You know I wouldn't endure this for just anyone." The wizarding hotel in France was arguing that they had reserved one room rather than two. In French. Hermione was livid.

Severus took a swig of nectar from a hip flask and grumbled "We can share a room."

A familiar voice behind them said "Can you?"

Harry Potter eyed Severus with at least as much suspicion as he had in school. Severus found himself wrapping an arm around Hermione. "As a gentleman..."

Hermione broke in. "Harry, this is my date." Severus held out the hand that wasn't firmly wrapped around Hermione "Septumus Prince." Hermione smiled at him.

Harry frowned at his best friend. "He's a relative of Snape's?" Hermione nodded.

Harry eyed him with slightly less suspicion. "Let me fix the room issue. I wouldn't want you to be cramped." Severus bit back a smile. Potter was still as subtle as an Avada between the eyes.

SS

Even Harry Potter couldn't arrange another room in the over-booked hotel. Hermione sighed once they entered their room. "Harry should be too busy to put you through another inquisition."

Severus snorted. "For you, he will make time. He invited me to his stag party tomorrow." Severus tried to hide his dismay. Scantily clad females, drunk men, and the god of sex were not a good combination.

"We will just have to find a way around stag night. Merlin knows I want no part of hen night with Ginny."

Severus allowed the corner of his mouth to turn up. "You could be so in love with your new date that we only leave the room for the actual ceremony."

"And then when this is over they would all wonder where you went. It is going to be hard enough to cover up dating Severus Snape's cousin. Harry always implied I fancied the real you." Severus wondered at the slight blush. A schoolgirl crush? He'd been the subject of one or two. The idea of Hermione Granger having one was almost fascinating, at least it was now...years after her maturity. "Do you have another plan for missing the pre wedding festivities? I can assure you, I have discovered that I need to avoid stag and hen nights."

Hermione dimpled. "How do you feel about flowers?"

"That their proper place is chopped up. And in a cauldron."

"I guess we shouldn't volunteer to help with the decor." He gave her a quelling glance.

Hermione sighed. "Alright, we will be the annoying guests who cannot seem to leave their rooms."

Severus smirked. "With me here, the odds are high that we won't be the only ones."

SS.

Hermione blushed as Arthur Weasley nuzzled his wife's neck in a way that left no room for doubt about the tone of his thoughts. Bill and his wife hadn't made it through dinner. Ron's hands were traveling over his date's arms. Harry and Ginny were restraining themselves, but Ginny kept giggling. Love the one you are with seemed to be the major theme. Severus made sure that his attention was both marked and gentleman-like. Giving her his undivided attention was easy. Keeping himself from adding skilled caresses under the table was more difficult. She looked lovely in the blue silk dress she had chosen.

"Well that was a special sort of torture."

Hermione giggled despite herself. "You saw Arthur tuck Molly's knickers into his pocket?"

Severus sighed. "I missed that. Thank Zeus."

Hermione smiled fondly at him. "Thank you for being here with me." He took her smooth hand. "My pleasure." He forced himself to release her before he gave into the urge to pull her into his arms. He could feel his power reaching for her and he ruthlessly sent it all over the hotel. The walls on both sides of their room began to shake. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Silencing charms aren't that difficult."

Severus bit back a grin. Being with her reminded him that it had been far too long since he had felt silken skin against his own, but it reminded him of other things as well. He had never had anyone he could laugh with on his bed. He lifted her hand to his lips. "I think I will take a walk and let the tension die down a bit." Hermione nodded, though her eyes were dilated. His damnable power at work. He left her quickly, unwilling to use his power to seduce her.

SS.

He walked the hotel grounds, unwilling to be away from her but hoping she would rest. The wedding rehearsal was the next day. She needed her sleep. He would have wrapped himself in shadows if he'd known Potter would be out as well.

"So…Septimus."

Severus fought not to roll his eyes. "Potter."

There was a tiny grin from Potter. Severus supposed that he sounded like himself.

"I don't remember you from Hogwarts."

"I graduated before your arrival."

"In Slytherin?"

"Ravenclaw."

"And you are related to Severus Snape…how?"

"Why do you care?"

"I'm just looking out for Hermione."

"Because the two of you dated?"

"Because she's the only human being in the world who has always stuck by me, no matter how stupid my plans were. She'll always be family to me."

Severus eyed the boy curiously. "You aren't in love with her?"

"I love her, but that's not the same thing. So you understand that if you hurt her they'll never find your body."

Severus almost smiled. "I suppose that's fair."

Potter looked slightly bemused as Severus walked away.

SS

In the end there wasn't a reason to get out of the invitations to stag and hen night. Ginny demanded to be allowed to come to Harry's stag night, and everyone 'agreed' that a combined party would be more 'fun'. (Who could do anything else hen Ginny's wand was clearly ready to hex those that disagreed?)

Severus could see who was going to wear the pants in that relationship.

The witch's jealousy was unusual enough that he found himself looking for divine intervention. He occasionally ran into other members of the pantheon…and other pantheons for that matter. It would be just his luck to attend a wedding where the bride was under the influence of the God of Jealousy.

But Ginny's attitude meant that he and Hermione got to spend the night before the wedding dancing slowly. Other couples were in and out…(Severus was pleased that his body no longer required the use of public restrooms…there was no telling what was going on them tonight).

Being with her was delicious torture. His body was inches away from hers. Her eyes were looking up at him like he was the only man in the room. He could smell her hair and light perfume, and every once in a great while, her breasts brushed his chest as they danced.

His desire for her fed his power. He spun it away from the two of them and showered it all over the province. Couples stumbled out of the room.

Severus turned his full attention to Hermione. His fingers brushed the delicate skin on her neck. He leaned close, brushing the very edge of her ear with his nose.

"Perhaps we should leave."

Her pupils dilated as she reacted to his voice in her ear.

She swallowed a bit. "Yes…let's go back to the hotel."

Damn his power. How he wished she'd actually meant that the way it sounded.

SS

As they passed the doors, loud exclamations came from room after room. Severus winced.

Hermione glanced up at him.

"Is there any way to…undo this? To go back to just being you?"

He shook his head. "Even if they'd let me resign the position, I'd be rather more dead than I'd prefer."

She shot him a grin. "That is something of a complication."

He unlocked the room and motioned her inside. "One should avoid it if at all possible." He gave her a sideways grin. "Honestly, it's not normally so…"

"Powerful?"

He shrugged. "Well, I try not to stay in the same area for very long. Perhaps it's cumulative."

Or perhaps it reacted to his desire. That was more likely in his experience.

Hermione yawned. Severus turned away, more drawn than he liked to admit by her widening mouth and the little stretch she gave.

"I'll leave you to rest then."

She reached out, quicker than he would have expected, and snagged his wrist before he could go for his nightly stroll.

"You don't have to leave every night. You didn't at my flat."

He cleared his throat. "No, well, I try not to make people uncomfortable…and in such close quarters, with no door…"

"You don't make me uncomfortable."

Her admission (and perhaps those bright brow eyes) stirred something even deeper than his lust.

"Very well. Go rest. I'll just read that paper on experimental charms that you were writing last week…"

She rolled her eyes. "I know you don't have to sleep…but surely you need to rest." She patted the bed. "Rest. I'd hate to think of you being tired because of me."

He had absolutely no need to rest.

He sighed, calling himself seven kinds of fool. This was not going to do anything productive about the single thing his body WAS demanding from him…in fact it was becoming increasingly insistent.

But, as he allowed his head to hit the feather-filled pillow next to the woman that he lov…admired…he felt his eyes close.

He didn't even wake as Hermione snuggled into his chest…he merely pulled her close and settled down into sleep.