A/N: Okay, so yeah a huge apology is in order to everyone who has been reading this fic and sending me reviews, begging me to continue. Despite what many of you think, this long laspe in updates was not caused by the most recent book (which I have read btw, bloody brilliant!), and just so all of you know, like many of you I have not given up hope on our beloved Potions Master. But as to reason why I have taken so long to submit this latest chapter, let's see... first I was struck by another bought of writers block, and then school work took a priority over everything else, as well as draining all of my creativity. I am 5 weeks away from graduating from college and so stress is high and time for anything else is in short supply. I am also still on the hunt for a permanent job while trying to launch my own website design firm, and working as a temp, so needless to say I have little time for anything else at present. This chapter was half finished for quite a long time, but I could not bring myself to post it unfinished despite everyone's pleading for more. I am truly sorry about the awful cliffy at the end of the last chapter, it was not meant to be such as I had planned on finishing this chapter soon after. Anyway, I will do my best to post again soon, though at the moment I am not sure when that will be, but do not give up hope, I still have full intentions of finishing, and I have not been deterred from my intended happy ending by the latest book. Please, please keep the reviews coming, they do all make me so happy, however I will not this time reply to the ones I recieved for the last chapter, there were so many of them that replying to them would end up being longer than the chapter itself! So, thank you all so very much, and I hope you enjoy this latest update, perhaps with another little cliffy ending and more lucious Lucius to add trouble into the mix.
In a single moment Hermione felt the entire world melt away, fading into blissful silence, nothing existing beyond the warm silken touch against her lips and the soft caress of fingers upon her own. Cool fingers entangled themselves in her hair, cradling the side of her face, his chill palm surprisingly soft and smooth against her burning cheeks while his thumb tenderly stroked the rim of her ear causing her to moan breathlessly into the kiss. Her entire body was aflame with buzzing sensations and prickling nerves from her tender scalp that tingled beneath his touch, to her toes that curled in the utterly hideous yet beloved socks.
All the while Severus tenderly pressed his lips to hers, drawing in the heady scent of lavender that emanated from her, swirling around him like a blinding fog, seeming to push every rational and lucid thought from his mind, leaving only the raw desire to feel all of her against him, to taste every inch of her flesh and oh Merlin, to make her moan like that again. He felt himself shudder all over as he continued to taste her mouth, each small movement of her lips against his own sending bolts of electricity through him until he felt like he could power half of Muggle London all by himself. The softness of her skin cradled in his hands was maddening, the need to hold her tightly to him, to plunder her mouth with his tongue overpowering the small remaining amount of decency within him that was drawn taunt and perilously thin like a piece of twine ready to snap. Consumed with need he fought to keep his desires in check, fought to keep his touch gentle and tender, to not simply throw her back on the bed and ravage her right then and there. However, her soft purring moans against his lips were doing little to solidify his resolve, each delicate whimper of ecstasy pushing him closer to the edge of his will.
With a gently probing tongue Severus licked the honey from her lower lip, tasting the sweet tea on her breath as she sighed into him, her lips parting slightly at the heated wet touch. She shuddered in his continually caressing hands, emitting a sudden yet soft squeak of surprise as she felt his tongue quickly slip between her lips, pausing to run over her now thankfully straight teeth before moving on to rub suggestively against her own tongue. As he leaned ever closer to her Hermione felt her hand sliding up from his knee, skimming over the soft fabric of his trousers that quite to her pleasant surprise were drawn tight over muscular thighs, the heat of his flesh through the smooth cotton scorching against her fingertips. She trembled and sighed in his embrace, wanting the moment to never end, wanting to taste his lips forever, to feel his breath on her skin, his fingers in her hair. But alas, fate is cruel and the bliss could not last forever.
As Severus leaned ever closer, his fingers disentangled themselves from her hair, sliding down along the line of her neck, gliding over her skin softly before moving down to press flat against her back, drawing her into his chest. The sudden crash of shattering plates and cups broke through the quiet and intimate moment like a hot knife through butter as the breakfast tray fell to the floor after precariously sliding ever closer to the edge of the bed with their movements. At once the magic was broken and they quickly drew back from each other, Hermione's cheeks infused with a crimson flush, her chocolate brown eyes focusing intently on her lap while Severus recoiled in horror at what he had just done.
