"This is more fun. I get to..explore." she shook the towel out and started to carefully dry the droplets of water from his collarbone, following the towel with her mouth. He stood there, willing to let her have her way. It wouldn't kill him...much.
She worked her way across his chest and over his arms, moving round to his long, lean back. She paused and he looked back over his shoulder at her. She was tracing a finger in the hollow at the base of his spine.
"When did you get this done?"
"I was eighteen at the time. When did you get yours?"
"Over the Christmas break. Rosmerta told me about Mystic Ink."
Muttering a quick drying spell, Severus swept her up into his arms and carried her back downstairs. He dumped her on the bed and quickly joined her.
"What on earth possessed you to get one done? Don't you know they're permanent?" he frowned down at her. She rolled her eyes at him.
"Of course I know. Don't you like it?"
"I love it. Does anyone else know?" he traced his finger over her tattoo, a silver and green snake twisting around itself, that shimmered in the morning light.
"No. Only you, and Madam Ollivander."
"Did she say anything to you?"
"Only that it wasn't what she'd expected."
He laughed. "A Gryffindor lion getting a Slytherin snake? Definitely not what was expected."
She laughed too. "I was just pleased it wasn't a hippogriff. The fact that it matches yours is a bonus."
"Mine isn't as small as yours." He pressed his nose to hers. She giggled.
"What's this, a 'mine is bigger than yours' contest? That only works if we're the same sex." She poked his shoulder with her finger. He grabbed it and placed a gentle kiss on her palm. She melted against him.
"What other secrets are you keeping from me?" he asked softly. She thought guiltily of Cleo. How would he react to that piece of news? Not good, if she knew her surly professor. It might be prudent to wait a while, just until she was sure it wouldn't damage their fledging relationship. Perhaps she would wait until they were in an open space, where she could Apparate out of the way safely.
"We still haven't settled on what happens next?" she evaded. He sighed, and pulled her into his arms, settling them back against the pillows and pulling the sheet over them.
"If you have no objection, I'd like to see you over the summer." He said formally.
"And after that?"
"Yes."
"What about University?"
"I'm a bit too old to go back to school."
"Not you, me!"
He bit his lip. He really didn't want her to move away, but she was young and deserved to explore the world outside the confines of Hogwarts.
"You can always visit. Weekends, the odd evening.."
She looked up at him, noting the closed expression on his face.
"I can always do day-release." She said casually.
"Day-release?"
"Yes. I can choose a vocational course, where I work at a job and once or twice a week go back to school. That way I can stay where I like.." her foot rubbed against his leg. "With you, if you want.."
"You don't have to work if you don't want to. I could do with an assistant, and you are my brightest student."
"Praise? From Professor Snape? Catch me before I fall off the bed!"
"Well, you are."
"Are you sure you're Professor Snape? Not an impostor?" she thought of something. "By the way, how come I only got 298%?"
"You left a stain on your workbench in the practical."
"You're a hard taskmaster, Professor."
"You have no idea how hard.."
"Oh, I think I do.." her hand slid downwards and gripped him gently. "How much work do you think we'd get done if we worked together?"
"Not a lot." He smiled against her lips and let his hands do some wandering of their own.
"How are we going to explain our absence at breakfast if we do what I think we're going to do?" she asked.
"Well, Miss Granger, we can either make it quick and get you back to your dormitory in time, or we can let Dumbledore think up an excuse for us and spend the rest of the day here. Alone."
"Seeing as it was their idea to lock us up here, I think we should let them stew."
"Very Slytherin of you, Miss Granger."
"Why thank you, Professor Snape. I try to please."
"You certainly do, Miss Granger, you certainly do."
There was silence for a while apart from the rustling of sheets. Then..
"Hermione... I don't suppose you own a pair of leather boots, do you?"
A/N: Watch out for the sequel, coming soon.
