Chapter 7
A knock resounded on Snape's doors. He knew who it was before he opened the door to reveal a smiling Hufflepuff with auburn hair. With a gleam in her green eyes, Summer walked past him and into the lab. She hadn't said anything to him, which he found slightly odd, but he merely shrugged it off. He had given up trying to decipher her actions and words. She just didn't fit the mold of a normal teenage girl.
He watched her set up a cauldron and take out some ingredients before she looked back up at him, still smiling.
"Are you just going to stare at me all day, or are you going to help?" she asked. "Then again, women enjoy it when men look at them, don't they?" She started to giggle, and Snape merely rolled his eyes at her. He was starting to regret acting friendly towards the girl. Walking into the lab, he did start gathering some tools to brew the next potion on the list. They had started working together, which made the work go by even faster. To Snape's surprise, he never found himself bored while around Summer. She was always saying something contrary to what he thought she would say. It was, in a way, comforting.
After about an hour of silence, Snape and Summer had moved into the study to eat a light lunch. He was staring into the fireplace before he felt something jab into his side. Looking over to his left, he saw Summer smiling innocently at him.
"What, pray tell, was that for?" he drawled at her. She had no right to go around poking him as though he were a button. She giggled, almost hiding behind her mug of pumpkin juice.
"Just a reminder that I'm still a thorn in your side," she responded amidst her giggling.
"I would appreciate it if you wouldn't literally remind me of that. Your red hair is enough of a reminder."
"Maybe I should dye it black, then?" she asked. Snape glared at her before taking a strand in his fingers. Looking as though he was inspecting it, he snorted.
"I am afraid to tell you, Miss Sundale, that your hair is damaged enough. You would be better off merely chopping it all off," he remarked before letting go. It had felt so smooth, so silky. And she hadn't even cringed as his finger had drawn near her. She was merely smiling at him.
"I did that twice already. While it was fun to spike my hair for a time, I do rather enjoy it long." She was smiling at him. Snape knew that his face showed a little surprise. He couldn't imagine her long hair being only two inches long and spiky. Apparently too much for Summer to handle, she started laughing. It was a rich laughter, one that made Snape's senses tingle and want to laugh with her. But it had been years since he had laughed. All he allowed were the slight tuggings of a smirk to linger.
- - -
She could see how much he wanted to laugh, how much he wanted to smile when he was around her. The distant look that she saw him with almost always disappeared whenever she stopped to say something to him. It was in small, little ways such as this that the evening in the Hospital Wing had continued.
A loud crashing and hissing reached her ears. Perking up, Summer put her mug on the coffee table and looked towards the lab. Something had gone wrong. Very wrong. She stood up and ran over to the lab, despite the fumes that were being emitted from it, and despite Snape's yelling.
Her senses were almost overloaded when she stood in the entrance. She felt calm and at peace, as if she could stand there doing nothing; forever. Peppermint left her body cold and yet warm at the same time, relaxing her. The last thing Summer remembered before she collapsed, was a strong pair of arms grabbing her by the waist. Then everything went into a pleasant dream.
- - -
Snape knew that she shouldn't go near the room, at least not without protection of some sort. But she had to be stupid and walk over there anyway. She had ignored his protests, and he quickly followed her and held his breath, grabbing onto her and pulling her away from the mess. Looking down at the girl in his arms, he saw that she was passed out. He sighed to himself and easily lifted her over to the couch they had been sitting at. He laid her down on its cushions, quickly checking to make sure no permanent damage had been done. Thankfully, none was to be found.
He was kneeling down by her side. A serene smile was on her lips and he placed some of her hair out of her face. She was still warm. Muttering to himself, he sighed and went over to the armchair and sat down. Her breathing was soft, and he realized that she was merely sleeping, not knocked out. He got up and went into his bedroom to grab an extra blanket. Placing it over her body, Snape moved to go sit back down.
A small giggle emanated from Summer. Inquisitively, he watched her. No, she wasn't waking up – merely talking in her sleep.
"Dear, please come a little closer," she said softly. Her body writhed a little bit and a slight frown appeared on her face. "But I'm cold." Her voice dropped and all Snape could make out were soft mumblings. Ignoring everything that told him otherwise, he reached out to softly caress her cheek. The smile reappeared on her face and her voice picked up its volume again. "See, was that so hard, Severus?" Almost appearing to lean into his touch, Snape couldn't help but wonder at the dreams she was having.
He sighed to himself and got back up and went to the armchair. Shaking his head at his thoughts, he stared into the fire for a time before deciding to go clean up the mess that was waiting in the lab. A soft whisper reached his ears before he could leave the study.
"I love you," were the words to escape her lips. He stood, gaping at what she had said, before going back to what he had originally planned to do. It was a dream, that's all it was. Why would someone like her ever care for him? It didn't matter how much he wanted to gather her in his arms again and kiss her. She was of her own free mind and surely wouldn't choose a man such as himself to fall in love with. But then again, had he actually chosen her?
Scrubbing at the floor and tables, Snape's thoughts ran in every direction. She's your student, one voice said to him.
But you love her. It doesn't matter, the other responded.
It most certainly does matter.
When did love know not to cross such boundaries? Albus would most certainly encourage you, Severus. It seems as though he has been doing that from the very beginning.
"Enough!" he yelled out loud. He was going to go mad if this inner battle continued.
Apparently his voice had awakened the being of his thoughts. He heard a stirring from the study and he angrily scrubbed harder at the table.
"Is… is everything all right?" Summer gently called through a somewhat sleepy voice. Snape looked up from the rag that was ready to bore a hole in the wooden table. She was leaning against the doorway, her eyes still looking as though they wanted more sleep. A serene smile was still plastered on her face, making it appear as though she was almost sleep-walking.
