Evil Personified

Two

"Professor?"

Pain echoed in Severus' head. His vision was blurred and unfocused. The smell of jasmine was back. He reached out, and his hand tangled in soft hair. Why was he in bed with a woman? He didn't remember going on a raid. What had he been doing last? No matter. If a woman were here, he would use her to his advantage. It had been a very long time since he'd attended to his sexual needs. He jerked her down to him, staring hard at her in an effort to bring her into focus.

Hermione gave a surprised squeak as one of the Professors' hands snaked out and grabbed her by the hair, yanking her down so hard that she half sprawled across the top half of his body.

"Professor, please," she tried to keep her voice low and soft, to avoid both irritating him and waking the other patients.

"Mine," he hissed in a voice both raspy and lethal sounding.

"Wha.." Hermione panicked as his other arm clamped around her waist, pinning her against him, and his mouth found hers more out of sheer luck than aim. Her protest was cut off as he hungrily shoved his tongue inside, finding hers and rubbing sensuously against it.

Hermione tried to struggle, but the Professor proved to her that although he appeared thin, he was strongly muscled, and his steel-like grip wasn't lessening.

She felt like all the blood had drained from her at the first touch of his mouth. It wasn't the first time she'd been kissed, but no male she had ever kissed had kissed her like this. The Professor was devouring her with his lips and tongue, just like she was a delicious treat and he a starving man.

Not only did his tongue rub and lick and tease hers, but also it drew her into the cavern of his mouth to further torture.

Hermione could hardly breathe. Her heart was pounding in her ears. A rumble not unlike a growl came from the Professor as he shifted, and Hermione found herself pinned underneath him in a tangle of blankets.

He released her mouth only to nibble wetly down her jaw to her neck.

"P-Professor," she sucked in much needed air. "Please let me up."

"You're mine. I found you first. It's too bad if you want Lucius. He can have you when I'm finished," he mumbled.

He bit down on her neck, hard. She yelped. It was clear that the Professor was not in his right mind.

Think fast, Granger. She was having problems thinking and trying to wriggle out from under Snape. His long black hair tickled against her bare skin as his mouth and hand shoved one spaghetti strap of her gown down her arm intent on baring her breast. He made the mistake of lifting his weight in an effort to shove aside the covers. Hermione shoved away from him so quickly that she fell to the floor. Snape grabbed at her but ended up with an armful of tangled covers.

She scrambled away quickly as he sat up, puzzled. His head was spinning and he closed his eyes. Pain shot through his head before blackness closed in and he slumped down in the bed, out cold again.

Hermione cautiously stood up, and straightened her gown. She was trembling. She had not expected him to attack her. It was her own fault, to be certain, for coming in here and getting to close to a wizard that she knew was dangerous to begin with.

She ran her shaking fingers through her curls, trying to smooth them down. She wouldn't dare tell Poppy what had happened. She was afraid of what might be said. She'd had no idea that Snape would grab her, and she was so shocked in her mind that she didn't know what to think.

She hurried out to the wards and looked around, thankful that no one had woken up during her interlude with the Professor.

Poppy found her sitting calmly on a chair when she returned, thankful for her short break.

"Thank you so much, Hermione," Poppy said. "Are you going back to the party?"

"I don't think so, I need to study."

Poppy shook her head.

"It wouldn't hurt you to have some amusement tonight, dear. You study far too much for your own good. Besides, the examinations were canceled."

"I think it's horrible that Dumbledore did that. I like to take examinations. I'm going to speak to Professor McGonagall and see if I can't take mine."

"You're the only student I've ever seen come through here talking like that. Well, if that's what you want to do, then do it."

Hermione grinned, and after wishing the mediwitch a nice evening, went back to her room. She leaned against the closed door and took a deep breath. Professor Snape had kissed her. And what a kiss it was! The few kisses she'd ever had paled in comparison.

Mine, he'd said. He'd taken possession of her as if she belonged only to him. She wasn't stupid by a long shot. She knew that the man was cold, hateful, and snarky. She doubted that he had an ounce of romance in him. But that kiss----
Oh Gods. And the heavy weigh of him pinning her to the mattress.

She walked into the bathroom and shoved the straps of her dress off her shoulders. The satiny fabric slid down her body to pool at her bare feet. Clad only in her pale blue knickers, she stared at her face in the mirror above the sink. Her lips were red, and felt swollen from his kisses. Her face was pink in places where his whiskers had rubbed against it.

The taste of him was still in her mouth. She picked up her toothbrush, then sat it back down. She liked the taste of him and though her Mum would call that unsanitary by not brushing before bed, she would let his taste linger.

She brushed her hair, slowly working out the tangles. When that was done, she parted it and began to braid it as she did most nights. Her hands stopped in mid braid as her eyes fell upon a dark smudge on her neck. Where Professor Snape had bitten her was, upon closer inspection, a passion mark. Color flooded her face.

Other girls had came back to the common room with marks like this, but never Hermione. Snape had actually wanted her, or thought he had anyway. She finished braiding her hair, still thinking about what had happened.

What would have happened if she hadn't gotten away from him? Would he have had sex with her?

Hermione's mind had not gone that far in her imaginings about him. She'd mostly imagined kissing him in the potions lab. She stepped out of her knickers. The crotch sported a large wet spot, which made her blush again. She put on her pajamas and went to bed, where she lay awake far into the night, alternately embarrassed and curious.

