Love is Blind

Chapte Chapter 32 Severus woke up to the sun pouring into the room. The sun did not pour into the dungeons. He opened his eyes more and realized that he was lying in the middle of Hermione’s common room, with Hermione curled up against his side. A smile spread across his rugged features as he took in the beauty beside. He. Hermione had surprised him last night with a spontaneous romantic setting, complete with candles, thick blankets, and a cushioning charm on the floor. Last night they had made love for hours. Hermione was excited that even though she could not see him per se, she could see where he was and give her imagination a visual basis to expand on. With this newfound visual stimulation, Severus found that she was brazen. She ravaged him. She took control. She wanted to look at every inch of his body and he did nothing to stop her. He loved letting go and letting her control him. Severus had never imagined that he would enjoy being the submissive, but he did - very much. When he came down to kiss her she immediately threw him back so he was lying flat. A few muttered words and his hands were lightly bound above his head and Hermione was trailing heated kisses down his body. He thought he would go insane when she wrapped her lips around his cock. He wanted so badly to run his fingers through her hair, but the binds she put on him prevented that. This new empowered version of Hermione turned him on so much that it did not take his body long to climax. She swallowed his seed hungrily, lapping every drop from him, waiting for more. Hermione raised herself up and danced seductively over his body. All Severus could do was watch and he was getting aggravated. He wanted so badly to touch her, to torture her like she was him. After an excruciatingly long amount of time, his erection had returned and Hermione lowered herself onto him. She rode him hard, and rough. Her face was wanton, unabashed. She held nothing back. After she rode herself into at least two orgasms, she whispered the countercurse to release his hands. Before she could gain her control back he flipped them over and took charge. They made love until the candles were mere stubs of wax. Both of them were fully sated and fell asleep in each others arms wrapped in one of the many blankets Hermione had conjured for the evening. Now he was here, looking at the woman he loved. As he brushed a stray hair out of her face, her eyes fluttered. Her eyes actually fluttered and Severus’ heart leapt. Severus had not even realized that Hermione was able to close her eyes to sleep. Now her eyes were fluttering open. Hermione woke up to see what she assumed was the blob of Severus grinning down at her. She ran her fingers through the black silk strands of his hair and looked determinedly what she thought was his face. “Happy birthday, Severus.” Severus stiffened. How did she know it was his birthday? He didn’t remember telling her, but immediately assumed that while Draco walked Hermione to her rooms last night, he mentioned it. “Thank you, love. I’m not much for holidays or celebrations, that’s why I did not tell you. I apologize.” Hermione chuckled at his immediate defense. “Severus, I understand, but let me give you your present.” She stood and padded to the bureau in the corner. “Hermione, you did not have to get me anything.” “Close your eyes,” she commanded him before she turned around and approached him again. Her soft hands searched for his. She found one and raised it palm up in front of her. She lightly placed the item in his hand and told him to open his eyes. Severus pondered what she would have gotten him at last minute. It was light and flat almost like a book, but softer. A periodical? His mind continued guessing until Hermione urged him again to open his eyes. A soft gasp alerted Hermione to the fact that he had opened his eyes. Severus struggled to find his voice. “Ho - How did you get this?” He asked dumbfounded as he stared at the mint condition copy of the April 1977 edition of Ars Alchema. “I heard from a little bird that you may have written something in this particular magazine?” she teased. “Albus.” He muttered under his breath. “So where exactly did the name ‘Devin Sampera’ come from, my dear?” Hermione was definitely having fun with this. Severus seemed generally shocked and pleased at her gift. “It’s a long lost branch of the Snape family. My great, great, great grandfather was Sampera before the family left Italy,” he answered flatly, like it was the simplest explanation. He was staring at the magazine with a slight bit of what seemed like awe. “How did you get this? How did you?...” Hermione shushed him with a small finger to his lips. “Albus disclosed the information about your birthday when Ginny had written me last week, explaining that they would be visiting for some kind of birthday tradition between you and your godson. Albus also told me of a fire that destroyed all of your periodicals, including one like that one in your hand. I thought you might want a copy of your first published work, Mr. Sampera.” Severus looked up at her and chuckled at the sight of her raising her eyebrow at him. “My dear, you are most definitely hanging around me too often, you just cocked yeyebeyebrow.” She laughed along with him for a moment. “Well, do you like it, Severus?” He pulled her to him and kissed her soundly. “The periodical or the eyebrow?” he whispered before receiving a light slap on the shoulder. “Thank you, Hermione. It is wonderful. I never thought I would get a copy of this after the fire.” Severus beamed with pride. He had always pro proud of himself for this article. He was seventeen, not even out of Hogwarts, not yet involved with the Dark Lord, but Albus convinced him to use a pseudonym so that no one on the dark side would try to kill him for working against the Dark Lord. Severus closed his eyes. This article was his first venture into the light, but inevitably ended up leading him to the dark. He was forced to stand back and listen as scholars acclaimed Devin Sampera’s work, never