Hermione looked up and found herself pinned with Snape's obviously annoyed glare, but when her eyes met his she immediately felt like she'd been set on fire. The hairs on her arms stood up, making her skin feel like she'd be electrocuted. She had an inexplicable urge to touch him but shook her head and dragged her eyes from his as Malfoy's voice cut through her thoughts.
"Uncle Snape, what are you doing here?" Malfoy asked questioningly, glancing between Hermione and the older man.
"I needed more Jasmine," he replied shortly and Hermione's eyes darted back to him and froze when she saw his eyes were still glued on her. His eyes flickered between her and Malfoy then to the very tiny bit of space that separated them. When his eyes skimmed back up to hers, she actually felt the urge to gulp at the angry look there.
"Excuse us Draco, Miss Granger and I have something to discuss," His tone was every bit as commanding and authoritative as it had been the night before, and Hermione shivered as it washed over her.
The two of them watched as Malfoy stood with a nod then walked away, not looking back once. Once he was out of eyesight, Hermione found herself being pulled up roughly by the arm then pushed roughly into the tree behind her.
"Ow!" She cried indignantly, but shut her mouth quickly when Snape put his face close to hers.
"What were you doing with him?" He hissed out.
"Just talking, he saw me sitting here and he—" She began but was cut off.
"You are mine, you are my mate, I can tell when someone touches you who isn't me," He said in a low voice.
"He didn't touch me, Harry and Ron—wait- you can tell if someone touches me?" She asked curiously. "That wasn't in any of the books that I read. Can I tell if someone touches you?"
"No, because I am a born and breed bat, you are merely my mate." He said easing away from her only slightly.
"Well that's wholly unfair, you can go shagging any bloody witch you—" Her words were cut off by the low growl issuing from deep in Snape's throat. It made her heart quicken again and the hair on her nape raise. Her eyes widened and she looked into his eyes again, they still held the anger from earlier but now they held heat as well.
"Erm, so erm—" Hermione tried to clear her head but was having difficulty.
"Why did you leave the house?" He asked sharply, completely ignoring her stuttering.
Hermione lowered her gaze from his at last, and looked to his left. "I had to get away, get out of the bed—house."
"So you came here and decided to rub against your boyfriend?" He accused.
"I didn't rub all over him," Her voice was indignant as her annoyance rose at him. "He hugged me, and so did Harry. They haven't seen me in months!"
"Another man will not touch you, I am the only one," He commanded before he released her and turned to walk away.
"Yeah you are the only one you arse; you've made damn sure of that." Hermione threw at his back hotly. He stopped abruptly, his body ridged, but he didn't turn around. Tears filled her eyes and her throat got tight as she tried to speak past the lump there.
"You ripped away something that was supposed to be taken out of—of love and someone who actually likes me." She was breathing raggedly as he turned around and walked back to where she was standing.
"It had to be done Miss Granger; otherwise we both would've died." He said in a flat voice.
"I know that! It doesn't mean I have to like it."
"You are acting ridiculously like a child Miss Granger," His tone was bored and annoyed.
Hermione realized that he clearly had no remorse for his actions, regardless of the pain she had endured in the meantime. She had half a mind to tell him just how badly she ached and how much standing up was killing her, but instead she bit her lip, then winced and released it when she hit the place she had bitten the night before.
"Yes sir, I apologize, it won't happen again." Her voice was void of any emotion and she avoided looking at him, keeping her head down so he couldn't see the tears of pain in her eyes or the blood on her lip.
"See that it doesn't," He said sharply as he turned and walked away back towards the castle. She watched him until he was out of eyesight then she touched the mark on her shoulder and immediately slid into her bat form. She took off into the air, soaring high above the Hogwarts castle watching the people there get smaller till they were mere dots on the earth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~HGSS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The tall building of the burrow came into view and she transformed back into her human form gracelessly, falling to the ground and getting a mouth full of dirt. Tears stung her eyes as she spit out dirt and blood together. She entered the Burrow and thankfully found it empty; she walked to the fireplace, flung some floo powder into the fire and stepped into the green flames.
She stepped onto the cold floor of her bedroom at Snape's house and immediately ran to the bed, throwing herself upon the blankets to cry. The sound of the door opening made her pick her head up and look over to see Nott staring at her.
"What the hell happened to you?" Nott asked taking in the dirt, blood, and disheveled young girl lying on the bed.
"Professor-bloody-Snape," She snapped at him with a glare.
"How'd you get dirty and bloody?" He asked gently not wanting to upset her, he hated emotional women. They were worse than Voldemort, especially witches.
"I flew away from Hogwarts and then tried to transform in mid-air but I kind of failed," Nott bit his lip to keep from laughing hoping she didn't notice.
"Why is everyone laughing at me today?" She said, obviously he hadn't hid his laughter well enough.
"Let's get you cleaned up," Nott said. "Go take a shower."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~HG~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione stood under the water until it had run cold and her fingers resembled prunes. Nott was sitting patiently in a chair when she entered the room again and she gave him a weak smile.
"Let's get your wounds fixed up," he said simply and she nodded as she sat on the edge of the bed. "Tip your head back." She did as he asked and tipped her head back; he looked at the wound on her lip and shook his head.
"When did this happen?"
"Last—" Hermione said but her voice broke. "Last night."
"You bit through your lip last night? Why?" Nott said as when poked her lip with his wand.
"It hurt," was her only answer.
"So you bit through your lip?"
"Yes."
"Any damage anywhere else?" he asked almost scared to ask.
Hermione grimaced at him, shrugged, nodded her head then thought better of it and shook her head.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~SS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Severus left Hogwarts after searching for her for hours, deciding to try at home. He walked in the front door and heard voices coming from the girl's bedroom, so he headed up the stairs. The mark he bore on his shoulder that he shared with the girl tingled and he clenched his jaw in anger. He threw open the door to the bedroom and froze at the sight before him.
Nott and Hermione looked at the door to when it opened and the three of them stared at each other. Severus took in the sight of Hermione in a towel and Nott hovering over her with his wand out. Seeing the anger forming in his eyes Nott raised his hands in surrender but Severus didn't pay him any mind.
"Get out!" Severus shouted to Nott.
"Severus it's not—I was just healing her," Nott tried to explain but Severus wasn't listening.
He was looking at the girl sitting on the bed with wide eyes, "I just told you another man was not to touch you, what part of that was hard to understand?" He growled out and saw her shrink away from him.
"She bit through her lip last night!" Nott yelled, finally catching his attention.
"What?"
"She bit through her lip during your mating session; I was healing it since your head is obviously stuck up your arse," Nott snapped hotly.
Severus felt like he'd been kicked in the gut by his friends words and he looked at the girl on the bed again. She had a bruise under her lower lip that confirmed the story and he tore his gaze from her. "Leave, I'll take care of it." When Nott hesitated, he let out another sound of anger.
