In Other Alternate Universes

A/N: My little contribution, I hope you all like it.













Severus felt as if his eyelids were made of led, as with each passing second they threaten to close and claim him in some much needed rest. He had stayed up the entire night working on a secret project and frankly, he was now starting to feel the lack of sleep. Unfortunately, he also happened to be in the middle of potions, and the last thing he wanted was an enormously unfair deduction of points, or worst, a detention from Professor Granger. Looking over to his side he could see that his friends were also fighting the same battle since they too had stayed up to assist him. Their own heads dropping every once in a while, only to snap back up once they realized they were about to doze off. No one in their right mind would ever want to cross their potions professor, not even the strong of heart, and falling asleep in the middle of her lectures was pretty much the kiss of death for any student. The last time Neville had dared closed his eyes for one second; he had found himself on the brink of tears, and with a total of one hundred points deducted from Gryffindor. Needless to say, Granger had not been the only one that day to give him hell for his carelessness.



Yet his weariness seemed to be getting the best of him as his eyelids drooped, and that’s when it finally happened – the one thing he had been fighting tooth and nail to prevent – he had fallen asleep right in the middle of class, mouth slightly open, and head still held up high. He wasn’t sure how long he had been out, but the next thing he knew, he was harshly awaken by the sharp sound of wood on wood. Jumping back and almost falling backwards in his chair, he found a large wooden ruler on his desk. His dark eyes followed its length up until finally meeting Granger’s cold and merciless glare.



Merlin was he going to be in a world of trouble.



“Mr. Snape, have I bored you with my lecture?” She practically hissed as he blanched, making his alabaster skin turn and almost ghostly shade of white.



“No-no, Professor Granger. I didn’t mean to fall…”



“I won’t tolerate such behavior in my class, and I most certainly won’t waste my time listening to your pathetic excuses.”



“But, Professor...”



“Enough, Mr. Snape! That’ll be one hundred points from Gryffindor and an entire week of detention. Now get out of my sight, and don’t you dare come back tomorrow if you’re not going to pay full attention.”



Hands slightly shaking Severus grabbed his book and threw them hastily into his bag, not even bothering to tidy up his desk area fully. He could still feel her stony gaze fixed on his as she followed his every movement. Slamming the door shut behind him, he leaned against the dungeon doors, and sighed deeply. The point lost had been unfortunate, but the worst part of all had to be the detentions. He would rather face a hundred Death Eaters and Voldermont himself, than have to spend one evening alone with Granger in her lair.



Of course, he wasn’t afraid of her. That wasn’t the case, quite the opposite actually.



It had all started during the summer when he decided to return to school a week early in order to prep for the independent study project he was going to propose to Professor Granger. Even though she was the most feared and hated professor in the entire school, her class always fascinated him, as well as her boundless intellect. He wished to become a potions master as well, even daring to hope to someday be more talented than his teacher.



A young wizard could dream, you know.



For hours he roamed the forbidden forest, keeping an eye out for anyone that could reprimand him for defying school policy, and venturing into the quiet woods for all the necessary ingredients he needed. After many weeks of brainstorming, and searching for the perfect project, he decided to perfect a salve that although had been documented, had never really worked properly. He just hoped that the potions mistress found his idea worth-while, and in fact was not offended since it was her failed salve he was aiming to perfect. Anyone who had at least an inkling of knowledge about potions knew of her failed experiment, her only one ever. What was supposed to have been a salve to erase scars from human tissue, had ended up turning into a glamour since for some reason the salve only lasted a relatively short amount of time. If he could find a way of making the effects permanent, the possibilities could be endless. Not only would he get an O for his efforts, but it would probably secure him a place in every prestigious potions program in Europe, specifically the one at the Sorbonne which was his first and only choice, as far as he was concerned. But first he needed to gather the right ingredients and get Professor Granger’s approval. Gods, he hoped the witch approved which was why he needed to have all the ingredients before hand, as well as one hell of a project proposal. Everything needed to be absolutely perfect and clear cut – just the way Granger preferred it to be.



Nearing the lake, he suddenly heard a sound not so far away. Fearing that he was about to be caught he hid behind a tree, slowly crawling to a large bush, and peaking through the branches.



It was Professor Granger.



