In His Kiss

CHAPTER 3: When Dark Wizards Go A ‘Courting







Severus wanted to smile at Hermione when she arrived for breakfast, but years of keeping carefully controlled expressions on his face made it difficult. Besides, he didn’t really want to attract attention to himself, or his uncharacteristic behavior towards a woman, especially one who was half his age and a colleague. He stood and held her chair as she climbed onto the dais and took her seat.





“Good morning Hermione.” He said, very quietly. Hermione looked over at him as he took his seat.





“Good morning, I was expecting the silent treatment, I’m glad I was wrong.” She said, just as softly. He didn’t want the others listening in and that was fine with her.





“I was wondering…” He cleared his throat and took a drink from his mug. “I have patrols tonight, and thought maybe you would like to join me, instead of taking your walk in the gardens. It will be warmer…somewhat.” Hermione was smiling. He was blushing, just slightly.





“That sounds lovely. You aren’t going to chain me up in the dungeons are you?” She asked, laughing loudly when he choked on his bacon. Everyone was staring as he coughed and sputtered. Hagrid was slapping him on the back hard enough to crack his ribs. When he was finally able to breathe again he shrugged Hagrid off and turned back to Hermione.





“Would you care to explain that little comment?” He asked quietly.





“When I was head girl and patrolling with Draco he chained me in the dungeon and cast a tickle jinx. He thought it was funny and I swore never to patrol with a Slytherin again.” She smiled.





“Well, I can assure you my intentions are honorable. I merely wanted the pleasure of your company.” He said. “I am sorry about Draco however; he always did have a rather sadistic sense of humor.”





“Nothing new there. I suppose you know that he works for the ministry now?”





“No, I hadn’t heard. I do not socialize with the Malfoy family any longer. It seems…wiser to let go of past relationships, all things considered.” He said between bites of scrambled eggs.





“I suppose. I see Draco often actually. He’s an Auror and works with Harry. He’s a changed man, his father as well.”





“Don’t let Lucius fool you, he doesn’t believe in change.”





“I don’t know, he’s actually kind of….nice.” She said, and odd smile twisting her lips.





“Lucius Malfoy? Nice? Are you sure it’s him? You and your friends haven’t been brewing Polyjuice potion again have you? Maybe Draco slipped it to someone pretending to be Lucius.”





“Wait, how do you know we brewed polyjuice potion?” She asked.





“I have wards on my cupboards; they told me it was you who removed the ingredients.” He said, sipping his tea and hiding his smile behind the cup.





“Well I’ll be damned. Why didn’t you stop us? Or put us in detention?” Her eyes were wide in surprise.





“Curiosity mostly. I wanted to see if you could actually brew it correctly; it was a rather advanced potion for a witch your age. And then I began to wonder why you wanted it to begin with. It was a rather ingenious plan. Well, at least until you turned yourself into a cat, that was….unexpected.” Severus said, remembering the incident.





“Yes, that was unfortunate.” She said. “I steer clear of brewing potions now; I leave it to professionals such as you.” She said with a cheery smile. They finished their breakfast and Severus escorted her to her classroom.





“I will stop by your rooms at nine then?” He asked, keeping his voice quiet so that none of the students would overhear and gossip.





“I’m looking forward to it.” She said before turning and walking to the front of her classroom. Severus felt almost giddy as he walked away.





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Hermione was sitting in a chair before the fireplace in her sitting room, attempting to read her book. However, she seemed to be spending more of her time glancing at the clock to see if it was time for Severus to retrieve her for their walk. She had asked herself a million times what she thought she was doing. He had been her teacher and at one time, a death eater. He was twice her age and not at all nice. She had no business encouraging his attention, but she couldn’t fight whatever it was that was happening inside her when she was close to him.





“Pssst!” Hermione looked up at the portrait above the fireplace. The lady from the painting on her door was crowding into a portrait of five sisters.





“Yes?” Hermione asked curiously. What was she doing?





“The dark one is coming! I think he’s going to…..Oh dear! He’s knocking on the door! You should hide Miss!” The lady said, looking over her shoulder as though the boogey man were on her tail.





“No need for me to hide, Severus was invited, let him in.” Hermione laughed as she set her book aside.





“But Miss, he’s…scary.” She said, shivering.





“No, he’s not, just let him in please.” Hermione watched the image reluctantly exit the frame, much to the relief of the sisters, and listened as the door swung open.





Severus hadn’t been in anyone other than Dumbledore’s private quarters before, and certainly never those of a female co-worker. He stepped through a low, curved archway and into the sitting room, ducking slightly so as not to bump his head. Her rooms were designed and decorated to fit her tastes. Plush, woven rugs in floral patterns covered the stone floors. Thick, overstuffed cream colored furniture sat arranged around the fireplace, several book cases in dark wood lined the walls, along with several tables and assorted chairs scattered about. Almost every surface contained pots of flowers, candles and photographs in gold frames.





“Good evening Severus.” Hermione said, smiling up at him as she sat on the edge of the sofa and pulled her boots on.





“Good evening. Your rooms are very…feminine.” He said, looking down at a photograph of her and her friends laughing in their graduation robes. Beside it was another of them at Harry Potter’s wedding.







“Could be because I’m a woman.” She said, smiling as she watched him. “If you are interested, there is a photograph of Draco and his Dad behind you.” She pointed to a small table beneath a window. Severus looked down at the photograph, not at all surprised to see that Draco looked just like his father, he just chose to maintain shorter hair. Lucius looked the same as always, if you looked beyond the big smile on his face.







“He looks like his father, of course he always did.” Severus said, turning back to her. She was shrugging into her black teaching robes and smiling at him. “You smile a lot.”