Hermione's hair stood on end when she heard the same noise from earlier and again felt the urge to touch him. Nott looked back at her, waiting till she nodded before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him. She was alone in the room with Snape in just a towel.
Severus looked at her as he walked over to where she sat and took the seat Nott had previously used to heal her. "Are you alright?" He asked in what he hoped was a gentle voice.
Hermione nodded, then shook her head and the tears she was holding in finally spilled over. His hand reached up to wipe the tears away and Hermione held her breath, the tingling feeling had begun again causing her to shiver.
"Why—why do I respond like this to you?" Hermione asked him. She met his eyes and felt her stomach tighten.
"Because you're my mate, and I am yours. It is part of the bond," Severus answered simply.
"Why don't you respond to me?" She asked trying not to sound like a child.
Severus almost laughed but kept quiet, she couldn't know that looking into her honeyed brown eyes made his heart freeze and his body respond to her. Touching her made the hair on his body raise up; made him want to push her against the nearest surface and claim her as his own over and over again. Self-loathing coursed through him at these thoughts and his face twisted into a sneer.
"Because I am not some hormonal adolescent," He said harshly.
Hermione looked down away from him and felt her face flush red in embarrassment. "Yes sir," was her only response.
"Are you injured anywhere else?"
Hermione shook her head but at his noise of impatience, she nodded slowly still not looking at him.
"Where?" He asked annoyed.
Her eyes met his again and his breath caught in his throat, of course she'd be hurting there, how could he be so stupid. He had only acted like a bull with his first heifer, surely she'd be sore and in pain.
"Lie back," He forced out past the tightening in his throat, and when her gaze shot to his with wide eyes, he explained, "I need to make sure there's not any lasting damage."
Hermione nodded but stayed where she was staring at him, no one had ever looked down there, not even those muggle doctors her mum insisted on taking her to. No one had ever even been near there except for those men a few months ago and then him.
"Miss Granger, lie back," He said with more force in his voice. His heart was pounding in his chest, the animal part of his consciousness urging him to just take her; to lay her down on the bed and take what was rightfully his. The thought and image of how she would look made his trousers grow uncomfortably tight.
Hermione watched as his eyes went from the cold black depths she was used to, to a heated coal black that made her heart beat quickly. Her eyes latched on to his and time seemed to slow, the only noise in the room was their combined ragged breath. She reached out to grab him only to meet him half way as he pulled her roughly onto his lap and crashed his lips into hers. It was a battle for dominance as he forced her mouth open with his and he growled into her mouth when he tasted her for the first time. His noise made Hermione's stomach tighten and she pressed closer to him.
Severus was trying to get himself under control, but the animal instincts in him, the ones that demanded him to take his mate, was overpowering him. She felt too good, tasted too good, and he wanted her too bad. He reached down to rip the towel from her body and threw it across the room.
Hermione pressed her now naked body against his still clothed chest and whimpered at the friction, she could feel something hard pressed against her inner thigh and she shifted slighty so that she could rub against it. A low sound echoed from the man in her arms and he tore his lips from hers only to kiss down her jaw. She tipped her head back to give him easier access and shivered when he reached her neck.
Severus breathed in the scent of her skin an intoxicating smell that made his mouth water. He pulled his lips back from his sharpened canines and bit down lightly into her skin.
She felt his teeth sink into her skin and the exquisite pain made her want more, she wanted more contact, more—she didn't know more of what but she wanted more. Her hips bucked upwards of their own accord and she rubbed herself roughly against his thigh.
"Please—" He heard her whimper and whatever internal battle he had been fighting was quickly silenced. He picked her up and laid her back on the bed; he looked down on her as he held his weight on his arms.
She returned his heated gaze and didn't see her professor, the ex-death eater, she saw a man. A vital man that was driving her crazy with lust, one that would give her the more she needed. Her hands reached up and began to unbutton his shirt but he swiped her hands away. Instead she felt him slide his hand down her stomach and onto the spot that was throbbing for him. She whimpered again when his fingers brushed more fully against her, satisfying the ache.
Severus almost wanted to shout his triumph when he felt the wetness that coated his fingers as he parted her folds. Her musk reached his nose and he felt himself let out a sound of approval, he undid his belt and unbuttoned his pants to free his erection.
Hermione looked into his eyes then down to where his hands were and felt a thrill of fear go up her spine when she saw his penis straining towards her. Her fear must have shown on her face because he leaned down and claimed her lips in a scorching kiss. Like the night before she felt something blunt press against her thigh but this time she shifted slighty and let it brush against her swollen sex. The sensation made her bite down on his lip and was surprised to taste blood in her mouth. She jerked her head back to look at his lip and saw two puncture marks where she'd bit him. Before she could open her mouth to apologize he was kissing her hard.
Severus almost felt himself cum when she bit his lip, but the look of confusion and terror on her face when she pulled back told him that she hadn't read everything about bats. He seized her lips again, bit gently on her lower lip and allowed their blood to mix. Her blood hit his system dizzyingly quick and from the way she grabbed ahold of his shirt told him she felt the rush too. He reached down and positioned his sex against the entrance of hers and gently thrust forward.
Hermione's back arched as he pushed into her, both from the stinging pain as well as the pleasure racing up and down her spine. He rocked his hips a few times to allow her to adjust to him and the stinging slowly receded. His thrusts soon gained more depth but still kept the same gentle rhythm until her hips were rising on their own in search of pleasure.
He tried to keep his pace slow but her body was pulling him in deeper, when her hips started meeting his, he picked up his pace. He clenched his teeth against the urge to cum right then but he wanted to show her that it could be different.
She felt his hand reach down between them and he started rubbing her clit making lights dance in front of her eyes. Her stomach tightened then contracted, and her breathing grew shallow. She felt him hit some secret spot inside her and her world exploded into tiny glittering lights.
Hermione's body clenched around him and he felt his own body react, her hands came up to grasp his sides and the pain of her nails in his ribs proved to be his breaking point. He pulled his lips back from his fangs and bit into the skin of her shoulder; his hips jerked once more as he emptied himself into her body. The sweet taste of her blood added to the pleasure of his release and it seemed to last forever. Her nails were still in his sides and a tickling sensation told him that she had drawn blood. He pried his jaw open and released her shoulder, then licked it wound to make it stop bleeding.
Hermione blinked a few times to clear her vision and noticed a faint glow coming from his body. He leaned back to look into her face and she gasped when she saw that his eyes were no longer the dark blacks she was used to but a bright shining red. But even as she stared at them they slowly began to return to their normal black.
"Why—why are we glowing?" She asked with a scratchy voice and winced as he withdrew, expecting him to leave but instead he shifted his weight.
"The bond has been satisfied," He said, his own voice raspy.
"But—I thought we did that last night." She said confused.
"Last night sealed the bond, but the mating won't be complete until we share blood." He explained as he rolled to her side and onto his back, his chest heaving.
