Saving Miss Granger (Small Edit)

Chapter 18 ~ Lucius Cuts It Close

“Good evening, Lucius,” Severus said, rising and shaking the wizard’s hand. A waiter hurried over with an extra chair and placed it at the table. Lucius sat down, his gray eyes on Hermione. Severus returned to his seat also. He didn’t show it, but the wizard was bristling inside. Lucius wanted Hermione. Not for the long term, but he still wanted her.

“Miss Granger,” the wizard said, reaching for her hand, grasping it, drawing it to his lips and kissing it softly, lingering a moment before releasing her.

“Lord Malfoy,” Hermione replied, her belly all in knots as she looked at the wizard.

The place where he kissed her hand tingled slightly. The witch was reacting to the wizard although she didn’t want to. It was her dark sexual nature turning somersaults at the sight of the pureblood.

Lucius looked at Severus appraisingly.

“It seems someone has had a make-over. Nice suit, Severus. Markin?” he asked the wizard.

Severus nodded, wishing the wizard would go his way.

Lucius looked at Hermione.

“You look absolutely scrumptious my dear, though I must admit, not quite as good as the last time I saw you,” he purred. “But then again few things are as lovely as a witch dressed in her altogether.”

“Lucius, you are neglecting your date,” Severus said, frowning at the wizard slightly. If he had been anyone else, the wizard would have taken him to task by now. But this was Lucius, and he did have an intimate history with Hermione.

Lucius glanced back at Lucille, who still had her eyes downcast.

“Trust me, she'll wait. For days if I wanted her to,” the pureblood replied turning his eyes back on Hermione.

“So tell me Severus, did Miss Granger’s charms impress you so much you decided to break your tavern-crawling, brothel-browsing habits and take a woman out on a decent date for once? Madam Plushie’s would have been less vicious on your purse,” Lucius said.

Severus gripped the edge of the table with both hands, his knuckles turning white. The wizard was pushing it. Hard.

“Did you get my gift, Miss Granger?” Lucius said, sitting back and artfully letting his jacket slip open, revealing his Slytherin buckle. Hermione flushed.

“I assume you did,” he said, his eyes flicking downward. “This is the original of course. The doer of the dirty deed…”

“Lucius, you are infringing on our night. I would appreciate it if you would return to your table,” Severus said darkly, his black eyes narrowed angrily.

Lucius tensed. Was Severus dismissing him? How dare he?

“Severus, although you may be out with Miss Granger, you don’t have a claim to her. She is a free witch. However…”

Lucius’ gray eyes glinted.

“...I would like to invite you both to the manor after your meal. We could have quite an interesting time together with my toys. I just purchased a double swing that restrains two women back to back, granting easy access to both. I would love to try it out. We are quite good together, Severus. It’s been far too long since we’ve shared a woman or two,” the wizard said, his eyes sliding toward Hermione to see her reaction to this.

During his earlier years, before the revels turned murderous, Lucius and Severus took great pleasure double teaming witches and were quite popular among the female deatheaters. They could fuck a witch into unconsciousness in about fifteen minutes. But when the killing started, Severus stopped participating in sexual acts, preferring to put the poor mutilated women out of their misery if they didn’t succumb immediately. The Dark Lord attributed this as the wizard enjoying killing muggle women, so allowed him to withdraw from the physical aspects of their demise.

“It would be quite the experience, Miss Granger,” he purred at the witch.

Hermione colored. Lucius was crazy if he thought she was going to go anywhere near him or his contraptions. Severus responded to the wizard, showing great restraint as he hit on the witch right in front of him. This was Lucius’ way.

“I’m sorry Lucius, but after our date, we will be returning directly to Hogwarts,” the Potions Master said evenly.

Lucius scowled.

“Rather selfish of you, old boy,” he responded, frowning at the wizard, “keeping her charms all for yourself.”

Severus frowned back at the wizard.

“I assure you, Lucius, Miss Granger will be retiring to her own bed…without me. Unlike you, I don’t presume to think that because of my service to her in her time of need, she would bed me arbitrarily afterwards. We are on a date, Lucius, that is all,” the wizard said.

Lucius’ eyebrows rose and he grinned in delight.

