Chapter Six - Dirty Playing Grounds

Disclaimer: All the characters that you recognize belong to J. K. Rowling. All other characters are mine. This story is purely for fun, and I don't make any money off it. Unfortunately, the story isn't mine ether: this is in response to Wormey's 'Heir Challenge'. Go to her page if you want to read the requirements! Thank you for reading! Constructive criticism is welcome, as always.

Heroin-xOverdose: lol. I'm working on it! I try to update as quickly as I can! Nice to have some, er … positive reinforcement, however. o.O;

SailorMoon1982: Well, I'd put it on one of those sites, but then people will be expecting sex in like every chapter. I'll try that out, though, thank you. nn

Redlightspin: Oh, I will. Moohahaha. I have so many more things planned for him. –Evil laugh.-

RebelWilla: And you can bet that it's going to get hotter!

Applekissis: Thank you! I hope you do. Actually, I hope everyone does. o.o;

Ms Figg: Holy God! I can't believe you actually read my story. It really means a lot to me … seriously. You're the one who turned me on to Severus and Hermione as a couple in the first place. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

Hermione stared at the muggle calendar that she had magicked to her wall. Friday, October the sixth. Friday. It was only 6:30 in the morning, but she had woken up practically oozing excitement like a ten-year-old on Christmas morning.

Since she was already awake, Hermione decided to make the best of her time. She showered thoroughly, choosing the coriander-scented soaps and shampoos, an herb that she knew would have an invigorating effect on those within smelling range of her. She brushed her honey-colored hair to a shine and even put on a dab of lip gloss. Smoothing her robes over her midriff, she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

"What the hell am I doing?" she grumbled, sighing at the over-zealous girl staring back at her. "It's just Hogsmeade. Nothing special, right? You've been there a thousand times."

Except that you haven't had any discernable social life since you got here.

Hermione sat around boredly for the majority of the day, too anxious to accomplish anything significant. She organized and reorganized her cabinets and shelved the potion ingredients in reverse alphabetical order. Finally, just after lunch, she went to assist Hagrid with his afternoon classes and found some purpose to her day.

"Have fun i' Hogsmeade, Hermione," his booming voice called after her as she returned to the school.

It was nearly 6:00 and beginning to get dark by the time all the students and teachers going to Hogsmeade had been rounded up. After a quick attendance check, they set off in small groups. Several teachers, including Professor Snape, kept a wary eye on them.

It was nearly impossible for them to be watching all the students, however, when they reached Hogsmeade. The students immediately broke into smaller cliques and scattered in every different direction. Torn and not quite knowing what to do, Hermione headed into the Three Broomsticks, where she thought the majority of the students would probably be.

She was right, for the most part. The Three Broomsticks was packed to overflowing with three or more people to a table. She had to dodge several students carrying mugs of hot butterbeer on her way to the counter.

"Hermione!" exclaimed Madame Rosmerta, her face instantly brightening. "What are you doing here? I thought you graduated with Harry and Ron."

Hermione grinned shyly. "I did, but … I came back to work for Professor Dumbledore. At Hogwarts."

"That's great for you, Hermione," she commented as she darted back and forth behind the counter, carrying empty trays and mugs. "Listen. It's a bit busy out here. Why don't you go back to the bar area?" she suggested.

"Oh, I … I really shouldn't. I'm supposed to be watching the students," Hermione explained.

Rosmerta leaned over the counter, eyeing at Hermione knowingly. The young witch couldn't help but notice how Rosmerta's breasts leaked out over her shirt collar. She blushed, embarrassed at how undeveloped and juvenile her body looked compared to Rosmerta's feminine curves.

"Hermione," she began, her voice low, amused. Hermione could barely hear her over the constant din in the background. She leaned forward. "You know that Hogsmeade trips are as much a break for the teachers as they are for the students, don't you?"

Hermione nodded shallowly. She had never thought of that before. Of course the teachers worked hard.

"So," Rosmerta concluded. "Get your butt back there and have yourself some fun." The older woman leaned away and dashed to a table of students who were ready to order.

Hermione rose from her seat and peeked timidly around the corner towards a door with a sign that read 'ADULTS ONLY'. She pushed past several groups of teenaged socialites and stood on her toes to peer through the small round window. Darkness. The young witch paused and took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

.x.

Severus had been watching Hermione since she'd entered the Three Broomsticks. She hadn't noticed him, of course; a hooded cloak concealed his face as he watched her squeeze her way across the tavern, strike up a conversation with Rosmerta. He'd seen her looking at the bar door curiously before she got up and entered. A small pang of something unfamiliar tugged at his heart. Something within him urged the Potions master to follow her, to continue watching her. But he felt uneasy. This new feeling disturbed him. Resisting his urges to tag along behind the witch, he leaned back in his seat and took another sip of his firewhiskey.

.x.

The room was dimly lit, the music low. Hermione took a few hesitant steps into the bar lounge, a part of the Three Broomsticks that she'd never seen before. It was about the same size, if not larger than the main room. Bottles of multicolored alcohol lined the glass shelves behind the counter across one entire wall of the lounge. Little islands of couch-and-table sets had been placed strategically around the room. Several witches and wizards look up as Hermione entered the room.

