Of Days and Ends

A/N: I am so, so, sooooooooo sorry everyone! I ended up trying to work at the hotel, coach at my sister’s high school, do full-time at college, and maintain my relationship with my Snape. All that, and the little voice in my head was having a ball throwing other distracting storylines at me, so I decided to wait until I finished my winter quarter before trying to focus on this story again. I never even considered abandoning it, so no worries! Now, before I get started, I just want to repeat that I am terribly, terribly, terribly sorry everyone.

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Chapter 18—The Morning of New Year’s Eve



“Look at this!” Hermione squeaked, turning the book towards naked Snape sitting across the bed from her with a load of notes on his lap.



Leaning forward and scanning the page, he smiled. “That would explain it.”



“Why is it titled differently?”



“Well, tell me if you can see this one.” Hermione leaned forward and took the paper he was holding out to her. Snape felt very grateful to have access to the beauty studying with him in his bed. Her pert breasts were totally exposed to the cool morning air and he allowed his mind to wander to the memory of gentle caressing sex they shared barely an hour ago. Just the memory of her back arching as he penetrated her in the spoon position made him hard again. When her eyes left the paper and spotted his hard cock, she smiled and blushed, seeming unable to meet his eyes.



“I see what you mean. The errors would be obvious by today’s standards, but I’m assuming that they didn’t have some of the knowledge of the body that we have now.”



“I agree. Throw it away?” Snape held his hand out for the draft and she passed it into his hand.



“Let’s keep it for now. We’ll discuss that some other day.”



With a shrug, Snape tossed the paper onto a stack. “My assumption is that he wrote that spell expecting it to separate a soul from a body, like a potion Avada Kedavra. He must have tested it and realized it was a binding spell instead.”



“I wonder who he bound himself to.”



“Nimue.” Snape murmured softly.



“What?” Hermione stopped flipping through the ancient tome to give Snape her full attention.



“Some parts of the Merlin legend say that he fell in love with the Lady of the Lake. She didn’t want him to fall in love with her and made him promise. Later, she traded her love to be taught magic as his apprentice. Eventually, she tricks him and traps him with the very spells that he taught her.” Snape thought carefully and ignored Hermione’s renewed page turning until she gasped.



“Severus! Here it is! Oh Merlin! Here it is!” She snatched the book up and flopped across Snape’s lap with the book splayed open for him.



Reading quickly, his jaw dropped. “It can’t be that simple!”



“There’s nothing simple about this potion. It’s even more difficult than the other potion!”



Snape looked up at her and raised an eyebrow, “What do you see?”



“There is another potion, uhm—similar to the last one…” She leaned across the bed and began to write, using the book to reference a direct copy of the potion. Her heart pounded with anticipation and excitement as she finished the potion and passed it to Snape.”



He accepted it from her and immediately furrowed his brow. “I don’t trust his potions anymore.”



“We don’t have any choice, do we?”



“I’m just saying that we have to think about this a bit more than we did the last time.”



Hermione nodded and stretched before asking, “What do you see?”



“A curse.”



“Really?” She leaned in with interest. “Which one?”



“Avada Kedavra.”



“Excuse me?”



“You heard me correctly. There are instructions on how to do the curse correctly, and it has to be in conjunction with the potion.”



Hermione was stunned to silence for a moment, and eventually she thought aloud, “How did Merlin die?”



“Legend leaves him… alive and trapped somewhere by the Lady of the Lake.”



“Well…” He already knew where her thoughts were going and began to take a long, slow, deep breath to prepare for the almighty “no” he was ready to lay on her, “couldn’t we see if we can find…” Even she knew what was coming and trailed off.



“No.” He said, even though she had stopped herself. “Even Merlin must die.”



She nodded, and closed the large book. “I see.”



She started to get up and Snape grabbed her wrist lightly. “Where are you going?”



“To get dressed.”



“Oh, no you aren’t…” He purred in bass tones and pulled her to him.



