If the Crime Fits the Punishment

one........so not mine. so belongs to jk rowling. i\'m only borrowing them. how many times must i tell you that?

two....... raunch and smut to ensue. if you can\'t stand the heat, get out of snape\'s pants.... oh wait, isn\'t that me?

three....read, review and enjoy. thank you, buh-bye now!

Chapter Twenty: Home Away From Dungeon
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Kendra awoke to the feel of Severus\' chest pressed into her back, his arm over her waist so that his hand cupped the gentle swell of her belly. She could also feel the thick length of him pressed into the crack of her buttocks. She sighed, not daring to move. The feeling of domestic bliss was too right for her to shatter it by moving. She closed her eyes, intent on returning to slumber. The hand on her stomach shifted, rubbing the small mound gently, just as she was nearly asleep. His lips pressed a kiss to her shoulder, then he was slipping from bed. \'Do you have to go?\' she asked softly.

\' I do have class today,\' he informed her, even though he was certain she knew. She rolled onto her other side, curling up on the black robes that she had spread there the previous day. \'Do you intend to lay about in bed all day?\'

\'No, I\'ve got to finish arranging my furniture. I want to make this as homey as I can,\' she yawned as she spoke, and he had to take a moment to decipher her words. He turned to face her, his trousers only half buttoned. She could see the nest of black curls exposed by the open fly. She managed to lift her gaze to his, although it was hard when she suddenly wanted him to take her with all the abandon of a love sick teenager.

His expression was less than congenial. He was frowning, his eyes locked onto hers. She wondered what had brought about this change. He seemed truly angry at her for something. She sat up, the pale green of her sleep shirt a contrast against the black of her bedding. \'Severus? Have I done something wrong?\' she questioned tenatively.

\'You will not move anything on your own!\' he told her through clenched teeth.

\' I\'m not physically moving it, you dolt! I\'ll be using magic. You know, that thing that witches and wizards do,\' she retorted. \'Honestly, do you really think I have no sense?\'

\' I\'m only concerned. I don\'t like the idea of you being here on your own,\' he replied, his tone less harsh than it had been only moments ago. She smiled at him and slid from the bed, then made her way to stand next to him. He stared down at her, his frown still on his face. She put her arms around him and squeezed him tightly to her.

\' I\'m fine. And, in case you didn\'t notice when you crept in here last night, I have a working fireplace. You can floo in if you need to,\' she went up on her tip toes, presenting puckered lips to him. He took them in a scorching kiss. His arms slipped around her shoulders, pulling her body tight against his. She could feel the ridge of his hard cock pressing her belly. She pulled away and slipped her hand over it. \'You should let me take care of you.\'

\' I\'ll deal with it when I return to my dungeons. I\'ll be late if I allow you to take care of me,\' he assured her. While his voice was droll and almost bored, the heat of his gaze as it swept her was enough to tell her which he preferred.

\' I should bloody well keep you here and make you late. I\'m sure once I\'ve taken on the proportions of a Norwegian Ridgeback, you\'ll want nothing to do with me,\' she stated. He heard the faint trace of fear in her voice and looked at her. She was only half joking with her comment. He could see that she was, in some small way, afraid that he would turn his back on her when she grew large with their child.

\'You must be completely stark raving mad to think I would ever see you as anything other than mine,\' he told her, his crooked smile peeking out for a bit before he forced it into hiding. He certainly didn\'t want her to think he was laughing at her. Her temper was volatile enough as it was under normal circumstances. The added hormones would only make it ten times worse. Hell, he\'d never understand her if he got her that angry.

\'You can say that now. But you just wait until I\'m bigger than the cottage. We\'ll see how you feel, then,\' she glared at him, daring him to continue. He couldn\'t help but accept the challenge.

\'You will be then, as you are now, my brat,\' he chuckled when her lips pressed themselves together in a thin line due to her temper. \' I\'m off. I\'ll be late if I don\'t floo out this instant,\' he added when he saw her mouth open to make some comment. Turning on his heel, he strode from her bedroom and into the front room of the cottage. He\'d make his comments up to her later. When he had the time to do it properly.

