Outside the Fire

Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money out of it. Bummer.

A/N: Usual thanks to Sunglow for beta-reading and DH for nagging at me. Oh, and to everyone who has reviewed so far, even those who have been particularly demanding - you know who you are!

Chapter 13 - Aftermath

"Mmm..oooh..lower, lower..up a bit..ooh..just there.." Hermione's soft moans sounded into the dawn light that lit the dark bedroom.
"I don't think I've ever been used like this before." Severus grumbled from under the covers.
"Shut up and keep going. Now lower." Her voice was muffled in the pillows.
"Are you always this bossy?" the bedclothes were flung back and a dishevelled Severus appeared.
"I'm well known for it. Regretting getting involved with me already?" she twisted around, dislodging him from his position on her back.
"No, just trying to get to know you better."
"And what have you learnt so far?"
"That you fall asleep straight after sex and that you like having your back scratched."
"We've both learnt something then, haven't we?" she tugged on his shoulder to encourage him up onto the pillows. He responded with alacrity and nuzzled his face against her shoulder.
"Ouch, whisker burn." She flinched away.
"You weren't complaining a minute ago." He lifted his head.
"My shoulder wasn't itching, my back was. Be careful." She softened her words with a smile and snuggled against his chest. He grunted, but pulled her so she was draped half over him.
"So what have you learnt about me?" he murmured.
"I already knew you were stubborn," she grinned as he snorted, "and you don't seem to mind when I fall asleep on you. I thought you'd be a grumpy git before your morning coffee, but I'm pleasantly surprised to find you're not."
"Still suffering from post-coital euphoria."
"Only you would call it suffering." She looked up at him, "you've got a great body that I'm glad you hide under those robes of yours. You don't kick a girl out of bed straight away, and you like to cuddle. All in all, very nice discoveries." She ran a soft hand over the sprinkling of hairs over his chest, "very, very nice."
"Unfortunately, we don't have time for anything if we're going to get you back to your rooms without being seen." Severus reluctantly stilled her roving hand and brought it up to his mouth for a kiss.
"But it's Saturday." She pouted.
"We can't afford for anyone to find out about us, Hermione." He pulled away and picked up his dressing gown from the end of the bed. Tossing it to her, he slid out of bed and headed towards the bathroom, leaving her with a view of his naked backside. Clutching the robe to her chest, Hermione felt the sting of tears start behind her closing eyelids. So much for not kicking a girl out of his bed; he just waited until the morning before doing that. Hearing the water start, she looked around the room and saw her clothes scattered over the floor, together with Harry's cloak.

Making a decision, she scrambled out of bed and gathered them up, wincing a bit as she bent down to slide her skirt over her hips, foregoing her knickers only for the reason that she couldn't find them. Fumbling with the ties on her top cost precious seconds but she managed it and pulled her wrap around her shivering shoulders. Holding her shoes in one hand, she clumsily swung Harry's cloak around herself and padded over to the open door. She could hear Severus moving in the bathroom, the razor clinking against the sink an unfamiliar sound, and for a second she wished she could be in there with him, watching. Sliding silently through the door, she ran across the living room and out the main door, pleased that he kept the hinges oiled. Pulling it closed behind her, she winced as the cold from the flagstones penetrated her bare feet. Wrapping the cloak tightly around her, she made her way back to her rooms and fled into the bathroom, locking it behind her.

While she waited for the bath to fill, she shakily undressed and dumped her clothes into the washing basket, staring at herself in the mirror as she did so. Eyes wide, lips swollen, and a hint of redness on the base of her neck by her collarbone. Shutting off the water, she slid into the hot water and tried to relax, dunking her head under and running her fingers through her hair to ease the snaffles. Grabbing the shampoo and conditioner, she lathered and rinsed, trying to massage away the headache that had started the minute she'd left Severus.

Soaping up her sponge, she washed, her hands following the same path his had the night before. She winced when the frothy sponge encountered the sore muscles of her inner thighs. Severus' cleaning spell had erased all evidence of their lovemaking, but he hadn't thought to ease her discomfort. Not that she had been in any fit state to complain about it, she thought, remembering with embarrassment how quickly she had fallen asleep. Shaking herself out of her introspective mood, she pulled the plug and rinsed herself off, drying her hair with a spell and loosely braiding it. Another drying spell and she left the bathroom, digging in her drawers for a pair of flannel pyjamas, bypassing her normal satin nightwear. Hugging the soft material around her, she slid into bed, noting with surprise that she had only left Severus half an hour ago. Curling into a ball, she felt Crookshanks land on the bed and smiled as he butted her cheek with his nose. At least someone was happy to share a bed with her; she stroked his head and with a sigh, slipped into an uneasy doze.

