Mastering Temptation

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: Gobsmacked









Loud music shook the walls of Hogwarts as the students enjoyed their annual Holiday Ball. Hermione stood in the shadowed fringe of the main hall with the other chaperones and watched the students dance and socialize. She covered her mouth to stifle another yawn and shook her head to clear her foggy brain.





“Stop yawning, they will be at this for hours yet.” Severus said from beside her.





“I can’t help it. I’m not getting much sleep lately.” She said. “Funny, you are the one complaining about being too old for this or that while I am the one constantly exhausted, doesn’t seem fair.”





“I don’t require much sleep and I am nocturnal by nature I suppose.” He said, scanning the crowded room. “You’ll get used to the late hours eventually.” He smirked.





“So you don’t foresee things slowing down anytime soon I take it?” She asked, jumping slightly when his hand smoothed over the rounded curve of her bottom. Thankfully they were well hidden in the shadows so no one could see his playful fondling.





“Are you growing weary of me already?” Severus asked, looking at her askance.





“Not in the slightest.” She said, smiling at him. “I just worry that I won’t be able to keep up with you, old man.”





“I’d watch that mouth of yours; it could land you in trouble.” Severus said, leaning closer to her. “I wouldn’t want to have to spank you this early in our relationship.”





Hermione’s face flushed and she shivered slightly. It wasn’t the first time he had threatened to spank her and each time he did it her reaction became more and more pronounced. She had never considered that sort of thing to be exciting, not until she started seeing him at any rate.





“Promises, promises.” She taunted, stepping away from him to make rounds through the room. She could feel his eyes on her as she walked along the outskirts of the room. They had been ‘involved’ for just over three months and she kept waiting for the heat and passion she felt when she was near him to dissipate, but if anything it only grew stronger.





In the beginning she had assumed it was all about the physical, but the truth was that while he made love to her often and with great fervor, he spent just as much time simply sitting with her. Sometimes they would lie in her bed and talk into the wee hours of the morning or snuggle on her sofa and watch old movies. She loved spending time with him and felt her heart growing more and more engaged. She wasn’t sure just where Severus was emotionally, but she prayed that he wasn’t just passing time with her.







Severus couldn’t take his eyes off of her as she made her way across the room. It was always that way for him, when she was in motion he could do nothing else but watch her. The soft sway of her hips, the way her curls bounced with every step, all the little things that he found completely mesmerizing about her. His feelings for her were growing stronger with each passing day and he wasn’t exactly sure how he felt about that. She had gotten beneath his skin like no other person ever had and he was certain that no one else would ever mean as much to him.





She was stopped by a seventh year prefect who asked her to dance. Gracious as always, Hermione accepted the young man’s invitation and joined him on the dance floor despite the barrage of howling and wolf whistles from his friends. Severus watched as she conversed with the lad while they danced. He knew the boy to be quite shy and lacking in self esteem. Knowing Hermione she was no doubt offering him encouragement and bolstering his fragile ego. It was just in her nature to nurture those around her, as though she had a sixth sense that led her to those who needed her most.





“She should have been a teacher.” McGonagall said from beside Severus as she watched Hermione dance with the boy. “She would have no doubt been one of he best that this school had ever seen.”





“I’m sure that she would have been, Minerva.” Severus answered, his gaze still fixed on her.



“Well I’ll be, Severus that sounded almost like a compliment for Ms. Granger.” Minerva laughed softly.





“I don’t see why that should come as such a surprise to you, Minerva, I have always been well aware of Ms. Granger’s keen intelligence.” He answered.





“You were aware of it but not very tolerant of it.” Minerva said, looking at him curiously. “Though I suppose she isn’t the same girl who graced these halls as a student is she?”





“No, she isn’t.” Severus watched as Hermione kissed the boy on the cheek and thanked him for the dance before walking away to finish her rounds. She smiled at him from across the room and he actually felt the warmth of it from a distance.







“She has certainly proven herself to be indispensable to the school.” Minerva said, watching Severus’s expression as he watched her walk across the room.





“Yes, things just wouldn’t be the same without her. Would you excuse me, Minerva?” Severus didn’t wait for a reply as he headed towards the back entrance to the great hall, leaving behind a rather curious and somewhat baffled faculty member.









Hermione made her way into the corridor where students gathered around gossiping and socializing. As she walked further through the halls she stumbled across more than one young couple snogging in dark corners. She opted to leave them alone providing that things didn’t look as though they were progressing beyond what was proper. Truth was she wished she could find a certain dark wizard and a private spot for a bit of snogging.





The thought had no sooner crossed her mind when she passed a tapestry near the dungeon entrances that fluttered softly and a pair of cool, pale hands slipped out of the darkened alcove behind it. One hand clapped over her mouth to muffle her frightened screams while another wrapped around her middle and pulled her backwards into the shadows.





“Shhh….it’s me, a mhuirnin.” He whispered softly, brushing his lips along the side of her neck.





“Severus.” She relaxed immediately and slumped back into his arms. “You scared the living daylights out of me; I thought the Slytherins were abducting me!”