"Everything is fine," he retorted through gritted teeth. His gaze had quickly left her, not wanting to betray his normal demeanor. But she wouldn't allow him to be left alone, as he so desired. Instead, she walked next to him and placed a hand on his furiously-moving arm. Looking up, Snape's black eyes met hers. She was still smiling.
To his great surprise, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, huddling against his chest. He had stood up, almost trying to get away from this contact. It wasn't appropriate. But it felt so nice to have someone hold him, to want to be with him. His arms gave up the battle and wrapped themselves around the girl who was happily hugging him. Snape closed his eyes, reveling in the warmth from her body, and from the emotions flooding through him.
They stood that way for several moments, each enjoying the other's presence and feel. Snape didn't want this moment to ever end, for he knew that she would finally wake up and realize who she was holding onto, who she was showing affection to. When finally she started to pull away, he immediately made his arms drop and looked down at her. She was still holding onto him, although loosely.
Looking into her dark green eyes, he instantly knew that she wasn't still sleeping, nor was she under the influence of any potion. She was doing this out of her own free will, and almost as if to prove it to him, she leaned up and lightly kissed him.
His inner battle was instantly shattered as she kissed him, and he hungrily kissed her back, allowing his arms to wrap themselves around her lithe form again. He lips were so sweet and soft, and he lightly nibbled at them. She sighed softly and ran her fingers through his hair, making him pull her closer. Shuddering, Snape pulled away before things could get out of hand. While self-control was perhaps one of his strongest points, even the strongest man was able to fall.
Summer's arms were wrapped around his neck now, and her fingers were lightly playing with his hair. Curiosity overwhelmed him, and his gruff voice broke the stillness that had settled between them.
"Did you mean what you said?" She looked confused, and Snape almost regretted asking the question, berating himself for his stupidity. But after a moment she realized what he meant. She bit her lower lip and looked downwards. She looked beautiful that way, but it didn't matter. Her body language all but told him what the answer was.
"Yes." Her eyes had come to capture his again, this time with certainty in them. "I meant what I said." Unable to keep his joy to himself, Snape kissed her again, lovingly, trying to show her that he felt the same way. Sentiments were never his forte, so he tried to show it through his actions.
His lips left hers again, only to ask, "Why me?" She seemed to smile and almost giggle at his question.
"Severus Snape, you may be the hardest shell to break through, but underneath is an amusing man who accepts me for who I am. You are the only person I have been able to simply be myself around, and for that, I am eternally grateful." Her lips caressed his again, making him shiver.
"Are you calling me a crustacean?" he asked her mockingly. Their foreheads were pressed together, and he could feel her warm breath on his throat. If she only knew what she did to him!
"Yes. You are a big, blue lobster," she said sarcastically before laughing. Before he could respond, Snape felt her lips on his throat. If there really was a heaven, then this was it, Snape decided. Running his fingers through her silky hair, he couldn't help but sigh at what she was doing to him. The beginnings of arousal were starting to awaken as her lips nibbled his throat, his neck, his ears. She had pressed closer to him in order to reach up to his earlobes, and was now gently nipping. He heard her sigh softly into an ear as he pressed back against her, the warmth in his groin no longer able to be held back.
"Well, now. It appears as though someone wants to play," she whispered into his ear before nipping it again. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was she actually trying to seduce him? She giggled softly, sending shivers through him again.
Summer's hands were running up and down his back as she pulled back to look up at him with a slight grin. Snape raised an eyebrow at her before grabbing her and kissing her strongly. She moaned softly as he did so, stopping all other movements. Opening her lips slightly, Summer allowed him to kiss her deeply.
Somehow, the pair had walked into his bedroom. The ended up on his silken sheets, him laying on top of her. There she was. His for the taking. And damned if he was going to mess this up.
He knew he had the position of power this time. So he sat up on top of her and grinned evilly. Running one slender finger up her side, he watched as her eyes closed and she shuddered at his touch. Oh it had been too long since he was with a woman. He wanted to please her and kiss her and make love to her. But for the time being, Snape merely watched her reactions to his touch, as he slowly lifted her sweater, feeling her silken skin, running his hand over her breasts, feeling how warm and soft she was. Her eyes were closed and she was smiling, eliciting soft moans when he hit a particularly sensitive area.
Leaning down to kiss her again, Snape lost all control. Summer was his – it was a dream come true, for him, and he finally allowed himself to get lost in the moment, to get lost in the passion between them.
- - -
Warmth. Summer felt warm. Physically and emotionally. She didn't open her eyes, but reveled in the feeling of Snape's arm wrapped around her bare waist. Turning softly around, she looked at his sleeping face. It was so serene and lovely. The planes of his cheeks were softly illuminated by the sunlight that was fighting its way into the room, and his lips were parted slightly. He looked innocent.
Summer looked at the clock that was on the wall. It read seven thirty. What day is it? she sleepily thought to herself. Then it occurred to her. It was Monday. And she had class at eight. Throwing the covers back, she counted herself lucky that she had awoken in time. She quickly got up and got dressed before sitting down next to the dark-haired man. Lightly kissing his temple, his eyes flickered for a moment before fully opening. He sat up and looked at her with confusion written on his face. Summer merely smiled gently at him as he got his bearings.
"It's almost eight. I thought I would wake you. I know you have a class," she told him. He groaned before falling back down into the mess of a bed. Shaking her head at him, she conjured up a mug of coffee (they usually didn't do that because it never tasted nearly as good as hand-made coffee), and kissed him softly again before leaving for her class.
- - -
Author's Note: Ahh!!! Did they actually sleep together?!? Yes! I believe they did! FINALLY! Gawd. laughs I hope I worked it in well enough, and that it doesn't destroy how you think of Summer. They're in love! sighs happily Yay for love. Anyway.
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