10 Years After

10 Years After
Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I own nothing of what you’re about to read, with the possible exception of the plot, although I’m sure it’s been done before. The places, characters, etc. belong to JK Rowling. Thanks.

Aberdeen, Scotland: April 16, 2008, evening; Hermione’s Place.
Hermione put the finishing touches on the table setting for her romantic dinner with Severus. She placed the fresh rose petals in a small glass bowl and charmed them to remain fresh and pungent smelling and placed the silver candlesticks next to the bowl. She looked around the room, pleased with the results. The room would be awash with candlelight in just an hour or so and she would be sitting across from the man she loved. She walked through her cottage, checking the entire setting. The bed and bath were clean of Hermione’s usual clutter and there were dozens of candles ready. She opened her closet and took out her dress, a deep green glittering jersey sheath that hugged her curves and showed then off to their best effect. The plunging neckline left a little to the imagination (“but not too much,” she smiled to herself.) She decided to forgo underclothing so as not to ruin the line of the dress. She contemplated putting her hair up, but settled for keeping it loose and cascading in smooth waves. She used a quick makeup charm to give her lips and cheeks some color and to lightly define her eyes. She sprayed some soft jasmine ever-scent on her pulse points and surveyed the final effect in the mirror. She had to admit, even she was impressed with how she looked. Hermione sighed. She still had 45 minutes left until Severus arrived. She was always far too quick at getting dressed and ready.

Hermione was startled by a knock on her door. It was too early for the ever prompt Severus and her students never bothered her at home. She opened the door a crack and spied Ron Weasley on the door step. With a feeling of foreboding, she opened the door and let him in.

“I have plans tonight, Ron, so I have ½ hour to give you,” she said, not wanting to dismiss him, but not wanting him there when Severus arrived either. Tonight was about him, after all.

Ron walked in, turned around, and fixed Hermione with a glare. He began pacing the floor until he stood in front of the fireplace. Looking up at the mantle, he spied the picture of her and Severus and picked it up. With a look of disgust, he tossed it on the couch and stared at her.

“How could you?” he said, anger in his voice.

“How could I what?”

“Leave Harry for that prick.”

“First of all, Ronald Weasley,idn’idn’t leave Harry for him. And second of all, he is not a prick. He’s a good man.”

“I supposed you’re all tarted up waiting for him?”

“TARTED UP? What the bloody hell are you going on about? I’m dressed for a quiet evening at home with Severus. What is your problem?”

“You walked out on our friend to take up with a man I hate.”

“Right. I forgot. My personal life is all about you, Ron,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“You have floo access blocked, my owls come back undelivered, and now I find out you’re a whore to a Death Eater.”

Hermione stared at Ron, anger welling up inside. How dare he call her a whore? How dare he walk into her house and insult her and the man she loved? She drew herself up to her full height, which wasn’t very impressive, but the fire in her eyes certainly was.

“I have floo access blocked because my private life is MY PRIVATE LIFE. I don’t want anyone coming into my home unbidden unless I desire it. There is ONE person permitted to floo or apparate into my house without an invitation. As for your owls, perhaps you should instruct them to come to THIS house instead of the house in Godric’s Hollow, where I’ve no doubt they’ve been going. As far as being a whore to a Death Eater…Severus WAS a Death Eater. Yes. He was. The key operative word being WAS. He has been on the side of the light far longer than he was ever in the employ of Voldemort. And how DARE you call me a whore, Ron Weasley. How dare you. My marriage to Harry was never a good one. It was never right. We loved each other but were never in love. And I AM in love with Severus. Like it or not, he’s part of my life. If being involved with a man I love heart and soul is being a whore, then I gladly call myself a whore. Better to be the whore of a good man than a complete and utter selfish prat.”

“How could you?”

“How could I what?”

“Get involved with Snape? Do you have ANY idea what kind of a man he is?”

