Chapter Forty Three
Hermione's eyes fluttered open to see her lover's face bathed in the pre-dawn light. He looked so peaceful in sleep, something she had not had the opportunity to notice before. The harsh lines of his face had softened. His eyelashes fell in two half-moons upon his cheeks, and his mouth was soft. Very tempting...
Hermione held herself back instead of placing a kiss on those lips. In the daylight it seemed - too personal, somehow. Anyway, here he was, asleep and relaxed for the first time that she had ever witnessed. It was wrong to disturb him. She settled down further into the covers and closed her eyes in the determination she should sleep.
Snape opened his eyes and frowned. The woman in front of him was bathed in the golden-silver light of the dawn. He didn't think he had ever seen her so beautiful - her hair was wild around her, curling over the pillows and sheets, her lips slightly pursed and her cheeks rosy. She was also quite obviously pretending to be asleep, and this disturbed him. After what he presumed to think was a night of mutually satisfactory passion this was not the morning welcome he had expected to receive.
It was puzzling. Though his experience did encompass the occassional 'morning after' it had all been quite straightforward, as there had clearly been no intention of an 'afternoon after' as well. Snape was quite ready to admit that an 'afternoon after' in this situation would be most welcome. He was damned if he knew how to arrange that, however, and he didn't think the other side's pretending to sleep was a good start.
His frown grew deeper as he watched Hermione breathe. What had he done that would result in the creature of his desires wanting to convince him she was asleep? Perhaps she just wanted him to go? He could, of course, but something told him this would not be the best of ideas. While it was apparently quite acceptable for her to dash off after an encounter he didn't feel such behaviour would be looked on with much favour were he to do it himself. Besides, he didn't much feel like it when Hermione's leg was pressed so nicely into his thigh.
No, surely if she had wanted him to go, she would have told him so. Hermione was quite a vocal creature.
Perhaps he had done something wrong. But then - he allowed himself a smug smirk - he had done whatever it was wrong three times, and she hadn't complained. Quite the opposite, in fact. Strange, how the unsappable energy that had possessed him the evening before had deserted in the cold light of the morning. There were muscles twingeing in his legs alone that he hadn't known existed.
Hmm. A thought slowly dawned. If he was feeling slightly sore Hermione's state might be somewhat more uncomfortable, or it would soon be. No possible solution appeared to be presenting itself for Hermione's sudden affection for soporific impressions. Perhaps a few minutes alone would give her whatever space she needed, and in the mean time he could make use of her lab to provide some relief for whatever aches would assail her once she did decide to move. First to dress, then - a lab was no place to be naked.
He was just slipping his arms into the sleeves of his robe when a small snuffle made him turn back to the bed, where a pair of brown eyes peeked over the coverlet at him. He raised an eyebrow.
'Are you running away again?' a small voice asked, quiet but with the usual inquisitivness to it.
A smile threatened, but he tucked it away for later inspection. 'I think there has been quite enough running away for now.' It wasn't the most well-thought out reply in the history of morning conversations, but it appeared to satisfy as the head peeking over the covers gave a small nod and closed its eyes.
Snape quickly set the ingredients for a basic pain-relief potion to the boil and headed back to the bedroom. It would be best to administer the potion in a bath, letting the aches soak away. He felt strangely enthusiastic at that thought. It was strange how the possibility of being permitted to watch Hermione Granger as she immersed herself in a small body of water could be so immensely appealing to him. Shaking off the uncharacteristic sentimentality, he strode into the bedroom.
Hermione had a slight frown of discomfort upon her face as she sat on the edge of the bed. Snape spent a few moments debating with himself before stepping forward and scooping a rather startled and completely naked Hermione into his arms and striding into the bathroom. Hermione gaped at him. With an internal shrug, he set her down, opened the taps for the bath and went back to check on the potion. He couldn't see the puzzled look that followed him, but that was okay as he wore one himself. Spontaneous courtesy was almost an antithesis to his very nature. He puzzled over it as he poured the cooling potion into a vessel and walked back through the bedroom. He puzzled over it as he almost tripped over Hermione's robes, abandoned on the floor. He puzzled over it but only briefly as he walked into the bathroom and saw Hermione, sitting quite elegantly in the tranquil pool of her bath, hair twisted into a knot that just happened to set off her neck admirably and reveal her shoulders. And the water, he noticed against his better will, was not... quite... high enough to cover her breasts. All puzzlement cleared from his expression as his feet overrode his brain and took him to the side of the bath.
