She Said What?

here we go, folks. yet another installment of our favorite guessing game. will they get together? will all their secrets be revealed? will a certain red-head get a clue? enquiring minds would like to know. well, tune in to this chapter and find out if any more is given away. or, will the author be a sneaky twit and make you wait even longer to find out what it was that brought all of this about? *grins* gee, you all should know the answer to that by now. so let me get the show on the road by stating that this isn't mine. well, except for the plot bunnies that won't let me rest. everything else is owned by the wonderful and talented j.k. rowling. i promise not to harm any of her characters and will, at some point, give them back to her. please don't hurt me because i'm not making any money at all off this. not one red cent.

if you like this, please feel free to drop me a note and let me know. reviews aren't neccessary, but they are nice.

Chapter Eighteen: Mischief Managed
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The classroom was dark and deserted when Severus pushed the door open. Which was all good, as it was first thing in the morning and there shouldn't have been a soul in the room yet. To his knowledge, each and every one of the foul little cretins that made his days so unliveable were up in the Great Hall at that very moment, chattering away inanely like magpies and generally making enough noise to rouse the dead from their long deserved slumber. And, given the ferocious pounding going on in his head, he didn't believe he was quite up to dealing with the verbal assault that their combined voices would undoubtably become.

He silently nudged the door shut with the toe of his boot and sighed. The light in the hallway, dim as it was, had been almost too much for his still snockered eyes. He'd literally come up the hall with one hand lodged tightly against his forehead to protect the pained optical orbs from invading pinpoints of guttering flames. He'd gotten so wasted the night before. And now he was paying for it.

As he stumbled to his desk in the utter darkness of his classroom, he mentally chastized himself for being so foolish in his libations the night before. He'd had far too much to drink before a trip to the bathroom, where he'd engaged in a cold shower and a rather unsatisfying fist. The half a bottle he'd consumed after that had only made things ten times worse. He was already paying for it now and thought that he'd probably do so for the rest of the day and well on into the evening. He was so damned stupid. All of this misery because of a damned, single woman.

'Bugger!' he snarled when his toe connected sharply with the edge of his desk. He knew he really should have had a candle on for his trek across the stone floor, but he'd felt that he could find his way in the dark well enough. Not to mention, he thought that the light from a single flame would have been enough to blind him permanently. He knew better than to drink on a work night and now he'd be paying for his foolishness all day long. He was sure that his wife would love that. No doubt the smug little witch would know that he was in such dire straights because of her and that would make her feel quite superior.

Severus limped around his desk and, using his hands as well as with a great deal of care, found his seat and settled himself upon it. Giving himself a moment to collect his scattered wits, he buried his head in his hands and sighed in relief when the stillness brought a reprieve from the ache in his brain. There had to be something supremely wrong with him, as he'd never indulged in mass quantities of alcohol to drive a problem away. And certainly not a woman. It was as if, when they'd been married, she'd cursed him with some invisible, inaudible magic that made him mad with want of her.

He growled out some particularly nasty expletive, which sent his head into fits of pounding again, about the general nature of women and all they stood for when it came to men. There were reasons he'd long avoided the hangman's noose that came with settling down with a single female. Hell, he'd steered clear of the opposite sex, as well as quite a few members of his own, for precisely those reasons. Emotions were to blame for many stupid mistakes recorded through out the annals of time. Men had been led to their doom, smiles upon their unsuspecting faces, because of the wiles of a woman. Severus had seen that happen a time or two in his own life and he'd sworn a very long time ago that he would never be one of those men.

And here he was, married only a handful of weeks and he was already being strung about by his johnson. With a snarled curse, he glanced in the dark down to where he thought his crotch was and snapped out a threat about what would happen if it kept doing his thinking for him. There was no echoing response from the offending appendage. He snorted and once more blocked out the darkness with his hands.

It was fortunate he did so because, shortly after covering his face with his hands, the timing spell on his magicked window activated. The false light of the sun poured in a bright golden beam across the floor and on to his desk, bathing him in an angelic glow of magic induced atmosphere. He groaned, wedging his hands tighter against his pulsing eyes. It was going to be a long, miserable day and he had a certain Know-It-All to thank for that.

