A/N: I am so sorry that I wasn't able to get this out as a Christmas present. I lost internet access for a while there, but I am back and I hope this chapter makes up for the lost time.
Chapter 11
…Seamus and Dean looking at them from the doorway of the carriage looking a little disgusted, but also very amused at having caught Hermione and Severus snogging in a carriage in front of Hogwarts for all to see. Hermione looked at them with surprise, not having expected these two people to interrupt them instead of walking away and pretending they didn't see them.
Hermione glanced at Severus to find out what he thought about their being interrupted. He was looking at the two boys in confusion. He started to open his mouth to say something, but before anything came out he turned his head and shook it harshly. Hermione turned back to the two boys and stared at them for a moment.
Hermione quickly recognized why he was being quiet and stood up to step down one step then onto the ground to talk to hor fellow Gryffindors.
"Hey, guys. What's up?" Hermione asked, as if they hadn't just caught her snogging Severus Snape.
"Well, I was actually going to ask you the same question, but I think I can guess the answer. Are you having fun?" Dean asked with a teasing smirk.
Hermione was stopped from answering by Severus as he climbing down from the carriage.
"I don't think that is any of your business, Mr. Thomas. Now, why don't you and your boyfriend go annoy someone else for a change?" He said, in his usual mocking tone, stating the fact that they had just found out.
Seamus and Dean paled when he said "boyfriend." They started stuttering, obviously trying to deny the truth in his words. They hadn't wanted to tell anyone about this new development so soon.
"Guys, there is no use trying to deny it. Apparently when Severus was de-aged and we started this bond, we received the ability to sense if anyone is interested in our… mate, for lack of a better word. And then we can sense who they are interested in and if they are single or taken. Also, by whom they are taken. I don't know why this is a new gift, but it is certainly coming in handy at the moment." Hermione explained, with an amused and very familiar smirk.
The boys had stopped trying to deny Severus' comment and had been silent, until they say her smirk. They glanced at each other and then at Hermione in surprise for a moment in silence. Finally, Seamus spoke, looking at Hermione.
"Alright, we concede to you on that fact. Also, you have been spending too much time with your mate. That smirk was a perfect replica of Snape's." He said, before he turned to grab Dean's hand and, pulling him away from them, they walked towards the Quidditch pitch.
Hermione turned to Severus to see what he was thinging after that confrontation but he was already gathering their shopping bags to carry them inside. Hermione tried to grab her bag of books from him to carry it on her own, but he wouldn't allow her to. He was being unnaturally nice and helpful. By the time he had everything gathered together, she knew he couldn't see anything and he looked like a pack mule. Hermione put her hands on her hips disapprovingly, not fully appreciating his assistance.
"Severus, you know that I can help you get all this stuff inside easily and if I help, you could actually see where you are going. Why do you have to be so stubborn and macho?" Hermione finished, before waving her wand at him and the packages, causing his load to rise up and float toward the castle and their rooms. After the last bag left Severus arms, Hermione was finally able to see that he was looking very… Satisfied?
'Why is he looking satisfied? About what?' Hermione thought, looking at him in confusion.
Severus saw her watching him with a contemplative look on her face. He didn't want to tell her anything about the feelings running through his mind and body at the moment because he didn't even know where they came from, but it seemed like he had lost control of his expressions and she could see that something was up. He wasn't used to sharing his feelings and he knew he probably never would be because of all the problems in his life.
So instead of explaining the expression, and his thought process and feeling, on his face, he started towards the castle following the floating package's path, in complete silence.
Hermione watched him walk away for a moment before she shook her head and started after him. For the entire trek back to their rooms, Hermione kept thinking, 'I am never going to understand this man. I don't know why I try', already frustrated with having to deal with this man. She knew this frustration would eventually get to him, but not really caring.
When she finally reached their rooms, she walked into the apartment to see Severus walking through the door of their bedroom. She walked to their room as well and saw him picking up the bag of clothes, presumably to put them away in their closet. She walked over to their bed and sat down to watch him. She saw him reach up to his head a few times as if he has a headache, but he never turned to her. Her frustration must not be intense enough to force him to kiss her. It was silent for only a few minutes before Hermione had to speak.
"What was that about out there?" She asked, not caring that he obviously didn't want to talk about it. He was silent for a moment as he put a shirt in the drawer already folded.
"I don't really know. I was just… kind of… proud. I don't know where that feeling came from and thought that I had my emotions under control, but I guess not." Severus finally answered her question, still not facing her.
