It was the first Wednesday after Valentine's. Hermione made her way down to the dungeons, a mat in her hand. She had brought with her what she usually had with her when doing yoga. A music charm provided the steady and smooth rhythms she needed to use to concentrate on her movements while remaining quite relaxed, which was needed for some of the moves. She tucked candles into her pockets, scented with a light vanilla that helped her mind to clear itself.

She'd told Harry and Ron that Snape needed her help for an extra night. They nodded, but it seemed that Harry had this annoying all knowing look in his eyes. She ignored it and made her way down to the dungeons.

As she approached the entrance to the dungeons, she heard someone calling her. "Miss Granger." She heard off to her left. She turned to face her head of house, who had a concerned look in her eyes. "Do you have a moment?"

"Certainly, Professor. But I have to be in the dungeons by eight to assist Professor Snape." She replied.

Hermione walked over to where her head of house was standing. Professor McGonagall looked down at the objects that Hermione had been carrying. "I thought you said you were assisting Professor Snape." She said.

"I am. He lets me bring some of my stuff down while reading. I told him that it helps me to concentrate." Hermione said. No sense in telling her everything. Hermione had known the kind of person Minerva McGonagall was, and 'I'm teaching Severus an exercise that involves some potentially suggestive movements' wouldn't really have gone well with her.

"I see." Professor McGonagall said, not looking like she believed this. "Well, I'd be delighted to hear about the research."

"Of course." Hermione replied. "I must be going. Professor Snape doesn't like it when I'm late." And with that, she turned and went to his office.

~@~

Hermione and Severus were sitting on the floor of his office. She'd transfigured another mat for Severus to use and the music charm began to play. Deciding that it would be best if he were as relaxed as she could get him, she started with a few breathing exercises.

"Sit in a comfortable position." She instructed, crossing her legs in front of her with her feet resting on the ankle of the other foot. He tried to follow her example, but wound up hurting himself.

"Ah. How do you find THAT comfortable?" He asked, rubbing his ankle. She started to giggle.

"It's an acquired position." She said.

"Why would you want to acquire it?" He asked with surprise.

"Cause it freaks people out. My second purpose for taking up yoga." Hermione replied. "Although, I learned I have to be careful with what I do around others."

Severus had the mental image of Hermione pointing at her eyes with her toes. Just something about that, he thought, shifting uncomfortably. 'Probably just the realization that she's pretty flexible.'

"Is that your chosen position, Professor?" Hermione asked, breaking his train of thought. Severus crossed his ankles in front of him, and nodded.

"What you must do now," she continued, "is focus on the music. You want to inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth to the rhythm of music. If you close your eyes, it will help as well."

Severus closed his eyes, and began to breath as instructed. He focused on the music best he could, but since he was inhaling through his nose, he caught the scent of her. 'Vanilla. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was teasing me.' He thought, trying to remain focused on the music and his breathing. His nose wouldn't let him, though. He kept going back to that scent. 'So sweet smelling.' He thought. He was so focused on the scent that he didn't notice that his breath had quickened slightly. Hermione did.

"Sir, are you ok?" She asked.

Severus broke out of his trace. "Quite, Hermione." He responded. "Shall we continue?" She nodded, and told him to go back into the breathing, knowing that he still was not relaxed, but not really sure why. This time, Severus did all he could to focus on the music and his breathing. It was a few moments later that Hermione was satisfied, and instructed him into the first position.

~@~

"All right. Release, and sit down slowly." Hermione said. She'd been showing Severus some of her favorite yoga moves for about an hour, and Severus had never been so glad that it was over. Instead of sitting down slowly, he released, and allowed himself to fall face down to the mat.

"You call that relaxing?" He said, breathing a bit quickly.

"I told you not to push yourself, Severus. You should have said something." Hermione told him, sitting back down in her starting position. "You shouldn't feel like you have to do everything I can. I've been doing this for years." She added, watching him rub his lower back, refusing to get up off the floor. "Are you all right?"