able to divulge himself as the author. He wanted that praise. He wanted them to know who Severus Snape was. That’s when Voldemort struck and Severus followed the lure of promises and power. Hermione sensed a bit of melancholy around her lover. With a small kiss to his cheek, she was able to bring him back to the present. “Severus? Are you all right?” He nodded against her face. Severus still wondered how he had gotten to be so lucky to have this wonderful woman by his side, to pull him back when he became lost in his past. Hermione loved him despite his past. He smiled before kissing the top of her head. The past, is just that, the past. Now is what matters the most. He captured her lips with this and decided to live for the moment. * Severus and Hermione were late to meet Draco and Ginny at the Three Broomsticks for dinner. The day was spent celebrating Severus’ birthday. Celebrating may not be the appropriate word; it was more like proving that even as3-ye3-year-old man, he had the virility of a man in his younger twenties. Needless to say, when the two of them finally showed up in the tavern, the smiles on their faces could only be results of the afterglow of their lovemaking. Draco shook his head as he watched his godfather enter the bar with a look that clearly said, ‘I have been shagged to heaven and back all in one day.’ Draco looked over at the older man’s companion who also had an ‘I’m the one who did that, thank you’ look on her face. It was nice to see his godfather happy, even if it was Hermione Granger that made him that way. Dr war was rather uneventful, other than the looks that the group received due to their rambunctious laughter. The patrons at the Three Broomsticks were accustomed to seeing Severus Snape, Potion Master and all around biggest bastard in England. But the smiling, laughing, obviously in love version of Severus Snape was quite alarming. No one knew exacthat hat to take of the small group in the corner booth. After the second bottle of fire whiskey was drained, Severus and Draco guided their ladies back to the castle for a nightcap in Severus’ chambers. It didn’t take long until yet another bottle of firewhiskey was drained and Hermione seemed to be a little tipsy. ‘Tipsy’ in Severus’ mind was a severely polite way of saying that Hermione had completely gone around the bend. He struggled to hide his amusement and concern at the sight of her stumbling across the room. She had a hard time maneuvering as it was, add alcohol to the fray and things were bound to get broken. Almost another hour passed as the two couples reminisced of days gone by. Draco was so drunk that he easily rambled on about the many times that Severus wound up in the same state outside of Malfoy Manor. Or how he always thought that his mother, Narcissa had a secret crush on Severus. Draco did not get by unscathed as Severus relayed memories of a five-year-old Draco running around the house naked being chased by a boggart. “Oh, do tell the ladies what shape the boggart took, my dear godson?” Severus teased. “Aminkunny.” “What was that?” Severus asked with a hand cupped around his ear. “I don’t think they could understand you.” “A pink bunny.” Draco hissed. Ginny looked at her husband with wide eyes, biting her lip very hard to control her laughter. Hermione was not so controlled. Her laughter immediately echoed through the chamber and she was rolling on the floor in hysterics. Ginny calmly put a hand on Draco’s thigh, still trying not to laugh. Although, when she asked why his boggart was a pink bunny, a snigger accidentally escaped. Draco took another swig of whiskey, “My great- aunt had always been a little on the loony side. On my fifth birthday she bought me an overly large stuffed pink bunny. The toy was enchanted to play and move with you. One day I woke up to it standing on my bed above me. I thought it was going to kill me. I had nightmares for years. So the thing I was most afraid of then was that damned pink bunny.” Draco went to slam his glass down in frustration and missed the table by at least six inches, causing Hermione to lose her composure once again. Now Hermione was completely ‘round the bend. Severus had never imagined that she would be an exuberant drunk. It was rather amusing. He wondered if she would remember any of this in the morning. Soon Draco was guided home by an amazingly controlled Ginny. Severus chuckled as he watched his godson leave in a drunken stupor. ‘Lucius could never hold his liquor either,’ he thought to himself. Suddenly something hard and heavy landed in Severus’ lap. Looking down, he shook his head lightly. Hermione had passed out, her head landing in a most alluring place. He shook away his perverted fantasies and gently pulled her into his arms. With a soft kiss to her forehead he carried her to his bed. After finishing his whiskey andaninaning up the remnants of the evening, Severus crawled into bed. Immediately, Hermione nuzzled into the crook of his arm and he squeezed her tight. As he lay there gazing around at the gifts he had been given ñ the Ars Alchema from Hermione, a new potions text from Draco and Virginia, a bottle of cognac from Minerva, and the usual pair of socks from Albus. He smiled, he could never tell Albus, but he secretly wore all the socks that he had been given over the years. After the first year, when he cremated the socks in the fire, Albus never failed in giving him at least one pair on each holiday. Some were tasteful, some were not. Over the years he had managed to somehow lose some of the most extravagant ones. One day he even thought he saw one of the house elves wearing a mismatched pair of said socks, but put it off to his imagination. Still smiling, he looked once again at Hermione. She was so beautiful ñ her lips pouting in her sleep, her cheeks rosy and the newly growing eyelashes lightly spread on her cheeks. He fought the strong emotions he felt from spilling out. In that instant he realized that this birthday wasn’t so bad. In fact, it was fun and quite possibly the best birthday he ever had.