I'm so so sorry for the delay again, life has been hectic but I'm back on track now.
Thanks to everyone following along
She leaned closer in a cloud of wild curls and soft skin, subtle delicate vanilla essence clinging to the air around her.
He knew the couch was a bad idea.
How could he resist her? Did he even want to resist her?
Severus' senses were overcome as he watched her lick her lips and peer longingly at his own.
He felt like an outsider unable to stop himself. Watching as the scene unfolded, he slowly moved his fingers into her chestnut curls. They were soft and wild, just like her. A delicate exhale burned across his face as he lowered his mouth to hers.
He deepened the kiss quickly, firmly pressing her against the back of her couch. Gentle fingers threaded into his hair, tugging slightly, urging him to continue exploring her.
A tangle of limbs pulled him down, his chest flush against hers as she whimpered beneath his weight.
Hermione's calf hooked around his hip, pressing his obvious arousal into her thigh.
"Severus, please?" she whispered desperately against his lips.
Waking suddenly Severus groaned aloud at the loss of her soft skin and pleading voice. It was still late but he knew he would not sleep again that night.
His arousal strained hard and heavy under his grey nightshirt. He tried his best to ignore the coiling lust that wound its way around his gut.
Exasperated he rose from the sheets, refusing to acknowledge the obvious tenting of his manhood.
Instead, he found his way into the bathroom, dropped to his knees and rummaged through his personal potions supply.
After a frantic moment or two he found his prize, a small vial of violently purple 'Dreamless Sleep'.
He hadn't imbibed this particular brew for a couple of years. There had been a time when he had almost run into trouble with the amount he was consuming and had since sworn off it.
Tonight however, he would make an exception.
Knocking back a half measure Severus made his way back to his bed and settled in for some uninterrupted sleep.
The next time he woke up with a start. Checking the time with a quick 'Tempus Charm' he swore loudly and lept up.
He had missed breakfast and was almost late for his first class of the day.
Bustling through the hallways Severus scowled his way past every student and teacher alike.
Blessedly he did not have patrolling duty with Granger that evening, his thoughts were still a mess from being inside her mind.
Severus set his first class to brewing, a simple 'Shrinking Solution' which should require little to no input from him. Giving him plenty of time to iron out his reflections on the previous evening.
Quill in hand and a stack of markings in front of him was a safe deterrent to ensure his class wouldn't bother him.
Hermione Granger's mind had been like a welcoming embrace. Her thoughts presented themselves to him like a warm breeze, each one seemingly colour-coded and reflecting her emotion.
He wasn't sure if she'd ever experienced Legilimency before last night, she certainly wasn't versed in Occlumency.
She had told him; "My head is full of you!"
That hadn't been untrue.
As her memories of him skimmed past, they seemed to caress him gently, dancing around him proudly and inviting him in.
He'd been intrigued by the use of colour, it spoke a lot about her capacity for emotion. Where a memory for some might flash in simple red or green, Hermione's shimmered in layers.
His knowledge of 'Colour Magic' wasn't extensive but her projected emotional state had come through loud and clear with each flurry of colour.
Every memory of him, whether it be pleasant or otherwise, had a shimmering border of black glitter. A colour which he knew represented protection and safety. Even her earliest memories of him were immersed in an overwhelming sense of security and trust.
That knowledge had affected him far more than the pulsing and flashing vibrantly red and pink memories of late.
Of course the most prominent memory had been of Halloween. The usual black border led into splashes of pink and deep thrumming crimson.
Watching the scene unfold from a distance was no less intrusive than his own memory, and feeling the heady need of her arousal only further fuelled his lust.
"Oh Severus," Hermione moaned. "You feel so good."
Shaking away the girl's memories Severus slammed his fist onto his desk causing several students to gasp and hurriedly check their cauldrons.
"Well," he hissed. "Aren't you lot finished yet?"
His classes did little to distract his thoughts from travelling back to her. During dinner the head table was heavy with a thick cloud of tension.
Minerva thankfully did not question his absence from breakfast that morning, in fact, she hardly spoke at all.
Sadness was rolling from Granger in waves, seemingly silencing the usual chatter that often surrounded her. Longbottom was shooting her constant looks of concern and kindness, trying to catch her eye causing Severus' temper to flair.
Lupin sat rigidly next to the witch, cutting his food meticulously. Severus was aware that a follow up conversation was likely on the cards with the wolf, but he wouldn't make it easy for him.
Down along the table Hagrid was talking loudly with Hooch about the Quidditch season so far. Seemingly oblivious to the unyielding tension which had a hold of the table's centre.
Severus had enough, rising from his seat he silently slinked away.
Allowing his feet to guide his path, he soon found himself standing outside the castle. Without a second thought he continued onward, seeking out the winding pathway to Hogsmeade.