~~@~~

Severus turned off the water to the bath and added a few drops of muscle relaxant into it for when Hermione decided to shift herself from his bed and join him. Wiping the residue of shaving foam from his face he was surprised to see how the lines had eased around his mouth and eyes. A small smile played around his mouth and he almost laughed, but he didn't want Hermione to think he was deranged.
"Hermione?" he couldn't hear anything from the bedroom and wondered if she'd gone back to sleep. A wave of his hand lit the wall sconces in the bedroom that highlighted the empty bed. He frowned when he saw his robe lying across the pillows. Where was she? Then he noticed the missing clothing. She'd left? Why?

He sat down on the edge of the bed and thought back to their conversation. She'd wanted to stay in bed but he couldn't allow it. Her reputation, should they have been seen, would be ruined, and Albus would have had to sack him. Teacher/student relationships were strictly forbidden, and he couldn't jeopardise Hermione's plan of working here next year. Her offer of an apprenticeship would have been withdrawn, and she would carry the stigma around with her forever. Why would she have sneaked away without telling him? Unless he was losing his touch when it came to spotting liars?

Had she decided after all that this was only a one-time thing? Lose her virginity to someone who wouldn't be able to pester her without consequences? His mouth tightened into a thin line as he realised once again he'd been used, although this time he'd walked into it with his eyes wide open.
"Where's your little bedmate?" Salazar leered out from the picture frame by the door.
"Gone." Severus sulked, folding his arms across his chest.
"Gone where?"
"I have no idea."
"What did you do to her?"
"What did I..? I did nothing."
"That's probably why she's not here. Gods, man, have you cocked it up already?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Severus slid into his robe and went back into the bathroom where he pulled the plug with a vicious tug.
"Severus," Salazar waited until the other man reappeared, "I left here last night on the understanding that you were finally going to bed that pretty piece of skirt. Now I come back to find out that she's disappeared on you. Couldn't you satisfy her?"
"Hermione is not a piece of skirt."
"All right, she's got brains as well. Ah, is that why she's gone? She found out that your brains go to mush after sex?" Salazar taunted, "She couldn't get a decent conversation out of you?"
"Shut up, Salazar, and to help you do that, she was the one who fell asleep straight afterwards, and she disappeared as I was running a bath for her just now. I was in a hurry to get her back to her rooms before we were discovered, or we would still be in bed." Severus frowned uncertainly. Would they have been? Or would she have found some other excuse for leaving?
"So why did she leave?"
"Perhaps she'd already got what she came for." Severus muttered.
"Rubbish. The girl's been panting after you for months; I doubt one night would satisfy her, unless you were completely useless." Salazar frowned, thinking, "You must have said something to her. Tell me what happened."
"She wanted to stay in bed, but I insisted we needed to get her back to her rooms. I also told her that no one must find out about us."
"Keeping this a dirty little secret, Sev?"
"You know it's against the rules."
"Since when have rules applied to you?"
"Since they affect an innocent's future."
"You're not a leper, Severus Snape, and your role in defeating that upstart allows some leeway." Salazar frowned.
"I'm still an ex-death eater, Salazar. It's not as if I'm welcomed with open arms by everyone."
"It should only concern you that you are welcomed by those you want to be welcomed by. Your Slytherins and Hermione. Albus doesn't count."
"She still left." Severus slumped into his chair by the fire and stared into the flames.
"Pull yourself together, man, and go and find out why!" Salazar snapped at him. Severus glared at the portrait, but didn't move, preferring to sulk in the style he was accustomed to; namely with a lit cigarette. He blew the smoke out defiantly and Salazar wrinkled his nose distastefully.
"I'm obviously not going to get a civil word out of you, so I'll bid you good day." He disappeared from the frame and Severus was alone again.

