They fell asleep around three in the morning. They'd explored each other's bodies thoroughly, and Hermione had surprised herself in her boldness. She'd sucked Snape's dick with great gusto, and when she'd rolled over onto her stomach for a rest, he'd climbed onto her back and slid into her from behind. She'd been stretched in a different way, but was still so wet from two orgasms that it hadn't hurt. In fact, she was amazed at how pleasurable it had been. She could rub herself against the bed, and when he'd finally reached around to stroke her clit, she had come again. She drifted off to sleep with a feeling of warmth flooding her as he held her in his strong, wiry arms.
***
She awoke the next morning to the wonderful feeling of being licked. Opening her eyes, she looked down and saw his bobbing head between her legs. She giggled aloud.
"So it wasn't a dream after all," she said sleepily, smiling down at him with something in her eyes. It was a look he recognised all too well.
He answered her by thrusting two fingers inside her, and she arched off the bed, hissing. She was a bit sore from last night's efforts. But he didn't relent and thrust harshly in and out of her. She frowned a bit at this, but soon found herself coming as he sucked her clit avidly.
She was still panting, trying to come down, when he entered her swiftly. This time she cried out in pain. He muttered an incantation under his breath, and her pain vanished, replaced by a tingling sensation of warmth that spread throughout her body. He pumped in and out of her roughly for a few minutes, coming suddenly. Groaning, he rolled off her, lying on his back and shielding his eyes from the morning sun. He looked back at her, smirking.
"Good morning," he said slowly. Then he rolled back towards her, reaching one hand out to play with her nipples. She looked at him with a slight frown.
"Good morning."
"Did you enjoy your wake up call?" he said.
"Yes… but I'd rather you stopped when I yelp in pain, instead of casting a spell on me."
"But the pain ceased, did it not?" he asked, frowning back at her.
She gulped, looking away in annoyance. "Yes."
"Hmmm." And that, it appeared, was the end of it. "Well, we'd better get up and be on our way if we're going to make it to Fontainebleau on time." And with that, he left her room. After a few moments, she heard his shower running.
She lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling, silent tears pouring down her cheeks.
***
Snape cursed both himself and Hermione as he lathered his arms in the shower. "Damnable woman." He recalled how she'd shivered when he'd tried to warm her last night. That was what had started all this. He could not get involved with her. Hermione Granger, of all people! Little Miss Know-it-all, thorn in his side… 'Best fuck you've had in ages,' his inner voice added.
He hung his head in the shower, taking a few calming breaths. He'd have to take particular care to act like an even bigger bastard than usual. 'Can't have her fawning over you like this morning.' He remembered the way she'd looked at him. In his mind, her brown eyes had melted to green, and the redhead who haunted his dreams smiled softly at him. She looked a bit like Willow, Snape realised vaguely as the memory washed over him.
"Lily," he gasped, eyes shut. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he stood under the pouring water. The unwelcome memory lingered like a dark cloud.
"Never again", he muttered under his breath.
***
Hermione decided not to wait for him and descended the stairs to the breakfast room. The waiter brought her café au lait with croissants and butter, which she devoured hungrily. Feeling a bit better, she sat back, debating whether to wait for Snape. In her uncertainty, she delayed too long and now she was trapped as she noticed him entering the room. He took his seat across from her.
"You have half an hour to pack and then we must head to the station. I suppose we'll have to take the cursed rat-trap back to Gare du Nord to catch the train to Fontainebleau," he said in a perfectly neutral tone.
Hermione just glared back at him. 'So he's trying to ignore the whole thing, then. Fine. Two can play that game.'
"So, Professor. Do you think Madame Maxime will help us?" she asked, all business.
He shot her a warning look, hissing, "Keep your voice down, woman! You know we're not supposed to discuss this in public!"
Her eyes danced with mirth. It was so easy to get him worked up. Interesting that he'd called her 'woman' instead of girl. Hermione's lips curled briefly into a devious grin.
She picked up a breadstick, snapping it in two and buttering the broken end casually. Then she brought it to her lips and licked the butter off.
This caught Snape's eye, and he dropped his knife distractedly.
When she had thoroughly licked all the butter from the stick, she took it slowly into her mouth, sucking on it idly. She looked up and met his eye as she continued to suck up and down the breadstick. She picked up the pace a bit, and started to moan low. A young man at the table next to them was ogling her now. Snape was frowning, but couldn't take his eyes off what she was doing. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he felt himself stiffening into erection.
'Little oversexed minx,' he thought angrily.
After a few more strokes, when Hermione felt she'd tortured him long enough, she bit down forcefully and the stick snapped with a loud crunch. Snape and the young man who'd been staring both flinched, and the young man physically started in his chair and winced, causing his girlfriend to frown. She had until now been oblivious to everything because her back was to Hermione.
"I think I'll go pack now," Hermione said brightly as she got up and left Snape to deal with his little problem.