Finally, after what he thought might have been an age passed, he lifted his head and blinked into the bright, cheerful, annoying light. It took far too long for his eyes to adjust, letting him know that he'd drank more than he'd previously thought. When he could finally see through the blinding golden halo surrounding him, a few of his more inventive curses fell from his lips. The top of his desk was scattered with papers and quills. The books that had been stacked neatly on the corner were now thrown across the surface as if someone had simply tossed them at the desk as they passed by. An ink pot was overturned and would have made a large mess of the wood if not for the stopper still pushed into the neck of the glass container. All in all, it looked as if some foul force of nature had struck and made a shambles of his well organized world.

Some smart arsed little bastard was going to pay for this.

His mind turned almost immediately toward the Weasley twins and their incessant need to cause havoc and mayhem within the school's population at large. Unfortunately, they hadn't been in the school in over two years. That left them out of this little attack on his personal space. He'd heard rumors that their younger sister, Ginevra, had become rather adept at pranks. She was almost as good as they had been and seemed to have every inclination of following in their steps. However, as with her older brothers, Miss Weasley had the intelligence to show a modicum of respect for him in his classroom. Somehow, this didn't seem like something she would do.

Drawing his wand, Severus flicked the smooth length of wood at the shambles and spoke the spell that would return everything to its place so that his desk was once more neat and orderly. In an instant, every single article on he kept on the smooth surface was in its righful spot. For all of five seconds. Then each and every item once more scrambled so that it was a complete mess again. He stared at the disorganized, chaotic area that had once been his work space and muttered a few more very nasty swear words.

The heathen little monkey that had assaulted the sanctity of his world was truly going to wish they'd never been born when he got done with them. The white ferret episode of the TriWizard Tournament year was going to seem very pale in comparison to what he chose to do.

He was inclined to try the spell once more to see if this had been a fluke. He knew he'd never be able to function through out the day with such a mess to deal with. The intellectual side of him knew, however, that it would be a pointless waste of time and energy. Which ever miserable little twat it had been that had put the spell on had made sure that it was not to be dealt with so easily. Either he would need to wait for it to wear off, or he would have to discover who the culprit was and make them undo what had been done. With a sigh, Severus decided he likely stood a better chance of growing his own pair of tits than such an event coming to pass.

A moment of brooding passed before he stood from the chair and made his way, somewhat unsteadily, toward the supply cupboard. He thought he might as well at least get together the needed ingredients for the day's potions. That was something he thought he could accomplish with some kind of success. His hopes were dashed when he opened the doors and looked inside. Each glass bottle and phial contained within was a dark, murky brown with absolutely no distinguishing marks or labels one could use to identify the contents. This wasn't shaping up to be a very pleasant day at all.

Muttering a batch of profanity that would have seen the local chapter of the Hell's Angels blushing in shock and embarrassment, Severus flicked his wand at the contents of the cupboard and spat out the spell that would right things. And promptly had a hissy fit of epic proportions. Nothing happened. No white labels with precise script appeared on the glass. None of the bottles went from murky brown to crystal clear. He was still staring at the same unmarked mess that he'd opened the doors on.

With a sigh, he returned his wand to its normal resting spot and brought out the first jar on the fourth shelf. He knew each and every ingredient he used by both appearance and smell. There was another solution to this predicament. He would simply check each and every jar to see what it held.
His frown grew as he stared down at a fine, brown powdery substance. A quick sniff of the powder told him that his first assumptions were correct. The jar held cinnamon. Angrily, he slammed the top back on and set it on the shelf where it had come from with a thud, then pulled another container from the cupboard at random.

That jar, and the ten that followed it, all smelled of cinnamon. They appeared to hold cinnamon. Which led him to believe that every single jar in the cupboard contained cinnamon. There was no way he could assign potions to the students, as there was no time for him to gather more supplies. He didn't want to look the fool in front of his classes. They would have to do something else with their time. A rather nasty grin spread across his face as he shut the cupboard doors and moved back toward his desk. The insidious little wanker who masterminded this epic cluster fuck was going to regret such rash actions.

There was nothing quite so fun as watching the students squirm when given the news that they not only had a pop quiz on whatever he decided they needed to further study, but they would also have to write a paper on said subject. There was no way anyone would see that he was disturbed beyond all rational thought by this stunt. And when he caught the culprit responsible.....

He wondered if Dumbeldore would stand up for him if he were taken into custody for murder? An indignant snort killed the silence in the room as he stalked back over to the mess that hid his desk. He had a sinking suspicion that Albus would sit on the sidelines and laugh as he tried to describe to his accusers why messing up his desk and his potions supplies was a just reason for taking the life of a young and promising student under his care. As if his life wasn't just bloody painful enough. It was a wonder he wasn't a full-blown alcoholic because of things like this.

