Be Careful in the Dark

Hermione stood under the pounding hot water of her shower. She put her hands on the wall and closed her eyes. She’d stopped shivering from her earlier drenching about ten minutes previously. Now she was trying to unwind. Unfortunately, inappropriate images of Severus Snape kept worming their way into her head. What if she could have stayed and fucked him right there, in the mud and pouring rain? It seemed like a strange fantasy but she couldn’t get it out of her mind. Sexual frustration pooled in her groin and masturbating was not going to cut it. She sighed and turned the shower off.

As she toweled off and put on her comfy flannel pajamas, she contemplated something very foolish: contacting Severus Snape for the sole purpose of sex. It was crazy. He already had a good idea who she was and even though she had saved his life, Hermione knew he would not hesitate to use knowledge of her identity against her. Bad idea. Bad, bad, bad.

She climbed into bed and tried to sleep. Hermione shifted from position to position but nothing felt comfortable. Damn it all to hell! She was so randy that it was difficult to relax. With a growl, she threw her comforter off of her and went over to her desk. She chewed her pen for a while, thinking, before starting to write. After a few minutes, she rubbed her hands on her pants, heart pounding in her chest, and finished enchanting the note she had written to Severus. It was the first time she had suggested meeting outside of the wizarding world and she wasn’t certain he would do it. She stilled her hand, wondering again if she was making a mistake.

She left the note on her desk and took a deep breath. The owl office didn’t open until tomorrow any way. She could think about this. She returned to bed and dropped off to sleep.

Her dreams that night were jumbled and strange. When she woke, she could only remember wisps—a woman’s face, whispers, and sand running through her fingers. She blinked groggily in the early morning light. Her desire for Severus ate at her like an itch she couldn’t reach. She sighed, knowing she was going to give in, that she was going to send the letter. There was too little pleasure in her life and she was tired of it. Besides, she had a lot more free time now that the Avery business was finished.

As early morning light crept over the horizon, Hermione finally gave up on sleep and got up. She blinked sleepily as she made herself a cup of tea. Severus’ note sat on her desk and her eyes kept drifting in its direction. . Hermione ignored the niggling feeling that this was a bad idea. Of course it was. These days it seemed like all she was having one bad idea after another.

With a sigh, she set her teacup in the sink and walked to her bedroom to get dressed. She dressed practically in a pair of pants, boots, and a long sleeved top. Opening her jewelry box, she pulled out a long piece of braided cloth. Threaded between the cloth pieces was a small tiger’s eye stone. She secured the cloth around her ankle and whispered the activation spell. She looked up to see a non-descript blond man reflected in the mirror. Hermione grinned. She’d made a set of these handy little charms the other week. They weren’t as good as a bone deep transfiguration but they hurt a lot less.

Of course, it was always wise to have a back up plan. With this in mind, she pulled another one out of the jewelry box. This charm had slightly different colors in the cloth and had an amethyst woven into the cloth. This one she secured around her neck. Her image shimmered again and now she was looking at a striking woman with black hair and pale skin. She smiled again and saw a sultry smirk spread across her face. These charms were great.

She gathered up a few items and placed them into a small leather bag, including a set of new robes she had purchased. She was ready. All she needed was the letter. Her hand hovered over the letter and Hermione bit her lip. This was a risk and on more than one level. There was no way to request a reply from Severus. She would just have to show up at the appointed time and hope he did too. It was a foolish and ridiculous thing to do.

Despite all of her misgivings, she stuffed the letter in her bag and apparated out of her apartment. She had several errands to run before going to the owl office. While she was nowhere near as famous as Harry, she preferred to her shopping in disguise. She was one of the Golden Trio and the stares, the whispers, and the constant feeling of being exposed was too much for her. Finally, she stopped in front of the owl office and swallowed nervously. She still had time to back out of this plan.

After a minute, she walked in and began filling out the paperwork. She had an anonymous account with the England Owl Post Office. It was usually used by businesses but, for an exorbitant price, it was also available to individuals. As long as there was nothing illegal in the contents of the letter, the letters would be delivered anonymously. She had funded this account through a variety of means, one of them involving emptying Avery’s accounts. The magic that would allow someone to trace the letter back to the sender was suspended. It was how she had managed to stay in contact with people like Dumbledore without giving away her identity.

The letter was sent and now all she could do was wait.

In the meantime, she had a dozen things she had to do not the least of which was get rid of Avery. And she should also make sure she actually had a room reservation for the hotel she had suggested. So much time and so little to do. Wait. Reverse that.