“Dammit Ron, he’s a good man. He’s done so much for me. He’s done so much for the wizarding world. So he’s not the most socially inclined person. It doesn’t matter. I don’t want to go to big parties and huge public gatherings anyway…”

Severus apparated into Hermione’s kitchen and was about to find her when he heard angry voices from her sitting room. Not willing to intrude on her personal affairs, he remained in the kitchen, ready to intervene should she need him. She recognized the voice of Ron Weasley, undoubtedly here to give her grief over their relationship.

“Do you miss Harry?” asked Ron.

“Of course I miss Harry. We were friends for so long. It’s hard to imagine that being left behind.”

“Well, you made your bed, now you have to lie in it. I doubt any of your friends will accept your relationship with that vile git Snape. You signed your own social death warrant. Not to mention your professional death warrant as well. Regardless of what Snape did during the war, he’s still shunned in the really good wizarding circles. He’s still a pariah. You’ll never make it far with him behind you. He’s a nasty, petty, vengeful, small man with no morals.”

Hermione stood staring at Ron, not saying anything for several minutes.

As Severus listened, he realized that Weasley was right. He still wasn’t fully trusted. People still doubted where his loyalties lied throughout the war. He would be a detriment to Hermione’s success. The world of potions had no problem with him, his talents were legendary. But if Hermione hoped to become a mediwitch of note, and attach herself to one of the great wizarding research hospitals, he would only be in her way. He put the roses he was holding down on the kitchen table and with a tear in his eyes, disapparated from her home and from her life. She truly was better off without him. Her silence after Weasley’s comments spoke volumes.

“You are such an ass, Ron. He’s leagues beyond any of those society people that you hold so dear since marrying into wealth and status. You forget where you come from, Ron…” Hermione stopped, hearing the faint crack of disapparition from her kitchen, “oh no,” she said, running into the kitchen.

The room was empty. Looking around she noticed a dozen dark red roses on the table. She felt the tears come to her eyes as she picked up the roses and held them close. They were vaguely cinnamon scented and de-thorned and completely reminded her of Severus. He must have heard what Ron said about him and left. She sank to a chair and sobbed. For all he was, Severus was still incredibly sensitive and his self esteem wasn’t the greatest. What he heard must have stabbed him in the heart. And she didn’t jump right in to defend him from the things Ron said. She stood up and walked back into the sitting room, holding the roses.

“I want you out, Ron. Out of my house, and for now, out of my life. I don’t know how much damage your comments just caused, but I need to fix this. Just get out,” she said, trying to maintain her calm through her tears, “Severus may have been a lot of things, but he’s a good man and I love him with everything that I am. He gave so much to me and never asked for anything in return. He’s been damaged by life so badly. All I give a shit about is healing HIM. I don’t care about society and how far I can go. I would be satisfied to work at Hogwarts and do my research. I don’t need anything more than that. I never wanted anything more than that.”

Hermione tossed some powder on the fire and spoke her destination. She was unable to connect. Severus had blocked his floo to her.

Hermione tossed a little more floo powder on the fire and asked for Albus Dumbledore. She looked through the fire to his office, where he sat looking at her.

“And how may I help you, Hermione?” he asked.

“Severus. Is he back in the castle?” she asked.

“Yes, just now entered his quarters, according to my sources. Something wrong?”

“He overheard something Ron said about him, and undoubtedly overheard me saying nothing in return. Albus, you know how fragile he can be…”

“And this relationship is new and thereby even more fragile.”

“I need him, Albus. I need him here. This night was supposed to be about him and it’s all ruined. He blocked off his floo to me and even if I show up there, he won’t let me in, you know him.”

Albus looked at the sobbing witch in the fire. He smiled at her.

“It’s not all ruined Hermione. I can get him back to your place, but you’ll have to allow your wards to accept a port key, then set them to disallow disapparition for his attempted quick escape.”

“Done. I would forever be grateful to you if you could use your formidable manipulation skills to get that great git back here.”

“Consider it a fait accompli, Professor Granger. Expect a glowering potions master holding a bottle of firewhiskey in your cottage within the next 10 minutes.”

