Disclaimer: I am only ever paid for my work here in love and reviews. Both are appreciated.
A/N: Guess what? Hubby bought me the most amazing computer. That's right! No more spending months at a time attempting to type out a chapter with my chubby fingers on a touch screen phone. I cannot always promise frequent updates, but I was so excited with my new computer that I HAD to write to celebrate. I hope you like this chapter!
Thank you so much for all the support and encouragement. I am doing fairly well and plugging along. I hope you all are having a blessed week full of laughter love and just a dash of naughty. Because life if more fun with naughty in it
Moewe – Dear friend. I hope you are well. I have a new email, and do not have your address saved, though I am certain I know it anyways, but I wanted to tell you how I was thinking of you and was so glad to hear from you. I had a silly dream the other day that my husband and I took a trip to Germany and we were walking along a grassy hill with you watching seagulls talking about what it feels like to grow old and watch your children grow into the people you had always known they could be. It was a blip of a dream, but in my mind I knew it was you. Be well my friend.
Enjoy! - LILY
They spent the next several days working on different pursuits. Their days were spent mainly at the lab, and they had taken to having lunch in Severus' upstairs apartment rather than constantly apparating back to the house, or bothering with the gawkers that were sure to hound them on Diagon Alley. Severus would normally order them take-out from Tom at the Leaky Cauldron, or something from the little Bistro they used to lunch at on Wednesdays. Hermione found that the advanced potions work she was slowly starting to help Severus with was a wonderful exercise for her magic as she found herself learning about the incorporation of charms work into several of the brews he kept in stock. She did regularly work on revising the notes she had assembled from both her and Severus' time in Hogwarts, and was starting to feel much more comfortable in the knowledge that she would be able to pass her exams. It was more than just a need to pass however, and she knew she would need top marks to get approved for her apprenticeship by the Potion Masters Guild.
Evenings they had been spending turning the house into more of a home, though they were both hesitant to mention the word "ours" and instead continuously referred to the house as just that, "the house" never "our house" or "our home." They had finished the work in the den, which Severus and Hermione both found themselves immeasurably happy with, though Hermione had been quite surprised when Severus had fished several of her father's old muggle crime novels, including his 007 collection, from the donation boxes and returned them to a shelf. "I read," had been his simple explanation, though Hermione had yet to see any proof that he read simply for enjoyment. Every book she had seen on his shelves, either in his rooms or his lab, had all been educational in nature, even if they were highly sought after and expensive tomes. Severus had surprisingly known charms to change the colors of the walls, and Hermione had laughed when he suggested they pick up some books on household charms if she was interested in that type of charms work. He swore he only happened to bother with it himself because it had driven Lucius so divinely mad when his parlor walls were consistently changing to reds and golds instead of his favored forest green. Severus told her that he had found a wonderful time release spell that would allow him to permanently change the colors of the walls to red and gold, then cover that with a temporary green to match the original color, knowing that by the time the temporary spell holding the green had faded revealing the reds and golds, he would be free from suspicion.
They had laughed over several small things about their lives that they shared with each other in the days and nights that they worked side by side. Severus, for his part, was amused to learn that the piano in the den was not, in fact, something that Hermione had ever played.
"Oh that can go, perhaps we should shrink it down before we try to move it though, don't you agree Severus?" she had asked when he had mentioned the beautiful piano.
Severus looked a little surprised. It was such a lovely piano, and considering the witch had insisted on keeping a ridiculous ceramic tooth and several small bronzed animals, three little owls and a mother and baby giraffe. The tooth simply was not worth contemplation, and the animals were in such poor condition they had a rather unappealing green patina on them. It was however somehow the combination of their coloring, and his descriptions of Lucius' old parlor that had managed to inspire the final coloring for the room, warm golds and various shades of beige with deep green accents. With all of the mahogany woods in the desk and bookshelves it was a lovely and warm space.
