Severus, Redux: Chapter 26
(In which Severus makes contacts, then a confession and then liberties are taken upon his person)
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, 20 December 1996, 9:11 PM
Severus watched Potter disappear out the door after Malfoy and Professor Snape, then turned back to relocate his date. She had resumed her conversation with Healer Chatham, her expression enchantingly animated with her excitement. Smiling a little to himself, Severus didn't interrupt, instead glancing about to see who else was in attendance.
He noted several ministry officials, a middle-aged couple with matching competitive duelling championship rings and a young woman surrounded by a ring of students; she was most likely the Quidditch player that had been rumoured to attend. Helping himself to an hors d'oeuvre, Severus made his way to the duelling champions, deciding they would know best of any legitimate curse-breaking opportunities.
The man smiled in welcome as he approached, prompting his female companion to turn to greet him as well, her warm voice accented. "Hello, there. What's your name?"
"Atreus. Atreus Prince."
The man nodded."Ah, Prince. An old and distinguished family. I went to school with a Miss Eileen Prince, a couple of years ahead of me--a relation of yours?"
Severus nodded his head in a half bow. "My...grandmother. You knew her as well, madam?"
The woman shook her head, laughing merrily. "Good heavens, grandmother! Kerry, we are getting old." She turned and readdressed Severus. "I'm afraid I never had the pleasure. I went to the Kadnikov Konservatoriya; my family is Ukrainian. I am Ilona; this is my husband Kerry." She smiled fondly at the man. "We met on the competitive duelling circuit."
"It was love at first sight," Kerry sighed dramatically. "I was so busy staring at the pretty opposition that she knocked me arse over ears before I'd realised the Arbiter had given signal. Embarrassed the hell out of the UK team. I hadn't thought Flitwick could get any smaller." He shot a soulful look at his wife. "Ilona was heartless and merciless; it took me months to convince her I was worth her time. In the end, however, I won fair lady," he teased. "And now we compete in the doubles rather than single combat. A man can only take so much humiliation at the hands of such a beauty."
Illona shook her head. "He is overly romantic and prone to dramatics. I thought he was ridiculous, or perhaps mocking me. Tell me, Atreus, do you duel?"
"Fairly well. I would say I am one of the better duellists in my year." Severus tried to sound modest.
"I do not doubt it," Kerry said genially. "Horace rarely bothers with less than the best."
Severus didn't correct him, instead choosing to nod as if the assumption were his due. "I enjoy it. I'd like to work in private security, someday," he fished. "Or curse-breaking--that would be interesting."
Ilona laughed, her voice tinkling. "A man after my own heart! Kerry is an auror, and I work as head of security for Shafiq & Savage Imports."
Interested, Severus asked, "How did you get started in that?"
"I bounced around quite a lot," Ilona said dryly. "I started as an auror, then I met Kerry. In the early eighties, the government in the Ukraine was very unstable, so when Kerry asked me to stay here with him, I was easily convinced."
"Easily con--! It took months." Kerry protested.
Ilona gave her husband a quelling look, and continued. "That was 1984. I taught Defence here at Hogwarts for a year, then worked security for several establishments and companies. Eventually I was offered the position at S&SI."
"I see." Severus smiled ruefully. "I would rather not be an auror, I think."
"Wise, with You-Know-Who back." Kerry said dryly. "I would rather not be an auror right now, as well. It was bad enough the first time; though it does not seem to have escalated to the level of mayhem and murder that it was before, yet. You are too young to remember, but that last year… he and his Death Eaters got to be quite blood thirsty."
"Atreus, there you are!" Hermione suddenly appeared at his side, and with a small, wiggling movement, managed to situate herself under his arm. Unable to help himself, Severus found himself smiling faintly down at her and stroking the soft skin of her shoulder.
Still looking down, Severus introduced her. "Kerry, Ilona, this is Hermione, my girlfriend." He glanced up again just in time to see Kerry grin broadly.
"Ah, what an enchanting young lady. And look at him, as besotted with her as I was with you. Young love is so thrilling and enjoyable to see."
Severus felt his cheeks burn and desperately worked his suddenly bone-dry mouth. Besotted? Love? He had felt a rather sneaking suspicion that he might feel that way, but it hadn't been something he was really ready to admit to himself, much less anyone else. Particularly not Hermione. Years of unrequited emotion, of knowing precisely how unattractive he was, had made him rather comfortable with leaving emotional elephants stubbornly ignored.
He tried to generate the moisture to protest, but the only thing that came out was a weak little "eghh--" that sounded decidedly girlish. He swallowed again.
Ilona's eyes rolled and she smacked her husband's arm. "Oh, stop it, Kerry. You're embarrassing them. It's unkind."
Kerry’s expression became wounded. "A little embarrassment, it is good for a lad. Builds character. Why else would I have let you knock me on my arse the first time I laid eyes on you?"
"Oh-ho! So now you let me, did you?"
"Of course!" Kerry's chin lifted belligerently, his tone clearly teasing.
