In The Darkness

OK here is a long chappie for you all because I have been terrible at updating! Enjoy!

Chapter 29

That evening they had talked until the early hours, the few lapses in conversation filled with kisses, some soft and sensual, calming and loving, others passionate and lustful, where hands had roamed, stroked and back again. Eventually she had fallen asleep in his arms on the sofa where they had been sitting all night, her head fitting perfectly against his shoulder. He in turn had placed his chin atop of her mass of curls, marvelling at how his chin sat exactly on her head, and nothing felt out of place. He had closed his eyes slowly and fell asleep to her soft rhythm tic breathing.

Morning had woken them up with the twerping of birds and sounds that dawn brings. Neck feeling stiff, Hermione had tried to lift her head only to feel the weight of Severus's head atop of hers. She relaxed again, revelling for a few moments in the perfect stillness between them, listening to the soft beating of his heart. She didn't know what he would be like when he awoke, would he be angry? Cold, distant? He was neither. He too had awoken just after she, but didn't want to move away from the body laid against him. Lazily he lifted his head when he had felt her move underneath him, but not wanting to wake him. She had looked up at him with sleepy, hesitant eyes, not knowing what to expect as a reaction from him. He smiled and lowered his head to kiss her lips gently He had put his head back on top of hers and mumbled into her soft hair "Good morning.", the low grumble of his deep voice vibrating through his body which she could feel. He could smell her delicate scents, breathing it in deeply, letting it intoxicate him, the soft smell of pine needles painting a vivid picture of a dense summer wood just after the rain. He took another breath, not wanting to consider having to wake another day after this without that smell right next to him. They had stayed still together for a few more moments before moving to leave. Neither one spoke, there was no need. Looks said all that was required, lips tasted what words would have meant, and far sooner than either of them would have liked, they had to leave each other, and act as if nothing had ever happened between them.

Days had passed since their argument, and they had not been able to spend time together since. Ginny had said nothing, but had thrown knowing smirks at Hermione when she had heard that Hermione had not gone back to her dorm that night. Harry and Ron had been concerned, yet oblivious to her new found happiness.

They had to pretend like nothing had ever happened, and in fact nothing was ever said or done. No-one had a clue. Everything went on just like normal. No-one noticed the fleeting glances in classes, or that hands would touch just slightly, or that she would smirk for absolutely no reason other than she could feel him watching her, making up excuses to hear him to talk to her. She did the same of course, asking questions to which she already knew the answer just so that he had a reason to look and speak to her. Looks lasted just longer than they should, yet no-one noticed. No-one noticed anything. Everything was just normal.

Of course, they both had to make excuses to see each other. She told her friends that she was going to see Dumbledore about her future at Hogwarts and that she was worrying about the upcoming Exams which no-one doubted. She would be in the "library" for hours at a time, having to leave Severus's arms at the time when she knew that the library would be closing so that no-one would get suspicious. They would walk together if they were on corridor duty, and if anyone asked they had just bumped into each other. In turn he would need to leave the Great Hall and he didn't need a reason. He wouldn't turn up for breakfast and no-one would ask why not. She was becoming increasingly later for breakfast of course, creeping down to the dungeons first thing. It went on like this for 2 weeks.

It was on that Monday evening that Hermione announced that she was going down to ask Snape for help with her school work, a complex potion in which she didn't understand. No-one questioned her actions, it was a complex potion that nobody in the class had understood, and she was the only person who would ever ask a teacher for help in her own free time, let alone Snape! So at 6:30 she had left the Great Hall following her usual steps to the dungeons, and knocking on the chamber door. He had answered, and that cold hard faced mask had simply melted when he had seen it was her. He let her in and locked the door behind them, just in case anyone would try to get in and catch them in his private rooms together.

As soon as he had closed the door and turned around, she was stood right behind him. He nearly walked into her, but steadied himself just in time. He smiled at her and she back.

"I had to come, I just wanted to be close to you…" she confessed. He smirked.

"I was almost beginning to forget what you felt like myself." He replied, his hand lightly tracing her hips. She leaned forward for the quick but somehow lingering kiss before turning to walk to his private rooms. He followed her, watching her hips sway from side to side as she walked. He closed the door behind him and followed her to the centre of the room where she had turned around to face him. They met in a passionate embrace, kissing each other ferociously. As they came up for air, she spoke.

"Severus…" He loved the way that her tongue curved around his name. "Severus, I actually had an ulterior motive for coming down here tonight…." He let his hands drop to her waist, encircling her as her hands lay on his chest.

"Hm, let me think…" He said. "You want me to help you with your homework?" She chuckled.

"Well, apparently that's what I'm doing…" She'd told Harry that because she knew that when she didn't return until the morning that he would check the map, and then she could just say that she fell asleep in his classroom. But hopefully, if things went the way that she wanted to, as she had planned, they would be sharing his bed by the morning, she certainly would not be going back to her dorm tonight if she got her way!

