Strong Enough

CH 23 ONE

Zephyr, you’re the best

Thanks at bottom

You know who they belong to.

“Is it getting better?
Or do you feel the same?
Will it make it easier on you now?
You got someone to blame
You say ,One love, One life
When it\'s one need in the night
One love, we get to share it
Leaves you baby if you
Don\'t care for it”

-One, U2


Hermione continued to look at the empty spot where he had been standing, for a minute. \"Shit\" she said getting back under the shower and trying not to think of how badly she had fucked up. She dropped her head, placing her hands on the tiled wall and let the hot spray work on her tense shoulder muscles.

Severus walked back into the remains of her living room. She had really gone to town on it.
(Don’t you dare walk away now.) He thought to himself. (Just because it got a bit tough. You knew it was going to be hard work when you went to her yesterday, get back in there, you know it‘s what you really want.)

Hermione felt a rush of cold air as the shower door opened and closed behind her, and gave a small smile of relief.

Severus admired her body from behind. She was very well toned. He watched the muscles in her shoulders and back, clenching and unclenching as she tried to work out the kinks.

He noticed for the first time, that she also had tattoos on her body and thought that she must cast a glamour on them while she was working as he hadn’t noticed them when they were out in the grounds.

She had writing etched around one ankle like a bracelet, in what looked like Latin, a Chinese symbol at the nape of her neck and at the base of her spine, a pair of crossed wands, the symbol of the highest ranked ministry soldiers.

He also saw the scars she had spoken about, long and jagged across her back. He felt a wave of possessiveness towards her and silently vowed that if Lucius Malfoy ever laid a finger on her again, it would be the last thing he ever did.

She saw his arms come around in front of her and his hands cover hers, entwining their fingers. He pressed himself up against her back and she could feel that he was already hard.

He bought his lips down on her skin and began planting soft kisses on her neck, up to her ear and back down to her shoulder, making her shiver despite the heat of the shower. He released her hands and wrapped one arm around her waist, the other across her breasts and held her close as he continued to kiss her, across her back, and around to the other side of her neck.

His hand moved lightly across her breasts, tweaking her nipples and causing them to pucker and harden. She gasped with pleasure.

His other hand traveled down to the dark nest of curls between her legs. She opened her legs slightly to allow him access. His long fingers moved between her legs and parted her lips, finding her nub and giving it a slight squeeze.

She felt electricity shoot through her body and leant back into him, as she thought her legs might give way. He pushed first one then two fingers inside her, feeling her inner muscles clench, and groaned as he imagined them tightening around his cock. He slowly began moving his fingers in and out of her, pausing to flick her clit every time he did. It was becoming harder and harder for her to breathe as she reached both hands behind her, one began stroking and pulling his cock, the other, caressing his balls.

He growled in her ear, sending vibrations of pleasure through her already humming body.
He thought he was going to explode with the sensations she was causing, so he spun her around to face him and greedily claimed her mouth with his own, their tongues exploring each other’s mouths.

He grabbed her ass and lifted her up, bringing her down in one swift motion and sheathing himself inside her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and locked them behind his back.
He very slowly pulled back until he was almost out of her and then pushed gently forward as far as he could, grinding his pelvic bone into hers. She broke the kiss and threw her head back, stretching her body upward, as he began to thrust faster and deeper into her.

He watched her full, high breasts bouncing with every thrust and captured one in his mouth, sucking it hard, and working the nipple between his teeth. She bucked up and cried out, urging him to start pounding harder into her. He could feel her muscles start to twitch around his member and felt his balls tightening.

He sucked her nipple as hard as he could, pulling it to the point and grinding his teeth down on it. She felt the fire, that started in her breasts run through her body, down her stomach and into her center, she cried out his name as her whole body stiffened in pleasure, and as she came, he gave one hard thrust and her muscles squeezed him hard, causing him to shout her name as he spilled his seed into her.

He lowered her off of him, so she was standing, looked down at her and pulled her towards him, and wrapped his arms around her. She did the same, stood on tiptoes and kissed him lightly on the lips, then rested her head on his chest and relaxed into him, letting the water wash over them.

They emerged from the shower and Hermione cast drying charms on them both, transfiguring some towels into a pair of drawstring pants and a loose shirt, both black of course, for Severus. \"I’m just going to go and change and then I’ll clear up in there.\" She said, looking at the doorway to her sitting room almost fearfully, turning and taking the other door to her bedroom.

Severus walked into the sitting room and sighed. He didn’t know if she would be able to handle seeing what she had done, so he drew his wand and began clearing up.

She was standing at her bedroom door, with one hand on the doorknob, deciding what to do next. She couldn’t believe how she had fallen to pieces over something so small, but it had felt like the final straw. What was worrying her now, was how to act around Severus. He had seen her at her worst now and was still interested, so that was a good thing at least. \"Oh well, there’s only one way to find out if he thinks you are mental or not.\"

She said, bracing herself and opening the door.