There was a small tug on his arm, and Severus found himself being drawn away by Hermione from the still-bantering couple to one of the quieter corners of the room. The night was clear for the first time in weeks, the moon a fat, waxing gibbous that seemed to pour through the window and pick out threads of silver in Hermione's dress. She really was unbearably lovely, almost ethereal. Severus licked his lips, uncertain of what to say to recover from his embarrassment without making the situation worse.
Before he could come up with anything, Hermione spoke instead, staring out the window. "It's beautiful, isn't it? Much bigger and brighter, though it still won't reach perihelion until the end of March or early April," she said quietly. "We haven't been able to see it lately; there has been so much cloud cover."
Reluctantly, Severus turned away from his date to follow her own gaze. She was looking at Hale Bopp, the same comet he had lured her to the roof of Number Twelve on their first date. She was right; it definitely looked as a comet should now, a small, roundish streak of silver overhead.
"It is beautiful," he agreed softly. "It is difficult to understand why the ancients believed them portents of doom."
"I bet you five galleons that if you asked Trelawney, it still is," Hermione muttered.
Severus couldn't help but snort a little in laughter. "Sure, if it crashed into us. It's amazing to think that something so delicate is really blazing and hurtling through space at upwards of 90,000 miles every hour. So much power and fuel and all we see is a brilliant smudge in the sky."
Hermione took a deep breath next to him, and appeared to fortify herself. "Perceptions are not always the truth. I know that. I understand that the auror was teasing you, I'm not expecting you to, well, anything," she fumbled, and then turned to look at him, her expression shy and slightly fearful. "We've been together almost five months, if you don't include that three day break at the start of the year, and I don't."
She shrugged awkwardly. "That's a while. I care about you, Atreus. A lot. I think...I think I might be falling in love with you." Her voice picked up urgency as she rushed to add, "I'm not trying to force you to reciprocate; it's okay if you don't. And I'd rather you didn't say you do if you don't. I just… I want you to know, is all." Her head ducked and her arms wrapped around herself as if she were keeping herself from flying apart.
Severus' breath left him in a heavy whoosh. "I…um, I'm glad." He was eyeing her obliquely as he said it, and saw her wince a little. For all her assertions of not wanting him to say it back if he didn't feel the same, his answer had clearly stung a little. Squirming, but knowing he needed to confess, Severus added, "I'd hate to be in this alone."
Her gaze snapped to his, her brown eyes searching. They really were an ordinary, forgettable sort of brown, he mused. They were too dark to be called whisky and too light to be called chocolate. All of the varying flecks within them were also brown, only a shade or two off. There was nothing that would make Hermione Granger's eyes stand out in particular. Yet somehow they were the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen. Lovelier than Giselle Dolohov's unusual pale blue-violet, or even Lily's brilliant jewel-green.
Hermione, herself, was simply the loveliest girl he'd ever known. The thought brought with it a sharp pang of panic that quickly settled into a curious sense of relief. A part of him had been feeling so guilty about not mourning Lily "enough," about moving on with his life and not sinking into depression. Now the feelings of guilt and remorse over the broken relationship, the bitter hatred of his bullies was simply...faded. Thinking about them now just made him feel tired and a bit regretful.
In the new life he had been given he wasn't and likely never would be popular, but he wasn't defending himself from malicious hexing everyday, either. And he wasn't alone. Severus gazed down at the liquid brown of her eyes, not quite believing what was happening.
Whatever Hermione saw in Severus' own eyes, it seemed to convince her that he was genuine. She threw herself into his arms and hugged tightly, not even seeming to mind that her perfectly coiffed hair was loosening. Curls escaped and brushed against his cheek even as soft, warm lips pressed lightly against his neck, just under his ear. A shiver ran down his spine with the sensual kiss, raising goosebumps.
"If you are done here, I think I'd like to leave. Somewhere with a bit more privacy, if you don't mind?" Her breathy words were laden with meaning, and it felt as though they tightened every muscle he possessed.
Suddenly excruciatingly aware of how restrictive his trousers were, Severus barely stifled a groan, clearing his throat instead. He wrapped an arm around her waist, rapidly assessing the quickest route through the crowd and out the door. It took him less than a minute to guide her out, the soft skin of her back seeming to burn under his hand. He thought quickly. Both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw Towers were further and less private than the suite in teachers' wing they had hijacked; but it was still two long hallways and a flight of stairs away.
Flashing her a devilish grin, he grabbed her hand and broke into a jog, his smile widening further when he heard her startled and delighted laugh. They ran through the hall together, hand in hand, more of her pins loosening with each step. She was glorious; he couldn't help but think it. Her skin was flushed and her hair was a wild tumble of curls, her eyes sparkling in the shared enjoyment of being improper in very proper clothes.
He kissed her in the stairwell as they waited for the staircase to align properly, pressing her against the wall. She was already a bit breathless, her mouth teasing and tasting faintly of sweets and champagne. His hands slid over the satin of her dress, palming the fabulous breasts he knew were hidden under it. Her hands were also busy, unknotting his tie and releasing the catch of his robes so that both just hung about his shoulders. It felt like something from a Bond film, he thought deliriously. A beautiful, sexy girl was madly snogging him in a castle, tugging at his formalwear impatiently and smearing lipstick on his collar as she nipped at his throat.