"Are you certain you wouldn't like to keep it Hermione? I may not be particularly in need of music to fill my ears every second of the day, and while I agree that a sitting nook would be a possible use for the space that would be both practical and desirable, wouldn't you prefer to be able to play should you find yourself in the mood? Perhaps around the holidays? I find that it is just the thing at every holiday party I have ever been forced into attending," he had told her regarding the piano.
Hermione had thrown her head back and laughed at that. "I am so sorry you have been forced to listen to beautiful piano music at holiday parties, dear Severus. I bet there was singing as well," she laughed.
Severus just crossed his arms and 'harrumphed' at her little speech.
"Fret not Severus, I never bothered to learn to play. Mum thought it would be a better way for me to spend my time, and might help with the small things that they could not understand. I think she believed I would be some sort of prodigy, but it never panned out. I found rather quickly that while I was able to understand the musical theory I was not able to put it into reality. I have no rhythm. None, what so ever really. Mum was so disappointed," she had explained.
"Well at least I do not have to worry that I shall be forced to participate in dreaded carol singing," he joked. Severus crossed over to the piano and inspected it more closely. "Why ever it is here then, did your parents play?" he asked her.
"Oh, well that's easy. Bloody heavy that thing is. Once the company we purchased it from had delivered it and placed it in the den, which had required removing the doors from their hinges, there was no getting it out. There was not a possibility of either of my parents moving that out, and no one seemed keen to purchase the thing if it meant they would have to move it themselves, when a dealer would deliver one new and set it up for you." Severus had snorted and began to shrink the thing down as she spoke.
That was the how they spent Thursday and Friday, and when Saturday rolled around Hermione found herself feeling much more at home, and at ease.
She knew, realistically, that she had a hard road ahead of her, what with a looming trial, Ron and Verity after her, and the Wizarding World thinking that she was some sort of insanely wicked and lascivious witch. It certainly was not the first time that she had been lambasted by the press, but it seemed different this time for some reason.
When she awoke on Saturday morning, having slept in a little later than usual, she found that Severus had already woken and was likely downstairs somewhere. His bedside table, for that's what she felt it was, his, seemed to have accumulated a few new things over the past few days. It warmed her heart to see her one of her father's books sitting underneath the reading glasses that he pretended not to need. There was also a small vial she had learned held a simple vitamin draught that he had managed to mix with a teeth cleaning potion that left his teeth much cleaner and better smelling in the mornings than she had realized was possible without a good brushing. There was little to be done for the crookedness he had told her.
Her bedside table was beginning to look much the same, having amassed several books, spanning several magical disciplines that were not particularly Severus' specialties, like Transfiguration and History of Magic. There was her own small vial of prenatal vitamins, which Severus had assured her that he would mix with the teeth cleaning potion if only he could, but the ingredients would not react well. She also found that he had sent her pump up, and it was there resting atop the books along with a single stem, this time a delicate pink rose bud. She had worried her mother's favorite roses weren't going to make it, but the more buds that Severus brought her the more she realized that there were some things that a little love, effort, and time could start to see renewed. She was finding the same was true for herself.
Hermione took her time pumping while she read Severus' old seventh year Transfiguration text. Seventh year was the year that they taught the basics of the Animagus Transformation. There were very few students over the years that had even attempted the transformation in class, and far fewer that accomplished it. Most took years to be able to master the difficult bit of magic if ever, and those that did tended to see the possibilities that came with having a form that was not common knowledge. Hermione was fascinated by the text, absorbing the details as she devoured the chapter on Animagi. It was fascinating; the laws and the intricacies of the transformation went far beyond what she had known. There were laws about registering your form, which she knew, but also about using your form to perpetrate a fraud, such as in the case of a Wizard in Derbyshire that had used his owl form to infiltrate the post and therefore intercept several important missives that he should not have been otherwise privy to. There was not much about the laws themselves, just asides in the chapters that realistically she assumed most students ignored completely. She assumed there must be some sort of schooling available for the Witches and Wizards that chose to go into law, either to serve as council or to gain a seat on the Wizengamot; but then she also knew that some seats were assigned to the heads of many of the old Wizarding families regardless of knowledge on the laws.
