FIC: Instinct (NC-17)

[sshg_pf_mod]

Title: Instinct
Type: Fic
Prompter: sixpence_jones
Creator: jaxomsride
Beta(s): reynardo
Rating: NC-17
(Highlight to View) Warning(s): Acromantula occurs. Explicit sex scene with mild bondage.
(Highlight to View) Prompt: Hermione is a werewolf and knows instinctively that Severus is her mate but his boggart is a werewolf and has been for years. What happens?.
Note: Any mistakes are my own.
Summary: Hermione encounters Snape in peril in the Forbidden Forest. Things develop from there.



Hermione loped through the trees feeling the wind ruffling her fur, almost like a caress. The full moon above deepened the shadows beneath the overhanging branches. Where her human form would have stumbled blindly, the wolf picked her way with ease. The wild part of her felt like howling with the sheer joy of living. Hermione, on the other hand, was all too aware of the fact that she was running about the Forest totally naked.

When he had bitten her during the battle, Fenrir had been partially transformed. Although she had been cursed, Hermione did not become a wolf. Whatever magic Fenrir had used to effect his own change had also been passed to her as well. When the moon's silver light touched her she became a half wolf and half human beast. It wouldn't have been so bad if fur covered all of her body. There were certain, rather crucial, areas that remained bare. She had tried to make some sort of garment to cover herself once she had changed. Unfortunately werewolf claws were long and sharp and had reduced the clothing to shreds as she tried to put it on.

All of a sudden, Hermione's sensitive muzzle caught a faint, tantalising odour. She stopped and inhaled deeply, trying to determine just what had grabbed her attention so strongly. The faint breeze carried a smell that was a delicious mixture of potion ingredients, chalk, parchment, ink and the indefinable spicy tang that was unique to one particular male, Severus Snape. That fragrant combination was imprinted on her brain. Hermione could even pick it out amongst the cacophony of odours that filled a crowded corridor full of students.

Here in the Forest his scent stood out like a beacon, beckoning her onwards. It woke a rush of need and desire that was almost overwhelming. For a few moments instinct warred with reason and won. Hermione told herself that she would only take a quick look, just to see if he was all right. If she was careful, the Professor need never know that she had tracked him down. For the first time that night both parts of her mind were in harmony with each other as Hermione began to follow the trail Severus Snape had left behind.

Snape's face, cold, still and as pale as death, haunted her as she followed the faint traces he had left behind. Hermione's stride faltered as a wave of guilt and shame washed over her. Even though she had thought him dead, her conscience smote her every time she thought back to that day.

She shook her head as if that would clear the sight of him from her mind. It didn't work. Instead an image of Snape as he lay in his hospital bed at St. Mungos replaced it. In spite of feeling dizzy and weak from her own wound, Hermione had felt compelled to see him. Snape had looked absurdly young as he slept, almost the same age as Harry or Ron.

As she tracked his scent through the wood, the memory of Snape's scowl as she greeted him the following day still made Hermione smiled inwardly. It had been such a relief that he was much more like his usual self.

Hermione's pace slowed as Snape's scent became stronger. The thought of him being so close sent an electric thrill racing down her spine. She still couldn't name what had drawn her back to visit him each day, in spite of his sneering face and surly attitude. Harry and Ron had teased her about making Professor Snape her new pet project.

Hermione's steps ground to a halt as she recalled her last encounter with Professor Snape. His expression of barely concealed revulsion as he handed her the goblet of Wolfsbane burned in her mind like acid. She had been so furious she had almost flung the contents back into his face. It was not like she had asked to be bitten. If she hadn't tackled Fenrir during that last fateful battle, he would have savaged Lavender Brown as she lay helpless on the ground. As much as she had disliked Lavender, that was not a fate she would wish on anyone.