He stroked her back and tangled his hands in her thoroughly messed curls, enjoying the way she sighed softly into his mouth. A little whinging noise of want escaped her, and Severus ground his erection against her hip helplessly. Her mouth broke from his and she panted, "Atreus… the stairs…"
Turning to see that they were now aligned properly, Severus grabbed her hand and took off again, this time laughing with her as they climbed and she momentarily stumbled in her heels. A moment later she had them off and dangling from one hand as they continued upwards. As soon as they reached the top he caught her against the wall again, his mouth invading hers, one hand stroking her cheek as the other snaked around her to knead the round curve of her bottom.
Her own arms had wrapped around his neck, her right hand still holding her delicate shoes by the straps while her left twined through his own hair and rubbing against his scalp. A throat cleared loudly behind him, and they both turned to see a portrait glaring indignantly. Severus flashed him an annoyed look and flicked a V, grasping Hermione's hand to take off down the hall again.
Behind them, the portrait gasped self-righteously, and Hermione exclaimed, "Atreus!" No doubt trying to sound horrified and failing spectacularly as she giggled.
He slowed as they rounded the corner into the hallway that housed most of the staff quarters and spun, grinning. "He's a wanking prude," he insisted, drawing her in to kiss her again.
"Atreus…" She drew his name out. "We'll get caught here. We're almost there."
Rolling his eyes, Severus palmed open the door to the suite and pulled her in, closing the door with slightly more force than was necessary as he backed her into it. In moments he had the straps of her dress pulled forward off her shoulders, causing the whole bodice to fall to her waist. She wasn't wearing a bra and he stared openly, grinning at her rosy skin.
"No bra," he murmured, thumbing the little pink nipples softly.
"No back," she countered, gasping softly. "Couldn't wear one."
"Good," he growled, dipping his head to taste her breasts for the first time.
To his delight, she moaned softly as his tongue swiped across her left nipple, her hips shifting restlessly when he then closed around it and sucked softly. Her hands clutched at his shoulders, and the sensation of her grasping fingers and soft, sweet skin nearly drove him insane. He straightened, filling each palm with a breast to knead and kissed her hungrily. Her hips shuddered against his, and unable to help himself, he rubbed against her in return. The pressure against his cock was incredible.
She broke their kiss just long enough to whisper, "Not against the wall, I don't want to fall over again."
Severus nodded and guided her across the small sitting room into the adjacent bedchamber, discarding his dress robes and tie as he went. He immediately found her mouth again and started tugging at the dress, attempting to get it all the way off, but was distracted when the buttons on his shirt suddenly loosened simultaneously and her hands slid over his bare chest and stomach. He slid a hand down her arm to take her wand away and toss it aside.
He went back to removing the dress, alternating between kissing her mouth and her nipples, stroking with his tongue and nibbling at her throat and shoulder. In short order he had her down to her knickers and stockings. He stepped back for a moment, drinking in all her curves, the way her breasts quivered with each short breath and the dark patch of cloth on her knickers indicating her own arousal.
"Fuck me, you are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life," he breathed. "I want to make love to you so badly it hurts." He palmed his erection through his trousers, desperately trying to ease the ache there. Tentatively he lifted his hands again, caressing along her waist to fill his palms with the soft, warm weight of her breasts. "These are perfect," he whispered. "A perfect handful each." He lifted each one gently in turn to kiss the tips and nuzzle them.
Hermione eased back slightly, her eyes flicking down to his cock. Her voice hesitant as if nervous to deny him, she said, "I'm still not sure I'm ready to...you know…" She shrugged a little, the motion lifting and jiggling her breasts marvelously; it was an effort not to beg with need.
Instead Severus drew her back and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "It's fine, it's okay. I just want to hold you, touch you… I would never do anything you didn't want." He whispered, kissing the top of her head. "I--" his throat closed momentarily and he had to clear it to continue. "You are the most important thing in my life. I could never hurt you on purpose."
Her wide, brown eyes searched his for a moment, and daringly, he dipped his thoughts to brush against hers. Her Occlumancy had improved considerably since their first enlightening lesson, though he doubted she could keep him out if he really tried. She recognised his silent request and shyly dropped her shields for him.
Her apprehension was there, both about physical intimacy and about her own appeal. Equally present was her own desire for him. It was a smoulderingly hot burn that felt both sweet and painful. Weaving around both emotions he felt her emotions for him. They were a warm, golden honey that coloured all of her thoughts about him. It was humbling and breathtaking to see and realise. No one had ever thought of him this way. He hadn't believed anyone really could. He had wondered in the past if he was perhaps the only one who ever did feel as intensely about things as he did.
He wasn't, though. She felt that way, too, and about him. She admired his intelligence and talent, she found his hands graceful and his nose distinguished of all things. She thought his smile was beautiful. Breathless and awed, Severus nudged her thoughts with his, inviting her to follow the thread back into his own mind. Confident for the first time in his life that she would be pleased with what she found, he eagerly opened his mind and showed her.
He showed her how beautiful he found her, how endearing her own intelligence and study habits were. He lingered over his desire for her, taking care to show her how utterly sexy he found her, how easily and quickly he wanted her and how little interest he had in anyone else.