~*~*~*~*~

Kendra was still lounging in her bed when she heard the loud CRACK! that announced someone had Apparated into her living room. She sighed and slid from the cozy nest of the robes she\'d stolen from Severus and padded out into the front of the house. Albus Dumbledore stood in her living room, staring about with interest at her humble abode. She was sorely under dressed to be meeting the Headmaster. She was just about to go back into the bedroom and put some robes on when he turned his twinkling gaze to her. She flushed at being caught in her pajamas. He motioned to the bedroom, telling her wordlessly that he would wait until she was fully clothed to state his business.

\'Good morning, Kendra,\' he greeted her with a smile when she stepped out of her bedroom a few moments later, clothed in old Muggle jeans and a plain white tshirt.. She dredged up a faint one of her own and gestured to the grouping of furniture.

\'Please, have a seat. What brings you here, Professor?\' she asked him, moving to take a seat with him. He took the end of her couch, so she perched on a chair. \'Oh, my manners! Can I offer you anything? I\'m sure I can conjure something up for you.\'

\'No, thank you. I\'m perfectly fine. I came to see if you spent a pleasant night in your new home?\' he enquired in his mild, solicitus voice.

\' It was just fine. I slept well. But I\'m surprised you would come here to ask me that. I know, should you have really wanted to know, you\'d have simply asked Severus.\'

He chuckled, still amazed at how clever the girl was. True, he knew Severus had slept here the previous night. He had, in fact, been late to his Potions class this morning because he\'d needed to take a rather long, cold shower after spending the night here. Not that Albus could blame him. Were he a few years younger...... okay, check that, alot of years younger, he\'d be giving the girl serious thought. How she had been the one to capture the Potions Master\'s attentions was still a mystery to him, but she was obviously good for the boy.

\'True, my dear. I\'ve always said you\'re too clever for your own good. I simply wished to pay a visit. I wanted to ensure that you bore me no ill will for what transpired between us. And, as a favor to Severus, I have a few enchantments and charms I wish to place on your home. He seems quite worried about you being here alone.\'

\'He worries for nothing. If he had seen me as a child, running about the family castle, he\'d think that now I was tame by comparison. I got into every bit of trouble I could find when I was at home. I think I nearly gave Mum a coronary many a time,\' she told him, chuckling at the memories the words brought. \'So what kind of enchantments and charms does he want about the house?\'

\'He is afraid that something will happen to you and you\'ll not be able to contact us,\' Dumbledore\'s voice was gentle, holding back the happiness he felt to know that the surly ex Death Eater was concerned about someone other than himself. She gave him a small smile and shook her head.

\' If it will make him feel better, then by all means. I know how miserable he is when he can\'t have his way,\' her smile widened. She knew him well, this girl did. Dumbledore gave her his full smile and set about explaining to her every spell, charm, and enchantment he was going to place on the home. She listened attentively and nodded when he made his points. He even told her about the charm he was going to place on her. She was a little leery of the idea at first, but when told it would only become active if something happened to her when she was not at home, she relented and agreed. He made short work of casting all his spells and charms. When finished, Kendra asked him to stay for some tea, and the two of them chatted for a bit before he had to leave. Once he had left, she set about finishing the task of arranging her furniture.

~*~*~*~*~

At lunch, although she knew she wasn\'t actually hungry, Kendra strolled into Hogsmeade to The Three Broomsticks for a meal. Madam Rosemerta greeted her warmly, settling her at a table and bringing her the food and drink she had ordered herself. Once she had eaten her fill and had a good, long talk with her employer, she wandered back to her cottage to find some way to spend the rest of her day. When she arrived at her doorstep, she found an owl sitting on the stoop, waiting for her.

Allowing the bird to follow her inside, she went into the kitchen and traded it a treat for the pouch it carried. It munched it \'s reward while she pulled the scroll from the pouch and unrolled it. It was a note from her parents, telling her they would be there the following afternoon to visit. She sighed. She was starting her position at The Three Broomsticks the next day. She looked at the little owl. It was staring up at her with it\'s great, unblinking eyes. \'She\'s expecting a reply, isn\'t she?\' she asked the bird. It hooted, bobbing it\'s head in an affirmative manner.

