-1A few moments passed. Severus found himself glancing at her sleeping form. He could see her breath slipping past her full lips in the reflection in the window.

"Miss Granger?"

He received no reply.

"Hermione?"

Nothing.

He gently prodded her shoulder and spoke her name again, but she did not move nor did she make a sound. He had to touch her hair again. He had to feel it entwined with his fingers, smothering his sense of touch with its suppleness. His found the feel of it intoxicating. Severus wrapped his hand around a large portion of her light brown curls. He savored the spring of her hair against his palm. His judgment left him for a moment as he leaned over to breathe in her scent. This made her stir.

Severus quickly resumed his previous position and closed his eyes feigning sleep. Hermione was never asleep.

She almost spoke when he called her name the first time, but she withheld. She was tired and didn't want to start another conversation, or worse; be told to move to the back seat again. Her eyes fluttered for a moment when he spoke her name again. Her name was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard coming from his lips. However, she remained steadfast in her faux slumber. Then she felt his hand in her hair. The sensation of his fingers running through it drove the neurons in her spine to spark. "Oh, gods this feels wonderful," she thought. She didn't dare move for she knew he would stop his ministrations if she did, but her body wouldn't listen. Of its own volition, her back arched to the pleasure of the moment. She rolled over to cover up her movement. She saw him lying back with his eyes closed.

"If he had the gall to touch me, why can't I do the same?" That Gryffindor bravery will out.

She slowly moved her hand towards him. Her fingers outstretched into the cold air. Finally, she felt it. Shiny, pliable, smooth. Hermione dragged her fingers through the strands and marveled at how thick each hair was. She closed her eyes for a moment enjoying the feel of this part of him against her skin. She never saw his hand reach for hers.

With a small gasp, her eyes flung open to meet his gaze.

"I…you…I'm…," she stammered, almost worried for her life or whatever suitable punishment he might dish out to her for invading his personal space.

"Miss Granger," he began.

"Yes, sir?" Her doe eyes looked quite sheepish.

"Why did you do that?"

She was at a loss for words but not for long. "I felt you touch my hair. I wondered what yours felt like. That's all. Simple curiosity."

"You have a feline, Miss Granger. Is that correct?"

"Yes, sir." She looked up at him again.

His eyes weren't as hard as his voice, "Then I presume you know the old adage. Curiosity killed the cat."

The boldness she embodied moments before came alive again. "It's ok. A cat has nine lives, sir. It was worth dying once over." She regretted saying it the moment it slipped from her tongue.

"What is this girl playing at?" he thought. "She can't be admitting something. Can she? Why am I questioning it if she was? Fuck morals!" Never minding the fact that he still had her by the hand, Severus focused his eyes on hers. "Indeed it was."

In the moment that Hermione closed her eyes to interpret his words, Severus closed the gap between them.

"Hermione, look at me."

She obeyed.

"I am your professor. You are my student. However, you are of age. In addition, we are nowhere near Hogwarts, or Minerva's watchful eye. I will ask this once and only once. If you decline, I will give you my honor as a gentleman never to bring this up again. If you accept, I can remove the thought from your mind. But I must be respectful to you by saying this. I have been watching you grow into a beautiful young woman. I do not know when it happened exactly, but it happened. I have thought about you more frequently than a professor should. So for now, I will set aside that title and become just a man…if you wish."

Hermione saw him for the first time in the long years that she has known him in that moment. He was offering himself to her. The man she has secretly desired for years was in front of her providing her with one moment of endless possibilities. And if she accepted him, he could take the memory of it away. Whether the feeling wasn't right, or by some off chance that embarrassment would ensue, she could forget it happened. But what if she had the choice to keep the memory? What if she wanted to remember?

The timer was ticking. She knew this wasn't a man to be kept waiting. She moved the blanket from around her and shifted closer to him. If she could have him just once, then she was going to make it unforgettable, regardless of the use of Obliviate.

Severus swallowed hard. "Are you quite sure?"

