Surprisingly, She Didn\'t

Status: Work in Progress

Rating: NC-17 for later chapters

Warnings: Adult situations, some language, sexual situations"¦list may change as story progresses.

Summary: Finding her there had been a surprise, but nothing compared to what happened when she woke.

Disclaimer: All characters/situations/places/events that you recognize belong to JK Rowling and the rest of the legal owners of everything Harry Potter. I make no money off of the writing of this fic, and intend no copyright infringement. I'm only having a little fun. And I would definitely take those two Slytherins home for tea"¦

Author's Note: This chapter is entirely unbeta-ed. Any and all mistakes are mine! Also, I would like to apologize for my long absence. I got hit with a terrible case of writers block. I still feel rusty. But hopefully it will come faster now!

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Following Hermione into the morning sunlight, Severus took a deep breath of the early spring air. The soil he'd spread the day before, the dew on the plants, the gentle sweetness of the early blooming buds. All of these scents were things that brought him peace, calm. They were things that brought to him memories of his gardening, some of the only respite he found, especially when he had first come to this place.

He gathered himself and began to lead her about the yard. He showed her the flower beds closest to the cottage first.

"Thyme, chamomile, rosemary, sage. All of the classics. I also grow several other herbs and spices. One of my favorites is lemon balm, a type of mint. Savory and marjoram are favorites of mine as well, but difficult to grow in this climate."

He took her hand, led her across rocky ground, and around the corner of the cottage. She gasped at what she saw.

"I built this before Draco and I came to live here. It was part of the preparations we made, knowing the two of us may be stuck here for some time. Come, I'll show you."

Due to the nature of the cottage, how old it was, the lack of electricity, Hermione had been expecting the outdoors to be that way as well. But here was evidence that Severus had managed to include some of the amenities that were necessary. She was about to enter a fairly large and modern greenhouse, though again there was no electricity to fuel anything.

Once inside, she found herself in the middle of a jungle of both magical and muggle plants alike. Looking at many of them, she knew they had to be processed magically to be really useful in any sort of potions. She turned to him then, her expression quizzical.

"I…I thought you couldn't make potions, you were out of potions…"

He looked around the greenhouse once, then turned to her. "I can't. I must use magic to create potions. Often, potions need incantations and wand use to complete. I can do neither without alerting persons, both those in the ministry and those in the Dark Lord's ranks, as to my whereabouts."

He smiled then, his expression melancholy, reflective.

"I grow the plants because I have always done so. I harvest them and tend to them as I can. I use their basic properties where I am able to use them without magic. But I cannot make potions from them."

She looked at him, turned and regarded the many plants he was discussing, then looked back at him. "I am sorry about your loss. Perhaps my purpose in coming will allow you to return to potions making, return to your passion."

"Potions are not my passion," he stated gruffly, then turned away from her. His shoulders were tense, hunched over, and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Severus…I…" she reached a hand out to him, her voice was tentative. This man was so volatile, how could she ever get a handle on how to deal with him? She must gain some upper hand, yet at every moment he seemed to change before her eyes. And she hadn't meant to upset him, only try to gain some more understanding into who he was.

He held up his hand at her, not turning to her, instead bowing his head and closing his eyes. He thought for a moment. He hadn't actually meant to lose his temper, he never did when it happened, bit this might work to his advantage. What could he do? Ah, yes…

"I am sorry, Hermione. I did not intend to get upset. It is just that…throughout my tenure at Hogwarts, I was always the teacher of potions. And while I do enjoy the subtle beauty, while I respect the art itself, and I have some talent within it…it is…I have always wanted to teach defense against the dark arts. And I have felt that my passion in that arena was often overlooked due to the talent I hold in potions." He heaved a sigh at that, and crumpled a bit further into himself.

Hermione wasn't entirely sure how to react. She watched him for just a moment and then finally took a step toward him, reached a hand up to set it lightly on his shoulder. He stiffened in response, then lifted his hand over his shoulder and set it on top of hers. He turned toward her.

"It doesn’t matter now, I know. Those days are over. I just think that had I been teaching, I may have been able to educate some of the children better. Defense of the dark arts is not just about defending yourself in an attack, but also about learning how not to make choices that lead you to using the dark arts. I know that better than most."

She looked at their hands, hers so small and delicate seeming in his, and then looked up into his eyes. He was looking intently at their hands. He stroked hers with his thumb, then looked questioningly at her.

"Hermione," he said, low and caressingly. He watched her lips part slightly, as her body leaned toward him unconsciously. He contemplated. Should he let her kiss him? Should he kiss her back? No, not yet. Slow seduction was what this woman needed, else she would never trust him.