Her beautiful brown eyes widened, then dropped down between them. To his surprise, her hand gently touched him, running her fingers down his length softly and nearly making him cry with the gentle pleasure of it. "Does it really hurt?"
"Yes," he admitted, tilting his hips slightly to try to increase the pressure of her fingers. Taking his cue, her hand pressed more firmly, shaping around him as best as she could through his trousers. “Well, it aches. Like when you really, really need a muscle massage."
"Hmmmm," she hummed in acknowledgement.
He groaned softly as she released the catch of his trousers and brushed the two folds of cloth aside to feel him again with only his smalls in the way.
"You're so hot," she said softly, "and wider than I expected, I think. People only seem to ever talk about length."
He laughed helplessly, his hips continuing to thrust his erection against her hand. His confidence faltered. "You're not disappointed are you? Who is 'they' and how long did you expect it to be?"
She giggled apprehensively. "I don't know. I don't really listen to my roommates. I think anything they've been told is probably inaccurate anyway." She glanced down at where she grasped him gently. "I'm not disappointed, I promise." She took a deep breath, clearly gathering her courage and then her mouth firmed into a familiar stubborn expression. "Take off the rest of your clothes, I want to see."
Goddess bless Gryffindors, was all he could think as he shucked his garments, forgetting to take his shoes off in his haste. Hermione laughed and he chuckled with her as he sat on the edge of the bed and remedied the situation.
Naked except for his unbuttoned shirt, Severus waited for her opinion a bit anxiously. In the last seven months he hadn't magically become handsome. If anything he'd got even taller and ganglier than when he had first met Hermione. She, on the other hand… she was perfect. He sighed a little, staring at her rosy breasts, lean stomach and softly rounded hips. Her knickers were purple and lacy, and he couldn't help but imagine sliding his fingers under them or removing them entirely. Possibly with his teeth.
"No, I'm not disappointed," Hermione murmured. "How could I be? It is you, and I--" her breath faltered and she shivered a little under his stroking hands, "I really do think I love you, Atreus."
"Severus,” he replied. “Just this once, please call me by my real name."
"Severus," she whispered, lingering over the vowels huskily. "I love you, Severus."
He groaned, moved beyond reason to hear his name on her lips. Hugging her close, he rested his forehead against her shoulder, attempting to hold back the moisture that had suddenly pricked at his eyelids.
Hermione stroked his head softly then said, "Lie back. I want to try something."
Surprised, Severus obeyed, scooting back on the bed and turning to lie propped up on the pillows. She followed, crawling up on the bed with her beautiful breasts jiggling and what he could see of her bum swaying. It took every bit of will he had not to grab his own prick and just come. He'd be damned if he was going to allow this to end that quickly if he could help it.
Hermione leaned over until her face was only inches from his thighs, and then tentatively clasped him in one hand. Severus couldn't stop a strangled groan from escaping. Even without as much pressure as he would normally use, her hand still felt much, much better than his ever had on his cock. Severus' eyes slid closed helplessly, enjoying the soft, exploratory pressure of her hands as she caressed him.
"You're so soft," she whispered. "The skin, I mean. It's the softest I've ever felt. It's a little strange with your penis so hard. I thought...I mean I know the mechanics, but I thought there would be some give," she said.
Clearing his throat, Severus cracked his eyelids open and reiterated hoarsely, "We won't do anything you aren't ready for, Hermione."
"I know." She nodded, then smiled at him wickedly. Then he head suddenly dipped and the flat of her tongue traced a long line from his base to tip, catching his precum on her tongue.
"Merlin! Oh, fuck," he choked. "I wasn't expecting that!"
She chuckled, a husky, sexy sound. "No, Severus, not fuck...suck." She corrected, then licked him again, tilting her head slightly to catch him at a different angle. Her tongue was warm and firm, and every nerve in his body seemed to riot at the feeling of it. "You're salty," she informed him, "and sort of musky." She ran her tongue up and down him again, and then lifted up a little to study him again, her hand tightening around him fractionally.
Severus wrapped his own hand around hers, tightening her grip to the point of glorious pressure that he typically used on himself. "I like it a bit tighter," he instructed, "and then you just…" he rocked their hands up and down, guiding her gently. She quickly got the rhythm, stroking up and down his length to barely brush the head and then back down. "The head's the most sensitive bit." He informed her hopefully.
She gave him a wry look, and then put his instruction to use, catching his foreskin to run over the top of him and smiling when he hissed in pleasure. It felt so good...and then there was that wicked smile flashing at him again, and the head of his cock was being gently suckled in time with her stroking hand.
Ah, gods! Severus thoughts went spinning wildly. Oh fuck, oh Circe, Jesus and all his Catholic saints. It was every Christmas and birthday at once; fire zinged along his nerves and his hips bucked unchecked, gagging her briefly. Her grip tightened to hold him steady, and it made his eyes cross with pleasure, especially when he felt her mouth close around him again. "I'm not going to last any longer," he gasped. "I'm going to… I'm going to come, Hermione. Hermione!"
His thoughts ceased entirely and his world exploded as his release rocketed through him.