He leant down to pour out the potion and almost missed the odd smile on Hermione's face, just before she reached up and pulled him into the bath.
There was a splash.
Snape took a moment to gather his thoughts. Strangely enough, in his broad range of experience he had never been thrown fully-robed into a bath before. Then again, he had never had Hermione Granger's wet naked thighs wrapped around him in a bath before. It sort of balanced out.
There was a giggle behind him, and he schooled his expression and turned around in the water. This brought him nicely into contact with Hermione's chest, but he ignored that.
'Miss Granger,' he said. 'What, precisely, makes you think I would appreciate a bath fully-clothed?'
A flicker of uncertainty flashed through her eyes at his tone of voice, before the famous Gryffindor bull-headedness made an appearance.
'Thank you, Severus,' Hermione answered. 'You have saved me from having to subtlely inform you that you were overdressed.'
Snape raised an eyebrow. 'Spare me Gryffindor subtlety.'
Hermione nodded. 'Very well then.' And she dragged his head down to kiss him.
After a spluttering moment, they sorted out how two people in a slippery bath could safely navigate movement.
Snape had never had his clothes taken off in a bath before either, and this proved to be a very interesting experience. It also proved to be a lesson in patience when they forgot to unbutton the cuffs of his shirt.
'Hmm,' said Hermione. In the struggle, their positions had somehow reversed, and she was now leaning on his chest. Snape didn't like the smile she was giving him. 'It seems you're in a fix.' Snape raised his eyebrow at her, and she looked from side to side, where his arms were trapped within their sleeves.
'This is the time,' she said, leaning forward to nip at his neck, 'when I'd begin to apologise for all the terrible things I'd done to a certain former student.'
This time, both of Snape's eyebrows shot up. 'You made no objection to them a few hours ago.'
Hermione gave him a serious look. 'That was a dreadful pun.' She continued her journey down his neck and onto his chest. It was at this point that Snape began to feel the full vulnerability of having his hands trapped behind his back by a wet shirt. He bit his tongue and made a sound through his nose as she reached a particularly sensitive spot beside his left nipple.
Hermione raised her head. 'What?' she asked.
Snape gritted his teeth. He said, 'Ticklish.'
Hermione's eyebrows shot up. 'What?'
'I happen to be,' he answered, 'ticklish. In that particular spot.'
His companion grinned. 'I never knew you were ticklish.'
'Not many people rush to tickle the potions master of Hogwarts,' he replied.
'Hmm,' Hermione said as she traced a finger over the ticklish spot and Snape squirmed. 'So you wouldn't like it if I did this?' She drilled a few fingers lightly, and Snape thrashed.
'No,' he said breathlessly.
'Or this?' she asked, as she leant forward and breathed on the patch of skin.
'No.'
'Or... this?' she asked, and gently licked a pattern upon the wet skin.
'Hermione,' Snape said, when he had got his breath back. 'You would never have made a good Slytherin.'
Hermione raised her head to look at him in surprise. 'And why is that?'
'Well,' he replied, 'partly because of your inherent love of truth, justice and loyalty but mostly-' With a wriggle, he held up his hands, which were amazingly cuff-free. 'Mostly because you give your opponent enough time to free himself when you're trying to torture him.'
Hermione had only time for a short gasp of surprise before he smothered her lips with his, and his hands dealt some torture of their own.
They did remember to undo the cuffs of his trousers. Eventually.