Hermione ran her tongue over her teeth but they had returned to the normal dullness. "Why did I have sharp teeth if I'm merely the recipient of the mating?"
"You have to be able to puncture my skin. I thought you read all of this," His tone wasn't heated or annoyed, merely tired.
"I did, I mean not about this part but everything Hogwarts had on the subject," She had to cover her mouth as she gave a huge yawn and she felt her eyelids grow heavy.
"Come, we'll sleep for a while," He said and she nodded as she lay down on her side facing away from him. He curled around her and she felt her body grow heavy as she slipped into sleep; the sound of his breathing soothing the way.
~~~~~~~~~~SSHG~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione stretched the next morning feeling refreshed and relaxed but the feel of a body next to hers made her freeze. She slowly turned her head and saw the black head and back of her ex-professor, she shook her head at the thought.
"Probably should call him my mate..." A growling noise sounded from her stomach and she realized she felt like she hadn't eaten in months despite eating yesterday. Slowly and quietly getting out of bed she grabbed her clothes and rushed to the bathroom. The sight of the shower made drop her clothes and turn the water on; she waited for it to reach the temperature she wanted before stepping under the stream.
~~~~~~~~~~SS~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Severus jolted awake from his nightmare and it took him a moment to get his bearings. He looked next to him at the empty bed and scowled. It was still warm so she must have just recently left. His ears picked up the sound of running water and his scowl lessened slightly. What now? What was he supposed to say to her? Was she expecting a ballad of how much he loved her? He snorted at the disgusting thought of doing that. He didn't love her, hell, he barely liked her; but as his mate there were things that had to be done. He looked up as she exited the bathroom her hair still wet from her shower.
"Oh, good morning," she said uncertainly, like she wasn't expecting him to be awake. "I hope I didn't wake you."
"No," He said simply.
"Right, that's good." She said as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "Um—"
"I do hope you're not expecting anything from me." He said bluntly.
"Pardon?" She froze and looked up at him, her expression unreadable.
"I hope you don't expect anything from last night. I was merely making sure that the bond was completed since it was a disaster the first time." His voice was blunt and he was actually surprised that she kept her face perfectly clear of emotion.
"Of course not sir, I would never expect you to care." She said and he was shocked by the venom in her voice. Her face may have been calm but her voice betrayed what she was feeling.
"Is that all, Professor? Or would you like to set up a time and date for the next time you'd like to use me? Say next Friday, 4 o'clock?" The words were meant sarcastically but he felt a twinge of hurt and anger at them regardless.
"Miss Granger—"
"I have better things to do than sit here and argue with you. Good day sir." She walked over to the fireplace and grabbed some floo powder.
"Miss Granger—" He said again as he got out of bed, completely ignoring the fact that he was stark naked. She turned around and her eyes widened before they slid over his body. "You are acting remarkably childish."
He watched her eyes flash before she turned and threw the floor powder into the flames, she said "The Burrow". She glanced back at him, "You know Professor, you seem to throw about that I am childish but here's a question for you: what does that make you? Fucking a child."
Severus felt himself actually take a step back at her verbal blow but she was gone before he could rally. He walked over to the fireplace as the flames turned from green to red and he slammed his fist against the mantle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~HG~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione stepped out onto the floor in the Burrow's kitchen for the second time in two days. This time though the kitchen held Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, George, Ron, Bill, Ginny, Harry, Fleur, and Angelina.
"My, this is a pleasant surprise," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile and a motherly hug. Everyone said their hello's then the boys left to go play quidditch in the yard.
"Hermione, I have something I want to show you in my room," Ginny said pointedly. Hermione nodded and followed the younger girl up the stairs. They walked into Ginny's room and she shut the door, and then warded it.
"What's up Gin?" Hermione asked.
"Where have you been?" Ginny asked.
"I told you—"
"Don't feed me that, you've lost weight, you look really tired, and where did you get the bite marks on your neck?" Ginny accused pointing her finger at Hermione's shoulder.
Hermione felt her face pale and knew that she would have to tell Ginny something, it might as well be the truth. "Alright Gin, sit down. This is going to take a while."
~~~~~~~~~~~~SS~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Severus floo'd into the Headmistresses office and brushed the soot off his robes.
"Good to see you Severus," a familiar voice said from somewhere in the room. Severus looked up into the portrait of Albus Dumbledore that had been painted only two weeks after the man's demise.
"Albus," He replied nodding in greeting. He didn't get to comment more as Minerva McGonagall walked into the office at that moment.
"Severus, I'm glad you could come at such short notice," Minerva said as she walked to the desk and sat down. "I'm afraid I have to ask for your help."
"Are you truly asking Minerva or is it merely a nicety?" He responded good-naturedly as he walked to a window to his left and looked out over the familiar grounds.
Minerva studied the man standing before her, and had a flashback of the very same man standing at that very same window nearly 20 years previously. He had come to talk to Albus about switching sides; wanting out of the Death Eaters and proclaiming his love for Lily Potter.
"I am asking Severus, if you decline then I will accept it; perhaps not happily but I will respect your decision." Severus turned from the window to look at the woman and he leaned his head to the side in an action that told her he was listening.
"Hogwarts needs to be rebuilt, it's coming along, but we only have a few people able to commit. Many of the students are doing what they can but, with the exception of Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy, not many of them are able to do the type of magic needed to restore the castle. We need more powerful adults, you, for one."
Severus leaned against the window frame and contemplated the offer. It wasn't as though he had any brewing to do or anything else besides leading the bat pack, but still, being surrounded by children didn't seem attractive.
"Minerva, you know how I despise children," He commented and he saw the woman's face fall and mentally swore, oh how he hated disappointing her. "What was the other thing?"
"The school is opening in September, which is in only a few months' time. I have still yet to find a potions master of your skill and dedication."
"You want me to come back and teach?" Severus asked, he wasn't exactly surprised but hadn't thought about coming back at all.
"I am." Minerva said honestly.
"I will think about it, and give you my answer to both requests in a week's time." He said formally and waited until she nodded before he left through the floo.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~HG~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Wow." Ginny said as Hermione finished her story. "Wow. I—Wow."
"Yes you've said that," Hermione said annoyed.
"I'm sorry but—WOW."
"Yes, yes it's astonishing, now can you please say something besides 'wow'?"
"And he didn't kill you when you said that?"
"I didn't give him a chance, I left mere seconds afterwards; otherwise I would've been a crisp." Hermione said on a smile.
"The dungeon bat, actually a bat, who would've thought the nicknames were right. Does he sleep upside down hanging from the ceiling?"
They burst into giggles at the image her question brought up but a knock at the door made them stop.
"Yeah?" Ginny called and Harry stepped into the room.
"What's so funny?" He asked as he flopped down of the bed next to Ginny.
"Oh just girl talk," Ginny said at the same time Hermione said "nothing".
Hermione saw him look between the two of them but breathed a sigh of relief when he simply shrugged.
"Are you staying for dinner Hermione?" Harry asked her and she bit her lip.