Her curly hair was down from her severe bun, which was rare, and for the first time ever Severus actually got a glimpse at the body that resided underneath her large and shapeless robes. Her clothes actually fit her, and he wondered if anyone would believe that the witch actually had a decent body. In fact, her body seemed to be far more than merely decent. Her waist was neat and tiny; hips delicately curvy, but perfectly proportioned, and her bum was a thing of beauty. His black eyes travelled up from said bum, and lingered once more at her waist to then take in the best sight of all – her well rounded breast. They seemed to be the ideal handful any man would love to possess, and he could suddenly feel the temperature of his body rising.

Oh Circe, she was a splendid vision.



Her hands moved quickly over the buttons of her blouse, undoing them and leaving the garment to hang open revealing her lace-encased bosom. Moving to her jeans she worked on the zipper, lowering it and then slowly shimmying out of the denim. Her legs were just as lovely as the rest of her, Severus silently concluded as he admired their shape.



Completely caught up in watching her disrobe slowly, he could feel something stirring deep within him. His pants suddenly seemed tighter; as he looked down to find his almost monstrous erection. Good Lord, he had never been so hard in his life. He wondered what she would do if he were to approach her and try to seduce his way into her knickers. Surely a woman with her temperament had a hard time finding lovers to stick around, although her lovely body was enough to distract anyone from her foul moods. Perhaps she wouldn’t turn him away, but rather sink her hand into his dark hair, and pull him towards her. His gaze fell upon her pink lips, and he marveled at the fact that her entire face seemed to change all together when she wasn’t snarling or scowling at students. In fact, the almost serene look on her face made her seem years younger than what she projected in her severe school robes and dark dungeon lights. The witch actually seemed approachable, but the sight that greeted him next completely astounded him, and not in a good way.



Discarding her blouse and throwing it on the grass next to her other clothes, her back was revealed to him, and it was not what he had expected. There was no smooth silky skin like the rest of her; instead the entire expanse of flesh was horribly scarred, almost to the point of being revolting. If one were to look at it from a clinical point of view, they would conclude that the witch had perhaps been in some sort of terrible accident, but he knew better. There had been rumors circulating for years about her mysterious past, rumors that were soon confirmed but quickly forgotten as the truth revealed Granger for what she truly was – a double spy and essentially a hero, although a rather miserably rude and cold one who refused any sort of recognition for her sacrifices. Yet seeing the evidence of what, he assumed, where scars from the torture inflicted by the Dark Lord, he could feel another completely different feeling of gratitude and admiration surging through him.



Casting his gaze away from her, he suddenly felt ashamed for violating her privacy as well as her body. Gathering all the different plants he needed, he slowly crawled out of his hiding place and as quietly as possible made his way back to his room – the distant sound of water splashing reaching his ears, causing him to smile the slightest bit.



A brilliant idea had just bloomed in his brilliant mind.



+



In the end, his independent study project was replaced with a simple hair renewal potion he had concocted a few summers back, his actual time secretly dedicated to the salve. He figured that Granger’s original intentions for the salve had been personal, and that no matter how much of an organized and flawless project proposal he presented, she would have denied him the chance to work on it. So he decided to cover his track with the simple brew he knew by heart and instead worked all of his spare time, as well as nights, in perfecting the salve. The previous night had been a success, and although it had cost him a great amount of points and a week’s worth of detention, he figured it had all been worth it. Slipping his hand into the pocket of his robe he touched the small tin of salve he hoped to present Granger with.



He just had no bloody clue as to how to do it.



The moment she figured out everything she would probably hex him into an early grave, especially when she figured that he had seen her naked. He assumed no one had ever seen more than a wrist from her, let alone her entire deliciously curvy body. A body he hungered to see again no matter how hard he tried to deny it. Most of his nights, the ones he had actually been able to sleep, had pretty much been consumed with thoughts of her naked, as well as his own desire to run his hand along the smooth skin, pressing her firmly against his own body.



It wasn’t as if he was ugly.



In fact, some girls had commented on how well he looked now. The fact that he had grown into his roman nose, as well as his body stretching and growing an entire foot, which made him one of the tallest boys in his class. Although, he could hardly be called a boy anymore, he was after all nineteen years old – well past the age of consent.



