Chapter Four - My name is Ruin

Welvome back loyal readers. I have taken your comments and hopefully this chapter will explain a bit better. The next chapter is currently in production and you will not be disappointed. Let me know what you think and thank you all again.

Severus looked at his clock which was about to chime two pm. Rolling onto his back, he rubbed his eyes and realised how much of a day he had wasted. As he began to sit upright the pain in his left side intensified causing him to undo his shirt. As he did so he could clearly see a large bruise appearing where the impact had been. Taking his wand, he cast a healing spell which lessened the pain allowing him to breathe a bit more easily.

He quickly did up his shirt and smartened himself up but became annoyed at the cat hair attached to his back trousers. As he cast a hair removal spell Crookshanks appeared and took his place on the bed earning a glare from Severus.

"If it wasn't for her I would have banished you by now," he said gruffly. Crookshanks rolled onto his back and gave a carefree meow in defiance.

The old wizard shook his head and silently walked into the lounge. Hermione wasn't visible until he walked up to the sofa where he saw her curled up with a hot water bottle. On closer inspection, he saw that her eyes were slightly puffy and he assumed she had been upset after what had happened.

He crouched down next to her and watched her for a few seconds before cautiously stroking her head.

"Severus, are you alright?" Hermione asked and sat bolt upright away from his delicate touch.

She watched him nod his head and noticed that his face had returned to normal.

"We need to keep this incident within this room. I don't want anyone to know. Is that understood?" He said in his deep voice with a piercing glare.

"Why did you let him do it? I thought you were the man that could not be defeated," She asked and watched his head drop.

"Hermione, I'm not the same man that I was. I know Lucius and I know that was incredibly mild considering what he has done in the past. We must let this pass as I need to keep him on my side," he replied now gripping her shoulders.

They looked at each other for a moment and his eyes became drawn to her neck. Four finger marks could be seen as he turned her head to the side.

"I'm sorry, you should not have got involved. Lucius is a powerful man and could of hurt you more severely,"

"What was I supposed to do? He hit you to the bloody ground. Do you really think I could if stood there hiding behind the door. Dammit Severus! I'm not the silly little girl I once was!" She shouted and rose from her seat, making her way out of his lounge.

He winced when the door slammed and pinched the bridge of his tender nose and took in a deep sigh.

XxX

Hermione sat on the flat rock that overlooked the vast expanse of water. It was a calm day and the weather gently rippled in the light breeze. She took in a deep breath and shut her eyes. The freedom of being out of that room was exhilarating for her.

She thought back to the wedding and became annoyed at herself for not saying goodby to Harry, Ron, and Ginny as she was quickly whisked away but a much eager Severus. She felt so lost without them to pep her up.

"Hermione, h..h..how are you? And Severus,"

Hermione opened her eyes and saw Remus Lupin standing next to her. She smiled at the werewolf and motioned for him to sit down.

"We are both fine. Don't get me wrong - he's not an easy man to be around,"

The werewolf nodded his head in agreement and scratched his head. "When we were children he was deeply troubled and James Potter made his life hell. He's got this death curse notion, especially after dear Lily was killed,"

"Death curse?" Enquired Hermione and looked at Remus quizzically.

"After Lily he became adamant that should anyone love him or if he was to fall in love then that person would die. A bit far fetched but that is what he believes. He does have emotions as I have seen them,"

"Yes. When he is pissed off," She snipped remembering his lack of empathy.

"Well yes but I saw him cry a few times. Lily's anniversary, his mother's death, and after the war. Minerva will tell you that as she was his makeshift councillor. Under all that black I do believe there is a heart," he said and looked at Hermione deeply and admiring how the light reflected in her brunette hair.

Remus had always admired the woman. Her caring nature and elegance used to entice him many a time but he could never find the confidence to act on his desires. His deepest desire was to claim her as his mate and there had been many occasions where he had to control his werewolf urges and this was turning into one of them.

His eyes became drawn to her chest which was encased in a cream chiffon blouse and he could just about make out her rounded chest. His mind began to wander as it had done before and his trousers started to become slightly tighter.

Hermione became uncomfortable upon noticing Remus looking at her differently and with more intensity. She had always felt an attraction but his lycanthropy was something she knew she couldn't cope with.

"Do you fear him Remus?" She asked, breaking his gaze on her.

"Well, yes and no. I rely on him to make my Wolfsbane and I would like to think that he wouldn't do me any harm. However, his friend Lucius is one to watch,"

A loud crack was heard by the two of them as Severus appeared looking rather miffed.

"Ahh, There you are. I hope Remus has given you enough entertainment for the day?" He said monotonously and raised one eyebrow at Remus.

"S..Severus, I found Hermione whole taking my afternoon walk. How are you?"

"We are fine Remus. However, we must go now. Come Hermione," the black haired wizard ordered and reached out his arm which she reluctantly took.

"Have a nice afternoon Remus," she said and gave him a warm smile to which he returned. Severus gave his customary glare.

Taking her arm they walked the short distance before he pulled her into him. Remus heard the crack signalling that they had gone.

Poor Hermione, he thought.

XxX

A loud crack was heard as the couple appeared back in his living quarters.

"What the hell was all that about?" Hermione asked, pulling away from her husband.

"Hermione, please. Remus can be a little intrusive at times. You mustn't allow yourself to be hunted by him,"

She placed both hands on her hips and her face became quite thunderous. "You might be my husband but you will not dictate who I speak to. I'm not some damn pet you can control,"

Severus became quite bitter as his patience ran thin. "I suspect he sweet talked you and stared at your chest, am I correct?" He said as he watched Hermione fold her arms and look away.