Hermione was still engrossed in the text, reading about the stages of the transformation, when she felt the bed dip. Severus sat beside her and placed a soft kiss into her hair. "Good morning Darling. I see you have your darling little nose stuck in a book again. What can I do to entice you away?" he asked, obviously amused to find her, not sleeping in like he had thought, but studying, on what he had intended as a day off for her and for him. "Food is in order I think."
Hermione put her book aside, and smiled. The small bottles attached to the pumps hanging from her exposed breasts were each rather full of her sweet milk, and felt like it was easily time to finish up and hop in the shower. Food also sounded lovely. Severus managed to talk her into joining him for breakfast at a small cafe down the road a bit. He offered to take care of the milk for her, and get it ready for a delivery to the milk bank, along with the rest of her week's production, while she showered.
Hermione was so happy with how at ease he was in the home with her. It felt so natural, having him there. The time that they had spent getting to know one another over weekly lunches, and trips to the shop had truly help to build a foundation for their growing relationship. She kissed him deeply before she got off the bed to go shower, pouring her hopes for their future, and her gratitude for everything that he was, into her kiss. Severus made a sort of happy noise deep in his chest that vibrated against her.
He held her firm against her, not willing to easily stop what she had started, but knowing that they needed to. Hermione moved a hand up from where it had rested on his chest to tangle in his hair, the other hand dropped behind her to give her leverage on the bed as she pushed herself closer to him. She felt her tender breasts brush against the soft cotton of his vest, knowing that the moisture that still leaked from them would be staining through the material and finding it difficult to mind. He held her so snugly, a strong comforting hand splayed over her back while the other ghosted over the soft skin of her arm. His fingers were lighting a blazing trail of delicious sensations from her shoulder to her fingertips, and she was sure that if he were to stop kissing her she would find herself very much breathless and out of sorts.
Severus found himself faced with similar thoughts as her delicate fingers massaged his scalp and pulled gently on his hair. The feeling of her manicured nails scraping lightly at the sensitive skin on the back of his neck was enough to pull a near growl from him. He could feel the beat of her heart against his chest, and the slight wet that was her milk leaking lightly. It was intoxicating how she tasted and felt against him.
Hermione finally pulled away, placing small kisses to the corners of Severus pink tinged lips as she did. "I love you so much Severus Snape."
"And I you, Hermione Granger." He held her close and breathed in her warm scent, like honeysuckle and citrus with hints of vanilla and cream. "I've no idea what I have done in this life to deserve this opportunity to be with you, but I will certainly endeavor to hold on to this and see what it becomes." His words were honest and Hermione could feel the truth in them. "You are magnificent Darling. Now go get ready, I will go get things ready for us to go into town," he told her, placing one last kiss on her lips before he made to leave the room.
Hermione smiled brightly and thanked the gods that she was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to meet and love Severus. He was such a terrific man. Before long she had showered and dressed. Choosing a pale blue pleated skirt and a champagne colored silk top with delicate ruffles down the middle. She was feeling more and more like a woman, and when she slipped her feet into her favorite gold wedge heels it only served to solidify the feeling. She made the bed and then headed down the stairs to find Severus so that they could get going.
Severus had already shrunken and stowed the tote containing all the little baggies of expressed milk for the bank, and had placed a strong cooling charm on the parcel and tucked into an inner pocket on his coat. Hermione found him sitting in the living room, legs crossed casually at his ankles, simply awaiting her arrival. She ducked her head and blushed when he commented on how beautiful she was looking. "Thank you Severus. Luna helped me pick it out, surprisingly. I never really thought she would be very good for fashion advice, that has always been more of a Ginny thing," she told him.