~~@~~

Hermione woke well past breakfast and was surprised that none of her friends had been to find out where she was. Dressing in threadbare jeans, thick socks and baggy sweatshirt, she made her way down to the common room, wondering if she could, in all good conscience, persuade Dobby to make her some scrambled eggs on toast. Ginny, Harry and Ron looked up in surprise when they heard the faint shuffle of her footsteps on the stairs.
"Hermione!" Ginny jumped up from the sofa and hurried across to her friend, her hand hovering uncertainly over her shoulder, wondering about the almost dead look in her eyes.
"Good Morning," Hermione smiled slightly and joined her friends over by the fire. She curled up into the armchair and stared into the flames.
"Well?" Ron couldn't help himself.
"Well what?"
"How did it go?" Ron rolled his eyes.
"Fine."
"Fine?" Harry squeaked, "You spend the night with Snape and the only word to describe it is 'FINE'?"
"I didn't spend the night." She picked at the threads on the arm of the chair.
"You weren't in your room at five o'clock this morning; I'd say that counts as spending the night." Ginny said.
"What were you still doing up at five o'clock?" Ron turned on his sister.
"We're not talking about me, Ron, we're talking about Hermione. What happened, honey?" Ginny crouched down in front of her and stopped the restless fingers from doing any more damage.
"Yeah, so we can go and kick his arse for upsetting you." Ron joined his sister at Hermione's feet. Hermione sniffed and scrubbed suddenly watering eyes at the show of solidarity.
"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Harry joined the huddle at her feet.
"No! No, he..it was wonderful." Hermione defended Severus to her friends, "I just didn't expect it to end so soon."
"Bit too eager, was he?" Ron sniggered, and was belted round the head by his sister.
"Ron!" Hermione looked shocked, "No, he just seemed to be in a hurry to get rid of me, so I thought I'd save him the bother of escorting me back here." She sniffed again and Harry passed her a clean handkerchief.
"What a git!" Ron bristled.
"Are you sure he wanted you to leave?" Ginny asked.
"He threw me his robe and told me no one could find out about us. Then he disappeared into the bathroom. I left as soon as I got dressed." Her eyes filled and overflowed; "He didn't even notice me leaving!" she whispered and was swiftly gathered into a hug from Ginny. Ron and Harry looked at each other helplessly. Hermione in tears was an alien creature they'd never seen before and didn't know how to handle; they were so used to her being in control.
"How are you going to deal with this, 'Mione? He's still our teacher, and it might get embarrassing for you." Harry rubbed her back gently.
"I'll have to ignore it, won't I? Act like it didn't happen." Weeping fit over; Hermione straightened her back and sat up, a determined glint in her eye.
"Can you do that?" Ron asked.
"If he can, so can I."
"Aren't you going to confront him?" Ginny sat back onto her heels.
"Why should I? He obviously regrets it, and I refuse to chase after him again."
"That's the spirit! Show him who's the boss!" Ron praised, and stood up, hovering anxiously over the two girls. The sudden silence was broken by Hermione's stomach rumbling. With a breathless laugh, Ginny helped her stand up and pulled her towards the portrait hole.
"Come on, Hermione, we'll go and raid the kitchen, shall we?"
Harry and Ron watched them disappear and then sat back down on the sofa.
"Think she'll be all right, Ron?"
"No. I think you may have to have a word with Draco about Snape." Ron's mouth was set in a stubborn line, "He's not going to get away with this."
"Too right he's not." Harry agreed.

~~@~~

Ginny and Hermione manoeuvred their way down to the kitchens without bumping into any teachers. In fact, the corridors were mostly deserted, but that was probably due to the fact that it was a Hogsmeade weekend and even after their late night, a lot of the older students had already left. Tickling the pear, the doorway opened and the girls were greeted by delicious smells emanating from the ovens. The elves bustling around looked up as the two girls entered and some skittered away as they recognised Hermione. Only Dobby bounded forward eagerly, his ever-present tower of knitted caps balanced precariously on his head. Ginny wondered idly if they'd ever fallen into any food, and decided that if they had, she really didn't want to know about it.

