She Said What?

well, well. here we all are again. back for more. i knew you couldn\'t stay away. i knew you\'d be back. that\'s why i made you wait. you just want it so badly. and its all mine. and no one can have it. no one. not that i have any idea just what the hell it is. does anyone know what the hell it is? no? oh well. i guess its safe to say that i don\'t own anything here other than the plot bit. and that\'s not saying much, as i\'m starting to wonder if there really is any plot or if this was just a stupid excuse to get Severus and Hermione together so they could shag one another senseless. everything else is owned by j.k. rowling and we know she\'s not giving it up. and she\'s not giving up the money, either. so i\'m not making any money here. none at all. yes, my life is sad and pathetic.

this is a lemons free chapter. sorry. the Muses weren\'t in the mood. so you don\'t even get a hint of lemons. sorry to disappoint, people. maybe next time.

finally, if you\'re enjoying yourself, please feel free to drop a line and let me know. i do so love reviews. i wish i could live off them because then i\'d be a slim supermodel. sadly, i can\'t. so i\'m not. wah! my life truly is sad and pathetic.

Chapter Fifteen: Silence Is A Girl\'s Best Friend
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning saw Hermione entering the Great Hall for breakfast with Harry at her side. Ron was close behind them. There was a look of intense displeasure on Hermione\'s face. Harry sported a pained look and Ron was speaking, his face pleading as much as his words. The female member of the Golden Trio staunchly kept her nose turned up, a book clutched before her even while her ever present book bag was hitched high up on her shoulder. This despite the fact that it was Sunday morning.

\'Come on,`Mione!\' Ron\'s voice was strident in the suddenly silent hall. All eyes turned to look at them, including a pair of fathomless black eyes. \'What more do you want? I said I was sorry! It was wrong of me and I should be punished to within an inch of my life for being such a heartless git.\'

Hermione said nothing, merely allowed Harry to steer her toward the table. He was good to his word and playing the doting yet discrete boyfriend. There was an open spot near Ginny and he led her there. Hermione sat next to the only female offspring of the Weasley clan, Harry filling the spot next to her. Together, the two of them took up enough room that there wasn\'t a spare inch of bench left for Ron to sit on. He was forced to move further down the table and sit between several second year girls who kept fluttering their eyelashes up at him in a rather tactless way.

\'Hermione?\' Ginny asked softly, glancing from her friend to her brother and then back. Hermione managed a tight smile. \'Um... is it true? I mean... are you and Harry really?....\'

\'Yes, Ginny. We are. Which we were trying to keep a secret. Your brother, on the other hand, has no problems opening his big mouth and spewing forth a large pile of steaming horse shite when the feeling comes over him,\' she replied curtly. Ginny drew back, a hurt look on her face. Hermione frowned a moment, then leaned over and whispered something in Ginny\'s ear. The younger girl\'s face lit up a moment, then she broke into a series of soft chuckles.

Slowly, the students returned to their normal routine of talking as they ate and, for the moment, the gossip surrounding Hermione and Harry and their apparently heavy relationship was pushed to the back as the seventh years spoke of the coming N.E.W.T.s and the fifth years chattered back and forth about what the O.W.L.s would be like.

Up at the staff\'s table, Severus continued to glower at his wife and the young man sitting beside her. She hadn\'t once sought out his gaze, even out of curiosity. That made Snape slightly uncomfortable for some reason. Instead, she kept her eyes on the table before her as she ate with one hand and held the book she\'d been carrying with the other. She occasionally made small talk with Potter. But she completely ignored everyone else. Himself included.

The youngest Weasley male looked terribly unhappy, cast out of his place of honor at Harry Potter\'s side. Then there were the three second years who were shamelessly flirting with him, their eyelids moving so fast that it appeared they had something in their eyes. Served the little bastard right, as far as Severus was concerned. The boy needed to learn to keep his infernal mouth shut when it came to matters that were none of his affair. Ronald Weasley had all of the subtlety of a raging hipporyff in a china shop. He had always been rather thick when it came to stating matters that were completely obvious to anyone else and very painful to the person he\'d spoken them to. It was nice to see, finally, that he was learning what his inability to mind his tongue would get him.

Flicking his gaze to the Slytherin table, he studied Draco a moment. The boy was staring at the back of Potter\'s head with a narrow gaze that was so unreadable, Snape had to wonder just how long the boy had been sneaking about with his arch-enemy. Severus didn\'t know what the Malfoy heir was thinking, but he knew it could be just about anything. And, if it involved what he suspected it would, he didn\'t think he wanted to know what Draco was thinking. History had taught him that he wanted nothing to do with the thoughts of a Malfoy. Lucius\' thoughts were always dark. Severus was certain that Draco\'s followed the trail left by the thick sludge of his overworking hormones.