Working on the salve so obsessively had left him a lot of room to think about his potions professor, and the more he did the more similarities he found they shared. In fact, they both seemed to think in the same manner, her published notes similar to his style. Something that made him dead sure that he could keep the witch very pleasant company, if only she allowed him to. Of course, it wasn’t as if he wanted to wed or bed her – although the latter did prove rather tantalizing, but it wasn’t his sole intentions, perhaps a fantasy he wished some day would come true, but for now all he wanted was to do something for her and help lighten the load she still seemed to be carrying from her past. If he could do away with her scars then perhaps there was hope for her, but the first step had to be taken and dear gods, he really wanted to be the one to do that for her.

He truly wished to help her, the growing affection for the snarky witch compelling him to.



+



Hermione heard a soft knock on her office door, looking up from the essays she was grading she frowned and gestured with her hand for the door to open.



“Take a seat, Mr. Snape.”



Sitting quietly he watched her as she finished writing one last sentence, putting her quill down, and fixing her gaze on his just like she had that afternoon in class.



“You’ve managed to earn yourself an entire week of detention and believe me young man; you’re going to pay for every single moment of class you disrupted. I do not take kindly to bothersome students who make a nuisance out of themselves.”



“I’m sorry; I truly didn’t mean to fall asleep.”



“Your apology is useless, but before we get your detention underway I want to know why you fell asleep in my class. Usually you’re bouncing off your chair trying to answer all my questions.”



Severus blushed; he was more than aware of Granger’s opinion of him, still remembering the fact that she had once called him a know-it-all.



“I didn’t get much sleep...in fact, I didn’t sleep last night.”



Her eyebrow rose as she silently urged him to keep on explaining.



“I was working on a project of mine, finishing it up actually.”



He could feel his heart beating furiously against his chest, but he gathered all of his Gryffindor courage and delivered the last of his explanation.



“I was working on a salve for scars...”



Sneering she crossed her arms in front of her, “that has already been done, Mr. Snape.“



“I’m aware of that, professor. I read over your notes and found them to be quite fascinating, but I noticed that there was room for improvement. Your original creation acted as a glamour, and I thought it would be beneficial to find a way of making the effects permanent.”



Unmoved she rose from behind her desk, coming to stand in front of him to gaze down at the young man, her hands on her hips in an almost imperial manner.



“Do pray tell how you accomplished that, if you even managed to complete the task successfully.”



“I did,” Severus reached into his pocket and pulled out the small tin. “I managed to make the effects permanent.”



“That’s impossible; I worked on that salve for months...”



“So did I, but I managed to find one spot that needed to be tweaked a bit.”



“Give it over, now.”



“No.”



“Excuse me?” her eyes seemed to be blazing as her cheeks reddened in anger, “don’t you dare defy me you little chit, hand it over this instant!”



“No, first I want you to take an oath promising me that you won’t destroy it or demand my notes. I will share them with you...anything you wish to see, but they are mine. And secondly, you have to promise to not kill me once I tell you what I plan to do with it.”



Glaring at him Hermione’s hand was itching to grab her wand and hex into the following week. If there was one thing she hated it was being bamboozled, especially by a sniveling seventh year. But she did want to see those notes, and know just what in the world he was planning to do with the salve – images of her own scarred back coming to her full force. Had he perhaps learned about her own case? If so, how in the world did he manage to? Only two people knew about her scars and they had both taken their own oaths to not disclose any information.



“Fine, but this better be good or I’m going to make sure you’re expelled.” Immediately she could feel magic sealing their pact.



“Trust me, you’re not going to regret it...perhaps get a bit mad at me, but nothing too bad...I hope.”



“Could you be quick about this?” She snapped impatiently.



Nodding he reached into his robe and pulled out a parchment, handing it over to Hermione who quickly snatched it from him. Rolling it open her eyes scanned over his neat handwriting as her eyebrows rose with each word.



“It was pretty simple actually, well perhaps not in the traditional sense of the word, but I’m sure that it’ll jump out at you immediately.”



Looking up from his notes Hermione frowned and held her hand out for the salve, “and what are you planning to do with it? You do realize that this is extremely valuable?”



“I do, which is why I want you to present it to the Ministry of Magic.”



“But this is your discovery...”