Hermione was being encouraged to sit down and a mug of coffee appeared from thin air, together with a plate of toast, scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms. He hovered nearby as she loaded her plate and Ginny sat down opposite her, nursing her own mug of coffee.
"Do you want to talk about it, Hermione?" she asked.
"Not really." Hermione pulled a face, but knew Ginny wasn't going to let it drop, "We danced outside for all of about five minutes before I threw myself at him."
"Did he catch you?"
"What do you think?" she flushed in remembrance.
"I'd say he did more than that. Was it..did it live up to your expectations?"
"Exceeded them. I obviously didn't live up to his, though."
"Don't you dare put yourself down like that! He should think himself lucky you gave him the time of day!"
"Look, I knew what I was getting into when I started this, and knowing I was playing with fire I should have expected to get my fingers burnt." Hermione pushed her plate away.
"You could at least get angry with him."
"Why bother? I'll have to get over it at some point." She shrugged, toying with her fork.
"Now say that like you mean it."
"Okay, I'm as pissed as hell that he kicked me out." She stabbed viciously at a stray sausage on the plate. Ginny winced; glad none of the boys were here.
"So what are you going to do about it?"
"Ignore him, hopefully, and then probably go and punch something."
"Why don't you wait to see how he treats you?"
"Before I punch something?" Hermione grinned.
"Or someone." Ginny grinned back, and decided to get Blaise to see how Snape was acting. Perhaps Hermione had got it wrong? What if she'd misread the situation? Ginny just couldn't see Snape as smooth and sophisticated when it came to women, so perhaps he'd felt just as awkward as Hermione the morning after.
"Finished mutilating that?" Ginny finished her coffee and nodded towards Hermione's plate.
"Yes." She stood up and Dobby whisked away the debris of their meal, "Thank you, Dobby."
"Is pleasure, Miss." The hats wobbled alarmingly and huge eyes worshipped her adoringly. "Is Miss wanting Dobby to fetch anything else?"
"No, thank you very much. I appreciate you feeding me, Dobby." Hermione thanked the little elf, who bounced happily at her praise. There was a 'crack' and another elf suddenly appeared in the kitchen, shaking and clutching a tray full of broken dishes and spilled food. Dobby clucked and fussed over to the shaking creature.
"I is telling you to leave Professor Snapes to Dobby." He scolded, making the mess disappear. Ginny nudged Hermione and leaned so her lips were close to her friend's ear.
"Looks like someone was in a bad mood this morning. Perhaps due to a certain someone vacating his bed without his knowledge?" she whispered. Hermione frowned.
"There's no need to throw a fit, though, or a tray at a helpless elf."
"Helpless? You know what an elf is capable of, especially Dobby." Ginny snorted, leading the way out of the kitchens. The door slid closed behind them and they made their way back to Gryffindor at a casual stroll, turning a corner just as Severus stormed through the corridors, scattering the few students that were foolish enough to get in his way.

Hermione was silent as she climbed through the portrait hole, mulling over everything that had happened since she'd woken up that morning. She'd gone past self-pity and was now sliding firmly towards indignation. How dare he just brush her off like a piece of lint? Who died and made him God? She fumed, working herself into a temper. She slammed the portrait shut, ignoring the Pink Lady's indignant squawk, and stomped up to her room. Ginny grinned at Harry and Ron and gave a thumbs up sign. She'd succeeded in jolting her friend out of her mood and the Gods help Severus Snape when they next met up.

The petite Head Girl gathered her things together, realising that she only had a few minutes to get to the hospital wing to continue her lessons with Poppy. Not bothering to change out of her Muggle clothes, she whirled through her room and dashed down the stairs again and out of Gryffindor, calling a brief goodbye to her friends. Crookshanks lifted a lazy head up from the back of a chair where he was perched and blinked at the dervish that was his mistress. She seemed a bit happier than she had early this morning, and he wondered what had happened the night before to make her so miserable. Perhaps it would be worth a visit to the dungeons to see if he could cadge some more tuna out of the Potions Master. Hermione was soft and sweet smelling, but sometimes he liked to stretch out and the teacher had long legs that accommodated his bulk quite nicely. Arching his back and digging his sharp claws in the chair, he leapt down and made his way the passageway that led to another exit out of the tower; all those children's feet coming in and out of that portrait hole could trample a cat.

~~@~~

The ginger feline slinked his way silently through the hidden passages and down to the murky depths of the castle. Looking up at the portrait outside the Potion Master's rooms, he meowed softly and Salazar swung the door open for the furry creature waiting patiently below. Crookshanks padded through the open door and made his way to the chair beside the fireplace. It was placed in exactly the right position for maximum heat from the blazing fire. Two front paws on the seat, a quick jump and he was curled up on the faded green velvet, his bushy tail wound around his body and over his squashed nose.

