Then to her complete surprise, he smiled, chuckled quietly and grabbed her, holding her to him tightly.

Hermione was taken aback - why wasn't he angry? She thought he'd be fuming, telling her to get out and never darken his door again, so she was completely non-plussed by this reaction and looked at him open mouthed, waiting for an explanation.

"So.. Fred Weasley thinks he has got a chance with you does he? Huh! Well, I don't mind a little competition.. I think I can handle it, especially from the likes of him! Do you feel anything for him?" he ventured, his eyebrows raised questioningly

'No..no! Of course not, he took me completely by surprise I swear! I thought he was just messing about, I had no idea he fancied me! I would never have let him do it if I'd known. Please believe me, I didn't mean.." but he cut her off by putting his finger to her lips and saying

"Shhh..the very fact that other men want you, only serves to make you all the more desirable to me. You see, I know for sure, that I alone have your heart, so.. I can forgive a momentary lapse of concentration, just as long as you..don't make a habit of it!" he warned with a smirk.

Hermione would have preferred that Severus hadn't found out about the kiss at all, but his fairly mild reaction to it had lifted a great load off her mind. She hoped that now, she just could forget the whole incident and get on with her life.

He leaned in to kiss her softly and she tentatively returned it. He continued the kiss as he led her over to the bed, pushing her back on it andimmediately climbing on top. He leant up smiling, then firmly gripping the fragile straps of her expensive new underwear, ripped them so hard down her arms that they snapped off. She checked her objection though, as she knew they could be easily mended later.

Her heart began to flutter and her tummy got butterflies at this rather dominant display, it was quite exciting and she smiled with the expectation of the pleasures yet to come. He smiled in return, then immersed himself in her now exposed breasts, kissing and sucking the sensitive flesh. She sighed and moaned appreciatively in response, enjoying the feel of his hot mouth and tongue on her bare skin.

After some minutes enjoying her assets, he sat back up on his legs again and pulled off his shirt. Sweat was glistening on his brow and running down his chest, which Hermione found quite erotic and provocative. She thought about performing a cooling spell, but then decided against it, as the heat, generated seemingly only by them - as the room wasn'toverly warm- seemed only to add to the intensity of the mood.

Reaching out to the tops of her thighs with both hands, he stroked slowly and seductively upwards to just above her belly,while Hermione continued to moan responsively. He looked at her and she smiled - he smiled back, then suddenly without warning, he reached up - grabbed both sides of the already loosened chemise and ripped it clean down the middle, leaving her in just the little matching g-string. She gasped in shock, thinking he had gone quite mad and was about to object angrily, when her mouth was covered with his. His kiss was so fervent and determined that she couldn't help but respond in kind, even though she still kept trying to speak. Once she'd got over the shock, however, she becamequite annoyed at his obvious disregard for her feelings. She wanted to get her own back and rip his clothes off too, but much to her frustration, she just couldn't get a good enough grip on his trousers and was at the wrong angle anyway.

He easily snapped off the little g-string next, making her purse her lips in annoyance; which only served to make him smirk triumphantly. She soon lost her indignant mood though, when he began to use his fingers to stimulate her intimately; as he always seemed to know just how she liked it and what really got her going.

She did think of a way to get her own back after a while though, while he was distracted pleasuring her, she reached round a hand and pinched his bottom as hard as she could. He jumped a little in surprise, narrowed his eyes, then grabbed the offending hand and pinned it firmly above her head.

"I'll have to punish you for that you know, that was very naughty!" he exclaimed playfully, struggling to hold onto her arm, which she was madly trying to free from his grip.

"Ooh! Is that a promise Professor?" Hermione giggled cheekily, still attempting to get free.

He grinned conspiratorially, then one handed, quickly pushed down his trousers and underwear and after gently parting her legs hewas soon inside her, sliding skillfully in and out -though a little more roughly than usual. When he at last let go of her arm, Hermione responded by pulling his head close to hers and kissing him passionately. They kissed for so long and hard, that it made the skin around hermouth sting, but she didn't care, she just didn't want to stop, it felt so good to be with him. She pushed her hips up to meet his -to allow him deeper penetration, but he was always so careful and never went in too far, no matterwhether she wanted him to or not.

He began panting with the extra effort he was putting inand was now sweating quite profusely, making his hair stick to his perspiration covered face.Hermione brushed it off for him and enjoyed the feeling of the wetness on her fingers, so she continued running them through the dark strands, sighing at the unbelievable softness.

After some minutes of him on top she decided to use her leg to tilt him and turn him on his back, so she could take this position; to which he made no objection. They continued to kiss, though with less intensisty now, while he stroked and caressed her breasts, bottom and anywhere else he could reach. The differing sensation and feeling of control she had of being on top and the fact that she was already incredibly turned on, meant that her body soon shuddered with an intense and powerful orgasm. Severus came not long after and he lay there, eyes closed and mouth open, panting gently for a few moments, to get his breath back.

He eventually opened his eyes and turned round to face her; she did the same.

There didn't seem to be anything appropriate to say right then, so they just stayed silent and just lay there, looking at each other, touching each other tenderly now and again. When tiredness overcame them and they got comfortable and went to sleep.

Hermione was woken up with a start; her magical watch buzzing madly on her wrist. She had ordered it to wake her at six, before any one else would beup and her heart started pumping with an adrenaline rush of fear.Theknowledge that she had to get out of there quickly or else, made her groan with regret that she couldn't stay longer. She gently lifted Severus's arm off, from around her, dragged her self out of his bed andlit the candles momentarily, so she could mend her ripped chemise.She pulled on her newly mended underwear and slipped the matching robe on over the top, but when she looked around for the belt to tie it securely, shecouldn't find it. Then she realised to her chagrin, that she must have left it in Remus's room andtutted, cursed and rolled her eyes with annoyance, but knew she could do little about it now.

After putting a silencing charm on her feet, she kissed Severus softly on the forehead and tip-toed out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

While she began her ascent up the narrow cellar staircase, she thought about the recent encounter with her old DADA teacher and cringed - what must he think of her now? She planned on avoiding him as much as possible for a while, at least, as she knew she'd blush like mad if he so much as glanced at her and she didn't want to raise anyone's suspicions.

She had very nearly got to the top of the stairs, when a voice suddenly rang out from the darkness at the bottom.

"Erm, I think you may need this.."

Hermione froze and had the sudden, disconcerting sensation of all the blood draining out of her body, then rushing back in again too quickly, making her feel hot and dizzy. The elation from the previous night's success went to the back of her mind and was replaced by fear – the fear of being found out - found out by someone whom she thought definitely wouldn't understand.

She turned round slowly and saw Remus Lupin at the doorway to his room; light glowing behind him from within, dangling the tie to her robe from his fingers.