You promised! You promised you would never! his mind wailed in a tone that sounded far too much like a child on the brink of tears, you promised it whimpered once more as he slowly withdrew to the foot of the bed, his entire body shaking. Oh Merlin what have I done? he whispered as his black eyes rose to look at the child before him, her head bowed in what he could only assume was shame, her cheeks flushed and her hands trembling in her lap, those delicate fingers that had felt so good entwined with his own, had felt like heaven skimming along the length of his thigh. Stop this! Stop thinking like this, stop right now! You foul and disgusting creature, how could you take advantage of her? his mind bellowed callously, spiteful and bitter as he berated himself cruelly. You have defiled her memory, just as you defiled her, you're sickening, weak and a tremendous fool, how dare you soil the name of Snape with your revolting actions he continued to sneer in contempt of himself, his body growing stiffer with each passing moment until his was as stiff as a board, his face once again bearing a sour expression.
Tentatively Hermione raised her eyes from her lap, her gaze soft and warm as she wrung her hands in her lap while her mind raced at a thousand miles a minutes. He kissed me! I kissed him! Oh Merlin that was the most amazing thing I have ever felt, I cannot believe that… that… Snape could be so, well so unlike Snape. However, the joyful and somewhat confused mental conversation with herself came to an abrupt halt when she saw the pinched expression on his angular face and his dark eyes glittering with horror, shock and a deep unfathomable sadness that instantly caused the breath to catch in her throat and her heart to pound in panic. Slowly reaching out a hand towards him, his gaze apparently focused somewhere other than this realm she cautiously let her fingers graze over his cool hand, skimming along his smooth skin.
"Professor… are you alright?" she asked softly as she bent towards him, looking up into his shadowed face once more.
A small squeak of surprise escaped her lips when suddenly Severus' eyes locked onto her upturned face with a vicious and snarling ferocity, his hand quickly moving to snatch her wrist, holding the offending hand away from himself.
"Do not touch me" he growled low and deep, his obsidian eyes narrowing as he glared at her with such an intensity that she felt all hope of happiness fading away, his lips that had tasted so sweet and felt like heaven against her own now drawn thin and pale with his fury.
"Professor?" she queried hesitantly, her voice sounding so small and lost as her brow furrowed deeply in a frown of confusion. What is going on? Isn't he the one who kissed me first? Why he is doing this now? she wondered as she fought to draw her eyes away from those cold and unfeeling black orbs that glared at her now.
"Do not ever touch me!" he bellowed suddenly as he rose to his feet in a flurry of dark robes, his grip biting cruelly into her tender flesh as he snarled down at her, his movement dragging her from the bed and stumbling she fell to her knees before him. Bending down towards Hermione, his other hand quickly grabbed her chin, turning her face towards him, her eyes wide and frantic, the creases in her brow ever deepening as she fought back her whimpers of distress. Again his face was mere inches from hers, his breath flowing over her skin hot and heavy, his lips painfully close as she studied his face, his cheeks pink with anger and shame, his eyes shinning and glinting in the light while his thick silken locks fell around his face in a heavy curtain. "You have no idea of the fire you play with, do not tempt my cruel nature, you will not like the beast it unleashes" he hissed at barely above a whisper, the hand holding her chin trembling as with the other he painfully bent her arm backwards, emphasizing his warning with the pain he inflicted upon her wrist.
In that moment Hermione realized that if Lucius Malfoy had eyes as dark as ebony, they would be far warmer and friendlier than the eyes that stared down at her now with malice. Fear ran through her body like a bolt of electricity, causing each minute hair to stand on end, each nerve to thrum and buzz with tension and fresh hot tears to stream down her cheeks in salty rivulets. A deep growl of exasperation and annoyance filled the air as Severus quickly released Hermione's painfully bent arm, the entire length of it tingling as the blood once more flowed and nerves sought to reconnect.
"I grow weary of your tears Miss Granger. Are they your answer to everything? Do you somehow believe that they will soften this old and cruel heart?" Severus sneered contemptuously, his lips curling back in that trademark sneer, his eyes glittering like two dark jewels in his pallid face, only two small spots of color high on his cheeks indicating that his shriveled heart did indeed beat. "You are sorely mistaken you foolish girl if you believe such to be true. Your tears do nothing but incite my anger all the more, so go ahead, let your tears flow, weep so pitifully like the ridiculous Muggle born Gryffindor that you are. All rashness and blundering mistakes, with no thought for the consequences, no regard for the feelings of others, and when it all comes crashing down, you fall so disgracefully and weep for the damage you have done. Well, I for one have had enough of it!" he raged on, no end in sight of the deluge of cruel and bitter words that flowed from him, each one like a dagger in Hermione's pounding heart.
