Chapter Ten
"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than
wine."
Song of Solomon 1:2
Hermione had owled her friends a few days earlier with an invitation for a party. She had suddenly wanted friends around her. Snape's presence made her feel more lonely at times not less lonely; especially now as he was pretending that nothing had happened between them the previous night.
She had told Snape about the party well in advance and had expected him to absent himself but to her surprise, he didn't.
Seamus and Dean arrived first, hand in hand. They had finally got it together in 7th year, much to Hermione's relief. Their relationship had gotten off to a slow start. She had hated seeing her two friends circling each other for so long and the tension had nearly killed them all. They both hugged Hermione enthusiastically and exclaimed over her home as soon as they arrived.
The Weasleys arrived next, Ron and Ginny with the twins. George showed up with his new girlfriend Pandora, a pretty witch who he had met through their joke shop. Fred came along too, grinning all over his freckled face. Their mother had sent Hermione some party food which she put with the rest of it. Ron, George and Fred immediately set off to explore the foreign Muggle home while Ginny and Pandora helped Hermione put out the food.
Harry came next in his Chudley Canons practice gear, having come straight from work. He grinned at her and hugged her hard then went over and kissed Ginny soundly. Padma and Lavendar arrived together, looking stunning in their trendy gear and Neville followed closely behind with his girlfriend, Susan Bones. Ron, who had returned from the nether regions of the house by that time made a bee-line for Padma.
The party was in full swing very quickly. Butterbeer, Muggle beer and spirits flowed freely. Fred and George set up bar and made up peculiar cocktails for the girls which Ginny flatly refused to drink claiming that the two had probably hexed them. Hermione felt very relaxed and happy for the first time in weeks.
Close to midnight Padma and Lavendar insisted on playing spin the bottle. Hermione usually refused to play on the grounds that it was childish but she felt childish that night and decided she would join in. As the game was being set up, Snape came upstairs to get something from the kitchen. They all froze as they saw their old Potions Master but blinked when they saw the bare feet, jeans and t-shirt. He stiffened when he realized he was being examined and was going to content himself with a sneer in their general direction when he recognized what they were doing.
A prickle ran along his skin, raising fine dark hairs. He face suddenly became masked and guarded as he glanced at Hermione. He tensed when he realized she was staring right back.
"Why don't you join us, Professor Snape?" Hermione asked, both her tone and her gaze challenging. She had thrown down the gauntlet and Snape knew it. The others watched this development with interest. If Snape backed off, it was obvious he'd have conceded a defeat of some kind. On the other hand, it didn't seem quite right for a former teacher to join in spin the bottle.
He hesitated for a second or two, then padded silently across the carpet on his pale, slender feet. The others observed this with their mouths open. Hermione and Harry budged apart to make room for him. Everyone glanced nervously at each other. Kissing Snape was too strange to contemplate. He was still a nasty Potions Master to them and nothing more.
"I'll play one round," he said smoothly, returning Hermione's challenge with an answering flash of his dark eyes.
Hermione was in a pleasant, Schnapps-induced haze. She watched Seamus kiss Ginny with Harry looking on in amusement, Dean kissed Neville with Seamus rolling his eyes at Neville's nervousness. Padma kissed Harry while Ginny giggled and then Lavendar kissed Ginny while Harry looked on with interest. Hermione spun the bottle lazily, not really caring where it landed as she was too drunk to be bothered who she kissed.
Everyone held their breath when it landed on Snape. Hermione wanted to giggle and she looked at her stern guardian from under her eyelashes. As it was her turn, she had to kiss him. He was too tall for her to simply lean over and kiss so she knelt up and put her hands on his knees, leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips.
Snape was holding his breath and his face had gone a shade paler. He wanted to lean away from her, not because he didn't want to kiss her but because he was afraid to. Of course, he couldn't do that and not give away his panic. She tasted of Butterscotch and it was over too soon.
"That wasn't a real kiss!" Seamus protested, teasing her.
"Yeah, you didn't even try and slip in the tongue," a drunk Ron added, annoyed that he hadn't got a kiss from anyone yet.
Hermione just laughed as she sat down again. Everyone watched expectantly as Snape spun the bottle. It landed on Hermione. More than one person suspected it wasn't an accident. Hermione grinned at Snape in pure malicious amusement.