If Severus could have looked up at her, he would have shot her one of his 'for the stupid' glares. "Of course, Hermione. I'm only in pain that is only rivaled by an unforgivable." He snapped. Hermione shook her head and got up from her position. She walked over to him, and knelt down beside her.

"Where does it hurt?" She asked him. He indicated his lower back, and she reached out, and moved his hands from it.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"You'll feel better. Don't worry." She responded. Placing her fingertips on his lower back, she lightly rubbed the skin. Adding pressure gradually, she was rewarded with a groan, muffled somewhat by the mat. She lowered her palms to replace her fingertips, applying a bit more pressure, smoothing out the muscles through his shirt. The room was quiet, save for the music and his small sighs of contentment. Hermione spoke up after a few moments. "Severus, do you have any Skreet oil?"

"Why?" He asked, sounding a bit drowsy.

"Well, it helps to relax muscles since it reacts with the salts of the skin." She replied. "The warmth of the oils allows the muscles to relax, and leaves no scent."

"Hermione." Severus said worriedly, turning slightly, and getting a small pang of pain in his back. "Are you going to ask me to take my shirt off?"

"No." Hermione replied. "I'm gonna ask you to take it all off. What do you think?" Hermione asked, rolling her eyes. "If you're not comfortable with the thought, than don't worry about it.

"Don't worry about." Severus replied, trying to get up. His back muscles protested however, and he groaned in pain as he hit the floor again.

"Severus?" Hermione asked with concern.

"What?" He asked shortly.

Hermione couldn't resist. "Have you fallen and you can't get up?"

"Don't even start giggling, Gryffindor." Severus said, noting the amusement in her voice as she asked the question. She ignored him and started to giggle anyway.

"You'll feel better. I promise." Hermione said, getting up and going to his storage closet. She found the skreet oil, and made her way back to the office. She was worried that he wouldn't take his shirt off for this to work, but when she arrived, she could see that Severus had taken off his shirt, and was lying down on the mat face down. She took a few moments to regard him.

'Hmmm.' She thought. 'Nice muscles, definitely getting a good view of that delectable derriere.' She shook the thought out of her head, getting back to him. "At least you warmed up to the idea." She said. "Severus?" She asked.

"Yes?"

"Just to warn you, I'm going to have to straddle your thighs." She said. "It's just easier to knead the muscles without hurting myself in the process."

"Just behave yourself." Severus said, nodding, and she made her way over to him. She straddled his thighs as she said she would, and took the vial of oil, opened it, and allowed it to trickle along his back. She could feel the muscles of his legs tense slightly before relaxing. She placed her hands back on his lower back, smoothing the oil over the entire area, before kneading firmly. She gave him pressure that would not cause pain, but would be awfully close, and allowed the rhythm of the music to dictate the rhythm that she rubbed.

Severus, for his part, was feeling more relaxed. He allowed himself to almost doze, feeling nothing but Hermione's hands on him. The all-knowing hands. The hands that instinctively knew where and how to touch him. 'Oh Gods!' He thought. The images flashing through his mind, the different outcomes of what was going on now. Of more than a shirt being removed. And not only on him. 'Severus! Stop that!' He scolded himself. 'Just wait for graduation, haul her over your shoulder, and ravish her like there was no tomorrow. It's almost over!'

Apparently not soon enough, however. Hermione reached over to his shoulders, squeezing slightly, and rubbing circles along the length of his spine. Up and down, up and down she went. Whenever she reached up, he could feel the heat of her body on him in addition to the oils. 'Damn! This is not the time to be standing at attention, soldier boy.' He thought, groaning as Hermione had hit a particularly sore part of his anatomy. Though, not as sore as another one was becoming. He'd better stop this.