With a sigh, Kendra scribbled her reply on the same parchment, telling her parents to meet her at The Three Broomsticks. She rolled it back up, then tucked it into the pouch. She tied the pouch to the owl\'s leg, then handed it another treat for waiting so patiently. She opened the window and let it go, wondering what she would do until this evening. A knock at the front door caught her attention, and she went to answer it. Opening the portal, she found Dobby standing there, looking nervous. His hands were twisted around one another. \'Hello, Dobby. Would you like to come in?\' she gestured to the room behind her.

\'No thank you, miss. Dobby is only here to deliver a message, \'the Elf told her with a shake of his head.

\'Very well,\' she nodded. \'What is this message?\'

\'Professor Snape asked me to come tell you he will be here to have dinner with you,\' Dobby squeaked out his message, then snapped his fingers and disappeared before Kendra could ask him anything else. She shut the door and decided she needed to fill her kitchen, or the two of them would be eating the Wizard\'s Cards out of the two chocolate frogs she\'d eaten as breakfast the morning. Looked as if she needed to go to the market.....

~*~*~*~*~

Kendra was expecting Severus to floo into the living room, but he surprised her by knocking on her front door. She hurried to let him in, still wearing her Muggle clothes from earlier in the day. She had been planning to change into some robes before he arrived, but that plan was now shot. She smiled when she opened the door and found him standing on her stoop. He was in his usual black, but she didn\'t mind. She found the color bloody sexy on him.

His gaze went over her, studying with great interest the way the tshirt hugged close to her breasts and the jeans she wore clung to the curve of her behind. He strolled into her living area, noting that she had her walls now decorated with family photos and paintings. He could smell something cooking in the kitchen that made his mouth water. He took a seat on the couch and watched as she stood uncertainly in the door for a bit, then moved into the room. \'Um, I will warn you now, I\'m not much of a cook. So if you suddenly feel the urge to be sick, that\'s why and I\'ll totally understand.\'

\' If you are as bloody capable at cooking as you are at everything else you set your mind to, then I shall no doubt be impressed with what ever fare you have concocted for me this evening,\' his tone was dry. She saw the thin lines of anger on his face and moved to sit next to him.

\'Hard day at the office, sweetheart?\' she asked. His eyes goggled at the term of endearment for a moment before the ridiculousness of the word made him chuckle. She smiled up at him and rested her head on his shoulder. \'You\'re tense. I should massage your back for you.\'

\'Is that something else likely to make me lose my meal?\' he teased. She swatted his arm and stood up to head for the kitchen. She stopped long enough to look at him over her shoulder.

\'Come make yourself useful. Or there\'ll be no dinner for you,\' she ordered. He hitched a brow at her imperious tone, but stood and followed after her.

\' I had every intention of making myself useful, later this evening,\' he commented dryly. She tossed her head and grinned at him over her shoulder, then looked him up and down his entire length. He could see the passion smoulder to life in her green eyes.

\'Oh no, my dark Professor. That will be dessert,\' the promise in her voice was enough to make him want to forego the meal. But he was the one who had decreed she needed to eat on a regular basis. He was having a hard time remembering that just now, with her looking at him like he was the most important thing in her life. Like she would eat him in one sitting. His cock jumped for joy at the idea, and he had to bite back a groan of need. She smiled as if she knew what she had done to him, then turned and headed for the other side of the small dwelling. \'You can set the table,\' she told him, her voice sounding normal, as if she hadn\'t just given him a look that would have made a lesser man come in his trousers on the spot.

\'Oh, the rapture. I am completely awash with the bliss of domesticity,\' he drawled sarcastically. She glared at him for a moment, then turned a corner and left him to follow her. He found himself in a large room that doubled as the kitchen and dining area. A small stack of dishes sat on the table, and he set about arranging them as she stood at the stove, fussing with whatever she was making.

In the next few moments, she handed him a bowl containing a fresh green salad, salt and pepper shakers, and a bottle of wine. He looked from it to her, but said nothing for the moment. When she poured herself a glass was soon enough to chastise her fully. A timer buzzed, and she took a piece of aluminum foil from the oven, the smell of garlic assaulting his nose. \'Do you expect to do away with me by feeding me garlic?\' he asked, his tone faintly humorous.

