Disclaimer: As always, these characters belong to the great JK Rowling. I am not making any money off this. I have also borrowed my plot idea (loosely) from a movie. I think it was made in the 1980's but could be wrong. House points awarded to anyone who can figure out what movie this is taken from. It is obvious if you have seen it. It is an American movie. It is also not mine.

A/N Thanks to all who have reviewed. You all truly inspire me to go on.

Power in All Its Glory

Chapter 5: The Morning After

Severus Snape felt uneasy.

He was having trouble opening his eyes. His body felt heavy. His senses were picking up sounds, smells, and tactile sensations that were unusual and yet strangely familiar. He wondered briefly if he was dreaming.

It was not … unpleasant. His mind resisted his attempts to wake completely. Somehow he felt that once he opened his eyes, all would be lost.

Instead, he tried to concentrate on his heightened senses.

Sounds … He could hear breathing, his own and someone else's. The breathing was steady as if the other person was also asleep.

Smells … He smelled strawberries. It was mixed with something else he could not place but that was strangely familiar … and intoxicating.

Tactile sensations … Something was lying on his chest. He tried to focus on his hands. One was wrapped in something soft and silky. Hair, he mused. The other was touching soft, smooth skin.

He moved his hand slowly, gently stroking the silky skin. He heard a low moan and felt his body responding. He increased the pressure of his fingertips, massaging the flesh under his hand. The moaning increased.

This was definitely a dream, he concluded. A damn good one, too.

And yet, he knew something was wrong.

He suddenly opened his eyes. He was in an unfamiliar room. He looked down and realized he was in a bed, and Hermione Granger was lying on his chest. She was still moaning, and he noticed his right hand was massaging her bottom.

He quickly withdrew it and tried to sit up. She was not yet fully awake, and she tried to pull him back down.

"Miss Granger." He spoke sharply and shook her arm. "Wake up, Miss Granger."

She opened her eyes, and they widened in shock.

"Professor … what …"

The anxiety that had started in his stomach spread to the other regions of his body.

"Get up quickly," he interrupted her. "We need to hurry."

"What's going on?" she asked him sleepily.

"Something is wrong here." He stood up.

"You mean, besides the obvious?" she stated dryly.

She was defiantly awake now. She had more questions, but they died on her lips as she realized she wasn't wearing anything but her undergarments, and neither was Professor Snape!

Her gaze inadvertently took in his almost naked form, starting at his toes and moving up until she reached the scowl on his face. She blushed as she turned and looked around for her clothes.

That is when she noticed the room. There was nothing in it but a bed. She did not recognize this place at all and her clothes were nowhere to be found.

"Miss Granger, we must hurry," he snapped impatiently at her. Before she could answer, they heard someone trying to open the door.

"It's locked." A muffled voice floated into the room. Another voice clearly shouted, "Alohomora." They could hear the locks give way.

Snape grabbed Hermione and pulled her close. With his other hand, he grabbed the only other thing in the room.

A cloak.

He intended to wrap it around them to cover them as best he could. However, as soon as he touched it he felt a tug near his navel and the room started to spin.

*****

Minerva McGonagall followed the headmaster into the room of requirement. It was empty except for the bed in the middle of the room.

"What do you think, Albus?" she asked the older wizard. "Is it some kind of prank?"

"No, I am afraid not," he answered her.

Professor Dumbledore reached down and touched the bed.

"The bed is still warm."

He looked at her over the rims of his half-moon glasses.

"I just can't believe that it is true."

She shook her head in disbelief.

"One of our professors having an intimate relationship with a student. Who do you think it could be, Albus?"

"I wouldn't want to jump to any conclusions, Minerva." he cautioned her. "We need to do a thorough investigation. However, it needs to be discrete. We cannot let rumors get out about this. We need to know exactly what is going on."

Professor McGonagall nodded her head in agreement. "What are we going to do?" she asked him.

"There is only one person with whom I would trust this delicate matter." He looked intently at her. His eyes were very serious. "Please have Severus join me as soon as possible."

