A/N: Here's chapter two for your reading pleasure. I do hope you enjoy it. Standard disclaimers apply.
Severus Snape, potions master extraordinaire, former Death Eater, and spy for Dumbledore sat in his study staring at the fire that brightened the dim room and swirling a glass of firewhiskey in his right hand.
It was hard for him to say exactly when his morals had taken such a dive. Somewhere along the line they had begun slipping away from him, probably not long before he signed on as a Death Eater. In spite of his sketchy past however, Severus had always counted on himself to hold to certain rules. For instance, he had never counted himself as one to lust after little children. Nor did he ever imagine he would take part in forcing a woman to be with him. Hermione Granger had caused him to throw what was left of his moral code out of the window.
As he mused he decided that it wasn't really her fault that he found her so attractive, that he could barely keep up appearances in class and at the Order's headquarters. No...that was a blame to be laid on the now dead shoulders of Sirius Black. There was very little that man had not taken from Snape; his dignity in Hogwarts, his pride as a Snape, his patience, and now...this. Staring into the fire, Severus Snape recalled exactly what had sent him down this road of damnation, that fateful Christmas break at 12 Grimmauld Place back in Miss Granger's fifth year. The two were sitting in the library, reading on opposite ends of the room, as it was always best for them to stay as far apart from each other as possible....
The fire crackled merrily in the fireplace as Severus poured over a volume regarding Romanian herbs in healing potions. Sirius was also bent over a book, though of what topic Snape could not say. They both looked up as the door opened and a small figure tiptoed inside.
"Sorry to bother you two. I just wanted to pick up something for light reading." Hermione said with a sheepish grin, turning to Sirius to add "If that's alright?"
"Of course it is 'Mione!" Sirius smiled that damnable charming grin of his and motioned towards the shelves. "It's at your disposable. Just stay away from that corner over there. All Dark Magic. No reading that unsupervised. Turning the pages alone could kill you."
Hermione gave a nod of comprehension and wandered over towards one of the other shelves, fingering each volume's soft leather as she searched. That was what Snape liked about Hermione, had always liked about Hermione, though he'd face Crucio before admitting it. She was smart, logical. The idea of having something she couldn't touch didn't make her start forming dangerous plans to get at the books on Dark Arts. No, she'd wait until later and ask someone, probably Sirius, to sit with her as she read through them. Logical. Intelligent.
She chose a volume and murmured her thanks as she retreated from the room. Severus made out a few words of the title: Ancient Runes and Modern Po... He couldn't see the rest, but was impressed at her advanced reading. Reluctantly impressed, but impressed nonetheless. His eyes wandered over to the room's other occupant, who was grinning like a madman.
"And just what are you grinning at Black?" Snape sneered, eyes cold again.
"Hermione's grown up to be quite attractive hasn't she? Nice body, nice lips, nice mind..." Sirius grinned wider as he presented evidence to his point.
Snape was aghast. "You...pervert. She's a child. She hasn't grown up at all!"
Sirius just shrugged helplessly. "If you say so Snape. You must be made of stone to not notice." He turned back to his book but Snape gazed into the fire. The thing was, he had noticed. The moment Sirius had said it he began to recall just how beautiful Miss Granger was growing up to be, just how attractive her mind was. He scowled to himself and shook his head to clear himself of such thoughts, but he hadn't looked at her the same since that moment.
Oh yes, it was all Sirius's fault. But that man was dead and gone and now he was sitting here, facing the worst temptation in his life.
Taking another drink from his tumbler of whiskey, Snape decided that he needed to cheer himself up by finding students wandering the halls after curfew and assigning a few detentions. "I do hope I catch a few snogging," he thought happily to himself as he slipped out of his study.
......
Hermione smiled at her husband, just now walking through the door. "Hermione, have you finished looking at those samples yet?" Percy Weasley asked his wife, hanging his cloak on a hook.
"Almost love, just finishing up now. But I was wondering if you and I could go to dinner later tonight, once I'm done. I have a few things I want to talk about and it would be nice to get out..." her voice trailed off, noticing the look on Percy's face.