“Don’t tell me you are actually courting the witch after you’ve already had her, Severus!’ he exclaimed. “Oh, what a noble if wasted gesture on your part. Given her history, she is completely unsuitable for anything but the occasional tryst.”

That was it. Severus slammed his fist down on the table, startling both the wizard and Hermione, who gasped, bringing her hand to her breast. His eyes smoldering with anger, Severus address Lucius, his lip curled and nostrils flared.

“Lucius, we have been associates for many years and have been through much together. However, tonight you overstep your bounds. You invite yourself to my table, flirt indecently with my companion, and to finish, insult her virtue. Miss Granger was on the brink of death when we were summoned to assist her. If she had been in her normal state, neither you nor I would have been able to touch her. As far as I am concerned, Lucius, her virtue remains intact. Miss Granger has always been a witch worthy of respect. Brilliant, focused and dedicated. One of the brightest minds of the age. I will not sit here and have you speak of her in such a manner in my presence. If you do not leave this table this instant, Lucius, I will be forced to call you out,” the wizard said darkly.

Lucius studied Severus for a moment and realized that the wizard was deadly serious. He was willing to duel him to defend the mudblood’s honor. What had gotten into the wizard? Could pussy really change him this much? The wizard rose slowly from the table.

“Very well, Severus…but I must say you are acting completely out of character. I have never seen you so worked up over a bit of trim before. You really need to reconsider your actions before you find yourself in a relationship that could never work. You know what she is, Severus. She is not one of us, attractive though she is,” the wizard said.

Severus stood up.

“Go. Now, Lucius…before we treat the patrons of this establishment to a light show,” the wizard breathed.

Lucius bowed to Hermione curtly.

“Despite my words, Miss Granger…I still find you delicious and am willing to service your darker needs whenever you feel a need for release. I will wait for you,” the wizard said, backing away from the table, Severus eyeing him murderously.

Lucius returned to his table and Severus sat back down and looked at Hermione, whose eyes were turned downward. Lucius had said some horrible things about her. The fact was she did fuck three wizards and indulged herself with a centaur in one night, hex or not. And that did make her less than virtuous.

“Don’t do it,” Severus said to her.

Hermione lifted her amber eyes and looked at the wizard.

“Don’t do what?” she asked him, her voice trembling.

“Don’t believe a word of what Lucius said. I don’t. I’ve known you for many years, Hermione and you are an exemplary witch dedicated to your work and the pursuit of knowledge. There is no fault in you, witch, except possibly you have dealt with wizards that didn’t deserve you in the past. You are an extraordinary woman who found herself in a life-threatening situation because you were attempting to develop a spell that would truly help others enjoy life more fully. You did what you had to do to survive. It was much the same with me when I was in the service of the Dark Lord. Fuck Lucius and his skewed view of things. I wouldn’t lie to you, Hermione. You are not the kind of witch Lucius claimed you are. I would give anything to have you as my lover and companion,” the wizard said passionately, reaching over the table and grasping her small hand in his.

Severus hadn’t planned on telling Hermione this yet. He had thought he would take her out a few more times before he actually told her his desire. But Lucius’ cruel comments made it necessary to reassure the witch he considered her quite the prize.

Hermione looked at him gratefully. He had made her feel better. The Potions Master was right. She did what she had to do to live that night. He didn’t judge her harshly for it, but saw the situation for what it was. Of course, his encounter with her sparked his interest, but she could tell his interest was sincere. Hermione felt a warm pulse of desire inside and realized she would give herself to the wizard tonight if he asked her. Severus Snape had just cemented himself in her psyche.

Suddenly, the music changed and became a waltz. Severus looked at her.

“Would you like to dance?” he asked the witch. Getting her on the dance floor would help take her mind off of Lucius. Hermione thought the same thing.

“Yes,” Hermione said.

Severus rose, walked around the table and gently pulled the witch’s chair out, taking her hand, and then her arm. He led her to the dance floor and expertly spun her before drawing her into his arms and beginning to waltz, his motions rhythmic and smooth as they glided across the floor.

Hermione had to admit as they flowed, the wizard could dance and let him lead her, eventually resting her head on his chest and listening to his strong heartbeat as they spun.