He leaned forward, his silky dark hair brushing against her face and gently touched his lips to her own. She expected that to be it, he was her guardian and they did have an audience. She was wrong. One strong, long- fingered hand curled around the nape of her neck as the tip of his tongue probed her lips. The minute she parted them, he slipped his tongue into her mouth.
Everyone in the living room grew wide-eyed as the kiss deepened and lengthened beyond what was decent even for spin the bottle. "Geez! Get a room!" Seamus said finally, rolling his eyes at them.
Snape immediately withdrew, his eyes shuttered. "Well, Miss Granger. I've played my one round and it's time to go," he drawled coldly, his dark eyes gleaming in the half light. "I'll leave you children to yourselves," he added, emphasizing the word 'children' rather insultingly.
Hermione felt hurt by the coldness of his tone after the heat of his kiss but she merely flicked him a cool glance as he got up from the circle. For all the passion that had leaped between them, they were still as chilly as the Arctic to each other. No-one noticed his lips move as he left the room and everyone thought it simply odd that the bottle never landed on Hermione again for the rest of the evening.
Once he had gone, Lavendar turned to her with wide eyes. "What was it like kissing Snape?" She asked in a tone of morbid fascination.
"I would say he's a very practiced kisser," Hermione replied cynically.
A few hours later, Hermione saw them off and went to bed. She could still feel Snape's hand on her nape like an imprint. She could still taste him and still feel the roughness of his feint stubble against her face. She couldn't help smiling to herself. It certainly felt good.
In his rooms downstairs, Snape had been lying awake for hours by then. He was curled up on his side in his bed. His face burned every time he remembered the velvety feel of her skin and the incredible softness of her lips, the fall of her heavy hair against his skin. He had overhead his remark about his kiss being 'practised'. Well, next to the callow kisses she would have received from teen-age boys to date in her life, it probably did seem that way. He wondered if anyone else had twigged to the spells he had put on the bottle to allow him to kiss her twice and then ensure no-one else did. A smile tugged at one corner of his lean mouth. He hoped Harry didn't get too frustrated waiting for a turn that would never come. The smile disappeared when he considered it was very unlikely he himself would ever get to kiss her again. He shivered and his expression darkened. A very long night lay before him.
* * *
Snape decided to go back and see Dumbledore the next morning about Hermione's mental state. Maybe he could get some advice on what to do next time he found books and abuse being launched at him by a terrifyingly angry teenage girl. As Hermione was sleeping off the effects of the alcohol from the night before, Snape found it easy to slip out via the fireplace.
Dumbledore seemed pleased to see him. "Back so soon, Severus?" He asked cheerfully.
"Well, I've got a report on her mental state," Snape began sourly. "She's completely mad."
Dumbledore raised his white eyebrows in surprise at this blunt statement. "Oh, I very much doubt that Severus. Hermione doesn't strike me as the type to go mad at any crisis," he disagreed mildly.
"She was throwing books at me, swearing and generally having a fit," Snape snapped. "I had no idea what to do or how to calm her down. I made rather a mess of it," he added resentfully. "I'm not qualified for dealing with hysterical teenagers."
"She was throwing a fit, you say? Well, it's about time, really. She couldn't keep all that emotion bottled up forever. I suspect she's one of those people who would rather be angry than sad," Dumbledore observed with interest. Snape snorted. Dumbledore tried not to smile in amusement but didn't quite manage it. "So, how did you handle it?" He asked curiously.
Snape was silent for a few moments, glowering at the carpet. "Very badly, as I said. Everything I said just made her abuse me all the more," he complained bitterly.
"Ah well, at least she got some of it out of her system," Dumbledore said, completely unconcerned.
"I didn't appreciate the abuse," Snape said stiffly.
Dumbledore examined him closely. "She hurt your feelings, didn't she Severus?" He said keenly. "Try not to take the things she said to heart. People who are upset say things they don't mean," he added comfortingly.
"I have no doubt she meant every word," Snape said coldly. "Still, it's no concern to me what a bratty teenager says in the midst of a passion. I just don't appreciate being treated like a punching bag."
Dumbledore looked closely at his Potion Master's proud, shuttered expression and knew exactly how much it suddenly mattered to Snape what this particular 'bratty teenager' had to say to him. His heart ached for him. Snape was so inadequate at human relationships that caring about anyone hurt him. That was why he preferred not to care for anyone.