"What sort of things do we need to discuss? We're both busy. Not a lot of time to get out."
"Well I wanted to bring up the possibility of children again."
Percy Weasley sneered and adjusted his glasses. "Hermione. We've talked about this before. There's no room in my life for children. I'm busy at the ministry. And I need you unoccupied to look after the research here at home. Thank goodness Fudge gave us a reprieve from that part of the law." He turned away from her. "Find me when you've finished, I have some more reports for you to look over." As he walked from the room Hermione sighed and leaned forward onto her desk, head sinking into her arms. She knew there was no arguing with her husband, more logical and cool than she could have ever imagined. Dark danced across her eyes as she drifted into a light sleep.
When she opened her eyes she was laying in a large bed, complete with velvet curtains, silk sheets and heavy down comforter. She knew she was naked and reveled in the feel of silk against her skin. Even more surprising was the hand resting on her stomach, the thumb brushing lightly against her curves, and the pair of lips leaving soft kisses along her neck. She moaned and turned to face the dark eyes of her husband.
"Mm Severus, that's no way to encourage me to get out of bed." She whispered, closing her eyes again to savor the feel of his hands against her skin.
Her partner chuckled softly, smirking and moving quickly to pin her hands above her head. "And who said I wanted you out of bed my dear?" His nose moved to nestle her hair, her ears, trailing along her face until their noses were touching and their lips met in a sweet kiss.
"But I suppose my intentions will have to wait until tonight. We both have classes and you are not to exhilarate yourself too often in one day." His hand moved to caress her stomach again, which, she just noticed, was slightly rounder than it had been...with child.
She smiled up at her husband. "Alright love, agreed. But tonight, you have to promise we'll finish that novel we've been reading."
"As you wish" he agreed happily, and she shut her eyes again to receive another kiss...
...
Hermione awoke with happy smile upon her face before she realized that she had just been dreaming. "As if being with the Potions Master could ever be so...wonderful," she murmured to herself as she replayed the two dreams in her head.
It was odd that the common theme of a child kept coming up. It wasn't anything she had really thought upon before. But as her mind wandered she realized something...the law. The law required her to have a child within a year of the marriage. That meant conception within the first three months... thank goodness Ginny had reminded her of that part. The Ministry was being very demanding. Then again, she supposed, wizards must have some way of ensuring conception with relative ease.
Inwardly she moaned. Her decision was rather clear if even her subconscious seemed to be favoring one candidate over the other. She knew however, that this latest development, the necessity of a baby, had to be discussed immediately, for she certainly wasn't going to get anymore sleep that night.
Climbing out of bed and dressing quickly, Hermione slipped out of the girls dorms and headed out into the halls. She hadn't wandered far before she bumped into a rather solid figure well camouflaged by the dark of the halls.
"P-professor Snape?" She queried, looking up at the imposing figure.
"Ms. Granger. What on earth are you doing wandering about after hours? It's not allowed and it's certainly not safe for one in your...position." His voice slid over the last word smoothly, as if trying not to draw attention to the precarious situation they had both found themselves in.
"I'm afraid I'll have to assign you a det-"
"No, wait Professor. Actually, I was coming to see you. I had some concerns I wished to address."
Snape raised an eyebrow at this but motioned for her to follow him, leading her down into the dungeons and into his private study where, once she had entered, he shut, locked, and warded the door.
"Now then, what is so important that you had to break yet another rule? Hm?" He took a seat behind his desk and eyed her reproachfully and perhaps with a tad bit of amusement.
"I'm sorry Pro-"
"Severus."
"I'm sorry?"
"M- Hermione. If we're actually going to play out this odd little game, I would appreciate it if you would call me by my actual name when we are alone. I do not look forward to living with a person who calls me Professor incessantly. I get plenty of that in the classroom. In return, I will give you the respect of addressing you by your name. Proceed." He waved his hand at her, leaving no room for argument and waited for her explanation.
"Yes si- Severus. Well you see, I believe that I have made my choice. A choice which should seem fairly obvious as I've sought you out, and not the other um...involved party." Hermione paused to study her professor's face but, having seen no negative reaction, continued.
