Love Bites (REPOST)

Chapter 24 ~ Coming to an Understanding

Severus awoke the next morning to find Hermione gone. He scowled as his morning erection thumped against his belly in disappointment, probably hoping that it would have more than a pee to relieve it. Severus ripped back the covers and could still smell the witch's scent on him. He breathed deeply and allowed himself to remember highlights from the night before.

Why had she left before he awoke? Possibly she knew that he would have taken her again. The Potions Master rolled out of his bed and walked over to his robes on the floor. He checked the pockets for his wand, but it wasn't there. Then he realized these weren't the robes he wore yesterday. He had taken these robes from the wardrobe when Vashti summoned him. His other set of robes were still in there.

Naked, he strode over to the wardrobe. In passing the mirror on his dresser, Severus stopped and looked at his reflection. His image was slightly more solid, though he could still see through it. It seemed his night with Hermione had a positive effect on the curse. The wizard continued to the wardrobe, opened it and fished his wand out of the robes pocket and scourgified himself. He planned to take a shower but didn't want to trail the scent of sex into the study. He slipped on a pair of silk boxers and exited his bedroom, heading for Hermione's bathroom.

Severus found the door open and the witch gone. He wasn't surprised. She had been delicious last night, but was probably still wrestling with what she had done with him. The Potions Master hoped that next time he approached her for sex, she wouldn't be difficult about it. He planned to approach her tonight, whether or not Vashti took another stab at him. He wanted to feel those hands on him again. Then he thought about it. He hadn't actually approached her last night, she gave herself to him to save him from Vashti. So he would probably have to seduce her to his bed. But he figured he had a heads up on this, being that she had already been with him, and loved what he did to her. Even if she were feeling out of sorts about it this morning, she would remember how good it was. She'd want him again, he was sure.

Severus walked into the bathroom, used the loo, then stripped off his boxers and stepped into the shower. As he turned on the spigot, his stomach growled loudly. He realized he was starved. He had a quick shower, stepped out and dried off, wrapping a towel around his waist. He quickly brushed his teeth. His eyeteeth were back to relatively normal size, though still quite pointed. He stepped out of the bathroom just as Hermione walked into the bedroom. They both stopped and stared at each other.

Hermione was dressed for work, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, dressed in a green uniform (that fit), lab coat and trainers. Her stethoscope dangled from her neck. She had showered and there was still a bit of a glow about her. She blushed deeply as she looked at Severus wrapped in the towel, her eyes flicking over his pale, lean body. He knew she was remembering how his body had flexed over hers the night before.

"Good morning, Dr. Granger," Severus purred at her.

"Good morning, Professor," Hermione replied, trying to make her voice sound light and normal.

Severus walked toward her, and he could tell she wanted to back away, but she didn't move as he stopped inches from her. His dark eyes met her amber ones, then dropped to her mouth. He leaned down and kissed her lips softly. She trembled.

"You left before I woke this morning," he said to her, "Imagine how I felt reaching out for you and finding you not there. I wanted to fuck you again."

"I was sore," she said, flushing. "I needed some pain potion for the ache. Then once I was up, I stayed up. I had things to do."

Severus stared at her for a moment.

"Are you sore now?" he asked her.

"No. I'm fine," she replied, images of his face last night flashing through her mind. How much pleasure was evident, how much hunger revealed as he thrust into her. She felt a bit of warmth.

"Come to my room," he said seductively, "I have other acts to perform on you. You'll like them, I guarantee it, Hermione."

"No, no…we have other things to do this morning, Professor. We need to set up to brew the Restoration Potion, and I have more spells to adapt," she said. "Vashti will be going for you again. We need to start preparing the potion."

She pulled a piece of parchment out of her pocket.

"I was at the library and looked up the formula for making it. It's all here," she said offering it to him.

Severus slowly took the parchment out of the witch's hand.

"Hermione, now that I've deflowered you, I need to know something. Are you my lover? Or are you just a foil for Vashti?" he asked her suddenly. "Will you only come to me when Vashti is trying to draw me, or will you come to me of your own free will when I desire you?"