He brought his attention back to his plate with a sigh. He supposed he would be forced to seek his wife out and find out what her bother was. He had heard from his mirror this morning that Granger had spent much of her night muttering darkly under her breath and slamming things about her rooms with almost joyous dedication. If that Weasley spawn had done or said something to upset her into not bothering to see to her wifely duties, he was going to hex the boy with something permanent. And painful.

Naturally, he\'d heard the rumors floating about the castle the night before while tucked into one of his most favorite hiding spots in the many winding corridors of the castle. He often took to the darkened niches to seek out those who would dare break curfew in the hopes of a few moments of stolen snogging in some corner of the castle that no one was supposed to know about but the love struck pair. Those were the ones he most enjoyed taking points from. And now, they were proving to be most helpful in terms of what was being said about his wife and her supposed boyfriend, The-Boy-Who-Lived-to-Make-Life-a-Living-Hell-For-Everyone.

Naturally, one and all were talking about the newest scandal. Never in their wildest dreams had the student body of Hogwarts thought for a moment that the resident Brain of Gryffindor and the Golden Git would become a couple. That tidbit was juicy in itself. But to add on to it the speculation that both Hermione and Harry were at it hot and heavy because Granger was carrying the next generation of Potter spawn was the absolute best thing any of them had seemingly heard since the invention of syllabic speech. It was simply incomprehensible that Hermione Granger, level-headed and all knowing, would have gotten herself knocked up whilst still in school.

Severus had had to stifle his laughter at the poetic shite one of the fourth year Hufflepuffs had been spewing about Hermione only moments before the sixth year Ravenclaw she was with had wrapped his arms around her and proceeded to shove his tongue as far down her throat as he could. Severus had allowed them a few moments of stolen bliss, then had swooped out of the dark shadows to take fifty points from each House for their cheek at daring to break curfew on his watch. The two of them had scurried away, the Hufflepuff on the verge of tears from his sharp tongue verbally lashing at her backside.

Even now, the gossip had not died. In point of fact, it seemed to be more heated than ever. Many of the students were whispering behind their hands, some going so far as to point. Much of it, if he was interpreting what was going on correctly, was directed at the now ostracized Ronald Weasley. Severus rather liked that. He\'d be even happier if the year were done and his wife didn\'t have to be seen hanging on the arm of the one person he hated with all of his undying passion. Not that he was jealous of the poncy little git. Far from it. He just didn\'t like the idea of his wife hanging about with Potter any more than absolutely necessary.

The whispering stopped and drew his attention to the silent room. Hermione and Harry had stood, Potter slinging her heavy book bag up onto one shoulder as she gathered her book to her chest once more. From the look on her face, she dared any one of them to so much as breathe on her improperly. There was a promise of verbal retribution the likes of which they had never seen in those brown depths. Many heads quickly dropped back to their plate, hundreds of pairs of eyes darting hurridly to look elsewhere. She turned and bestowed a smile on the young man standing behind her, then headed for the double doors in superior and smug silence.

They were going to the library. He was as sure of that as he was of the fact that he was the most despised teacher on staff. Severus grinned to himself. He\'d simply meet up with Hermione in the library later. Perhaps, if he was lucky, they would stumble across one another in the stacks again. He had to catch himself as he recalled their last visit in the stacks.

~*~*~*~*~

Harry glanced up at Madam Pince. She was frowning at the two of them. Obviously, she didn\'t like the fact that she had to spend her time in the library for only two students on a Sunday. He and Hermione had found that there was no one else in the library at all, despite the fact that many of the students were studying for exams. Harry wasn\'t at all surprised by this. No one wanted to be caught in the library on a Sunday. He was only there because Hermione had almost begged him to go with her.

He could tell she wanted to talk to him about something. Her hands fluttered nervously, occasionally tucking an already tucked strand of hair behind her ear. Her books were unpacked from her book bag, as were a quill and a pot of ink. But she hadn\'t bothered to open any books or lift her quill to do more than chew on the end. She was waiting for the librarian to decide they weren\'t going to use the table for lewd purposes and slink back to her desk. And it seemed to be taking an age for that to happen. Harry decided that Pince would leave them alone only if they seemed to be lost in books. He opened a pair of them and pointed to the words. Hermione seemed to take his hint and gave all of her attention to the opened book.

After several silent moments spent glaring and scowling, Madam Pince wandered off to her desk, across the library and away from them both. Harry sighed and sat back from the book he\'d opened. He was starting to wish he hadn\'t. It was so boring, it made Professor Binn\'s lectures seem interesting by comparison. Hermione looked at him and rubbed at her eyes. He\'d noticed when he\'d picked her up for the morning meal that she appeared to be tired and he could only guess she hadn\'t slept well the night before. \'What bug has crawled up your arse and died?\' he asked her point blank.