"Oh you must, please!" Ginny begged her folding her hands under her chin playfully.
Hermione laughed at the younger girl's antics but nodded all the same.
"Alright, I'll go let Mrs. Weasley know," He said standing up, he kissed Ginny on the head and left the room.
Hermione watched their interaction and felt the urge to cry. She wanted that, she wanted a guy that loved her completely, someone to kiss her forehead and care for her. But no, she was stuck with a man that despised her for the better part of 7 years and was only putting up with her now due to saving her life.
"I think I'm going to go to Hogwarts, see how the rebuilding is doing." Hermione said trying to keep her sadness from her voice. Ginny looked at her strangely for a moment but nodded her head.
Hermione walked down the stairs and out of the Burrow after promising she'd be back in time for dinner, and then she spun on the spot and let herself disappear.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~HGSS~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione was wandering around the parts of the castle that had remained standing as various memories wash over her. She smiled through tears as she walked by the bathroom the troll had found her in, where she and the boys' friendship began. More tears as she walked by parts of the castle that had been destroyed by the final battle. She rounded a corner and walked into a solid body but was caught by her elbows before she could hit the ground.
"Hey Hermione," She looked up to see Malfoy standing before her and she gave him a watery smile.
"Hello Malfoy," She replied quickly wiping her eyes and nose.
"I think you can call me Draco, why were you crying?" He asked sounding genuinely interested.
"Oh just old memories you know, it's silly." She answered and the two of them continued walking back the way he had come.
"What're you doing here?" He asked taking the hint and picking a new subject.
"I came to see how the re-building was coming, but I couldn't find anyone."
"Oh, yeah everyone is out by the greenhouses. They got pretty trampled by the giants." He said hesitantly. It was odd to think that the same guy who was walking next to her was the same boy who had fought against her. They walked out of the castle and down to the courtyard towards the greenhouses. She could hear laughter and people talking as they neared them and felt her mood lift in spite herself. That was until she saw the black robes of the person she had run away from earlier.
"What is it?" Draco asked when she abruptly stopped walking.
"I, um, just remembered something that I forgot to do, somewhere that isn't here." She said her eyes flicking between Draco and Snape.
Draco followed her gaze to where it was resting on Severus and felt his curiosity pique. "What's going on between you and my uncle?" He asked slowly.
"What? Nothing, of course. I just remembered—"
"Something you forgot to do. Right," He said and Hermione could tell he didn't believe her. "I'm just going to go for a walk in the forest."
"Well you're not going alone, it's dangerous," He said and Hermione hesitated before she nodded slightly.
"Alright." The two of them turned back around and walked towards the forest, oblivious to the black eyes that followed them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~HG~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They had been walking for around a half hour talking about their lives after the war when they were suddenly stopped by a male Centaur.
"You should not be in the forest," he said in a deep voice. "It is not safe, even with the dark one gone."
"We were just taking a walk," Draco said firmly his superior tone already coming back.
"It is unsafe human, you must leave."
"Why is it unsafe?" Hermione asked curiously. "I thought all the dangers were gone with Voldemort." She heard Draco hiss from next to her but ignored him.
"There are still dangers lurking in the forest young one," The Centaur replied before he turned to walk away. "Go back to safety."
"Come on, let's just go." Hermione said suddenly feeling uneasy about being so deep in the forest.
They had just turned around when two people stepped into their path. Hermione froze immediately and felt herself start to panic as she recognized the two people.
"You should've listened to the centaur mudblood, there are dangers in here," Lucius Malfoy said in a raspy voice.
"Dad?" Draco asked. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you in Azkaban?"
"I would have thought you'd be happy to see your father Draco, hanging out with mudbloods making you soft?" Lucius said and the man to his left laughed.
Hermione felt herself start to panic, what was she thinking? Coming into the forest with Malfoy, she could slap herself. She tried to get her wand without drawing too much attention to herself but Lucius quickly summoned it from her.
"Ah, ah, ah. I'll take that." Lucius said.
Draco suddenly grabbed her hand and began to run in the opposite direction. "Hermione, let's go!" He screamed at her but her feet wouldn't respond to her fear frozen brain. "Move!" He shouted at her again and the panic in his voice made her jump into action.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Severus watched as Draco and Hermione walked away and felt anger boil hot in his gut but he turned away to finish his task. He had agreed to help Minerva with the task for today, because it wasn't hard and he had nothing better to do. He had just been rebuilding a wall when his mark burned hot and he felt panic slice through him. The panic had nothing to do with the emotion he was feeling, but it stamped out the anger coursing through his body instantly. He transformed immediately and took off into the sky, allowing his bat senses to take over as he soared towards the scent of his mate. His heart froze when he saw that the scent disappeared into the Forbidden Forest but flew faster. When he was over them he noticed that they were running from something, but he couldn't see what it was so he dipped lower.
Draco was dragging Hermione behind him and shouting at her to run; he hadn't seen Draco looking so panicked since the night he was supposed to kill Dumbledore. Hermione finally responded to his urging and started running after him. Her mark was tingling on her shoulder like someone was stabbing needles into it.
Suddenly she wasn't running anymore, but rather she was standing, and not just standing but she was standing and looking up at the pale blonde face of Lucius Malfoy as he ran past her. She stumbled backwards over her feet only to realize that she was much closer to the ground than was normal. Looking around she saw that she had transformed so she tried to move her wings to get herself airborne but a sharp pain shot up her arm. She looked at her wing to see that it was pressed into the earth; obviously Lucius had stepped on it when he ran past. She was a sitting duck, or rather, a bat.
She scanned the trees for a low branch and saw movement in the corner of her eye. A flash of white flew above the trees and her heart leapt into her throat.
"Snape!" She tried to yell but a screech came out instead. "Snape!" She tried again, but the same screech escaped from her mouth. She tried to move her wing again wincing through the pain and managed to get it free from the wet dirt. There was a tree near her so she slowly hopped over to a trunk, dragging her wing, and tried to blend in with the ground around it. She prayed that Snape would find her before it got dark.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Severus flew over Draco and Lucius until Lucius finally gave up and disapparated away. He flew down in front of Draco and transformed smoothly landing in front of the panting boy.
"AHHHH!" Draco screamed then shut his mouth quickly. "Bloody hell, don't do that!"
"Where's Miss Granger?" Severus asked urgently.
"I don't know, one minute she was running next to me and the next minute she was gone. I don't know where she went. You don't think they got her do you?" Draco asked panic lacing his voice.
Severus just shook his head and took off back through the forest on the path Draco had just run. He could hear Draco trying to keep up behind him but he was too focused on finding his mate to slow down. The pair of them ran all the way back to the entrance to the forest with no sign of Hermione, and that made him worry.
"Draco, go back to the greenhouses. I have to go find help." Severus said quickly preparing to transform again.
"Why are you so worried about her? You hate her," Draco said with a sneer on his face.
