Give Her Time

Chapter 16 – Hermione Gets Involved

Remus relaxed in his common room as Hermione chattered aboarcuarcus, and how cute he was, and how sweet he smelled. And had they mentioned how hard the birth had been? Oh, they had? Well, Marcus was the cutest baby ever in wizarding history, and if he didn’t believe them, Ginny would swear to it. And where was Ginny by the way?

It wasn’t subtle, and it wasn’t sneaky. Hermione may have been married to the Head of House for Slytherin, but she’d obviously not picked up any of his skills at manipulating people. She’d shown up at his door within hours of him kicking Ginny out for a ‘chat’.

“’Mione, no disrespect, but I don’t want to talk about her,” he said quiet clearly.

“Why?” she asked, ignoring the glare he sent her way. “Because you love her and she loves you?”

“No, because she reeked of Neville when she walked through that door this afternoon, and had a flush on her cheeks, and was extremely distracted. I’ve been a… a toy. Nothing more than a pleasant enough way to pass time until she and… ass-wipe Longbottom kissed and made up!” He was all but yelling now and Hermione was clutching a fussing Marcus to her chest.

“You are such a prat. I wonder if all men have the prat gene or if it’s just wizards. Ginny saw Neville and they had a talk Remus. A talk,” she said slowly. He ignored her.

“Yes, talking with somebody leaves their scent clinging to your hair and clothes. They at least made out. How would the smell of his… oh Gods help me, his – sex be all over her?!?” The wild look in his eyes told quite clearly how upset he was about this. The glazed look in his eyes spoke to the depth of pain he was feeling.

“Remus Lupin! Ginny went to ‘their’ house to talk about the terms he wanted to set if he granted her a divorce! The smell of sex was because Neville runts like a dog in heat any and everywhere in that house and Ginny happened to sit in his favorite fucking chair! You are such a prat!” Hermione’s eyes blazed and her breathing was labored. Marcus started crying and Hermione glared at the shell-shocked werewolf before gathering her belongs and making for the door.

“Just something to think about Remus… How do you think it looks to Ginny that on the same day her poor excuse for a husband finally agrees to talk about maybe giving her a divorce, you kick her out of your rooms! Think about it.” And with that, Hermione left him to do just that - think about it.


~*~*~*~*~*~

Ginny walked down the hall that evening towards Remus’ rooms with a heavy heart. She hadn’t told Hermione the complete truth. She’d implied Neville was starting the opening talks for a divorce when he’d clearly offered her one; she needed more information before she let all her friends know about the offer he’d made. And…

Ginny sighed deeply and slowed her already snail-like pace. The fact was she didn’t want Remus to know she was about to be a single woman. He’d dropped enough hints over the last few weeks that he was ‘courting’ her and wanted to ‘make an honest woman’ of her. The last thing she wanted to be rushed into after her sham of a marriage was another marriage! But when she’d sort of bring that up, Remus would kiss her senseless.

Standing before the door, she heard Hermione laugh and Severus mumble something. They hadn’t warded the door in any way, and Hermione had implied it would be a good idea to stop by around 7:23 after dinner.

“Why 7:23 ‘Mione?” Ginny had asked.

“It’s an uneven time and will throw him off,” she replied with a gleam in her eyes.

“What in the hell are you on about? He kicked me out! I don’t actually want to see him tonight. When he’s better, I think we’ll be having – a talk,” the redhead said, sitting down hard on the sofa.

“I know something you don’t know, and you won’t find out unless you come up to his rooms at 7:23 tonight. Okay?” It occurred to Ginny that Hermione might need to get out of the castle soon. She was clearly showing signs of cabin fever.

“Whatever. But I’m only staying for-“

“Drinks,” Hermione cut her off. “You have to stay for drinks. Promise?”

“Sure. Drinks at 7:23, Yelling at 7:27, and in by 7by 7:50. Fine. Should I bring anything?”

“Yes. A better attitude,” came the silky voice from the doorway. Severus may have treated his wife like a queen, but to Ginny he was always the stern taciturn man she’d known.

“I’ll bring a better attitude if you tell me why in Gods name you’re going to baby-sit Remus on your first night without the baby!” Ginny said to the snarky man.

Hermione broke into tears and clutched a sleepy Marcus to her chest.

“Hermione isn’t ready to be that far away from Marcus yet,” Severus had said with a deep sigh. “We apparently can’t move Marcus into his own room yet either. In fact, Marcus seems to sleep in our bed more often than I do.”