With a small yip and an over-dramatized stumble, Hermione found herself lying across his lap. Snape leaned forward and placed light kisses on the mounds of flesh of her ass, before replacing his lips with his tongue, and, eventually, his hands stroking the wet surface before raising and lowering in a small, quick, gentle slap. Hermione jumped and he chuckled. Dipping a finger into her warm, wet channel showed him how quickly he could arouse her and he grinned proudly.



Patting her twice and standing as she rose, blushing from being dangled upside-down and so easily aroused, Hermione cleared her throat and began to get dressed. She wanted so badly to kiss him and hear him gruffly whisper in her ear while she nipped at his shoulder. She was young, easily stimulated, and so quick to start again, but he was much older and content with their last round. Knowing this, she refrained from pushing him for more.



“Oh Hermione,” Snape began, “I left a potion by the sink for you. Go take it, come back here, and tell me what it is.”



She obeyed without hesitation, and returned to the room to find the half-clothed Snape gripping his Dark Mark. “It’s a birth control potion. I’d forgotten about that. I’ve never had to think about it before.”



“Well, I have and I had almost forgotten. It’s a very difficult potion to make a decent amount of within the proper timeframe, because only 4 ounces can be utilized from each cauldron yield. That’s only one dose. The other potion is easy enough and I already made some. It has to be taken before the act from now on.” He pulled his black shirt on and Hermione stepped forward to help him button the cuffs.



“I understand.” While he worked on the row of buttons down the front, she pulled another black cloak out of the vast armoire.



Snape stared at her for a few moments, slowly furrowing his brows before opening his arms to her. Stepping into his embrace with her head against his chest, she felt and heard the slow rumble of his carefully chosen words, and raised her head to give him her full attention. “Are you… happy, Hermione?”



“I think so. I’m…” She hesitated, battling with her own fears and her mother’s demand that she trust Snape. “I… am sometimes afraid of…of—”



“Of me.” Snape finished for her. When she didn’t object, he sighed, looked at the ceiling, and then back at her. “I have to go. We’ll talk about this soon. I’ll be back.”



She nodded in compliance. “Come back safe.”



“It shouldn’t be long.”



“I don’t care nearly as much about long as safe. Besides, I may not be here.”



He smiled and kissed her, extracting his cloak from her arms in the process. “Let me go, woman.”



Hermione grinned and let him go. “Goodbye.”



He stroked her face gently and dropped his hands to his side before fixing his face into a scowl and disapparating.



Dressing in the same red skirt and black top as she wore the previous night and lifting the box of Muggle Magic books, Hermione apparated just outside of the library to say farewell to her parents, but remained silent when she looked in and saw Snape speaking with them. She could barely hear them from across the vast open space, but remained where she was, listening.



“—is a beautiful, witty, charming—”



“That’s not what we asked.” Her father interrupted.



“I can’t say that, Paul.” Since when was he ever on first name basis with her parents? She wondered.



“Well, at least tell us what you’ve planned for when you’ve separated yourself from her.”



“I plan to leave her to have a life with someone her own age. Someone who’s better for her, but it can’t be me. I know that you are her parents and you wanted your daughter to remain pure, because you think that she’s lost value, but she is still worth more than anything I can be for her.” His selfless argument struck silence in her parents and he stepped away. “I have to leave. I was summoned by the Dark Lord. I’ve set another five days of meat out for you, but you shouldn’t need it.”



“Severus—”



“Elaine. Trust me when I say that I am not right for Hermione. I’ve killed so many undeserving people and hurt so many allies that even after all of this war business is sorted out (given I survive), I will still have to face the Wizengamot. Should anything happen to me, Hermione will have all three of my estates, regardless of whether we separate or not, but if we remain together her name will be dragged through the mud. I can’t allow that.”



