Giving and Taking

“Well, its certainly about time Miss Granger, you’re lucky I’m in a kind and forgiving mood tonight or else I might have…”

But his voice trailed off as soon as he caught sight of the disheveled nature of Hermione. That hair, those seductive tresses, just begging, pleading for him. He wanted to ravish her more than ever at this moment. Hermione, once again oblivious to the internal war that was plaguing her professor, interrupted his thoughts to bring him down to earth.

“I apologize for my lateness, sir, but I lost track of time. I was in the library studying and got here as soon as I could. I know it’s not an excuse but it’s the truth, sir”

Snape could barely comprehend her apology. He was too distracted and felt that too-familiar stiffening. He hadn’t planned for her to be so sexy, so tempting when she came for detention. He fought for composure by crossing his legs and began talking again.

“Miss Granger, I appreciate your apology, despite its predictable nature. Where else would a know-it-all like yourself be? Which is precisely why you’re here. Since you think you don’t have to work with the rest of your classmates on a potion, then perhaps you’d like to grade the papers of your peers. Surely seeing their work in comparison with your own will inflate your opinion of yourself to an even higher level.”

Hermione struggled at the unfairness of the situation. She wondered if it’d be worth it to object, but ultimately she closed her mouth and sat in defeat. Snape stood up from his desk and handed her a large stack of parchment.

“Miss Granger, I do believe you’re familiar with what the assignment was. Since you are assuming that you got a perfect score, you may use yours as the grading model.”

Hermione sighed. There was no point in starting a conflict. He was the professor and she knew that despite being in good graces with the headmaster, she couldn’t complain to him. She thought, “Better suck it up, Hermione. Only two hours, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

With that mentality, Hermione set out to work. It was dull as anything, and Hermione did notice that the work of her classmates was on a significantly lower level than her own. While she didn’t take as much satisfaction in that fact as Snape had implied she did, she began to feel marginally better. A small smile found its way on her face and it wasn’t hidden to Snape’s careful eye.

He was grading as well, but couldn’t tear his eyes from Hermione. He knew he had troubled her, but he knew it had to be further if he wanted her to react. Still, he was pleased when he noticed that smile make its way onto her face. He watched her eyes move back and forth across the essays, occasionally squinting to make out a difficult word. She would frown slightly as she graded and he loved watching her bite her lower lip to avoid laughing at some completely idiotic sentence these dunderheads would writer. A small giggle escaped her lips as she read Neville’s.

“Enjoying yourself, aren’t you, Miss Granger? What could possibly be funny about what you’re doing? Perhaps you’re comparing yourself once more to your fellow classmates. Do you like feeling superior all the time? Is it some sort of thrill for you, Miss Granger?”

Hermione froze. Her heart was beating rapidly. Before she knew it, she stood up and slammed down her quill.

“THAT’S IT! I’m sorry Professor, but I cannot take this anymore. And I take it back, I’m not sorry. I am sick and tired of you picking on me. Is it some sort of thrill for you, sir, name calling? Because you’re just as bad as you’re accusing me to be. You know I’m not a know-it-all, so stop humiliating me in class! I’m being a good friend and maybe its not paying off now, but it will. Not like you’d know anything about being nice, or friendship for that matter!”

She stood, shaking slightly from this outburst and breathing heavily. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair gave her a slightly crazed look. Snape looked up from his papers and inhaled sharply at her state. He was finally seeing the Hermione Granger that he longed to see. He composed himself and replied calmly,

“Why Miss Granger, what an interesting remark about my social life. Completely unjustified and furthermore, none of your business. Yet you don’t deny helping out your “friends”. Enlighten me, Miss Granger, why do you do it? You know its not following the rules, and since you’re such a stickler for rules….”

Hermione suddenly hated him with every bone in her body.

“You have absolutely no idea who I am, do you?! I care deeply about my friends and I want them to succeed! You’re right, I am smart. Why shouldn’t I share that gift with my friends? If they can’t do the work, what’s wrong with giving them a little bit of help? It is certainly the kind thing to do. If you know anything about being kind, that is”

Snape replied scathingly, “Oh, but Miss Granger, you didn’t answer my question. Why do you not insist to follow rules in this case? You may be “helping” them now, but you know you’re just digging a deeper hole for them and yourself to fall into. For such a smart girl, Miss Granger, you happen to be quite oblivious to that.”

Hermione stood, a blazing expression of anger locked into her face. She took a daring step forward to Snape’s desk before she continued speaking.

“Professor Snape, sir, I do not consider helping my friends in class breaking rules. I do not like to do all the work, but sometimes I do because I have to. And I don’t think I should be punished for that. You refuse to punish Harry and Ron for neglecting to do their work, and I think that is more worthy of punishment than my actions”

Snape flashed his dark eyes at Hermione. This girl was courageous. It was the first time a student had ever spoken back this openly to him and with so little reserve. He wanted to intimidate her further. He too stood up from his chair, so they were facing each other across the desk. He braced his arms down on the desk so he was at eye level with her.

“Are you suggesting, Miss Granger, that I punish your friends instead of you? Because I would love the opportunity to bring Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley in here and tell them that you insisted they receive what they you say they deserve. How would you like that?” He gave her a challenging glance with this last remark.

“Professor Snape, why are you torturing me? What have I ever done to you” Tears began to fill Hermione’s eyes for the third time that day.