He settled into his chair, head in hands as he tried to will away the remaining cotton that clung to his gray matter. He was going to need his wits if he were to deal with students. Thankfully, end of year exams were coming up soon and he'd be rid of the annoying little swots for another blissfully quiet summer. With the possible exception of one. He frowned, lifting his head from his hands to stare blankly at the wall. Bugger. He'd forgotten about Granger for a moment. Just what the bloody hell was he going to do with her over the summer?

Before he could answer himself, the door to the room flew open and his first class of the day came in. He pushed thoughts of his wife to the back of his brain and slipped on his best evil grin. It was time to play the complete bastard once more.

~*~*~*~*~

With a deep, troubled sigh, Severus threw himself into his chair at the staff's table. He had no desire to sit through another evening of inane chatter and the mindless noises the students made and called speech. He'd had absolutely no luck with his plan of discovering the miscreant responsible for sabotaging his classroom. Each and every face had come in completely blank. There had been no knowledge on any of them that would point him to the culprit. Add to that the fact that nothing had straightened itself out by the time the end of his last class came and he was in a right foul mood. It was evident in the tight lines around his down-turned mouth and the look in his eyes.

Severus had tried everything he could think of short of Legilimency to find out who had dared to invade the sanctity of his classroom and defile his desk and potions supplies with such flagrant disregard for his authority. And his need for organization. Add this attack on his personal and professional lives to the bother with Granger and he was right put out. His agitation showed in how he stabbed violently at the platters of food, spearing particular items and practically tossing them down onto his plate. When he'd filled the dish before him, he reached for the pumpkin juice and poured it into his goblet, all the time wishing it were far more potent than mere juice.

'Problems, Severus?' Minerva's voice broke the silence surrounding the staff table and it brought his head up to glare daggers at her. She was smirking in a rather triumphant manner and it only made him want to throttle her.

'Why ever should there be problems, Minerva? My life is simply overflowing with all manner of good fortune,' he managed to get out without snarling or gritting his teeth.

'You seem terribly out of sorts, Severus. I was merely wondering if things were amiss?' she asked. Something in her tone made her sound just that much too innocent and he narrowed his eyes on her. There was a smugness around the corners of her eyes and mouth that set his teeth on edge. Blast the woman, she knew something.

'Of course there is nothing amiss. I am basking in all the pleasantries that life has brought to me this day,' he replied evenly, his gaze unblinking on hers. She stared back, almost daring him to challenge her. By this time, everyone at the table was watching them in open curiosity. With exception of Dumbledore, who was attacking his shepherd's pie with vigor and studiously ignoring his two staff members as they pretended not to quarrel.

Severus took the dare. He'd never attempted to use Legilimens on one of the staff before. But it was there, quite clear to see by the look in Minerva's eyes, that she wanted him to attempt it. So he did. Severus delved into her mind, pushed through rather easily to her thoughts. And stopped abruptly. An image loomed before him of a large, brawny man with bulging biceps and deeply tanned skin. Long golden hair framed a face set with deep blue eyes. The man wore only the smallest scrap of clothing about his waist, but was otherwise naked. And he held a completely naked Minerva.

The Deputy Headmistress was as aged in her mind's fantasy as she was in the real world. Her lack of clothing showed every single wrinkle, sag and line that the woman most likely possessed beneath her dour demeanor and the severe clothes she wore. And damned if the woman wasn't grinning knowingly at him like some demented hyena. He was beyond shocked. He was positively ill with what he was allowed to see. It was truly the stuff of nightmares.

Only just managing not to mutter several unpleasant things, Severus pulled from his co-worker's mind and turned his attention back to the plate before him. His appetite was now gone and it would take much work to clean the things he'd seen from his brain. He was afraid nothing short of bleach would scour such foul images from the folds of his gray matter. He shoved his plate away, then caught a glimpse of triumph on Minerva's face. She turned then and looked approvingly down the tables.

Severus followed the line of her gaze and scowled deeply when he saw the equally smug look on his wife's face and suddenly, things began to fall into place.

