AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the second half of the last chapter—Addy & Snape's field trip to the London Underground. I know that some of you are wondering, "What's with the R-rating?". And you might be thinking that at the rate they're going, young Harry's gonna get some before Snape and Addy.

But this chapter represents the first slow, rickety climb of the roller coaster ride ahead of them. I hope you like it.

Chapter 23: Getting to Know You, Part 2

Although the rain had stopped, the warm night air was dense with moisture, and the large moon mostly obscured by a thick layer of fast-moving clouds. The trip down the lawn to the back gate was a struggle for Addy in more ways than one. For one thing, after picking her way over the cobblestones in the tunnel that led to the back door, she was now contending with the tufts of lawn that repeatedly got stuck on her heels as she and Snape bridged the distance between the castle and the gate. Twice her whole shoe came off and she had to stop to put it back on in utter darkness, while Snape looked anxiously about and rumbled at her to hurry up.

But what was far worse was how close they needed to huddle together as they made their way under the Invisibility Cloak. It was agonizing to be pressed against him like that, his arm around her to keep them both under cover as they tried to walk in step with one another for maximum speed. She felt his fingers nervously clenching and unclenching the curve of her waist, and wondered if he was feeling any of the same torment. The Pepper Up potion had not erased the memory of his highly skilled tongue, expertly sucking at her finger with controlled devotion, nor the hungrily searching way he'd pulled her toward him, nor the dazzling sensation of his velvety lips murmuring against hers, nor the look that had lurked behind his eyes, which was power and prayer in equal measure. The lingering imprint of his touch, combined with his provocative scent, triggered an involuntary response in Addy and by the time they arrived at the gate, the area between her legs was saturated with desire.

On the whispered count of three, they vanished. Addy was thankful for the distracting concentration required for them to disapparate and re-apparate in unison, while remaining cloaked together.

They appeared in London on a quiet side street a few blocks from the massive Kings Cross station, in front of a small hotel called The Arriva. Checking to see that there was nobody in site, they flung off the Invisibility Cloak and Addy stashed it in her purse. She stared apprehensively through the glass entranceway at a gruesome painting hanging in the hotel lobby, and was about to ask Snape if the place wasn't perhaps run by Dark Wizards, but he had already taken her hand and was whisking her away down the street.

When they arrived at the station, they made their way down the stairs to be confronted with their first real challenge of the Muggle world: subway tickets. They exchanged a nervous glance, realizing that neither had thought to bring Muggle money. There were quite a few people coming and going, so they strolled over to a deserted side corridor, and Addy kept watch while Snape pulled out his wand and discreetly changed some knuts into British pounds. They watched a few Muggles to see how it was done, then passed through the subway gates without incident.

Several minutes later, they were standing on the platform where Pugh would be planting Voldemort's explosive device in less than two weeks. There were more Muggles than expected--businessmen coming home late from the office, tourists, students, couples and groups of friends. Addy watched them come and go, with the deepening realization of how many lives were riding on the success of their mission.

She looped her arm in Snape's and urged him to stroll along with her. "Over there," she whispered, inclining her head. "See that bin next to the vending machine? Pugh is supposed to arrive at the platform at eight o'clock in the morning and drop a package into it. Within seconds, a green smoke will emanate from the bin, forming the words 'Greetings from Lord Voldemort, who hopes you are enjoying your last moments on Earth. Prepare to die.'"

Snape snorted. "Typical," he grunted, with a look of disgust.

Addy stopped as a Muggle passed them close by, then continued in hushed tones, "When Pugh sees the words, he's supposed to count to five, cast the spell that will activate the bomb, then disapparate before it goes off. Within moments, the package will erupt in a huge explosion, eliminating this platform and everyone on it. According to Voldemort's Pyromancers, the blast should be big enough to take down a good portion of this entire structure." She gazed around at the solid platform and up at the arched, concrete ceiling in somber reflection.

"Why count to five?" Snape asked, out of curiosity.

"No one was sure he could go any higher than that."

"I assume, then, that the spell isn't very complicated. He will have to be disarmed before he has a chance to drop the package." Addy nodded. As another Muggle passed, she laughed loudly as though Snape had just said something funny. He picked up on the cue instantly and smiled down at her. Addy's insides lurched.

When the Muggle was out of earshot, Snape asked, "Do you know the incantation he will be using?"

Addy nodded again.

"We should report it to the Aurors immediately so they have time to work out a counterspell that will defuse the bomb." He felt Addy's body stiffen automatically at the sound of the word 'Aurors.' She had, after all, spent more than ten years running for her life from them.

They spent the next few minutes drifting around the platform, checking out the various stairways and entrances to determine how many Aurors would be needed and where they ought to be stationed to intercept Pugh. Snape was about to ask Addy another question, when her face crinkled in disgust. "Whew," she cried.

A repulsive odor had just hit her, turning her stomach. It smelled like the Grindylow swamp at the Wizard's Central Zoo on a very hot, August day. She glanced in revulsion at the trash bin they'd just passed, wondering what Muggle garbage could be causing such a stench, but noticed that Snape seemed unaffected by it. With a jolt of recognition, she began to peer around the platform in earnest, gripping Snape's arm.

"What is it"" he asked.

"Pugh!" she whispered urgently. "He's here...nearby. He's getting closer!"

"Where?"

"I don't know," came Addy's confused response, her eyes darting about. They started to head for the nearest exit stairs, but just as they were about to ascend, another wave of the nauseating smell hit her nose, even stronger this time. She cried, "No! Not that way! He's coming from up there! He'll see me Snape...he'll recognize me!"