As a general rule, he did not usually drink on a school night but such dire circumstances required an escape. The Three Broomsticks was sparsely populated, thankfully.
Severus took his usual seat, near the fireplace and facing the entrance. Some habits were hard to break regardless of how long it had been since the war ended.
Truthfully, he had never really switched off once the final battle ended. Everyday he woke, sweating, throat raw from screaming out during the night and wondered when it might end.
It had been four years since the Dark Lord had been defeated, four years since Severus had almost sacrificed his life for Potter.
In those four years he could count on one hand the number of nights he had rested easily without the help of a potion.
More recently, his sleep had still been interrupted, although not by hooded figures and Death Eater masks.
Hermione Granger seemed to have usurped his nightmares. Nagini's fangs buried in his neck were replaced by sweet, soft lips caressing his throat.
Kneeling before the Dark Lord and trembling with fear was instead him tickling her thigh with his tongue and quivering with anticipation.
Fear and anger he had mastered, those emotions were familiar and simple.
The sensations she had weaved into his mind were a lot harder for Severus to distinguish and impossible to understand.
The Firewhiskey was going down a little too easily and Madam Rosmerta kept them flowing without question.
He wasn't certain how long he'd been sitting there, definitely wasn't sure as to how many glasses of Firewhiskey had passed his lips when Hagrid rambled over to his table.
"Don' often see you out on a weeknight professor," the half giant said, taking a seat opposite Severus and successfully blocking his view of the entryway.
"Needs must," Severus mumbled into his glass.
His colleague gestured to Madam Rosmerta for service and the proprietor threw him a winning smile. There had always been rumours circulating the village and castle in regards to the nature of their relationship. Hagrid spent an enormous amount of his free-time holed up in The Three Broomsticks, of course the man enjoyed a drink but his flirtatious manner with Rosmerta was none too subtle.
Severus watched as she approached the table— a service she didn't extend to many. The curvy blonde lingered at Hagrid's side, chatting animatedly, her hand hovering just beneath his elbow. He continued to sip his drink and observe the free and natural back and forth between them.
A small niggling jealousy weaving its way into his mind. He was certain that he had never been capable of enjoying a free-flowing and friendly conversation like the one he was witnessing.
Even before Lily had broken his adolescent heart, he was always more comfortable speaking in terms of academia. Which was why, he supposed, that Granger was so easy to be around.
Rolling his eyes at his own wayward thoughts and scoffing involuntarily. He failed to notice that Rosmerta had sauntered back to the bar causing Hagrid's attention to snap back to him.
"Everythin' alrigh'?"
"Just peachy," Severus replied in a deadpan manner. Hagrid nodded in acceptance but there was some obvious confusion on his face.
Knocking back the remainder of his drink he placed his glass on the table with excessive force.
"Well Hagrid, I must be off."
He didn't need to leave, but the half-giant was just a tad too chipper for Severus' dark mood.
"I been meanin' for you to swing by me hut," Hagrid began. "Got some right nice unicorn horns I been wantin' to 'ave you value 'em," he said, seemingly ignoring Severus' efforts to slip out.
Severus paused in his seat, Unicorn Horns were a rare and valuable commodity and Hagrid had always been very generous with his finds from the Forbidden Forest.
He counted on Severus to appraise his finds and value them. Hagrid loved an opportunity to make some extra cash on the side and Severus was more than pleased with the rare finds.
The Firewhiskey hummed merrily in his veins, causing him to feel uncharacteristically generous.
"I have time now," Severus offered.
"Great!" Hagrid boomed, rising to his feet.
The walk back to the castle grounds was quiet and amicable, Severus had always been quite fond of Hagrid. During his difficult teenage years as a student the Groundskeeper had always shown him unrivaled kindness and on more than one occasion had offered him shelter from his relentless bullies.
The two men soon crossed the threshold into Hagrid's modest home, the decor hadn't changed in the thirty odd years that Severus had known him.
The same large bed with a patchwork quilt stood in the corner and next to the barren fireplace was Hagrid's small pink umbrella. Fang, the ancient bloodhound was sleeping soundly on a well-worn rug.
"Pull up a chair professor," Hagrid said, indicating the large wooden table. "Let's 'ave a drink."
Severus tucked himself into an oversized seat, his feet dangling almost a foot from the dusty floorboards. He'd long since given up on trying to decline Hagrid's hospitality. Instead, he accepted whatever alcohol he supplied while carefully ignoring the foods.
"Here we are," Hagrid said, plonking down two glasses filled with a dark amber liquid.
Severus raised the tumbler to his nose and took a deep whiff, the alcohol content seemed vast unsurprisingly. The irony of Hagrid having a low tolerance for alcohol consumption was not lost on him.
Taking a tentative sip he recoiled slightly at the taste but relished in the subsequent burn that followed.
Hagrid settled himself at the table and placed a large heavy sack on the wooden surface.