"If you feel unable to cope again Severus, let me know and I'll speak to Hermione myself. She needs all the support she can get right now and maybe one adult isn't enough for the time being," he suggested kindly.
Snape nodded but said, "I can cope. I just don't like it."
Dumbledore smiled. "I think you are doing a very good job, Severus. She must trust you to a certain extent to allow you to see her so upset. I doubt anyone has ever seen her in a state like that. I doubt she'd show that to even her closest friends," he said reassuringly.
"No, I'm a much better target for her hatred and anger," he said sourly.
"For her grief and confusion," Dumbledore corrected gently. Snape merely sneered and refused to answer. "Don't give up on her yet, Severus. I have a feeling that young Hermione will be a person of great use to the wizarding community once she gets slightly older. This time will be crucial to her development. From what I am hearing tonight, you really are doing an excellent job in a very difficult situation," Dumbledore continued thoughtfully. Snape looked dark but still didn't reply. "Have you had any calls from the Death Eaters lately?" Dumbledore asked, tactfully changing the subject.
"No. They've been quiet. They generally are over the summer. I am expecting a call soon, now that the summer break is nearly over," Snape replied restlessly, throwing himself into a chair.
"Well, you have the perfect excuse not to go. You can say that 'the doddering old fool made you look after one of the students for a few months'," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye.
"Yes, I'm hoping that will work." Snape said quietly with a sigh.
"If you're broken and bruised from more torture, you won't be able to look after Hermione so you will have to use that excuse Severus," Dumbledore demanded as sternly as he was able.
"Yes," Snape sighed again. "Talking of Miss Granger, I had better go back to the house. She's sleeping off a hangover at the moment, inbetween not talking to me and I should make sure I'm there to be a target for her abuse in case any more is forthcoming," Snape said with a weary and resigned kind of sarcasm.
Dumbledore didn't bother to hide his amused smile. "Quite. Off you go then and keep me informed, Severus." Dumbledore said crisply as he watched the tall, slim professor unfold himself from the seat he had been slouched in.
Snape stepped into the fireplace and was gone in an instant. Dumbledore smiled cheerfully to himself and went to give his phoenix some cake. "Well, it's all going very well Fawkes," he said complacently. The phoenix cocked its head at the Head Master and gave him a cynical look before pecking the offered cake out of his hands.
Hermione had owled her friends a few days earlier with an invitation for a party. She had suddenly wanted friends around her. Snape's presence made her feel more lonely at times not less lonely; especially now as he was pretending that nothing had happened between them the previous night.
She had told Snape about the party well in advance and had expected him to absent himself but to her surprise, he didn't.
Seamus and Dean arrived first, hand in hand. They had finally got it together in 7th year, much to Hermione's relief. Their relationship had gotten off to a slow start. She had hated seeing her two friends circling each other for so long and the tension had nearly killed them all. They both hugged Hermione enthusiastically and exclaimed over her home as soon as they arrived.
The Weasleys arrived next, Ron and Ginny with the twins. George showed up with his new girlfriend Pandora, a pretty witch who he had met through their joke shop. Fred came along too, grinning all over his freckled face. Their mother had sent Hermione some party food which she put with the rest of it. Ron, George and Fred immediately set off to explore the foreign Muggle home while Ginny and Pandora helped Hermione put out the food.
Harry came next in his Chudley Canons practice gear, having come straight from work. He grinned at her and hugged her hard then went over and kissed Ginny soundly. Padma and Lavendar arrived together, looking stunning in their trendy gear and Neville followed closely behind with his girlfriend, Susan Bones. Ron, who had returned from the nether regions of the house by that time made a bee-line for Padma.
The party was in full swing very quickly. Butterbeer, Muggle beer and spirits flowed freely. Fred and George set up bar and made up peculiar cocktails for the girls which Ginny flatly refused to drink claiming that the two had probably hexed them. Hermione felt very relaxed and happy for the first time in weeks.
Close to midnight Padma and Lavendar insisted on playing spin the bottle. Hermione usually refused to play on the grounds that it was childish but she felt childish that night and decided she would join in. As the game was being set up, Snape came upstairs to get something from the kitchen. They all froze as they saw their old Potions Master but blinked when they saw the bare feet, jeans and t-shirt. He stiffened when he realized he was being examined and was going to content himself with a sneer in their general direction when he recognized what they were doing.
A prickle ran along his skin, raising fine dark hairs. He face suddenly became masked and guarded as he glanced at Hermione. He tensed when he realized she was staring right back.
