The Wizards Breath

Chapter 11...The House of Snape

Hermione took small steps into the great house, wide eyed and overwelmed by
its old world beauty. The house was done in all dark woods, and the
marble floor shone and reflected all in its slick surface. The curtains
were layers of gray and black trimmed with forest green, hanging heavily in
front of the massive windows they covered. Dust particles floating in the
cracks of sunlight.

There was another warm fire, but it burned in a much larger grate. Surrounded
by a gigantic fireplace that had strange markings carved into its' stones
and black granite snakes that ran up the sides, open mouthed and
glaring. Gazing viciously with their green jeweled eyes in eternal silence.

She stopped at the bottom of the stairs that wound up to the second floor,
letting her eyes follow up the jade colored carpet to the bedrooms above. For that
is where she wanted to be, so very badly wanting to see Severus's room. Even
worse wanting to know what they would be doing in said bedroom.

Severus was behind her and nudging Hermione gently to move up the steps.
She made her way slowly to the of tof the stairs, then Severus was giding her
down the hallway. His long fingers around the sides of her waist, gripping and
moving her ever onwards.

"Third door on the right." He was close behind her, head resting
near her ear. Hermione could hear even the smallest breath he took.
"Open the door."

Hermione had stopped in front of the large black door, and reached for the
silver doorknob with a trembling hand. 'Was this Snape's room? What pleasures,
or pains, lie beyond this door?' She questioned herself, as she pushed open the
door.

Hermione had to let her eyes adjust to the dark lighting inside, but to her
surprise it was a simple plain bedroom. Done in dark grey and black, simple
compared to rest of the house. A large cast iron, four poster bed was almost
the extent of the furniture, only a desk and two small chairs by the fire joined it.

Severus broke his hold, moving to the center of the room, turning around to face
her. "This was my room a long time ago. I have not been back here since then.
I returned to claim this house after my parents died, and to me it still seems like
it belongs to them."

Severus sighed deeply, closing his eyes to the memory of this room. Hermione
probably thought he was insane now, he could only hope she understood. He just
could not bring himself to inhabit the Master Suite, his parent's old room. Even if he
was alone, and not with a woman, it still would not feel right. The room was drab and
boring, and he longed to give her the elegance she deserved, but he simply could not
make himself go in there.

Then her smooth hand was in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He looked up to
face finafinally, and her gaze held not pity, but understanding.

"This is a lovely room, Severus, and as long as you're with me I will be happy."

Hermione kissed him deeply, letting him know by her actions she did not
care where they slept, only that it would be together. Severus could've taken
her to a motel, and she would of been just as excited to be with him for almost a
whole week. Alone, and not bothered by anyone. Free to do anything they pleased,
and Hermione was going to make sure they did. She didn't really care where it
was either.

She broke their kiss and smiled up at him, loving the way he *almost * smiled back.
Hermione knew it was a smile from him regardless, you couldn't ask for beeming
unless he was....and that reminded her.

"Say," she cooed, "Where has your little silver case gone to?" She started patting
him down roughly, searching his pockets for anything that may have been it.

"Hermione!" Severus was giving her a mock shocked look, and trying to wriggle
away from her prying hands. "Really I'm surprised at you."

"I doubt that." Her smile widened when her hand clutched around the cold
metal in his inside pocket. She pulled it out and taunted him with it. "Look
what I found!"

"G-give me that!" Severus stammered.

"I think not!" Hermione snatched it away from his grasp. "You'll have to catch
me first."

She was gone in a blur, running from the room. Severus on her heels, both
laughing madly as they ran down the steps. Not knowing where she was going
she made a quick decision and ran through a swinging double door, ending up in a
absolutely huge kitchen. Hermione ducked behind the large center island, trying
not to breathe too loudly. She put her hand over her mouth to mute her excitement,
listening and hearing nothing.

Snape could see her in front of him, he had silently apperated right behind her.
And now while her eyes were fixed on the door, waiting for him to follow, he fixed
his eyes on her heaving body.

He crept closer to her and brought his arm down to snatch the silver box
from her unsuspecting hand, making her scream in surprise.

"Give me that!" Severus ran to the other side of the counter as Hermione
struggled to get to her feet.

Hermione and Severus gave each other the stare down from opposite sides
of the center island, awaiting the other's next move. They stood there several
moments, clearly at an impass, before Hermione spoke.

"Alright, I'll make you a deal. Give me the box, and I'll make you brunch."

Snape raised and eyebrow and thought a moment, before giving her
a naughty grin. "Are you on the menu?"

"Maybe for desert." She winked at him, and ran her pink tongue over her top
lip slowly.

"I'm in." Severus pushed the box across the slick surface of the counter
into her reaching hand.

Hermione opened the case, and brought a joint to her lips, lighting it with
the small lighter inside. She inhaled deeply, then letting the smoke rush
out in a long sigh. She sat down in the high bar stool, looking across at
Severus who was eyeing at her with a smug look.

"Much better."

She slid the case back to Severus who took off his jacket, setting it on the
table next to him. Then opened the silver tin and repeated the process
Hermione had done, giving her a sly smile. Snape pulled his wand from the
black jacket and transfigured a glass into an ashtray, setting it inbetween them
with his long fingers.

"I've never as much smoked a cigerette in this house before." He looked
oddly guilty for some reason.