“Thank you so much. That will give me enough time to hex the balls off of a certain red-haired prat,” she said, cutting off her conversation with Albus and slowly turning around to face Ron, fire in her eyes. Ron backed away from the angry Hermione in front of him. “I thought I asked you to leave,” she said, “Do you have any idea the mortal peril you’re in right now? You have come into my home, said horrible things about a man I love, and caused him to leave due to this noble gene he has that causes him to think that he can single handedly damage my reputation throughout the wizarding world simply because I choose to be with him, denying me of my chano tho thank him for funding my entire education, denying my chance to have a quiet and romantic dinner with him, and worst of all, denying my chance to yet another mind-blowing orgasm or two…or five. You have your life. You have your vapid silly wife and all your society friends. Why do you insist on trying to run MY life as well? You disappear for months on end, I never hear from you, you never even show me one iota of support for any of my professional endeavors, yet when I finally do something that I should have done a long time ago…end my sham of a marriage to one of the greatest guys who ever lived but who was never meant to be the great passion of my life, you show up to piss all over it and call me a whore. Fuck you, Ron. Now GET OUT!”

Hermione pointed her wand at his genitals and whispered “viridantis genitalis.”

Ron felt a burning in his genitals and stared at Hermione, “What the fuck did you do to me?”

“Good luck explaining to Lavender why your pecker is green. Now good night, Ron.” She again pointed her wand at Ron who required no other spell to tell him he had worn out his welcome.

“Don’t even think of inviting me to the wedding,” he sputtered as he backed out the door.

“We’ve been together a month, Ron. There is no wedding in the near future. You truly are a jackass,” spat Hermione as she slammed the door in his face.

She whirled around at hearing a soft clearing of a voice and found herself looking at a glowering potions master holding a bottle of firewhiskey.

“Care to explain what the hell I’m doing back here and why I can’t apparate out?” asked Severus.

“Yes,” said Hermione, slowly walking up to him and taking the bottle out of his hand, “Albus is a rather sneaky man, isn’t he? Knowing that you would undoubtedly seek solace in firewhiskey and offering you this fine bottle.”

Severus glared, realizing that he was duped by a portkey and by Albus bloody Dumbledore. All he wanted was some time to wash away the pain of losing Hermione to the truth about what he was.

“Damn him,” he said.

Hermione stood on her toes and brushed his lips with hers, “I wish you hadn’t left. And I wish I hadn’t been in such a state of shock over the things Ron said that I didn’t respond right away. My silence must have spoken more than words could have,” she said, gently touching his cheek, “for the record, I was standing right about there,” she pointed at the center of the room, “with a gobsmacked look on my face. How much did you hear?”

“Enough,” replied Severus, closing his eyes as her soft hand caressed his cheek, “enough to know the damage that being with me could do to your career and to your standing in society.”

“You should know me enough to know that I don’t care about any of that. Fuck society. All I really want is a quiet place to do research, a chance to help people as a mediwitch, and to wake up wrapped in your arms in the morning. Nothing else matters, Severus. I never said that my dreams involved being a world renowned anything. They involved getting the best education possible and doing the work I want to do. There is no way that my being with you would damage any of that. I’ve never been a particularly social person. I’ve never cared one whit for popularity or the like. If my abilities can’t speak for me more than my choice of who I love, then that’s a world I want no part of. You’re the best man I know, Severus. I know you’ve done things as a Death Eater that I would have issues with, but that was long ago. Before I was born. And to be honest, if the wizarding world can’t accept that you have done nothing but good for more than half your life, then it’s a sad world I want no part of. I guess it just hurts that a friend like Ron can’t understand how I feel. Sod him anyway. I hexed his willy green. Should be an interesting scene in the Quidditch locker room.”

Severus stared at her open and honest eyes as she spoke. He felt his heart leap and catch in his throat. She loved him. She truly did. And she hexed Weasley. He wrapped his arms around her waist and bent his head to give her a kiss. It was a kiss that momentarily overwhelmed her senses and left her speechless. It was a kiss that poured forth every bit of emotion that Severus Snape had kept bottled up inside since he was a young man. Hermione felt tears well up in her eyes and run down her face as she took in the desperation, loneliness, shame, self loathing, fear, and finally love that poured into her through his kiss. She cried for the isolation that Severus felt for so much of his life, for the hopes he had that were dashed by his ill fated decision to join Voldemort. For the pain that he was put through as a result of that decision and of his decision to spy for the light. Hermione cried because she loved him. And because as he saved her by giving her Trinity, she could save him by giving herself to him. Hermione loved him, this brilliant emotionally fragile man.

