Author's Note: Hi all. It's been a long time, eh? If anyone's even left that is. Anyway, I promised you that I'd never abandon this story, and here I am making good. I've got an urge to finish this now, so the time has come. Let's get on with this story and finish the 4th in the series.

The only sad part is that I don't remember what I was planning, and I lost the files for this story. Therefore, I've no idea who did it or how the story was going to end. Sucks, huh? Oh well, I'll keep writing, and in a few days time, I should have an idea of exactly where this story is going! Bare with me! No more long hiatuses! I may be halfway into my undergrad career, but I've still enough time to write my originals and this!

Summary of what's happened so far: Hermione came back. She and Sev are trying to figure out who sent her back in time, what the person's intentions were, etc. She and Bade and Lupin also seemed to have a friendship.

Now onto the show! I'm a little rusty, but I'll get back into it soon. Bear with me! This chapter has lemons.

Chapter 7

Severus knew better than to leave a Marauder pissed off at him for too long. His first order of business after making good with Bade was making good with Remus. He didn't exactly need to apologize to the wolf, even if he didn't loathe him anymore. He only needed to do enough to be able to tell meddlesome wizards and witches to get off his back.

That's how Severus Snape found himself leaving a fine bottle of rum with a hand-written note at Lupin's door at Grimmauld Place. For the first time, he was actually pleased that Potter had given anyone and everyone a room here. It was convenient, if nothing else.

Of course, Severus Snape had the luck of a drafted soldier, and Lupin was actually in the room instead of at his own home. Curses.

"I'm not an alcoholic, Snape," Lupin muttered, picking up the bottle and handing it back to him.

"You may not be, but you're also not abstinent. Take it as an apology and leave me be," Severus said, trying to push it back into Remus's hands.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

"I'm glad we agree on that, so don't be a snit," he black-haired man said, shoving the bottle into Remus's chest and letting go, forcing the man to use his hands to catch the bottle.

"Really, Severus? Minimal efforts, huh? You can be lazy and childish toward me, but I'm still not going to put up with you being that way toward Hermione. As long as you understand and respect that, we're fine."

Severus nodded, heading down the hall past Hermione's room. He'd been throwing his energy into research for the past two days, but it didn't do him any good. He'd recruited Bade to help him, and Bade's help involved bringing up Hermione every chance he got.

Maybe it was Granger who turned respectable adults into children? There was only one way to fix this.

He strode into Hermione's room without knocking, and wasn't surprised to see her chatting with Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. All three of them snapped their attention in his direction when the room door opened.

Weasley eyed him with dislike, but they must have been talking about something pleasant before, because Potter's eyes were still filled with glee as he noticed Snape. Hermione's eyes were warm as always as she motioned him over. She was sitting upright in her bed, with Potter facing her on the bed and Weasley on a chair to the right of her.

Severus made his way to her left and sat down in a chair that was already there.

"I was just telling them about James's and Lily's first date! Did you ever get to hear this story, Severus?" she questioned.

"No." And he didn't want to. But he stayed there, nonetheless.

She smiled, continuing the story. "Lily was so upset at landing in the hospital wing. She swore that it was a bad omen. She cried for two days straight, telling James that it was no use seeing each other anymore. If James had managed to make her a picnic using the one, rare ingredient she was allergic to, there was no way they could work out."

"And what did Dad do?" Harry questioned.

"Well, your dad accompanied me to the library, and I helped him search for spells to make someone, at least temporarily, not be allergic to something. He made the same meal for her again, cast the spell over her, and made her eat it. It was the sweetest thing, but James hadn't really been careful enough. In the subscript, it had said that the spell made the castor temporarily be the one allergic to it instead. So he ended up in the hospital wing the next day. Poor bloke."

Potter and Weasley laughed raucously, and Hermione had a wide smile on her face as she remembered the events.

"Do you remember that, Severus? It was the day you thought all of us skived off Charms." She turned toward him, encouraging him to join the conversation.

"Vaguely. It was a long time ago," he said matter-of-factly.

He didn't know what reaction he expected, but it wasn't the look of sadness that crossed her face.

Severus was simply stating the truth, pointing out the obvious. For her, that was but months ago, and for him it'd been years. And to make it worse, he'd been put in a foul mood because he hadn't been involved in so much of her life. Then again, he probably wouldn't have cared had she told him this story as it happened.

Potter coughed uncomfortably, but Weasley was still laughing.

It wasn't his intention to make her feel guilty. He had enough things to feel guilty about, and he knew how awful one could feel. He scraped his memory for anything he could that would cheer her up again.