A/N: This is it - the epilogue! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I am only tying up a few loose ends; the rest will be in the sequel (un-named as yet). Yes, the tattoo is revealed here, but not Cleo, as I think their relationship is still too new for that. What you read here is only the morning after.
Thank you to Sunglow999 for beta reading.
Chapter 10 - Epilogue
Severus woke to an empty bed as dawn was breaking. He sat up and scanned the room, noticing the neat pile of clothing folded up on the chair beside the bed. Or rather, his neat pile of clothing; Hermione's silver dress was draped over the back of the chair, a stark contrast to his sombre clothes. Perhaps it was symbolic - light and dark. Pulling on his boxers, he slid out of bed to find Hermione, an uneasy feeling in the back of his mind that she'd transfigured a cushion for clothing and disappeared on him. A faint humming came from the top of the tower so he cautiously made his way up there.
He watched from the doorway as she lay in the huge bath, her hair piled on top of her head and secured with a ribbon, humming softly and soaping a long smooth leg.
"Since when has the Astronomy tower had a bathroom?"
Hermione looked up to see him leaning casually against the doorway. Her face lit up, and the tension he hadn't known he was feeling, drained away. She hadn't left him, and it looked like she hadn't regretted last night either. She actually looked as if she was pleased to see him.
"You're awake!"
"That usually happens after a surfeit of sleep." He said dryly.
"We didn't get much sleep."
"I am aware of that. Does that feel good?" he nodded towards the bath.
"Why don't you come in and find out?" she looked at him through her eyelashes and smiled at the speed at which he crossed the room. She scooted forward as he stripped off and sighed as he settled behind her, pulling her back to lean against his chest. He wound his arms round her waist to hold her in place, and pressed a soft kiss against the side of her neck.
"What happens now, Severus?" she asked softly.
"I don't know. What do you want to happen?" he asked, not sure he wanted to hear her answer. He didn't have much experience with talking about feelings; the closest he'd got recently was talking to a snake.
"Not fair. You can't answer a question with a question."
"Is this a new rule of courting etiquette I don't know about?"
"Is that what you're doing? Courting me?"
"Now who's breaking the rules?" he nuzzled her neck playfully.
"Look who's talking!" she said breathlessly as his hands, with those incredibly long fingers, smoothed over her stomach and brushed the undersides of her breasts.
"We're not breaking any rules. As you said yourself, I'm not your teacher anymore. As of midnight, in fact." He didn't want to push her any further than she wanted to go, although if he had his way she'd never leave his dungeon, or his bed.
"Oh, I don't know. I think there's a lot you could teach me." She wiggled her toes against his foot, twisting her head round to look at him.
"Are you willing to learn?" he growled against her lips.
"I'm always willing... if it's a subject I'm interested in.."
"It will mean spending a lot of time with me.."
"How much time?"
"Day.. and night." He went to kiss her, but she pulled back, twisting round so she lay on top facing him.
"You never answered my question."
"Which one? You ask so many." He said dryly.
"Are you courting me?"
"That's a very old-fashioned word for what we've been doing most of the night."
"I'm an old-fashioned girl."
"Yes." He frowned, remembering it had been her first time. "How is it..?"
"No-one likes a know-it-all, Severus. Not one with bushy hair, buck teeth and no figure to speak of."
"That's not true anymore. Apart from the know-it-all bit." he laughed as she slapped his arm. "Anyway, they're fools, and for once I am eternally grateful for their ignorance."
"So?"
"So, what?"
"Are you courting me?"
"Do you ever give up?"
"No, not when it means something to me."
"Do I mean something to you?" he murmured, and she saw the hint of uncertainty in his dark eyes. She leaned forward, sliding her hands up his chest to hold his face between her palms, her thumbs touching his lips gently.
"More than you could possibly know."
He tightened his arms and then stood up suddenly, lifting her with ease against him. She squealed in surprise and hung on.
"We're in danger of drowning if we stay here. Let's go back to bed." He growled against her neck. Hermione snagged a towel from a chair.