As they had awoken at dawn, their rather leisurely bath finished just in time for breakfast. By unspoken agreement the two began to dress to go down to the great hall, and Severus was well along the corridor from Hermione's rooms before it occurred to him that seperately attending a staff breakfast was not every girl's idea of a romantic morning after. The girl in question was walking along beside him quite sedately, giving him no reason to worry that she was upset, but Snape had not spent years around growing and grown women without learning something.
She did seem to be quite happy, though. She had even given him a small smile as they had rushed out of her rooms. Yes, rushed... come to think of it, she had almost seemed quite eager to get them out of her rooms. Of course, by the time they had finished their rather long bath they had almost been running late for breakfast, and it had seemed only reasonable that both of them turning up late would cause suspicion, which they did not want. He was almost certain he didn't want the rest of the staff to know that he and Hermione were... whatever they were now. Almost quite certain.
He sneaked another look at her as they neared a fork in the corridor that would quite handily provide them with two different paths to breakfast, and decided she looked almost too happy. After all, their rather enjoyable soujourn had been interrupted by the need to keep up appearances. She could at least look a little upset. He didn't like that at all.
Hermione turned to him with a warm smile and touched his hand. 'I think I'll just pop into the library before I go to the great hall. See you at breakfast?' Her voice sounded quite cheery. No, he did not like that at all.
With a quickness honed by years of sneaking up on students, he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to him, ravishing her mouth with his as he edged her up against the wall. She gave a little squeak and her hands crept up to wrap around his neck, tangling in his hair. His tongue flicked against her lips, seeking entrance, and she opened to him immediately, angling her head to allow him to deepen the kiss. A soft sigh escaped her as his hands ran down her body to rest at her hips, pulling them tightly against his own as he ground against her.
He abruptly finished the kiss, setting her back against the wall and taking half a step back himself. Her eyes were still closed in reaction to the kiss, and he watched as she sighed and opened her eyes, placing her hands against the wall behind her to steady herself.
'See you at breakfast,' he said, biting back a smirk at her shocked look and turning to walk down the corridor. That would show her to be so eager to be away from him. Now he only had to persuade his erection to go back down before he got to the great hall.
Hermione wasn't sure where this daring side of Severus had come from, but she was damned if she would let him make her incredibly aroused, desert her, and get away with it. Unfortunately, the number of people scattered around the table at breakfast didn't allow her to sit right next to him without danger of arousing suspicion, and so she was forced to find another way. Now, what was it that Ginny had told her..?
She started with a delicate little yawn. Severus, who had been steadfastly contemplating his eggs a few seats away, looked up at the movement, and seemed entranced by the movement of her lips as she daintily covered her yawn with her hand. She lowered her hand and licked her bottom lip before returning to her breakfast, satisfied that she had at least got his attention.
From then on, she noticed Severus occasionally glancing over at her, whenever she lifted food to her lips. She did nothing vulgar or even unusual, but ate with a little more relish knowing that he was watching her.
Eventually, she judged it time to push things a little further. With another little yawn, she stretched, reaching her arms over her head and arching her back slightly. She didn't even have to look to know that Severus was watching that one. Though they were a few seats apart, there was no one seated in between them and everyone else was enjoying a quiet, solitary breakfast.
Satisfied that she had made her point, Hermione settled down to really eat her breakfast. She reached out to pick up a crumpet - slathered in butter, just the way she liked them - and took a bite. Butter dripped out of the sponge-like treat and dribbled down her fingers, and she had to move quickly to prevent it dripping on her robes, swiftly licking it from her fingers and wrist.
She just had it under control when a hand fastened on her shoulder with an extremely firm grip, making her squeak. She felt rather than saw Severus lean over her.
'Miss Granger,' he said lowly, his breath caressing her ear, 'I will meet you in my office to begin today's work. Immediately.' Before she had time to breathe, he was gone.
Calmly, Hermione finished her crumpet, pushing the rest of her meal aside. She took a deep breath and stood. Her knees were a little shaky, and she had to grip the back of her chair, but otherwise she was quite proud of herself. She walked quite steadily across the hall and down toward the dungeons.