Hermione frowned. If he feared and hated Werewolves so much, why was he willing to brew the Wolfsbane for her? Why did he insist on being the one to administer the dose? He could just have easily left that to Madam Pomfrey. Her frowned deepened. Maybe it was because the Professor didn't feel safe unless he knew that she would be in control when the moon rose? Hermione was fairly sure the professor wouldn't give her a straight answer, even if she had the nerve to ask him.

A sound ahead broke into her thoughts. Professor Snape's scent was so strong; he had to be nearby. Hermione's eyes could make out a dim yellow glow from a lantern just the other side of the bushes she was standing by. Cautiously, she edged forward. The last thing she wanted to do was to startle the Professor. In her current form he was certain to hex her.

She peeked cautiously through the branches of the shrub in front of her. Although the moon was full, only a fraction of its silvery light filtered through the thick canopy to the ground below. Snape was no more than a few feet from her. The moonlight reflected off his pale features, giving them an almost ghost-like appearance. He was crouched over something nestled between the roots of a gnarled tree. The lantern propped against a root barely gave out enough light for him to work by. A small basket at his side waited for whatever he was gathering.

The student in Hermione began cataloguing all the ingredients that were best harvested on the full moon. Her wolf part brought her mind abruptly back to the man in front of her. In spite of all her attempts to reason with her primitive side, the mere sight of him brought a wave of desire that made her mouth go dry and her knees weak with need. It took all of her willpower to restrain the impulse to jump out at Snape. The wolf might have had only one thing on its mind, but Hermione required no great leap of her imagination to envisage what was likely to happen if she gave way to instinct.

Snape, oblivious to her presence so close by, was muttering and cursing in his scratchy whisper at whatever plant stubbornly refused to give up its bounty. Hermione held her breath, fearing that even the soft sound of her breathing might give her away.

Suddenly, a movement to the left of Professor Snape caught her eye. Hermione studied the dark shadows beneath the trees. Even her werewolf sight found it difficult to penetrate the gloom this far into the Forbidden Forest. A dark form edged closer to Snape. Hermione found herself going cold with horror as she realised that a spider the size of a large hound was stealthily stalking the Professor.

Hermione clamped down on the growl that threatened to escape her throat. If she made a sound, the spider might strike while Snape's attention was focussed on her. Hermione's lips bared into a silent snarl. The Acromantula had survived the Battle of Hogwarts and the cull that occurred afterwards. It was not going to survive much longer. Without a thought to her own safety, Hermione sprang onto the spider's back, her sharp claws slicing into the tough hide of the creature.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~SSHG~ ~ ~ ~ ~SSHG~ ~ ~ ~ ~SSHG
Severus whirled around as a high pitched chittering sound startled him almost out of his skin. As he turned, his hand fumbled for the wand he had secreted into a pocket of his robes. He gripped it tightly ready to cast a hex. The curse died on his lips as he took in the sight before him.

A brown furred werewolf was rolling on the ground biting and clawing something that in the half light had far too many eyes and legs. Swallowing down the terror that gripped him, Severus gave a flick of his wrist. A ball of light appeared at the end of his wand, expanding until it lit the scene in front of him. Snape almost wished it hadn't. If the werewolf wasn't bad enough, the thing it grappled was a large Acromantula.

He raised his wand and then hesitated. They were changing positions so rapidly he wasn't sure which one he would hit. Professor McGonagall would not take it too kindly if he cursed a student by accident. He was reasonably certain the werewolf was Miss Granger; there weren't any other female werewolves anywhere near Hogwarts.

He waited, watching the fight keenly for any opportunity to hex the spider without hitting Miss Granger instead. He gathered the Killing Curse within his mind, prepared to strike with a single gesture and a mere whisper of sound.

His chance came when the werewolf flung the spider hard against the trunk of a tree with a resounding crack.

"Avada Kedavra" Snape uttered. A bolt of green light erupted from his wand and slammed into the spider which was slowly struggling back up. It writhed in agony and then was still.