\' If you are a vampire, then it\'s a miracle to see you out in the daylight hours,\' she smiled gently. He knew she teased him, and it didn\'t bother him as much as it would of had it been someone else. \'Sit, I\'ve got the rest. What kind of dressing do you prefer?\' she asked as she stuck her head into the refrigerator.

\'A very simple oil and vinegar, if you have some,\' he replied. She emerged momentarily with two bottles of dressing and set them on the table. She returned to the fridge for one last thing, and came out with a bottle of apple juice. He watched her pour some into her glass, and she caught sight of the amused look on his face.

\'What? You thought I was going to have wine with you? How cracked do you think I am?\' she popped a fiery brow into the air, a dead on copy of his own. \'First, it would be bloody irresponsible to hurt the child that way. Second, I\'d have you down my throat in a moment\'s notice. I was sorted into Gryffindor house, but I\'m not a total idiot.\'

\' I\'m sorry for doubting your intelligence,\' he replied, not very sorry at all. He enjoyed watching her get upset. Her chest heaved nicely. It was a sight to behold. She glared at him, telling him she didn\'t believe him, then went about putting the meal on the table. He said nothing when she settled a bowl of steaming pasta before him, a small kettle of sauce next to it. Spaghetti. He gave her a look she couldn\'t name, then began helping himself.

The sauce was wonderful, loaded with crumbles of browned ground beef, onions, peppers, and mushrooms. There was enough seasoning to keep it from being bland, but not so much that it would start his throat on fire on the way down. The garlic bread was hot and fresh, with a dry wine that went well with the main course. He watched her eat, swallowing the salad down in almost a hurry, then starting on her spaghetti with gusto. He was chuckling before long. She looked up at him and glared. He tried very hard not to laugh the rest of the meal, but it was nearly impossible. At the end, she shooed him out and cleaned up, promising some sort of sweet after she\'d finished.

Severus made his way into the living area, his glass of wine clasped loosely in one pale hand. He found the cat there, chewing on a tattered old piece of parchment. He lifted it off the floor, ready to look it over, when Kendra\'s voice floated at him from the kitchen. \'Professor Dumbledore paid a visit earlier. He put charms on the cottage that he said would make you feel a little more at ease with me being here on my own.\'

\'Good, I shall have to remember to thank him. After our discussion last night, I was in no mood to..... Bloody hell!\' he muttered, setting the parchment and glass down to retrieve the envelope from his pocket. He had forgotten to give it to her this morning, and had made sure to bring it with this evening.

\'What? Is something wrong?\' she asked, her head poking around the corner.

\'No, just something Albus asked me to give you last night when we spoke. I forgot this morning,\' he held up the envelope. She smiled and motioned to the coffee table before him. He set it down and reached for his wine.

\'What did you and Albus talk about last night?\'

\'It appears someone informed the Ministry of our liason, and they ordered that he deal with the situation. I told him it was shite, but he was right to say his hands were tied,\' Severus called back, his anger still not disapated over the idea that someone had snitched on them. \'He said there was no way I could carry on a relationship with an unmarried girl with in the school\'s walls.\'

\'And what was your oh so intelligent reply?\' he could hear the smirk in her voice as she posed the question.

\'Brat!\' he chuckled. It seemed she knew him well enough. \' I made some impudent comment about carrying on with a married woman than. And Albus replied with I could, were you married. He even called me a temper tantrum throwing twit!\'

\'You? Oh no, not you,\' she returned, her laughter bubbling up her throat with the words.

\'Careful, brat! Lest I take you over my knee and give you a ruddy good spanking!\'

\'Oh, promises!\' she shot back. He was glad she was hidden so she couldn\'t see the smile her sparing with him brought to his face. \'What did you have to say to that?\'

\' I said I was sure that the Ministry would be very understanding about that, so long as your husband didn\'t know about it. Albus commented it would depend entirely on who your husband was,\' he finished off dryly. Husband, indeed! As if he would let her get married.