~*~

Hermione returned the smile that Professor McGonagall gave her, ignored the scowl coming from her husband and turned back to Harry, who was watching the entire thing with wide eyes behind his glasses. 'To quote Ron, what the bloody hell was that all about?' he asked her, leaning close to whisper the words into her ear. He knew something was going on, but he didn't know what and he didn't want to give anything away to the people sitting at the tables around them. To anyone who didn't know better, it looked like he'd made an intimate comment to her. The smile that came to her face only helped perpetuate the misconception.

'Only an assignment Professor McGonagall gave me in detention last night,' she told him sweetly. Harry stared at her a moment, then frowned. He wasn't sure what kind of assignment McGonagall could give that would put such a smile of pure sadistic pleasure on her face. Then he caught bits of a conversation happening between a pair of first years.

'.... was a bloody pain in the arse! He gave us a pop quiz and a paper today. And exams are only days away! I swear I'm going to go completely mad before the year is over,' one was saying in an annoyed tone to the girl sitting next to him.

'Someone said he's not usually this rotten. One of the third years said he only gets this miserable when he's got his knickers in a twist about something,' the girl replied before tucking a forkful of mashed potatoes dripping with gravy between her lips.

'Well, his knickers being in a twist have gotten my knickers into a twist. I can't handle him when he's so bloody nasty,' the boy commented wearily, staring down at his plate with something like disgust on his face.

'Relax. The year's almost out. Exams aren't that far off and, once done with those, we'll be gone for the summer. You can forget about Snape for a while,' she commented, rolling her eyes at him before turning back to her roast beef.

'Easy for you to say. He doesn't have it in for you like he does me. Just because I had that one accident and blew up a cauldron,' the boy sighed and stabbed at his carrots. 'He called me his next Longbottom in front of the entire class. After he mocked my abilities to brew a proper potion. As if it was entirely my fault. If Gibbons from Slytherin hadn't added that unicorn hair... I don't even know this Longbottom person.'

'Yes, you do. Neville,' she told him, her fork pointing to where the young man in question sat with his nose studiously tucked between the pages of the latest herbology text. A look of comprehension came to the boy's face, then he returned to his meal.

'The bastard still has it out for me,' he grumbled. Silence fell as the girl gave him a glare that reminded Harry of Hermione their first year. Then he turned back to his pretend girlfriend and took a look at her. The grin was still there, broader than ever. He chanced a glance over his shoulder toward the staff table and took note of the deep scowl on Snape's face.

'Hermione,' Harry asked softly, looking back at her almost maniacal grin. 'What exactly did you do to Professor Snape?'

'McGonagall suggested that I make him realize just how much he would miss having me in his life. I simply did that,' she smirked at him. Harry goggled at her a moment. What the bloody hell had she done to make him that angry?

'Hermione?' he asked again. 'What did you do?'

'A little disorganization never hurt anyone,' she shrugged at him. Harry blinked at her, confusion plain to see in his eyes. Hermione sighed and leaned closer to whisper in his ear again. 'I made a mess of his desk and I charmed all of his potions supplies so that he can't tell one from the other. The entire lot looks and smells like cinnamon.'

'But...' Harry began, only to have her interrupt him.

'It won't last. Tonight, the spells will disarm themselves and things will go back to the way they were. The labels on the bottles will become visible again, the smells will return and everything will look as its supposed to. The clutter I made of his desk will go back to its neat and orderly stacks.'

'But....'

'Of course he could have undone it all. But I found an old spell book that I used. The spells were protected against tampering and even came with optional timers. There was no harm done and I imagine he'll be back to his normal snarky self in the morning,' she added. Harry stared at her a moment or two and then broke out into fits of laughter. She stared at him, wondering what he found so funny.

'You made a mess of his life to prove to him that he can't live without you?' Harry asked her breathlessly a few moments later when he could stop laughing long enough to draw breath. By now, everyone in the Great Hall was watching them with open curiosity.

'Yes, of course. Why do you find that so funny?' she stared at him, more than puzzled by his reaction.

'Because its so completely opposite of what I'd think you'd do to make him see he couldn't stand to be without you. And because its so amazingly dim-witted thinking that its brilliant,' he told her, still chuckling heartily at the thought. She narrowed a look at him. 'Calm down, love. If anyone can make such a backwards plan work, its you. Good old Snape will never know what hit him.'

The two of them had their entire conversation in whispers, their heads tilted together so that no one else was privy to their words. It looked to one and all like they were the loving couple that Ron had told every one they were. Only a small handful of people knew the truth and several of them were giving deep consideration to just what the two of them were discussing in such hushed tones.