\'Ron was rather a shite yesterday, wasn\'t he?\' she began, sounding uncertain. Harry found himself on edge. Hermione never sounded uncertain. Something was really bothering her.

\'What has the great black bat done now, love?\' he asked, leaning toward her so he could hug her close. She sighed, blinking a few times as if she was trying hard not to cry.

\'He\'s such a git. I mean, it isn\'t as if I want to have children. I wouldn\'t curse any child with my looks or my bookish nature. A child should have friends. A child should be happy and joyous. But to hear him say it in such a manner,\' she began, picking her words carefully so that, Harry suspected, she wouldn\'t burst out into tears.

\'You know he was acting. He couldn\'t bloody well come out and say he wanted to have loads of children. First, it would frighten all of the first years. Second, it would make him look human,\' Harry offered her a smile. His hand came up, his fingers tipping her chin back a bit so he could look her in the eyes. \'Finally, there is nothing wrong with you, `Mione. You were a late bloomer. So you like to read. It isn\'t as if that\'s the worst thing that could happen to your children.\'

She opened her mouth to protest, but he pushed on. \'You are not ugly. You\'re a very attractive young woman who\'s just starting to come into her prime. Snape should consider himself lucky to have been landed with you. I know, were you to have children, you would love them to the best of your ability. I daresay that you would smother them with all the love you could.\'

\"But, Harry,\' she protested, but he only shook his head at her.

\'No, `Mione. There\'s no way you can convince me that there\'s anything wrong with you that a little self-confidence wouldn\'t fix. So just shut it about how you look. I won\'t hear any more about it,\' he told her firmly. He softened the words with a gentle smile.

\'When did you get so smart and go all grown up?\' she asked with a wry grin, a shimmer of unshed tears lingering in her eyes.

\' I\'ve been hanging about with you for seven years, haven\'t I?\' he couldn\'t hold back the smirk. \'Not to mention, it takes some brains and stealth to keep up a secret relationship with my most hated enemy.\'

\'Draco really does love you, doesn\'t he?\' she asked, eager to switch the subject. He gave her his quirky smile and his entire face lit up.

\'Yeah. He really does,\' Harry nodded. It was obvious by looking at Harry that he was deeply in love with Draco. Happiness and joy shone in his eyes when he started talking about the pale Slytherin and something struck her as funny.

\'You know, the next time I hear Pansy going on and on about what a wonderful lover Draco is, I shall likely laugh my arse off,\' Hermione told him with a soft chuckle. Harry actually turned a deep shade of pink and she couldn\'t help but wonder at it. Finally, his reasons for blushing struck her and she turned wide eyes on him. \'He is, isn\'t he?\'

\'Bloody amazing,\' Harry agreed readily. \"Shags like a stallion, that one.\'

\' I\'m happy for you. You know that, don\'t you?\' she asked him. Harry nodded, turning to look at the book before him. She smiled and turned the page in the book that lay opened in front of her. Idly, she stared at the words written on the page without registering them. Her mind, unfortunately, was on other things. Harry seemed to be in tune with her upset, because he reached out and covered her hand with his own.

\'And you? What about you and the greasy git?\' she shrugged. \'How did you two... you know?\'

\' It started with that detention. He forced me to write a paper on certain things pertaining to sex and.. well...\' she blushed at him. \'The material was so explicit that I found myself quite aroused by the time it was over. And, in turn, I wrote a paper that covered each article of information as thoroughly as was humanly possible.\'

\'Meaning you left him with a raging hard on,\' Harry grinned at this. She nodded, a faint smirk on her face. \'Typical of you, `Mione. He should have been expecting it.\'

\'Oh, I\'m sure he was. He simply retaliated in kind the next night. It suddenly became a game of cat and mouse. Each of us worked all the harder at making the other one so uncomfortably horny that we\'d be forced to give in.\'

\'And who won?\' Harry asked her, drawing out several lewd things that Hermione had never before seen. She studied them with great interest, wondering if they were physically possible. She found them extremely intriguing and wondered if she could borrow the drawings or if she should perhaps take notes for later.

\'We\'ll call it a draw. We both gave in at the same time,\' she said, a hint of memory coloring her words. She smiled as she recalled the insults that had driven them both past the edge of sanity and into a lust induced madness. Several times that night, they\'d each come up with interesting insults to drive their passions higher. Harry grinned at her knowingly.

