A Terrible Temptation

A/N - For all of you who asked, yes there will be a happy ending. I wouldn\'t do that to you! Kate would fly to California to eviscerate me and I can guess that a few of you would join her. :)

Thanks to: Laura, tifsuz, Campy, vicki, Imhilien, Noa (mickey-G - ROFL), Tarrin, heartnut, Nocturnus, Deeble (Have I told you lately, that I totally adore you, girl?), Music, Abra (hello to Romania!), Alison, Skjeve, Serenbel, Deb, Kiri, Angelina, KATE, spaz 141, buttercup, ancientgirl and StellarSnape.



Chapter 16 – Another Piece of the Puzzle

Hermione waited in the Common Room for Harry to get back from his meeting with Professor Dumbledore. She guessed it was about what had almost happened in the Great Hall this morning. She wasn’t sure if you could get in trouble for something that you didn’t really do. Yet.

That “yet” was vitally important because Voldemort or no Voldemort, she wanted nothing more than to kiss Harry. Well, actually, she wanted a lot more than a kiss. Just thinking about the charged moment in the Great Hall sent little fingers of heat through her body. The courtly kiss on her hand in Hagrid’s hut still thrilled her; it had been romantic, sweet and utterly chaste, but it had caused chaos in her heart.

“’Mione, it’s your move.” Ron snapped his fingers under her nose and she woke from her daze enough to shift a random piece on the board. “Could you at least pretend to pay attention?” Ron asked in exasperation as he put her king in check.

“Sorry, Ron.” She apologized and concentrated on the board long enough to kill his bishop and save her king. Ron nodded an acceptance of her apology and Hermione’s king mopped bro brow with a small stone handkerchief in relief.

“Hermione, I know that Ginny thinks it was because of the danger from You-know-who but, I mean we’re Harry’s best friends; we have to top his list of people he wants to kill already.” Ron moved his knight with an absent gesture.

“Well, what other reason could it be?” Hermione queried. “After all, there isn’t a lot of reason for Professor Dumbledore to care. He never interfered in Harry’s dating Cho.”

“Good t. Wt. Well, maybe it has something to do with the accident in the Owlery.” Ron was staring off into space with furrowed brow.

“The Owlery! Hedwig!” Hermione jumped up and ran from the room, the fragments of the dream returning to her. She charged through the hallways and up the stepsthe the Owlery. The winding staircase was too long and steep to run up so she slowed her pace, only to hear footsteps behind her. Looking back she saw Ron catching up and she slowed.

“Hermione, what’s the rush?” Ron panted as he came level with her on the staircase. His face was flushed and it didn’t suit his red hair at all.

“Harry is never without Hedwig, so where has she been?” Ron’s eyes went wide as she continued climbing and then he hurried to follow her.

They ed oed open the door to the Owlery and peered into the high-rafters, looking for a familiar white shape.

“’Allo, Ron, Hermione.” Hagrid looked up from where he tending to an injured eagle owl. The bird had his wing stretched out and Hagrid was carefully applying a muscle strain salve. “Terribilus ’ere has pulled a wing muscle.” He explained to them as he worked.

“Hagrid, where’s Hedwig?” Hermione asked abruptly. Hagrid looked surprised at her question.

“She’s in the infirmary, she is. Still not quite recovered from th’ accident, yeh know.” Ron and Hermione exchanged puzzled looks and Hagrid looked surprised. “Didn’t Harry tell yeh? The plot was to switch Harry’s mind with Hedwig’s. If Pr’fessor Snape hadn’t used his Leggy-whatsit to put Harry back, who knows what would ha’ happened.”

“Harry told us he wasn’t supposed to talk about it.” Ron looked confused, but Hermione felt a creeping horror. What if the plot had succeeded? Harry would have died, no doubt about it. A frightened and confused owl’s first instinct was to fly away from danger. She shivered; Professor Snape had saved Harry again and all she could do to thank him was read him potions journals.

Poppy’s suggestion that she read to him had been puzzling but she had obeyed the Medi-witch’s request and done so. Madam Pomfrey had been concerned that if Professor Snape were conscious and yet unable to move that he would go a little mad without some kind of stimulus. Hermione had been baffled as to why he should be pleased to hear from the “silly girl” he so despised, but Madam Pomfrey had insisted. Hermione decided that in thanks for what he had done, she would read him the complete works of Shakespeare if it would help.

“Pr’fessor Dumbledore didn’ say ta me ta keep quiet ‘bout it. Still, there were lotsa things he didn’t say either.” Hagrid stroked his beard with a thoughtful look. “In fact, now that I think abou’ it, he didn’t say quite why Pr’fessor Snape wouldn’t wake up.” Hagrid shrugged and finished tending to the owl.