A/N: Yes? No? Please review. :-)
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Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, 20 December 1996, 9:11 PM
Severus watched Potter disappear out the door after Malfoy and Professor Snape, then turned back to relocate his date. She had resumed her conversation with Healer Chatham, her expression enchantingly animated with her excitement. Smiling a little to himself, Severus didn't interrupt, instead glancing about to see who else was in attendance.
He noted several ministry officials, a middle-aged couple with matching competitive duelling championship rings and a young woman surrounded by a ring of students; she was most likely the Quidditch player that had been rumoured to attend. Helping himself to an hors d'oeuvre, Severus made his way to the duelling champions, deciding they would know best of any legitimate curse-breaking opportunities.
The man smiled in welcome as he approached, prompting his female companion to turn to greet him as well, her warm voice accented. "Hello, there. What's your name?"
"Atreus. Atreus Prince."
The man nodded."Ah, Prince. An old and distinguished family. I went to school with a Miss Eileen Prince, a couple of years ahead of me--a relation of yours?"
Severus nodded his head in a half bow. "My...grandmother. You knew her as well, madam?"
The woman shook her head, laughing merrily. "Good heavens, grandmother! Kerry, we are getting old." She turned and readdressed Severus. "I'm afraid I never had the pleasure. I went to the Kadnikov Konservatoriya; my family is Ukrainian. I am Ilona; this is my husband Kerry." She smiled fondly at the man. "We met on the competitive duelling circuit."
"It was love at first sight," Kerry sighed dramatically. "I was so busy staring at the pretty opposition that she knocked me arse over ears before I'd realised the Arbiter had given signal. Embarrassed the hell out of the UK team. I hadn't thought Flitwick could get any smaller." He shot a soulful look at his wife. "Ilona was heartless and merciless; it took me months to convince her I was worth her time. In the end, however, I won fair lady," he teased. "And now we compete in the doubles rather than single combat. A man can only take so much humiliation at the hands of such a beauty."
Illona shook her head. "He is overly romantic and prone to dramatics. I thought he was ridiculous, or perhaps mocking me. Tell me, Atreus, do you duel?"
"Fairly well. I would say I am one of the better duellists in my year." Severus tried to sound modest.
"I do not doubt it," Kerry said genially. "Horace rarely bothers with less than the best."
Severus didn't correct him, instead choosing to nod as if the assumption were his due. "I enjoy it. I'd like to work in private security, someday," he fished. "Or curse-breaking--that would be interesting."
Ilona laughed, her voice tinkling. "A man after my own heart! Kerry is an auror, and I work as head of security for Shafiq & Savage Imports."
Interested, Severus asked, "How did you get started in that?"
"I bounced around quite a lot," Ilona said dryly. "I started as an auror, then I met Kerry. In the early eighties, the government in the Ukraine was very unstable, so when Kerry asked me to stay here with him, I was easily convinced."
"Easily con--! It took months." Kerry protested.
Ilona gave her husband a quelling look, and continued. "That was 1984. I taught Defence here at Hogwarts for a year, then worked security for several establishments and companies. Eventually I was offered the position at S&SI."
"I see." Severus smiled ruefully. "I would rather not be an auror, I think."
"Wise, with You-Know-Who back." Kerry said dryly. "I would rather not be an auror right now, as well. It was bad enough the first time; though it does not seem to have escalated to the level of mayhem and murder that it was before, yet. You are too young to remember, but that last year… he and his Death Eaters got to be quite blood thirsty."
"Atreus, there you are!" Hermione suddenly appeared at his side, and with a small, wiggling movement, managed to situate herself under his arm. Unable to help himself, Severus found himself smiling faintly down at her and stroking the soft skin of her shoulder.
Still looking down, Severus introduced her. "Kerry, Ilona, this is Hermione, my girlfriend." He glanced up again just in time to see Kerry grin broadly.
"Ah, what an enchanting young lady. And look at him, as besotted with her as I was with you. Young love is so thrilling and enjoyable to see."
Severus felt his cheeks burn and desperately worked his suddenly bone-dry mouth. Besotted? Love? He had felt a rather sneaking suspicion that he might feel that way, but it hadn't been something he was really ready to admit to himself, much less anyone else. Particularly not Hermione. Years of unrequited emotion, of knowing precisely how unattractive he was, had made him rather comfortable with leaving emotional elephants stubbornly ignored.
He tried to generate the moisture to protest, but the only thing that came out was a weak little "eghh--" that sounded decidedly girlish. He swallowed again.
Ilona's eyes rolled and she smacked her husband's arm. "Oh, stop it, Kerry. You're embarrassing them. It's unkind."
Kerry’s expression became wounded. "A little embarrassment, it is good for a lad. Builds character. Why else would I have let you knock me on my arse the first time I laid eyes on you?"
"Oh-ho! So now you let me, did you?"
"Of course!" Kerry's chin lifted belligerently, his tone clearly teasing.
There was a small tug on his arm, and Severus found himself being drawn away by Hermione from the still-bantering couple to one of the quieter corners of the room. The night was clear for the first time in weeks, the moon a fat, waxing gibbous that seemed to pour through the window and pick out threads of silver in Hermione's dress. She really was unbearably lovely, almost ethereal. Severus licked his lips, uncertain of what to say to recover from his embarrassment without making the situation worse.
