-1And with those seven words, one word for each year he has known her, he plunged into her depths with slight force. It took a moment for him to realize what exactly he had done to her. The look on her face confirmed his fears.

He knew if he pulled out, she would be in worse pain. He had to stay lodged inside her to give her body time to adjust to the invasion. As horrified as he was about what he just stolen from her, he couldn't remove himself from her.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She opened her clenched eyes. She bit her lip through the searing heat of the pain. "I…it wasn't brought up. I didn't think to mention."

More to himself than her, he muttered, "What have I done?"

She shook her head vigorously. "You didn't do anything wrong. I wanted this. I wanted to give it to you."

"You don't know what you want. You're just a…" He stopped before he said it. But possibly it was true. Perhaps she thought of this as a way to fulfill a school crush. How could he have been so blind? She was too young to know that this is what she wanted. She was too young to know what the consequences were.

"I am not a child! I am not too young to know that this is what I've wanted for years now. I may have been young by age, but I'm mature enough to know that I want to be with you."

He wasn't sure if it was her defiant voice, or her declaration for having wanted to be a part of him for so long that drove him. But soon he found himself kissing her again. Her passion. That's what it was. She was passionate. He could get drunk from her. Slowly tip a glass of it back and drift off to euphoria.

"Severus, please. Keep going."

He hesitated for a moment. But just.

"I will take things slow. It will take your body a moment to adjust to movement, but the pain will subside…" He was interrupted.

"Stop analyzing. Stop thinking." She pulled him to her lips once more. To keep him from speaking or to simply enjoy his mouth against hers, she didn't care. It was effective, nonetheless.

He took a deep breath between fervent kisses and nudged himself further into her core. She moaned slightly but nodded at his concerned face. He slowly removed himself relishing in the sensation of her walls tightening around him, as if coaxing him to never leave. Oh how he never wanted to leave. He reached the barrier he had broken just a few moments before, and, holding his breath more out of concern for her, pulled himself past. He lost the will to continue when she cried out, and he pulled away from her.

"No, I cannot do this. I cannot hurt you any further."

He flicked his wand, and in an instant, they were both dressed. He regained his position on the opposite side of the car. A few brief moments later, in the still silence, he heard her whimper. The heart he thought he lost so many years ago began to break for her. He not only hurt her physically, but emotionally as well. He reserved himself and leaned over towards her tentatively reaching out for her. She shuddered at his gesture, but turned to him. He lifted her chin so that he could see her face. The tears were falling fast and hard. He wiped at them with his thumb as he cupped her face in his hands. He then reached one arm around her and pulled her close. He held her for a while. It wasn't until the tap at the window sounded some hours later that Severus realized they both had fallen asleep.

"Severus? You alright? Hermione? You two in there?"

There was scraping at the driver side door and window. The snow was beginning to thin out as their rescuer began shoveling it off the car.

"Hermione, wake up. We are rescued." Severus gently shook her shoulder. She stirred and looked up at his face. It was no longer filled with emotion, but passive once again. Her eyes went wide as she looked past him through the window.

"Remus."

The scraping continued for what seemed like only a few seconds. Of course, Remus was able to use magic to move the snow, so in all fairness it probably did only take seconds. However, it was not enough time for Hermione and Severus to realize the position they were in before Remus looked in the window to check on them.

Severus was lying in front of the steering wheel on a make shift bed with Hermione, his student, lying beside him slightly encased in his arms. She had her hand, arm, and most of her upper body draped across his torso. Remus was about to say something when he noticed the two of them.

"Should I come back later?"

"REMUS LUPIN! YOU WILL EXTRICATE US FROM THIS INFERNAL CONTRAPTION THIS INSTANT!"

Severus quirked his eyebrow at Hermione. Since when did she display Slytherin bravado?

A few moments later and the two 'missing' persons were out of the car.

"Mr. and Mrs. Granger owled Minerva. They said that the two of you never arrived. McGonagall sent me out to look for you. I believe the words she used were 'sniff you out'." Remus smiled as he looked from Severus to Hermione and back. He glanced over to the car and saw the conjured bluebell flame and the bed. "I take it you slept well?"

"Indeed. Not that my sleeping arrangements are any of your business, Lupin," said Severus.

"Yes, well. Shall we get the two of you back to the castle? As you can see, there came a blizzard last night. Most of the roads leading away from Hogwarts are impassable. Minerva owled your parents and suggested the two of them come to Hogwarts for the holidays. They are to use a neighbor's floo," Remus explained.

Hermione momentarily nodded, but anger started swelling up. "What? Wait…Why couldn't I have used the floo then? If they can arrive, why couldn't I have gotten home that way?"

Severus saw the sense in her outrage. He, too, didn't quite understand why she couldn't have used a neighbor's floo to get home.

"Ask her when you see her. I am just here to help you make it back. We will Apparate back to the main gates." As he said the words, Remus reached for Hermione to take side-along, but Severus already had his arm around her waist and was twisting away.