“Why would they do that?” He asked, turning her in his arms so he could kiss her lips.





“Surely you recall the tradition…” She said, her words cut off by his lips and marauding tongue. He nipped at her bottom lip pulled her tight against him.





“Ah yes…I remember.” He chuckled. “Why would you think you would be the Gryffindor the Slytherins chose to lock in the dungeons?”





“The young man who asked me to dance…he warned me that I was at the top of the list.” She said, giggling uncharacteristically when his lips found a particularly ticklish spot on the side of her neck.





“They don’t harm their captives, only lock them in.” He said. “However, this Slytherin has abducted you with purely lecherous intentions.”





“Why headmaster, are you sexually harassing me?” She asked coyly as her fingers threaded through his hair while he nibbled at her collar bone.





“Absolutely.” He said, smiling against her sweetly scented skin. “Now, please return the favor.”





Hermione laughed softly, always enjoying the softer, funnier side of Severus. His fingers tugged at her skirt until he had pulled it up high enough that he could clasp her bare bottom in his hands.





“Where are your knickers?” He asked, pushing her back until she was pressed into the stone wall of the alcove.





“You told me I should try going without them….something about easy access?” Hermione said.





“Very nice…” He said, slipping his fingers between her thighs to test her readiness. “You should make a habit of it.”





“Severus….oh god….we shouldn’t be doing this here.” She whimpered as he lifted her into his arms and reached between them to free the erection straining against the front of his trousers. He slid slowly inside her, moaning quietly at the feel of her snug heat surrounding him.





“I couldn’t wait until later, forgive me.” He whispered into her mouth as he thrust into her fast and hard. Hermione held on for dear life as he pummeled into her with and almost desperate need. Her back slammed into the wall with every thrust as she clung to his shoulders. I didn’t take long for either of them to find their release, Hermione going over first with a soft scream muffled by his lips pressed against hers and Severus following her within seconds.





Hermione let her legs fall slowly from around his waist as he slid from her body and reached for his wand to cast a cleansing charm. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, stroking her back and whispering in her ear while they enjoyed the warm aftermath of passion.





“I’m telling you she came this way, I saw her!” Hermione stiffened at the sound of student voices just outside the alcove.





“Well she isn’t here, is she?” An irritated voice complained.





“Where do you think she went? I doubt she would go into the dungeons at this time of night.” Piped in another student.





“Maybe she slipped off with her boyfriend.” Hermione looked up at Severus and smiled.





“I didn’t know she had one.”





“Maybe she caught wind of the plan and got scared.” Hermione started to laugh softly and Severus smiled.





“I don’t think she would be afraid.” Another student laughed.



“Why not, everyone is afraid of Slytherins.” Hermione had to press her lips together to keep from laughing out loud at the smug comment.





“She spends all day locked up with one, plus rumor has it she hangs out with the Malfoys.”





“I heard she quit working for Lucius Malfoy because she was shagging him.” Hermione’s jaw dropped in shock.





“The way I heard it, it was the younger one, Draco, she was having it off with.” Her nails curled into Severus’s shoulders.





“I doubt it, she doesn’t seem the type. Wonder what she and old Snape get up to locked in that office all day?” That particular comment had Severus arching his brows as he listened to the speculation.





“Have you guys ever noticed what a great bum she has? And her tits!” Severus slid his hands over said bum to show her how much he noticed.





“You’d have to be a dead man not to notice! I live for the days when she oversees the study period so I can watch her walk up and down the aisles.”





“Well, since it seems Ms. Granger is out of the question, lets move on to the next person on the list.”





Hermione and Severus listened as the voices faded and they were once again alone.





“Well, that was informative. I had no idea I was whoring for the Malfoys.” Hermione said dryly.





“Surely you knew gossip would spread with you spending so much time with them.” Severus said, conjuring a small orb that would let him see into the hall to ascertain if the way was clear or not.





“Yes, but I thought it would have stayed among adults and not filtered down to the children.” She said, following Severus from behind the tapestry and out into the hall.





“Not children, the Gryffindor abductions are only done by seventh years, they are young adults.” Severus said, leading her through the darkened corridor.





“Speaking of which, who was the unlucky Gryffindor during your seventh year.” She asked as they turned the corner. Severus made his way down the hall flicking his wand at amorous students to separate them.





“Lily. They locked her in the dungeons, but I released her when they went to bed.” He said.





“So are you going to do anything to stop them?” Hermione asked.





“No, but I will tell Filch to let the girl out when he does patrols in a little while.” He said.





“You know from the sounds of it the students are starting to gossip about what you and I are doing behind closed doors.” Hermione said teasingly.





“I doubt they could even begin to imagine the truth of it.” Severus said as they reentered the great hall.





“Oh? And what truth would that be, that you are regularly shagging your secretary?” She asked quietly. Severus stopped in his tracks and looked down at her.





“That I enjoy spending my time with a witch that I adore and who fascinates me like no other ever has.” He said softly before turning on his heel and stalking away, leaving her standing alone with a gobsmacked expression on her face.





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So, this is the first time he has mentioned feeling more for her than desire.......