“Yours originally.”



“Useless without your changes.”



“Then let’s do it together,” he colored a bit at his own words.



“Have you tested it yet?”



“Not, entirely. You see, I want to perform a specific experiment to test its potency.”



“How?”



“I want to try it on you.”



Immediately Hermione eyes widened but she recovered quickly, slapping a scary snarl on her lips and moving dangerously close to Severus.



“Don’t mess with me, Mr. Snape. I’ve done worst things for lesser crimes...”



“I’m not, honestly, I’m not.”



“How did you find out?” she hissed.



“I was out in the woods...”



“Spying on me! Was that what you were up to? Getting your jollies at the sight of me naked? Let me guess, you watched me take a dip in the lake?”



“No, I mean...I didn’t stay long. I’ll admit that I did look and I’m terribly sorry, but I was already interested in the salve before that, but seeing your...scars, it suddenly hit me why you had tried to create it in the first place, and I think you would be the perfect person to test it out on. If it works it could completely erase those horrible scars from your back. It isn’t fair...”



“Fair? What do you know about fair?”



“Enough to know that a beautiful woman like you shouldn’t have to live with that monstrosity tainting her skin.”



Hermione gaze faltered and she could feel the hot prick of tears as her emotions got the best of her, but she refused to give in and cry.



“I’m going to give you to the count of five to get out of my office and forget this conversation ever happened. I will take the salve to the Ministry of Magic and you will be properly credited for your contribution as well as receive an O for your project, but we will never touch upon this subject...never again.”



“No.”



“For Merlin’s sake, why are you doing this? Why do you care? Why can’t you just leave me alone?”



“I want to help...”



“That’s it, isn’t it? Your sickening Gryffindor need to put right where once went wrong,” her words were cold and taunting.



“And your Slytherine pride is getting in the way of something that could lead to many more wonderful things. Imagine...Hermione.”



The feel of her name rolling off his tongue made him shiver, it sounded right as if he had always been meant to pronounce it. Feeling braver than he had ever, he moved closer to her, and tried not to pass out as she watched him with guardedly.



“Please,” he almost whispered.



Hermione watched as his hands moved towards her, touching her shoulder and then slipping down her arms to her hands.



“Please,” he repeated once again as a lone tear fell down her cheek.



Catching the drop with his thumb he tilted her face up so that she could meet his eyes, their height difference working in his favor. Continuing to stroke her face his heart fluttered when she closed her eyes and softly sighed.



“Why don’t we go someplace more comfortable and test the salve?”



Nodding she silently led him through the wall of her office and towards her private chambers.



+



He worked the salve into her skin with fierce concentration, delight rising within him with each passing moment, as her skin began to soften under his touch, and the harsh color, as well as texture of the scars, began to slowly disappear.



“It seems that the severity of the scars greatly influences the time the salve requires to work.”



Hermione nodded, not trusting her voice as she closed her eyes and allowed herself to simply feel his hands on her skin, the constant motion making her feel warm all over while at the same time painfully reminding her of how long it had been since a man had touched her. Although, it wasn’t as if her life had allowed her many romantic liaisons. For as long as she could remember her heart had belonged to one man, but ever since the Dark Lord had been defeated she realized that perhaps she had mistaken infatuation and pride as love. Yet, she still avoided it, even after her epiphany. Her scars always keeping her from taking a risk and letting anyone in since they not only reminded her of the past, but made her feel ashamed of all she had done.



Meantime, Severus was having a tough time concentrating on his task as his mind began to wander. He still remembered every single detail about her body and now that he actually had her so tantalizingly close, he could feel a pang of longing rising deep within him. He would give his right arm and anything else to be able to bring his lips to the nape of her neck and run his tongue along the soft skin.



“So soft,” he muttered without realizing that the words had actually left his mouth, his hands moving down her back.



“What about the scars?” Hermione spoke for the first time since he began to apply the salve.



His hands continue to roam her lower back now, slipping down until almost touching the swell of her bum and slowly working their way back up.



“The color is lighter now; I think they’ll all be gone.”



A stray tear finally fell down her cheek, as she contemplated a future without the horrible tree on her back, and she suddenly felt as if years of guilt and shame were beginning to lift from her weary shoulders.



“I...”