Hermione looked up at him. She hadn't thought that far ahead. Her mind was still reeling with their first encounter last night.

"I don't know," she said honestly. "I gave myself to you last night because of Vashti trying to take you."

Severus scowled at the witch.

"Yes, but I also know that you are attracted to me beyond the curse. The Vellum Potion doesn't work on you concerning me. You would have given yourself to me eventually, Hermione. Vashti only made it happen earlier than it would have," he said to her.

Hermione didn't reply. Severus caught her by both arms and shook her lightly.

"I want you back in my bed, Hermione. I haven't had enough of you and don't want to wait until I am on my way to be turned for you to come to me. I don't want our coming together to be based on crisis. Last night was only a taste, witch. You have no idea how many ways I can please you. We enjoy each other. I have no one. You have no one. Let me be the one to meet your needs for the time being," he hissed at her passionately.

Hermione looked up at him.

"I…I don't know, Severus," she said, "This wasn't meant to be a relationship. I am trying to help you, to save you…"

Severus pulled her over to her dresser mirror.

"Look at me," he demanded, gesturing toward the mirror, "you are saving me."

Hermione looked and saw his image was much more solid than it was the last time she saw his reflection.

"If you agree to be my lover, Hermione, the curse will weaken and Vashti's hold on me will weaken along with it. I believe my solidity is a good gauge of how strong her hold is. I think it will grow strong again if I don't have you to keep me focused away from her. It won't be an unpleasant alliance, Hermione. I will be good to you," he said. "Help me."

"I'll have to think about it, Severus," Hermione said stepping away from him.

Severus' whole body tensed up. He felt like grabbing Hermione and throwing her into her bed, climbing in behind her sans towel and showing her that there was nothing to think about. If she didn't have on so many clothes, he might have. He didn't have his wand with him to divesto them.

"Right now I need you to take your vitamin, your blood-replenisher and eat your breakfast," Hermione said, sounding like a doctor again. "We have to get the Potions lab set up for the brewing. I've ordered the ingredients we don't have available. I was told they would be here as soon as tomorrow."

Severus looked at the list.

"Most of these ingredients are very costly, Hermione," he said frowning. "Several hundred galleons for small amounts."

"That's not a problem," she said, walking toward the bedroom door. "We need them, and I have the funds."

"You will not pay for the ingredients!" Severus said angrily, "Give me the bill. I will reimburse you. It's bad enough you foot the bill for the labs because of me."

"It wasn't because of you. I plan to use those labs for my own experiments," Hermione responded, her hands on her hips, scowling at the wizard.

But no one could outscowl Severus Snape. His face turned black and he stalked up to the witch, the expression on his face so frightening, it almost overshadowed his decidedly vampirish demeanor of the night before.

"What kind of wizard do you think I am, Hermione? It's bad enough because of this curse I have become an outcast, had to be taken in like a stray dog and am being protected by a witch and a…a…I don't know what the hell Adam is. Standing back and watching you empty into your purse to help me is where I draw the line. You would not have built either of those labs if not for me. Maybe you would have eventually done it, but I am the reason you've done it so soon, absorbing all the costs. Now you want to pay for my cure. I am not some charity case. I'm not a poor man and I am the one with the cock here. Let me do what a man is supposed to do! Pay my way!"

"I feel emasculated enough, Hermione. First I am the focus of some randy undead Queen who can make my cock and me bounce about like a marionette. Secondly, I find myself at the mercy of an exasperating, desirable but torn woman who I can only hope will continue to give me pussy so I don't turn into a fucking vampire! I have very little control of this situation. I need to do something to help myself. At least let me keep what little dignity I have left and pay for my own Elixir!"

Severus fell silent, but his chest was heaving with the emotion he felt. He had been holding this in and finally it tumbled out, red and raw for the witch to see. Hermione looked up at him, realizing he had to be feeling somewhat helpless about what was happening to him and having to count on others to help him. Severus was always a rather self-contained wizard, who didn't rely on others. Now he was forced to. And she was treating him like an invalid in many ways, though last night showed he had no handicap to speak of as a man.