"Why don't you join us, Professor Snape?" Hermione asked, both her tone and her gaze challenging. She had thrown down the gauntlet and Snape knew it. The others watched this development with interest. If Snape backed off, it was obvious he'd have conceded a defeat of some kind. On the other hand, it didn't seem quite right for a former teacher to join in spin the bottle.
He hesitated for a second or two, then padded silently across the carpet on his pale, slender feet. The others observed this with their mouths open. Hermione and Harry budged apart to make room for him. Everyone glanced nervously at each other. Kissing Snape was too strange to contemplate. He was still a nasty Potions Master to them and nothing more.
"I'll play one round," he said smoothly, returning Hermione's challenge with an answering flash of his dark eyes.
Hermione was in a pleasant, Schnapps-induced haze. She watched Seamus kiss Ginny with Harry looking on in amusement, Dean kissed Neville with Seamus rolling his eyes at Neville's nervousness. Padma kissed Harry while Ginny giggled and then Lavendar kissed Ginny while Harry looked on with interest. Hermione spun the bottle lazily, not really caring where it landed as she was too drunk to be bothered who she kissed.
Everyone held their breath when it landed on Snape. Hermione wanted to giggle and she looked at her stern guardian from under her eyelashes. As it was her turn, she had to kiss him. He was too tall for her to simply lean over and kiss so she knelt up and put her hands on his knees, leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips.
Snape was holding his breath and his face had gone a shade paler. He wanted to lean away from her, not because he didn't want to kiss her but because he was afraid to. Of course, he couldn't do that and not give away his panic. She tasted of Butterscotch and it was over too soon.
"That wasn't a real kiss!" Seamus protested, teasing her.
"Yeah, you didn't even try and slip in the tongue," a drunk Ron added, annoyed that he hadn't got a kiss from anyone yet.
Hermione just laughed as she sat down again. Everyone watched expectantly as Snape spun the bottle. It landed on Hermione. More than one person suspected it wasn't an accident. Hermione grinned at Snape in pure malicious amusement.
He leaned forward, his silky dark hair brushing against her face and gently touched his lips to her own. She expected that to be it, he was her guardian and they did have an audience. She was wrong. One strong, long- fingered hand curled around the nape of her neck as the tip of his tongue probed her lips. The minute she parted them, he slipped his tongue into her mouth.
Everyone in the living room grew wide-eyed as the kiss deepened and lengthened beyond what was decent even for spin the bottle. "Geez! Get a room!" Seamus said finally, rolling his eyes at them.
Snape immediately withdrew, his eyes shuttered. "Well, Miss Granger. I've played my one round and it's time to go," he drawled coldly, his dark eyes gleaming in the half light. "I'll leave you children to yourselves," he added, emphasizing the word 'children' rather insultingly.
Hermione felt hurt by the coldness of his tone after the heat of his kiss but she merely flicked him a cool glance as he got up from the circle. For all the passion that had leaped between them, they were still as chilly as the Arctic to each other. No-one noticed his lips move as he left the room and everyone thought it simply odd that the bottle never landed on Hermione again for the rest of the evening.
Once he had gone, Lavendar turned to her with wide eyes. "What was it like kissing Snape?" She asked in a tone of morbid fascination.
"I would say he's a very practiced kisser," Hermione replied cynically.
A few hours later, Hermione saw them off and went to bed. She could still feel Snape's hand on her nape like an imprint. She could still taste him and still feel the roughness of his feint stubble against her face. She couldn't help smiling to herself. It certainly felt good.
In his rooms downstairs, Snape had been lying awake for hours by then. He was curled up on his side in his bed. His face burned every time he remembered the velvety feel of her skin and the incredible softness of her lips, the fall of her heavy hair against his skin. He had overhead his remark about his kiss being 'practised'. Well, next to the callow kisses she would have received from teen-age boys to date in her life, it probably did seem that way. He wondered if anyone else had twigged to the spells he had put on the bottle to allow him to kiss her twice and then ensure no-one else did. A smile tugged at one corner of his lean mouth. He hoped Harry didn't get too frustrated waiting for a turn that would never come. The smile disappeared when he considered it was very unlikely he himself would ever get to kiss her again. He shivered and his expression darkened. A very long night lay before him.