She simply nodded as she lifted her hand again to reach for his hair. Split second thoughts of how to proceed streaked across her mind. She decided that a man as intense as he was needed to be loved with equal ferocity. With that in mind, she grasped the back of his head tight and pulled him hard against her. His body hesitated for only a infinitesimal second before his eyes registered the wanton desire in her face. Falling into her, Severus took her mouth with a fierce kiss. He could feel her lips curling into a smile, and he knew that this is exactly what she wanted. Hermione wanted to feel him. Not just be touched, not just kissed, but she wanted to be memorized, to be devoured by him. "Possibly in more ways than one," he mused.

He felt her grip on him tighten as their tongues explored the curve of each other's mouths. The light sweetness of her urged him to savor every centimeter. He wondered for a moment on the possibilities of actually overwhelming her. He wanted to envelop her. He wanted to consume her.

His hands began to go on an expedition of their own; tentatively discovering the unknown of her body. They trekked over her hills of her breasts, the valleys of her sides, and the flatlands of her stomach. As the kiss became slightly bruising, his hand found the holy land.

Hermione also found her hands roaming over his body. She could feel that he was sculptured under the layers of dark cloth he wore. It was too much to stand. She had to feel his flesh against her. Severus felt her hands tugging on his robes and incanted a disrobing charm. Hermione's gasp brought a smile to his lips. He reinforced the flame in the light overhead to produce more heat then turned to her.

"Care to join me?"

"Something wicked this way comes," she thought as she nodded enthusiastically.

And there she was. Hermione was lying bare with her Potions Professor on a bed surrounded by blue light and cold snow. She felt her nipples ache at the sudden chill, but was rewarded with relief as Severus lips found one and his fingers the other; the warmth of which against her areolas sent her reeling.

"I'm snogging a professor. Not just any professor, though. I'm snogging Professor Snape!" She couldn't keep her mind focused on the man before her. "Oh Merlin! We're both naked and he is kissing me, touching me, and sucking on my…OH MERLIN! Stop thinking, you idiot, and start doing!"

Hermione moaned as she felt his fingers move from her breast to her core. She didn't really care that he was fast about it, because efficiency was this man's forte. His direct approach and precise movements gave her all the pleasure she could possibly want. He knew how to satisfy a woman, and the realization of that fact drove Hermione further into ecstasy.

But she didn't want to just lie there. She wanted to participate. To make him feel as good as she did. She got her nerve up to start moving her hands again. This time she didn't stop at his lower back. She slowly began to descend to his posterior. "Oh it's so smooth and soft," she thought as she began to knead his cheeks. Hermione almost jumped when Severus's voice dropped another octave into a low hungry growl. His mouth began to engulf the breast he was kissing. He was hungry for her. She could feel it. She wanted it. She wanted him to gorge himself on her. "Feast on me, Severus."

He hesitated for just a brief moment until the words played out in his head over and over. His body responded most painfully, but he would take care of that in a moment. In the meantime, he would obey her command. He lifted himself slightly and lowered his body to the bottom of the transfigured bed. His hands caressed her from her chest to her abdomen and down her satiny thighs. He placed one palm on each and slowly moved her legs apart, kissing her stomach below her belly button.

"Oh My God! I said that out loud!" She blushed profusely as she realized that he was taking it to heart.

"No. Wait."

Severus looked up at her. She stopped him in just the nick of time. She didn't know why, but she didn't want him there. She didn't want him to be as familiar with the territory as that would entail. She wanted him to, yes, but she had never had that happen and would feel exposed whenever he was near. If he knew what she looked like, what she tasted like, she would never be able to face him if this was indeed a mistake. She wanted to keep things as they were. Even if they did proceed to bigger and better things, she wanted to keep the memory and didn't want to be embarrassed about anything. She didn't know how to respond to his quizzical look.

"I've never experienced…that. I don't know what to expect. I just want to feel you against me for now."

Severus began kissing her thighs lightly, making the heady musk of her warmth intensify. But he did as she requested and forewent for the soft crease of her hip. Slowly, he made his way back to her mouth. His body was positioned in the perfect place; gently cradled in her parted legs. He was propped up on his elbows beside her with his hands running through her hair that splayed out on the bed. He was kissing her passionately. She could feel his arousal perusing the bounty in front of him. If he pushed just a little…

"I can stop, if you wish. We can stop this right here, right now and never have to speak of it again. Tell me what you want to do, Hermione."

"I want to make love to you."