“Professor?”



“I want to thank you, Mr. Snape.”



“Please, call me Severus,” he purred, his silky voice caressing his ears, the lack of nerves allowing him to be more of himself around her.



“Thank you, Severus.”



“You don’t have to thank me, professor. I merely finished something you started a long time ago, I barely contributed at all.”



“You’re wrong about that, without your contribution this wouldn’t be possible,” Hermione paused, hesitating for a tiny moment, but she then decided that someone needed to know, and Severus had definitely earned the right to hear about her botch intent. “I poured a great amount of time into the salve, but it never quite worked the way in which I intended it to. Eventually, I just gave up.”



“You were trying to erase your own scars, weren’t you?”



Feeling another tear run down her cheek, she sighed and nodded. “Yes.”



Severus could feel sympathy for the witch pouring out of his heart, as he longed to take her into his arms and hold her tight.



“Professor, there’s something else you should know.”



“What?” She whispered.



“That afternoon, during the summer, when I saw you disrobe, I thought...I still think...that you’re absolutely beautiful.”



Whirling around she held one arm against her breasts as she eyed him critically. The few men in all her life that had tried to woo her had used their intellect to gain access into her good graces, but never had one even dared to compliment her, let alone call her beautiful.



“Don’t lie to me, Mr. Snape.”



“I’m not; it’s the truth...Hermione. You’re beautiful.”



She shook her head, “I’m not, I’ve never been beautiful.”



“You are, absolutely gorgeous. The sight of you took my breath away and all I’ve thought about...”



Before he could finish she crashed her lips onto his, her arms snaking around his neck as her breast pressed against his chest. Groaning Severus grabbed her and hauled her onto his lap, his hands which were stilled covered with the salve continued to move along her back as they kissed passionately.



Breaking away from their kiss, he looked into her whiskey colored eyes, “wait, there’s more. I’ve thought about you for months now, but that’s not all. I think you’re beautiful and absolutely brilliant, your mind and your body bewitching, and I’m willing to wager that your heart is just as remarkable.”



Slowly the corners of her mouth rose until she was actually smiling at him, moving forward once more she captured her lips and moaned, and his tongue snaked into her mouth to find her own. Her body moved against his and she could feel his hardness underneath her, the mere thought of having him inside of her making her squirm even more as her body grew heated with need. It had been years since she had been held by a man, a true man that actually valued her and didn’t see her as some momentary distraction. In fact, if she were to judge a lover by those qualities, then she hadn’t been with anyone since James. But she needed to exercise that ghost of the past in order to truly move on with her life.



Once more stalling their frantic kissing, Severus rose from the floor and held his hand out to her, “I want you to see something first, but I’m going to need a mirror.”



“In there,” she pointed towards her bedroom while placing her other hands in his, rising she allowed him to guide her towards the room, her lack of clothing completely forgotten at the moment.



Once inside he turned her around gently, running his hand down her now smooth and unmarred back. Not even one single scar remained, as if nothing had ever happened in the first place. Looking over her shoulder Hermione gasps as she took in the sight of her silky white skin, a sight she had seen in years.



“Gods, it worked!”



“It did and now you’re perfect.”



Her lips curled into a small smirk as she turned to look into his dark eyes, “I’m hardly perfect, Severus. But I do feel like a new person, like a fresh new start waits just around the corner and I have you to thank for that.”



Then his lips were upon her, swallowing her surprised gasp and then her tongue as she opened her mouth to grant his advances access. From then on it was a race towards the finish line – both disrobing in a flash, and clothes flying in every direction while they moved towards her large bed. Severus was by no means an inexperience virgin, he had been intimate with other witches his age, but it had all been rather childish when compared to the passion and heat that was sizzling between him and Hermione. Everything about her intoxicated him, her entire body as smooth as he had predicted as he ran his hand along her sides and down to her bum, which he squeezed with ardor to be rewarded by a lusty moan – her own hands straying to his backside to return the favor.



“Circe, the boy is well defined,” she thought to herself as she caressed his ass, her hands admiring every inch of his nubile body. Along with being one of the biggest brains in Hogwarts he was also one of Gryffindor prized seekers, and just how much the years of physical training had benefited his growing body finally hit her as he held her tightly to him.