\'Like a stallion?\' he asked her, if only to watch the color rush to stain her cheeks in her embarrassment. She merely nodded, not quite able to form words at the moment. Harry chuckled softly and reached out to hug her with one arm. \'At least you\'re getting shagged properly. If he was
lousy in bed, I\'d have had to hex him for you. No friend of mine is going to have a lousy lay.\'

She smiled at that, the look he\'d been hoping for. For a moment, she stared idly at the book open on the table, then she glanced up at him and there was an odd look in her eye. It was a mix of apprehension and the desire to understand. He thought he might know what was coming, so he waited patiently for her to speak. Though she\'d mellowed over the years in her attempt to give and gain knowledge, she still had to know. That part of her had never changed. Finally, Hermione drew a breath and muttered something to herself. \'How did you and Draco end up as a couple? Until this week, I\'ve never thought you felt anything but extreme dislike for him.\'

\'Quite by accident, I assure you,\' he grinned at her again, then went back to doodling terribly obscene things on a piece of parchment. Hermione found herself taking notes despite the fact that she was supposed to be studying for her last end of year exams. \'It was after a particularly brutal bout of Quidditch and I was the last one to leave the Gryffindor locker rooms. When I stepped out, bruised and feeling happy over our victory, I found myself face to face with Draco. He wore his dirty Quidditch robes and the patented Malfoy sneer. He looked my up and down and snarled out an insult about my mother and my father and half of the known universe.\'

\'Typical Malfoy,\' she agreed, carefully jotting down what she saw on the paper. If Harry noticed, he said nothing or gave no indication. For a moment, the quill stopped moving as he was lost in the memory.

\' I told him to shut it, as I normally did. He told me that, if I wanted him to shut it, I\'d have to make him. So I did. I slugged him right in that aristocratic nose of his. I bloody well broke it. When he stopped whining, he charged me and the two of us tumbled back into the locker room. After a bit of a scuffle, I had him pinned to the floor. And that\'s when I discovered two very important things. First, I\'d always known I wasn\'t completely straight, but I\'d thought I was bisexual. I mean, there was that brief attempt with Cho Chang. I was sure I liked her and I knew that I had a thing for a few of the males here. But, as I sat on top of him and held him down, I found out that I was pretty much completely gay and that Malfoy turned me on. In a not so unnoticeable way, either.\'

Hermione understood what he meant and blushed a shade darker.

\'The second thing I found out was that Malfoy seemed very, very interested in me,\' Harry paused after saying that. Going by the dark red staining her cheeks, he was sure that Hermione knew what he meant by that, as well. \'He didn\'t want to admit to anything. He certainly didn\'t want to admit that he was attracted to me. But a few well placed kisses and a bit of thrusting hip action made us both realize that we\'d been wasting vast amounts of energy hating one another. Not that it was that easy. Not by a long shot. But that\'s how we got together for the first time.\'

\' I see,\' Hermione nodded, not looking him in the eye. She couldn\'t imagine rolling around on the floor with someone she hated, only to find that she liked him and he liked her. The thought sent her mind back to her husband and she frowned. He certainly didn\'t like her. At least, not more than it required to get hard enough to poke himself into her at all hours of the night. She wasn\'t so delusional that she mistook lust for love. He needed relief and, for some unfathomable reason, she turned him on enough that he could seek that relief with her.

Of course, that didn\'t explain to her why she felt an answering desire for him. He was not a pleasant man, nor was he handsome. He was mean and foul and rather unattractive in a gothic romance novel gone vampire fiction kind of way. She only knew that some part of her that she didn\'t quite understand was as hot for him as a bitch in heat. When he was around, he did things to her. Her body positively quivered with her need for him to touch her with his hands and his mouth. She wanted him to speak to her in that low, silky voice of his that she knew could reach all the way to the very heart of her womb. His voice made her body throb with desire for him. It was, she thought, rather like being stroked by velvet from the inside.

A shudder ran through her as she felt the need pulse to life once more. Damn the man, he affected her even when she was absolutely determined to remain impassive about him. She turned to find Harry watching her curiously. \'Just thinking about him does it to you, doesn\'t it?\' he asked her kindly. She nodded, not quite trusting her voice at the moment. \'That\'s what its like for me with Draco. He can be a complete prat, snarling insults at me and Ron, and I\'ll get so hard that it hurts.\'

\'Too much information, Harry,\' she told him softly. He chuckled and shook his head.

\'What did you say to Ginny, by the way?\' he asked her, his voice full of curiosity.

\' I told her that the reason why Ron said what he did was because he fancied you and was unhappy that I landed you first.\' Harry stared at her a moment, then had to bite his lip to keep from laughing out loud.

\' I can\'t believe you said that. You know she\'s going to mention it to him,\' he giggled.

\'Of course she is. It\'ll bloody well serve him right for saying that we were already working on Harry Potter, Jr,\' she snorted indignanty.

