You Promised It Would Be Forever - Edit

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 31 ~ A Hard Decision

On her way down the corridor, Hermione did a few dance moves, gliding from one side of the hall to the other and twirling with her eyes closed. She had a lot of fun tonight. She loved dancing.

Severus, still disillusioned, watched the witch pirouette and sway with mixed emotions. Normally he would be consumed with jealousy, but to be honest the witch had done nothing wrong and had fun. Yes, with another wizard, and he didn't like that. He also didn't like that Percival had tried to get her to let him call on her. What probably checked the Potions Master's rage was that the wizard just didn't want to fuck Hermione. He wanted to get to know her, and saw her as a witch that he could possibly settle down with. He also saw Severus as a wizard unworthy of having her because he didn't have the same goals as she did.

Severus realized that it was possible that someone else could steal the witch away from him, someone willing to offer her more than a good fucking. Severus also realized that he did nothing with Hermione besides fuck her. He really didn't take her anywhere farther than his bed. And he wasn't a poor wizard, or a miserly one. She just never asked him to do anything else with her, but obviously she enjoyed going out, dancing, eating and having a good time.

It sort of pained him to hear her say how long it had been since she had her favorite food, and it was another wizard who had provided it for her. Lobster? Hell, he could buy her as much lobster as she wanted. He could dance too. He did a mean tango, and not just horizontally. And look at her now, so beautiful, dancing and humming her way down the corridor.

He wanted to go to her, to talk to her, to try and find out what she really wanted from him. Most of all he had to decide if he could give it to her. If he couldn't…he would have to let her go to find her happiness. Let her go. Gods. How could he do that? They had been through rough times, but in the beginning, Hermione had been the only human being on earth outside of Albus that accepted him as he was. And he was a hard, cold wizard for the most part until she melted the ice around his heart by giving and giving until her love connected with him. It had taken time but she was dedicated to him, willing to undergo his rages and ravishments until she was almost broken. Then she would recover and come to him again and again.

This time too, Hermione was giving and giving. What was he really giving the witch in return for her love other than a hard fuck? Now, he finally understood that underlying sadness. She loved him, but she believed it would never get any better between them. Every hope and dream for a future with him was ruined. She had lost her child. She had lost her husband as a result of losing that child. Now she had him back as a lover, but not a husband. There were no more children in her future as long as she had him like this.

Severus saw that Hermione was motivated by guilt. She had divorced him, and realized she still loved him, seduced him, though he was willing to be seduced…then she just stopped trying to move forward. She would rather be a martyr and sacrifice all her dreams and hopes of a family to please him, to try and make up for what she'd done to him.

Lord Percival was willing to offer her something she dearly wanted. But she denied it because of him. The wizard had been right…the path they were on was leading nowhere. Something had to be done.

Hermione was at her door now, opening it. Severus walked up to her and removed the disillusionment spell, startling the witch. She jumped.

"Hello, Severus," she said, looking up at him. Her shoes made her much taller.

"Hello Hermione," he said to her softly, "I see your lipstick's not smeared."

She gave him a small smile.

"No, it's not," she said.

"I imagine Lord Hornswallow wanted to smear it a bit," he commented.

Hermione looked at him and decided to tell him the truth.

"He said he would have asked me for a kiss if he didn't think I'd refuse him. He did kiss my hand though," she said in a small voice, waiting for the jealousy to come out of her lover.

To her surprise, Severus didn't explode.

"May I come in, or are you too tired?" he asked her.

Hermione blinked up at him.

"You know you are always welcome in my rooms, Severus. Come on," she said, walking in.

Severus followed her in and closed the door behind him.

She walked into her bedroom.

"Are you planning on staying the night?" she called to the wizard.

Severus was quiet for a moment. He walked to the bedroom door and leaned on the frame, looking at her. She looked so lovely.

"That all depends. Do you want me to stay?" he asked her.

Hermione turned to look at him, her brow furrowed.

"Of course I want you to stay, Severus. I love sleeping with you, " she replied, starting to unpin her hair. "Is something wrong?"

Severus wanted to say, "Yes, everything's wrong," but he didn't reply.

Instead, he walked over to her bed, sat down on the end of it, and began to remove his boots and socks. He tucked his socks into his boots and slid them neatly under her bed. Then he began to unbutton his robes, watching Hermione undress.

"You looked beautiful tonight," he said. Hermione looked at him and smiled.

"Thank you Severus," she said, "I only wish it were you and I out on the town tonight. It would have been nice. Different."

"I'll take you out next weekend. Any place you want to go, Hermione," he said, peeling off his robes.

"Oh good, we can go to the Three Broomsticks," she said smiling at him as she unfastened her halter, and slid her gown down, revealing her breasts.

"No, not the Three Broomsticks. I can afford to take you someplace much nicer than that," Severus said, working on his shirt. "Someplace with atmosphere, good food, high prices, dancing."

Hermione was in the process of sliding her gown down over her legs when she said this. She stopped and looked at the wizard.