"Hermione, why do we have drying spells?"
"This is more fun. I get to..explore." she shook the towel out and started to carefully dry the droplets of water from his collarbone, following the towel with her mouth. He stood there, willing to let her have her way. It wouldn't kill him...much.
She worked her way across his chest and over his arms, moving round to his long, lean back. She paused and he looked back over his shoulder at her. She was tracing a finger in the hollow at the base of his spine.
"When did you get this done?"
"I was eighteen at the time. When did you get yours?"
"Over the Christmas break. Rosmerta told me about Mystic Ink."
Muttering a quick drying spell, Severus swept her up into his arms and carried her back downstairs. He dumped her on the bed and quickly joined her.
"What on earth possessed you to get one done? Don't you know they're permanent?" he frowned down at her. She rolled her eyes at him.
"Of course I know. Don't you like it?"
"I love it. Does anyone else know?" he traced his finger over her tattoo, a silver and green snake twisting around itself, that shimmered in the morning light.
"No. Only you, and Madam Ollivander."
"Did she say anything to you?"
"Only that it wasn't what she'd expected."
He laughed. "A Gryffindor lion getting a Slytherin snake? Definitely not what was expected."
She laughed too. "I was just pleased it wasn't a hippogriff. The fact that it matches yours is a bonus."
"Mine isn't as small as yours." He pressed his nose to hers. She giggled.
"What's this, a 'mine is bigger than yours' contest? That only works if we're the same sex." She poked his shoulder with her finger. He grabbed it and placed a gentle kiss on her palm. She melted against him.
"What other secrets are you keeping from me?" he asked softly. She thought guiltily of Cleo. How would he react to that piece of news? Not good, if she knew her surly professor. It might be prudent to wait a while, just until she was sure it wouldn't damage their fledging relationship. Perhaps she would wait until they were in an open space, where she could Apparate out of the way safely.
"We still haven't settled on what happens next?" she evaded. He sighed, and pulled her into his arms, settling them back against the pillows and pulling the sheet over them.
"If you have no objection, I'd like to see you over the summer." He said formally.
"And after that?"
"Yes."
"What about University?"
"I'm a bit too old to go back to school."
"Not you, me!"
He bit his lip. He really didn't want her to move away, but she was young and deserved to explore the world outside the confines of Hogwarts.
"You can always visit. Weekends, the odd evening.."
She looked up at him, noting the closed expression on his face.
"I can always do day-release." She said casually.
"Day-release?"
"Yes. I can choose a vocational course, where I work at a job and once or twice a week go back to school. That way I can stay where I like.." her foot rubbed against his leg. "With you, if you want.."
"You don't have to work if you don't want to. I could do with an assistant, and you are my brightest student."
"Praise? From Professor Snape? Catch me before I fall off the bed!"
"Well, you are."
"Are you sure you're Professor Snape? Not an impostor?" she thought of something. "By the way, how come I only got 298%?"
"You left a stain on your workbench in the practical."
"You're a hard taskmaster, Professor."
"You have no idea how hard.."
"Oh, I think I do.." her hand slid downwards and gripped him gently. "How much work do you think we'd get done if we worked together?"
"Not a lot." He smiled against her lips and let his hands do some wandering of their own.
"How are we going to explain our absence at breakfast if we do what I think we're going to do?" she asked.
"Well, Miss Granger, we can either make it quick and get you back to your dormitory in time, or we can let Dumbledore think up an excuse for us and spend the rest of the day here. Alone."
"Seeing as it was their idea to lock us up here, I think we should let them stew."
"Very Slytherin of you, Miss Granger."
"Why thank you, Professor Snape. I try to please."
"You certainly do, Miss Granger, you certainly do."
There was silence for a while apart from the rustling of sheets. Then..
"Hermione... I don't suppose you own a pair of leather boots, do you?"
A/N: Watch out for the sequel, coming soon.