\' I\'d like that, you know,\' he said, his voice going a bit dreamy with the thought. She looked at him and frowned. He noticed and smiled at her. \' I know what you\'re going to say. But Draco and I have been talking about it. We figured there might be some kind of spell or potion somewhere that would enable one of us to have a child and give birth. We were going to ask Snape about it after the term is over.\'

\'And just who would be carrying this child?\' she demanded.

\' I would. Draco has decided that he wants to be the father. So I get to be the mother. And I don\'t really mind. I mean, it must be absolutely incredible to nurture a child with your body and give birth,\' he told her, a sparkle in his eyes that told her he was serious. Hermione smiled up at him and decided that seven years hadn\'t taught her as much as she thought she knew about her best friend.

\'Then I hope you find a way,\' she told him softly, her tone conveying that she meant every word she said. \'You\'d make a great mother.\'

\'Thanks, `Mione,\' he grinned at her, then pulled her into his arms for a tight hug. She wanted to be upset that Harry had his life all planned out already. She wanted to hate him for having someone who obviously loved him to look out for him. She wanted to despise him for wanting something that she would likely never have. But she couldn\'t. He would never do such a thing to her, no matter how badly he wanted something. Harry wasn\'t that petty. Not that he didn\'t have his moments of pettiness. He just wouldn\'t ever begrudge her the things she wanted to make her happy. And she couldn\'t do it to him, either.

\'Well, well,\' a voice drawled and pulled the two of them apart. \'At it in the library. A hallowed place of learning. Shame on you both. I would have expected Miss Granger to at least know better. How utterly disappointing.\'

Harry and Hermione broke apart to stare up at Snape. He wore a deep scowl and both sensed that it wasn\'t entirely for show. A few students stood behind him, watching the unfolding events with all the curiosity of a newspaper reporter at the scene of a devastating tragedy. They all sensed impending blood shed and were waiting to see it spill .She frowned at him, automatically packing her things up and slipping them into her book bag. Harry began to do the same. He folded up the parchment he\'d been drawing on and tucked it safely into the bag with her books, quill, ink pot and other supplies.

\' I was merely thanking Harry for his help with something of the utmost importance,\' she replied stiffly. \'Now, if you will excuse us, Professor,\' she stressed his title with a great deal of emphasis. \'We are going to go up to Gryffindor Tower to finish studying. Good day to you.\'

\' I do not believe I was finished with you, Miss Granger,\' Severus scowled at her flippant attitude.

\' I wasn\'t aware you had begun with me, Professor,\' she said with enough venom in her voice to set him back mentally a step or two.

\'You are being impertinent,\' he warned.

\'Am I? I hadn\'t noticed. I was merely responding to the tone of your own voice, Sir. Forgive me for thinking you were here to argue with someone who might possibly be able to insult you properly,\' she replied lightly. The small crowd behind Snape\'s towering figure gasped at her words.

\'For that, Miss Granger,\' he snapped. \' I believe a detention is in order.\'

\'As you wish, Sir. I\'ll be certain to serve it out with Professor McGonagall,\' she pinned him with a glare that dared him to make more of this. There was a threat in her eyes. One he understood all too well. She would make his life even more of a hell than it had been if he insisted on acting like an arse. He could see it in the fire that glowed in her brown orbs. And while Severus had no problems dealing with her if she got out of line, something told him that she wouldn\'t do anything normal to make his life hell. She\'d find something that could truly turn his world upside down. She flicked a meaningful gaze to her left hand and he growled something under his breath that sent the students behind him scattering for the door like leaves tumbling in the wind.

\'Very well, Miss Granger. I shall send word to Professor McGonagall to expect you every night this week for detention,\' he ground out, his teeth clenched together so tightly that it felt as if he would break his jaw trying to hold his tongue.

\'Good day, Sir,\' she nodded at him. Then she purposely took Harry\'s hand in hers and tugged him into motion behind her. \'Come along, Harry. We\'re off to the Tower to finish this discussion.\' He nodded and followed her wordlessly, giving Snape a look that he hoped his teacher could read. But there was such an inscrutible look on the man\'s face that Harry thought Snape probably had missed what his most hated student was trying to tell him.

~*~*~*~*~

\'What do you see in the little Mudblood?\' Draco\'s voice caught Severus as he stalked up the halls toward his office. Snape stopped and turned suddenly to look at Draco, his eyes blazing with his anger. The younger Malfoy seemed to find no threat in the obsidian eyes locked on him, because he sauntered up to a stop just before his Head of House.

\'Mind your tongue, Draco,\' Severus warned him in a low tone of voice that held the promise of painful retribution in it.

