Happily Ever After the Fact VI: Sex and Marriage

[tychesong]

April 1998

The sight of Severus Snape unbuttoning his frock coat was so arresting that Hermione forgot that she was supposed to be undressing as well. His fingers halted, gripping the edges of his half-undone coat as he glared at her suspiciously.

"Were you mocking me, or did you not believe that I would call your bluff?"

Embarrassed, Hermione shook her head. "No, neither. I just...I was distracted, I suppose. You ... you've been my friend for years, and before that my professor. I swear I would never mock you-not like that. I'll go first if you like," she offered, and toed off her shoes, reaching for the laces on her robes. The design of her bodice was a wide sideways V, slowing her progress as she elected to remove the cords from their loopholes entirely rather than merely loosening them.

His eyes followed her fingers, seemingly mesmerized as the thick fabric gave way. A small twist of a button undid the catch on the lower half of her robes, and the entire garment fell to join her cloak and shoes on the bathroom floor. Standing in only her lacy undergarments, Hermione felt goosebumps prickle her arms and legs despite the steam rising off the bath.

His eyes were heated, yet still very solemn as he studied her, his eyes drifting over her body to linger in over her breasts, the curve of her stomach and hips. Hermione struggled not to squirm under his gaze, holding herself proudly. When his eyes rose to meet hers again they were hot; he had clearly found little, if anything wanting. Hermione felt herself let out a heavy breath she hadn't known she had been holding.

"A friend told me once that a girl only wears lacy knickers if she hopes someone will see them," he said casually, apparently pleased by the thought that she might have chosen her matching ice-blue set for his benefit. Then he once again took in the tangled, muddied mess that was her hair, and his lips twitched in amusement.

She grimaced in response and said aloud, " I did originally want a bath to get clean you know." Sulkily, she added, "It looked fine before you petrified me into the mud."

He nodded and moved closer to her, his gaze scorching. "You were nervous about what I would think. You needn't have been. You are...you look..." he fumbled and dipped his head forward again to shield his face with his hair.

"I look older and less fit than I used to, and have clearly been through a war," Hermione replied.

His head lifted, his expression surprised. "You look lovely...wonderfully soft. You look like an adult, and for that I am glad. I would not be entertaining this idea at all if you still looked like my student, lacy knickers or not." He hesitated, red colouring his cheeks. His fingers worried the edges of his partially undone coat again. "I do not look much like my portrait from seventeen years ago."

"Severus," Hermione said, drawing his name out slowly, "the last time I was interested in a man because of appearance alone, I was barely thirteen years old. I learned that lesson very quickly." She stepped forward. "Will you allow me?"

He swallowed heavily, his eyes dipping down to her breasts again, and nodded slightly.

Unable to keep her fingers from trembling slightly, Hermione gently brushed his hands away from his coat and methodically unbuttoned his jacket. "You," she murmured, "have the sexiest brain I have ever encountered. You're extremely intuitive and inventive, too. I'm rather looking forward to exploring that." She grinned up at him, enjoying the shocked but hungry look on his face. When she was done she carefully tugged it from his shoulders, leaving him in a plain white dress shirt and trousers.

His expression seemed to be an odd mixture of uneasiness and eagerness as she reached for the buttons on his shirt and started to undo those as well. Her breath hitched as his fair skin became visible, and the air around her felt electrically charged.

"Has it been a very long time for you?" she asked quietly, though she already knew the answer.

He let out a shaky breath and gave her a sideways glance. "Yes. A relationship with a Death Eater is not the safest position for a woman to find herself in." His hands lifted slightly, as if he planned to touch her, than his fingers curled into fists and dropped back down to his sides.

She pretended not to notice, nodded thoughtfully instead. "You've had other things on your mind, as well." She removed his shirt from his frame, and took her first look at his bare chest. He hunched before catching himself and straightening. He was thin for a man of his size, though not grotesquely so. The muscle across his chest and shoulders was lean, his nipples small. An old scar slanted across the right side of his ribcage, the only blemish he had on otherwise pale, smooth skin.