"I do remember when Potter rushed into the library one day and pleaded with you to help him find a way to make a tent larger on the inside." He hadn't even noticed Severus was there, which was probably a good thing as his shirt was unbuttoned and Hermione's lipgloss was smeared. It wasn't something noticeable to someone distracted by something dire, but it was definitely there.

Hermione's eyes lit up. "RIGHT! I remember that! You probably don't want to hear this Harry, but that was for their six months anniversary, I think, and that's when your mum lost her virginity!"

Harry and Ron blushed furiously, and Harry was caught between fascination and disgust. "It's weird to have a mate my age who was mates with my parents, too. Too weird. I think that's the end of the conversation for now, hearing the fact that my parents lost their virginity in a tent."

"Your mum's, not your dad's, Harry. The Marauders were whores, if nothing else!" she teased, barely containing her laughter.

"Ew. God. Hermione!" Harry exclaimed. "Time for bed. Definitely. C'mon, Ron!"

Severus snickered as he watched the interaction between the trio. Once the two had exited the room, Severus wandlessly locked and warded the door, moving to sit with her on the bed.

"We were snogging, Sev. Do you remember that?" she asked with a playful smile that reached her eyes.

When had Hermione Granger, resident Saint of Grimmauld, become such a flirt? She hadn't been that way in the past, at least that he remembered anyway. And he didn't think she had been here at all, from what he'd seen. That might not have been an accurate statement as he had never been intimate with her in her own time.

Maybe he couldn't remember well, or maybe she felt more in her own there. When he was young, she was under constant stress and pressure, having to fight for her life, having to conceal who she was, having to follow through a mission. She had almost never been playful in his time, but that was out of character, he realized. While she may not have been flirtatious here, she was definitely playful.

Of course, this flirtation didn't mean she had overnight turned into a promiscuous woman or something equally ridiculous. She was the same Hermione, just safer and more relaxed.

"I do remember," he answered, not remembering the last time someone had called him 'Sev.'

"Do you remember what happened after I sent James off and promised him I'd help him later?"

"No," he lied. How could he forget? It was the greatest night of his youth.

"We went to an empty classroom on a side of the castle no one used. We transfigured a desk into a couch and a pencil into a blanket. Are you starting to remember now?" she prodded, her brown eyes engulfed in flames.

"No," he lied, wondering how far she would go in her reminiscing.

"I guess it was longer ago for you than for me," she said, sighing.

"I'm lying," he said, swallowing. "I took off your shirt. You took off my pants."

He wanted to hear her continue, in greater detail, even if it was wrong. He didn't know how Hermione could possibly be attracted to him now, but he knew she had been then. She'd been wet, and the second his hands grazed her knickers, he was shocked to find them soaking.

"You were slouching over in the sofa, and I got on my knees in front of you. I was so excited to pull off your gray boxers, Sev. I could see your member engorged even through your pants, and I remember being curious to see what you tasted like. I didn't hesitate in covering your cock with my mouth, Sev. I sucked you dry, and I loved it. For whatever reason, I'd expected you to be uncut, but you weren't, and you were beautiful. I'd never swallowed cum before, but I didn't mind the taste of it, but I liked the taste of you better. I got in trouble in Transfiguration the next day for zoning out, thinking about that night. Not that it mattered since I already knew the lesson. I just regretted that we didn't do more."

Severus was hard, thinking about that night. He regretted the same thing. Of course, then he'd imagined her as a 16 year old girl, not a 20 year old woman. Back when he had viewed her as this innocent creature he wanted to keep pure.

He didn't react as she got on her knees and kissed him, the top of her breasts visible through the top of her tank top. She wasn't wearing a bra. She looked like she was ready to sleep but was interrupted by her friends.

Her hands found his back, and she lightly scratched it. Severus couldn't help but reciprocate, nor did he feel the need to not. He couldn't concentrate with this unresolved sexual tension, and if she was willing, who was he to tell her she was wrong? He doubted a relationship would develop out of it.

These games he was playing in his head were boyish. There was a willing and mature woman in front of him that wanted him. He'd given her a few days to recoup and think about what she wanted. All he could do now was follow through with what he wanted.

She broke contact with him to lift his shirt over his head, deciding that path was easier than undoing the buttons. She examined his body and looked at all the scars she'd never seen before.

Severus wasn't insecure enough anymore to think about whether this turned her off. Instead, he took off her top and latched onto one of her breasts. Gods, they were youthful and perky. He hadn't been this close to young trim in years. Her nipples were erect, and he enjoyed the feeling of the shudder that ran through her body. Her head was tossed back, her hair flowing to her mid-back.

"You're better at that now than you were then, although you're much gentler," she stated.