* * *
Snape decided to go back and see Dumbledore the next morning about Hermione's mental state. Maybe he could get some advice on what to do next time he found books and abuse being launched at him by a terrifyingly angry teenage girl. As Hermione was sleeping off the effects of the alcohol from the night before, Snape found it easy to slip out via the fireplace.
Dumbledore seemed pleased to see him. "Back so soon, Severus?" He asked cheerfully.
"Well, I've got a report on her mental state," Snape began sourly. "She's completely mad."
Dumbledore raised his white eyebrows in surprise at this blunt statement. "Oh, I very much doubt that Severus. Hermione doesn't strike me as the type to go mad at any crisis," he disagreed mildly.
"She was throwing books at me, swearing and generally having a fit," Snape snapped. "I had no idea what to do or how to calm her down. I made rather a mess of it," he added resentfully. "I'm not qualified for dealing with hysterical teenagers."
"She was throwing a fit, you say? Well, it's about time, really. She couldn't keep all that emotion bottled up forever. I suspect she's one of those people who would rather be angry than sad," Dumbledore observed with interest. Snape snorted. Dumbledore tried not to smile in amusement but didn't quite manage it. "So, how did you handle it?" He asked curiously.
Snape was silent for a few moments, glowering at the carpet. "Very badly, as I said. Everything I said just made her abuse me all the more," he complained bitterly.
"Ah well, at least she got some of it out of her system," Dumbledore said, completely unconcerned.
"I didn't appreciate the abuse," Snape said stiffly.
Dumbledore examined him closely. "She hurt your feelings, didn't she Severus?" He said keenly. "Try not to take the things she said to heart. People who are upset say things they don't mean," he added comfortingly.
"I have no doubt she meant every word," Snape said coldly. "Still, it's no concern to me what a bratty teenager says in the midst of a passion. I just don't appreciate being treated like a punching bag."
Dumbledore looked closely at his Potion Master's proud, shuttered expression and knew exactly how much it suddenly mattered to Snape what this particular 'bratty teenager' had to say to him. His heart ached for him. Snape was so inadequate at human relationships that caring about anyone hurt him. That was why he preferred not to care for anyone.
"If you feel unable to cope again Severus, let me know and I'll speak to Hermione myself. She needs all the support she can get right now and maybe one adult isn't enough for the time being," he suggested kindly.
Snape nodded but said, "I can cope. I just don't like it."
Dumbledore smiled. "I think you are doing a very good job, Severus. She must trust you to a certain extent to allow you to see her so upset. I doubt anyone has ever seen her in a state like that. I doubt she'd show that to even her closest friends," he said reassuringly.
"No, I'm a much better target for her hatred and anger," he said sourly.
"For her grief and confusion," Dumbledore corrected gently. Snape merely sneered and refused to answer. "Don't give up on her yet, Severus. I have a feeling that young Hermione will be a person of great use to the wizarding community once she gets slightly older. This time will be crucial to her development. From what I am hearing tonight, you really are doing an excellent job in a very difficult situation," Dumbledore continued thoughtfully. Snape looked dark but still didn't reply. "Have you had any calls from the Death Eaters lately?" Dumbledore asked, tactfully changing the subject.
"No. They've been quiet. They generally are over the summer. I am expecting a call soon, now that the summer break is nearly over," Snape replied restlessly, throwing himself into a chair.
"Well, you have the perfect excuse not to go. You can say that 'the doddering old fool made you look after one of the students for a few months'," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye.
"Yes, I'm hoping that will work." Snape said quietly with a sigh.
"If you're broken and bruised from more torture, you won't be able to look after Hermione so you will have to use that excuse Severus," Dumbledore demanded as sternly as he was able.
"Yes," Snape sighed again. "Talking of Miss Granger, I had better go back to the house. She's sleeping off a hangover at the moment, inbetween not talking to me and I should make sure I'm there to be a target for her abuse in case any more is forthcoming," Snape said with a weary and resigned kind of sarcasm.
Dumbledore didn't bother to hide his amused smile. "Quite. Off you go then and keep me informed, Severus." Dumbledore said crisply as he watched the tall, slim professor unfold himself from the seat he had been slouched in.
Snape stepped into the fireplace and was gone in an instant. Dumbledore smiled cheerfully to himself and went to give his phoenix some cake. "Well, it's all going very well Fawkes," he said complacently. The phoenix cocked its head at the Head Master and gave him a cynical look before pecking the offered cake out of his hands.