"Severus, what wrong? If this is about tonight…you don't have to do that. It's all right," she said.

Severus scowled at her as he removed his shirt, revealing his pale torso.

"But you enjoyed yourself tonight, didn't you?" he asked her.

"Yes, yes I did actually," she replied.

"Well I want you to feel you can enjoy yourself with me, Hermione," the wizard said. "I don't take you any farther than my bed or your bed."

Hermione looked at Severus strangely for a moment. He had echoed Lord Hornswallow's very same words. Now she was in her knickers and the high-heeled shoes. Severus gazed at the witch appreciatively, but didn't say anything as she sat down in the chair and took them off.

"Well, I'd say you take me much farther than the bed, Severus," she purred at him, a dirty little smile on her face.

Severus couldn't help giving her a smirk as he removed his trousers. He left his boxers on, picked up his clothing and carried them over to her wardrobe, hanging them up. Hermione looked at him a bit oddly. He never used her wardrobe to put his clothes in before. It was kind of comforting.

"Hermione, I treat you like a plaything," he said, "and you are more than a plaything. I know why you are willing to let me treat you this way. You still feel guilty about divorcing me. So it's all about what I want. I make demands on you constantly. You never make any on me. Not the slightest ones, until it is involving sex. And even that's for my pleasure."

Hermione looked at him but didn't say anything.

Severus walked back over to the bed.

"Did you tell that wizard you were involved with me?" Severus asked her.

Hermione nodded.

"What did you tell him exactly?" the dark wizard asked her, hoping she would tell him the truth.

"I said I was in a committed relationship," she said shortly.

"And what did he say?" Severus asked her, his black eyes glinting.

Hermione looked at him. Her eyes began to fill up with tears but she blinked them away quickly.

"He didn't say anything," she lied, "he accepted it."

"He didn't ask you how serious it was? Most wizards would ask that," the Potions Master commented.

Hermione stood up suddenly.

"Severus, I don't want to talk about this. The final outcome was he knows I am involved with a wizard I am very loyal to, and not interested in seeing anyone else. Ok?" she said, a bit vehemently.

Severus studied her. She didn't want him to know that the wizard said he was a waste of time. She didn't want to think of him that way. She didn't want to think about her future.

Suddenly the wizard stood up, walked back over to her wardrobe took out his robes and slipped them on.

"I'll be right back," he said, exiting the bedroom.

Hermione took the opportunity to cry while Severus was gone. It was a quick cry, and she dried her eyes as best she could before he returned.

He hung his robes back up then walked over to her and pulled her out of the chair roughly and held her tight against him.

"You tell me, and you tell me now what you want witch." he hissed, looking down at her, his eyes glinting

Thinking Severus was moving into "kindness" mode, Hermione said, "Only a little kindness, Severus."

"No, what you want beyond that. Beyond being in my bed," he said darkly.

Hermione looked up at him confused.

"Do you want children? A family? A husband, Hermione?" the wizard asked her, shaking her a bit.

Hermione's eyes began to glisten.

"I'm happy with what I have with you, Severus. I have you back in my life. That's all I wanted," she said softly.

"That's not what I asked you, witch," he said angrily, "Do you want a family? Children? A husband?"

"Not if it can't be you, Severus," she said, breaking down and sobbing, burying her face in his pale chest.

Severus looked down at the witch.

"You love me that much, do you Hermione? So much that you would give up having what other witches have? A husband, children, a family of your own, to remain with me as we are?" he asked her softly.

"Yes," she said brokenly. "I can't bear the thought of you out of my life, Severus. If I went for those things, I wouldn't have you. And I still love you, even though you've lost that kind of love for me. I know you care at least. You've shown me that. I can live with that."

"No one should have to make that kind of choice, Hermione. It's too much of a sacrifice. You deserve a husband and children," Severus said gently.

Hermione looked up at him…tears streaming.

"You're going to stop seeing me, aren't you Severus?" she asked him, feeling her heart breaking.

Not again. Not after all this. He couldn't turn away from her after all this.

Severus didn't reply. He just continued to hold her tight against him.

"This time you're really going to walk away from me, aren't you?" she said against his chest. "You aren't going to be my lover anymore, are you?"

Severus drew a deep breath.

"No, I'm not going to be your lover anymore, Hermione. I can't. Not knowing what I know that you want and are willing to give up for me," he said quietly.

"But I love you," she whispered against his chest.

"I know you do, Hermione. I've known for quite a while now," he replied. "That's why I can't be your lover anymore."

Severus tried to pull away from Hermione, but she clutched him to her tightly.

"Severus, I don't want you to leave me!" she cried out against him.

She felt the Potions Master pull one of her arms from around his waist and grip her wrist tightly as she struggled to replace it.

"Who said anything about leaving you?" he said softly, slipping something cold over her ring finger. "Do you remember this?"

Hermione opened her eyes and looked at what rested on her finger.

She burst into tears again.

It was her original wedding ring.

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A/N: Ok. I'm watering up….just…sob…just review please. :::sniff:::