“I’m happy. Maybe you need to smile more?” She said, walking towards him, grabbing her wand from the table as she went and tucking it into the pocket inside her robe.





“I think my smile muscles have atrophied.” He said as she led them through the door.





“Not true, it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile. So, since you spend most of your time frowning or scowling, I can only assume you do not know how to smile.” She said cheekily as she walked alongside him down the dimly lit corridors of the castle.





“You may be correct; I haven’t exactly had much cause to smile in recent years. When I do attempt it, I’m told that I appear to be smirking and look like a smartass.” He said. He reached out to steady her as the staircase beneath their feet shook and swung around to another landing.





“Maybe I can help you with that. I seem to be constantly smiling or laughing at something or another. Not difficult when your entire circle of friends are complete idiots who enjoy making asses of them selves.” She said. Hermione shivered a little as they stepped into the dark and chilly halls of the dungeons. “Do you always patrol in the dark?” She asked, stepping carefully since she couldn’t really see where she was going.







“I apologize.” He said, removing his wand and casting a lumos charm. “I have developed very acute night vision over the years and know these halls like the back of my hand.”







“Not me, I steered clear of the dungeons as much as possible. I was too afraid of the Slytherin’s to come down here. With good reason mind you.” Hermione said.





“Ah yes, young Malfoy. He needed a firm hand, more attention from his father. I wish he had not been exposed to so much negativity, maybe his days at Hogwarts would have been better.” Severus said. “Excuse me for a moment.” He was frowning as he walked quickly forward and jerked back a tapestry that covered a hidden alcove. “Wiggins, Gilliam, get back to your dorms. Ten points each from Slytherin.” The students scrambled from their hidey hole, stopping to stare at Hermione in surprise for a moment before making their way back towards the Slytherin dorms.







“I think that’s the first time I have seen you remove points from your own house Severus. And all over a little snogging.” She teased.







“I can overlook many things from my Slytherins; they tend to be sorted into my house because of certain…tendencies. But I can not sit back and allow such potentially dangerous behavior. I do not care to answer to any parents who find their daughter in the family way.”





“Oh, it was just a little kissing, I’m sure that when you were young you snogged your fair share of young witches in hidden corners.” She laughed.







“Actually, no. I found better ways to occupy my time.” He said haughtily as they walked through the long, icy halls, stopping ever so often to check an alcove or dark corner for more amorous youth.





“Now what can be better than indulging in a few sweet stolen kisses?” Hermione laughed at the appalled look on his face.





“I don’t know, reading? Creating new spells and potions?” He looked over at her curiously, his brows lifted. “I don’t seem to recall you spending any time in dark corners.”





“Not because I didn’t want to.” She laughed. “Ever hear the phrase Boys don’t make passes at girls who wear glasses?”





“You don’t wear glasses.” He stated obviously.





“No, but I was, and still am, for lack of a better term, a geek. I’m not the kind of girl men long to drag into dark corners.” She said.





Severus stared at her, his temperature beginning to rise despite the cold air of the dungeons. He wasn’t sure he would agree with her on that one. At the moment, if the raging erection forming beneath his robes was any indication, he wanted to do just that. An image of him grabbing her and pulling her into one of the little alcoves favored by the older students suddenly flashed into his head. He could see and hear the events as he pushed her into the wall, his lips opening over hers as his tongue slipped inside, his hands caressing the sides of her face, her neck, the plump breasts swelling beneath her thin sweater.





He shook his head and cleared the thoughts away when suddenly it occurred to him that they weren’t his thoughts, but hers. He had been staring into her eyes so long that he had inadvertently picked up on her musings. Severus was shocked, and aroused. He never imagined she would have such thoughts involving him. Her cheeks were flushed and she was nibbling the flesh of her lower lip.





“Stop that.” He said softly, reaching up and brushing his thumb over the abused pink flesh. She gasped at his touch, her lips parting and her warm breath washing over is hand. “I think it would be wise for me to walk you back to your rooms now.”







“Alright.” She answered, her lips still tingling from his touch. She slid her tongue along her bottom lip, tasting the spot where he had touched. His eyes widened and his nostrils flared slightly when he saw the soft swipe of her tongue. He closed his eyes and turned away abruptly, guiding her back through the halls and up the stairs to her rooms. Neither spoke as they made the trip. When they approached her door, he looked at her again.





“Thank you for joining me, I enjoyed your company.” He said, sounding almost nervous. She was smiling softly, her amber eyes twinkling as she looked up at him.





“Thank you for inviting me. I hope we might do it again sometime.” She said.





“Well, I should finish the patrols. Goodnight, Hermione.” He nodded sharply and turned to leave, but was stopped by her hand on his sleeve. He looked at the small, soft hand resting against the black wool of his robes. She stepped closer and lifted onto her toes, placing a light kiss at the corner of his mouth.





“Goodnight, Severus.” She whispered before stepping back and releasing his arm. She slipped into her rooms, closing the door softly behind her.





Severus stood there for several long moments, stunned. She had kissed him. In the last twenty minutes he had been privy to her amorous thoughts of him, and then she had kissed him. Now what was he suppose to do? This was unfamiliar territory.





“Usually a kiss turns the frog into a prince.” The portrait on her door said as she stared laughingly at him. “Apparently her kisses turn death eaters into statuary.”





“I think I may have some turpentine in my stores….” Severus growled, glaring at the woman in the portrait before turning on his heel and stalking into the darkness.





“I don’t know what she sees in him.” The lady huffed, shoving her long blonde hair over her shoulder and settling in to sleep.