"Hermione, he is unpredictable and will make more advances to you. You have to understand that I know what he is capable off. Is that what you want?" He said and moved closer to her, overshadowing her frame.

"Of course not. He told me about your so called death curse," she said and watched his face drop slightly.

A heavy silence filled the room as Severus became lost for words. He trusted Remus to never tell anyone about it but now she knew.

"Severus, you need to tell me. We have to get along and try to make this work. Nothing will happen to me and you need to believe that," Hermione said reassuringly and placed a hand on his arm.

Severus looked at her and noticed that her anger had subsided and her face was quite welcoming. It was at that moment that he realised how beautiful she was inside and out. Her passion for treating everyone kindly reminded him of his dear Lily and at the same time he felt like his father who always wanted control.

"You need to stop being hot and cold. Just let me in Severus. Let me be your wife, let me be the one you can trust with your secrets. Don't block me out," she whispered.

She looked at him and could see tears in his eyes. The man who she knew to be cold and dark was now exposed to be sensitive and empathetic.

He took both of her hands in his and placed them on his chest. He took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. Words were not needed as he pulled her in close to him and as he leaned down she met his mouth with hers.

Their tongues began to entwine as their embrace deepened. Hermione realised that this had much more feeling than the night of their wedding. For the first time she felt fire within him.

His hands pulled her shirt from the waistband of her blue jeans and she felt him unbuttoning it from the neck down. Her heart raced as his hands felt the flesh of her abdomen and she pulled away for air.

Severus was overwhelmed with desire but soon realised that he had gone too far. "I'm sorry, we shouldn't be doing this...are you, you know,?"

"If you are asking about my period then no it is not done. Unless you have something for it?" She asked and took great pleasure as he grimaced at the word period.

He began to think but shook his head. Hermione smiled and reached up to kiss him and felt him pull her closer to him. Severus gently coaxed her to the sofa and pushed her onto it gently. As she lay on the seat, he climbed on top of her and kissed her neck which resulted in airy moans in his ear. He felt a distinct tightness in his trousers which he pressed against her leg as he began to gently cup her soft breasts.

"We need to save this. I'm sorry, this has been bottled up for so long. I didn't think I could bring it back," he said in his baritone voice. She stroked his cheek and became absorbed in his eyes.

"No more secrets Severus?" She whispered.

"You have my word. Do you trust me?"

"Yes. I also believe in you,"

They embraced one last time before straightening themselves up. Hermione was still on her guard but was happy to see Severus had begun to let her in. There were so many pieces to this man but she knew she could glue most of them back together.

XxX

Friday came around quickly and Severus has been getting used to having Hermione around for most of the day. He began to relax more and even became friendlier towards her cat. He realised that her passion for knowledge was immense and something that they had in common. She wasn't like Lily, and he knew she never would be, but she was a close match.

He shuddered when he remembered that she could have chosen Remus as her suitor. The image of a bite mark forever visible on her neck made his brow furrow.

Severus had always kept a close eye on Remus due to his unbridled lust for young women and Hermione wasn't the only object of his affections. Depending on the time of the month he would literally sniff out the most fertile and flirt quite obviously. He was still annoyed at Hermione for not picking up on this but he knew her kind nature would sometimes cloud her judgement.

As he finished the last of his marking the unmistakable sound of Hermione and Ginny echoed across his small office. They had both been in hogsmeade for most of the day and had no doubt caught up with the latest gossip. Severus decided to remain in his office to avoid the Weasley hilarity.

"So, when is the big night?" Asked a curious Ginny as she fell into the sofa with Hermione.

"Tomorrow! Which is why I purchased this," Hermione replied as she tapped the pink paper bag. Inside was a green negligee complete with back hold ups. "I could have gone for the bridle look but the last time it was so clinical. I want this time to be real and passion driven,"

"So you are starting to fall for him?" Ginny grinned at her friend.

"Well yes I suppose I am. Under all that fabric is a beast with a heart. I never thought I would say that but these past couple of days have been really positive for us,"

"Are you nervous?" She shyly Asked and watched Hermione blush.

"Yes. I do wish to come across as a confident woman but I've never done this before," she whispered as she heard Severus moving about. "So, who do you have to marry?" She said changing the subject.

Ginny became quite stony faced as the words 'Remus Lupin' became audible to Hermione who raised her hand to her mouth in shock.

"Oh gosh, Ginny! When?"

"Next Saturday. I wanted to mention it sooner but it makes me nervous just thinking about it," she said quietly.

"Remus is a lovely man. I know plenty of us that had a crush on him. He's always been so kind to everyone,"

"He's a bloody werewolf Hermione! You do realise he has to bite me as part of marriage so that he has a mate for life,"

The two women looked at each other and realised exactly how the other felt. Ginny was now in Hermione's position and she felt much sympathy towards her.

"Oh Ginny, I don't know what to say. I guess I have been fortunate with Severus so far but even so it's still only been almost a week," she said and placed a reassuring hand on her friends shoulder.

Ginny ran her hands through her hair and sighed.

"So, changing the subject, what's the plan for tomorrow?"

"Not a lot really. Severus is away all day for supplies so I will be a lady of leisure. Unless you wish for me to help with your wedding?" She said knowing how much effort Ginny had put in for her.

"Would you mind? I'm not sure what werewolves like. Oh Gods Hermione!" Came the exasperated voice.

Unbeknownst to the two witches, Severus had caught the tail end of their conversation by chance. He grimaced at the thought of Remus being with such a young woman. He hoped that a stronger Wolfsbane potion would make things easier for her.

To be continued ...