"Well Mrs. Lovegood is apparently a fair bit better at dressing others than she is at dressing herself then. You are a vision. Now, may I escort you to breakfast Hermione? I'm starved, and if we stay here chatting about how lovely you look in that, I may have to kiss you again, and I am not sure that is wise if we wish to make it to the café before they stop serving breakfasts," he told her smirking at the blush that spread further down her cheeks and began to bleed onto her neck and the top of her chest, barely visible above the neckline of her blouse.
"You are a wicked, wicked man, Severus. Lucky for you that I am famished as well or I would quite possibly see just how unwise that would be," she responded, flirtation evident in her voice even if her face belied the nervousness she still felt at being so open with her wants. "Take me to breakfast Severus, I'm hungry," she ordered just as her stomach grumbled as if to back up her words.
Severus chuckled as he pushed himself of the sofa. "I can see." He offered her his arm and led her to the door. "Shall we?"
The two walked arm in arm through town talking about what they each thought would be a good look for the living room, though they agreed that it really didn't need much. Severus let her lead the conversations about the house, refusing to voice his hopes that they might someday share it, and call it theirs. It was not the sort of home he would have chosen for himself, but it was a fine house, with enough space to live comfortably and the cellar held potential well worth anything he might not like about it.
Hermione talked about wanting to plant a garden specifically for potions ingredients. She thought that perhaps Neville would be willing to lend a hand getting it started. Severus thought it was a lovely idea and told her as much. "It would be appreciated to have control over the quality and freshness of my ingredients again. There were certainly perks to being at Hogwarts," he said as the approached the café.
Camilla's was a small café that offered breakfast all day as well as an assortment of lunch, dinner, and puddings. They were known for their large omelets but Hermione wasn't very interested in them after having Severus' delicious omelets over the past few weeks. Hermione ended up ordering up some poached eggs and bangers with toast. Severus ordered the same, but had his eggs over easy. The two of them talked more about the house, and Hermione's plans with it. Severus kept his comments rather vague and made suggestions here or there, and offered opinions on changes she thought would be good, without ever actually suggesting she do anything specific with the house.
Hermione knew what she wanted, even if it was all moving so fast. "Stay with me," she blurted.
Severus lifted a brow in question. "I believe I have been staying with you Hermione, as I said I would when you were released from St. Mungos."
Hermione took a deep breath, chewing on her lip until it turned a bright pink, and took a chance. "I mean, stay. Not just for now, but stay. Maybe I'm crazy, but after everything that happened I am finally able to voice what I want, and in case you hadn't put two and two together to get four, that's you. I don't want you to pop over to your place for a change of clothes at night. I want to fix the house up with you, I want to make it a home for us to share. I want to argue about wall colors and fabrics and host dinners once in a while, because your cooking is too good not to share. I want to live with you, not just stay with you. I want to know that the wonderful safe feeling I have every night, knowing that you are there to hold me and keep the nightmares at bay is not going away. Please, stay with me," she pleaded, hoping that he understood that she wanted him for keeps. She knew it was probably too soon, and that they would fight and argue just like anyone else as time went on, but she also knew that she had never felt so strongly about anyone, and she was tired of planning out her house, when what she wanted to be doing was planning out theirs.
Severus was stunned. He had his coffee cup pressed to his lips, stuck there, as he processed what she was saying to him. It wasn't that he didn't want to live with her, he wanted to share his life with her in any way that he could. "Hermione, you have no idea how much I want that with you. I simply don't want you to rush yourself. I do not want you to feel trapped when you've only just been freed of your chains," he told her as he reached across the table to grasp her little hand. "I want to build a home with you, and turn the cellar into a world class lab. I want to read in front of the fire and cook dinners for you. I just want to make sure that before you make changes to the house with my needs and wants in mind, you are certain of what you want. You deserve to have that Hermione, to have what you want and to decide for yourself. So many of your choices in this life have been made for you. You and the boy wonder were shifted around the chess board by a master long before the weasel began controlling your life and your choices. This needs to be a choice you are certain you want to make," he explained. He wanted to do it so much, to be with her always. He had wanted for longer than it was appropriate.
