A Terrible Temptation

A/N - A few answers to some questions. First: I take Claritin and am under a doctor\'s care, this is jjust a yearly hurdle for me to jump. I live in SoCal, so it\'s not that cold, but cold enough to make my lungs spasm. I can\'t breathe, but I can still type, though oxygen deprivation makes me a trifle woozy. :)

Yes, all the quotations are from Cyrano DeBergerac. If you have read the play or even seen the film you will understand why Severus feels such a kinship with Cyrano, especially in the situation he is in now where he has to hide his love behind a facade of indiference. He won\'t be quoting anyone else because this is his metaphor for his situation. (Though I love Neruda).

The \"it\'s good to be the King line\" is a reference to History of the World Part 1 and to the \"Weasley is our King\" chant the Gryffs gave to Ron in one of those nice books by that sweet lady to whom we owe our fandom.

Cat names: Every cat has a title and a tribe name and the Animagi also have the cat-name for their human form. Silver Fur is Minerva\'s human form name, Grey Fur is for her cat-form because if you watch the movies there is a distinct difference in shades and cat\'s see shade gre grey as being distinct different colors because all they see is gray. Cat-Nip-Man is Severus in human form, Soot is his tribe name because he is pure black from eyes to tail tip and when curled p he looks like a pile of soot. Titles are used in convocation and on formal occasions. Yes, I have thought way too much about this. :) I have a lot of cats and I watch them adn try to figure out what\'s going on in their kitty brains. Well, beside - tuna, naptime, laptime and playtime.

Deeble - Glad you picked up on how Squicked Harry is by the thought of SEverus getting horny for Hermione while in his body. Big EWwwww from Harry\'s point of view.

Thanks to all my reviewers and I forgive those of you who cursed my name for the frickour our days I was gone. LOL. Some people go months without updating a story you know! :) Wow, these are the longest author\'s notes that I have ever written.

And here now the beta\'d version though the text went wonky when I inputed it, hope that it doesn\'t post like this because I can\'t seem to fix it. Thank you KATE!!!!


Chapter 28 – Simple Solutions

Hermione took the cloak from Ron with trembling hands. She still wasn’t sure that she was ready for this but she que questions that needed answers and there was only one place to find those answers. For two months she had quietly received and sent letters and been a good and discreet girl. Because of the forced separation between them she was getting both

It was just that she had never even kissed him, not when he was Harry and not when he was himself. She had never heard the words from his own mouth, just the romantic and beautiful words on paper. In class, he was the same hateful unfair man he had always been with no sign of his feelings for her and she was wondering if in person their relationship had a chance at all. In short she needed to talk to him face to face.

Ron had been in a dreamy, happy, Lavender-colored haze for the last two months and he had smiled benignly at her request that he steal Harry’s cloak for her. Ron had told her that the cloak had been getting a workout lately and that Harry was used to it going missing. Hermione informed him that she needed no details, thank you, or she would be unable to wear the cloak anywhere at all for gagging. Ron had simply smiled and drifted off, his feet never touching the ground.

Hermione rapped on the door nervously. Severus would be expecting Ron, not her and she was scared of his reaction to her showing up unannounced on his doorstep. She could call him Severus in her mind but even now she almost whispered it mentally, still thinking she ought to call him Professor. Still, snogging him while calling him “Sir” had undertones she knew she wasn’t up for in any way shape or form.

The door opened and he stepped aside. It took her a moment to move past him into the room because he looked so different in private. In shirt and trousers without the black robes he seemed both vulnerable and far more approachable. His hair was tied back and the sharp angles and planes of his face were revealed the way they had been in the Hospital.

She kept her eyes on his face as she pulled off the invisibility cloak. His eyes went wide, his mouth dropped open, and he looked at her with that intense hungry gaze that she had seen on Harry’s face. Relief flooded her; there was the man she had fallen for. She let out her breath in a gust and understanding flooded his face.

“You shouldn’t have come.” His voice, so sharp and hurtful in the classroom also could be soothing and velvet-smooth she discovered.

“I was panicking a bit.” She admitted to him and the tiniest smile curved his lips. He took a hesitant step towards her and his hand made an abortive gesture in her direction. She realized in a flash that he had no clue as to whether his touch was welcome to her, despite the impassioned letters and heartfelt declarations; in the flesh they were both hopelessly tongue-tied.

She decided that words were decidedly overrated and stepped into his embrace with a small sigh. He wrapped his arms around her and held her against his chest as though she was the most fragile and precious thing he had ever held.