There was a clear bulge in his trousers and Hermione smiled; the sight bolstered her confidence and pride in a primal way that defied words. He had certainly seemed eager to see her unclothed, and he had been the one to insist that sex be a part of their marriage, but she still found his visible desire reassuring. He made her feel indescribably sexy.

Suddenly needing to make him feel the same, Hermione stroked her fingertips down the centre of his chest gently; he shuddered slightly. "I'm not disappointed by what's in front of me, Severus. Believe me or not, but I find you both horribly sexy and interesting." Her nails raked down his chest again, tickling his skin at the edge of his pants. "I'm looking forward to that bed of yours with...great anticipation."

To her delight, his head swivelled toward the door of what was undoubtedly his bedchambers, apparently ready to abandon the idea of the bathtub altogether.

Hermione laughed lightly. "Not yet. I'm a mess. It's your fault, so now you have to wait. I'm going to need shampoo, conditioner and soap."

He blinked and his eyes darted to a low shelf near the rim of the bath clustered with several bottles. Hermione smiled demurely in thanks and headed toward the bath, stripping off her undergarments as she went. She lowered herself into the huge tub with a happy sigh, flipping off the taps as she half swam, half bounced across the bottom of the tub toward the shelves. When she turned to look back at Severus, he was still standing where she had left him, frozen, staring at her.

She watched Severus study the picture she made, naked and surrounded by foam in his bathtub, and then suddenly, she saw him believe. A wondering look filled his eyes, and several quick motions later he, too, was naked. He stalked toward the tub with an almost predatory expression, and Hermione had a brief glimpse of long pale legs and his jutting cock before he entered the bath.

Hermione smiled and worked shampoo into a lather, deliberately lifting her arms just high enough to raise her breasts through the frothy water in what she hoped was a teasing peep-show with the bubbles. He watched them with avid interest, looking very much like he wanted to pounce.

"You may help me with the soap," Hermione offered wickedly, quirking an eyebrow at him.

She was rewarded with a familiar crooked smile, and the sight of it sent a jolt of desire through her and momentarily stole her breath. He was so alive it made her ache. She found herself grinning back as she finished, twisting her hair up on top of her head and securing it with her wand.

He drifted closer to her, eyeing her improvised hair ornament as he did so. "That's dangerous," he groused, "you're going to kill us both doing that."

"There wasn't a hair clip for me to use," she responded primly and handed him the bar of soap she had found. "I'm fairly certain you have other things to think about."

Another slow smirk crossed his face as he took the soap and seemed to consider how he wanted to start. His touch was tentative at first, then firmer as he gained more confidence. He ran slick and sudsy hands over her shoulders, stroking her skin repeatedly and glancing at her from under his lashes as if to gauge her reaction. His hands ran down her arms, carefully soaped each finger, and then back up again. When he realised she wasn't going to protest, he moved to soap her breasts. He palmed them carefully, lifting them entirely above the water to inspect them, pushing them together and rubbing the nipples gently.

They hardened quickly under his ministrations, sensitising and making her shiver slightly. He returned his attention to her breasts, rubbing, soaping and rinsing them repeatedly with a murmured, "Must make sure they're clean, after all. Wouldn't do to have dirty tits." He punctuated his comment with an absolutely filthy laugh that ended in a strangled moan when her fingers came up under the water to cradle his balls. She rolled them softly, rubbing the base of his cock with her thumb. He gave her a wild look, his grip on her breasts tightening in involuntary reaction. The motion had her gasping as the pressure seemed to directly correlate to the pressure between her thighs. The ache between them intensified and she tightened her own grip on his cock in response.