"There were a few other parts of the law that I had forgotten about today, up until Ginny Weasley inadvertently reminded me of them. As well as a few questions of my own regarding how we would handle this...this situation." Half of her wanted to laugh. It was damn funny the euphemisms they were coming up with to avoid 'rocking the boat.'
Severus raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"
"Such as, well...to begin. Would I be allowed to continue my education here at Hogwarts? And afterwards? And where would I live?"
Snape nodded. "All logical questions. So like you Hermione, practicality first. Yes, you would be allowed to continue your education. I wouldn't dream of trying to stop you. And Albus would have my head. Afterwards, if it was your wish, you could attend any University you chose or sign onto any apprenticeship. I have the finances to secure such things. I refuse to let this arrangement affect either of our lives anymore than necessary."
Hermione was thrilled to hear such things and was about to say so when another thought jumped across her mind. "But Si-Severus, wouldn't the baby make those things difficult?"
Severus Snape was not one to 'wear his heart on his sleeve' as it were, but it took every ounce of restraint to keep his jaw from dropping and his eyes from bugging out. Instead, he hid behind his usual cold sneer.
"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about."
"No? But the law...it requires a child by the end of a year. Not even pregnancy, a living, breathing child. You know, to make sure the bloodlines are continuing and all."
Internally, Snape fumed. Dumbledore had almost certainly intentionally forgot to mention that small detail of the arrangement. That man had meddled in his last affair...when he got a hold of him...
"Pro- Severus?" A voice broke him from his reverie.
Forcing himself calm he looked Hermione in the eyes. "Listen to me Hermione. I will not be forcing you to my bed. This law is absurd enough without having to add more unnecessary complications. I will take care of it. Do not worry about it."
"But Severus, if a child is not produced then the marriage is annulled and the muggle-born is placed back up for 'auction'. I don't wish to be in such a situation again." Hermione looked visibly worried, and Snape sighed, moving from behind his desk to in front of it. Sitting on the edge, he took Hermione's hands lightly in his own.
"I think you need to understand just what it means to be a Snape, Hermione. My family name carries a certain power with it, from Eastern Europe to here. My wealth is enough to buy off any number of ministry officials, and the influence of my heritage should be more than enough to grant us a delay in that detail of the Marriage Law."
Hermione gasped. She had never really thought of Snape as an aristocrat but it suddenly made sense. Many of the Purebloods were of considerable wealth and power. He was within the inner circle of Death Eaters, which was mostly controlled by those of power in other social circles. Suddenly she had to wonder just what she was getting herself into. She raised her mouth to voice another question but he stopped her.
"The reason I have never used this against Lucius, as I'm sure you're about to inquire, is because there are certain...circles...where he is my superior and it would not do me or the cause any good to contradict this."
Hermione nodded slowly, understanding completely that he was referring to the ranks within Voldemort's followers.
"Also, it must be added that you're endangering yourself if you pick me. While I can easily overpower Malfoy and others of his ilk, I may still be forced to bring you into situations neither of us would like. You must understand that I will not let anything happen to you, but your exposure to such things may not be avoidable..." He searched her eyes for fear and kept himself from smirking when he found none. Damn that Gryffindor bravery.
"I understand completely and I think that's a risk I'm willing to take. You take it with little thought for yourself, it won't hurt to have someone to share the burden. I trust you." Her eyes met his and lingered for a moment before turning away.
"I think that's all Severus. Thank you for helping me with this." She rose to leave but Snape stopped her.
"Hermione, I must know...is that the only fear you had about the child? The path of your education?"
She looked at him questioningly. "Yes of course. What else would I...oh! Professor!" She looked startled and then smirked.
"Are you a virgin Severus?"
He was caught completely off guard by her question and scowled menacingly. "That is the most rude and disrespectful thing I've ever heard from a student. 10 poin-"
"From a student yes...but from your fiancée? You see how your question seemed to me. But I appreciate your concern. I think you will find that while I am not as knowledgeable in that area as I am in some others, I am not completely without experience."
