A/N: Hello! Irena Direvko was the absolute closest to the location of where the titles of chapter 2 and 5 came from. "Out Brief Candle" comes from the Shakespeare play 'Macbeth'. "Look to Liking" comes from another Shakespeare play, 'Romeo and Juliet'. Thank you everyone for guessing! Now, onward with the next chapter! What will happen to poor Draco (who cares?) and more importantly, Severus and Hermione? (Note: More intimate scenes, and some bad swearing, so watch out)
Chapter 9: The Mirrors, The Key
Severus found a nice secluded spot on the other side of the lake, behind a large rock, where they could have privacy. Oh dammit, why does she have to look so beautiful? He thought in mock anger, staring intently at Hermione.
"Um, Professor, here's your present," said Hermione brusquely and practically shoved it into his arms.
"Am I just 'Professor' now?" Severus asked.
"Well, like you said, it is too dangerous and we should end this and we can't risk it again," she shot back, spitting out the bolded words.
"Hermione…"
"Just open your present, Professor!" Hermione snapped, and turned away, but Severus caught tears spilling down her face. He had no choice to open it.
I never knew he was so gentle, Hermione thought as she watched him out of the corner of her eye delicately open the tissue paper.
Severus Snape knew that Hermione was watching him, but he did not really mind. He eyes now stared at the box he had unwrapped. He slowly picked it up in his hands and lifted the top to reveal two mirrors, roughly the size of compact mirrors. The mirrors were surrounded by engraved silver carved into the vines of roses. He turned the mirror over to the back and he read: Bound by love, unity, and friendship, two lovers will never be alone, for in the mirrors, one may call the other and they will answer. Both mirrors had this written on them. Snape's mind was ablaze with emotional thoughts. She forgives me, and she must love me! Why else would the mirrors say such things?
Hermione now had turned to watch Severus's face as he looked at the mirrors. A passion shone in his eyes that Hermione had never seen; tears still trickled absentmindedly down her cheeks. He gently put the mirrors back in the box, and two steps towards her and with considerable ease lifted her off the ground into his arms and pulled her into a deep kiss. Hermione was shocked; this kiss exceeded their last in the astronomy tower, it was filled with what seemed tenfold more passion, and, love. The word seemed to run like a hot liquid from his lips to hers, an unspoken word, but brimming with warmth and devotion. Breaking away from the kiss, Severus walked over and sat down on the cool grass with his back against the rock, holding Hermione tightly, as if she would be taken away from him.
"Hermione, I, didn't mean those things, I mean, I only said them because I thought that you just had a simple crush on me, and that it would go away if I restrained my own emotions. But those mirrors…"
"Severus, I had to research about those mirrors, there are a pair out of only ten others in the world."
"How did you get them?"
"Let's just say I have my connections. It would really spoil it to tell you exactly how I got them, so don't ask again." What could Snape do? Hermione was a stubborn, but intelligent woman, she would never tell him.
"Well, are you interested in what I have for you?" Severus asked softly, running a long finger down her cheek, sending a shiver down her spine. Without waiting for an answer, he reached for something in his robes and, taking her hand, placed it in her hand and closed her fingers around it. Hermione felt a chain, was it a necklace of some sort? She then opened her fingers and stared at the object sitting in the palm of her hand.
It was a silver chain and a pendant. The chain was simple, not to distract you from the pendant. The pendant was a key, made also of silver, with the end of the key set with emeralds. Then she noticed tiny writing on the handle of the key, squinting at it, she read: For you, my love. Newborn tears coursed down her cheeks, but not in sadness, but in joy and happiness. Severus wrapped his arms around her and held her close, making her feel warm and safe.
"What may I ask, does this key open?" Hermione whispered softly in Severus's ear, even though she already knew the answer.
"This key opens the door to my private chambers," he answered, and took the necklace and fastened it around her neck. The necklace rested gently against her chest, and Snape pulled her close into another kiss.
"Severus…"
"Hmm? What is it?"
"You're squishing me." Snorting with an unmistakable laughter, Severus kissed her neck playfully and set her down next to him.
"That better?"
"Drastically so." And with that she pressed her lips to her teacher's, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting his tongue pass her lips, and returned the passionate kiss with renewed energy, wondering vaguely for only a moment why they were snogging in broad daylight behind a rock. Oh well.
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Meanwhile, far away from Severus's and Hermione's intimate side of the lake, Malfoy was still spinning around in his previous state.
"Will someone please tell me what is going on?!" shouted a very angry Professor McGonagall at the crowd of students. But before anyone could answer, the upside-down Malfoy careened over in the direction of the Dark Forest and out of sight. Ron tore after him, calling behind him, "I think I saw where he went, I'll go after him!"
Malfoy had landed painfully in a tree, and the broom violently shot him straight into the ground and Draco lay there and did not get up. He was still half-naked, rainbow colored and covered in boils, with branches on his head, and four-foot long trails of hair from his nose, ears, and well, you know the other location. Ron found him first, as he had intended. Malfoy looked up at Ron with all the hatred he could muster. Ron simply laughed and pulled Malfoy off the ground with amazing strength and stared at him for a moment before speaking quietly to him.
"Well, Draco, did you enjoy that? You always wanted to be the center of attention, now you got your wish," he smiled wickedly at Malfoy.
"You…filthy, good-for-nothing, disgusting fucker!" Draco growled at him.
"Hmm, I would think that in your present state you should not be insulting me," said Ron, shaking Draco like a rag doll. "The only way the hexes will come off you is if you do something for me."
"And what might that be?" Draco hissed angrily.
"You will announce in every class after break that you are an ass, and you will have to kiss Professor Trelawney and write secret admirer notes to her professing your love to her. Then, you will not tell anyone how this happened either, or you will go through similar circumstances again until you do. Do I make myself clear?" Ron was having the time of his life. Draco was silent, staring in absolute fury at Ron.
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Oh, I would, I would. Well, what do you need to say now, Mr. Malfoy?"
"Yes."
"That's a good boy!" Ron laughed and released him. The broom suddenly exploded ten feet away and the splintered ashes fell to the ground, and in the course of a few minutes, Draco was back to normal.
"Why don't you come with me, Draco? I daresay after that horrible ordeal you will need to go to the hospital wing." And with a suffocating iron grip around Draco's shoulders, he had no choice but to go with him, a hate unlike any he had ever felt burning in his eyes.
A/N: Hey! Interesting chapter eh? To answer one reviewer's question, requests for what should happen to HG and SS are welcomed, but I might not necessarily use them, and as for "sex scenes", these are under my discretion and this fic will stay PG-13. Now review!