She wanted it rough, did she? He didn't have to be told twice as he tweaked her other nipple roughly, hearing her yelp out in pain. He bit the one that was in his mouth, and his member twitched from her groan of pain.

He was a sadist, and apparently, she was a masochist. Fine with him. If they did this again, he'd definitely have to test the waters to see how far she'd be willing to go. As for now, he wasn't sure how far she was willing to go even now.

"Tease," she muttered, pulling herself toward him and into his lap. She gyrated against his crotch.

There was no way she had missed his obvious reaction, and her light smirk confirmed that belief.

"Oh, I'm a tease?" he questioned, but instead of continuing this game, he reached down to take off her cotton shorts.

When his hands met her nether regions, he wasn't as surprised as he was in his youth to find her curly, chestnut hair covered in her juices. She was definitely turned on, and her body was preparing her for penetration. He was all too happy to oblige, and he pushed her off of him so that he could take off his pants and boxers.

His cock slapped against his stomach, pre-cum glistening at the tip. He didn't miss the way she licked her lips as she spread her legs, ready for him.

Severus wasn't naïve or young enough to ask her something foolish like 'are you sure?' or something else contrite. The way her womanhood was clearly on display for him said it all.

He got back onto the bed and hovered over her, giving her a long kiss. He'd never been able to experience anything as good as kissing her. Her lips were plump, and the way she sucked and nibbled on his bottom lip always shot electricity through his body. His tongue moved over her teeth before penetrating her mouth. He darted it over her tongue a few times before he moved his lips down toward her jaw, over her neck, and latched onto her shoulder blade. He bit down, making her yelp, and at the same time, he thrust into her.

Her inner passage was hot and stretched to fit around him. It seemed like a tight fit, unlike the women he'd been with over the years, and he didn't even attempt to hide the shudder that escaped his body. And she didn't either, it seemed, because she clawed his back and moaned.

"Not so chatty now, are you?" he asked with a smirk as he looked at her closed eyes.

"Can't. Think. So. Good. Love you. So much," she answered, moving her hips in time with his thrusts.

He decided not to think about her words too much. He didn't doubt that she loved him in the past, but he was a different man now, a man she didn't even have time to fall in love with, a man who didn't give her that chance. He was glad, however, that she was enjoying herself.

He thrust deeply into her, putting his hands behind her back to lift her up so that they were in a sitting position. He squeezed his hands into her side and lifted her up down, still thrusting upward with his own hips. Like this, he had the pleasure of watching her breasts swinging up and down in front of his face, her head thrown back in passion. Plus, she had the chance to use her own strength to add to her thrusts. One of her hands was on the bed, and she was using this leverage to lift herself up.

Severus didn't hide his moans, his face alternating between her breasts and her face. He loved the noise of his balls slapping against her firm butt.

"Breasts. Sore," she communicated, and Severus wasn't surprised to hear that after a while. They were also slapping against her body.

Severus lowered her back on the bed again, and he lifted one of her legs over his arm. He thrust slowly but deeply, speeding up when he felt her insides clamp around him. She was close to orgasm, and he was glad for it, because he'd been wanting to cum inside of her for a long time.

She groaned loudly, leaning upward to try to capture his mouth. Her groan turned into a series of yelps as her walls tightened around Severus's shaft. He captured her mouth and bit her upper lip, feeling her screams reverberate through his body as he thrust one more time.

He released into her in a couple of powerful bursts, and she kept shivering, not being able to stop herself.

Her arms were around his neck now, and he lowered himself on top of her for a few seconds until his member went limp. Then, he pulled out and laid next to her. She pulled him close.

"Thank you," she said. "I know you probably didn't want to do that, but I'm glad I could persuade you, Sev."

"Who are you kidding? I've always wanted to shag you, Hermione. It's what usually comes before the shagging that I dread."

"The relationship? Well, that's your decision. I want to be with you. I love you."

"You don't know me, Hermione, but I'll humor you. Just give me the courtesy of letting me know when you realize I'm not the boy you once knew."

"If I stop loving you, I'll promptly let you know. Until then, please… at least… be nice to me," she begged.

He could hear the sincerity in her voice, and it broke him down to see her so upset. She was still the vulnerable woman he knew in his time, after all. He couldn't promise that he wouldn't be himself, but if he was willing to engage her in a relationship, then the least he could do was not be horrible. "I'll try."

"And spend the night here?" she asked.

"Hermione," he warned.

"Please."

He never was good at turning her down.

Author's Note: I'm tryin', guys. New chapter should be out pretty soon. Not too much going on in my organizations or courses. Well, not enough to hinder my progress with this story, anyway! Let me know if you're still here.