His eyes widened as he lowered his head to hers. Their noses bumped and then crashed again as they both tilted their heads the same direction for another attempt. Hermione laughed softly, and a determined look settled on his features. Severus' hands abandoned her breasts and came up to firmly cup her cheeks and tilt her head the direction he wanted it, and then he kissed her.

However inexperienced Severus Snape was, he certainly did know how to kiss, Hermione noted hazily as she rubbed herself instinctively against his body. He groaned and suddenly wrapped both arms around her, pulling her naked body flush against his. His own hips jerked minutely, rubbing his cock against her stomach as he quite literally kissed the breath out of her.

His hands had taken to discovering every inch of her body that he could comfortably reach. Her back was stroked, her bum squeezed, the cleft between her cheeks explored with long nimble fingers. He ran his hands over her waist, lingered across her ribs and finally returned to her breasts. He squeezed and kneaded them for several long minutes, fingering and pinching her nipples in turn until they were just barely on the pleasurable side of sore.

Clearly he was a breast man, and approved of hers, Hermione thought happily. Attempting to somehow get closer, she rose up on her tiptoes in the water, tangling a hand in his hair. The other hand wrapped around his cock, stroking it firmly. The tendons in his neck tightened as his head tilted back, and the groan that ripped free as he came was a helplessly loud and throaty sound. It echoed in the large bathroom and seemed to reverberate in every cell of Hermione's body.

He panted for a moment, and then his eyes locked with hers. "I'm going to bloody well fuck you right through my mattress." He said it matter-of-factly, his voice a low growl. "I'm going to take you to my bed, taste every inch of you, and as soon as I can feel my cock again, I'm going to find out exactly how to make you groan my name like you did in your memory. No, I'm going to make you scream it."

Her skin on fire and her cunt aching, Hermione nodded fervently and muttered, "I can hardly wait." Hurriedly lifting herself from the bath, she wrapped one of the large towels around herself, and waited as he emerged as well.

He dried himself briskly, his towel only allowing her teasing glimpses of his body. His right calf had a rather spectacular scar, she saw. It was startling at first, until she remembered Fluffy, from her first year. Harry had mentioned that he had tangled with the Cerberus, but Hermione hadn't realised just how badly the Professor had actually been injured. Despite the damaged tissue, he had surprisingly muscular legs. A testament to the hundreds of stairs in Hogwarts and all the swooping about he does, she thought with a grin.

"You're staring," he said with a smirk.

"I'm your fiancée," Hermione said lightly, mimicking his earlier words. "I like to enjoy views, too."

He held her gaze for another long, searching moment, and then he dropped the towel to the floor. He was not so very far off from what she had imagined over the years. His dark eyes and hair were startling against the backdrop of his fair skin. He reminded her of a greyhound, all long limbs, narrow hips and quivering slightly with tension.

Hermione kissed him again, then whispered, "Show me your bed, Severus Snape, and the mattress you intend to fuck me through."

He took her hand and led her through a far door. Hermione had a brief glimpse of high, arched windows, heavy furnishings and bookcases before she was led through yet another door, into his bedroom.

Like his bathroom and what little she had seen of the sitting room, the bedroom was opulent in the extreme. The whole room seemed to be comprised of beautiful antique furniture and heavy velvets. It was the sort of room one might expect the Queen to sleep in, not a schoolmaster.

The bed was as impressive as he had hinted, and Hermione momentarily forgot her impatience as she stared. It was raised on a three-stair pedestal at the far end of the room and dominantly massive. The sheets probably had to be spelled or specially made in order to fit, she decided. It was easily about three times the width of her bed at home, the four poster frame ornately carved with various fanciful animals, trees, and woodland flowers. Closer inspection revealed the detail work to be stunningly intricate, and also included multiple skillfully placed ward runes. There were protection wards, a silencing ward, temperature adjusting wards...it was honestly the most magnificent bed Hermione had ever seen.

"Amazing," she whispered, tracing a carving of a unicorn. "This is...stunning, Severus. I can feel the history in this."