Her mother looked as though she was about to answer when Snape said, “I’ll be back soon enough and we’ll speak more then. For now, I’m nearly five minutes late for the Dark Lord’s call.” Without further delay, he disapparated out of the house, and Hermione was left with a mind spinning with ideas. Forgetting her parents, she distractedly disapparated to the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. Her mind still buzzing with thoughts of what she had just heard, she listened enough to realize that the entire Order must be out. The house definitely sounded empty, so she began to make herself a sandwich.



Sitting primly on the countertop near the sink, Hermione allowed her mind to wander to what it would be like to stay bound to Snape. She hadn’t been allowing her mind to explore what it would be like to love Snape, and as a result, she never saw the potential as realistic. Suddenly, a loud moan coming from the den made her ears focus. She couldn’t hear anything. Immediately, her heart began to pound and she stood, walking towards the den. The moan sounded again, and her imagination ran wild, imagining an injured Order member bleeding all over the place. Just as she got to the door of the den and almost looked in, the pop of apparation was her only warning for the hand that clasped over her mouth and dragged her into the closet. She drew her wand and was about to blast his head off when Snape whispered, “It’s alright, Hermione. It’s me.”



She immediately replaced her wand in her belt. “What are you doing here?”



“Shut up, and listen! The spy has given Voldemort the secret to Order Headquarters!” He drew breath to continue and heard another moan. Hermione looked worriedly over her shoulder at him. “That’s just Tonks and Lupin.” He clarified, and suddenly, Hermione felt very embarrassed. “Voldemort knows that they are the only two here, and 25 death eaters are going to storm this place in half an hour. The blind Order members have been taken to St. Mungos and the rest of the Order has been led on a worthless mission. I’ve been sent ahead to scope the place out and make sure that they are actually the only—”



A bang on the door surprised them both to silence, and Snape drew his wand at the door and pulled Hermione closer with his free hand.



“Oh yes! Right there…” Tonks’ voice whimpered.



“We have to get upstairs!” Lupin growled throatily.



“Nobody’s here.”



There was a brief silence in which Lupin moaned loudly. “Fine, but if we’re caught, it’s on you this time.”



Tonk’s laugh was quickly smothered in a kiss and Lupin’s soft command to put her leg up wasn’t missed by the couple in the closet.



Hermione began to get hot and increasingly aware of her husband’s hand on her stomach, stroking her with his thumb. She didn’t dare move and knew that the bulge against her back was Snape’s arousal. A slight sound of moisture and the sound of Tonks sucking in her breathe with delight told them both that Lupin had just pressed into Tonks. Lupin muttered a few obscenities and Hermione’s eyes widened, both from surprise at his uncharacteristic language and Snape’s hand working it’s way under her red skirt. She twisted her head around in surprise and opened her mouth to object, but he pressed his lips to hers and got a hold of her leg and lifted it in the tiny space. Her breathing quickened as he adjusted himself under her and pressed his hard cock past her soft, cotton panties, and into her dripping wet vagina. The softest of whispers in her ear stifled her moan immediately. “Control.”



Outside the closet, Tonks began to slide down, so Lupin lifted her legs around his waist and began pressing into her, using the closet for leverage. Snape and Hermione silently worried; concerned that the closet door may not stand up to the pressure the couple was putting on it.



“Remus! Oh Merlin! Remus, upstairs! Upstairs now!” She pushed against her lover’s chest and unlinked her legs from his waist.



Lupin nodded and stroked a finger up her slit, inhaling the powerful scent, made only stronger by his senses. Just then, he smelled something odd. “Severus?” The couple in the closet froze in horror.



Tonks, who had already started to make her way unsteadily up the stairs, stopped and turned back to her lover. “Excuse me?”



“I smell… Severus… in you?” Lupin said with uncertainty.



Tonks furrowed her eyebrows, “Severus? Snape?” Then she caught on to what he wasn’t saying. Her hair unconsciously changed to a vibrant, angry red. “What are you tr—”



Lupin had lowered his finger from his nose and sniffed the air, “Shh!”