Having been effectively cut off and silenced, Severus could only scowl at Hermione's smirk. Her incredibly sexy smirk.
"One last thing Severus." Her voice had taken a different tone all together. No longer confident, it now held tinges of nervousness and hesitance. He raised his eyebrow at her, curiosity getting the better of him.
"If we're to be...married," there she had said that word! "If we're to be married I should like to know what I am getting into first...I should like to kiss you."
Snape didn't have any idea what to say to that odd request. His eyebrow rose further, if it was even possible, but he did not run or curse or scowl, which Hermione took as a positive sign. She moved towards him slowly and tentatively placed a hand flat upon his chest before kissing his lips softly, a kiss that lingered for only a second before she broke away angrily.
"Really! You could be more cooperative. If I'm going to marry you I would like to know how you kiss. It's going to come up you know." She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled her best scowl at his dark eyes.
"You're sure?" He whispered, eyebrow still raised, hands lowering themselves to his sides.
Arms still crossed, Hermione came dangerously close to stamping her foot, much as she had when she didn't get her way as a child. "Of course I'm sure! I'm no fool Severus Snape. I know exactly what I'm asking and what I want. Now would you please just ki-"
Her sentence was broken off as two strong hands grabbed her shoulders and pulled her forward and a soft set of lips descended on her own. Soft at first, but with increasing pressure he kissed her, wrapping his arms around her waist and crushing her to him. Hermione's arms uncrossed and one hand went up to rest on his chest while the other found the back of his neck and pulled him even closer to her. She barely contained her moan when his tongue ran along her bottom lip and she opened her mouth further, surprised when he deepened the kiss and unable to suppress her moan as she tasted him, which caused him to give a low moan in response. He withdrew quickly and recovered before she did, a smirk spreading across his features.
"If that will be all, Hermione?" He opened the door to his study and half pushed the still surprised girl out into the halls. "If another professor finds you, tell them I gave you permission and they can seek me out to confirm it." He shut the door and left her standing breathless outside.
One thing was for sure. The man could kiss, and she wasn't regretting her choice at all.
A/N: Thanks for all the lovely reviews on the previous chapter. Be sure to review again!
Severus Snape, potions master extraordinaire, former Death Eater, and spy for Dumbledore sat in his study staring at the fire that brightened the dim room and swirling a glass of firewhiskey in his right hand.
It was hard for him to say exactly when his morals had taken such a dive. Somewhere along the line they had begun slipping away from him, probably not long before he signed on as a Death Eater. In spite of his sketchy past however, Severus had always counted on himself to hold to certain rules. For instance, he had never counted himself as one to lust after little children. Nor did he ever imagine he would take part in forcing a woman to be with him. Hermione Granger had caused him to throw what was left of his moral code out of the window.
As he mused he decided that it wasn't really her fault that he found her so attractive, that he could barely keep up appearances in class and at the Order's headquarters. No...that was a blame to be laid on the now dead shoulders of Sirius Black. There was very little that man had not taken from Snape; his dignity in Hogwarts, his pride as a Snape, his patience, and now...this. Staring into the fire, Severus Snape recalled exactly what had sent him down this road of damnation, that fateful Christmas break at 12 Grimmauld Place back in Miss Granger's fifth year. The two were sitting in the library, reading on opposite ends of the room, as it was always best for them to stay as far apart from each other as possible....
The fire crackled merrily in the fireplace as Severus poured over a volume regarding Romanian herbs in healing potions. Sirius was also bent over a book, though of what topic Snape could not say. They both looked up as the door opened and a small figure tiptoed inside.
"Sorry to bother you two. I just wanted to pick up something for light reading." Hermione said with a sheepish grin, turning to Sirius to add "If that's alright?"
"Of course it is 'Mione!" Sirius smiled that damnable charming grin of his and motioned towards the shelves. "It's at your disposable. Just stay away from that corner over there. All Dark Magic. No reading that unsupervised. Turning the pages alone could kill you."