Hermione smiled widely at him. She knew what he was saying, and it wasn't no. "I know. I know that it isn't the safe choice, and yet I feel safer with you than I've ever felt. I want this Severus. I have loved you and wanted you for so long. I want to make a home with you. Please." She wanted so badly for it to work, for something in her life to go the way that she wanted. "You'll still have your flat above the shop if you need it, but I don't want to keep wondering when you are simply not going to come home one night."
"It would make me very happy, Hermione, to build a life and a home with you. I will however insist that the chintz dinnerware be banished, perhaps Molly would appreciate it. I simply cannot imagine serving chicken piccata, or any other dish on those. The matching draperies above the sink are also ghastly. I haven't wanted to say anything, but if I will be spending a considerable amount of time preparing meals in that kitchen, and staring out the window into the lovely garden, I would much prefer to actually see the garden, and not garden patterned draperies."
Hermione wasn't sure if there was any response that would have made her happier. He wasn't just saying yes, he was being so very Severus about the whole thing. She rather had to agree frankly. Her mother's roses were lovely, but Hermione herself much preferred the natural variety to those that adorned the china and decorated the kitchen. "So that's a yes?" she asked rhetorically. "I am so happy Severus. Thank you."
The two of them continued to talk happily about their shared plans for the house as they finished their breakfast, now that they were firmly in agreement that it was theirs. It was no surprise that Severus wanted to get to work on the renovations for the cellar, lab design being a bit of a passion of his. Hermione decided to renovate the master suite. It was time. They had been sleeping in her childhood room all this time, and while enlargement charms worked well enough to make her bed a suitable size, it was not a suitable room. Not for the two of them to share for long.
When they finished their meal they continued to discuss their ideas for the house as Severus hailed them a taxi to take them to the milk bank in London.
Hermione was a little surprised to see how comfortable Severus seemed in Muggle London. It made sense though when she thought about it, he had grown up in a Muggle town after all. Severus told her that there was more to it than his childhood in Spinners End. During the wars he had been The Dark Lords eyes and ears in the Muggle world, often bringing him information on the political climate. He laughed telling her that he wasn't sure what Riddle had hoped to gain knowing when various members of the Parliament were embroiled in scandal. He told her how he would bring the Dark Lord news clippings from tabloids and tell him it was breaking news and that the whole of the country was believing what was being printed. It was the equivalent of everyone having believed every word ever written about Nargles in the Quibbler, but Riddle seemed to believe that Muggles were idiotic enough to believe it whole heartedly, even when they reported that aliens had abducted the Prime Minister and probed him for information before implanting him with a controller chip to force him to do as they bid. They laughed quite a bit at that.
They dropped off the milk at the milk bank, and Severus spoke with a Doctor who worked there about the work that they were doing to help babies in need across the country. Severus was fascinated by how they had found a way to help children in need and even test the supplies to ensure that there was no contamination. He learned that they provided counseling sessions free of charge for mothers who had lost children and were donating milk through the bank. Hermione turned down the offer for sessions, but Severus promised himself he would bring it up with her later.
When they left Severus suggested that they stop at a department store and find linins for the bedroom if she was planning on re-doing it completely. It could be a fresh start. Truly he didn't fancy sleeping more nights on pastel sheets. Hermione happily agreed and they took another taxi to the shops and were fairly easily able to agree on a rather lovely set with various shades of gray and silver with a deep purple duvet. It was so beautiful and luxurious feeling, it wasn't something she thought he would have liked when she first suggested it, but he informed her that he was rather fond of the grays and silver, and found that the purple was a pleasing aubergine shade, and altogether it was much better than much of what they had seen. Several sets had been covered in the most atrociously colored florals. He was having trouble believing anyone save Albus Dumbledore would have enjoyed neon yellow flowers on a lime green background.