He smiled again, pleased to show off. "It was originally Helga Hufflepuff's bed, commissioned not long after Hogwarts was built. According to the Hogwarts records, it's made from wood grown inside the Forbidden Forest and was created as the magnum opus of a master woodworker named Daphne Fairchild. Before the bed, she had specialised in wands and staves; the Ollivander line actually claim she's an ancestor of theirs. It's been speculated that she might have used magical cores in the posts of the bed, but of course, we'll never know for sure unless someone decides to take it apart to look."

"Thereby destroying it. What a fascinating piece of history to have survived all these years."

"Most of the furnishings that we have from the Founders' era were Hufflepuff's-she was much better at using preserving charms than her colleagues, it seems." He frowned. "It is unfortunate we can't take it, too. I've grown rather fond of it this last school year."

"I imagine so," she laughed. "The school might notice it missing, however." She frowned at one of the glyphs in front of her. "Severus, this...this looks like a fidelity ward."

He gave her a measuring look. "Hufflepuff is known for hard work and loyalty Hermione. It shouldn't surprise you that her bed requires commitment of its occupants."

"Then you are aware that sleeping in this bed will likely bind us irrevocably?"

"You offered marriage. I didn't think it would matter." His face hardened. "I won't share. If you were expecting the sort of marriage where you get to fuck around as it pleases you, then I'm going to have to decline."

Hermione shook her head. "No, no that isn't what I meant." She took a deep breath, and said awkwardly, "I...I honestly don't think I would mind, so much. I've no one as much a part of my life already as you, even if it is a bit unorthodox. What worries me is that should the marriage law be repealed, you will feel resentful of being unable to be rid of me."

"Marriage shouldn't be something done with one foot out the door already. I do believe I will somehow console myself." With a wicked gleam in his eyes, he tugged the towel from her body to drop it on the floor. He smiled at her, an utterly naughty, filthy smile, and removed her wand from her hair as well. "Get on the bed," he ordered, "now."

Hermione immediately complied, jumping a little in order to get on the high mattress. She turned to face him, and found him gently placing both their wands on one of the room's tables, arranging them neatly side by side. It was a very domestic sight, one that had Hermione clenching her thighs in fresh arousal. He was going to be her husband; her wizard. Until death did them part. The thought was surprisingly evocative.

He studied her nude form for a moment, his eyes dark and his cock visibly hardening, and then ordered, "Lie back and spread your legs. I want to see everything."

His dictatorial attitude really should have offended her, but instead it only served to heighten her excitement. She was wet-wet enough that she could feel it on her thighs despite having towelled off only a minute earlier. Swallowing, and feeling her pulse speed up, Hermione did as he asked, leaning back on her elbows and spreading her bent legs to give him an unimpeded view.

Severus mounted the short steps at the foot of the massive bed, stopping when he stood at her feet. He grasped her ankles, one in each hand, and slowly began to run them up her legs to her knees. He spread her legs even wider, until she was almost uncomfortably spread-eagled. His hands stroked back down lightly, his knuckles lightly tickling her thighs. She involuntarily jerked as if to close her legs to him, and a dark eyebrow arched in reproof.

Firmly, he spread her back to his desired angle and pinched her in retaliation, his look making it clear that he expected her to remain where she was. "I think later, perhaps, I'll turn you about and spank you for that," he murmured. "Would you like that, Hermione? I'm told some women do. I'll spank your arse a nice, rosy red and then fuck you again." He pondered for a moment, and then said, "Or maybe I'll ask you to suck me afterwards. I've never had that before."

He traced the lips of her labia lightly, and then used his fingers to spread them, studying her intimately. A finger swiped slowly through her opening, tracing her from arsehole to clitoris, and she found herself gasping a little, arching a little as his fingertip brushed the small nub.

He grinned at her. "You're wet. You do like this. You like the thought of being spanked and sucking my prick, and you like me fingering your little cunt, don't you? Dirty, naughty woman."