Hermione could feel him tense under her. She was not completely sure why, but she had an idea. It made her smile. She reached for his sides, applying pressure to those, and slowly slid her hands up them. When she got to just under his arm, her hands went back up to his shoulders as she leaned down and whispered, "Everything all right, Severus?"

The puff of warm air that he felt on his lobe made him shiver slightly. "Fine. I think that's enough." Hermione got off him (No, not 'got him off'. Although, she could have!), and walked towards her mat. He got off the floor, and as quickly as possible, covered himself with his robe. Apparently, 'soldier boy' didn't want to listen to reason.

"I'll see you tomorrow night?" Hermione asked. "There are a couple of things I want to go over with you." Severus nodded, and she turned to get to the door. "Anything else I could do before I go?" She asked, a smile that told him 'you can't hide from me'. Her eyes drifted down a bit, and Severus decided to cut her off.

"No, Miss Granger. Nothing at all." He replied. She nodded, somewhat disappointed.

"Well, just before I go, you know the potion we have so much fun with?" She asked with a wicked grin. He nodded. "I still have some." And with that, she left the room, leaving him with his thoughts.

~@~

"I will not give her the satisfaction. I will NOT give her the satisfaction. I WILL NOT give her the satisfaction." Severus was saying over and over again out loud. He knew what she was getting at. Knowing that he wouldn't be comfortable in her touching him like that until she graduated, he knew her reasoning. She wouldn't really be touching him. To say that he wasn't tempted would be a big crock of. . .yeah. He decided he should take care of it with his old friend, Palmala Handerson.

Walking to the bathroom, he noticed that there had been a vial of potion placed on his coffee table. He knew what it was. What he didn't know was how it got there. Did Albus know what happened in his office, and made a trip down here? Did Hermione sneak into his private chambers and put it there? Didn't matter. He was NOT going to give her the satisfaction. He continued to go to his bathroom, turning on the water, and stepping in. After 'soldier boy' was properly handled, he got out, and walked to the couch in front of the fireplace, vial of potion in the corner of his eye on the table.

He tried to ignore it. He really tried. But he couldn't. The curiosity of what she might do was too overwhelming for him. 'I should've thrown it in the fire.' He thought as he drank it.

'Shoulda, coulda, woulda.' He heard almost immediately. 'I was wondering when you were going to join me.'

'Damn you, foul temptress.' He thought, and heard her giggle.

'Why thank you.' She thought. 'Now what will I do with you. You've already taken the fun out of this in the shower.'

'How long have you been spying on me?' Severus asked.

'Since you vowed not to give me the satisfaction.' She thought, sounding like she was pouting. 'I should feel hurt, and just try to ignore you.'

'Well, since you've been spying on me, I'll have to punish you.' He thought. 'I don't like being spied on, and I don't like being ignored.'

'Oooh. I'm scared.' She thought.

A knocking on his door interrupted him. 'What the hell?'

'Tell them to go away.' She thought impatiently.

He opened the door, and saw the Head of Gryffindor house there. "Severus, I need to speak with you." She said.

"Can it wait until a decent hour tomorrow, Minerva?" He asked.

"I'm afraid not. It's about Hermione. I'm concerned about the attentions you've been giving her, and I want to get an understanding between us." She said, inviting herself into his quarters.

'What'd I tell you, Severus. She's jealous.' He heard Hermione think.

'That's enough. I didn't need the image in the first place, and I don't want it now.' He snapped back at her.

'I can give you another image.' Hermione said, and he started to feel the tingles on his chest.

"Not now!" He snapped, sitting down and acting as calmly as he could.

"It will have to be now. Severus, normally I'd be happy that you'd be paying attention to a student and it not be in a scathingly critical way." She began. The tingles continued on his chest, moving up his neck in light caresses. When the started to go lightly back and forth on the base of his skull, he shivered slightly.

"Severus?" Minerva asked. "Are you all right?"

"Fine. Just a bit cold is all." He replied, trying to ignore the sensations Hermione was giving him.