Severus could seem the telltale iridescent gleam of unicorn horns peaking out.
"Some are juvenile I reckon," Hagrid shrugged. "Migh' be some adult too though."
Severus spent the next few minutes unpacking the horns and sorting them by value. He continued to drink the offered beverage and didn't decline a second glass. He was starting to feel pleasantly intoxicated and settled into his seat once more.
Hagrid placed a generous number of unicorn horns into a separate bag and slid them across to Severus who raised his glass in thanks.
"Well," Hagrid began. "Whatcha doin' out tonight then? S'not like you."
Severus stiffened under Hagrid's gaze, his natural defensive manner taking over subconsciously.
He knew the other man meant no harm in the question but he couldn't bring himself to answer.
A frown creased his brow and he could feel his mouth twitch involuntarily as he clenched his jaw.
"S'alright," Hagrid slurred slightly. "I know that look."
Taken aback, Severus levelled the other man with a dark stare, eyes pinched tight.
"What look?" he snapped impatiently.
"The look of a man longin'," he replied casually, following it up with an obnoxious hiccup. "Had that look a few times meself truth be told."
Before he could decline Hagrid topped up his glass again, while Severus stared back in shock.
He prided himself on his unreadable manner, his ability to deflect scrutiny by others. Now, here he was unravelled in a matter of minutes by a man that many discounted as bumbling.
Again Severus found himself lost for a response, instead, he let Hagrid continue.
"S'not a look I ever saw on you before," the half giant said, his drink sloshing over the rim of his glass as he spoke animatedly. "Well, not in a long time anyway."
Severus prickled at the unspoken name that hung between them.
Hagrid was a quicker study than most,— Severus included, gave him credit for.
The other man was looking wistfully at the bag of unicorn horns and sipping his drink.
"Unicorn horns," he muttered. "A rare find and right tricky to spot a genuine one. But once ya do, ya jus' know. Real ones last a lifetime," the gatekeeper finished, a knowing gleam on his face.
Frowning deeply Severus continued to study the other wizard over the rim of his glass. He watched Hagrid's small black eyes twinkle kindly as his eyelids drooped heavily. Within minutes the small hut was filled with the combined snores of Fang and his master, prompting a swift exit with the precious unicorns horns in hand.
His walk across the dark grounds was peaceful as he steadied his footing on the shimmering, frost laden grass.
The biting chill in the air had an immediate sobering effect, not enough for him to fully recover but sufficient in clearing his buzzing mind.
Once across the threshold of the entrance Severus turned in the direction of the dungeon passageway only to be intrigued by the sound of light footsteps in a nearby alcove.
Carefully he placed the bag of unicorn horns down and swept silently towards the disturbance. Ready to apprehend the impudent pupil he threw back his shoulders and engaged his most intimidating sneer.
"Well well," he hissed menacingly to the unknown student's back.
With a sharp gasp puncturing the silent hall, the face of Hermione Granger swam into view as she whipped around quickly. Her hair was restrained in a thick plait and she wore a heavy black travelling cloak over a thin, white nightgown.
Severus' eyes tracked down her throat and lingered on her heaving chest. The silken material clung to her curves hypnotically and it took all of his restraint to remove his gaze from her erect nipples.
"You almost gave me a heart attack," she said, clutching her hand to her chest once again drawing his attention downward. The alcohol in his system seemed to take extra interest in her prickled skin.
"What are you doing?" he asked, as he continued to loom over the witch.
Granger raised a brow and pursed her lips in defiance, slowly she tapped her foot on the flagstones.
"What are you doing?" she challenged back.
Severus chuckled darkly, the girl was insufferable and completely intoxicating. He ignored the tightening tension seeping into his abdomen as she glared up at him accusingly.
"I was entertaining one of your many fans," he replied, smirking at her small frown.
He watched her mouth closely as she moistened her bottom lip with her tongue then caught the pink skin under her teeth. His hand twitched and with an enormous effort he stopped himself from prying her lip from its captivity.
As silence continued to mount between them Severus grinned predatorily down at her.
"Well?" he questioned, hoping to engage her naturally questioning nature.
"What?" she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"Aren't you going to try and kiss me again Hermione?" he asked, placing unnecessary emphasis on the second syllable of her name.
He could hear Granger's breath catching and her follow-up shaky exhale. After a moment she swallowed and spoke softly;
"Do you want me to?" she asked timidly.
His gaze lingered again, taking in her throat and mapping a path down the centre of her chest. Her breaths came fast and heavy through her parted lips.
"Do you want to?" he smirked back at her, causing her to huff impatiently.
"You know what I want," she said, tilting her chin up defiantly.
"Hmm," he replied, dipping his head ever so slightly. The tension filling the space between them was palpable. With his mouth hovering inches away he said;
"Goodnight Granger." Before stalking away into the night.