Hermione gave a nod of comprehension and wandered over towards one of the other shelves, fingering each volume's soft leather as she searched. That was what Snape liked about Hermione, had always liked about Hermione, though he'd face Crucio before admitting it. She was smart, logical. The idea of having something she couldn't touch didn't make her start forming dangerous plans to get at the books on Dark Arts. No, she'd wait until later and ask someone, probably Sirius, to sit with her as she read through them. Logical. Intelligent.
She chose a volume and murmured her thanks as she retreated from the room. Severus made out a few words of the title: Ancient Runes and Modern Po... He couldn't see the rest, but was impressed at her advanced reading. Reluctantly impressed, but impressed nonetheless. His eyes wandered over to the room's other occupant, who was grinning like a madman.
"And just what are you grinning at Black?" Snape sneered, eyes cold again.
"Hermione's grown up to be quite attractive hasn't she? Nice body, nice lips, nice mind..." Sirius grinned wider as he presented evidence to his point.
Snape was aghast. "You...pervert. She's a child. She hasn't grown up at all!"
Sirius just shrugged helplessly. "If you say so Snape. You must be made of stone to not notice." He turned back to his book but Snape gazed into the fire. The thing was, he had noticed. The moment Sirius had said it he began to recall just how beautiful Miss Granger was growing up to be, just how attractive her mind was. He scowled to himself and shook his head to clear himself of such thoughts, but he hadn't looked at her the same since that moment.
Oh yes, it was all Sirius's fault. But that man was dead and gone and now he was sitting here, facing the worst temptation in his life.
Taking another drink from his tumbler of whiskey, Snape decided that he needed to cheer himself up by finding students wandering the halls after curfew and assigning a few detentions. "I do hope I catch a few snogging," he thought happily to himself as he slipped out of his study.
......
Hermione smiled at her husband, just now walking through the door. "Hermione, have you finished looking at those samples yet?" Percy Weasley asked his wife, hanging his cloak on a hook.
"Almost love, just finishing up now. But I was wondering if you and I could go to dinner later tonight, once I'm done. I have a few things I want to talk about and it would be nice to get out..." her voice trailed off, noticing the look on Percy's face.
"What sort of things do we need to discuss? We're both busy. Not a lot of time to get out."
"Well I wanted to bring up the possibility of children again."
Percy Weasley sneered and adjusted his glasses. "Hermione. We've talked about this before. There's no room in my life for children. I'm busy at the ministry. And I need you unoccupied to look after the research here at home. Thank goodness Fudge gave us a reprieve from that part of the law." He turned away from her. "Find me when you've finished, I have some more reports for you to look over." As he walked from the room Hermione sighed and leaned forward onto her desk, head sinking into her arms. She knew there was no arguing with her husband, more logical and cool than she could have ever imagined. Dark danced across her eyes as she drifted into a light sleep.
When she opened her eyes she was laying in a large bed, complete with velvet curtains, silk sheets and heavy down comforter. She knew she was naked and reveled in the feel of silk against her skin. Even more surprising was the hand resting on her stomach, the thumb brushing lightly against her curves, and the pair of lips leaving soft kisses along her neck. She moaned and turned to face the dark eyes of her husband.
"Mm Severus, that's no way to encourage me to get out of bed." She whispered, closing her eyes again to savor the feel of his hands against her skin.
Her partner chuckled softly, smirking and moving quickly to pin her hands above her head. "And who said I wanted you out of bed my dear?" His nose moved to nestle her hair, her ears, trailing along her face until their noses were touching and their lips met in a sweet kiss.
"But I suppose my intentions will have to wait until tonight. We both have classes and you are not to exhilarate yourself too often in one day." His hand moved to caress her stomach again, which, she just noticed, was slightly rounder than it had been...with child.
She smiled up at her husband. "Alright love, agreed. But tonight, you have to promise we'll finish that novel we've been reading."
"As you wish" he agreed happily, and she shut her eyes again to receive another kiss...
...
Hermione awoke with happy smile upon her face before she realized that she had just been dreaming. "As if being with the Potions Master could ever be so...wonderful," she murmured to herself as she replayed the two dreams in her head.