Each word spoken with resentment was like a physical blow, knocking the air from her lungs, causing her ribs to ache as her heart beat furiously and painfully, feeling as though it were breaking in two at that very moment. And all the while the flow of words did not halt, his temper did not lessen with the foul flow of words spilling forth from his lips, nor his eyes soften and once more hold the warm and tender look they had when his lips so gently brushed her own. In a silence fractured only by her hiccupping sobs, Hermione sat shivering and crumpled at the side of the bed, tears running in an unending torrent down her flushed cheeks, her lips trembling as she drew in one shaking breath after another.
She had neither the heart nor the energy to stop the looming figure before her, no will to rise to her feet and loudly proclaim "you kissed me first! You started this, and now you end it for no apparent reason." Instead she shuddered and wept so like the foolish child he proclaimed her to be, the sharp pain of his words cutting deeply into her heart.
"You dim-witted, imprudent girl. Perhaps Lucius is right, perhaps you are no better than a filthy little Mudblood" Severus seethed, the one stabbing remark Hermione had never thought to hear pass his lips forcing the little remaining air from her lungs in a sudden rush as her own anger suddenly bubbled to the surface, pushing all the hurt and anguish far away, deep into the dark recesses of her aching heart, leaving only a blinding and uncontrollable fury in it's place. In a sudden rush of honeyed curls Hermione was on her feet, her shoulders rising and falling rapidly with her incensed breaths, her teeth gritted in a ferocious growl as she glared at the man standing before her. No longer did she see the figure of a man she held a deep respect for, a man that she had spent so many years defending against the insults of her dearest friends despite the cruel words and chilling glances he had directed towards her. No more was he a man of great bravery who demanded the most humble reverence, who had inspired a burning desire for knowledge within her heart and through his coldness had only driven her further to earn his praise. Before her now stood a man so cruel, cold and despised that even Hell would not want him, a man so full of anger and depravity that there was no chance of redemption for him, a man who in one instant had shown that indeed everything her friends had ever said about him was true.
In a single crushing instant Hermione had felt all the respect and admiration for Severus fleeing her heart like a small craft swiftly drawn away on rough seas, lost now was any feeling she had for the man beyond a choking hatred and burning desire to see him hurt. Gone were her Gryffindor sensibilities and reservations against causing harm to another, gone were the tears that slicked her cheeks, and gone was the control on her tongue.
"How dare you!" she shrieked with vehemence, her voice like a burning acid, poisonous and bitter. "How dare you degrade and abuse me like this. You have no right to say such things about me, you who have committed such heinous acts all in the cause of your sick and twisted Master. I was a fool to ever defend you, to ever say that there was still goodness in your heart and to believe Dumbledore in his trust of you. You have deceived us all, you are that cruel and unfeeling man they all say you are. You derive pleasure only from inflicting pain on others, you are not worthy of the prestigious position you hold at this school, or Dumbledore's trust, and no longer worthy of my respect. You are no better than the Master you serve and the fools he surrounds himself with. The mask and robes suit you well!"
The world was suddenly turned on it's side as the floor rose up to meet Hermione in a jarring movement, the left side of her face blossoming with pain. The floor was cold and rough against her heated flesh, her right cheek roughly drawn across the uneven surface as a cool hand clutched a handful of her unruly hair and pulled her head up quickly, leaving a series of red scratches across her face. Ebony eyes locked with hers from mere inches away as Severus drew her closer to him, his furious breaths hot and fragrant with spices and tea as they flowed over her skin while the dark curtain of his hair fell around them.
"You are correct Miss Granger in saying that I am cruel, but do not for one moment think that I am without feelings" he hissed at barely above a whisper, his voice thick with fury and a hint of something mysterious, something that although she could not place it, tugged mercilessly at Hermione's heart. "If it were not for my duties to this school and Professor Dumbledore, I would indeed…"
"Oh my, trouble in paradise?" drawled a liquid silk voice from the doorway, putting a quick and sudden end to Severus' threat, his eyes widening in shock for a moment, a glimmer of fear passing over his coal black eyes as he remained close to Hermione's face, close enough for her to hear the slight catch in his breath, to feel the subtle tremor in the hand that gripped her hair, close enough to see the look of dread in the stiff set of his pale lips.
