Hermione leaves her introduction to charms course at four o'clock in the afternoon. She's starving. As she is looking around for a cafe and wondering where she is supposed to go, an Owl comes swooping into the square and drops a note into her outstretched hands. The note instructs her to meet Severus and his friend, a Lady Hibiscus, at a cafe called Al Veccio Marangon. Unable to disparate to a place she has never been, she hails a water taxi. The muggle driver doesn't comment on her witches robes. There are quite a lot of odd folk in Venice, magical and muggle alike. Her garb doesn't stick out nearly as much as it would in London.
The water taxi drops Hermione a few meters from the cafe. It is a casual, unassuming place. She enters off the narrow alley into the warmth of the place. Wooden tables and chairs are packed into a cheerful, casual interior. It is a muggle establishment, but plenty of magical folk are present.
"Miss Granger!" she hear's Snape's voice and sees him across the room. He is seated at a corner table with a very attractive woman. She feels a bit self conscious. Should I be jealous? She doesn't know. She carefully schools her features into an unreadable mask before she makes her way across the room. She is careful not to stare at the woman, and keeps her eyes on her lover as she approaches him.
He stands and pulls out a chair, leaning in to kiss her cheek. She closes her eyes at the touch of his lips and immediately feels her insecurity and apprehension melt away. She turns to face the attractive brunette-
"Charlotte!" Hermione is stunned and delighted. Here is the woman from her dream, the very same one who told her she must eat and drink to keep up her strength.
Severus and Lady Hibiscus both gape at her. Lady Hibiscus recovers first. "How do you know me?"
"You were in my dream," Hermione replies. "You told me to, uh, eat and drink."
A slow smile stretches across Charlotte's face. "Well, now, depending on the circumstances that would be something that I would say."
Snape recovers his composure and cuts in, "Your name is Charlotte?"
They are all still standing there, gaping at one another. Charlotte chuckles and sits down. "Take your seats, both of you. I guess we all have some explaining to do." She looks pointedly at Hermione with her last remark.
Hermione is grinning like an idiot. She feels instantly at ease. The woman in her dream was kind and is still gaping at his friend, clearly waiting for an explanation. She takes pity on him.
"Think about where we met, Severus," she says. "We don't use our real names."
"I did," he says, rather pompously.
"Well, yes, you were rather young and new to the scene." Her eyes sparkle with mischief.
Severus looks away from her, and remembers his manners at last. He pours Hermione a glass of wine from the bottle they have on the table. "Thank you," she murmurs to him, raising the glass to her lips.
Charlotte turns her pointed gaze on Hermione. "Are you a seer, Miss Granger?"
Hermione nearly spits out her wine. "No," she replies. "And please call me Hermione."
"Very well, Hermione, how do you explain your dream?"
"I can't," Hermione says calmly. "I guess I'll have to file it with everything else I can't understand. The list is quite extensive." She pauses to take a sip of the wine. It's a nice rustic italian red table wine. Full and dry. "What do you mean by 'the scene?'"
This time it's Snape's turn to nearly spit out his wine.
"You haven't told her?" Charlotte rounds on him.
"Actually," Snape says, "I was hoping you would." His voice is steady but Hermione isn't fooled. Snape is pleading with this woman. For what, she doesn't know.
Charlotte takes a moment to consider his words. "Is that why you… opened up to me… so freely this afternoon?"
"I was hoping you could be a mentor for her," Snape says quietly.
Charlotte gives him a long, hard look. Then she nods. Snape's relief is palpable.
Just then, Hermione's stomach growls. She is starving, and the wine isn't helping the situation. No human could have heard the rumble of her belly above the din of the crowded pub, but Severus turns to her, looking contrite. "I'm sorry, darling, you must be starving," and beckons the waiter.
Over a heaping bowl of clam linguine, Hermione agrees to meet Charlotte at her house the following day sans Snape. She has so many questions for this mysterious woman. How did she meet Snape? What was their relationship? She isn't stupid, she knows they must have been intimate. Surprisingly, she isn't bothered by this. It's hard to resent his previous partners when she benefits from his experience.
"How were classes today?" Severus asks her.
Hermione hesitates. "Good, I guess. The coursework will be challenging enough I think. It's weird not knowing anyone. It was weird not raising my hand every five seconds."
"How are your classmates?" he asked.
"I wouldn't know, I didn't talk to anyone," she said. "They stared at me a lot, but no one would approach me."