The door stood ajar, and she cautiously walked in. Severus probably wasn't going to let her get away with teasing him like that. The low velvet of his voice had promised some form of retaliation. The door to his office being open, welcoming her in, also wasn't a good sign.
He wasn't at his desk, but the sudden slam of the door that made her spin around revealed that he had indeed been waiting for her.
'So, Hermione,' he said, advancing with a dangerous look. 'Think it's funny to tease people at breakfast, do we?'
Hermione gulped and took an involuntary step back.
'Um... yes?' she answered.
Snape took another two steps forward. 'Well I,' he said, 'do not. I do not think it's funny at all.'
Hermione felt the edge of his desk bump behind her and knew there was nowhere to go. Snape, obviously enjoying stalking her, moved ever forward.
'Um... Severus...'
'And I think,' he said, standing close but not touching her, 'that I deserve an apology of some kind.' He stepped even closer, leaning to speak in her ear. 'A heartfelt apology.'
Hermione was more than willing to oblige, but Severus's breath on her neck was swiftly making any speech impossible. She took a deep breath, but that only put her in contact with Snape's chest and made things worse.
'Severuss...'
Snape pulled back to look at her. 'No, I don't think that was quite good enough.' He darted forward, pushing her hard against the desk with his body and took her lips with his.
Well, this wasn't so bad, Hermione thought as her fingers tangled in his hair. In fact, it was precisely what she had been teasing him for and if he thought this was a proper punishment, then who was she to argue. Particularly as his tongue was doing such wonderful things was in her mouth at the moment and she wouldn't have been able to argue anyway.
His hands fastened on her hips and lifted her on to the desk, enabling her to wrap her legs around his waist. He was a vengeful man, Hermione thought, urging him closer with her legs, but no-one could say he wasn't a smart man. She sure as hell hadn't been able to figure out how to improve on this lovely situation. She moaned as she felt his hardness against her. This was a definite improvement.
He started kissing down her neck, and she started wondering how quickly they could get out of their clothes. They hadn't faced that problem too many times so far, as the first time last night had been a leisurely affair, and every time after that they were, happily, already naked. This time, clothes were a definite liability. She felt his hands snake up beneath the hem of her dress and begin to do wonderful things to her thighs, and sighed. Complete nakedness wasn't an absolute requisite, she decided, as long as she could get to the buttons of his fly...
A discreet knock at the door made both of them freeze. Another, and Snape eased his rather tight hold on Hermione's bottom and swore. Hermione paused in her ministrations, cursing the temerity the rest of the world had in simply existing. Really, she thought, as Snape backed off with a regretful look and she swiftly straightened her clothes, it was rather rude.
She sat in a chair, grabbed a book and was doing her best to look utterly un-aroused when Snape opened the door to reveal Albus Dumbledore and Sirius Black. Hermione inwardly cringed. Of all the people to interrupt a rather pleasant beginning to the day, it had to be two of Hogwarts' biggest gossips.
'Severus,' said Albus, with a broad smile. 'We've come to volunteer for your next series of tests.'
The rest of the day was spent, by Hermione, in the ever-disappointed hope that their two unknowing chaperones would bugger off. After a rather long discussion about why Dumbledore shouldn't be a test subject (again. Hermione had felt rather proud of the Headmaster's eagerness to participate last time, but this time around she just wished he would get the point), the two visitors then summoned Madams Hooch and Sprout, who also offered their services. Unable to deny that test subjects were, indeed, needed, and aware that they had only a week before school began once more, the two potions developers spent the rest of the day checking the life signs of their potential lab rats and explaining the procedures to them. Flitwick popped his head in to see what was going on, and Minerva toddled down to see where everyone was, and the whole place swiftly became a zoo.
At lunch, which everyone had decided to take in the dungeons when Snape and Hermione had expressed their wish to stay there to work, Hermione made an excuse to go to the library just to get some time to herself. Although the lab in the dungeon was quite large and everyone was being unusually respectful of the need for silence, the atmosphere down there was stifling. Particularly, she reflected, when Severus took every opportunity to stand temptingly near. Her rational brain told her that it wasn't his fault, that working at the same cauldron they naturally had to stand close together occasionally, but it was really too much. Luckily the warmth of the cauldron had saved her from queries on why she looked so flushed all day.