They looked up the long stairway to see a pair of black boots appear at the top step. As the owner of those boots descended, a thick pair of legs in black denim jeans became visible, then a pair of hammy hands dangling at either side.

There was no time to make a getaway without breaking into a run and possibly attracting Pugh's attention, and there were far too many Muggles around to disapparate without being noticed. Snape grabbed Addy's hand and swung her around in a wide, stumbling arc, shoving her back up against the wall a few feet away from the bottom step.

He blanketed her body with his and put his left arm up on the wall, blocking her from site. With his right hand, he tried to hold down her hair, which was the only part of her visible from behind his form.

"Tuck in," he said in low growl, hunching over her. She grabbed the lapels of his suit and buried her face in his chest. The sickening stench of Pugh was replaced by Snape's earthy, spicy aroma, which deluged her senses with an instant, calming effect.

Snape leaned down and nuzzled her ear, hoping Pugh would take them for just another, lovestruck Muggle couple who couldn't keep their hands off one another while waiting for the train.

"What's he doing here?" Addy whispered.

"Probably the same as us...checking out the site," he breathed back, his words hot on her face. "Stay down."

Snape glanced surreptitiously over his left shoulder and saw Pugh walking up and down the platform looking distinctly uncomfortable, jumping every time a Muggle got near him.

"Do you think we could risk the stairs?" Addy asked. With her face pressed to the sturdy plane of his chest, she could hear is heart drumming a steady beat, but couldn't see a thing.

Snape saw Pugh turn and walk back in their general direction, and huddled closer over Addy, caressing her head as he smoothed down her hair. 'Not now. He's just to our right."

Snape watched out of the corner of his eye, to see Pugh pass them and stop a short distance away, at the bin where he was supposed to drop the bomb. Seemingly oblivious to them, Pugh peered down and spat into it.

"What are we going to do?" Addy hissed in a low, tense whisper. She peered up at Snape, her eyes wide and brimming with trepidation.

But Snape was a different picture altogether. Cool as a cucumber, his eyes glittered down on her with an electrified sense of composure, showering her with confidence and poise. He was in a heightened state of awareness yet completely at ease, fully in his element, reveling in the mad gamble of the moment.

'Great Gandalfl!' Addy thought to herself. 'He's loving every minute of this!'

Sure enough, in an unruffled baritone, Snape purred, "We're not going to do anything. We're going to stay right here until he leaves." Then, drawing her even closer and brushing her ear with his lips as he whispered into it, he added, "I don't know about you, but I've been stuck in far worse spots."

With that, he cupped her face in his hands and swooped down on her in a fiery kiss that stopped time.

Addy was at first breathless with shock, and then her mind switched off and her body took over. The air around them crackled with the presence of Pugh and the threat of being caught, but in spite of this danger--or perhaps because of it--she was drawn by the irrepressible, tidal, primeval tug he had on her senses. She floated up on tiptoe to absorb and reflect his passion, the curves of her body fitting into his as though filling the empty spaces of his life.

Snape found that he was hungrier for her than even he had realized, and he urgently explored the warm, silky flesh of her mouth as his hands kneaded her hair. The ravenous, searching flickers of his tongue set off fireworks between her legs, and she felt a soft drop of her own arousal trickle down the inside of her thigh. With a series of soft moans, she returned his kiss with all the burning, aching, pent-up yearning of her lonely existence.

Her hands snaked their way around and under his jacket, her nails raking his back through his shirt, rising up either side of his spine all the way to his neck, then down to the tight, wool-clad muscles of his buttocks. Snape shivered and flexed in response, and clutched compulsively at her hair, her back, her face, her shoulders, her bottom, while their tongues continued their silent conversation. Their bodies writhed together, every nerve ending on fire, instinctively intertwining and searching for greater, deeper contact. She knew that she needed to feel him inside her…their hearts pounding against one another, flesh against flesh… licking, sweating, tangling together.

He arched his back and threw back his head, eyes closed in the sweet agony of her impossible closeness, as Addy's fingers fluttered to his neck and she planted slow kisses down his throat and over his Adam's Apple. He moved one hand down to her right breast and moaned in delight at the soft weight of her curves. Addy's whole body trembled with longing when he brushed his thumb over the firm nipple he'd found there. The hardness she felt pressing against her stomach continued to grow, and her hands wandered automatically down to his belt, causing him to gasp loudly and whisper, "Oh Adelaide."

"Yes, yes S--"

The sound of his voice in his own ears had caused his eyelids to flicker open, as the memory of where they were and who was around crashed back on him. He had thrown his hand over her mouth before she could say his name, and her eyes widened up at him in panicked realization.

Neither knew how much time had passed--how long they had been entangled in each other's desire. With his hand still over her mouth, Snape hazarded a sharp glance first to his left, then to his right. Seeing no one, he slowly looked back over his shoulder. Addy's eyes were locked on his face, searching for a sign of doom.

But the platform was completely deserted. Unbeknownst to them, a train had come and gone, the noise and bustle of which had unnerved Pugh so much that he had left the station, apparently satisfied with his preliminary visit. Addy and Snape breathed deep sighs of relief and he removed his hand from her mouth, lingering with his thumb to trace her swollen lips. They exchanged another moment of deep, communicative looks, then Snape ran the back of his hand over her cheek and said sofly, "Let's get out of here."

To be continued…