She nodded to him in agreement and quietly left the room.

******

The room was swirling around her as Hermione clutched at the arms holding her. Although they had stopped moving, she still felt a familiar sensation in the pit of her stomach.

She tried to place the feeling and remembered several summers ago when her parents had taken her to an amusement park. She had ridden on a rollercoaster. She mused that her recent experience was much worse because she had been wholly unprepared for it.

As the dizziness cleared, Hermione realized they were in the Potions classroom and she was holding on to Professor Snape tightly. It also registered that they were both still almost naked. Her skin tingled as she realized his arms were around her and bare skin was touching in many different places.

She looked up into the Potion master's face. He gazed back at her, his eyes dark. A new dizziness came over her. She tightened her hold on him.

"Miss Granger," he said, trying to untangle from her grasp. "I need you to let go."

"Oh." She blushed and released her hold on him.

As he walked toward his office, he noticed both their wands were sitting on his desk. He grabbed them and motioned for her to follow him.

"First things first, we need clothes." He swept through the office and headed for his private chambers. As she followed, Hermione wondered whimsically how he could sweep so elegantly without even a robe around him.

She sighed. She knew she was in some kind of shock. She had no idea what was going on and she felt as if she were floating … or dreaming. She knew once reality returned she would be angry, very angry. For now, she followed her determined professor, enjoying the view of his bum in dark green silk boxers. After all, she thought, she may never get this chance again.

Severus Snape turned quickly to ensure Hermione was indeed following him. He caught her staring at his bottom … at least she was until he turned around, now she was staring at his …

"Miss Granger!" he snapped and her flushed face quickly moved up to look him in the eyes. He scowled darkly at her.

"It is imperative that we attend to the matter at hand."

Her gaze moved to his hands … so long and elegant. She bit the bottom of her lip as images popped up unbidden in her head.

He immediately realized his poor choice of words. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her slightly.

"Miss Granger," he growled at her. "Focus."

She looked into his eyes.

"Someone has set this whole thing up."

She frowned at him. She was trying to focus as he had requested. Focus on his eyes, not on his lips.

He saw that he was losing her once again. He let go of her and quickly went to his bureau and took out several pairs of socks. He then grabbed clothes out of his wardrobe.

With a flash of his wand, he was dressed. Now for her.

"Miss Granger." He touched her arm to gain her attention. "You need to transfigure these socks into clothes for yourself."

He handed her wand to her. She quickly did as he asked, and she was clothed in her school uniform in a short amount of time.

This seemed to help her regain her composure.

"What do you think is going on?" she questioned him.

"I am not sure," he answered. "Last night when you were serving detention some one knocked us out. I recall the spell hitting me. Then this morning we awoke …." He did not finish as it was obvious by the embarrassed look on her face that she remembered exactly how they had awoke that morning.

"Do you think it was a joke?" she asked him.

"I don't think so," he answered. "It seems so much more … sinister than a joke. I do not believe this is the end of it."

Suddenly Hermione thought of something.

"What about Malfoy?"

Professor Snape pondered on this.

"Well, he is either behind the whole thing, which I doubt, or he was also knocked out."

"I wonder …" she began but was interrupted by a loud banging.

"Professor Snape." Professor McGonagall's voice could be heard through the door.

He motioned for Hermione to hide herself as he crossed the room.

As he opened the door, he walked through, into his office and closed it behind him. Professor McGonagall backed up as he came through.

"Severus," she said urgently. "I am glad you are here."

"What is wrong, Minerva?" he inquired.

"Professor Dumbledore needs you immediately. He will explain what has happened."

A feeling of apprehension settled on Severus Snape as he followed the distraught professor out the door. He had the uncanny feeling he was a puppet or an actor in a play and he was playing his part exactly as planned.

In Snape's private chambers, Hermione listened for the two professors to leave. She then silently made her way back to Gryffindor Tower and to her room.

She lay down on her bed and waited, but for what she did not know.