The door slamming caused him to raise his head and his ears flicked back as the tall dark man swept into the room and threw his robe on the adjacent sofa. He growled to warn the Potions Master that he was there and was not to be sat upon.
"What the bloody hell are you doing here? Bugger off." Severus reached down to scoop the cat off of his favourite chair and was hissed at. He bared his teeth in response and swept the tomcat onto the floor. Crookshanks waited until Severus was sprawled in the chair and then jumped onto his thighs, turning in circles until Severus swore under his breath and pushed down on his back to make him settle. The cat started purring and rubbed his head against Severus's hand, encouraging the long fingers to dig into his fur around his neck, and Severus took perverse pleasure in knowing that Hermione's familiar had chosen him over her.

He snorted in self-derision; who was he fooling? He'd have much preferred the mistress to the animal, but she'd obviously decided that he wasn't worth the effort of getting to know better than by a quick tumble between the sheets. His hand clenched amongst Crookshanks' thick fur and the cat dug his claws into his leg in warning. Stroking his back in apology, Severus went back to brooding, lulled by the rhythmic purrs and the heat of the fire by his feet.

A knock, followed by the door opening, heralded the arrival of Draco Malfoy who flung himself down into the chair next to Severus.
"How could you bollocks up a sure thing, Sev?" he demanded straight away.
"I beg your pardon?"
"I'm talking about Hermione, you idiot. I've got half of Gryffindor on my back because of you."
"What in Merlin's name are you talking about?" Severus stiffened.
"You've upset her, which upsets Harry, Ron and Ginny, and that means Blaise and Millie are pissed too. Couldn't you get one simple seduction right?"
"I have no idea what you mean." He frowned. Draco couldn't possibly know about last night, could he?
"Don't talk crap, Sev. We know all about you and Hermione. Who do you think encouraged her?"
"What?!"
"You know by now why she cursed Harry, Sev, you're not an idiot. She would never have had the nerve to approach you if it wasn't for us. We all think you're perfect for each other." Draco leant forward to emphasise his point.
"..." for once, Severus was speechless.
"You'd better tell me what happened, so we can do some damage limitation. Hermione is apparently at the indignant stage, and it won't be long before she goes into revenge mode. Merlin knows what she'd think up for you." They both shuddered.
"Harry says you kicked her out and made her cry. I'm telling you now, Sev, that you are in deep, deep, hippogriff shit."
"I didn't kick her out!" The Potions Master was resigned to the fact that his relationship with Hermione was now up for general discussion, and he hated it. "I came back to find her gone. I was going to escort her back to her rooms."
"Might just as well have kicked her out." Draco shook his head; "No-one would have missed you for a couple of hours, you could have easily sneaked her back later."
"I couldn't take the risk. The Headmaster makes it a habit to check up on me after these dances." Severus grimaced.
"Still?" Draco was astonished. He didn't realise that Dumbledore kept such a close eye on his godfather.
"He worries." Severus rolled his eyes.
"How can you stand it?"
"I don't normally have a head girl in my bed, so it usually doesn't bother me."
"Are you going to sort this out with her?"
"No. She left, and isn't interested in a repeat performance." There was a stubborn set to Severus's mouth and Draco sighed.
"Bloody hell, you can be stubborn." The blond sat back in his chair, "Just like Hermione. You deserve each other."
"I very much doubt that."
"Look, will you at least speak to her? For me?"
"Why you? Oh, don't tell me, this is for purely selfish reasons, isn't it?"
"When have you ever known me to be altruistic?"
"Potter holding out on you until Hermione's happy?" Severus idly ran his hand over the fur on Crookshanks back as Draco shrugged apologetically.
"You know me, Sev, anything for an easy life." Severus snorted in response.
"What would you have me do, chase after her? Because I'm not going to do it."
"At least explain your motives."
"If, and I mean if I find myself alone with her, I will endeavour to explain." Severus conceded reluctantly. He wasn't looking forward to it though.
"Just don't cock it up again." Draco stood up, satisfied that he's given his godfather something to think about.
"Even if she wants me to?" the sly double entendre made Draco choke with laughter.
"Then I'd say go for it." The door shut silently after Draco and Severus was alone again with Hermione's cat.

~~@~~

Hermione rolled her shoulders to ease the ache after an afternoon spent bent over books in the hospital wing. An hour s in in the Room of Requirement followed by a hot shower sounded perfect to her at the moment, and she decided to make her way over there after the evening meal. Don't look, don't look, was her new mantra as she made her way over to the Gryffindor table, determined not to look up at the head table for the dark brooding man who had briefly been her lover.