"I've always told you that the dungeons are too cold." Minerva said. "But anyway, if you don't mind, I'd like to take a look at the work that you two have been doing." Severus scowled at her. "It's not that I don't trust you. It's. . . it's. . .OK!" She snapped, getting up. "I'll admit it. I DON'T trust you. I'm concerned about this."

Severus was getting a bit pink in the cheeks. Minerva sure as hell picked a good time to start yelling, as Hermione's 'hands' had gone back down south, teasing him by tickling his outer thighs. 'Hermione! Behave!' He could feel himself start to get hard again. 'Not in her presence, please!'

'I want to see some of your famed control at work.' Hermione said. 'What a better way to experiment.'

"Why is she bringing a mat to your classroom?" Minerva asked. "Why is she in your presence so often? And why, tell me this Severus, why were you in her room on New Year's Eve?"

Severus felt the tingles move to his inner thighs, not quite touching him, but getting close. He could feel himself hardening even more at the sensation. He missed her questions.

"Repeat that?" Severus said, desperately holding on to some sort of composure.

"Why were you in her room on New Year's Eve?" Minerva repeated. "The Fat Lady told me you were there, and she was the only one in the tower after you chased Mr Longbottom away."

He could feel Hermione's 'hand' move to the length of him, finally touching him where he most desperately wanted and not wanted it. He groaned out loud, and realized he did so at the anger that Minerva displayed. He tried to make it sound annoyed.

"Are you all right, Severus?" She asked.

"You are repeating yourself, Minerva." Severus said.

"It appears I have to, as you aren't listening to me, nor are you answering me." She snapped back.

"I was in her rooms on New Year's Eve to give her a potion for an allergic reaction that caused her to feel ill. Madame Pomfrey was not present at the time, and Mr Weasley felt that it was important enough to approach me. I'm fine. I have not been feeling well, but will recover. Are your questions adequately answered?" He snapped back. He couldn't help but be short tempered at the moment, although he normally was anyway. He also couldn't help noticing that he was fully hard again, and the tingles did not dissipate in the slightest since they began. He was starting to sweat slightly, and he could see that Minerva seemed somewhat concerned. He thanked the Gods for the billowing robes.

"Well, than Severus." She started. "I expect you to see Madame Pomfrey in the morning if you are not feeling well still. No excuses." With that, she turned to walk to the door, much to his relief. As soon as she left the room, and the doors were closed behind her, he grabbed his wand (the wooden one, not the woody one), and pointed it at the entrance. Muttering a silencing and locking charm, he brought his attention back to Hermione.

'Thank the Gods! That was not funny.' He thought.

'Yes it was.' She giggled back. Sensing his annoyance, she thought, 'I'll make it up to you.'

'When?' He thought. The pressure in his groin increased, and so did the tingles. She brought him to a climax, and he called out her name, thankful that Minerva was more than likely out of the dungeons and couldn't hear anyway with the silencing charm in place. When he caught his breath, he looked down and noticed the mess.

'Great! Now I have to change again!' He thought, and heard her giggles.

A/N:

I must apologize for the ending of the last chapter. I was drinking that night with my parents, and it just went a bit too far. Remember, friends don't let friends write drunk.

I also must apologize for time I took to get this chapter up. A bit of writer's block, but got through it once I had some chocolate. Mmmmm. Chocolate. Anyhoo!

Revel_in_me: I finally got to a bit of the HG/SS action. And I wouldn't DREAM of leaving the gutter. It's too much fun down here.

Jan McNeville: The gal from Gryffindor goes great lengths to get the guy from the other group.

Jennifer: *EVIL GRIN* Do you want that answer in alphabetical, chronological, or random order?

Chibi Chaos: Nope. But I know a girl who could pick her nose with her tongue. As disturbing as that was.

Vermore: I'm not sure, but it's a possible short story someone with my perverse nature could come up with.