It was odd that the common theme of a child kept coming up. It wasn't anything she had really thought upon before. But as her mind wandered she realized something...the law. The law required her to have a child within a year of the marriage. That meant conception within the first three months... thank goodness Ginny had reminded her of that part. The Ministry was being very demanding. Then again, she supposed, wizards must have some way of ensuring conception with relative ease.
Inwardly she moaned. Her decision was rather clear if even her subconscious seemed to be favoring one candidate over the other. She knew however, that this latest development, the necessity of a baby, had to be discussed immediately, for she certainly wasn't going to get anymore sleep that night.
Climbing out of bed and dressing quickly, Hermione slipped out of the girls dorms and headed out into the halls. She hadn't wandered far before she bumped into a rather solid figure well camouflaged by the dark of the halls.
"P-professor Snape?" She queried, looking up at the imposing figure.
"Ms. Granger. What on earth are you doing wandering about after hours? It's not allowed and it's certainly not safe for one in your...position." His voice slid over the last word smoothly, as if trying not to draw attention to the precarious situation they had both found themselves in.
"I'm afraid I'll have to assign you a det-"
"No, wait Professor. Actually, I was coming to see you. I had some concerns I wished to address."
Snape raised an eyebrow at this but motioned for her to follow him, leading her down into the dungeons and into his private study where, once she had entered, he shut, locked, and warded the door.
"Now then, what is so important that you had to break yet another rule? Hm?" He took a seat behind his desk and eyed her reproachfully and perhaps with a tad bit of amusement.
"I'm sorry Pro-"
"Severus."
"I'm sorry?"
"M- Hermione. If we're actually going to play out this odd little game, I would appreciate it if you would call me by my actual name when we are alone. I do not look forward to living with a person who calls me Professor incessantly. I get plenty of that in the classroom. In return, I will give you the respect of addressing you by your name. Proceed." He waved his hand at her, leaving no room for argument and waited for her explanation.
"Yes si- Severus. Well you see, I believe that I have made my choice. A choice which should seem fairly obvious as I've sought you out, and not the other um...involved party." Hermione paused to study her professor's face but, having seen no negative reaction, continued.
"There were a few other parts of the law that I had forgotten about today, up until Ginny Weasley inadvertently reminded me of them. As well as a few questions of my own regarding how we would handle this...this situation." Half of her wanted to laugh. It was damn funny the euphemisms they were coming up with to avoid 'rocking the boat.'
Severus raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"
"Such as, well...to begin. Would I be allowed to continue my education here at Hogwarts? And afterwards? And where would I live?"
Snape nodded. "All logical questions. So like you Hermione, practicality first. Yes, you would be allowed to continue your education. I wouldn't dream of trying to stop you. And Albus would have my head. Afterwards, if it was your wish, you could attend any University you chose or sign onto any apprenticeship. I have the finances to secure such things. I refuse to let this arrangement affect either of our lives anymore than necessary."
Hermione was thrilled to hear such things and was about to say so when another thought jumped across her mind. "But Si-Severus, wouldn't the baby make those things difficult?"
Severus Snape was not one to 'wear his heart on his sleeve' as it were, but it took every ounce of restraint to keep his jaw from dropping and his eyes from bugging out. Instead, he hid behind his usual cold sneer.
"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about."
"No? But the law...it requires a child by the end of a year. Not even pregnancy, a living, breathing child. You know, to make sure the bloodlines are continuing and all."
Internally, Snape fumed. Dumbledore had almost certainly intentionally forgot to mention that small detail of the arrangement. That man had meddled in his last affair...when he got a hold of him...
"Pro- Severus?" A voice broke him from his reverie.
Forcing himself calm he looked Hermione in the eyes. "Listen to me Hermione. I will not be forcing you to my bed. This law is absurd enough without having to add more unnecessary complications. I will take care of it. Do not worry about it."
"But Severus, if a child is not produced then the marriage is annulled and the muggle-born is placed back up for 'auction'. I don't wish to be in such a situation again." Hermione looked visibly worried, and Snape sighed, moving from behind his desk to in front of it. Sitting on the edge, he took Hermione's hands lightly in his own.