Without saying a word, she led him to her bathroom and slowly removed his clothing, caressing each part of his body as she bared it. She filled the huge tub with water that smelled of the cinnamon roses Severus had left for her when he disapparated earlier. She smiled at him through her own tears as he undressed her slowly, carefully, almost reverentially. Hermione noticed the tears in his eyes and on his cheeks as well. They said nothing as they entered the tub, Hermione wrapping her long legs around Severus as she faced him.

“Tonight,” she said softly, “we wash away the past.”

Severus nodded as he gave her a shy smile. Hermione felt her heart leap at his smile. She picked up the soap on the side of the tub and quietly lathered him as she held him tightly against her body. He reciprocated and they rinsed each other off with handfuls of the fragrant water, sharing kisses as they did so. Hermione scooted back so that her back was pressed up against Severus’ chest and she sat between his legs, giving him access to caress her slick body. Severus kissed her neck as he gently cupped her breasts and ran his thumbs over her nipples. She sighed as she pressed back harder into him, feeling his cock against her bottom. He manipulated her nipples in the manner she so loved, pinching and rolling them, then stroking them softly. She felt one hand slip down her stomach to her patch of curls and gently stroke open her nether lips. Hermione parted her legs wider as he stroked her clit with feathery touches.

“This is supposed to be about you,” she protested as he slipped a finger inside her.

“And I want to show you how much I love pleasing you,” he whispered against her neck, “if you come like a good girl, we can switch places…”

Hermione smiled at his dark velvety tone and allowed his hands access to her entire body. He slipped a second finger inside her as he pinched a slippery nipple harder and rubbed her cwithwith his thumb. Hermione moaned with pleasure. He was so damned good at playing her body. It was like the most exquisite torture imaginable as he brought her almost to climax with his magic fingers again and again, stopping short of giving her the release that she craved. She finally grabbed his hand anld ild it against her hot pussy.

“Make me come, Severus, I can’t take anymore.”

With a low growl, Severus began thrusting his fingers in and out of her, allowing his thumb to circle her sensitive clit harder and harder. She felt herself tighten up as she closed her eyes and allowed the rapture of the moment to wash over her. She bucked her hips against him, feeling his cock stiffen behind her. She moaned loudly, crying out his name as she came. Without a word she slipped out of his grasp and moved behind him, rubbing her still hot pussy against his lower back as she wrapped her legs around him. She reached around his body and took his cock in her hands. Gods he was hard. She ran her hand up and down the length, gently rocking herself against him as she did so. She wrapped a hand around him and gently pumped his shaft. Severus leaned back, feeling her hard nipples against his back and she stroked his cock, occasionally tickling the head. He moaned as she slipped her hand down his shaft and cupped his balls.

“Gods, Hermione, what you do to me,” he murmured as she again slipped her hand up and down his cock, squeezing it slightly.

“I want to make you come,” she whispered.

“You’re almost there. A little harder and a little faster…”

Hermione increased the rate of her stroking as she felt his body tense up. She rubbed her pussy against him with the same rhythm and felt herself also tense up. She pumped her hand up and down his shaft as he arched his back, crying out her name as he came. A few seconds later, Hermione also came from the friction of her clit against his back. Spent, they relaxed in the tub while Hermione moved out from behind Severus to cast the spell to drain and refill the tub with fresh hot water.

She once again leaned back against his chest, feeling his strong arms wrap around her. She had never felt so secure or loved in her life than she did right at that second. Severus kissed her neck and rubbed his cheek against hers.

“I truly do love you, Hermione,” he said softly, “There will be times when I will not be good at showing it, but trust me, I do love you. I just don’t know how to love.”

“I’ll teach you, Severus,” said Hermione, as she closed her eyes and drifted off, wrapped in the arms of the man she loved.