From his table, Lucius watched them dance with narrowed eyes. They moved well together. Lucille peeked up at him. He hadn’t said a single word to her since he returned.

“My Lord?” she said softly

Lucius turned to her.

“I told you not to speak until spoken to,” he seethed at the witch. “I should leave you for your impertinence, but I have need of release tonight…I will have to content myself with punishing you instead.”

Punishment? Oh good gods…she felt an orgasm coming on.

“Don’t you dare,” Lucius hissed at her as he saw the witch’s eyes began to cross.

Lucille fought back the delicious feelings growing in her belly by thinking of something unpleasant…Lucius walking out on her without as much as letting her see his cock. The urge to climax died away and the witch relaxed.

Lucius turned back to the dancing couple, his gray eyes narrowing again. Severus was trying to take Hermione off the market, and by defending her had probably made leeway toward that end. The wizard scowled. If Severus made her his exclusive lover, then he would never get the chance to take the witch again. Severus was his equal in the sex department, and had a bigger tool as well. No doubt he could keep the witch from roaming, and given his temper, the wizard would also be quite possessive and protective. Woe to any male who attempted to move in on what Severus considered his.

The music changed to a slow dance and Severus pushed Hermione outward and spun her back along his arm, dipping her deeply, his body arched over hers, barely making contact and his dark eyes locked to hers. Hermione thought he might kiss her, but he didn’t as he pulled her up gently, nestling her curves against his body once more. The contact was heady and the wizard struggled to keep from getting wood. Hermione really was quite affecting.

The witch was quite impressed with the wizard’s dancing skills, and was a bit affected herself as she pressed into his lean, hard body, swaying to the music. Severus was a sensual dancer, evidently enjoying having her close to him.

“You certainly can dance, Severus,” Hermione said, looking up at the wizard, who looked down at her, smirking darkly.

“You can thank the Dark Lord for my skill. It was either dance well or get Crucio’d. He knew how to provide incentive,” the wizard replied, spinning with her suddenly then dipping her again before returning to the slow, easy moves.

The tall, well-dressed wizard and the lovely petite witch were attracting a bit of attention from the other patrons as they danced. It was easy to see the couple was an item. Only people whose bodies were in tune could move like that.

Severus and Hermione danced for more than an hour, doing the foxtrot, samba, a polka, two more waltzes, and even a rather wild jitterbug, the Professor’s long legs flying comically while he kept the rhythm and clapped his hands as Hermione shimmied around him, her knees and hands working as she laughed. Severus then grabbed her and flung her high into the air before passing her through his legs, stepping over her artfully, spinning and pulling her to her feet, holding her hand and dancing around her shaking a forefinger. He then threw her over one thigh, then the other, before lifting her and letting her fall so her legs were wrapped around his waist deliciously as he spun with her.

Severus was actually smiling as his silky hair slung wildly across his face because of his movements. Hermione would have never believed it if she wasn’t witnessing it for herself. The dark wizard actually had a sense of fun.

Lucius watched the display with distaste. He had never seen Severus smile so much or be so animated. The witch definitely was having an effect on him. Lucius had always felt superior to Severus because of his ability to pull beautiful witches while the Potions Master was forced to scavenge among the taverns and brothels for his encounters. The wizard was right about Hermione. She was a decent, brilliant witch and Lucius knew it, even if she were muggle-born. And what was worse…she didn’t want him. Not in her natural state anyway…and that made Lucius furious. That she would prefer the pale, snarky wizard over him was unthinkable. This wasn’t over…not by a long shot. For the first time in his life, the pureblood actually envied the Potions Master.

The couple wound down with another slow dance after their jitterbug, and were about to leave the floor when the first staccato strains fell on their ears. They stopped.

“The Tango,” Severus breathed down at her, his eyes glittering.

“Yessss,” Hermione replied, her own eyes going a bit hot.

They couldn’t miss this dance.

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A/N: Man, Lucius was something else. First inviting them to his manor, then insulting Hermione as if she wasn’t there. Severus stepped up to the plate and Hermione knows without a doubt he sincerely wants her. Lol, can you imagine him jitterbugging? Lololol. Sounds like they had a lot of fun. Now the tango. Ooh la la! Please review.