"She's my mate," Severus said shortly and transformed before Draco could respond.
"Shit, that's not good." Draco said as he walked slowly back to the greenhouses.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~HG~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione was worried, no, actually she was scared. She had been trying for the last hour to return to her human form but it wasn't working. The sky was darkening and that meant that night was coming, the forbidden forest was dangerous during the day, but it was even more so at night.
She heard a bush rustling to her right and she froze, barely breathing as she listened. Her heart was pounding rapidly and she was afraid to blink in case it was danger. She hunkered down completely when a man suddenly stepped into the clearing near here. She didn't recognize him but he appeared to be looking for someone. The man started towards where she was laying and she watched him with huge eyes. When he bent down to pick her up she tried to get away from him, she sunk her teeth into his pinkie, the smallest finger she could reach. But he just chuckled, and that scared her even more. She tried to get out of his hands but he simply held her firmly.
"Calm yourself little one, I will not hurt you." His voice was deep and Hermione stopped struggling to get away. "That's it, calm down," The man said again and started humming.
She didn't recognize the song but she felt herself grow sleepy. Her eyelids drooped against her will and she shook her head to wake herself up.
"No! Where are you taking me?" She screamed at him but the horrible screech was all that came out.
"Shush now, you'll be safe soon." The man said, and she was helpless against him as he carried her through the forest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SSHG~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione tried to make herself as small as possible in the man's hands that was carrying him and tried several times to get out of his hold but she was unsuccessful each time. Every time she would try the man would chuckle and tell her to stay calm, that she was safe.
"Yeah, right," Hermione thought to herself. She perked her head up to look around but couldn't see anything familiar.
"Hold tight little lady, we're disapparating," The man's deep voice said. She tried one last time to get away before the squeezing sensation of apparition took over.
When she was able to breathe again she looked around again and saw that the man and herself were standing in a group of people, none she recognized.
"Did anyone find her?" A familiar baritone voice said causing everyone to fall silent immediately.
The man holding her stepped forward and held her out in his palm. She looked around and saw the familiar face of her mate; she let out a screech of relief and jumped from the man's hand only to remember her wing was broken. She felt a warm hand catch her quickly and felt her body shift; she blinked and in the next second was sitting on the ground staring up at Snape.
She looked at herself and was grateful to see arms instead of wings, hands instead of claws, and skin instead of feathers.
"Finally," She said with a smile and glanced at Snape; the look on her face made her smile slide from her face. He walked over to her and held his hand out; she hesitated but the commanding look on his face made her put her hand on her good arm in his. She was pulled up swiftly and firmly pulled against his body. Her body immediately responded to his close proximity and she felt her cheeks flush when he slid her wand into her back pocket.
"Thank you for your help in looking for and retrieving my mate," Snape said from next to her and he waited until almost all the people had disappeared through either apparition or transforming. Only Nott remained and he walked up to the pair of them.
"Home?" Nott asked. Snape nodded but she stepped away and shook her head.
"I'm supposed to go to dinner at the Weasley's," She said firmly.
"You've missed dinner; it's nearly 11 at night." Snape said.
"Then I should go explain, and apologize." She said stepping away from him.
"You will come home with me," He said, the commanding tone back in his voice.
"No. These people are important to me, they are the only—the only family I have," Hermione said thickly through the emotion swelling in her throat.
"You only want to go back to that boy," Snape said stepping forward towards her.
"Jealousy isn't a good color on you my dear mate," She said on a sneer that matched his. She was gone before he could reply.
"Sex between you two must be fun," Nott commented jokingly, if looks could kill he'd be ash from the look Severus shot him. The pair of them disapparated with a 'pop' that echoed through the woods.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SSHG~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione appeared in front of the Burrow and she could see the occupants sitting in the kitchen laughing and talking. She entered the front door and the house suddenly went deadly silent.
"Hello?" She called out and Ron, Harry, and Mrs. Weasley came out to greet her. "I'm sorry I'm so late, I was helping at Hogwarts."
"Oh that's alright dear," Mrs. Weasley responded leading them all back into the house.
"Erm—Mrs. Weasley, can you heal my arm for me?" Hermione asked quietly as Harry and Ron walked back to the table to sit down.
"What happened?" The older woman asked.
"Oh, I'm just a klutz, you know." Hermione waved her hand. She clenched her teeth when the older woman tapped her wrist with her wand and she heard the grinding of the bones mending. "Thank you."
Mrs. Weasley waved her thanks away and smiled reassuringly. Hermione joined the Weasley's at the dinner table and looked around at her family.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~HGSS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione woke up the next morning with a kink in her neck, and felt the gentle rise and fall of a chest. She jerked upright and looked next to her to see that she had been sleeping on Ron's chest; Harry and Ginny were next to them on the living room floor. A feeling of dread settled into her stomach as she stood and walked over to the fireplace. Had Snape been able to feel her touching another person all night? She floo'd to Snape's house and stepped into the sitting room. Nott was sitting there reading a book, he looked up when he heard the fire flare, and simply pointed up the stairs where she could hear things being thrown around.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~SS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Severus was in his study trying to keep his mind off the burning that was radiating from his mark. He knew he should have stopped her from going; knew that he'd be kept up all night when she decided to fall back into bed with her little boyfriend. "Why do you even care? You don't like her." He asked himself. 'I don't like her. She's an insufferable brat.' He answered himself and felt his face curl into his familiar sneer. No, he didn't care about the bushy haired brat, nor did he care if she wanted to shag the entire countryside. He just didn't want to have to deal with it, but unfortunately, he had to because she was his mate now. She was forever linked to him whether either of them liked it or not.
He heard footsteps approach the door to his study and the door opened but he didn't turn around. "Nott, go away. I'm not in the mood."
"Erm—sir?" The temper that he had worked on getting down flared up inside him along with his desire, but he pushed the desire part aside and turned to face the girl.
"All done shagging your ex?" He shot at her viciously and he felt satisfied at the red spots that appeared on her cheeks.
"We weren't shagging—" Hermione began but his sarcastic laughter cut her sentence off.
"Right, so the burning from my mark was imagined hm? How about the fact that you smell like another man?" He shot at her, his anger radiating from him in waves.
"I fell asleep on Ron," Hermione tried again but she could tell it didn't matter. "Why do you even care? You don't even like me!"
This was obviously the wrong thing to say because he stormed over to her and grabbed her upper arms tightly in his large hands.
"I care because you are my mate—mine! That means that I alone have the right to touch you," He said, his words were accompanied with him shaking her gently.
"Yet you don't like me! You are the one that told me not to expect anything from you, but I'm not allowed to seek comfort and love elsewhere?" Hermione shot back, shoving him from her.
"You believe that that boy can give you what I cannot? You believe that you will respond to that boy the way you respond to me? Just remember, Miss Granger, I was there first." Severus snarled at her.
SLAP.