Ron and Harry looked up mademade a space for her between them and she sat down, congratulating herself for her self-restraint.
"Don't worry, Draco says he's holed up in the dungeons and is having his dinner sent there." Harry murmured under the cover of passing her the potatoes.
"I'm not worried." She said haughtily, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
"If you say so." Ron patted her hand and quickly drew his away as her eyes sent daggers at him. "Okay, okay, you're not worried." He raised his hands in surrender and ducked his head submissively. Ginny looked at them curiously as she slid into her place beside Harry.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
"Everything's fine." Hermione said firmly and started to eat, effectively cutting off any further conversation.
"So, Harry, you never did tell us what your t-shirt from Draco said." Ron said casually, causing Neville to choke further down the table. Harry looked speculatively at first Neville and then Ron, seeing the glint of humour in the redhead's eyes.
"No, and you've never told us what yours said, either." He watched as the tips of Ron's ears turned red.
"We weren't discussing my shirt, though."
"I think we should, because I've got a pretty good feeling that you already know what mine says." Bingo, Harry thought, as a guilty look crossed his friends' face. "So come on, Ron, show us some Gryffindor courage and tell us what it says."
"Yes, Ron, tell us." Hermione nudged him; pleased someone else was getting the attention, "It can't be that embarrassing."
"Certainly not as embarrassing as Harry's." Neville mumbled into his potatoes. Ron looked around the table, seeing the eager looks on their faces.
"What? Is it pick on Ron time?" he asked plaintively.
"Yes." Hermione said and waited expectantly. Ron rolled his eyes, knowing that his idea to needle Harry had backfired. Bugger it.
"Okay, okay, it's not that bad, just Draco being his usual annoying self." He shrugged.
"Well?" Harry's eyes glinted behind his gla.
".
"Can I at least eat my dinner first?"
"No, because by the time you finish eating it'll be time for bed." Ginny made fun of Ron's size and appetite, and a piece of carrot was pitched over Harry and Hermione's heads for her impertinence.
"It was just some crack about ferrets and weasels." Ron ducked his head.
"I find that hard to believe, knowing how much Draco hates being reminded of his little foray into animal husbandry." Hermione snickered.
"Yes, well, this said that ferrets are smarter than weasels." Ron snorted.
"True," Harry said thoughtfully, "At least Draco is housetrained."
"Oi, are you implying that I'm not?"
"Well, if we're talking about eating habits.." Ginny scrambled out of her seat as Ron lunged at her and shot towards the exit, laughing as her brother chased after her. Hermione wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes with the napkin Harry passed to her and sighed. Harry nudged her with his shoulder and she looked at him quizzically.
"How are you really, Hermione?"
"I'm fine, Harry, really." She leaned against him briefly, "Ego bruised a bit, pissed off, certainly, but I knew this could happen when I started this."
"If it's any consolation, I'm sorry and I wish I'd kept my nose out of your business."
"I think we've both learnt our lessons, haven't we?"
"Are you sure you don't want to try and talk to him about this?"
"No. It's probably for the best anyway." She shrugged and stood up. "I'm going to work out for a while, so don't expect me back too early tonight."
"Will you be okay? You've just finished dinner."
"Didn't eat much, did I?" they both looked at her almost full plate.
"Don't go starving yourself over him, Hermione."
"I won't, don't worry, Harry." She smiled at him and they followed their friends from the great hall.