Before he could come up with anything, Hermione spoke instead, staring out the window. "It's beautiful, isn't it? Much bigger and brighter, though it still won't reach perihelion until the end of March or early April," she said quietly. "We haven't been able to see it lately; there has been so much cloud cover."
Reluctantly, Severus turned away from his date to follow her own gaze. She was looking at Hale Bopp, the same comet he had lured her to the roof of Number Twelve on their first date. She was right; it definitely looked as a comet should now, a small, roundish streak of silver overhead.
"It is beautiful," he agreed softly. "It is difficult to understand why the ancients believed them portents of doom."
"I bet you five galleons that if you asked Trelawney, it still is," Hermione muttered.
Severus couldn't help but snort a little in laughter. "Sure, if it crashed into us. It's amazing to think that something so delicate is really blazing and hurtling through space at upwards of 90,000 miles every hour. So much power and fuel and all we see is a brilliant smudge in the sky."
Hermione took a deep breath next to him, and appeared to fortify herself. "Perceptions are not always the truth. I know that. I understand that the auror was teasing you, I'm not expecting you to, well, anything," she fumbled, and then turned to look at him, her expression shy and slightly fearful. "We've been together almost five months, if you don't include that three day break at the start of the year, and I don't."
She shrugged awkwardly. "That's a while. I care about you, Atreus. A lot. I think...I think I might be falling in love with you." Her voice picked up urgency as she rushed to add, "I'm not trying to force you to reciprocate; it's okay if you don't. And I'd rather you didn't say you do if you don't. I just… I want you to know, is all." Her head ducked and her arms wrapped around herself as if she were keeping herself from flying apart.
Severus' breath left him in a heavy whoosh. "I…um, I'm glad." He was eyeing her obliquely as he said it, and saw her wince a little. For all her assertions of not wanting him to say it back if he didn't feel the same, his answer had clearly stung a little. Squirming, but knowing he needed to confess, Severus added, "I'd hate to be in this alone."
Her gaze snapped to his, her brown eyes searching. They really were an ordinary, forgettable sort of brown, he mused. They were too dark to be called whisky and too light to be called chocolate. All of the varying flecks within them were also brown, only a shade or two off. There was nothing that would make Hermione Granger's eyes stand out in particular. Yet somehow they were the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen. Lovelier than Giselle Dolohov's unusual pale blue-violet, or even Lily's brilliant jewel-green.
Hermione, herself, was simply the loveliest girl he'd ever known. The thought brought with it a sharp pang of panic that quickly settled into a curious sense of relief. A part of him had been feeling so guilty about not mourning Lily "enough," about moving on with his life and not sinking into depression. Now the feelings of guilt and remorse over the broken relationship, the bitter hatred of his bullies was simply...faded. Thinking about them now just made him feel tired and a bit regretful.
In the new life he had been given he wasn't and likely never would be popular, but he wasn't defending himself from malicious hexing everyday, either. And he wasn't alone. Severus gazed down at the liquid brown of her eyes, not quite believing what was happening.
Whatever Hermione saw in Severus' own eyes, it seemed to convince her that he was genuine. She threw herself into his arms and hugged tightly, not even seeming to mind that her perfectly coiffed hair was loosening. Curls escaped and brushed against his cheek even as soft, warm lips pressed lightly against his neck, just under his ear. A shiver ran down his spine with the sensual kiss, raising goosebumps.
"If you are done here, I think I'd like to leave. Somewhere with a bit more privacy, if you don't mind?" Her breathy words were laden with meaning, and it felt as though they tightened every muscle he possessed.
Suddenly excruciatingly aware of how restrictive his trousers were, Severus barely stifled a groan, clearing his throat instead. He wrapped an arm around her waist, rapidly assessing the quickest route through the crowd and out the door. It took him less than a minute to guide her out, the soft skin of her back seeming to burn under his hand. He thought quickly. Both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw Towers were further and less private than the suite in teachers' wing they had hijacked; but it was still two long hallways and a flight of stairs away.
Flashing her a devilish grin, he grabbed her hand and broke into a jog, his smile widening further when he heard her startled and delighted laugh. They ran through the hall together, hand in hand, more of her pins loosening with each step. She was glorious; he couldn't help but think it. Her skin was flushed and her hair was a wild tumble of curls, her eyes sparkling in the shared enjoyment of being improper in very proper clothes.
He kissed her in the stairwell as they waited for the staircase to align properly, pressing her against the wall. She was already a bit breathless, her mouth teasing and tasting faintly of sweets and champagne. His hands slid over the satin of her dress, palming the fabulous breasts he knew were hidden under it. Her hands were also busy, unknotting his tie and releasing the catch of his robes so that both just hung about his shoulders. It felt like something from a Bond film, he thought deliriously. A beautiful, sexy girl was madly snogging him in a castle, tugging at his formalwear impatiently and smearing lipstick on his collar as she nipped at his throat.