“Why won’t Professor Snape wake up?” Hermione asked Ron and he gave her a look ofertaertainty.

“Why are you asking me? I don’t know.” Ron and Hermione wandered over to the bird infirmary, a small room off the main Owlery. Hedwig was lying on the bottom of her cage with a forlorn expression.

“Hedwig!” Hermione cried out and went to the rather sad and bedraggled bird. She looked up at the two of them with a hopeful expression and then noting Harry’s absence she slumped bacwn awn again.

“She looks sort of down.” Ron pulled some toast crusts from hicketcket. Hermione didn’t want to know how long they had been there. Hedwig took them politely but seemed uninterested in them.

“What’s wrong with her?” Hermione asked in confusion as Hagrid came in.

“Dunno, but she’s off her feed and isn’t preening herself proper-like.” Hagrid looked at them with a small sigh. “She acts like Harry’s gone and died and when he comes round to visit, she gets all upset and pecks at him. He has tried to coax her out but it don’t work.” Hagrid shrugged and left them there, going to check on his other charges.

Hermione was left puzzled and dismayed.

Ron had gone up to bed by the time Harry returned to the Common Room. He looked miserable and slightly flushed. He walked in, saw her waiting up for him and headed towards his dorm room without a word. Hermione jumped up and blocked his path.

“What happened with Professor Dumbledore?” Hermione asked. Harry looked her straight in the eye and groaned.

“You are the most annoyingly persistent creature.” The words were sharp, but his tone was weary and she could see that he was worn and sad.

“What’s wrong, Harry?” She stayed standing in front of him and he remained silent, just thoughtfully studying her face as though he were memorizing every feature.

His eyes behind the glasses were very dark and she was mesmerized by his intense scrutiny. He reached up a hand and lightly stroked her cheek. The contact was electric; she was instantly burning, her mouth dry and her hands shaking.

“This is wrong. It isn’t fair to either of us.” He moved around her before she could respond to his puzzling statement and disappeared into the boy’s dorms, leaving her aroused and frustrated.

She raced to her own rooms to relieve the sudden desperate aching need. She pulled off her clothes and fell naked onto the bed, her fingers stroking her hot wet folds with frantic desire, while her other hand pinched and fondled her nipples. It was very little time before she was coming hard and fast, her fingers slick with her juices and her cries filled with a forlorn and unanswered yearning.

She collapsed onto the bed feeling as though only part of her had been satisfied. She needed Harry as much as he seemed to need her, but it looked like he was determined not to give in for some reason. She fell asleep naked and frustrated.

She was in the garden again; she knew it well now. The place looked even worse than it had before, dry and barren. The statues were cracked and broken, the fountain had toppled over, and the cold winter frost had limned every branch and killed the flowers.

“Hello.” She turned and the boy was there again. Ebony eyes and hair, a beaky nose and a huge smile that brought an answering smile to her own face.

“Hello.” She replied and then he was off and running, laughing through the remnants of the garden. His boots crunched on the gravel pathways and his robes of green flapped behind him.

“You should not be here, Miss Granger.” She spun and he was right behind her. Before he could escape again she grabbed his sleeve and hung on.

“Wait.” His eyes were burning into her and he pulled her suddenly into his arms, his mouth descending on hers. He was much taller than she was and she felt engulfed by the flowing robes, as though she could vanish inside them. His arms were tight about her and what should have felt frightening instead made her dizzy with emotions she couldn’t quite comprehend. She felt a burning need for his kiss, a frantic desire that was totally unexpected. Just as his lips were about to touch hers, she woke, staring around her room in dismay.
Crookshanks lifted his orange eyes to hers and gave a long, slow sigh.

“I dreamed I almost kissed Professor Snape.” She murmured to her cat. Crooks made a noise like a wheezing gasp and looked rather amused by her confession.

“It’s not funny! What’s wrong with me? I am falling in love with Harry but dreaming about Professor Snape! Am I going crazy?” Crookshanks rubbed up against her, running his head under her chin and purring loudly. She wrapped her arms around the spoiled and demanding tomcat with affection and settled back down in the bed. Within minutes she had fallen back asleep.

Crookshanks watched her with concerned eyes until she was deeply asleep and then he leapt from the bed. In his experience, most humans were sweet but somewhat incompetent; he needed to have a long conversation with Silver Fur and he needed to have it right now. Obviously, their efforts were not entirely succesful, his girl was figuring it all out.