Hermione was shaking from her anger and fear; he was standing with his head to the side and a bright handprint already appearing on his cheek. "How dare you? How dare you think that you—you own me just because of this? This is entirely your fault and you don't even have the decency to try to build a friendship with me. You just take, you take what you want and once you've had it you cast me aside. I am not one of your potions for you to use and then leave."
"I don't want a friendship with you! I don't want you at all!" His scathing remark made her shrink away from him. Tears welled in her eyes again and she struggled to stay standing, as his words ripped right through her chest.
"Then why did you save me?" She asked him in a quiet voice.
"Excuse me?"
"Why did you save me? Why not just let Greyback have me?" She said louder, all the questions that had been floating around her head finally streaming out. "Why bother at all?" She stared at him for a moment before she turned on her heel and exited the room. A few seconds later he heard the door to the room she'd been occupying slam shut; a ripple ran through the house meaning that she had put up wards.
Severus was stunned into silence at her questions, why had he done it? He kicked the door to his study shut with his foot and the echoing noise in the silence helped the way he was feeling. He grabbed his whiskey and tumbler from his liquor cabinet and sat down in his chair. He thought back to that night and what had been going through his mind, what his line of thought had been.
++++FLASHBACK+++++
He'd been running across the battle field when he had seen Hermione strike down a death eater; he was impressed. She was probably one of the very few that he had enjoyed teaching. She had fired hexes at him and they hit his shield with surprising ferocity. She looked like hell, thinner and more ragged than he had ever seen her. She had a look in her eyes that made her look older than 17; it made her look hard, ridged. She seemed to recognize him because she stopped trying to curse him and lowered her wand; she had her head tilted, studying him, as though he were a particularly hard potion she was trying to solve. Suddenly he was reminded of the eleven year old girl that had tried so hard to gain his approval, to gain everyone's approval. But here, before him, was a woman that did not need to prove herself. She knew her power; she knew that she was capable, she was confident in herself; she was a polar opposite to her younger self. Movement behind her made him flick his eyes away from her, and he felt fear shoot through his body at the sight of the vicious werewolf standing behind her. He knew what he had to do, what he would do, before Nott had said anything but did he really want that responsibility? Could he really handle taking away her chance of true love and happiness by binding her to him? She was young, too young to understand fully what it meant to be his mate. She'd be targeted by others that hated him, whether the Dark Lord won or not. His feet were moving before his mind fully told him too, he acted on instinct. The instinct to protect, to guard and save; he felt his hand grab her throat, cutting off some of her air supply. He could smell her, she smelled like dirt, and burning wood, a faint wisp of vanilla wafted to his nose and he found himself breathing deeply. His eyes never left the werewolf as he lowered his mouth to the space between her neck and her shoulder, where he knew the skin would be softest. He pulled his lip over his emerging canines, the anticipation of blood already making his mouth water, his bat toxin seeping from his glands. He tricked himself into thinking he cared for her, wanted her forever, and he bit down, her skin tasted salty from sweat. He whispered to her, telling her it was the only way, he sunk his teeth into her skin and her blood was sweet as it poured into his mouth, she was struggling against his hold but with a quick tightening on her throat she stopped. He pulled away and tried to get her to resume her breathing, she needed to breathe. Once she started to breathe, he had to turn his attention back to the werewolf, now screaming about his betrayal. The girl fell to the ground and Nott was next to her in a second, picking her up and taking her straight to the castle. He felt a pang of something as he watched the man touch her, cradle her again his chest, carry her away but he couldn't think about that; he had a werewolf to kill.
+++++END FLASHBACK+++++
"Ah, shit." Severus said to himself. He had chosen this, he had chosen to take her, make her his mate and he had been raised better than this. His parents had taught him that his mate was to be treasured, cherished, and with respect. But he didn't treasure or cherish the little know-it-all; he respected her only because she stood up to him. Could he learn to like her? The thought was unbearable to think about, but he had to. The way his body responded when she was near, was it just because she was his mate? When she had slapped, he had wanted nothing more than to hold her against the door and show her just who she was dealing with. His thoughts turned to their second coupling and his heart rate picked up; the way she responded to him, the way she felt, the absolute bliss he had felt when her blood had mixed with his. He'd never been in this position, Lily was special and he loved her, but he had never wanted to mark her; to make her his. He'd never wanted to mark any of the other people who had come across his path that needed saving; why her? What was so damn special about her that his bat instincts had won over his brain?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~HG~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione slammed the door to her bedroom and threw up every ward she knew to keep him out. She sat down on the bed and let the tears she had held back fall over her lower lids. He didn't like her, he didn't even want her, probably didn't even care that she was alive. Why did he turn her? Why did he try to find her when she was lost in the woods? She snorted at this thought, probably so he wouldn't have to deal with the crap he'd catch.
She felt her wards shimmer and the door to her room opened; she picked her wand up and pointed it at the person entering the room but lowered it when she saw it was Nott. Making sure he didn't see her tears she acted like she was fixing her bed as he entered the room and sat down in a chair.
"You heard?" She asked, proud that her voice didn't waver.
"It's kind of hard to ignore loud voices, especially with heightened senses," He responded.
"He hates me," she sat down on the bed and played with the hem of her shirt.
"No, he doesn't."
"He acts like it! Why? What did I do wrong?"
Nott stared at her and felt his heart hurt for her, she was so messed up over a man she was nowhere near understanding. "You did nothing, someone long ago, but not you."
"You were there during the battle," Hermione said, "Why didn't you turn me? Why did you mark me?"
Nott saw the reasoning behind her questions but wasn't sure how to answer.
"Is there something so wrong with me that no one wants me?" Hermione felt tears well in her eyes again and felt the bed dip as Nott sat next to her.
"I was not meant to be your mate," Nott said as he put his finger under her chin and forced her to look at her. She felt more tears fall even as he wiped the tears on her face away. "I was not meant to mark you as my own, you weren't meant for me."
"But he was? Someone who hates me so deeply?"
"You do not really believe that," Nott said and Hermione knew that he was right. She didn't believe that he hated her.
"What do I do? How do I even talk to him, or be around him?"
"What do you feel?" Nott commented before he got up and left the room.
Hermione stared at the door after he exited and thought about his question, what did she feel?
++++FLASHBACK+++++
She was sitting in front of Nott as he prepared to heal her lip, footsteps made her look around and she saw Snape enter the room. Her body became aware of him almost instantly, he looked foreboding, intimidating, but at the same time safe. The anger that flashed in his eyes at seeing Nott and herself in such a close intimate proximity made her want to curl up and hide. His commanding tone made her hair stand on end, her nerve endings feeling alive and sparked. She was hyperaware of being alone in the room with Snape when Nott shut the door; wearing only a towel. Shock ran through her body as he sat down in front of her and acted concerned. He touched her cheek to wipe away her tears and her body sparked, caught fire. She looked into the black depths of his eyes and she felt like she was suddenly drowning. Her heart was pounding in her throat as their eyes met and she wanted nothing more than for him to climb into his lap; to touch him. Then she was against his chest, straddling his lap, touching him, and it was wonderful, amazing. When he pulled the towel away and she saw the desire burning in his eyes she was lost; she'd do anything for him.