"Did that bother you?" asks Charlotte.
Hermione hesitates again. "No. I'm not really interested in them, to be honest." She laughs. "I'm a terrible person."
Charlotte raises an eyebrow at this. "Being careful around strangers is wise, Hermione. I wouldn't read too far into it. You'll get used to your classmates in your own time."
"I hope so," says Hermione, and she means it. "I miss my friends," she blurts out.
"Have you written to them yet?" Severus asks her.
"No," she frowns. "I've been a bit overwhelmed. But I will."
When they leave the restaurant, Charlotte and Snape do not embrace. Hermione senses a hesitation between them. She wonders if it is just the time apart, or something deeper. Charlotte points out her red door to Hermione, mere steps from the restaurant.
"See you tomorrow, Hermione."
"It was lovely to meet you, Lady Hibiscus," Hermione replies, calling her by the name Severus knows her by.
Then Severus takes her by the hand, casts a quick 'look over there' spell to distract the few muggles in the alley, and disapparates them both back to the steps of the palace.
Back in their rooms, Severus pours himself a glass of wine and steps out onto the patio to enjoy it. Hermione is about to get out of her robes and into the bath when a snowy white owl swoops into their sitting room, looking for a place to land. She settles on the high back of Severus' favorite chair.
"Hedwig!" Hermione unties the rolled up parchment from the exhausted owl. "I'm sorry, dear, I don't have any owl treats or anything for you." Then she has an idea. "Hang on, dear. Food and water and a place for you to rest are on the way." Hermione goes into the entrance hall and rings the bell for a servant. She feels a little guilty doing it. at least it isn't a house elf
While waiting for the servant to arrive, Hermione reads the letter.
Hermione-
I hope you're well. I know no news is good news,But I saw the article in the Prophet. We really need to do something about that beetle. I've told Hedwignot to leave without a reply. She will peck you. Please Let us know that you're ok.
Harry
The servant enters the room. "Yes, my lady?"
"Please call me Miss Granger, if you don't mind. Or Madam."
"Yes Madam."
"I need an owl cage with food, water, and treats. Can you supply such a thing?"
"Right away Madam."
"Thank you."
Hermione returns to the sitting room. Hedwig clicks her beak. "I'm having a cage brought up for you with food and water. You can get some rest."
"Hooo," says Hedwig.
She pokes her head out on the patio. Severus is lost in thought, gazing out over the canal, a full wine glass in his hand. "I'm going to take a bath, love. Will you let the servant in when he rings? He's bringing up a cage with dinner for Hedwig."
Severus grunts, but doesn't look her way. She sighs, and retreats to the gets the water running and then studies the back of her robes in the mirror, trying to decide which spell to use to get them off. She hasn't had to do it herself yet- Severus has always been there to undo the buttons for her. Before she casts the spell though, the bathroom door opens and Severus is behind her, already unbuttoning the topmost buttons. She sighs contentedly and sets down her wand.
"Sorry, my love," he murmurs to her as he helps her out of her robes, "I had an exhausting day." Her robes fall to the floor and vanish to the wardrobe. He starts on her undergarments as she turns to face him.
"Tell me," she says.
He frowns. "It's complicated. But the long and short of it is I had to let Lady Hibiscus turn my brain inside out today. It wasn't comfortable."
Hermione's mouth falls open. "You WHAT?" She doesn't really know how to feel about this. What she thinks she feels, though, is betrayed. It sounds so intimate.
Severus can see the hurt on her face. "Please get in the tub and let me wash you and I'll try to explain."
She gets in the tub. It feels divine. Severus soaps up a washcloth and starts with her back before continuing.
"Lady Hibiscus is a very old friend of mine. And yes- we were lovers- of a sort."
"Of a sort?" Hermione asks.
Severus puts his hand behind her head and guides it back, wetting her hair. "Of a sort. If you don't mind, I'll let her explain it to you. She'll do a better job of it. She'll be more honest. I've told her to tell you everything.
"Anyway. She wasn't exactly pleased that I had taken up with a student. And I could bear the loss of her friendship for myself, but not for you, Hermione." He massages the shampoo into her short brown curls. She closes her eyes in pleasure. "I desperately want, more than almost anything, for you and her to be friends. She can teach you so many things that I cannot."
"Like what?" Hermione asks him as he rinses the shampoo out of her hair.