The moment the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed, his arms slipped from around her waist, and he scooped her up into his arms. He then gently placed her down upon it, one knee touching the mattress, as he hovered over her. Her hands continued to roam his body, gracing his sides and then his shoulders, compelling him to join her as skin met skin. Both groan and Hermione slipped her legs around his waist, and they continued to kiss frantically – each single moment causing their hunger for each other to intensify.



Long elegant fingers sought her breast out as he rubbed the stiff peaks and then caressed the ample globes. Without even a moment’s hesitation he tore his mouth from her and glided his lips down her neck, across her collar bone, and then finally took one breast into his curious mouth. Hermione purr like a cat and could feel the vibration of his chuckle against her breast.

“Oh Gods, you’re good...” her fingers worked their way through his fine silky hair, tightening her hold as his mouth began to roam once more, drifting lower and finally hovering over her sex.



“Yes, yes,” she crooned as his tongue touched her clit, his hands parting her thighs in order to make more room for his face. “Have you ever done this before?” she asked in a heated pant.



Looking up from between her legs Severus smirked and nodded, “once, but it wasn’t like this...I want to eat you whole, Hermione.”



The passion in his voice almost caused her to climax right on the spot, “then prove it, boy.”



His dark eyes twinkled with mischief, “Oh I will, professor.”



Lowering his head back to his task the eager Gryffindor put to use every single bit of knowledge he possessed about oral sex, causing a sweet and erotic symphony of sounds to escape the potion mistress’ mouth. Grinding her wet sex against his mouth she could feel her toes curling, as the sweet feel of euphoria began to spread throughout her entire body. Hermione inwardly smirked, she had known that Severus would have taken her pleasure as seriously as he did everything else he attempted, completely dedicating himself to the task and doing a stellar job of it. Finally her eyes closed tightly and her heart stopped for one blissful moment, and then her orgasm washed over her – tongue still flicking her clit as she came down.



“Merlin,” she whispered and tugged at his hair for him to rise, his face coming up to hers as they met in another kiss, the taste of herself now in her mouth as well, but she could have cared less. As she waited for her body to calm down they both held onto each other, and that’s when she felt his arousal once more. Looking down at his trousers, she took in the almost painful bulge, her small hands cupping him and squeezing.



“Oh...” he gasped and thrust into her hands.



Hermione licked her lips and pushed him onto his back, straddling his legs and working on the fastening of his trousers. Popping the lone button she moved the zipper down and almost fell off the bed when she took in the sight of his very well endowed member. How in the world did the boy manage to walk with that between his legs?



“It’s rather big, I’ve been told.” He admitted sheepishly, not one single bit of smugness in his tone.



“I can see, but all the more fun,” she purred, “It’s a shame though...”



“Why?”



“It’s far too big for me to get my mouth around it properly, but I’m sure we can come up with something just as fun,” her hand began to stroke him and his eyes rolled into his head. Fully smiling now, Hermione lifted herself over his shaft, and slowly began to sink down upon it. Bit by bit she managed to fully engulf him, his large size filling her completely and causing her to become absolutely soaked for him.



“Fuck me, witch,” his voice sounded like pure silk as it caressed her ears, and like a good obedient witch, she placed her hands on his flat stomach, slowly rising and falling back down onto his waiting shaft.



“Oh,” Hermione groan as she felt herself stretch to accommodate him, a delicious ache beginning to build in her belly, as his strong hands came to her waist.



Severus threw his head back in pleasure as Hermione’s pace quickened, a rising tide of lust becoming a tsunami, as his own hips began to move along in order to adopt her rhythm. Rolling her hips she managed to take in every single inch of him, her ample breast bouncing merrily along with their joint effort at finding sweet release. But there seemed to be something missing that kept her right on the edge of ecstasy, a little something that Severus sensed as well and before she knew it, his hips rolled and she suddenly found herself looking up into his black consuming eyes.



“My turn, professor.”



“Merlin,” she gasped as his swiveled a perfect eight, causing her to practically weep in pleasure. “Twenty points to Gryffindor.”



“Twenty? Oh, I’m afraid that won’t do, witch.”



Smirking almost evilly Hermione managed to overpower him, flipping them once again so that she was back in her original position, “Remember, Mr. Snape, I won’t tolerate anything less than perfection...you want more point, then I suggest you start working for them.”