Hermione was very happy with their first official purchase together. She was excited to get started on making the house a home again. When they got back to the house Severus fixed them up a small lunch of sandwiches and Hermione pumped while she began the arduous task of boxing up her parent's clothes and things to begin making space in their closet for her and Severus to move in their things.
Much as she had done with the den Hermione began with three boxes. She started with her mother's clothes, and immediately dumped the whole of her undergarments drawer into the rubbish box. There was no need, in her mind, for another woman to be wearing her mother's old knickers. Hermione spent a bit longer going through her mother's collection of blouses. Several of them were terribly out dated, even by Wizarding standards. The tops from the 80's in particular she thought she would send to the thrift shop. She did manage to find a few simple blouses in lovely spring shades that she decided to keep for herself. She still needed more clothes, since about everything she had owned previously was back at the flat she had shared with Ron, and truly there had not been enough there for her to bother. She was halfway through sorting out her mother's pants, most of which she was not fond of keeping, when Severus arrived in the room with a tray of sandwiches floating behind him.
Hermione released the dual pump from her breasts and set it aside before joining Severus for lunch. They sat on the bed to eat, and Hermione started to wonder why they had been sleeping in her old bed all this time, when the mattress in her parent's room was infinitely more comfortable, even after the cushioning charms she was certain Severus had cast.
"Thank you for lunch Severus," she said between bites of her egg salad sandwich. "And for everything else." She showed him her appreciation by leaning across the tray of sandwiches between them and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. She pulled back slightly and smiled brightly at him, and then playfully slipped just the tip of her tongue out to catch a bit of mayonnaise that was on the corner of his lips. Severus moaned and with a wave of his hand the tray and all remaining sandwiches were banished back to the kitchen.
Severus pulled her close, holding her much the same as he had that morning. "Little minx," he called her.
Hermione mewed into his kiss, reminding him of a kitten. A very delicious, sexy kitten. "Severus," she moaned as he splayed his long agile fingers over her back, loving the feeling of the silk as it rubbed against her skin between his hand and her back. She moved closer to him, turning herself so that she was facing him, her legs tucked up under her and her hands braced on his strong shoulders.
The hand on her back moved lower on her back, down to the soft curve of her bum. Her little whimper was nearly enough to end him. "Oh, Hermione."
"Yes," she replied, though she wasn't sure what question she was answering. All of them, each unasked question about what she wanted, what she hoped for, what she needed; her answer was yes.
Their kisses were near desperate, each of them pouring all the joy and love they had felt that day as they chose to truly build their life together into their kisses. His tongue caressed hers with a sort of reverence and a passion she had never known. When he nipped lightly at her lower lip she gasped and arched her back, pushing herself further into his arms. His hand held her tight to him, pulling her closer so that she was nearly on his lap. He moved his other hand to slide effortlessly under the hem of her top, rewarded with the feeling of her flushed flesh against the pads of his fingers. She tilted her head back as she moaned up at the ceiling. He took that as a clear invitation and dipped his head to kiss a trail down her neck. She was so delicious and every mewling noise from her lips was a sirens call to him. He had brought lunch up with the plans of helping her get the bedroom organized and cleared out, but suddenly it was the furthest thing from his mind. His hands roamed over the plains of her back, his fingers ghosting over her goose-pimpled skin.
Finding her courage in the arms of the only man who made her feel safe, Hermione pulled her legs from under her and moved fully into Severus' lap. "I love you," she whispered in his ear as she leant forward pressing herself into him fully.
"So much darling," he replied before capturing her lips in a searing kiss once again. Hermione brought her hand up between them and undid the top button of her silk top and swallowed the small gasp from Severus as he realized what she was doing.
Hermione loved the way he made her feel, but also the way she made herself feel as she chose bolder moves and slowly regained the power that others had taken from her.
She slowly moved her fingers to the next button, and moaned loudly into Severus' mouth as he sucked her tongue firmly. And then the third button joined the first two. Severus broke their kiss to nibble lightly at her ear, causing the most delightful stuttering gasp to pour from her lips. The fourth button was the next to go.