He stroked her back and tangled his hands in her thoroughly messed curls, enjoying the way she sighed softly into his mouth. A little whinging noise of want escaped her, and Severus ground his erection against her hip helplessly. Her mouth broke from his and she panted, "Atreus… the stairs…"
Turning to see that they were now aligned properly, Severus grabbed her hand and took off again, this time laughing with her as they climbed and she momentarily stumbled in her heels. A moment later she had them off and dangling from one hand as they continued upwards. As soon as they reached the top he caught her against the wall again, his mouth invading hers, one hand stroking her cheek as the other snaked around her to knead the round curve of her bottom.
Her own arms had wrapped around his neck, her right hand still holding her delicate shoes by the straps while her left twined through his own hair and rubbing against his scalp. A throat cleared loudly behind him, and they both turned to see a portrait glaring indignantly. Severus flashed him an annoyed look and flicked a V, grasping Hermione's hand to take off down the hall again.
Behind them, the portrait gasped self-righteously, and Hermione exclaimed, "Atreus!" No doubt trying to sound horrified and failing spectacularly as she giggled.
He slowed as they rounded the corner into the hallway that housed most of the staff quarters and spun, grinning. "He's a wanking prude," he insisted, drawing her in to kiss her again.
"Atreus…" She drew his name out. "We'll get caught here. We're almost there."
Rolling his eyes, Severus palmed open the door to the suite and pulled her in, closing the door with slightly more force than was necessary as he backed her into it. In moments he had the straps of her dress pulled forward off her shoulders, causing the whole bodice to fall to her waist. She wasn't wearing a bra and he stared openly, grinning at her rosy skin.
"No bra," he murmured, thumbing the little pink nipples softly.
"No back," she countered, gasping softly. "Couldn't wear one."
"Good," he growled, dipping his head to taste her breasts for the first time.
To his delight, she moaned softly as his tongue swiped across her left nipple, her hips shifting restlessly when he then closed around it and sucked softly. Her hands clutched at his shoulders, and the sensation of her grasping fingers and soft, sweet skin nearly drove him insane. He straightened, filling each palm with a breast to knead and kissed her hungrily. Her hips shuddered against his, and unable to help himself, he rubbed against her in return. The pressure against his cock was incredible.
She broke their kiss just long enough to whisper, "Not against the wall, I don't want to fall over again."
Severus nodded and guided her across the small sitting room into the adjacent bedchamber, discarding his dress robes and tie as he went. He immediately found her mouth again and started tugging at the dress, attempting to get it all the way off, but was distracted when the buttons on his shirt suddenly loosened simultaneously and her hands slid over his bare chest and stomach. He slid a hand down her arm to take her wand away and toss it aside.
He went back to removing the dress, alternating between kissing her mouth and her nipples, stroking with his tongue and nibbling at her throat and shoulder. In short order he had her down to her knickers and stockings. He stepped back for a moment, drinking in all her curves, the way her breasts quivered with each short breath and the dark patch of cloth on her knickers indicating her own arousal.
"Fuck me, you are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life," he breathed. "I want to make love to you so badly it hurts." He palmed his erection through his trousers, desperately trying to ease the ache there. Tentatively he lifted his hands again, caressing along her waist to fill his palms with the soft, warm weight of her breasts. "These are perfect," he whispered. "A perfect handful each." He lifted each one gently in turn to kiss the tips and nuzzle them.
Hermione eased back slightly, her eyes flicking down to his cock. Her voice hesitant as if nervous to deny him, she said, "I'm still not sure I'm ready to...you know…" She shrugged a little, the motion lifting and jiggling her breasts marvelously; it was an effort not to beg with need.
Instead Severus drew her back and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "It's fine, it's okay. I just want to hold you, touch you… I would never do anything you didn't want." He whispered, kissing the top of her head. "I--" his throat closed momentarily and he had to clear it to continue. "You are the most important thing in my life. I could never hurt you on purpose."
Her wide, brown eyes searched his for a moment, and daringly, he dipped his thoughts to brush against hers. Her Occlumancy had improved considerably since their first enlightening lesson, though he doubted she could keep him out if he really tried. She recognised his silent request and shyly dropped her shields for him.
Her apprehension was there, both about physical intimacy and about her own appeal. Equally present was her own desire for him. It was a smoulderingly hot burn that felt both sweet and painful. Weaving around both emotions he felt her emotions for him. They were a warm, golden honey that coloured all of her thoughts about him. It was humbling and breathtaking to see and realise. No one had ever thought of him this way. He hadn't believed anyone really could. He had wondered in the past if he was perhaps the only one who ever did feel as intensely about things as he did.
He wasn't, though. She felt that way, too, and about him. She admired his intelligence and talent, she found his hands graceful and his nose distinguished of all things. She thought his smile was beautiful. Breathless and awed, Severus nudged her thoughts with his, inviting her to follow the thread back into his own mind. Confident for the first time in his life that she would be pleased with what she found, he eagerly opened his mind and showed her.
He showed her how beautiful he found her, how endearing her own intelligence and study habits were. He lingered over his desire for her, taking care to show her how utterly sexy he found her, how easily and quickly he wanted her and how little interest he had in anyone else.