Splitting up, Harry made his way down to Draco's rooms and Hermione hopped from staircase to staircase to get to the Room of Requirement and paced three times outside it, thinking of her workout room, preferably with a well used punch bag in the shape of Severus Snape. She shook her head as that thought passed through it, and settled for a normal punch bag. The door swung open and she stepped through, quickly transfiguring her jeans and sweatshirt into loose shorts and athletic top. Taking a deep breath, she went through breathing and stretching exercises and then bounced lightly in front of the bag, thinking about the early hours of the morning. Muttering softly, she kneed the bag, getting satisfaction in imagining it to be a certain person's balls. Thirty minutes later she was feeling good, having beaten an imaginary Severus Snape into submission, and in her mind he was on his knees begging for mercy. She snorted, knowing that the real man had suffered far worse than a few punches from a girl.
"I don't think it's going to fight back." A cool voice said from the doorway. She spun around and saw Severus in black shirt and trousers close the door behind him.
"Are you offering?" her tone was just as cool. An eyebrow rose disdainfully.
"Hardly. It's past curfew, Miss Granger, so I didn't expect to see you here." He stalked into the room and circled around her. She looked hot and sweaty; the flush across her cheekbones reminding him of how she'd looked underneath him and he clenched his hands in his pockets to stop himself from reaching for her. Hermione shrugged carelessly, "So deduct some points. I'm sure you're going to anyway." She swept her towel from a bench and ran it over her arms and around the back of her neck, the material disguising the nervous shake to her fingers. His jaw clenched with the effort it took not to snap back at her. He'd promised Draco that he'd explain his actions to her, but she was making it extremely difficult with her current attitude.
"How many would you suggest?" he finally answered, moving silently towards her. Hermione looked up in surprise, not expecting the soft-voiced answer. She swallowed nervously and then straightened her spine as he neared her.
"It's not up to me to decide, is it? You're the teacher here, not me." She shivered as he circled around her, the towel twisting in her hands.
"Why did you run, Hermione?" he stopped behind her, bending slightly to breathe into her ear.
"Run?"
"This morning. I came back to find you gone. Couldn't wait to get away, could you?" voi voice snapped viciously and she jumped slightly.
"More like you couldn't wait to get rid of me!" she whirled around and stabbed a finger at his chest, her eyes flashing angrily at him.
"And how did you come to that conclusion, may I ask?"
"I wasn't the one rushing out of the bed this morning!"
"Good gods, woman! I told you we couldn't afford to get caught!" Severus reared back in the face of her anger, his temper igniting from hers. "Did you want the whole school to find out you'd spent the night with me?"
"I don't care! I expected..."
"What, declarations of undying love? Me to march up to the Headmaster and admit I just had sex with the Head Girl? Don't be an idiot, Hermione!" he sneered at her, unable to stop the words spewing forth.
"No! I expected a little bit of courtesy at least! You tossing me a robe gave me the impression I was to leave as soon as possible, so I saved you the trouble of escorting me back to my rooms." She refused to be hurt by the tone of his voice.
"For the most intelligent student at this school, you can be remarkably dense, Hermione." He lowered his head so they were nose to nose, his anger dissipating suddenly and he reached down to clasp her wrists in his long fingers, "I keep forgetting that this is new to you." He sighed, tugging on her wrists and she moved reluctantly closer.
"You should know by now how I am, Hermione, and I'm not likely to change, either. If you can't accept that, then there is no point in continuing this relationship."
"You want to carry on, then?"
"Did you think last night was all that was going to happen?" he looked down at her as she lifted a hand to fiddle with a button on his shirt.
"I don't know." She shrugged, "As you pointed out, this is all new to me."
"I can't afford for your reputation to be damaged, Hermione. The headmaster would have to sack me and probably expel you if he found out about us. As it is, too many people know already." He rested his chin on the top of her head and folded his arms around her.
"They won't say anything, Severus." She said hesitantly.
"We still have to be discreet."
"What do you suggest then? Detentions?"
"And have Minerva after me? I don't think so."
"You could offer me extra tuition for NEWTS."
"You don't need it."
"That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me." She smiled against his chest and he shook his head in dismay if a simple compliment could please her that much.
"I suppose I could be persuaded into taking an assistant. How are your acting skills?"
"What do you mean?"
"I can't suggest it myself."
"So you need to be coerced into it?"
"Reluctantly, of course."
"Of course. Professor McGonagall?"
"Poppy would be better."
"I'll get to work on her."
"You do that." One hand rubbed the small of her back gently and she melted against him. "I had a bath ready for you this morning." He said softly into the curls gathered on top of her head.
"You could have said something."
"Like what?"
"Something along the lines of 'Hermione, there's a bath run, care to share?', Severus?" she shrugged.
"Can you really see me saying something like that?"
"No, but it looks like in future we'll both have to be a bit more articulate with each other."
"Say what we want, you mean?"
"Yes. Think we can manage that?"
"Let's see, shall we?" he pushed her away slightly and cupped her face between his hands, "Hermione, I want to sleep with you again."
"Only sleep?" she asked as he slowly lowered his mouth towards hers. A smile curled at the corners of his lips and he brushed them softly over her lips and then on the tip of her nose.
"No, I can think of more things I want to do with you than sleep."
"How about articulating them?" she smiled back and curled her arms around his waist.
"Have sex, make love, do the nasty, fuck." A slightly longer kiss and a sweep of his hands accompanied each suggestion, pulling her against him until they stood as one under the bright lights in the room. Hermione's face blushed hotter and hotter and she squirmed against Severus, pushing her hips into his and feeling the hard evidence of his desire for her.
"Yes, please." She gasped and wedged a hand between them to get to his shirt buttons. "You did lock the door, didn't you?"
"Of course I did." He slipped a hand under the waistband of her shorts and started to ease them down around her hips.
"Good." She managed to pull his shirt from his trousers and unbutton it, but was hampered by his hands trying to ease her shorts down. Stepping on his foot, she lost her balance and they went down in a heap on the floor, her knee narrowly missing his groin as she landed on top of him. Severus grunted as his head hit the mat and a sharp pain shot through his thigh where her knee connected, thankful it hadn't been any higher. Hermione scrambled off him, inadvertently elbowing him in the ribs as she yanked her shorts up over her hips.
"Are you all right, Severus?"
"I will be in a minute." He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, rubbing absently at his thigh. He looked up to see her hovering over him and then they both smiled slightly at the same time. "Not having much luck, are we?" he murmured.
"They never seem to have trouble undressing in books." She sat down next to him and moved his hand, rubbing the ache for him.
"Authors have literary licence, it's not real life." He reached up and carefully pulled the clip of out her hair, letting the curls tumble over her shoulders.
"It's not exactly romantic when you knee your lover in the privates and fall arse over tit." She reclined next to him and propped her head up on her hand.
"No, it's not. Perhaps we should move this to a more suitable location."
"I need a shower first." She ran a finger under her top at her midriff, grimacing at the sweat gathered there. She didn't notice the sly look that crossed Severus's face.
"Don't be long, then." Was all he said though, and watched as she stood up to go towards the shower room. Waiting until the water started and allowing Hermione time to get in, he stood and began to shed his clothes. Shirt and trousers were dropped on the floor together with shoes and socks and boxers were laid on top of her small pile of clothes. His wand was placed next to hers and then he was outside the shower stall, watching her silhouette through the steamy glass.
"May I join you?" he asked. Hermione squeaked and the soap shot out from her hand to land on the floor at his feet. Severus looked down at it and then back at her. "That is, if it's safe?"
"Did you do that deliberately?" she leaned against the wall, her hand on her chest.
"Do what?" he stepped carefully over the soap and drew her into his arms.
"Give me a heart attack."
"You mean that wasn't an invitation to join you?" his face was a mask of innocence.
"If you want to risk permanent injury, who am I to stop you?" she reached up to push a strand of wet hair away from his face.
"I think I can take that chance." He bent and brushed his mouth over hers, lingering when she opened it to admit a questing tongue. As he slid his hands down her slippery body, he backed her up against the wall. The way their luck was going they'd end up slipping on the soap bubbles and have to explain why they'd both got concussion to Poppy.