She gasped as she walked into the room. It was spotless. He had cleared it all up so that there was no sign of her outburst at all. In the corner of the room he had shrunk the huge Christmas tree down to a miniature version and put it on her desk with a few fairy lights on it.

She looked at him in gratitude and affection. \"Thank you Severus,\" she said meaningfully.

\"You are welcome Hermione,\" he smiled at her, \"Now what about that drink? As I do believe there are still a couple of hours of Christmas left.\"

\"Of course\" she said, walking to the drinks cabinet and produced a large bottle of Brandy and two glasses.

He watched her as she poured the drinks, wondering how it could have ever escaped his attention what a stunning woman she was. She was dressed much the same as him, in loose black pants and she was wearing a simple black t-shirt, her long hair loose and cascading down her back He though she was beautiful.

He stretched back on the sofa and she handed him his drink. She took her own and sat next to him. He pulled her to him, and she rested her head on his shoulder, watching the lights on her mini Christmas tree.

\"How do you feel now?\" Asked Severus, gently stroking her smooth hair and planting a gentle kiss on her head.

\"Better than I was, and not as good as I could be,\" she said, frowning. \"Does that make sense?\"

\"Perfect sense,\" he said, looking down at her and smiling. \"Can I ask you something?\" He said thoughtfully.

\"What is it?\" she said

\"First you have to promise not to resort to violence,\" he said, only half joking.

\"Well that depends,\" she laughed, \"hang on.\" She reached out to the coffee table for her wand. \"Accio Brandy.\" The bottle whizzed across the room into her hand, and she refilled their glasses with generous shots, \"O.k. ask away,\" she said after taking a large swig.

\"Why do you wear so much make up?\" It had been bothering him since she came back and tonight was the first time he had seen her without it.

She turned, to look at him. \"You’re not letting that one go, are you?\" She asked good naturedly.

\"I am just curious. I do not understand the need to cover up such a naturally beautiful face,\" he shrugged.

She was speechless. All she could do was lean over and kiss him.

He kissed her back. \"Well?\" he said, brushing a stray lock of hair away from her face.

She sighed, \"It’s a mask, a disguise I suppose. After I left school and joined the Ministry I was lonelier than I’d ever been before. Although I thought I had done most of my grieving for my parents here, it was nothing compared to being out in the real world and not being able to see them when I wanted. I didn’t want anyone to know how bad it had become for me so I changed my make up, my clothes and my attitude to try and distance myself from the feelings. Slowly I became the person I am now.\" She looked away. \"It gives me strength. Some days the only thing that can get me out of the door is the fact that I am hiding behind this persona I have created and I know that she will fight for me. It’s hard to explain, you probably think I’m mental now,\" she said sadly.

Severus didn’t speak for a minute, lost in his own thoughts, and then he said. \"Hermione, despite what people may think, I do not, in fact dress the way I do to make a fashion statement.\"

She turned to him, a confused look on her face, \"I don’t understand Severus.\"

\"Yes you do, probably more than anyone else. I dress the way I do and have my hair like this because that is what people expect a nasty, evil, ex-deatheater, potions master to be like. It is, as you say, a disguise. It makes me feared and unapproachable, so nobody will bother me, and I don’t have to ‘open up‘ to anybody, and for the most part, it works.\"

She reached up and touched his face, fully understanding the need to hide behind an image. He downed his drink and poured another.

\"I never thought I would hear myself say this but, when term begins again, I think we need to put Slytherin and Gryffindor back together in the D.A.\" He said, staring into his drink. When she didn’t answer him, he looked up, she was gazing off in space. \"Hermione, what are you thinking?\"

\"Oh sorry, I was just counting all the ways that could go wrong,\" she said sarcastically, raising her eyebrows at him. \"When has it ever been a good idea to put those two houses together, for anything?\"

\"They have to learn to stop fighting each other and start fighting together, as an army. I believe it is the only way they will come out of this alive.\" He sighed.

\"Alright.\" She said resignedly. \"I’ll put up notices in all the houses tomorrow. But if we are going to do this, we have to work together too, and that means coming up with a strategy.\"

They looked at each other gravely. Student’s lives would depend on them being able to work as a team.

\"Well, if anyone can do it Hermione, it‘s us,\" he said leaning forward and gently kissing her.

\"I hope you are right, for their sakes as well as our own,\" she replied as he wrapped his arms around her, thinking that she would use every resource she had to keep these kids alive.

They sat together like that for the rest of the night, both thinking that in their highly charged and dangerous lives, finding a moments peace with each other was the last thing they had expected, but it was there.