“Ah,” Ginny had said, not touching that one with a ten foot pole.


A soft knock on door and Ginny was ushered in by a very bubbly Hermi Re Remus stood behind his screen next to the sofa, and Severus sat in Ginny’s favorite chair by the fireplace. Notably absent from Severus’ knee was baby Marcus, who seemed to have taken up permanent residence there.

“Who’s Marcus sitting with tonight?” she asked by way of breaking the suddenly silent room.

“With Minerva. Apparently we coddle him too much. Albus suggested it was someone else’s turn to coddle our son. He and Minerva actually argued about who would get to be the first babysitter until Poppy informed them both she’d already sat with him after he was born,” Severus supplied with a smirk. Hermione looked almost tearful.

“It’ll be fine love,” Severus reassured her. “It’s our first time ‘out’,” he clarified for the werewolf.

“I need a distraction,” Hermione said looking at her husband and then glancing at Ginny and a strangely silent Remus. “Severus? Can you help me in the kitchenette?”

Severus rolled his eyes and followed his wife into the poor excuse for a kitchenette and closed the door quietly so Remus and Ginny could talk privately.

“Well, Hermione is having trouble with her confinement – that much is clear. She’s obviously trying to set us up. I’m sure you don’t want me here, so I won’t intrude on your time any further,” Ginny said in her best ‘Snape-being-a-cold-hearted-bastard’ voice.

Remus still said nothing. This was not the way it was suppose to go! Didn’t he know that when a woman says something like that after a man has made an ass of himself he’s supposed to say ‘Sto

“Gin, wait.” Or ‘wait’ could work too. Maybe he did get that memo.

She waited for what seemed like days before he spoke again. “I’m sorry.” That’s it?!

“And?” Ginny prompted.

“And I was a git,” Remus filled in. Ginny bit back a smile; Remus was much better at this than any man she’d ever known.

“What else?”

Remus looked at her and saw the blank look on her face. He gave her his best puppy dog eyes before replying, “I should have known you woulver ver do anything to hurt me because you, above all women, are loyal and faithful and beautiful.”

“Oh,” Ginny said, clearly stunned. “Yes, right. Not like a dog though, right?”

“Not at all like a dog,” Remus assured her as Hermione and Severus returned, Hermione grinning like a pumpkin.

“So, I know what I want to do tonight,” Hermione started and Remus felt a chill go up his spine as the new mother looked pointed at him and then to Ginny.

“And that would be?” Ginny asked, her voice full of the uncertainty Remus felt as well.

“Truth or Dare! Wizard style of course!” Hermione grinned at the couple and turned to her husband flashing him a thoroughly smug smile.

“Hermione, I’ll make an appointment for you at St. Mungos. It is apparent you have a rare post-partum ailment that seems to have zapped your entire sense of propriety,” Ginny said as she stood up to leave. Severus snorted and Hermione frowned and it occurred to Remus – and not for the first time – that Hermione was trying to get him and Ginny together in a much more ‘couple-ish’ way. Last week she’d tried to get him to admit he loved Ginny in front of a sneak-o-scope.

“Ginny, can’t we just entertain the poor crazy women? It’s not like anybody can even touch me, so the dares won’t be… like that,” he said, the flush spreading over his skin as he thought about how much he wanted the dares to be ‘like that’.

“Fine,” Ginny said plopping down in the chair. “Refresh my memory about the rules. I haven’t actually played this since my 5th year – you know… when I was a child.”

“Rules are simple Ms. Weasley,” Severus started, playing the teacher to her child. “Every truth question must be answered truthfully or the lair will be subjected to his or her nose growing one inch longer. The dares must be completed or the failing party will be subject to up to one week of complete loss of hair and a semi-permanent tattoo of the lost dare across the back of the head.” Severus rolled his eyes. “Please remember, this is a game for children and as such the… punishments seem to be a bit on the childish side. But unpleasant nonetheless.”

“Who goes first?” Hermione asked excitedly.

“Why don’t you start us off Ginny,” Remus suggested and grinned as Hermione deflated and pouted a bit.

“Fine… Severus – Truth or Dare?”

Severus blinked for a moment and then replied, “Dare – if I must.”

Ginny grinned and looked at Hermione before saying, “I dare you to kiss Hermione like you did the very first time.” Remus snickered to himself. What a tame dare! He would have had Severus running through the halls naked while singing ‘God Bless the Queen’.