Standing up, Hermione made her way over and stood just a little behind him. She tapped him on the shoulder, indicating that she wanted him to turn around. When he finally did as she indicated, she reached up and pulled him down for a kiss for only a few moments. When she pulled away, she answered him the only way she knew how.
"You need to let me know how you feel and why you think that. I know you aren't used to doing that, but you need to learn how to or you will just end up looking and acting the same as you did before you were de-aged. I don't know why you were proud of me, but for whatever reason you have the right to feel the way you want." Hermione said, placing her hands on his face in a caring gesture.
Severus obviously didn't know how to respond to that, so he just watched her, obviously searching for something. Then he reached up to gently caress her face in his own version of a caring gesture. He leaned forward to kiss her softly on the lips. When he pulled away, they both had a dazed look in their eyes.
"Thank you for that. I don't know anyone who would let me tell them everything without holding what I tell them against me." He told her and then pulled her in for another full on snog. His lips met hers and she immediately responded, pressing closer to him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He was several inches taller than she was and this was the moment that she realized this, having to rise up on her toes, while he leaned down to reach her better. He wrapped his arms around her waist and started to walk her backwards toward the bed. They were so into the kiss that they almost fell onto the bed and then off of it again, because he hadn't thought about where on the bed they would land. They ended up on the edge of it. Severus' fast reflexes kept them from falling, but he had to stop kissing her to do so. His arm was the only thing keeping them both on the bed. The inevitable pause in the kiss gave Hermione the opportunity to trail kisses down his neck and find Severus' most sensitive spot.
Severus moaned in surprise and pleasure, arching his head to give her easier access. Without thinking, Severus moved his arm, which was keeping them on the bed, in order to slip his hand up underneath her shirt to caress the smooth skin underneath, but before he could accomplish this, they both slid to the floor with Severus on top. They both made a "Humf" sound when they landed as the breath was knocked out of them. This made it impossible for them to continue their exploration of each other and knocked the mood right out of the room. They both laid there in silence, neither really sure what to say or do in this situation, but Hermione eventually had to speak up as she was being crushed.
"Umm… I can't breathe, would you mind moving, please?" She said, trying to wiggle her way out from under him. He immediately pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, slowing rising to his feet. He offered her a hand to help her get up as well and she gladly took it, pulling herself up onto her own feet. They didn't let go of each other's hands for a good minute, while they stared into the other's eyes and tried to figure out what they were thinking or feeling. When they couldn't decipher anything, they both let go at about the same moment.
"So… What should we do now? I mean, is there something that you wanted to do without me? Because I would like to get some reading done, if that is okay with you." Hermione said, looking around for her school bag. When Severus didn't answer, she looked back at him in question. He was watching her and obviously thinking something that involved her. Every few seconds, his eyes would flicker as a new emotion moved through them. Pride, Confusion, understanding, lust, and an emotion that Hermione couldn't quite understand, all passed over his face.
Severus suddenly turned around and walked over to the closet.
"I will put my new clothes away and maybe read for a while." Was the only thing he said before resuming his endeavor to put things in the closet.
Hermione watched him for a second before moving into the living room and finding her bag by one of their couches. She went to her desk and got all she needed out of her bag, setting the items down on the desk in preparation of starting her homework. She knew that she didn't need to do any of it for at least one more day, but she didn't want to have to worry about finishing it later.
Hermione got so into her homework that when she finished and finally looked up, she saw that Severus was on the couch reading comfortably and had obviously been there for a few hours as he was almost done with one of the books that he had just bought. She moved to put everything away and then grabbed her wand.
"Tempus," She said. waving her wand. The spell caused the time to float in front of her. 9:30 Pm. "I am going to get ready for bed now." She told Severus just before she moved back to the door to their bedroom. Walking through it, she wondered when Dumbledore would find something on this new bond of theirs. It was killing her not knowing what to expect.
After Hermione got ready for bed, she jumped in and snuggled into the covers on her side of the bed, slowly sinking into her previous amazing dream land of soft hands and the faint smell of pure man.
A/N: I put a little bit of fluff in there as an apology and a little taste of what I can do in that department. I hope you liked that.
The Questions I leave you with are:
Will anything happen tonight?
When will Dumbledore tell them more about the bond?
Will this new talent of Hermione and Severus come in handy?
Will Severus let Hermione into his heart a little more from now on?
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