“Don’t you get it?” he replied softer, “I’m only doing this because I know you Hermione. You’re so capable of so much more, yet you refuse to see this. Why? I know you can do all the work, believe me I do. And I know that despite what you said earlier in my class, you could have done something far more challenging in this class. You think I’m torturing you? You’re torturing me! I see you, Hermione, in the library, in my classroom, anywhere, and I know you don’t belong here. You’re so far beyond everyone, and they’re holding you back. That is what’s not fair in this scenario. And you refuse to see that. Your stubbornness is limiting you. Don’t you want to see how far you can go?”

Hermione was speechless for two reasons. First, he had never actually taken an interest in the wellbeing of anyone outside of his own House. Why did he care so much? Second, he used her first name. Never had a teacher called her Hermione, and to hear Professor Snape do it was unnerving. As he spoke with his low, rich voice, she watched his face. She had never notice just how angular he was shaped. He had a well defined jaw line with faint stubble. His nose was large, of course, and made him looking even more demanding. She noticed the glittering intensity in his dark eyes. His dark hair hung by his face, making his complexion seem paler in comparison. It was the first time she had actually considered him as a person and not an opponent. She looked down at the desk. Hermione had never noticed how broad his shoulders were or how large his hands were. She licked her lips nervously. She was experiencing something very strong within her, as if her feelings of anger had morphed into something else. There was an unmistakable attraction that she felt towards him at this moment. He was powerful, so dominating that she wildly imagined him throwing her on his desk and getting on top of her. She shook her head, trying to dismiss the thought. For the first time, she felt alive.

“Miss Granger, why are you shaking your head at me? You don’t see all the possibilities that could be in store for you? What, are you too proud for me to help you? Don’t want help from a conniving Slytherin, I trust. Miss Granger, let me reiterate this, you could go far. Stop limiting yourself. I’ve looked beyond this silly House difference because I see your intelligence. What’s frustrating to me is that you can’t see yourself the way I do!”

A wave of reckless courage crashed upon Hermione. Summoning up the strength she never knew she had, she took another bold step forward so she was at the side of Snape’s desk, inches away from his imposing frame. She looked up to his face and asked,

“And how exactly do you see me, Professor?”

He wasn’t prepared for this. Flashes from his fantasies suddenly flooded his mind. He tried to get rid of them, but she was too close to him. He was losing control. He started to stammer idiotically.

“What type of question is that, Miss Granger? I see you as someone who reads, books you know. I see you at the library…I see you, just you. Miss Granger, your hair is…your hair is, Miss Granger your hair is insanely distracting. I can’t stop thinking about it. You’re a genius and I want you…I mean I want you to realize that. I, I don’t know what else to say. You’re distracting me, your hair….”

Hermione took a small step forward so that the edge of her chest was just lightly grazing his. He began to breathe heavily, silently cursing his weakness in dialogue before. He had to maintain control but it was hard to do when his mind and his body wanted two different things from the same person.

Hermione purred, “My hair, did you say Professor Snape? Personally I hate it. It is far too wild and untamed. But perhaps, maybe once in a while, you have to let it all hang out”

She had no idea where this audacity was coming from. She was dangerous. The anger that she had felt before shifted to violent feelings of passionate lust. She shifted her legs and moved even closer to Snape, her chest pressed even deeper into his.

He got even harder. She was so near to him. He didn’t like losing the dominance in the situation. He felt awkward, he had no idea what to do with his hands. Of course, in his fantasies, he did a lot with his hands but in real life, he was lost. He started to move his right arm to brace himself on the desk, but Hermione grabbed it. She ran her fingers up his forearm, creating goosebumps along the way. Slowly, with a lascivious expression, she moved it to the side of her right breast. Snape froze and swallowed. He was harder than ever, it was tightening uncomfortably against his leg. He couldn’t move his hand away from her. It was that magnetism again. Slowly, he cupped her breast tightly over the shirt. Hermione closed her eyes and leaned her head into his strong chest. She felt the powerful hardness, pressed even harder against her. Hermione took her right hand and began to move it slowly up and down its outline in his pants. He groaned and pushed her closer. His left hand free, he began to run his fingers through her wild hair. He buried his face in its mass, inhaling its deep flowery scent.

“Miss Granger” he whispered, bending down to her ear, “what are you doing?” He could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. There was electricity in her eyes, the spark that he loved to see when she was studying something just for her own personal enjoyment. But there another spark there as well, one he had never seen anywhere besides his wildest dreams.

“You, sir. At least I intend to.”

He suddenly flipped her around pushed her against the wall. With a gasp of surprise from her, he used one of his hands to hold up both her arms above her head. With his legs on either side of her, she could feel his erection against her even more. His right hand with still on her breast, and he began to massage it roughly, still outside her shirt. She moaned quietly. With a burst of spontaneous passion, of long awaited desire, he bent his head down and kissed her. He was a forceful kisser, powerfully owning her mouth with his. She savored that feeling, his entire body pressed against hers. His tongue started to explore her mouth and she let it. That powerful mouth was melting all her earlier pain with its strong kissing and persistent tongue. Hermione felt as though she were on fire from her internal inferno that was building. After a lifetime, they stopped for air.

She looked up at him and he looked down at her. The passion was evident in both their eyes. They knew they shouldn’t but they would never be able to stop. They were both in too deep.

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