"Yes," She said breathlessly. "Please don't stop."

His grin spread. "I won't." He resumed his study of her, swiping his finger through her wetness again, this time bringing his finger to his lips to taste. He dipped into her pussy again, and then his long arm was reaching across her body to her mouth.

"Suck it off," he whispered. "Suck your juices off my finger like you will my cock later."

Hermione hesitated and then did as he asked, sucking his finger into her mouth and running her tongue against the sensitive pad of his finger. His jaw slackened and his breath hitched. Hermione grasped his wrist to hold his hand steady and sucked his finger in again, mimicking sex.

Suddenly, he took his other hand and plunged two fingers deep into her. Hermione gave a choked squeal even as her muscles contracted around his fingers and she arched into them. Severus sat back, removing his finger from her mouth in order to use his hand to spread her lips wide again for a better view of his other hand.

"Fuck," he whispered, "fuck me, you are so wet, this is going to feel so good." Severus pumped his fingers, alternating between watching her flushed face and his fingers as they slid slowly in and out of her. He traced a finger down to her arsehole and teased the edge of it curiously.

"Do you like being taken here, too? It's another thing I've heard some people like." He smeared her juices around the little hole.

"I-I don't know. I haven't tried it before. It always seemed like it would be uncomfortable to me. Did...did you want to?" Hermione asked, nervous for the answer but also too turned on to deny him outright.

He shrugged. "Someday, perhaps. To try it. I want to try everything, do everything to you. Not tonight, though. Tonight I'm going to fuck this pretty little cunt." His fingers drifted back up and played with her clit again, causing her to arch off the bed again. "Pretty, pretty little pink cunt."

Hermione gasped and a little desperate, whined, "Please, please, please do. I'm not above begging."

He growled back at her playfully and launched himself on top of the bed, startling a shriek out of her as he only barely missed her. Grasping her around the waist, he yanked her up closer to the headboard and then rolled between her thighs.

The angle wasn't quite right, and after a couple of aborted tries, he reached down and notched himself at her entrance. The head of him pushed inside slightly. Their eyes met, and they both stilled. The moment felt heavy with meaning that they hadn't expected and didn't quite understand. Hermione lifted a hand and brushed it gently through his hair. "I think I've been waiting for you for years. Longer than I had realised." She tried to will him to understand. Something in his own eyes flickered in response, and Hermione smiled. "Make love to me, Severus. Make me yours."

A small noise tore from his throat and he pushed deep, thrusting himself all the way inside her. He groaned louder and thrust again, then started to rock heavily inside her, babbling words of pleasure and profanities.

He was thick and satisfying, and as he continued to thrust, his skin gliding against hers, she couldn't help but lift her knees and clench hard around him, drawing another strangled groan from the man above her. His head fell forward and he rained light kisses and bites all over her throat and collarbones, his hips picking up speed as he did so. Soon he was thrusting hard, pounding into her with no sense of awareness any longer.

"I'm going to come. I'm going to come." He chanted it several times, sounding pained, before adding, "You're going to drip my come for days and it's going to feel. So. Good. Ah, fuck!"

His words sent her exploding just a hairsbreadth before he did, her contracting muscles wringing the last "ah, fuck!" from him as he pushed deep and held there. His face twisted as pleasure ripped through him, leaving him shuddering in its wake.

He pulled out of her with a soft groan, gave her a sleepy look of pleasure, and then collapsed on his side, a short distance from her on the bed. Hermione rolled close to him and tangled their legs together. They were asleep in moments. Whilst they slept, Helga Hufflepuff's binding glyphs etched themselves on the tender skin of their left wrists, and the marriage was magically notated deep in the Ministry records.

A/N: Once again, I must offer my sincere and heartfelt thanks to Stgulik,for her fearless editing and to my readers and reviewers who are so supportive. Bless you!

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