Severus breathed heavily, fighting the urge to thrust himself up against her to get a little friction on his painfully hard length. Her round bottom was seated just over him, and there was no doubting she could feel the effect she had on him. He laved the skin just behind her ear, delighted in the taste of her, sweet and just the smallest tang of something like salt and honey that was entirely Hermione. Her fifth and sixth buttons followed the first four in quicker succession and as she popped free the seventh and final button Severus easily used the hand on her back to pull the silk from her body as she again arched into him.
The feeling on the silk sliding from her skin while his tongue danced just behind her ear was heaven. She moaned and ground herself unconsciously into him causing him to hiss. "Dear Merlin Hermione," he swore.
Severus slowly slid his hand up and down her back, before settling it atop the clasp of her bra. He gave her a moment, time enough to protest if he was moving too fast. She kissed him again, swirling her tongue around his as his fingers undid the claps on her bra like that was their sole purpose in life. Hermione broke their kiss, breathing heavily, and sucked her lip into her lip, nibbling on it as she leaned back and let the straps fall from her shoulders.
Her breasts were bared before him, not for the first time he knew, but it was so different this time, this way. She was gorgeous, and still engorged and lightly leaking, having not completely finished pumping before he had brought up lunch. Slowly he took the hand that had been at her back and slid it first up her arm, from her fingertips to her shoulder. He gently skated his fingers in a path across her collarbone as she made more of the small little mewling noises he was so pleased to learn could come from her pouty little lips. When his hand moved slowly, cautiously down her sternum her eyes fluttered closed. Slowly his hand moved beneath one of her swollen breasts, sliding underneath to cup it in his hand. He held it there, as if feeling the weight of it in his palm. His deep violet eyes darkened even further with a hunger like he had never known. He marveled at the feel of her, her breast in his hand, her rear moving in slow maddening circles on his lap, her breath tickling his neck. She was perfection and he would worship her like the goddess she was.
Slowly he moved his fingers to squeeze lightly and then circled his fingers slowly around the circumference of her breast, moving in ever smaller circles as he got closer to her darkening areola and beautiful little nipple. When his fingers finally reached the tight peak of her creamy mound she breathed a quiet "please."
Severus had never heard a more erotic and perfect word in his life. He pulled her close, snuggling her into his embrace before gently flipping them so that she was lying beneath him. Her curly chestnut hair spayed on the pillow beneath her like tree branches as he stared at her in awe.
Severus leant down slowly to capture her lips in a searingly delicate kiss. His lips quickly moved from hers to trail down her neck. He kissed a path just as his hands had taken, what seemed like both a moment and an age ago.
His lips deviated from the course his hands had taken when he chose which breast to lavish with his attentions. He planted kisses all along the underside of her breast, his tongue barely coming to taste her with each warm kiss. By the time his mouth had made it midway up the little hill it was climbing a tiny stream of warm milk was dripping down. It was just a few drops, having leaked from her swollen chest as her arousal built within her. He groaned as he captured the small beads of her sweat milk on the tip of his tongue.
Hermione arched and ground her hips up against him as his tongue followed the trail of milk to its source and swirled around her nipple before sucking it sharply into his mouth. Her keening cry tore from deep within her as he began to slowly pull the milk from her in a much more pleasing manner than she had ever known. She was completely lost to the ecstasy as he sucked and swirled his tongue around her. He moaned as he drank from her, being careful not to apply too much pressure as he took his fill of her.
Hermione called to any god that would listen and thanked them for freeing her from the bonds of the past so that she could enjoy the passion and love of Severus Snape. She had never thought of nursing as a sexual experience, but as Severus released the pressure in her breasts while building pressure deep in her core she couldn't seem to think of it as anything but.
Severus pulled back, and began kissing a new path to her other breast desiring to taste what it had to offer. He let one hand come to play with the nipple his lips had abandoned, squeezing the tip of it gently between his fingers, rolling it lightly as Hermione bucked and moaned against him.