\'Albus is right, you know. I should be married. The Ministry couldn\'t say anything then. Have you any suggestions for a husband for me?\' she asked him sweetly. The comment caught him completely off guard. A husband? What was he supposed to do, give the bloody girl to someone? He snorted to tell her his answer and found the cat once again playing with the tattered piece of parchment. He snatched it away from the animal to look at it. It was old, an assignment he\'d given the students their second year. As he recalled, it was the only time he\'d put anything even remotely positive on any of her papers. And he\'d simply scrawled \'This paper could be used to line the bird cage.\'

Briefly, he noted the names listed across the top of it. Kendra Elaine Morgana Brigit Elizabeth Donnal MacLeod Snape. Setting it aside, he saw the cat staring at him as if he were playing kissy face with a cactus \'What the bloody hell are you looking at?\' he questioned the animal in a soft voice.

~The stupidest. most ignorant git on the sodding planet,~ Wickersham willed him to hear his thoughts. If he weren\'t a cat, he\'d have beaten the sodding bastard about the head with a brick by now. ~ I\'ve managed to hork up furballs with more intelligence than you\'re showing! She wants you as her husband, or wasn\'t the parchment enough of a hint? Twit!~

Severus could swear the cat was trying to communicate with him. The way his gold green eyes stared intently at him seemed to suggest it. He blinked and shook his head. Bloody impossible. There was something wrong with him if he thought that the cat was trying to tell him anything. \'I must be loosing my mind if I could honestly believe a cat was trying to talk to me,\' he muttered.

The black cat glared at him, batting a paw against the parchment. He glared at the animal. \'Sod off! That\'s not for you to play with!\' he ordered. Wickersham scowled and Severus blinked. Then he was staring at the back end of the animal, now realizing that the cat was insulting him with it.

\'Play with what?\' Kendra\'s voice asked as she came into the living room. He lifted the parchment and handed it to her, taking the small tray she held from her hands.

He watched as she glanced at the parchment, then a deep blush darkened her cheeks. She crumpled the paper and tossed it across the floor. \'Do you like strawberries? I got some fresh ones today, bloody expensive as they were. I dipped them in a melted chocolate bar, then squirted them with some whipped cream. I hope you like them,\' she spoke rapidly, making him wonder what she\'d been embarrassed about.

\'Come here, brat,\' he patted the couch beside him. She sat willingly, smiling as his arm snaked about her shoulders to pull her closer to him. His mouth found hers, kissing her hard upon the lips while his other hand found one of her strawberries. When he lifted his lips from hers, he put part of the berry in her mouth, then leaned in and shared it with her, leading to another kiss.

Soon, all the strawberries were gone. Kendra had one hand on his hardened shaft while his were cupped over her breasts. He gave a hard squeeze and she moaned. He drew away and held out a hand for her. She was disappointed to be made to let go of his erection, but she put her hand in his. He pulled her up silently and lead her into her bedroom.

Their clothes came off quickly, eyes roving as they studied each other\'s naked flesh hungrily. Her skin was lightly flushed with her need, her nipples hard points. His cock was stiff, jutting at her in invitation. She looked at it hungrily, then lay back in silent invitation. He studied her for a moment, arms crossed over his chest and one hip stuck out prominently. She waited patiently for him to say something or move. He finally shook his head and scowled. \'Severus?\' she sat up.

\'No, this will never do,\' he shook his head, making her reach for the blankets. What had she done wrong? He could see uncertainty in her eyes and held back his smile. She\'d beat him senseless when she found out what he was up to, but he\'d bloody well enjoy the moment. \'I can\'t properly bed you with that great big belly of yours getting in my way!\'

\'What?\' she gasped, then stood, throwing the covers aside. Her eyes were blazing fire, and he just knew this was an occasion where her brogue would make an appearance. \'Ye\'re thinking I\'m going to lay with ye when ye insult me like this? Are ye totally daft, mon?\'

\'I never said I was going to lay with you. I said I was going to bed you,\' he remarked calmly. She glared up at him. \'Now, be a good girl and turn round,\' he instructed her. She scowled at him, crossing her arms just under her chest. Her naked breasts were cradled by them.