She burrowed into him, clinging with a feeling of perfect rightness. Her face turned towards his shoulder, her cheek against his chest, she could hear his heartbeat through the soft silken fabric of his shirt. One of his hands began to stroke her hair and his face rested atop her head.

All her doubts were stilled; the nagging voice of propriety and good sense was silenced. There was nowhere on this earth she wanted to be more than here in his arms with him in this moment. This was home.

Ginny Weasley watched Harry from the window seat in the library. He was bent over a textbook frowning and muttering softly as he worked. Ron, Ginny knew, was off with Lavender and Hermione was who knew where.
Lately, Hermione had been merely friendly again towards Harry and both she and Ron had been dreamy-eyed and distant. Ginny had guessed that Hermione was in love, but with whom and how it had happened when she had proclaimed her love to Harry not so very long ago had not been confided to Ginny.

In fact, Ginny was feeling rather left out of late. Everyone had someone to talk to about their problems and feelings except for Ginny. Well, Harry didn’t either now, did he? She looked at him again and wondered. She was over her crush these days but she could still be his friend, couldn’t she? Would he listen or would he laugh at her? Well, there was only one way to find out.

“Harry? Are you very busy?” she asked tentatively. He looked up from the homework and gave her the lopsided grin that had once devastated her young heart. She was immune to it now of course, but she could remember the effect it used to have on her.

“Ginny, tell me you have come to save me from the tedium of DADA homework.” He teased and she returned his smile.

“I will happily rescue you, Harry.” She gave a mock bow and when she rose she saw his face turned solemn and sad.

“I wish someone could.” He spoke in a near-whisper and she sat beside him and put her arms around him to comfort him from whatever hurt was lurking in his eyes. She was ever after unsure as to how they ended up with mouths fused together or how she came to be on his lap, her hands buried in his dark hair and her mouth swollen from the intensity of his kisses. All she knew was that she had finally understood what she had forgotten in the Chamber of Secrets: she was a strong and powerful witch and even heroes needed saving some times.

Severus poured Hermione another cup of tea and shook his head in negation.

“Paracelsus said some wonderful and profound things, but a great deal of it was just fractured ramblings. He wanted to see the same processes being repeated endlessly throughout nature and that theory only functions in the broadest sense.” Severus settled back onto the couch and pulled her into his arms again.

She leaned against him, her head on his chest and her teacup tilting dangerously in her hand as she lay half-reclined with his arm across her shoulders. She sipped awkwardly but made no move to change their posture.

“True, but he was correct to a certain extent in that a holistic approach can yield rts wts where a simple analysis of an individual process cannot.” She argued back and he was delighted by her perceptions. To have a wit as sharp as hers to hone his own against was delightful.

“But you cannot use that approach in all areas. There are specializations to be taken into account. Just because two plants are green doesn’t mean that they both will respond the same in a potion.” He argued more for the sake of hearing her reply and kogping her close against him than because he was invested in deb debate.

“No, but you can be certain that they both contain chlorophyll.” She retorted and poked him sternly in the chest with a free finger, coming close to spilling the tea again. He rescued the teacup from her and set it aside, certain she would soon scald him with her gestures.

“If I had a clue as to what chlorophyll was I am sure that argument would mean something.” He snarled back at her. He was insta reg regretful, thinking she would shrink from his sarcastic tone.

Instead she grabbed his face between her slender hands and kissed him. Her lips were hot and still a little bruised from their earlier session but they were heaven to him. He pulled her tight against him, her slight frame hardly impacting him at all as she lay atop him. She was a tiny thing; he was filled with wonder at how small and dainty she was. She would grow very little more and with his height he would always tower over her.

He had a vision of them forty years from now, him stridinong ong with her beside him. She would argue with him about everything; he knew that already and he was warmed by though that she would never let him get away with anything. In his vision she resembled nothing so much as a Pekingese scolding a greyhound and he found himself hardening at the thought of what their future could hold.

She gasped as she felt his erection straining his trousers and he saw the slightest tinge of fear and uncertainty in her gaze.

“You are safe, Hermione. I will never touch you in a way that you do not authorize. Is that clear?” He cocked a sardonic brow at her and she relaxed and nodded, a small rueful grin peeping out. She had dimples. He had always abhorred dimples, but on her they were delightful. He really was becoming a sentimental old fool.

Her lips closed over his again and he forgot that he was a mean, spiteful, hateful man with two masters to serve and little prospect for a future. He was kissing the woman he had fallen hopelessly in love with and he was as content with his lot as he had ever been.