+++++END FLACSHBACK+++++
She gasped as she realized the difference; the difference between Nott and him. Nott had just touched her, wiped her tears away but it had been like Ron or Harry doing it. When Snape had done it she had wanted more, wanted him, her skin was on fire from just his touch. She was struck with an idea, it was risky and it would take all of her guts to do it but she would do it. She stripped her clothes off quickly and quietly, and then wrapped a towel around her; she opened her door and looked up and down the hallway checking for anyone. The walk from her room to his study was a very short distance, and her heart was beating in her chest. She stopped outside his door to gather herself and then stepped through; he was standing looking out of one of the windows. He turned when he heard the door shut and froze when he saw her.
"What is it?" He said sharply, looking her over, the fire in his eyes blazing once again when his eyes met hers.
Hermione walked towards him deliberately, slowly, not taking her eyes from him once; she stopped 2 feet in front of him and dropped her towel revealing her naked body underneath.
"Prove that you don't want me." She challenged and she celebrated on the inside when his eyes widened in shock: and fear.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~HGSS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Severus felt his mouth go dry as Hermione dropped the towel, and his brain stopped functioning when she challenged him.
"Prove you don't want me." He heard her say; but he was trying to keep his brain clear.
"What?" He said hoping to buy time.
"You said earlier that you didn't want me," Hermione said as she stepped away from the towel lying on the floor and over to his desk. "Can you prove that?"
"How do you expect me to prove it?" Severus inquired, impressed that he wasn't responding to the bat part of him that was screaming at him to take her.
Hermione cocked her head to the side thinking, and then walked up to stand in front of him. "If I touch you, what will you do?" She questioned as she put her hands against his chest. She almost smirked when she felt his heart hammering under her hands.
"You are my student Miss Granger, this is inappropriate," Severus tried to deter her but she merely laughed.
"I am not any more your student today than I was two days ago, Professor."
"I would do nothing, as I said, I do not want you," Severus barked at her but his body wasn't listening.
Hermione run her hands down the front of his outer jacket, feeling his body quiver as she passed over the muscles. She stared into his eyes as she boldly reached down and ran a single fingertip along the semi-hardness that had already formed in his trousers. He hardened further as she continued to stroke him softly, with nothing more than her forefinger. She could feel him throbbing under her finger, now fully hardened and straining for more contact.
"Well, if you're sure then," Hermione said calmly, stepping away from him and letting her hand squeeze him once.
Severus was clenching his jaw so tightly he was sure that he would crack a tooth, he was hard and ready to take her up again his desk. He watched her body in appreciation as she walked away from him, and almost groaned out loud when she bent straight over to retrieve her towel; putting her perfect arse up in the air.
Hermione wrapped her towel back around her and glanced back at him to see that he was standing ridged, clenching both his fists as well as his jaw.
She walked over to the door and opened it, "Perhaps I will see if Nott wants me." She had barely gotten the words out of her mouth before a large hand was placed on the door and slammed it shut. He turned her around roughly and pushed her up against the door.
"You will not allow another man to touch you." Severus said leaning over her slight frame. His heart was beating in his throat, his mind foggy with jealousy and lust.
Hermione looked up into his eyes and her body erupted in the fire it always did when she met his eyes. "But why sir? If you will not touch me, why should I be punished?" She kept her voice light with an innocent air.
"Because you are mine! You are my mate, I am the only one allowed to touch you." He snarled at her angrily.
His heart froze when she suddenly leaned up and nipped his ear whispering, "Why don't you prove it?" His restraint broke completely, any arguments he'd previously be had was swallowed by anger and lust; the furious urge to prove to her that she was his, only his.
Hermione gasped as he suddenly slammed her back against the door and his lips descended on hers in a bruising kiss. His tongue forced its way into her mouth and warred with hers. Her arms found their way around his neck and she pressed her body flush up against his. He grabbed her hips and lifted her, pressing her against the door to continue their kiss, she tangled her hands with his hair tugging gently and received a growl in response. He turned and walked back over to his desk and she jumped slightly when he put her naked bottom on the cold surface but had no time to complain before his hands were on her.
Severus let instinct take over once again, too tired and too far gone to fight it anymore. Her body was soft, pliant, and more willing than he'd ever had anyone. He dragged his lips from her to kiss a burning trail across her jaw and down her throat. He pressed a kiss to the spot on her neck where her pulse was racing, her life's blood flowing so smoothly through her veins.
Hermione tipped her head back as he kissed down her neck and paused over her pulse, sending delighted shivers down her spine. She arched her back when he lowered his mouth onto her breast, sucking and nipping her areola and teasing the beaded tip of her nipple. He worshipped her left breast and then her right, staying at them long enough that she was certain that she would die from the sheer bliss of the feel of his mouth on her.
This was the difference; this had to be the difference she thought vaguely as he continued his assault on her chest. She'd had her breasts touched before but she'd never felt so on fire, so sexually charged than when he did it. Was this because of their mate status or simply because she was meant for him. Her hands reached up and undid the buttons on his frock coat, and then the shirt underneath. His hands beat her to his trousers and he slid them down, releasing his straining erection into the room and making Hermione's desire increase.
Her thoughts were cut off abruptly as she felt his hand slide down her stomach to the trimmed curls nestled between her thighs. Her hips thrust towards his hand as his fingers parted her folds seeking out the warm wetness that awaited him. Severus groaned his appreciation to find her wet and ready for him; only for him. She was his dammit, and he would prove it; he would prove that he was the only one that could make her feel. He knelt quickly and ignored her protests as she realized his intent.
"No, don't—" Hermione said feebly but when his eyes flicked up to meet hers a new gush of liquid and desire coated her, making her arguments quickly end. She watched him closely and intently as he stared at her; but his fingers parted her lips. His eyes finally left hers, releasing her from their scorching gaze to look upon her most private place; spread wide by his fingers for his appraisal.
Severus could smell her musk and his mouth watered; how badly he wanted to taste her, taste her nectar. But he stalled sensing her hesitation to the thought of this type of pleasure; he kissed her thighs allowing his hands to drop away from her nether lips. He felt her slowly relax as he lavished her thighs with opened mouthed kisses and caresses. He turned his attention back to his goal though when she had finally relaxed, fully allowing her legs to fall open. His tongue flicked out to taste her desire slicked crease and his erection throbbed painfully at her noise of appreciation.
Hermione was shocked at the feelings that were dancing through her body; desire and embarrassment mixed together meeting and making her head spin. Her head fell back as he started gently sucking on her clit, only to slide his tongue down and press his tongue into her entrance. She felt him hum against her and her hips bucked in answer. She felt her body tighten, her stomach was a raging fire as she neared her release but he stood up; denied her.