Falling immediately into her Auror stance and behaviour, Tonks adjusted her skirts, drew her wand, and stood behind the door to swing it open while Lupin rebuttoned his pants and moved to strike anyone inside. The couple moved like a practiced team, after spending half a year together on Order raids, stakeouts, and searches. Staring into each other’s eyes, it was natural to cue each other, and the door swung open to reveal an empty closet.



Lupin stepped into the tiny space and sniffed more. “It’s definitely coming from in here. Snape and… damn! It’s confusing in here!”



“There was definitely some shaggin’ in here. Even I can smell that!” Tonks had stepped in right behind him.



“Why can I still smell Severus? And so strongly?”



Lupin leaned forward to look at the black cloak hung in front of him. “This is definitely Snape’s.”



“Okay, so that’s that mystery solved. What about the sex?”



“I don’t know, maybe Ron and Hermione got in here earlier.” Snape’s disillusioned hand twitched on Hermione’s stomach possessively and she stroked his fingers to reassure him.



Tonks laughed, “Or Harry and Ginny!”



Lupin smiled at her and backed up, “Naw, it’s definitely Ron and Hermione. I can smell Hermione in here quite strongly.” Switching suddenly back to a casual mood, Lupin said, “We can’t let them show us up, now can we?” Moving out of his way, Tonks dashed up the stairs and Lupin quickly followed.



Hermione stepped out from behind the cloaks hung in the small closet first and rid them both of the disillusionment charm. Glancing at the clock, Snape realized, “It will be another hour before the Death Eaters show up. Let’s go somewhere safe.”



“My bedroom?” Suggested Hermione.



“Yes.” He decided, and together they carefully mounted the stairs.



Closing the door quietly behind them and locking it, Hermione turned to Snape and he gently pushed her back into the door with his hips. “The Order thinks you and Mr. Weasley are together?”



“The Order just assumes. Nobody pays attention enough to notice that we aren’t an item.”



Placing his hand gently around her throat, he slowly brought his lips down to her own before stroking his way down to her breast. Bringing his lips up to her ear, he rumbled, “I want so badly to mark you. I want everyone to know that I’ve had you… that you are mine and no one else’s.”



His words immediately made her wet and she trembled in his arms. “Do it.” She breathed.



“I can’t.” He forced himself to say, despite the way her words made him hard. “No one can know.”



Pushing him away from her, Hermione pulled her shirt off over her head and stroked the soft curves of her breasts. Watching her, Snape became painfully hard in his pants and stepped to her. As he approached, she drew his attention to her breasts by stroking lightly across the surface with her nails. “Mark me here, Severus.” She whispered.



Backing her into the bed as he kissed her deeply, Snape lay her down and began to undress her. When she was totally exposed to him, he kissed his way up her stomach until he reached the arch of her breast where he obeyed her, marking her gently. Hermione unfastened his pants and reached in while he worked on her breasts, toying with his penis until a few drops leaked from the tip. Taking her fingers from his pants as he pushed himself up to watch her reaction, she looked at the drops she had collected from him with interest before licking them off of her finger.



Snape was taken by surprise, and even more so as he watched her look to his face as she licked her finger again. Quickly pushing his pants down, he stroked her wet slit as he slowly pushed into her. Loving the moan she released, Snape began to thrust just the way she liked best, bowing his back to reach her lips for a breathless kiss. As he straightened, he met her eyes and grunted with the effort of holding his orgasm back, “Oh Hermione! Don’t look at me that way, or you’ll make me come!”



Without breaking her gaze, Hermione whimpered with urgency, “Then come with me!”



Snape’s brows furrowed and he was immediately drawn over the edge by her words. Hermione’s eyes widened as he pumped harder driving her up to her own brink. She pulled her legs up to push her feet against his chest and whimpered with pleasure as he exhaled sharply three times and slowed just after her own orgasm. Eventually, he released her legs and stood up, eyes widening in realization as his semen dripped from her small pink opening and his now flaccid penis. “Damn it!”