Hermione walked into an aisle and leant her hot head against the bookcases, and sighed. She knew there was only one week of the holidays left. She knew that they could not work as hard on the potion when there were children around, she knew how important the task was, but... All she could think of was ripping off Severus's clothes and throwing him on a desk. The more she had of him, it seemed, the more she wanted him. Being denied him was driving her mad.
Hot breath on her neck made her insides melt, and she had to grab hold of the bookcase to prevent her knees from giving out under her.
'Severus,' she sighed as his hand came around her waist and his mouth pressed kisses against her neck. She turned around.
'Miss Granger,' he whispered into her ear. 'You still owe me an apology, I believe.'
'Mmm,' Hermione said, leaning into his embrace. 'And I so deeply want to apologise, too.' His lips nibbled at the side of her mouth before he rested his forhead against hers.
'As much as I would like to hear that apology right here and now,' he said, 'the others will wonder where we are. They sent me to see where you had got to.'
Hermione sighed again. 'Why can't someone trap us in a genius bottle now? If only Ailie had left the spell written down somewhere, we could arrange it.'
Snape nodded, and stepped back from her. 'Indeed. But for now we must return to the others.' He stroked her hand with his before leading the way out of the library, Hermione following despondently behind him.
Things continued on in much the same manner for the next two days, and Hermione had barely a minute alone. It being her first term as a teacher in her own right, the other professors felt compelled to help Hermione with her preparations in the small amount of spare time they all had after the experiments. Minerva accompanied Hermione to her rooms that night to help her out with her lesson plans. Flitwick took up her lunch hour advising her on teaching methods. Hooch and Sprout insisted she sit with them in the staff room to discuss handling difficult students, and kept her there until she barely had enough energy to drag herself back to her rooms.
It was three nights after their reconciliation when a shadow made its way along the main corridor of Hogwarts. Anyone used to the night happenings in Hogwarts would have fouind something to recognise in the tall dark figure that stalked along the halls, robes billowing darkness behind it. An interested observer might have noted that the general direction of the shadow appeared to be not unrelated to the direction of Hermione Granger's chambers.
The ease of grace and stealth of the shadow was lessened somewhat when it stumbled, with a muttered 'oof!' of surprise, and had to grab at the stonework to prevent itself from falling over.
'Hermione?' Snape asked, his hand wrapped around what was, despite being invisible, undoubtedly a warm and solid arm.
There was a muttered charm from the invisible owner of the arm, and Hermione materialised in front of him.
'Invisibility charm,' she said with a grin. 'Force of habit.'
Snape stood and drank in her presence. There had been time for stolen moments in the last few days, but not enough to satisfy the ache in him whenever she was near. His hand was still on her arm, soaking up the mere physical presence of her. Hermione didn't seem to mind.
'It's a little late for a stroll, Miss Granger,' he said lowly.
'Professor Granger, now,' she answered. 'Or so Freya and Esmerelda have been telling me all night. It's a vital part of maintaining respect, apparently.'
'I've always found a healthy dose of fear to be effective,' Snape said. Hermione rewarded him with a smile, and he inwardly grimaced. He wasn't yet comfortable with the fact that she had been his student, and he searched for something to say that would make him feel less like a lecherous old man.
Hermione raised a hand to stroke his face. 'Severus...' A small yowl interrupted whatever she was going to say, as the two of them whipped around to see Mrs Norris staring at them. Before either could react, the cat whipped around and took off down the corridor. Snape had never been more tempted to petrify the cat in his life.
'Filch won't be far behind,' he said with a sigh of regret. He didn't relish having the old caretaker discover the two of them alone in a moonlit corridor.
'No,' Hermione said, looking down the corridor with a frown. 'Mrs Norris still hasn't seemed to have grasped the fact that I'm not a student anymore.' She looked back at Snape with a hint of speculation in her gaze. He shook his head.