Severus turned towards the werewolf who growled at him. Snape raised his wand again, just as her eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed to the ground.

"Oh bugger!" Severus muttered as he hurried over to her prone figure. He stood in front of her, trying to persuade himself that she was unconscious and so couldn't hurt him. Finally he managed to make himself crouch next to Miss Granger and examine her for any sign of an injury. He found two deep puncture wounds at the top of her thigh. Werewolves had a reputation for being tough to kill, but even they were not immune to Acromantula toxin.

Severus mentally kicked himself for not putting a vial of antivenom into a pocket before he set out. He should have known better than to rely on Ministry reports that the creatures had been eradicated. Hagrid had probably saved one of the bloody things in his usual soft hearted blindness to how much of a menace the creatures were.

Severus ran his hands through his hair. He was tempted to leave Hermione there and head back to Hogwarts. However, he was certain that by the time he returned with the antivenom, it would be too late. Severus cursed Fate yet again. He had no choice but to take her with him. He pushed down the urge to flee at the thought of carrying her. She was out cold, no threat at all, he told himself sternly. It took him a few moments before he could bring himself to pick her up in his arms.

Severus decided that the quickest and safest way to return would be to fly. He looked up, searching for a large enough gap in the branches above to allow him to pass with his burden. Having spotted a clear path, Severus tightened his grip upon Hermione. He gathered his will, shaping the necessary spell with his mind. It was not easy to concentrate with a werewolf in his arms. His eyes kept fixing on the large, sharp teeth that lined Hermione's muzzle. It is said that fear lends wings, but it definitely didn't help Snape's take off. His wobbling ascent might have lacked grace and elegance but fortunately no one was around to see it. Once above the trees, the bright full moon lit a silvery path to Hogwarts. Severus focussed on the Castle and prayed the moon didn't choose to go behind a cloud. The prospect of flying in pitch black night with a werewolf in his arms was not something he wanted to try.

The mind numbing fear gripping Severus gradually eased as Hermione remained limp and passive against him. He was surprised to notice that her fur felt soft and silky as it rubbed against his chin as they flew. According to the books, werewolf hair was supposed to be coarse and shaggy. Remus, as a werewolf, had appeared to be classically shaggy, rather than Hermione's sleek pelt. Thinking about it didn't help his concentration much. He tried not to think that, apart from the fur, Hermione was totally naked. A certain portion of his anatomy was more than happy with that idea. Severus scowled, ignoring his growing arousal, and tried to bring his thoughts back to keeping them aloft.

His relief at almost reaching the edge of the forest was short lived as Hermione stirred in his arms. She opened her eyes and frowned at him slightly, as if slightly puzzled at how she had got there. Before Severus thought to warn her, she turned her head and looked down. Hermione gave a high pitched shriek, sounding more like a frightened girl than a ferocious beast. Her arms clutched tightly around his neck while her legs locked themselves around the lower half of his torso.

"Bloody hell, woman, are you trying to get us both killed?" Severus snapped as they dipped down dangerously close to the topmost branches of the trees below.

Hermione only whimpered in reply and buried her head in his shoulder, her whole body trembling.

"Hermione, I need to breathe." Snape grated between clenched teeth. He concentrated on lifting them back up out of range of the treetops. Snape was surprised that he was more afraid of them crashing than the fact that her muzzle was dangerously close to his neck.

"Sorry," she whispered almost inaudibly. Her death grip around his neck tightened.

Severus was stunned to realise Hermione was terrified of flying. "Hermione, you are safe. I won't let you fall." He tried to project as much reassurance into his tone as he could manage in spite of the fact Hermione was half strangling him.

Hermione looked up at him "Promise?"

All of a sudden, Severus saw beyond the long sharp teeth to the scared young woman within. "I promise."

Hermione's hold slackened slightly around his neck. Severus took in a deep, grateful lungful of air. With his mind no longer preoccupied with a dire need for oxygen, Severus became all too aware of the feminine form entwined with his. It no longer seem to matter at all that Hermione was a werewolf. His hands itched to explore the soft curves crushed against his robes.