~*~

Severus sat up in bed, and glared at the curtains surrounding him. He was still slightly achy, but his vision was clear and he realized he was in the hospital wing. He threw back the covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"And just where do you think you are going, Severus?" Poppy asked, opening the curtains and standing there, tray in hand.

"Back to my own rooms," he growled. "I am not an invalid and quite able to see to myself."

"You stupid man, you took a bad cruciatus and you've been out cold for several days. You're lucky you weren't killed. Now lie down."

"I assure you, Poppy, that I am feeling better today."

"Good, and we want you to continue to get better. Here. Take your medicine."

She handed him the vial of potion that would make him rest.

"I have too much to do to continue sleeping," he argued. "Where's my wand?"

"Awake, are we, Severus?" Albus Dumbledore stepped inside the curtain where his potions master was pulling open the drawers in the table by his bed, and removing his wand.

"Yes, Albus, I have fully recovered."

"No, he has not," Poppy interrupted. "I am attempting to talk some sense into him, Albus. He is determined that he is going back to his own rooms."

"There is no hurry, Severus," Albus said mildly. "We won the war, and I have canceled all the exams, with the exception of those for Miss Granger. You can easily rest for as long as you need."

Severus, who with a flick of his wand had conjured his clothing, frowned sourly at the mention of "Granger" and "Exams".

"Why did you not cancel hers if I may ask? Or was the know-it-all too disappointed?"

"Miss Granger asked that she be able to take her exams and all of her Professors consented to allow her to do so. In view of your injury, I took it upon myself to give her your consent to take her potions exam."

"How thoughtful of you," Severus hissed.

"Now Severus, be nice. It is rare that we have students as bright as Hermione Granger. If you are not well enough to administer the exam, I will be happy to do so in your stead."

"I am well enough to administer my own exam," He stood up, feeling shaky but forcing himself to stand straight.

"You are too stubborn for your own good. However, if you insist on being up and about then go ahead. I would expect that you will return to your bed if you feel ill."

Severus shoved his wand in the inner pocket of his cape. He was going to his own rooms where no one could bother him and indulge in some self-healing by having a drink or two of Old Ogden's Firewhiskey. He stalked off, and Albus watched him go in amusement.

"Why didn't you make him stay in bed?" Poppy asked. "He really isn't strong enough to be up and about."

"Because it will do no good to argue with him. Best let the boy stay in his dungeon."

"Hermione was worried about him."

"Oh?"

"She sat by his bed off and on, chewing on her lower lip and hoping I would not notice that she was keeping an eye on him."

"I find that rather interesting. Was she here last evening?"

"She brought me something to eat while I took a short break."

"Very thoughtful of her." Albus rubbed his beard and made a mental note to keep an eye on the brilliant witch.

"She is most kind," Poppy agreed. "Have you eaten yet this morning?"

"I am on my way there. Don't worry about me, Poppy. I have taken my vitamins as you directed. Severus is the only stubborn one amongst the staff," he assured her. "Besides," he added sheepishly, "Minerva won't let me forget."

"Good for her. Sometimes you are just as stubborn as Severus, Albus."

Albus smiled good-naturedly.

"I do what I must," he replied. "And that reminds me that I have a full day ahead of me. I will return this evening to visit with our remaining patients."

~*~

It wasn't until two days later that Hermione came into contact with Snape again.
She'd heard that he had left the hospital wing from Draco. She was eager to take the exam but extremely nervous after what had happened between them.

She hoped that Snape wouldn't remember that she'd been there. After being injured he was bound to be cranky enough without any added incidents to increase his anger. She kept reminding herself that he had not been in his right mind and that he had not meant to kiss her.

She couldn't forget it. The mark on her neck had faded very little. She didn't worry too much about it, since her uncontrollable hair covered it. The feel of his mouth on hers had been thrilling and scary. It did make her wonder though, if he had ever cared about a woman enough to be possessive as he had been with her. As far as she knew, he had never been with anyone the students found out about in the six years she'd been here.

Snape was at his desk, writing grades in his book when Hermione walked in. He glanced at the hourglass, then at her.

"I am not late, Sir," she said before he could comment.

"You are annoyingly prompt, Miss Granger. Your assignment is written on the board. You have two hours to complete it. I will expect a finished sample at the end of that time."

"Yes, Professor." She sat down her potions kit and began organizing the ingredients that Snape had left on the table for her.

He seemed as acid as ever towards her, which relieved her-a little bit. Hermione wasn't certain what she had been expecting. She stole a glance at him. In the dim light of the dungeons, awake and stern, it was hard to imagine kissing the man. A wide grin crossed her face as she thought of the rage that he would be in if he remembered what he had done to her.

"I am not allowing you to take your exam for your amusement, Miss Granger," he snapped, suddenly glaring at her. "And you would bode well to keep your eyes on your work and not on me!"

"I hope you are feeling better, Professor," she ventured to say as she turned back to her work.

"My health or lack thereof is none of your concern."

Hermione looked back at him, and had the nerve to stare him in the eye.

"I am not being intrusive, Sir. I was concerned for your safety after you were hit in battle. I am also proud that you received the Order of Merlin that you deserved."

The know-it-all was congratulating him? He was at a loss as to how to react.

Hermione turned back to him and continued crumbling dried porcupine quills into the cauldron.


Severus stared at her back. She wasn't wearing her robes, but had on worn blue jeans and a top that he did not feel was appropriate. He could force her to go back upstairs and change, but at the moment he preferred to ignore her. Besides, Albus would probably take her side since he favored any one of the golden three.

He bent his head back to his grade books. Aggravating, that's what she was.