"Don't feel bad, I haven't either." She giggled out a gust of smoke. "If you
don't mind me saying, I don't think we'll get busted."

Snape snorted in amusement. "I suppose not. If I haven't got caught at
Hogwart's I don't think here is a problem."

Hermione's jaw dropped, and she was left with a vacant look as she tried to
think about Snape lighting up in the dark corners of the dungeon. An interesting
mental picture.

"Did you actually think I was the only one?" Severus smiled and inhaled deeply,
secretly enjoying her shocked features. "Come now, Hermione," he taunted.
"Don't tell me the potions room never smelled funny to you?"

She shrugged. "I just thought it was from all the potions being brewed
at the same time, for all those years. Hermione wrinkled her nose, "Yuck."

"I know what you're saying." He leaned on the counter, and flicked his ashes.
"I've even never quite got used to it."

"Who else?" She leaned in and did the same, grinning at him with mischief
in her eyes.

He smiled, thinking for a moment how to phrase his next statement without
incriminating his fellow professors too badly. He looked at the ceiling and watched
the cloud of s ris rise through the air above him.

He brought them down again to look upon her expectant face. "Let's just
say there is a very good reason that no students are allowed in Greenhouse
Eight."

Hermione laughed heartily. "I always wondered about Greenhouse Eight. To
hear the students talk it's suppose to be like Area fifty-one."

He gave her a questioning stare. "Area fifty-one? What the bloody hell is that?"

Hermione tossed her hair back letting it rest on the other shoulder, and took
another deep hit from the burning object nestled between her fingers. She
leaned closer and lowered her voice, acting as if she held a terriable secret.

"Well, I once read in a muggle book that the United States government has this
top secret location, with a huge underground bunker, where they keep all the
remnants of UFO crashes," she looked around to be sure no one was listening.
She knew damn well no one was, but it was just fun to play with Severus's head,
it was too tempting. "And," she continued, "They say there were alien bodies, maybe
alive for a period of time before they were experimented on. Chopped and mutilated,
ALL for the sake of science." She giggled teasingly, "Where do you think all the new
fighter plane technology comes from?"

Severus gawped at her, open mouthed and wide-eyed before coming back
to reality. Hermione had lost him somewhere in the conversation, and the cloud
of smoke between them. He had no idea what she was talking about, but wasn't
going to let her know she had bested his knowledge.

"Top secret bunkers? Fighter planes? Alien bodies?" He scoffed at her,
"Surely you jest, my dear. Don't tell me you believe all the utter nonsense
that comes from *over there*. Severus sounded like he had a bad taste in
his mouth.

"What? Don't you like Americans?" She cooed, and stuck out her bottom lip
teasingly.

"NO!", he barked. "Bunch of gum chewing, scatter brained, no mannered,
not to mention the rudest bunch of people I've ever encountered."

"Woh, sorry I asked!" Hermione put her hands up in surrender.

He took another hit, tapping his foot angrily on the floor. "My mother was
american, married my father only to make him miserable until she ran him
into the ground. Her family was insufferable, almost wiped out my father's
fortune, ahey hey hated me for being his heir."

"I didn't mean to..." Hermione trailed off, she didn't know what to say. She was
pretty sure it was something most people did not know about Severus Snape.

"No, I'm sorry," he apologized and sighed out a great cloud of smoke. "It
must be this house. I haven't been here for quite some time, and some
memories never die."

Hermione set her joint down in the ashtray, standing up and moving around to
the other side, turning him in his chair to face her. This was obviously bothering
him more than he would ever admit. Severus's face was downcast, and his
shoulders slumped wearily. He tossed his joint aside bitterly. This was not
how she had imagined their conversation, but was determined to do something
about it.

She moved her soft hands around his neck to carress the lines and
taunt muscles that were stiff, rubbing his hard neck, easing
his worn body. And as her massage moved to his tight shoulders
he brought his head back up to face her, amazed someone would
do something so kind for him. Thinking of nothing but his comfort
and well being.

Severus was suddenly overwhelmed by a strange pull from inside,
almost like a tearing of the emotional wall he had built. Letting out
a small ray of hope Severus had not even dared to let himself think
would ever come. His greatest fear was growing old alone, with no one
to share his home, his life, his love. The thought of it was one of the very
few things that scared Severus Snape.

Severus placed his hands on herngulngulfing her small hands in his long
fingers, bringing her closer as her eyes searched his face for answers.
Hermione was standing between his open legs and leaning into his lithe body
feeling his chest rise and fall as his breath became more calm, soothed by
her close warmth.

He only spoke one word before their lips met in a tender kiss.

"Balance."

Hermione pulled away slowly, and met his eyes once again. "Yes, balance."

Both knew there was something buried deep, neither knowing yet what
it was, but knowing there certainly was a connection between them.
Unfortunately, neither one had the stones to tell the other. At least
not yet.

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Sorry sooooo long...things are crazy here...please review...
yes eager readers more smut soon...promise!! This has to have
SOME kind of plot, besides the whole stoner angle...I don't want
it to be centered around that...I figured I'd make Snape at least
half-human...the poor guy...Please review...Shaolin
PS...New fic up on Anime Misc...DarkStalkers fic called
Morrigan's Mistress...Love/Hate story between a Succubus
and a Vampire...just thought I'd tell you anime fans or people
who like my writing..(Bows to you)