"Thank you for being so understanding," he stated as he squeezed her hand slightly and then let it go. He watched as she mentally shook herself, and then a blush spread over her face. She blinked and turned slightly away, looking over the plant life.

He was encouraged by how well his plan was going. He seemed to be building quite nicely on that initial attraction he had seen. He also couldn't help but notice how adorable she looked as that blush spread over her cheeks and down her neck to below the collar of the shirt. Briefly, he wondered just how far down that blush went. This manipulation, he felt, would have definite benefits.

The finished the tour of the greenhouse, he showed her the vegetables he grew indoors during the winter, those he would transfer outside when it grew warm enough at night. Near the pepper plants, he had a large squat barrel in which he grew strawberries. The first berries of the season were just ripening, and he gently plucked one from the barrel. Smirking to himself, and half hoping she wouldn't fall prey to such a move, he turned and held the berry toward her face.

She smiled at him, her eyebrows raised. Honestly, she thought to herself, does he think me that naïve? Leaning toward the berry, she put her eyelids at half mast and leant in to take a bite of the berry, it was large enough that half of it was a filling bite. As she pulled away, chewing lightly, she noticed Severus looking at the red juices staining her lips. She tentatively licked her lips clean. Then, meeting his eyes, she gently took the half eaten berry into her own hand, and leant forward to lick the juice from his fingertips. Following this action, she put the berry to his mouth, and smirked lightly.

Enjoying the fact that Hermione had called his game, and had decided to up the stakes without a word, he plucked the remaining berry from her fingers, grasping her wrist at the same time. Without a word, and not breaking eye contact, he sucked the fingers that had held the berry into his mouth, closing his lips around them and licking them clean within that warm moist cavern. He thrilled as her eyelids fluttered. It seemed he had beaten her in this small challenge. Gently, he released her digits, giving the last one to leave a light suck at the fingertips. Finally, his gaze having never wavered, he let go of her wrist. He was content to watch her face, seeing the glassy look in her eyes clear just a bit, until her gaze lowered from his eyes, and he saw that cloudy look return. He sat wondering just what it was that had caught her again, and was surprised to feel butterfly light touches on his lips. She gently caressed them, tracing the shape of them with the fingertips he had just suckled.

Hermione felt more than saw Severus react to her touch. She heard him sigh, and before she knew it, he was tentatively licking those fingertips. They tingled as his tongue met them, and heat shot from her face to her belly as she watched his tongue gently caressing her skin. She knew, too, that this was not a part of the game. This was something else. This was what she had felt earlier when Severus had gripped her arms in his concern for her well-being. This was something that she thought they were both wary of. However, she wanted this feeling, and she threw caution to the wind to chase the feeling, to claim it as her own.

Slowly, her intentions clear, she lifted her other hand to the back of Severus neck, and pulled his head, her fingers still being caressed by his tongue, towards her own. He was a good bit taller than her, and had the opportunity to resist at any point. He didn't, and she was encouraged.

Finally, when his mouth was mere inches from her own, she removed her hand from his lips, and waited for him to make eye contact with her. He did, and the moment was sealed. He moved closer to her and for what felt like eternity, they reveled in each others short breaths caressing the others lips.

So slowly she almost didn't notice, eyes began to lower as he moved the final millimeters to touch his lips to her. She reveled in the feel of them, so warm and soft, yet she could feel the tension in the muscle beneath the skin. She tightened her grip on the nape of his neck, and without warning, he let out a feral growl and gripped her arms in his strong hands again, pulling her flush against him. She squeaked, and then melted into his embrace.

She wanted to know if those lips felt the same to her tongue as they had felt to her fingertips, and she touched them with the tip of it. He groaned into that gentle caress, and she thrilled at the feel of the rumbling in the warm chest pressed so close to hers. Suddenly, he sucked her tongue into his mouth and caressed it with his own, mimicking that which he had done to her fingers. Her other hand, forgotten since the beginning of the kiss, moved to his hip, then caressed around to rest lightly on his lower back.

He moved one of his hands around to her back, fingertips caressing the muscles lightly. Without warning, a loud raucous alarm sounded, sending both skittering away from each other quickly, panting and wiping at their lips with the backs of their hands.

"The proximity ward," Severus said harshly, "go, quickly, into the cottage. Go to my room and wait for me."

He turned and was about to rush out of the greenhouse, get to his perch in the cliff face and see what was coming when her voice stopped him.

"Severus…"she all but whispered, and he turned. He was surprised to see genuine concern in her eyes, and his harsh features softened some.

"I'll be fine," he promised, "now go, before you put my life at risk with your distracting presence.

With that, he turned and disappeared quickly out a door and down a bath toward the ocean. Hermione hustled into the cottage, moved quickly to the back of it, and collapse into a heap of nervous energy on the foot of the bed.