"I'm so sorry, Severus," Hermione said, fishing into her pocket and retrieving the bill, handing it to him as he passed the list of ingredients back to her. "I didn't realize how you felt. Of course you can pay for the ingredients."

"I intend to pay for half of your lab construction and stocking as well," he said to her, frowning.

"That's fine," she replied.

Appeased that the witch would accept his money, the scowl left the Potions Master's face.

"Thank you," he said, feeling purged.

"And you're not at my mercy," Hermione said, "I will do what I must to keep you from going to Vashti."

Severus looked at her, a rather plaintive look on his pale face.

"But I am at your mercy. I want you to come to me not because you must, but because you want to. If I feel the need for you without being summoned, I want to be able to come to you and know I won't be automatically rejected because Vashti isn't trying to sink her fangs into me at the moment. I need something positive in my life right now, Hermione. I want you to be that something," he said quietly. "I know you felt something other than a sense of duty last night. You felt me. Agree to be my lover, Hermione. Give me some respite from this nightmare. Let me lose myself in you."

Hermione looked at the wizard, the towel slung low around his waist, his lean pale body mere inches from hers and realized that just telling her how he felt must be very difficult for him. Severus Snape was not the kind of wizard that asked anyone for anything, but yet he was asking her to continue with him. It was almost an admission that he needed her, not only wanted her. To remain undecided would be cruel…to fight what she herself felt…would be stupid. Deep down she knew she wanted to be with him that way again. He had awakened something inside her that would never sleep again. Even when she woke aching this morning, she looked at his sleeping face and felt a thrill go through her. He didn't love her, but he wanted her, took pleasure in her…and now she knew she was solace for him too.

"All right, Severus…I'll be here for you whenever you feel you need me, until we resolve this matter and get you cured," she said carefully, not wanting him to feel he was being forced into a relationship or that she was making a commitment beyond what was needed.

Most likely when this was over, they would both go back to their normal lives. Hermione would never be the same, however. She was no longer a virgin and knew what it was like to be satisfied by a man because of Severus. She wasn't afraid of physical intimacy any longer and discovered it was much more than a wizard sweating and grunting over her. It wasn't all taking. It was giving too. The wizard had given as much of himself to her as he had taken from her. At least, that was how she felt afterwards. It could have all been about sex for the Potions Master. But that was all right. She could live with her little delusions if she were wrong.

Severus gave her a small smile, then lifted her hand and kissed it gently.

"It is my hope Hermione, that you will find you want and need me as well," he said, releasing her hand. "and won't hesitate to tell me so."

Hermione felt warmth spreading over her. Ask him for sex. Gods…she couldn't do that…could she? No. She was still embarrassed about her wantonness. She had asked him to continue to "hurt" her last night. She couldn't believe she had the nerve to do that. But nerve had nothing to do with her reply. It was need that made her do it.

Now that Severus knew Hermione was his lover, he was able to focus on the rest of the day. He stepped back from her.

"I'll go and have my breakfast, then meet you in the Potions lab to discuss brewing the elixir. I believe the sooner we start the better," he said. "I will see you later, Dr. Granger," he purred at her, implying a deeper intimacy in using her title.

He exited her bedroom.

Hermione let out a long breath. Gods, he was a sexy wizard. She had never thought about wizards in that manner before. He was the first. But after last night how could she perceive him as anything else but sexy? The witch hoped she would be able to work with him without constantly going back to what they had done, or thinking about what they would do again. She was new at this.

Poor Hermione had no idea what being Severus Snape's lover entailed, but it was a position that was not regulated to beds or nights. It was a twenty-four hour, seven day a week job.

She'd soon find that out.

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A/N: Nice little clarification chapter. Severus was quite persuasive. Hermione doesn't realize she just made a deal with the devil. Lol. "I'll be here for you whenever you feel you need me." Baby, is she going to pay for that agreement. Well, anyway…please review.