~*~*~*~*~

The door to his rooms slammed shut behind him, giving Severus all the peace and quiet he could want. Without thought, he warded the door, then went across the floor to the cabinet that held his brandy and poured himself a glass. He knew he didn't need to drink any more, as he had classes to teach in the morning once again. But he was so put out over what had happened today that he didn't think he'd be able to rest if he didn't find some way to shut his mind off. He'd been positively livid when he'd finally understood what had happened.

Based on the looks that McGonagall had shared with Granger and the deep, secret conversations that Granger had held with Potter, Severus had come to the conclusion that his sweet, bidable wife was to blame for the organizational problems he'd suffered through the day. More thought upon the subject had led him to believe that Minerva was directly responsible for such an event coming to pass. It was obvious to him that they weren't simply running through spells during her detention the night before.

With a great deal of enjoyment, he tossed back his brandy and poured another. He stared at the bottle a moment, then lifted it and took it with as he crossed the floor and settled himself into his favorite easy chair. While it was true that Severus had no idea just what kind of things Minerva had planned with his wife the night before, he was of the mind that he couldn't allow such an attack on his personal habits to go without a return volley into the enemy camp. And he had no doubts that the mess made of his desk and potions supplies were the result of a very underhanded and sneaky attack thought up by none other than his Gryffindor wife.

He had to smile. How very Slytherin of her.

He would have to show her that he was more than capable of doing something so rotten and terrible in return. Though he would have to think that she'd already know this by now, given the way their first week of marriage had passed. Not that he'd been entirely successful then, as he'd spent many a night laying wide awake in his lonely bed with an erection that could have struck down a fully grown mountain troll with one mighty blow. But it didn't appear that Hermione was out to instill undying hormonal urges in him this time round. It seemed she had some other kind of evil plot in mind. She might be out to prove something by not stooping to such ignoble deeds as those used previous. That didn't mean that he wasn't above using them.

The question that came to the front of his mind now was what he would do to pay her back in kind for making such a mess of his life, even if for such a brief moment of time. He felt that Minerva was coaching her on what to do because the attack had been very specific. There were few things he detested more than someone who lacked the ability to remain tidy and organized. It was obvious that Minerva had mentioned that to his wife. He only needed to determine what one thing above all others was what Hermione prized most of all.

Severus pondered it over his brandy. When she'd first come to Hogwarts, Hermione Granger had been a mere child thirsting for knowledge. She'd read any and every book she could get her hands on. To this day, she still read as much as she could. He didn't think he could recall a time when he hadn't seen her with a book in her hands. With exception to those times when she'd been naked and writhing beneath him, screaming his name in ecstacy or issuing forth comments that were coarse enough to make sailors blush to their toes.

She had, however, over the course of her years at the school, developed a deep relationship with her friends. She was fiercely protective of Potter and Weasley and he had learned, as she'd grown, that she was willing to do almost anything for them. Now, when she was older, she didn't spend as much time with her nose pressed to a book. She spent time with her friends, and not just Potter and Weasley, instead of spending all her time in the library or studying in the Gryffindor Common Room. It seemed that Miss Granger had developed into a well rounded young lady.

His cock twitched to remind him just how well rounded she was. He gave an annoyed glance to his crotch, then went back to plotting. It wasn't as easy as he thought, because his insatiable length of manhood refused to let him forget how pleasant it had been to bury himself into her soft, pliant, hot, wet flesh. He groaned and tossed back the rest of his second glass of brandy. He'd be damned if he'd be able to get images of her body beneath his own out of his head now.

Despite how much he couldn't stand the chit, he did so enjoy the feel of her skin next to his own. She was going to plague his memory now and drive him batty with remembered feelings. Hermione Granger Snape was now a distraction he couldn't shake. She plagued his mind and played havoc with his ability to function. That thought made him sit up, the glass in his hand momentarily forgotten. That was the answer.

If there was one thing that Hermione prided herself on, it was her ability to concentrate and pull out obscure and trivial bits of knowledge. And, if he found a way to plague her with either thoughts or feelings so that she couldn't quite access her brain as easily as she was used to, all the better. It was the least she deserved for messing up his neat and orderly desk. For messing up his neat and orderly world. He thought he might have just the thing to teach her who she was messing with.

And, in the process, he'd remind her just where her loyalties belonged now.