\'My apologies, Professor,\' Draco grinned at him. \'What do you see in Hermione?\'

\' I....\' Severus stopped and blinked at Draco. What the hell kind of question was that? The boy must have some kind of death wish to ask his teacher about his wife. Snape couldn\'t quite grasp why Draco would ask such a personal, and unanswerable, question of a man whom he knew for a fact would hex his prized Malfoy testicles onto the backside of Granger\'s kneazle without a second thought. \'That is a most disrespectful question to ask me, Draco. I shall thank you to keep that pointy little nose of yours out of my business.\'

\'Do you know what I see in Harry?\' Draco asked, ignoring the subtle threat that were buried in Snape\'s words. Sighing because he knew he wouldn\'t be rid of the obnoxious little prat wouldn\'t give him a moment\'s peace until he spoke what ever tripe was on his bleached brain, Severus shook his head.

\'No, Draco. I do not know what it is you see in Potter,\' Severus crossed his arms over his chest with his impatience, watching the blonde size him up as if he were the teacher and Severus the student. Or as if he were the cream filling in one of those disgusting sugary confections Narcissa insisted upon sending to her spawn and Draco was very hungry.

\'Harry,\' he said pointedly, telling his teacher that the young man in question had a first and last name. \'Sees me for who I am inside. He doesn\'t take my shite and he still lets me bugger him senseless when I\'ve been an absolute shite to him. He lets me know when I get out of line. And he\'s genuinely interested in me. That includes my miserable bastard of a father and my self-absorbed mother. He may not like them personally, but he asks me about them. He talks to me. We don\'t just lay about and find new and exciting positions to shag in. Though that is one of the highlights of my days. Harry asks about me and I ask about him.\'

\'Your point, Mr. Malfoy?\' Snape snarled at him. Draco heaved a long suffering sigh and rolled his eyes at the man.

\'For such a smart man, you certainly are one of the stupidest bastards I\'ve ever had the priviledge of meeting,\' Draco shook his head.

\' I should warn you that my temper is rather thin at the moment, Draco. One more comment like that shall see you hexed with a series of painful boils. In places that are quite tender. Do be so kind as to explain it to me,\' Severus commented in a soft voice that held a faint note of anger in it.

\'What do you know about Granger? Have you asked her anything about herself at all? Or have you merely tossed her to the bed like an ape man and had your vile and wicked way with her? What are the names of her parents? What\'s her favorite color? Does she have any scars? What does she want to do with her life when she\'s done at Hogwarts? Does she know how to suck start a Harley Davidson and take a layer of chrome off?\'

Severus glared at him, his hand itching to draw his wand. The blonde ferret was smirking at him in such a knowing manner. But Severus didn\'t. He stared at the boy and saw what he meant. He really didn\'t know much about his wife. Other than the fact she was an insufferable know-it-all and that she actually felt quite nice underneath him. Wrapped around him. Sitting atop him. Moaning out his name in that throaty voice of hers.

He grumbled softly when his thoughts had an effect upon part of his body that he\'d been trying to avoid. He was certain, given the frame of mind that Hermione was in, she wouldn\'t be seeking out his bed tonight. He was once more stuck with the inadequacy of his own hand. And Draco Malfoy only stood there and smirked at him in an all knowing way that made Snape want nothing more than to find new and unique ways to torture the little bastard.

\' I take your point,\' he finally snapped curtly. Draco\'s smirk only shifted into a full blown grin that had Severus gnashing his teeth in an effort to control the urge to hex Draco with anything. \'Perhaps it would be prudent to.... get to know my wife beyond just how much....\'

Draco was giving him such a smarmy look of knowing that Severus pointed harshly toward any other part of the castle. \'Off with you, Mr. Malfoy. I suggest you forget any of this conversation. Should I find out that you have repeated any of it to your friends, not even the fact that Lucius is your father will stop me from taking payment for your mouth\'s inability to curb itself from your lily white arse. Do I make myself understood?\'

\'Of course, Professor,\' Draco nodded and slipped silently past him. Severus watched him go, hating the fact that the boy still wore his self-satisfied smirk. Severus resisted the temptation to draw his wand and instead slammed into his office.

\'Blast that boy!\' Severus snarled and threw himself into his favorite chair. But Draco had been right. He needed to know something more about Hermione other than the fact that she fit him perfectly. Both her mouth and her....

His cock throbbed in painful reminder that he was alone. Muttering a foul curse under his breath, he sought out a bottle of firewhisky and attempted to relieve himself of the damned nuisance with the aide of medicinal alcohol. It was going to be a long bloody day.