'Albus is asleep in my chambers. I was only just able to get away without waking him.'
'And Minerva was last seen heading toward mine,' Hermione sighed. 'They couldn't be doing a better job of guarding us if they tried.'
There was a sound down the corridor, and Snape could see the first glimmerings of Filch's torch. He drew Hermione further into the shadows. The experiments with the potion were nearing an end, and could be rushed to completion. The other teachers would surely need the weekend for their final preparations before the students arrived, which would mean two days of freedom for himself and Hermione, if they could just stay out of the way of everyone else... He was just trying to figure out a way of asking Hermione to spend the weekend in his chambers without sounding like a complete lech - what did one ask? Hermione, I have several books in my rooms which I think you would be interested in, and as there are so many it would take you several days... - when she beat him to it.
'Severus, would you spend the weekend in my rooms with me?' she asked, not a hint of embarrassment in her voice.
'Certainly,' he replied with shameful speed.
'Great,' she said, breathless. He felt her hand grasp his arm, and fingers stroke briefly across his lips. 'Friday night then? I'll arrange for Dobby to bring dinner for us.'
'Yes,' he whispered, aware that the light of the torch was getting closer.
'I'll see you then,' she whispered in return, and in a subtle movement of the air, was gone. Snape took a moment to straighten himself and then stepped out of the shadow.
'Argus,' he greeted the approaching caretaker. 'Any trouble?'
Friday morning, Severus was amused to overhear a conversation between McGonagall and Hermione which went thusly:
McGonagall: 'Hermione, dear, are you sure you sure you don't need any help with your lesson plans this weekend?'
Hermione: 'Oh! No, Minerva, I'm quite certain I will be fine. I just want to spend the weekend in my rooms, you know, just finalising things.'
Minerva: 'If you're worried at all, my dear, you know you only have to ask. Freya, Esme and I are old hands at these things by now, but we understand how daunting your first year can be. The three of us have all our things prepared just in case, this weekend-'
Hermione: 'Thank you very much, Minerva, I do appreciate it. But I think I will be fine. Esmerelda and Freya helped me incredibly the other night, and after you looked over my plans I feel very confident everything will be fine. I just want to go over things.'
Minerva: 'Well, if you find you need a break, Freya and I were saying just the other day it's been such a long time since all of us went shopping-'
Hermione: 'No! I mean to say, I couldn't possibly go out. I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself. No, I'll be fine, I'm sure. You know me, I need to just go over everything to make sure it's perfect, but I'm sure it is.'
A nod from Minerva, and the undeclared battle was won. Snape smiled into his tea as he heard Hermione give a barely audible sigh of relief. He had idly wondered how the undeniably social Granger was going to achieve a weekend alone in her rooms without arousing suspicion. It was lucky, really, that he was a virtual hermit within these walls and could disappear for weeks without anyone noticing; if all went well, the two of them would be undisturbed for at least 48 hours.
The weekend did, indeed, go off with barely a hitch. There was one scary point when Sirius knocked at the door on Saturday afternoon and Hermione felt compelled to answer. It took some quick explaining from Hermione as to why she was still in her dressing-gown ('having a lazy day, Sirius') and why she couldn't go out for a walk with him ('no, I'm really sorry, but I just can't take a break'). Snape couldn't say he was happy about the ensuing promise from Hermione to visit with Black on Sunday night, but the two of them remained by mutual consent silent on the subject.
In fact, by Sunday evening, when he was sneaking back down to his own chambers, Snape thought with some surprise that it had been a very long time indeed since he had spent so much time in the company of another person, and had not blown up at them. Hermione, despite all former appearances, had turned out to be quite a restful companion. As both of them had really some work to do on their individual teaching plans before the beginning of the school year there had been periods of restful study between them. Snape actually felt quite rested.
A/N: If you like happy endings, stop reading right now. No, seriously. It's not nasty, but it's just not one of those 'Happy ever after' endings and I really hate it myself when those are just sprung on me.