Releasing his grip on Hermione's hair Severus paused long enough to attempt to smooth out the tangled mass just a little, taking the few brief seconds to school his features into an expression of cool indifference though his eyes still head a hint of heart-stopping panic. Straightening his back he turned slowly to face the man standing casually on the other side of the door, admiring the way the light glinted and gleamed on the silver snake's head of his cane.
"It is nothing my friend, no more than a simple misunderstanding" Severus said slowly, his voice once again calm and even, though laced with a dozen vicious undertones. Turning once more to face Hermione he extended a long and pale hand towards her, her eyes large and glassy as she hesitantly raised her own hand, placing it in his palm. Silently Severus admitted his admiration for her ability to hold back her squeak of terror as he swiftly pulled her to her feet, and the way in which she quickly controlled her own expression until one of demure submission blanketed her features, no trace of her anger or anguish showing, no sign of weakness for her enemy to pick at.
"You really must learn to take better care of your toys Severus" Lucius crooned silkily, his wintry eyes flashing dangerously as they swept over Hermione appraisingly, his gaze seeming to undress her on the spot, causing a subtle shiver to race through her body. "At this rate you will spend all of your time healing her wounds rather than enjoying her treasures. But then you did always like it a little rougher than I" he continued with a smirk intended only for Hermione's eyes, his manner one of complete arrogance and self-importance. Feeling a sickening wave of revulsion sweep through her Hermione held back the sour look of distaste that threatened to show on her face as she quickly drew her gaze away from Lucius to look questioningly into the shadowed face of the man standing before her.
Hermione watched in something akin to awe as Severus' lips moved silently, his hand giving a subtle movement between their bodies as he lowered the wards on the door a moment before Lucius took a gliding step into the room. If he had detected the wards, or felt the small crackle of magic in the air as they fell he showed no sign of it, his face as always bearing that arrogant and smug smile that made Hermione instantly envision a snake smiling in satisfaction, it's middle large with a recent meal.
Indeed, watch yourself around this snake. Show no weakness, for he will show you none came the smooth and somewhat weary voice of her Potion's Master, sliding inside her mind like strands of heated silk. Be on your guard and do as I say, do you understand? he asked quickly as Lucius advanced across the room in slow and languid steps as if he had all the time in the world, a world that was centered around only him and his wishes. Giving a subtle nod of her head Hermione once again saw that glimmer of something mysterious in Severus' eyes, a slight tightening of his lips, an almost undetectable straightening of his back and a small twitch of his fingers gave away the strain he felt, and the fierce resolve he had to protect that which was in his care. And then he turned away from her, in a series of subtle movements as he went to approach his friend in a seemingly friendly way, he placed her at his back, once more putting himself between his enemy and one he had grudgingly been placed in charge of. Perhaps I was right after all, perhaps he is to be trusted, why else would he protect me so valiantly… Hermione thought distractedly as Severus greeted Lucius with a brief shaking of hands. But he said such horrible things to me, he said the one thing I never thought he would, he sank as low as those he must fool for Dumbledore. How can I believe that he is better than them when he acts this way towards me? her mind fought back bitterly, her heart still aching from his cruel words spoken with malice and an intent to hurt. How can I possibly know which side of this man is real and which is a fabrication when he plays each so well, so precisely and convincingly? she continued in silence, her heart growing heavier with each moment, her body weary and aching with tension as the world seemed to fade around her.
"Clean this mess up" was the quick and cold command that quickly roused Hermione from her thoughts, drawing her back into the real world, a world filled with danger where one false step could mean the end for both her and the man that despite all his bitterness and anger fought bravely to keep her safe. Gazing briefly up into his gleaming eyes she gave a soft nod in reply to his spoken command, and the softer yet more urgent one she saw reflected in his eyes, stay here, stay safe. And then quickly Severus turned from her and regaining his cool indifference once more moving with Lucius out of the room, his voice calm and even as he said,
"Would you care for a drink Lucius?"