"Proctor's book, for one. She's something of an expert in it."
"Really?" Hermione asks. Now her interest is truly piqued.
"And she's an accomplished legilimens."
"Okay," she says. "I'm looking forward to our meeting."
"I'm glad," replies Severus. "Now, can I wash the rest of you?"
"Please," she says, her legs spreading open a bit in anticipation.
He washes her very thoroughly, taking his time to touch every last inch of her body. By the time he has finished her eyes are shut and she is moaning softly. He helps her out of the tub. Her legs are a bit shaky and he has to steady her. When she can stand, he dries her off with a fluffy cotton towel. He kneels in front of her to dry her legs. When he gets to her upper thighs, she parts them suggestively for him. He kisses her wet lips, probes her clit with his tongue.
She gasps. "Severus, I don't think I can stand up if you-"
He removes his mouth from her wet pussy and stands up. "Get on the bed. Spread your legs for me."
"Yes, Sir," she says, and moves toward the bedroom. Her heart is pounding in her chest. Something is different about him tonight. She hears him removing his clothes behind her. When she reaches the bed, climbs into it, lays back on the pillow and spreads her legs apart for him he is fully naked. And fully erect.
"Hands over your head," he says. She complies. "Don't move them." She nods.
He kneels between her legs. The look on his face is determined. She is sure he is going to plunge right into her. But he dips his head and assaults her orally instead. It is an assault. Although he isn't hurting her, there is no tenderness in this onslaught of pleasure. Hermione can feel a desperate need emanating from him, although what that need is exactly she doesn't know. She thrusts her hips forward to meet him as his tongue pummels her clit. It is almost too much pleasure to bear. She cries out more than once. She pulls her hips back, trying to gain a respite, but he is having none of it. He plunges first one finger, then two fingers inside her. She writhes and bucks against his mouth. The tension is building quickly. It feels out of control.
He lifts his head suddenly to look at her. His fingers are still buried inside her. "Tell me if I hurt you," he says.
"Yes," she says.
He pulls his fingers out of her in a sudden movement. Dips his head back down and encircles her clit with his lips, he sucks hard, beating her with his tongue. When she feels his fingers back at her entrance there are three. He plunges them into her. Now there is pain, but as she opens her mouth to tell him, her orgasm rips through her. She cries and bucks against him, riding it out.
She expects him to stop now, to let her come down from the high, to hold her. But he continues his onslaught of her pussy as if she hasn't come at all. His tongue whips across her clit, his fingers pound her roughly. It hurts. She's a little scared. She lifts her head up to tell him to stop- and another orgasm takes her. Ten seconds later another. This one leaves her sobbing. "Stop, please, Seveus, stop."
He stops. Rocks back on his heels and looks down at her. She is gasping for breath. He can hear her heart pounding in her chest. He watches. Her breathing slows.
"Are you ok? Did I take that too far?" he asks her.
"Almost," she says, her chest still heaving.
"I'm going to fuck you now."
She nods wearily, spreading her legs for him.
"I need a yes, Hermione," he says.
She hesitates for half a second. Then, "Yes."
He sits back on his knees and positions himself at her entrance. Here he can see her pussy and her face. "This won't take long,'' he says, and pushes into her.
Hermione watches him fuck her. His face is contorted in concentration and he is looking at her pussy while he fucks it. His thrusts are hard and fast- she has to brace herself against the headboard. But her hips rise to meet his every thrust. Inexplicably, she feels the tension of another orgasm building inside her. She braces herself with her left hand and reaches down to touch herself with her right.
"Hands over your head," he barks at her. She is disappointed, but immediately obeys.
Severus slows his violent thrusting. "Are you going to come again?" he asks her in an amused voice. "Do you like being fucked like this?"
Hermione's whole body flushes with embarrassment. "Yes, Sir."
A slow, sinister smile spreads across his face. He licks his forefinger suggestively, lubricating it, and then brings it down to flick across her clit. His thrusts have slowed but he is still fucking her hard- almost painfully so."The Gryffindor princess likes it rough," he says conversationally as he fucks her.
"Please don't stop," she is begging him now, all embarrassment forgotten. "I'm almost there."
He keeps up a perfect rhythm with his finger against her clit. He fucks her as hard and as fast as he can while still stimulating her. Finally, her whole body clenches around him and she cries out. He comes with her, his primordial growl mingling with her cries before he collapses on top of her.