~*~*~*~*~

Hermione pulled the door to McGonagall's private study closed behind her and smiled. She was already formulating the next step of her plan to show Snape that she was a person and she was valuable to him as such. Not only as a place for him to deposit his sperm at his whim. Perhaps, when this was all said and done, Severus Snape, Hogwart's resident git and her unwilling husband, would see that she was worth more to him than simply some place to stick his dick.

Tonight, her meeting with her Head of House had started out with her informing Professor McGonagall about what she'd done to put Severus into such a completely foul mood. Minerva had laughed and chortled when she'd been told about the way Hermione had messed up Severus' desk top. When she'd been told about the potions supply cupboard, Hermione thought the older woman was going to fall out of her chair with gleeful laughter. When McGonagall had stopped having hysterical fits, she'd congratulated Hermione on her ingenuity. Then they'd indulged in some tea and cookies before getting down to any discussing of business.

Tonight's topic of conversation had started with McGonagall relating to Hermione the events that had transpired at the dinner table earlier. Hermione had nearly hurt herself laughing at the image she'd had of Snape trying to dig through the Transfigurations teacher's thoughts. Minerva had given her a brief description of what she'd been thinking that had driven Snape so easily and quickly from her mind. It was pretty much a given that Snape would spend his evening doing his very best to rid himself of the mental pictures the older woman had provided him with.

From there, they'd gotten into a talk about McGonagall's years at Hogwarts as a student. Hermione had been most astonished to find that her teacher hadn't always been staunch and stiff. Minerva had amused her with stories of her second year, when she'd blown up several cauldrons in potions in an attempt to get everyone excused from potions for a day or two. It had been on a dare, a couple of her friends of the mind that she wouldn't risk it. She'd told Hermione that she'd never backed away from a challenge.

The spells hadn't gotten them out of potions and had only earned her a series of detentions with the Potions Master. Minerva had taken great pride in telling Hermione that her Potions Master hadn't been nearly as rotten as Severus. The worst she'd suffered in her detentions was cleaning the erasers for the chalk board.

After that, Minerva had told her about her run as a practical joker. While she hadn't been as affluent as the Weasley twins when at Hogwarts, McGonagall had done her best to play pranks on her classmates. None of the Gryffindors had been free of her jokes. She was proud to say that she'd never hurt anyone with her practical jokes. She'd even told Hermione about some of her better jokes, which had seen the younger woman laughing heartily. By the time they'd gotten done reminiscing about McGonagall's misbegotten youth, the hour had been nearly up.

And so Hermione had turned the conversation toward her reasons for being there. Minerva had nodded and they'd gotten into another day's episode of Making Severus' Life Hell. This evening, they'd discussed one of Snape's pet peeves. It had happened a time or two before, but not often. Minerva had told her the story of a couple of students who had taken it upon themselves to dare correct Snape when he'd make a mistake with potions ingredients or some key point in a lecture. It was something the man despised with a passion.

Now, as she was on her way back to her rooms, Hermione was turning this bit of information over in her mind. She'd always known that Snape was very anal about precision and she'd never seen any kind of mistake when in his class. Everything had been accurate and precise when written out on the blackboard. She could only imagine what kind of reaction one would get from pointing out a mistake to him. And that thought put a broad smile on her face.

Pulling out of her ruminating at the harsh clearing of a throat, she found herself standing before the Fat Lady's portrait. The woman was staring at her with a rather put out look. Hermione ignored it and provided the correct password. The painting swung out, a faint 'humph' sounding when she could no longer see the woman on it. With a giggle, Hermione climbed into the hole. The painting swung shut behind her with a dull thud. Only a few people were still up in the Common Room and one or two of them glanced up at her as she entered the room. Then they returned to their books and paid no attention to her as she crossed the floor and took to the stairs.

~*~*~*~*~

The candles flickered to life when Harry slipped into the Room of Requirement, casting their pale glow over Draco's smiling face. A large, queen sized bed with a canopy and four, tree trunk sized posters sat in the middle of the room. The canopy was of dark blue velvet with a sheer chiffon of the same color hanging down for curtains. The bedding matched in color, pillows of varying shapes and sizes mounded against the headboard.

Draco reclined in the very center, propped up against the pillows in a very enticing pose. He was shirtless, his pale chest gleaming in the dim light of the candle flames. He was watching Harry with hungry eyes, an obvious bulge in the crotch of his dark trousers. Harry stopped by the door, making sure to ward and lock it behind him while he wordlessly stared at the young man posturing before him. He would never grow tired of simply drinking in the vision that was his lover.