"… But that isn't why I came down…" She purred.

"Oh, and I had hoped that you were here to enjoy the pleasure of my company." He replied.

"That's exactly why I am here…" She said, a hint of seduction that did not go undetected by Severus laced within her voice. He cocked his eyebrow. She simply smiled back, with a sexy curve to the edge of her mouth. Not knowing her plan he pulled away went over to the dresser, pouring them both a firewhiskey. She couldn't drink as much as he could, and couldn't drink it neat, so he always put a little bit of the Muggle drink lemonade that she had brought with her one night. He passed it to her, noticing that there was something just slightly different about her this evening, she seemed… more… He didn't fully know what, but she seemed a little different…

They sat and talked on the sofa for a while, laughing and joking, and talking about certain types of literature. The small amount of alcohol had given her a certain amount of Dutch courage. It was time to hint to Severus what she wanted.

"Have you ever heard of Shakespeare?" She asked. He laughed

"Of course I have! He is regarded as one of the best Muggle writers of his time!"

"Well have you ever read any of his works?"

"Yes, my mother read A Mid Summer Night's Dream to me when I was young."

"Have you ever heard of Romeo and Juliet?"

"Yes, I'm not sure as to what it is about."

"It's a tragedy."

"Really, is it that bad?" She laughed.

"No Severus you ape! I mean it is tragedy, its genre…."

"Ah, now I understand…"

"It's about two lovers…"

"I'm intrigued already… I beg your pardon but did you just call me an ape?"

"Yes! I did! Because you are one!"

"Yes, well I will remember that for future reference. I was unaware. Thank you for telling me."

"You are more than welcome!"

"Now, tell me about these two lovers…"

"They are two men…." Hermione couldn't help but laugh out loud when she saw Severus's face drop. "I'm joking, it isn't really, it's a man and a woman…"

"Hm yes, I was beginning what kind of a man is called Juliet…"

"Well, it's about two lovers who come from two different families, and the families just so happen to hate each other…"

"Oh, so I assume their love proves to be somewhat difficult…"

"Yes, and it's all about their secret love…"

"Hm, it sounds familiar…"

"Doesn't it just?"

"Do they have to creep around and ignore each other before they get to spend time together?"

"Yes, they even have to pretend that they hate each other…"

"What a coincidence…"

"Isn't it?"

"Why is it a tragedy?"

"Because she kills himself with a knife and he find her dead body and drinks poison."

"Ah. I certainly hope that that does not happen to us."

"Me too. Although it is entirely possible, you can brew poison…"

"Perhaps, but I couldn't give it to you…"

"Then I would make it myself!"

"And the frightening thing is that you probably could…" He said against her lips just before he kissed her. "Do they end up together?"

"Erm, no, they both end up dead."

"I should hope after drinking poison and stabbing yourself one would be dead. I meant did they get to share time together?"

"Hm, a little bit… but I bet they weren't talking about literature when they did get to see each other…" He cocked his eyebrow again, was she hinting….

"And what, prey tell, do you think that they would have been doing, if they were not talking about literature?"

"Doing what men and women do best when together. Drinking tea and eating scones and having polite conversation about each other's families!" He laughed. She loved it when he laughed. It changed his face completely. But she had lost her courage at the very last moment… She so wanted to say what they both knew but she couldn't. She wanted to sleep with him and that was that, she wanted to give herself to him, but knew that he would never ask for it. She would have to do all the work, and it was proving more difficult that she had thought… She had wanted to say straight away what she had wanted, yet again managed to divert the subject and leave him confused. She would not do that again.

He stopped laughing and brought his head back down to look at her. There was something in her eyes that he had not seen before, something strong and passionate… he couldn't place it…

"Why are you staring at me?" She laughed.

"Because you have the most haunting eyes…" He replied.

"What do you see in them?"

"Excuse me?"

"Tell me, what do you see?" He watched her.

"I see everything that I normally see. Kindness, understanding, an unquenchable thirst for knowledge…" She laughed. "And something else…"

"What is it?"

"I don't know, I've never seen it in a woman before…"

"In a woman?"

"Yes. I've seen it before, but only in men."

"What was it?"

"It was… no, no it isn't."

"Tell me, and I will tell you if you are right!"

"It was want… they wanted something badly."

"And what do you think that I could want?"

"I… I have no idea…"

"Think... something that I might possible want…" She bit her bottom lip subconsciously.

"From me."

"Ahuh."

"I don't know…" She uncurled her legs and pulled herself up from the arm of the sofa, crawling on all fours towards him. He was sat with his legs up on the sofa, leaning against the arm rest. She crawled forward, her hand pressing down on the soft material, leaving little imprints as she moved, until she was leaning over him, her body nearly covering his, her arms holding her up. She had been desperate to do this all night. She leaned close towards his ear and purred into it..

"You."

OH just you wait for the next chappie! You will love me!