\'Ye can bloody well go to hell!\' she retored. \'I\'ll not be ordered aboot, because ye....\' he cut her off, jerking her against him roughly to sear her lips with his. When she was momentarily dumbfounded, he spun her about and bent her over the mattress. She had just opened her mouth to voice her protest when he shoved his cock into her. Hard. She was wet, her muscles grasping him instantly. A loud moan rolled up her throat, and her hips moved back into his.

\'You were saying?\' he queried, his hips stroking long and hard.

\' I was saying that ye.....\' she managed before cutting herself off again to moan. Curious. It seemed her accent acted up under great emotion. He slammed forward once more, rotating his hips around in a circle. She tossed her head, her hair flying in all directions as she looked back at him over her shoulder. \'Ye\'re a bastard!\' she hissed in both pleasure and anger.

\'Of course I am, brat. Do you wish me to stop?\' he gave her an innocent look, then stilled his movements. The head of his cock was just barely left inside of her pussy. She tried thrusting herself back, but his hands held her hips still. She let off a loud cry of frustration.

\'No! Dinna stop! If ye do, I\'ll curse ye so that yer willie falls off!\' she bit out through grinding teeth. He chuckled, beginning to stroke into her again slowly.

\'You may continue to call me any names you like. You may even use that incomprehensible brogue of yours, should you wish to. It makes no matter to me,\' he remarked in his most indifferent tone. He knew it was having the desired affect when she muttered out something that made reference to his lineage. He smiled at her, enjoying both her body and spirit. And he had to wonder how such a bright woman could be so clueless that she didn\'t see what he was doing.

Soon enough, though, she was maoning out his name. The brogue rolled the \'r\' around and made his name sound sensual. Her hips rocked back toward him as far as he would let them. She was tight around him, the honeyed juices her body produced coating his shaft. Her muscles clenched and she gasped. He buried himself deep, stroking into her with hard thrusts. She encouraged him, forgetting her anger but still using her accent. She was calling him names no one had ever dared call him to his face before. It was heightening his excitement.

\'Harder, ye pasty faced auld fuck!\' her voice was barely above a whisper, but he could hear the need that drove her to insult him. He had started it, the insults and taunting. She was playing along nicely. He obliged her, increasing the force with which his hips slammed into hers. She moaned loudly, her hands curled about the blankets beneath her. \'Make me come, damn ye!\'

\'As you wish, brat,\' he whipered and took a hand off one hip. It followed the line of her pelvis around until it met with the red curls of her bush. His finger dipped between the folds of flesh, finding her clit. It was erect, awaiting his attentions. He flicked a nail over it. She cried out, her hips driving back to meet his. Her back arched up.

The single digit rubbed slowly, working her toward her orgasm at a leisurely pace. His hips kept their speed, pounding hard and driving deep. She had stopped speaking, her breath coming from her lungs in great gasping breaths. The muscled walls of her pussy were clutching at his cock in a manner that made him want to reach his own orgasm as soon as bloody possible.

It seemed to be forever and a day later when he felt his cock swell. She felt it too, if the way in which she ground her hips against his was any indication. He jabbed his fingertip into her clit. She wailed loudly, her back going rigid. He felt the muscles switch from fluttering to contracting. He gave one last thrust, putting as much force behind his hips as possible. He slammed up into her as her orgasm washed over her. A scream rent the air, making him wonder for a split second if he\'d been too hard with her. Then the thought was gone. His cock errupted inside of her, sending hot jets of seed up into her.

They collapsed to the bed, gasping for breath. He managed to pull himself up onto the bed, dragging Kendra with him. They settled into the pillows, then he made sure they were covered. She snuggled into his chest, a sigh of contentment leaving her. \'You are such a bastard,\' she whispered, chuckling into the dark.

\'I know this, brat,\' he assured her, wrapping his arm around her. \'I know this well.\' She drifted off to sleep, curled about him in contentment......

end chapter twenty.
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thanks again to madam shark, for all her help and support. and to kenly, too, who\'s got her mom hooked on this....

to simone and lori, who are faithful readers, i love you guys, and i hope this is the kind of stuff you want to see.

and again, i should like to thank the academy...... oh damn, i\'m still not getting the pulitzer........