***
By the time he'd returned to his room, she was all packed.
"I'll wait for you downstairs," she called to him through the door.
They checked out and headed to the station, catching a fast train to Fontainebleau. The scenery was beautiful and Hermione allowed herself to be carried away by the view, thankful for an excuse not to talk to Snape. For his part, he buried his nose in a book and ignored her.
Once they'd reached Fontainebleau, they headed for the palace. It was beautiful, sprawling across many acres. They paid their admission to the château like all the other tourists. But Snape headed straight for the Chinese room, bypassing the dining room, ball room and music rooms on the way. They waited till they were alone, and then Snape tapped a porcelain dragon with his wand, muttering "Dissendio."
The dragon seemed to spring to life, standing aside and revealing a small passageway. Snape smirked at Hermione, "Ladies first."
She entered the passageway cautiously, muttering, "Lumos." It curved immediately to the left, and then downwards. From what Hermione recalled of the room they'd just been in, they were passing directly beneath the patio doors, and under the garden. They walked in silence for a good ten minutes, and then the passageway sloped upwards. When they reached the end, Snape stepped forward and tapped the door. "Revelo," he said.
The door dissolved and Hermione found herself in the entrance hall of an elegant seventeenth century château, not unlike Fontainebleau. A boy approached them. He was dressed as a page, complete with a red velvet waistcoat and a white wig tied back in a little ponytail. Hermione was certain he couldn't be more than ten.
"Bonjour Monsieur, Mam'selle," he bowed to each of them in turn. "Madame Maxime is waiting for you. I will take you to her." He turned and led them up a wide marble staircase which turned at a landing and wound its way around a huge crystal chandelier. This was clearly a priceless antique, and held thousands of lit candles, which glimmered and cast long flaming shadows against the velvet covered walls.
When they reached the top, the boy led them along a corridor of mirrors which were criss-crossed with a latticework of white wood. He turned suddenly and put his hand against what seemed like just another part of the mirrored wall. A doorknob appeared, and he pulled the door open for them, ushering them through.
They entered a gigantic room. One entire wall was made up of a ceiling-to-floor window. There, sitting in a huge armchair behind a mahogany table, sat Olympe Maxime.
She turned to greet her visitors. "Ah! Zair you are, Professeur Snape! Et Mademoiselle 'Ermione. Come in, come in!" she gestured, indicating a set of plush velvet chairs for them to sit in. "Edouard, apporte le café!" she said to the young boy. He bowed and withdrew.
Hermione shot Snape a quizzical glare, but he ignored her. She was wondering why Madame Maxime didn't have House Elves.
"So, mes amis! Dumblydore has written to me, asking that I should provide assistance. But he has not told me everyzing. I believe he is worried zat ze owl post could be, 'ow you say? Inter…?"
"Intercepted," Hermione offered.
"Yes. Intercepted."
Snape gave an outline of what had occurred to date, indicating that Karkaroff was the main suspect.
"Oui… we have 'ad ze same problèmes here. No Apparition, no fireplace travel. Eet iz a mystery which our Ministry is very worried about." She rose from her table and picked up what looked like a large sea shell.
"Edouard! Le café, nom d'une pipe!" she yelled into it.
The young page boy came rushing back in, breathless. He was balancing a silver tray and coffee set, with silver creamers and sugar bowls and three fine porcelain cups. Hermione thought the poor boy would crumble under the weight and she leapt up to help him. Before Madame Maxime could stop her, she'd taken one end of the tray and had helped Edouard put it down.
He scurried out of the room after pouring out the coffee.
"I know someone who could 'elp you," she said after taking a sip of coffee. "I will contact him and I hope to have some news for you by supper time."
They talked of other things. Hermione enquired about Fleur, noticing Snape's eyebrow rising when he heard the Delacour name. 'Thinking of Gabrielle, is he' she thought to herself. This caused Hermione to flush red in anger, and unfortunately, Snape caught her furious reaction.
When they had finished, Madame Maxime called Edouard on the shell.
"Edouard will now show you to your rooms. I have arranged adjacent rooms in our best guest suite. You will have a private living room. Will you join me at ze 'ead table tonight for supper?"
"We would be honoured to do so, Madame," Snape bowed his head in deference.
Edouard popped his head around the door nervously. Madame Maxime's smiled vanished when she spotted him.
'Poor Edouard!' Hermione thought. 'Then again, the sight of Olympe and Snape would be enough to frighten anyone, even a twelve foot troll!' she thought to herself as she gazed at Snape. His eyes met hers, and then flashed with anger. He scowled back at her.
Hermione chuckled inwardly. 'Being a Legillimens must be a bummer sometimes. I think I've just found myself a brilliant new pastime!' she thought to herself as they followed Edouard out the door. She started cataloguing all the insults she could think of so she'd be ready next time Snape looked her way.
*