"What'll the young lady have tonight?" questioned the bartender, a distinguished-looking, middle-aged wizard. He retrieved a glass from somewhere below the counter and placed it before her, staring at her with intense blue eyes.

"Just water, please," she asked meekly. Hermione had never had a single alcoholic beverage in her life.

"Nonsense," growled a deep voice. "Give her an apple martini, Solomon. Put it on my tab."

"Yes, sir," the bartender replied, retrieving several bottles from the shelves behind him and pouring them into a mixer with several different types of fruit juice.

Hermione blushed, risking a sideways glance at the wizard beside her. His head was cocked in her direction, and he flashed a charming smile at her when she looked at him. She could feel the heat rising in her face.

The wizard laughed, sipped his drink. He was really quite attractive, Hermione noted, with medium-length, wavy brown hair and deep, dark eyes. Her gaze swept over his body briefly before she turned back to face the counter, embarrassed. He wasn't overly-muscular but lean and trim, a bit small for his height.

"Here is your drink, ma'am," Solomon said, sliding the glass to her over the counter. She muttered 'thank you' in a small, timid voice, swirling the greenish liquid about in its cup uneasily.

"It's not as bad as you think," the wizard laughed, turning on his barstool to face her. She could feel his intense gaze as it hugged her curves appreciatively. Face burning with embarrassment, she took a small sip of her martini to avert her attention.

"Wow," she said, surprised. "This is really good. I can't even taste the alcohol."

"See?" he said, his voice smooth, comforting. Hermione took another sip of her martini, offering a shy, polite grin. She wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the wizard sitting next to her, but she felt suddenly very open, very uninhibited.

"I'm Hermione," she said, tilting her body towards him to shake his hand.

"Hermione." The wizard repeated her, giving her name his personal signature as he accepted her hand. His touch was like silk. Hot silk. Hermione blushed slightly and took another sip of her drink, avoiding his gaze as if trying to conceal her lewd thoughts.

"A pleasure, Hermione," he said to her. "You can call me Caius."

The two spoke until late in the night, becoming more than a little acquainted with each other. Hermione finished her first drink, and then a second and a third, becoming quite inebriated. She learned that Caius was in fact Caius Dukarai, one of the most revered Potion Masters in wizarding Britain. They argued and debated questioned theories, the young wizard being quite impressed with the extent of Hermione's knowledge and the reach of her ambition. But the conversation turned in a different direction entirely as the night went on and Hermione became more intoxicated.

Solomon shook his head lightly at the obviously drunk witch and the litter of martini glasses strewn over the counter before her. Another young, innocent girl who had fallen prey to Caius' charms.

"Tell me about your best sexual experience," Caius asked, his voice suggestively lowered. He hadn't even had to work on this one. All he had to do was get her drunk.

"Oh …" Hermione's eyes glazed over for a moment before she began to giggle, snatching his glass and taking a small sip with a wince. "None."

"Surely they can't have been that bad." And if they were, they won't be soon.

"Oh, that's not it," she said, her speech slightly slurred. She squinted, trying to bring him into focus. "I'm a virgin, you know."

Caius' eyebrows raised. "A virgin?" he echoed, surprised. "Well well, Miss Granger. You're far too pretty to let yourself go to waste like that." He leaned forward, resting his hand on her knee. His voice was soft, seductive. "If you let me be your very lucky first wizard, I promise I'll give you an experience you'll never forget."

Hermione looked at him, her eyes a bit heated. Normally, a statement like that would have earned the wizard a one-way trip to St. Mungo's. But something about him made her want to comply. Badly.

"Hermione," he whispered, leaning towards her. His lips grazed her jaw and he planted a small kiss on her throat, her heart beating so hard that he could feel her pulse. The wizard grinned as a small but unmistakable gasp pierced the air. He was on the right track.

"Come with me now," he asked, his breath warm and soothing against her throat, "And I'll make you come later."

Without waiting for a response, he stood and slipped one arm beneath Hermione's knees, the other, across the back of her shoulders. She squealed as he lifted her with ease, sauntering with wide steps towards the staircase that led to the rooms upstairs. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, her face pressed against his chest. That small familiar pulse burned between her thighs as he carried her up the stairs. He put her down to open the door.

Hermione shrank back into the corner and eased her way to the floor. As she leaned over to throw up, she didn't notice a dark shadow streak up the stairs, grab her would-be lover and roughly slam him against the wall. She didn't see two men struggling to best each other and she certainly wasn't paying attention when the darker wizard threw a particularly nasty hex at the other, knocking him out cold. But she did feel a pair of strong, steady arms lift her and cradle her against their owner's chest, pressing a warm hand to her clammy, pale cheek.

"No," she whispered as she saw Caius, his body limp on the hallway floor.

"Hermione." Someone called to her, pulled her out of her dream, commanded her to return to her world. "Promise me that you'll always do what I say if it's for your own good."

"Yes," she said, neither of the two noticing as a spiral of golden light swirled around them. "I promise, Severus."

There you go. Sorry it took so long … I had some trouble writing this chapter. Quite frequently, actually, I get these really bad bouts of writer's block. I find the best thing to do is write anyway, and that's how I finished the chapter. I apologize in advance if the next chapter takes a long time, too. Please review!