~*~*~*~*~

Hermione practically dragged Harry along the halls with her. He could almost feel the anger radiating off her in waves. She was as pissed off at Snape as he\'d ever seen her pissed off at anyone. They didn\'t stop until she they were in Gryffindor Common Room and marching up the stairs to her private dorm room. At the door, Harry stopped and glanced at her. She whirled and frowned. \'What the bloody hell is your problem?\' she snapped at him.

\'Um.... Hermione.... This is a girl\'s dorm. I\'m not a girl. I can\'t come in,\' Harry reminded her.

\'Oh, for the love of Pete!\' she nearly reached out and dragged him in, then turned and made an announcement into the room loudly. \' I want Harry to come in. I\'m married to Snape and he\'s a bloody ponce!\'

Harry was slightly taken aback by her speech, then she was hauling him in behind her. The castle seemed to have decided that there was no harm in allowing Harry into Hermione\'s dorm. She shut the door and warded it, then stomped over to her bed and threw herself down on it. \'OH! Men! Insufferable pigs!\'

\'Hermoine?\' Harry asked, taking a seat in the chair at her desk. She looked up at him and pinned him with a glare so sharp, it would have carved through the strongest metal like a hot knife through butter.

\'He was going to give me a detention so he could get me down to his rooms! So he could have a quick shag! That\'s all I am to him is a shag! I\'m not a person. I\'m not his wife. I\'m a shag!\' she said and he noted that her voice sounded like a curious cross between anger and unhappiness. If he wasn\'t mistaken, there might have even been a bit of tears tossed in for good measure. While Harry didn\'t think that she cared about him in the conventional sense, she had some sort of feelings for him. And his callous use of her hurt her. Hermione was as proud as any one he knew and just as entitled to respect. Snape was being terribly disrespectful to her.

\'He\'s a man who likely hasn\'t been shagged like this in a good long time, `Mione,\' Harry told her, then hastily added more when she turned to scowl at him. \'Not that I\'m defending him or anything. But he probably, at this point in time, doesn\'t see much more than the opportunity to shag. Give him time and he might be able to speak to you before tossing you on to the bed like early neanderthal man.\'

She smiled at that. Harry moved over and sat next to her, taking her hand in his. \'Things will work out, love. Just have some faith. I\'m sure that right now, even as we speak, he\'s down in his dungeons wondering just how to get you to talk to him.\'

\'Knowing the git, he\'s down in his dungeons, wanking off,\' she muttered and heard a choking sound from the mirror. Harry snickered and was about to say more to bring a smile to her face when a House Elf popped in. Dobby took one look at Harry and Hermione and began to go on and on about the latest gossip being true.

\'Dobby,\' Harry said, slipping from the bed and moving to where the Elf stood. \'Dobby! It isn\'t like that. It isn\'t like that at all.\'

\'Mr. Harry Potter isn\'t trying to make little Harry Potters with Miss Hermione Granger?\' Dobby asked, looking at the two of them.

\'No, Dobby. I\'m not,\' Harry shook his head. \'What are you here for, Dobby?\'

\'Dobby is here to tell Miss Hermione Granger that Madam Poppy wants to see her in the Hospital Wing right away. Madam Poppy told Dobby that it is most important that Miss Hermione Granger goes to the Hopsital Wing now.\'

\'But...\' Hermione began.

\'Madam Poppy told Dobby that he could not leave Miss Hermione Granger\'s rooms without her,\' the Elf told them both, an apprehensive look on his face. His eyes darted back and forth, as if he were looking for something to pound his head with. Hermione stood and moved to him, kneeling down to look him in the eyes.

\'Very well, Dobby. Lets go down and see Madam Pomfrey,\' she said gently. Dobby smiled and she turned to look at Harry. He nodded to her silent question and moved to stand next to her. She gave him a grateful smile and moved for the door. \' I can\'t imagine why she would want to see me.\'

\'I\'ve got a pretty bloody good idea,\' Harry muttered and glanced at the ceiling. He needed strength to get through the rest of the term. Once it was done, then life would go back to normal. He and Draco could come out of the brooms curboards and start their life together. He wouldn\'t have to worry about being dragged any deeper into Hermione\'s marital problems.