The spray of the water washed any bubbles away and Severus gingerly moved a foot in-between Hermione's, making sure she was braced securely against the tiles. Small hands made their way around his back and hung on tight as she hitched a leg over his hip, hopping until he got the message to lift her off the ground. Severus broke off the kiss and rested his face against her neck, panting slightly and trying not to explode before he got inside her. Hermione nudged his ear with her chin and he raised his head to look into laughing eyes.
"Do you think we can do this without any more accidents?"
"We'll have to find out, won't we?" his lips quirked up in a smile and settled against her so he was positioned at her entrance. Lowering her down, he slid inside, grateful that the water hadn't washed away her natural lubrication. The sound of the spray accompanied their harsh breathing as they moved against each other in a timeless dance, the soft slap of wet flesh background noise that caused their desire to spiral.

Severus worked one hand between them to cup a full breast and Hermione pushed against his hand, her fingers digging into his shoulders as she shuddered around him. A sharp pain shot across the small of his back and then he was thrusting sharply, his release surprising him with its intensity. Boneless, Hermione prayed he would hold her up as she lowered shaky legs from around his hips. Severus stiffened and stifled a moan, his face buried in the wet hair at her neck.
"Fuck." He whispered.
"Are you all right, Severus?"
"No. I think I put my back out."


TBC