Rolling around on her large bed their bodies twisted, strained, and arched mercilessly, their groans and sighs echoing around them as they gave in full to their passions – their perfectionist and competitive nature bringing a playfulness to their lovemaking that neither had ever experienced before. Sex, until that moment, was meant to be something serious, but there was something absolutely thrilling and liberating about their exuberant and gleeful romp.



Both amazed at the true intimacy that bloomed around them.



Soon his cries joined hers as they both toppled over the edge together. Her head fell onto his shoulder, and his arms wrapped around her. Rolling them so that he was on top, he kissed the side of her face and held her to his chest. When her eyes opened she was still shaking in his arms, and sweat covered her temples, but she felt splendid, as if she had truly been reborn that night – in a way, she had been.



+



“Congratulations, Mr. Snape,” Hermione held out her hand, her whiskey color eyes twinkling.



A genuine smile graced his face as he squeezed it in his, his thumb slowly rubbing her soft skin. “Thank you, professor.”



“Tell me then, what are your plans now?”



Walking side by side they passed students and parents, as well as teachers who were all too busy in their own joy and excitement at finally having graduated, that they hardly noticed the potion mistress and young Gryffindor moving away from the celebration and towards a large oak tree. Taking off his robes, Severus threw them onto the ground and motioned for her to sit down.



“My plans...they’re still a bit undecided.”



Hermione’s brow scrunched in confusion, it didn’t seem like him to not have everything carefully planned out.



“I don’t understand, I thought you wanted to study in France...”



“I did, but that’s changed now.”



Immediately it her like a ton of bricks, causing a deep sense of satisfaction deep down within her, but at the same time creating an awful feeling of guilt that twisted horribly in her stomach.



“Severus, I thought we agreed to not be rash about this.”



“And we haven’t. This past month has been glorious, but I need to know what you want...we need to make a decision.”



Shaking her head Hermione refused to say anything, the last thing she wanted was to bind the young man to her. She was old enough to be his mother, and as much as she enjoyed his company and attention, she could never keep him from his studies, especially when he was so terribly bright and fill with promise.



“Severus, I want you to be completely honest with me. Do you want to be a potions master?”



“Yes, but...”



“Do you still want to continue advancing your education and broadening your experiences?”



“Yes,” his voice was calm now, picking up on the point she was trying to make.



“Will being far away from me tempt you to cheat? Of course, that also depends on whether or not you want to be exclusive.”



“I do, very much so. I’m a one woman wizard.”



“Good, I’m a one man witch. I don’t like the idea of promiscuity.”



“Are you willing to try a long distance relationship?”



“I don’t see the problem and I don’t have to point out that distance is quiet irrelevant for us...I’ll only be a floo or apparition away.”



“We could connect our fireplaces straight to each other’s.”



Nodding Hermione placed her hand on his arm, squeezing it gently but not daring to do anything else, at least not while the graduation celebration was still going on. She didn’t want to live her life in the shadows, but she also didn’t want to be crass or tasteless about the whole thing. The time to make things public would eventually come, and she was sure that many wouldn’t agree with them, but frankly, she really didn’t care. In the end, there was nothing wrong with their relationship, both were adults and more than consented.



“I would like that very much...for however long this,” she motioned between them, “works. I’m not asking for a lifetime commitment, but I do expect you to threat this relationship seriously and with the outmost care and consideration.”



Smiling gently he placed his hands over hers, which still remained on his arm. “I’ve always taken us seriously, always.”



“Good, now let’s get back before they send a search party for us.” Hermione began to get up, smoothing her dress with her hands.



“You look beautiful today.”



Blushing like a young school girl she wondered how in the world he managed to make her color. There was an innocence about him that could not be feigned, but at the same time his eyes managed to speak of wisdom and years that he physically he did not posses, as if he were an old soul in a young body. She had always known he would be a talented potions master, there had never been any doubts about that, but she had no idea that underneath the bookworm exterior laid another person that managed to completely mystify her. She wanted to know more about him, and at the same time be able to bare herself. It was time, she had held in so much already, or rather, held back far too long.



The time for regrets was over. Now, it was time to start living.



FIN