'Its about bloody time you got here. I've been waiting for hours,' Draco told him, making sure that he sounded his most Malfoy arrogant and properly put out. Harry smirked at him and crossed his arms over his chest.

'I doubt it. I saw you come in here only ten minutes ago,' he responded, folding his cloak up before settling it on a nearby chair. Draco grinned and leaned further back into his pillows.

'Bugger. I'd hoped I could make you feel guilty,' he told Harry. The Gryffindor shook his head and began to slowly unbutton his shirt. Draco quieted immediately and allowed his gaze to linger on Harry's hands.

'Actually, my mind is too busy to feel guilty for making you wait for anything,' Harry admitted, sliding his shirt down his arms. He folded it and set it with his cloak. Draco nodded and sat up further.

'Granger?' he guessed with little trouble. Harry nodded as he kicked his shoes off. He bent down and pulled his socks off, tucking them into his shoes. Then he padded toward the bed. Draco scooted over and made room for him. Harry climbed up in the bed and moved closer to the blonde. 'What has she done this time?' Draco asked, his tone filled with annoyance.

'She put a bug up Snape's arse,' Harry told him, then grinned crookedly. Draco stared at him a moment, then chuckled.

'She's responsible for his foul mood?' the blonde asked with disbelief. Harry nodded his dark head, barely suppressing a full smirk. 'There was talk amongst the first years about his mood, but I didn't bother to put twins and tits together. Something about messing up his classroom?'

'She made a complete mess of his order, yes,' Harry nodded again, then proceeded to go into further detail. By the time he was done, Draco was holding his sides with his laughter. A soft pink flush had come to his cheeks and merriment lurked in normally serious gray eyes. Harry loved to see him like this. This was the true Draco, not the face the school was presented with day in and day out. If for no other reason, Harry cherished their stolen time together for this. 'She's told me that she plans on showing him that he can't live without her, as a person and not a depository, in his life. I think she might be going about it arse backwards. But something tells me it'll work for her.'

'I wish her all the luck in the world. It'll take a miracle of biblical proportions to make Snape see that she's more than just his own personal sperm bank,' Draco replied drolly, then destroyed the image of seriousness he'd managed to project by once more breaking into giggles of hysteria. Harry took it as the perfect moment and rolled over on top of his lover.

'Enough talk about Hermione,' Harry whispered as he began to press tiny kisses to Draco's face and neck, his hands already roaming across Malfoy's nicely muscled chest. 'Seeing you like this has made me quite mad with want for you and I plan on having you before the night is over.'

'I do believe I like the way you're thinking, Potter,' Draco drawled lazily before draping his arms around Harry's shoulder and pulling him close.The candles slowly died out until the room was just barely lit by two remaining wicks. The flames flickered and danced across the stone walls, accompanied by the soft groans and whispered words of love that filled the silence of the room.

end chapter eighteen.
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many thanks to my support group, because they make me want to keep going. especially to Cat, who has been my sounding board of late. lots of love and hugs to you all. you don't know how much you mean to me.

and thank to those of you who keep coming back and reading. and those of you who review. you all mean lots to me. i mean that.

to Empress: thank you for taking the time to read my story. i'm glad you're enjoying it. and do you mean you'll buy me a farm to keep my plot bunnies on or a farm full of plot bunnies. because if its the second one, i don't need any more plot bunnies. they multiply like mad already.

to Queen Celestia: i'm glad to see you're enjoying this story. i've always found a plotting Dumbledore to be creepy myself. and i'm going to keep writing this until i feel its reached its conclusion. thank you for saying my lemons are good. i do try. and don't worry. all questions will be answered by the end.

to mariteri: hope you like this chapter as much as the others. thanks for reviewing again. i do so love to know i have loyal readers.

to GinnyW: hopefully, you'll like the humor in this chapter. perhaps Luna and Ron will come to some understanding. we'll see.

to Miki: you're welcome for the update. i hope you have enjoyed it. i personally don't see Hermione as giving in to Snape, purely because she is terribly independent and she does not want him to take her for granted. hopefully, the stubborn clod will learn his lesson.

to Killisandra: i'm glad you like it. i hope you like this chapter, too. brightest blessings to you and merry meet.

to Florws: i hope you like this chapter, too.

to Jennifer: i'll add your email to my list and send you an notification when i update. glad you like the story and thanks for the review.