"What—" She began to ask but his mouth on hers cut her question short.
Severus put the blunt edge of his weeping penis against her entrance, he pushed in gently only to retreat and slide it up to caress her clit momentarily before starting over.
"Who is allowed to touch you?" He demanded his voice husky from his desire and absolute need to slam into her body; to fill her with his seed.
"What?" Hermione said blankly through her desire, she was panting with the need to orgasm but he denied her still.
"Who is allowed to touch you?" Severus reiterated firmly, he pressed the head of his penis into her extremely wet sex, stopping after only an inch and letting his thumbs touch her clit in a feather light touch.
"Please—" Hermione begged, his teasing becoming more than she could bear.
"Answer me!" His voice harsh from the struggle he was having at keeping his body from giving in. "Who is allowed to touch you? Who is your mate?"
Hermione's stubborn nature perked its head up and she shook her head at him. "Anyone I choose."
Severus growled in frustration and brought his mouth to her shoulder and bit down without warning. Her blood flowed into her mouth and he withdrew his sex from herself completely; he grabbed her hips in his hands in a bruising gripe as he drank from her freely.
Hermione's brain fogged over completely as she felt him bite into the crease between her shoulder and her neck; re-opening the mark that had been there since the battle – when he had first marked her. Memories flew by of the last few months, him biting her on the battlefield, the way her heart had pounded, beating against her ribcage as his venom spread through her limbs. Their first mating session, the pain of having her virginity taken roughly, without any prelude; their second mating session, the way her heart had hammered against her throat as his blood at rushed into her system. The pleasure and desire she felt for him anytime that she was near him, the feeling of belonging that spread through her system when their eyes met. She was gasping for air, his teeth still sunk deep into the freshly opened mark; she could tell her wasn't drinking, but was tasting, and reminding her. She felt her teeth sharpen and knew what she was supposed to do; she knew if she did this she would never look or touch another man without thinking of him.
"Yours, I'm yours," She said, her voice lisped slightly as she tried to talk over her new teeth.
Severus growled his triumph and released his hold on her shoulder; prepared to give them what they both wanted but he froze as she sunk her teeth into her chest. His mind and body erupted in white-hot fire as she took her blood into her mouth. He looked down to see her latched on his pectoral muscle and his penis throbbed painfully at the sight.
She pulled back and looked up at him, her lips strained red with his blood, "And you are mine."
He grabbed her hips in his hand and dragged her so that her butt was barely on the desk; he guided his tip to her entrance and slammed into her making light pop up in front of his eyes. Hermione shattered instantly as he caught her clit with his pelvis and her heart felt like it stopped beating then took off again.
Severus had to clench his teeth again as her walls clenched around him repeatedly; he released her hips and ran his thumb across her clit roughly, feeling her tighten again around him.
"When you look at another man, think about this. No one will ever make you feel this way, Hermione, no one." He said seriously never breaking his strokes.
Hearing her name on his lips, in his voice shoved her over the edge and her brain fogged over completely. His thrusts became irregular until he stiffened and let out a groan; she could feel his seed shooting hot and deep inside her and clenched her muscles around him making him shudder again. He slid out of her gently but clutched her to him. Hermione ached, her muscles sore and abused but the sated feeling spreading through her limbs made her smile.
Severus looked down at her and stole her lips in a gentle kiss, soothing the swollen skin. Their kiss was interrupted by the door banging open to reveal a heaving Nott.
"Oh damn," He said quickly as he took in their compromise position and he quickly turned around. "Shit, I'm sorry. Someone is here to talk to you Severus."
Hermione was confused by the tone of Nott's voice, and the look she caught on Snape's face before his mask slipped back into place.
"Get dressed," Snape said is a sharp tone, as he pulled on his own clothing. "I have some business to deal with."
Hermione frowned at his tone but slid off the desk as soon as the door was shut behind them. She grabbed the towel she had worn to the study and a quill laying on the desk; transfiguring both into a pair of pants and shirt. Once she was dressed she quietly exited the room and headed to the room she stayed in but a female voice caught her attention. She carefully walked to the edge of the balcony and looked down in time to see a woman attach herself to Severus and pull him into a kiss. Fury burned hot in her stomach even as her mark burned hot on her shoulder. She turned from the balcony and ran back to her room; she shut the door behind her and looked around the room. The hair on her body was standing straight up as she tried to keep control over her magic but she was losing the battle. She summoned her belongings to her and with a quick spell erased any trace that she had been there; a moment later she was gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Severus had known as soon as Nott had entered the room that something was wrong. Then he had said that someone needed to see him and his blissful aftermath erupted with a bucket of cold dread in his gut. He'd hoped that this wouldn't happen but apparently, that was a dead hope.
"Leighanna, what are you doing here?" He asked the woman standing in his foyer, with a cold frost in his voice which she ignored. She threw herself at him and latched onto his mouth with a ferocity that would put a leech to shame. He pushed her away from him with a snarl and wiped his mouth off; a burning through his gut made his blood run cold. A wave of magic swept through the house and his eyes met Nott's both thinking the same thing: Hermione.
"I thought you'd be happy to see me Severus, you've always been so willing before," the woman said.
"I've picked a mate," Severus said bluntly, hoping to cut through the heavy sexual offer radiating off her.
"Excuse me? You said—you said you would never take a mate," She snarled at him, her sweet nature suddenly gone.
"Things change Leighanna, people change." He said on a shrug.
"Who is it? Someone from your little gang?" She threw at him, her annoyance and anger flowing from her.
"It is not your place to know, you need to leave," Severus said firmly. His tone not leaving room for argument; her wand flew to her wand in an instant but Severus was already pointing his at her throat before hers had even left her pocket.
"Go!" He commanded and her eyes flashed.
"You haven't seen the last of me Severus Snape," she threw at him before she turned on the spot and disappeared.
Nott and Severus stared at each other until another burning wave in the pit of his stomach made him speak.
"Hermione—" They took off up the stairs two at a time and burst into her room only to find it empty and any trace of the girl gone. "Shit. Shit, shit, shit."
"You didn't warn her?!" Nott snarled at him.
"I haven't exactly been able to get past the rutting urge to mate with her on every surface to talk much; we just barely made headway today." Severus snarled back at him; the alpha tone coming out in his voice making the other man retreat. Severus took a deep breath and calmed himself down. Nott watched his eyes turn from the bright red they had flashed when his friend had reasserted his alpha status, to his normal black.
"I apologize old friend; I am still trying to learn this whole thing." Severus said.
"And people wonder why I will never take a mate," Nott said trying to lighten the mood.
"You say that now," Severus said. "Come on, we've a girl to go find, and I have a mate strangle."
"She doesn't understand Severus, you cannot hold it against her," Nott said.
"Yes, but my hands around her throat will make me feel better."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~HG~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione apparated in front of the London International Airport and walked up to the ticket counter, "One flight to Australia, please."