"I think you need to understand just what it means to be a Snape, Hermione. My family name carries a certain power with it, from Eastern Europe to here. My wealth is enough to buy off any number of ministry officials, and the influence of my heritage should be more than enough to grant us a delay in that detail of the Marriage Law."
Hermione gasped. She had never really thought of Snape as an aristocrat but it suddenly made sense. Many of the Purebloods were of considerable wealth and power. He was within the inner circle of Death Eaters, which was mostly controlled by those of power in other social circles. Suddenly she had to wonder just what she was getting herself into. She raised her mouth to voice another question but he stopped her.
"The reason I have never used this against Lucius, as I'm sure you're about to inquire, is because there are certain...circles...where he is my superior and it would not do me or the cause any good to contradict this."
Hermione nodded slowly, understanding completely that he was referring to the ranks within Voldemort's followers.
"Also, it must be added that you're endangering yourself if you pick me. While I can easily overpower Malfoy and others of his ilk, I may still be forced to bring you into situations neither of us would like. You must understand that I will not let anything happen to you, but your exposure to such things may not be avoidable..." He searched her eyes for fear and kept himself from smirking when he found none. Damn that Gryffindor bravery.
"I understand completely and I think that's a risk I'm willing to take. You take it with little thought for yourself, it won't hurt to have someone to share the burden. I trust you." Her eyes met his and lingered for a moment before turning away.
"I think that's all Severus. Thank you for helping me with this." She rose to leave but Snape stopped her.
"Hermione, I must know...is that the only fear you had about the child? The path of your education?"
She looked at him questioningly. "Yes of course. What else would I...oh! Professor!" She looked startled and then smirked.
"Are you a virgin Severus?"
He was caught completely off guard by her question and scowled menacingly. "That is the most rude and disrespectful thing I've ever heard from a student. 10 poin-"
"From a student yes...but from your fiancée? You see how your question seemed to me. But I appreciate your concern. I think you will find that while I am not as knowledgeable in that area as I am in some others, I am not completely without experience."
Having been effectively cut off and silenced, Severus could only scowl at Hermione's smirk. Her incredibly sexy smirk.
"One last thing Severus." Her voice had taken a different tone all together. No longer confident, it now held tinges of nervousness and hesitance. He raised his eyebrow at her, curiosity getting the better of him.
"If we're to be...married," there she had said that word! "If we're to be married I should like to know what I am getting into first...I should like to kiss you."
Snape didn't have any idea what to say to that odd request. His eyebrow rose further, if it was even possible, but he did not run or curse or scowl, which Hermione took as a positive sign. She moved towards him slowly and tentatively placed a hand flat upon his chest before kissing his lips softly, a kiss that lingered for only a second before she broke away angrily.
"Really! You could be more cooperative. If I'm going to marry you I would like to know how you kiss. It's going to come up you know." She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled her best scowl at his dark eyes.
"You're sure?" He whispered, eyebrow still raised, hands lowering themselves to his sides.
Arms still crossed, Hermione came dangerously close to stamping her foot, much as she had when she didn't get her way as a child. "Of course I'm sure! I'm no fool Severus Snape. I know exactly what I'm asking and what I want. Now would you please just ki-"
Her sentence was broken off as two strong hands grabbed her shoulders and pulled her forward and a soft set of lips descended on her own. Soft at first, but with increasing pressure he kissed her, wrapping his arms around her waist and crushing her to him. Hermione's arms uncrossed and one hand went up to rest on his chest while the other found the back of his neck and pulled him even closer to her. She barely contained her moan when his tongue ran along her bottom lip and she opened her mouth further, surprised when he deepened the kiss and unable to suppress her moan as she tasted him, which caused him to give a low moan in response. He withdrew quickly and recovered before she did, a smirk spreading across his features.
"If that will be all, Hermione?" He opened the door to his study and half pushed the still surprised girl out into the halls. "If another professor finds you, tell them I gave you permission and they can seek me out to confirm it." He shut the door and left her standing breathless outside.
One thing was for sure. The man could kiss, and she wasn't regretting her choice at all.
A/N: Thanks for all the lovely reviews on the previous chapter. Be sure to review again!