Her beautiful brown eyes widened, then dropped down between them. To his surprise, her hand gently touched him, running her fingers down his length softly and nearly making him cry with the gentle pleasure of it. "Does it really hurt?"
"Yes," he admitted, tilting his hips slightly to try to increase the pressure of her fingers. Taking his cue, her hand pressed more firmly, shaping around him as best as she could through his trousers. “Well, it aches. Like when you really, really need a muscle massage."
"Hmmmm," she hummed in acknowledgement.
He groaned softly as she released the catch of his trousers and brushed the two folds of cloth aside to feel him again with only his smalls in the way.
"You're so hot," she said softly, "and wider than I expected, I think. People only seem to ever talk about length."
He laughed helplessly, his hips continuing to thrust his erection against her hand. His confidence faltered. "You're not disappointed are you? Who is 'they' and how long did you expect it to be?"
She giggled apprehensively. "I don't know. I don't really listen to my roommates. I think anything they've been told is probably inaccurate anyway." She glanced down at where she grasped him gently. "I'm not disappointed, I promise." She took a deep breath, clearly gathering her courage and then her mouth firmed into a familiar stubborn expression. "Take off the rest of your clothes, I want to see."
Goddess bless Gryffindors, was all he could think as he shucked his garments, forgetting to take his shoes off in his haste. Hermione laughed and he chuckled with her as he sat on the edge of the bed and remedied the situation.
Naked except for his unbuttoned shirt, Severus waited for her opinion a bit anxiously. In the last seven months he hadn't magically become handsome. If anything he'd got even taller and ganglier than when he had first met Hermione. She, on the other hand… she was perfect. He sighed a little, staring at her rosy breasts, lean stomach and softly rounded hips. Her knickers were purple and lacy, and he couldn't help but imagine sliding his fingers under them or removing them entirely. Possibly with his teeth.
"No, I'm not disappointed," Hermione murmured. "How could I be? It is you, and I--" her breath faltered and she shivered a little under his stroking hands, "I really do think I love you, Atreus."
"Severus,” he replied. “Just this once, please call me by my real name."
"Severus," she whispered, lingering over the vowels huskily. "I love you, Severus."
He groaned, moved beyond reason to hear his name on her lips. Hugging her close, he rested his forehead against her shoulder, attempting to hold back the moisture that had suddenly pricked at his eyelids.
Hermione stroked his head softly then said, "Lie back. I want to try something."
Surprised, Severus obeyed, scooting back on the bed and turning to lie propped up on the pillows. She followed, crawling up on the bed with her beautiful breasts jiggling and what he could see of her bum swaying. It took every bit of will he had not to grab his own prick and just come. He'd be damned if he was going to allow this to end that quickly if he could help it.
Hermione leaned over until her face was only inches from his thighs, and then tentatively clasped him in one hand. Severus couldn't stop a strangled groan from escaping. Even without as much pressure as he would normally use, her hand still felt much, much better than his ever had on his cock. Severus' eyes slid closed helplessly, enjoying the soft, exploratory pressure of her hands as she caressed him.
"You're so soft," she whispered. "The skin, I mean. It's the softest I've ever felt. It's a little strange with your penis so hard. I thought...I mean I know the mechanics, but I thought there would be some give," she said.
Clearing his throat, Severus cracked his eyelids open and reiterated hoarsely, "We won't do anything you aren't ready for, Hermione."
"I know." She nodded, then smiled at him wickedly. Then he head suddenly dipped and the flat of her tongue traced a long line from his base to tip, catching his precum on her tongue.
"Merlin! Oh, fuck," he choked. "I wasn't expecting that!"
She chuckled, a husky, sexy sound. "No, Severus, not fuck...suck." She corrected, then licked him again, tilting her head slightly to catch him at a different angle. Her tongue was warm and firm, and every nerve in his body seemed to riot at the feeling of it. "You're salty," she informed him, "and sort of musky." She ran her tongue up and down him again, and then lifted up a little to study him again, her hand tightening around him fractionally.
Severus wrapped his own hand around hers, tightening her grip to the point of glorious pressure that he typically used on himself. "I like it a bit tighter," he instructed, "and then you just…" he rocked their hands up and down, guiding her gently. She quickly got the rhythm, stroking up and down his length to barely brush the head and then back down. "The head's the most sensitive bit." He informed her hopefully.
She gave him a wry look, and then put his instruction to use, catching his foreskin to run over the top of him and smiling when he hissed in pleasure. It felt so good...and then there was that wicked smile flashing at him again, and the head of his cock was being gently suckled in time with her stroking hand.
Ah, gods! Severus thoughts went spinning wildly. Oh fuck, oh Circe, Jesus and all his Catholic saints. It was every Christmas and birthday at once; fire zinged along his nerves and his hips bucked unchecked, gagging her briefly. Her grip tightened to hold him steady, and it made his eyes cross with pleasure, especially when he felt her mouth close around him again. "I'm not going to last any longer," he gasped. "I'm going to… I'm going to come, Hermione. Hermione!"
His thoughts ceased entirely and his world exploded as his release rocketed through him.
A/N: Yes? No? Please review. :-)
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