Once he and Draco were out, he only needed to worry about Lucius. He\'d take the elder Malfoy\'s anger over Hermione and Snape\'s anger anyday.

end chapter fifteen.
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many effusive thanks to my normal posse. they all know who they are and they always keep me going. much loves and huggles to you all.

this is self-beta\'d, so if you find mistakes, they are entirely mine. please don\'t hurt me.

finally, thanks to those of you who are reading this. this is my most popular fic to date and the fact that everyone seems to enjoy this is doing nothing but going to my head. i\'m enjoying writing it more than i thought i would.

and, lastly....

to christy: i\'m glad you like the story. and yes, they will end up together. i think they\'ve invested too much time in shagging one another not to.

to jesse: you\'re welcome. hope you liked this chapter, too.

to Alpha: glad you like it. and i\'ll keep writing. promise.

to mariteri:i\'m so glad that you liked my little plot bunnies. they seem to multiply and come up with some of the most outrageous ideas at times. this was one of those times. what better way to hide the fact that you\'re having an affair then to cover it up by saying you\'re actually having an affair with someone else? i though it was fairly brilliant for me, if i do say so myself.

to Mswigglesworth: i\'m sorry you feel that this is taking too much time. i\'m also sorry you feel you have to read everything all over again. unfortunately, things like work and my child and real life tend to get in the way. the bunnies are fickle. i\'m working on this as quickly as i can. but i don\'t simply churn out material to please people. if i\'m not happy with it, i\'m not going to let others read it.i update when i can. if that means once a month, so be it.

to queenp: so many questions. i think i will be able to answer them all in due time. for now, i\'m pleased that you liked the last chapter. i hope you like this one, too.

to Caliko: i think Ron\'s discipline will come when he finds out that Hermione is married to Severus and Harry is shagging Malfoy. perhaps it will require a trip to St. Mungo\'s. who knows?

to mysticsong: sure, you can hex Ron. glad you liked it. i thought this one was rather funny myself.

to JDFan: nope. haven\'t abandoned this yet. i intend to see it through. no matter how long it takes me. i\'m addicted to the smut.

to Miki: well, we know that Hermione doesn\'t back down from her ideals. nor does Snape. so it should prove to be interesting. and i\'m sure Ron will get his. just sit tight.

to Echo: a tangled web? really? yes, they are in a bit of a pickle, but it isn\'t anything that i\'m not able to get them out of.

to SteffieSnape: darling, you wouldn\'t happen to be evil, would you? wishing torture of such magnitude on poor Severus. making him wait to shag his wife? plain mean, that\'s what you are. i love it!

to elementaldeity: to offspring or not to offspring. that is the question. whethere tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous.... oops. my bad. Shakespeare got the better of me. me? hint at anything? would i do that? you\'ll just have to read to find out....

to Rebeliangeli: i try very hard to stay as in character as i can with them. Snape, particularly. that\'s my pride and joy. knowing that i can keep him in character. you now find it continued. i hope you like this. and the Harry being gay thing was an after thought. i\'d originally written the bit about Hermione thinking she and Snape becoming friends was as likely as Harry being gay and shagging Malfoy in the brooms cupboard. and thus the bunnies took the sentence and ran with it. i\'m having loads of fun with it, too.

to Vampire_Exotica: ~munches the virtual chocolate~ how did you know i\'m a chocoholic? and i love the name. not only am i ladydeathfaerie, but i\'m a vamp as well. hate the sunlight. you know, the usual. and thank you for such lovely comments. i\'m glad you\'re enjoying it. as for the meetings, i don\'t know.

to Kelstar: thank you for the kind words. i\'m glad you like this.

to Tris: i promise i won\'t give anything away until the right moment. you\'ll understand what\'s going on soon enough. i think. that depends on the bunnies. fickle little bastards.

to Amber: i hope this one is to your tastes. and i\'m glad that you like the story enough to keep reading. i\'ll cross my fingers for you on those kiddos.... they\'re the best and live is never the same once they show up.

to Jul: good. back to UST.... but sorry. no smut here, either. soon, i think. very soon.

to Angie: i like that phrase, too. i come up with weird things like that all the time. i have plenty in store for them. just be paitent.

to funky_faerie87: dunno. we\'ll have to wait and see about little Snapes running about. glad you liked the bunnies ideas. its all them. i only write for them.

to Jessii: i\'ll take care of that. when i\'m not hastily scribbling the bunnies\' ideas down when they come at me in a rush.

to melusinesara: glad you like it. here\'s the update and i hope you like this, too.

to a_reader: i\'m so glad you like my Snape. i always try to make him as snarky as i can without being a complete bastard. well... most of the time. i haven\'t abandoned this. i\'m merely spreading myself between more than one work at a time.

to Reikon: you have me bookmarked? i am honored and a bit embarrassed. i\'m so glad that you think its so well done. i try to make myself think the way i believe the characters would, so the insults come from that part of me that is channeling them. i hope it works well enough.

to Rickmanjunkie: a favorite? thanks. i\'m glad you enjoy it so much.

to Agnes:you\'ve never written a review before and you chose me? oh, i am so humbled. i\'m so glad that you like the story. thank you for taking the time to review. reviews are what make us authors want to go on. we all write to write, but its nice to know from time to time that people are reading and enjoying us. thanks so much.