"Please," she begged him again.
Severus slid his other hand slowly down the soft flesh of her stomach and over her hip. He ran it down the pleats of her skirt covering her thigh until he was rewarded with flesh and Hermione's glorious cries. He moved his hand slowly back up her thigh beneath her skirt, feeling the heat that was emanating from her core as he inched closer and closer.
When his fingers found her little cotton knickers damp with her arousal he wasn't sure he would ever get enough of her. He sucked just a little harder, his teeth nibbling gently as she let out a ragged moaning breath. "Ye..ye…yesssss…" she cried.
Slowly Severus let his fingers slide just beneath her little panties feeling the tickle of her thatch of hair on his fingertips. "Severus," she managed to whimper out as her eyelids fluttered and her heart beat wildly in her chest. Severus took this as permission to continue and did so very slowly. He let his fingers tangle in her damp hair, drawing ridiculously small circles over her as he approached her wet slit. Her hips moved in wild circles, seeking something more.
Hermione had never known this pleasure. She had never before felt so wantonly needy and it was a heady feeling. She knew there was so much more to heal, but right then, in that moment, as Severus fingers slid slowly up her slit towards her tiny bundle of nerves all she knew was the pleasure of loving and being loved by Severus.
Severus released her breast from his lips with a soft 'pop' before laving her nipple with torturously slow licks. He kissed his way to her lips and when he finally delved his tongue into her warm mouth, sharing the sweet flavor clinging to his lips with her he slowly pushed a finger into her tight heat.
He could feel the scarring left behind by her ordeal, and knew to take things excruciatingly slow and gentle. He carefully pulled his finger up and slid it gently around her throbbing clit. He continued to draw little circles around it as she moaned and begged him to help her find her first release in longer than she could remember, her first release since she was a teenaged girl experimenting behind silencing charms and curtains while her dorm mates stole away into each other's beds. Severus continued his gentle ministrations. Drawing his circles in gently increasing speed and pressure while he kissed her deeply and swallowed her moans.
When he whispered his love against her lips she let herself be free and stars burst in her vision as her orgasm tore through her. Severus drew slow agonizingly perfect patterns over her wet and swollen center as she rode out her orgasm. When the tremors had mostly ceased and her vision began to clear she kissed him softly, whispered her love, and began to fall into a sated sleep in his safe embrace, never even realizing that he had found release in his pants, rocking deeply against her hip.
Severus smiled warmly at the witch falling into a blissful post-orgasmic sleep in his arms, amazed at what had happened; what she had initiated. He waved his hand and wandlessly cleaned them both before choosing to join her in a well-earned afternoon nap.
Severus had just began to really drift off into sleep when a knock downstairs brought them both from their pleasant dreams.
The knocking was rather persistent as Severus straightened his clothes and began to descend the stairs to see who was calling, hoping that whoever it was would not destroy what had been the best day in so very, very long for them both.
Hermione, who had been similarly woken, cleaned herself up in the loo while Severus saw to the visitor. She was half hiding away, half refusing to leave the blissful state she had found herself in. A moment later found Severus calling her down.
"Hermione, Lovegood is here. I do suggest you come down before she chat's me to death,"
A/N: What do you think? I loved writing this chapter, and hope you have enjoyed reading it. Did this live up to your expectations as they start to become more intimate with each other? Do you want to see more chapters like this before poor Hermione has to face the darkness again? What do you think Luna is doing there? Is it about time to check in on the terrible two – Ron and Verity? What would you really like to see in this story next?
Coming up Hermione prepares to sit her NEWTS and face a trial while dealing with the News that Luna brought to share with her and Severus…good or bad, I suppose we will find out.
Reviews are absolutely adored. I've had to give up on my soda and cut back on my coffee...help me out here… I need a jolt of energy like only reviews can bring.
Love to you all.
Lils.