Fortunately for his sanity, they didn't have much further to go. As it was, they wobbled in the air as Severus kept losing the concentration needed to keep them aloft. His erratic flight did nothing to improve Hermione's fear of flying. She shivered against him every time they swayed in the air, which did nothing to improve his control. By the time his feet touched down in the grass outside Hogwarts those little quakes had given him an almost painful erection.

As soon as they were safe on the ground, Snape tried to set Hermione down. She clung to him more fiercely. Severus reined in his own response to her moulding herself to him. "Hermione it's all right. You can let go now."

"Oh." Hermione looked up at him. "Sorry, Professor, I had my eyes shut."

She unlocked her hands from around his neck and slid them along his chest. Severus drew in a harsh breath as he yearned to feel the touch of those fingers against his bare skin. If it hadn't been for her long wolf muzzle, Severus would have given way to the temptation to kiss her. Hermione unlocked her legs from around his waist and Severus grasped her hips.

Now was certainly not the time nor the place to give way to his libido. He sternly admonished himself as he set her on her feet. She needed to be treated as quickly as possible; they did not have time for dalliance. He closed his eyes briefly as he gathered what shreds of self-control he had left. He must be insane. She was a werewolf!

Desperate now to get this over and done with as quickly as possible, Severus studied the portion of the wall in front of him. Rough stone met his gaze. In the moonlight, one block looked pretty much like another. Severus scowled; it was always bloody difficult working out where the blasted door was. He felt Hermione craning her neck around his shoulder to watch him. Wisely, she remained silent while he worked out which were the right stones. Severus selected one particular block of stone and pressed it. He then repeated the action with three other blocks in quick succession around it.

With a heavy grinding noise, stone moved against stone as a section of the wall rearranged itself. A dark archway formed leading into a dimly lit corridor.

"I didn't know this was here!" Hermione exclaimed.

"You don't think you and your friends knew all the secret ways into and out of Hogwarts?"

"Well, I thought we must have found most of them."

"Not even half, Miss Granger. Now, can you walk?"

"I can try."

As soon as she took her first step, Hermione groaned and went a deathly white. Snape stepped towards her as she swayed.

"Evidently not," Snape muttered as he swept her up into his arms.

"Sorry," Hermione murmured faintly as her body went limp.

Fervently hoping no one else would see them, Severus carried her into Hogwarts.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~SSHG~ ~ ~ ~ ~SSHG~ ~ ~ ~ ~SSHG
Hermione slowly became aware of her surroundings. She was lying on something cold and hard. Her arms were over her head and seemed to be caught in something that wouldn't let her lower them. When she tried to move her feet they seemed to be restrained too.

"Bloody hell! You are awake!"

Hermione's eyes snapped open at the achingly familiar voice. Snape was standing over her with his eyes wide in shock. The room they were in was dimly lit with torches. Various iron implements reminiscent of a mediaeval torture chamber adorned the walls. Briefly, Hermione wished she had not returned to human form. Not that it would have offered much protection, but it was better than none. She tried to sit up, only to discover she could not. The sounds of chains rattling and the feel of cold metal at her wrists and ankles sent a bolt of fear coursing down her spine.

"P-professor where are we?"

Snape studied her, a strange light in his eyes leaving her suddenly breathless. She could feel herself colouring as her nipples hardened in response.

He smile slightly, "Isn't it obvious, Miss Granger, a dungeon."

"What are we doing here?" Hermione felt her heart race as he moved behind her. She was surprised to realise that she wasn't just scared but oddly excited too.

"I didn't think it wise to treat you anywhere else. I had no desire to get bitten." His hands touched her wrists almost in a caress. It sent an electric ripple of sensation down her spine which ignited a fire centred in the very core of her being.