~*~*~*~


Big kisses to:

Deb ; Thank you very much. You are a great reviewer and always make me want to write more, Would you like to see a LM/HG prequel/sequel? If you want it, you got it! You do seem to see the characters the same way as me. I do think that they need each other, in their lives, whether or not they know it, yet...

Red Writing hood ; I think he was close to leaving but his feelings for her are getting too strong, to walk away. Thanks

DrowningOphelia ; Praise Merlin, indeed!! That has got to be my longest review! and one of my favourites. You truly made my day when I read it. I started to write fanfiction for fun, for myself and then people started reviewing, now I write it for people like you, and the other reviewers who have thanks here. I can’t believe you read the whole thing in one sitting, I bet that was hard work!! Thank you for adding me to your recs list, I feel very important now! I thank you on behalf of Zephyr, who has a very tough job, dealing with me, It is very obvious where she came in, isn’t it *lol* those first chapters look awful, I may get her to work her magic on those. I’m crap at figuring out where to start and end!! Thanks for the info, I always like to know a bit about whose reviewing. It is truly an honour to be appreciated like this, and I hope you will continue to read. Kisses.

PotionsMistressM ; Oh you know me to well! Was this lemony enough for you? You deserve it! The highlight of your night? *blushes* you are so kind to me. We don’t have thanksgiving over here, but, as I am also a retail manager (coincidence? or spooky psychic link?!?) I can totally relate. It Christmas shoppers don’t drive me insane, I’m sure the fact that I’ve been forced to listen to Christmas music since the middle of November, will do it! Hope you like it xx BTW do you write any fanfiction, I’ve looked but I can’t see you?

Cookie ; For you darling, anything, it will be less fighty and more lovey from now on.....maybe! thanks for the review


O.K. The tantrum on Christmas eve was based on one of my own! I completely lost it and trashed the whole room, I was still finding bits of bauble nearly a year later!. My fiance at the time walked out. But he also came back (this was not why we split up, that happened much later) which is why I think that Sev came back.

Sorry for the delay in posting but Christmas madness is upon me, and works a bitch. I’ll do what I can, please bear with me

Thanks and Big kisses
GrrArrg



The Christmas holidays passed quickly for Severus and Hermione. From Boxing Day until New Years Eve, they worked non-stop on a lesson plan for the D.A. The room of requirements was ideal for setting up the lessons, because regardless of whether it was a physical or magical lesson they were preparing for, all they had to do was think of what they really needed and it was there in front of them.

They also used the time to brush up on their own training, having both been out of the field for a while and found to both of their pleasures that they could still match each other, blow for blow. On the odd occasions that they decided to eat in the great hall rather than in the room of requirements, staff and students alike noticed that one or the other of them were sporting some kind of injury, from trying out a new move or hex.

When they weren’t working on the D.A, Severus and Hermione went their separate ways. They both did their separate patrols, he, at curfew through the halls, she, late at night with her team in the grounds. Severus also had a new term of potions lesson to prepare for.

The Gryffindor and Slytherin students were not pleased that the arrangements for the lessons were to be changed and the fighting started again between the two houses, spoiling the last few days of the holidays and causing Madam Pomfrey, after fixing Severus’s broken arm, Hermione’s fractured collarbone and half a dozen Gryffindor and Slytherin hexes, to mutter under her breath that it would be quieter to go and work at St Mungo’s.

New years eve came, with only a small fireworks display in the great hall, to welcome in the New Year. At five minutes to twelve, Dumbledore nodded at Hermione, who rose from her chair next to Severus and addressed the group of people in front of her.

\"When I was a child, the whole family would gather together for a tradition, passed down through generations to welcome in the arrival of the New Year. The person with the darkest hair had to leave by the back door and enter by the front on the stroke of midnight. They then lit a fire, wrote their wishes for the coming year down on a piece of paper and threw them in the fire. Every member of the family had to take part in this from the babies right up to the eldest.\" She smiled at Dumbledore and he smiled back. \"My mum said that whatever we were doing at the stroke of midnight on New Years Eve, we would all be doing again the next year, so she always wanted the whole family there. I thought that after the last few years we have all just had, this couldn’t hurt.\"

She looked around the room to see everyone looking at her and nodding.

Dumbledore stood and pointed his wand at the enormous fireplace, \"Incendio!\" He said, and a large fire started.

She looked across to Severus, the corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly as the ghost of a smile crossed his face, for her. \"Professor Snape, would you do the honors please? As I‘m quite sure you have the darkest hair.\" Said Hermione, softly.

He nodded at her, to the surprise of everyone there, stood and walked through the great hall, going out of the back entrance to the castle. They all walked to the entrance hall at the stroke of midnight, to see Severus enter the castle. They all walked back into the great hall, wrote down their wishes with the parchment and quills that Hermione had supplied, and threw them in the fire. Students, teachers and aurors alike were all silently praying that they would be able to do this together next New Year.