Severus smirked as he withdrew his wand. A mere flick of his wand and not only did seem as if they’d been transferred to a moonlit grassy hill, but Hermione was wearing her school uniform, sans robe.

“You never told me he kissed you while you were a student!” came the indignant cry of a best friend left out of a very important loop.

“Ms. Weasley, if you please?” Severus said before handing his wife an envelope.

Hermione raised an eyebrow before opening it. She scanned the contents before lunching herself fully into his arms and kissing him squarely on the lips. Her hands slid across his shoulders and down his chest until she had her arms wrapped around his waist. Then to the s of of all involved, she ground her hips hungrily against his and a low moan broke through the heavy silent night air.

Remus cleared his throat, not only to remind the happily married couple they weren’t alone, but also because he was getting quiet aroused and would rather not have anyone find out. It wasn’t that the sight of Hermione and Severuape ape kissing turned him on. It wasn’t even the fact that she had groped her husband and moaned. It was that he wanted Ginny to do that to him. IN his mind he changed Hermione with Ginny and Severus with himself. Ginny was pressing herself against his body and moaning; Ginny was the one giving off ‘come fuck me’ vibes that even people in Hogsmeade could sense.

Stepping back, Severus looked at Remus and asked in a querulous tone, “Yes?”

“She did not kiss you like that when you first kissed –,” Remtatetated with a small question in his voice at the end.

“Of course not. My wife was as pure as the driven snow. She was simply overcome by the moment, so to speak. And moving on,” Sus sus said as he helped his bride back into her chair, “Remus – Truth or Dare? And before you answer, please try to show a little of that blasted Gryffindor courage.”


Remus looked at Ginny, who shrugged before muttering, “Truth.”

Hermione leaned over and whisper quietly in her husbands’ ear as both Ginny and Remus shouted, “No fair!”

“Remus, your truth, should you choose to answer it is this: Who would you like to shag senseless?” It was amazing the way Severus was able to ask that question and glare at his wife at the same time.

“I change my mind – Dare!” came a hurried response from the werewolf. “And ‘Mione – You aren’t my favorite person today.”

Hermione shrugged, “It’s okay – I will be tomorrow!”

“Okay, Remus, I dare you to use your dirtiest pick-up line on Ginny – And before you even think it, Yes, that was what Hermione said. I would have had you tap dance in the Great Hall while doing a strip tease.” Severus smirked and bowed slightly, giving the floor over.

Remus old boy – you talk dirty to Ginny all the time; only thing different is now you have people to hear it. And Ginny could be offended. And Ginny was angry earlier so she might not take to it. And I could start thinking about her and embarrass myself…

“In your own time,” Severus interrupted the werewolf’s train of thought.

“Ginny, if I told you that you had the most shaggable body I\'ve ever seen, would you hold it against me?\" Remus asked and turned around and said, “Hermione, Truth or Dare?”

“Dare!” she all but shouted in her excitement.

“Pay back’s a bitch Severus – ‘Mione, I dare you to tell us all the most embarrassing thing you know about Severus.”

“That, you bloody werewolf, isn’t a dare – it’s a truth,” Severus interrupted, elbowing Hermione to be quiet. It was clear the Potions master was uncomfortable with this one.

“Actually,” chimed in a falsely sweet Ginny, “it is a dare in that if she answers it, she will be subject to your wrath, and not her own embarrassment. It would be daring for her to reveal your secrets,” Ginny said, winking at a snickering Hermione.

Before Severus could retort, Hermione piped up and said with a completely straight face, “Sev kno knows and uses a spell which creates an invisible mouth to suck him off.”

Severus choked with outrage and Remus said, “Really?!” a little too hopefully in Ginny’s opinion.

“Ginny,” Severus spat out, “Truth or Dare?”

“What was it Remus said earlier?” Severus with contrived forgetfulness, “Ah yes – Pay back is a bitch. Ginny, I dare you and Remus to continue this asinine game for ten full rounds, but asking or daring only sexually or intimate things – OR playing until you both have an orgasm – Which ever!”

Ginny gasped and Remus flushed. Hermione started to say something, but in short order Severus gathered his wife up and said quiet clearly, “You’re confinement is quiet over now and you will be making use of that singular spell unnecessary as of right now. Understand Mrs. Snape?”

Hermione was all but a puddle of wanton desire in his arms as she nodded and licked her lips, “Of course Severus.”


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