“Severus.” Hermione called him, but he didn’t look at her. His eyes remained transfixed on their blunder, “Severus,” she repeated, “It’s all right.”



“I may be too interrupted by the Dark Lord to make another dose of that potion! Damn it!”



“Severus,” She got up and walked to her armoire, using a few tissues to clean the white silky liquid dripping down her leg. “We can’t worry about that now. You need to get back to the Death Eaters.”



Nodding, he strode across the room to kiss her neck while she pulled a white t-shirt and light blue pair of jeans out, hoping that should a fight break out, she would stand out and not blend in with the black robes of the Death Eaters. “Hermione.” He had said her name so softly that she almost didn’t hear him. Turning to face him, he had his arms outstretched, so she walked into them. Squeezing her close, he began, “You’ve never been in an actual battle before, much less and ambush, so you must be careful. More careful than fast, do you understand?”



“Yes, but you shouldn’t worry about me. Last year the attack on Hogwarts was an ambush battle. I remember how it was.”



“You each had a bit of Felix Felicies, so I can guarantee that you’ve not truly experienced battle.”



“How did you know?” She dressed while he talked.



“The D.A. was outnumbered by more experienced Death Eaters and not one of you was injured. That sounds like Slughorn’s Felix Felicies to me.



“The point is that you’ve never been in any situation like this one. Remember that the corners of rooms are the safest places to fight from and the doorways are the most dangerous locations in a building. The safest room in the house, without fail, is the bathroom. Very rarely will anybody be in the bathroom.”



“The loo?”



“There are many, many weapons in there, but no one seems to remember that room.”



Hermione absentmindedly massaged the base of his scalp, toying with the long silky black hairs as she began to strategise.



“Hermione.” He kissed her forehead. “Do not battle like everyone else does. It’s safer if you go from room to room evening the odds. Take the wounded to safety and apparate back each time through the bathroom. When the numbers are low enough, then you can battle. Good luck, and please be careful.”



“How are you going to leave?” asked Hermione breathlessly.



“I’ll apparate straight out.” She turned as he was turning away and he stopped her with one hand. “Hermione,” He wrapped his arms around her tiny waist. “I’m going to be counting on your ability to hide your real emotions and show them only what they want to see.” She nodded and leaned like a cat into the gentle hand that stroked through her hair. “Regardless of what happens, I will do my best to keep you out of danger, but you may still be forced to fight for your life. They will not injure you, I promise I won’t let—”



“I understand.” She interjected and he cleared his throat.



He kissed her, thankful for such a competent ally. “Just make sure that you are loud enough to keep Lupin and Nymphadora awake. If you can get them to the lab so that you three will be backed into a windowless room and they can only attack from one narrow direction. That’ll keep you safe until the Order realized they were duped and returns.”



“How will we alert the Order that there are Death Eaters in the house?”



“Leave that to me.” Snape replied. “You need only concentrate on keeping yourself alive. Understand?”



Raising a hand to his cheek, Hermione leaned in to kiss her husband. Her voice wavered slightly, and she had begun to tremble. “I, uh… guess I’ll see you soon.”



“Let’s see… What is it you say? Oh yes, ‘I don’t care nearly as much about soon as safe.’”



Hermione smiled and kissed her husband again before he stepped away from her and disapparated.



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A/N: Thanks for your (now ancient) reviews. I truly appreciated them then and I delight in them now. I do hope I haven’t lost you forever. Slytherin-princess, I didn’t have the time to acknowledge you last time, so a special thank you to you and the rest of my top reviewers. You place as follows:



1. catysmom

2. sslover

3. meankitty69

3. openthedoor

4. Sureves Epans

4. Juno Magic

4. Jen 618

5. Johanna3030



You truly are my sustenance in this venture and I hope that I haven’t lost you.