"Wouldn't a binding spell have done just as well?" Hermione's voice shook as she heard a lock click. She had no idea why she felt a pang of disappointment as he set her free.

"Not really. It is difficult to administer a potion if the recipient can't move their mouth."

Hermione's gaze followed him as he moved back into her sight and towards the far end of the table. She licked lips that had gone suddenly dry in anticipation. For a brief moment she imagined Snape climbing onto the table and joining her.

Her hips shifted in anticipation of him thrusting between her wide open thighs. She realised Snape was watching her with a fascinated stare, one hand unconsciously caressing her ankle. Her hips moved again in invitation.

Snape shook his head breaking the spell that had existed for a brief moment between them. He unlocked the manacle binding her ankle, keeping his head turned away from her. Hermione felt bereft as she watched him release her bonds.

"You are free to go, Miss Granger," Snape muttered harshly, still not meeting her gaze.

Hermione sat up. Her limbs felt stiff and awkward. She was mortified that she had made such a blatant proposition. What had she been thinking? Scarlet with embarrassment, Hermione swung herself off the table. The leg that had been bitten by the acromantula collapsed under her. With a cry she toppled towards the floor.

She never made it. Snape caught her before she hit the ground. She clung to him, suddenly breathless gazing up at him. Their eyes locked for a long moment. With a groan Snape kissed her. It wasn't a gentle kiss, but one full of passion and frustrated desire. All rational thought fled as Hermione returned it acting purely on the instinctual need that had gripped her.

Still kissing ardently, Snape lifted her up and sat her back on the table. One hand stayed around Hermione, steadying her. The other cupped a breast, his thumb caressing a nipple. Hermione moaned, her hips thrusting against him in response.

The small fire in the core of Hermione's being became a raging inferno of desire. Her hands fumbled at the buttons holding his robes closed. She needed to feel his naked skin next to hers. Her fingers, having, succeeded in undoing his robes, slid over his bare chest making sensuous explorations of his lean frame.

Snape growled and his hand moved from her breast, along the curve of her hip and down between her thighs. Hermione cried out as his exploring fingers found her most sensitive place.

"Please," she murmured aching to feel him inside her with an intensity that was almost painful.

Snape silenced her pleas with another scorching kiss. As his hand left its exquisite torture, Hermione began to protest. Her words died as he freed his stiff erection from the confines of his trousers. Hermione leaned back, spreading her legs wide in anticipation.

Snape used his thumb to tease her almost mindless before he thrust himself deep inside her. As a sharp pain ripped through her, Hermione cried out and buried her head against his shoulder.

Snape suddenly went still and moved his head away from her. "Bloody hell! How can you share a tent with two randy teenagers and still be a fucking virgin?"

"They were my friends, Severus. Please, don't stop."

"Are you sure?" he asked hesitantly, surprised at how pleased he was that she had used his given name.

Hermione wrapped her legs around him, drawing him against her. Her hips rocked slightly withdrawing and then impaling herself on him again.

Severus groaned and kissed her savagely, his hips thrusting slowly in and out. His hands caressed her breasts as he began to make love to her slowly, allowing her time to recover.

After a while, Hermione grew impatient with his maddening torture. She could feel a restless yearning for more than he was giving her. Frustrated at his pace, she turned her head and nipped him on the neck in an effort to goad him into more vigorous action.

"I think I am going to need those restraints again," Severus murmured.

Hermione felt a ripple of excitement course through her at the thought, causing her to clench against his shaft. Severus gasped and thrust hard into her. Hermione moaned and nipped him again. Her hips thrust rapidly against him as her excitement built. They both forgot about talking as their passion climbed to a shuddering climax.

As Hermione sagged limp and spent against him. Severus smiled. "I see, being bound appeals to you. "

"Yes," Hermione replied colouring up. Considering what they had just done, it surprised her to feel herself blush.

"Hmm, something we shall explore later."

"Is that a promise, Severus?"

"You have my word, Hermione."