AUTHOR'S NOTE: Chapter rated a STRONG PG-13 or maybe even a gentle R, for sexual content, don't hate me!

Severus pulled the door to the library closed, careful not to make a sound. He sat back down in his chair beside the fireplace, but could not take up his book again.

He felt sick to his stomach.

Hermione's parents thought the absolute worst of him, and deep down, so did Hermione.

She'd promised her parents that she'd run back to the Muggle world if he so much as laid a hand on her. Severus had thought he and Hermione were getting along-but he was obviously mistaken in his assumption if she agreed to such a promise.

Hermione wanted to remain here to keep her place as a witch; if she were to go with her parents then she would be forced to resume life as a Muggle. Her wish to stay, however, was not so strong that she'd let him touch her.

He snorted-not that he'd want to touch her anyway! She should be so lucky! She was just a silly Muggle-born Gryffindor, after all.

Let's not lie to ourselves, you know you wouldn't mind touching her-perhaps in the gentle way she touched you just last night!

'Oh, shut up.' He argued with himself.

He admitted to himself that it would not be wholly…unpleasant…to touch her in that way, but if he let one fingertip stray to her cheek she'd go running all the way back to London.

He could still hear muffled cries coming from the foyer. Severus at one time would have snapped at her to go to her Common Room with the threat of losing House points; not anymore. She was his wife-a friend he had come to care about…but he couldn't find it within himself to go comfort her.

He let her cry.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Over the next few days, things were tense. Hermione could understand that Severus was still upset about her parents' behavior, but she thought that by now he would've resumed his friendliness to her, at least.

They no longer had their comfortable friendship. He had reverted to the Snape of her first year schooldays. He was cold, reserved and he near ignored her presence at all-the only conversations she had tried to start with him were met with clipped answers that ended the talk.

She was preparing for bed, thinking of Severus and her parents when her mother's words came back to her.

'A man has certain needs…'

Could it be that Severus was acting so strangely because he was feeling the need right now? Hermione was angry at her ignorance. For so long she had been the one everyone turned to for all the answers, and now she could only find more questions to ask.

She knew nothing of how grown men behaved, and Severus was far from the average man! He could be cold and cruel, and then understanding and almost kind. Quite the annoying paradox, really.

When Hermione looked into herself, she knew that she was afraid. Deathly afraid of the event that was supposed to have happened the night of the wedding ceremony. Sex in general was a delicate concept and sex with Snape? Hermione didn't know what to think!

She couldn't help but wonder what it would be like, but at the same time shudder with fear. What if her mother was right about him? What if he got tired of waiting and demanded it of her? Forced her? She shook the thought away, many things he was, but Severus was not a rapist. But then again, he had been a Death Eater, and she remembered the rumors of what they did…

On the other end of the large house, Severus was considering the same thing. Hermione's parents were right to be protective of their daughter-he was, as her mother had said, a full-grown man.

And the gods know a man has needs.

He knew already how Hermione's parents saw him, but he was not quite sure of Hermione. She had defended him with endless assertions that he 'is a good man', but other than that one phrase-that she had repeated after Dumbledore- he didn't know what she honestly thought of him.

How did Hermione see him? He didn't want her to think of him as her friend, teacher or guardian-he wanted her to look at him just as he was, as a man.

They had never discussed sex before, as they had not done anything close to the act-aside from her sleeping in his bed at Hogwarts…but that didn't count since it was without him.

Severus tossed and turned in his bed for awhile more, thoughts of taking Hermione clashing with memories of what her parents had said. He needed to see her, now!

'I'm a Slytherin, dammit! We do what we like, no matter what rules get bent or broken-no matter who we hurt!' He thought angrily with a spur of nerve.

Severus shut out the guilt and shame, blocked out what Hermione's parents thought of him and for once listened only to himself.

He knew what he wanted.

He knew what he needed.

Severus threw on a robe once he finally made up his mind to go see Hermione.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

Hermione had been tossing and turning, unable to find a comfortable position to sleep in. It did not help that it had started to storm outside; thunder, lightening and rain together made quite the distraction.

It also did not help that Hermione's room was so close to the estate's owlry. The birds hooted, screeched and scratched loudly.

She stood before the balcony doors watching the rain and listened to the owls.

"Can't sleep?"

Hermione nearly jumped out of her skin. Severus was standing right beside her! She hadn't even seen or heard him slip in, how did he do that?

"Wh-"

"Annoying little buggars. They always make a racket when it rains." He said absently.

Hermione frowned at him-he was acting strange, even for him. "Where did you come from?"

"Me? Nothingness (1). But I'm here now." He said silkily, a careless shrug making him seem even more out of place.

Hermione was not impressed with his odd answer. He'd spent the last few days ignoring her, why was he suddenly in her room making odd chit-chat?

A sudden, odd sinking feeling made her stomach feel very heavy when Severus turned to look at her. His pale face looked sharper in the bright flashes of lightening, and his eyes were open, black hollows.

He gave her his patented cold, sly sneer. Hermione shivered slightly, as his expression held genuine contempt for her rather than his usual smirk of gentle sarcasm.

"Why have you come here?" she asked, her voice shaking.

His sneer grew into a wicked smile and he lunged at her-shoving her hard. Hermione let out a yell and fell back onto her bed. Severus quickly followed, holding down her arms at the wrist; he straddled her waist, trapping her under his weight.

"Severus, what are you-"

"Silence!" he barked. "Bindo!"

Instantly, Hermione felt as if boulders had been put over her arms and legs, she was unable to move at all, which seemed to be exactly what Severus wanted.

"Severus, no, stop it!" she cried out.

"Silence, who do you think will come and help you?" he gloated over her as he slipped a hand underneath her nightshirt to claw her flesh, his sharp nails digging into her breasts and stomach.

Hermione let out muffled screams, biting at the hand that covered her mouth.

"Why bother to fight me? You're my wife and it's time you started acting like it." He rasped in her ear as he ripped away her pajama bottoms and panties.

"You'll learn your place in my bed," he growled huskily, freeing himself of his own clothing. "This is the price you'll pay for resisting me!" he growled in her ear as he plunged into her.

(1) "Where'd you come from?" "Me? Nothingness." Took that from Dogma, I know you Alan fans caught it!