Love is Blind

Chapter 34

Hermione awoke one December morning to her eyes
itching. She furiously rubbed at the bandages that covered her eyes to no
avail. She was a week into the fourth potion and going insane. She was forced
to wear thick bandages over her eyes once again, not only because of the
sensitivity of her eyes, but also because of the vulnerability of the potion
itself. Light tended to hinder the effects of the last potion and Severus
refused to take any chances with Hermione’s sight.

Now here she was, lying in bed, her eyes itching
like mad, and she could nothing about it. She quietly got out of bed, trying
not to disturb Severus who was lightly snoring beside her, and padded softly to
the loo. She closed the door, not only for privacy, but because it was the most
lightproof room in Severus’ chambers. After relieving herself and washing her
hands, she stood in front of the sink, debating whether to let her eyes breathe
a bit.

Her hands moved to the back of her head and
unfastened the clip of the bandage. Slowly she unwrapped her head, feeling like
a mummy out of one of her mum’s scary muggle movies. She laughed lightly at the
thought of Boris Karloff portraying the many different “horrifying creatures”
seen in those movies. In real life she had seen all of them one time or
another, including a mummy thanks to that trip to Egypt between sixth and
seventh year with the Weasleys.

After an extremely long time, she felt the
pressure release around her eyes and the gauze pads fell unceremoniously into
the sink. She lightly rubbed her eyes to curb the itching, and found that her
eyes didn’t ache under her touch. This fourth potion had reeked havoc on her
eyes from sensitivity and pain to swelling and what they assumed had been a
mild infection.

This time when she gingerly touched her eyes she
felt long eyelashes fluttering under her fingertips. She was blinking. Oh,
Merlin. She didn’t even realize she was doing it, but she was blinking!
Hermione couldn’t help the excitement welling up in her heart.

She quietly cast a wandless enflamare toward a candle in the
corner of the bathroom. A soft golden glow emanated through the small room. She
could see it. She looked down and saw the wad of bandages and gauze in the
sink. She looked up into the mirror and gasped.

A hand came up and hesitantly touched the flesh
around her eyes. There was still a little bit of scarring, but unless you knew
about the accident, you wouldn’t know the difference. Her eyes were still
brown. She wondered absently why she thought they may have changed color. She
shook her head and continued perusing her reflection for the first time in
three months.

Her hair was longer, weighed down a bit so it
wasn’t as frizzy as it used to be. Her eyelashes were definitely longer than
she remembered, but had no complaints, because they seemed to frame her eyes
perfectly. Her eyes - there was a twinkle in them, something akin to Albus’.
She had never before realized how pretty she really was. She guessed that
looking at one’s self day in and day out, you never see what’s really there.
Now, after a three-month hiatus from seeing herself, she realized that she was
pretty, not quite beautiful, but pretty.

She turned the water on and washed her face,
making sure that there was no residual potion left. She knew that the potions had
been successful and she knew at this point, it was over. She was done. She was
cured. Hermione couldn’t help the smile that was plastered on her face.
Hesitantly she opened the door with her eyes closed. She didn’t want any sudden
light to hurt her eyes. She was unsure of the time and didn’t know if the sun
had risen yet or if the dungeons were even lit.

Slowly she opened her eyes. There was a soft
glow from the fireplace and a few candles throughout the room. This was the
first time she had ever seen Severus’ rooms. She was pleasantly surprised. His
rooms were not as dark and foreboding as she expected, they were actually light
and cozy. She felt like she was home, like she belonged here.

She padded slowly toward the bedroom and was
presented with the most beautiful tableau she had ever laid her eyes on. His
rooms were draped in greens, not dark, but more like sage. In the middle of the
room, stood a large bed, also dressed in green. But it was not the room that
had her heart racing. It was the gloriously naked man lying in the middle of
the bed.

Severus was beautiful. She had always thought he
was attractive, but looking at him in all his glory, her heart skipped a beat
or two. She moved toward the bed, taking in the sight of him. She let her eyes
start at his feet, which were thin and large, with long tapered toes and
shapely toenails. She never expected Severus to be one for a pedicure, but his
nails told his secret.

Her eyes floated up his muscular legs and knobby
knees. His legs were lightly covered in dark hair, not too hairy, almost
perfect. No, not almost. He was perfect. She avoided the most intriguing part
of him and gazed across his abdomen. The six pack she saw there, just beckoned
her to touch it, to run her fingers along that trail of black hair down to…

She made her eyes rise back up to look at his
hands. She knew his hands. She had studied and fantasized about his hands for
years. The long tapered fingers, that knew exactly how to take her to paradise,
how to make her feel... complete. His arms were thin, but toned. She cringed
slightly at the Dark Mark on his left forearm. It was an instinct - she
couldn’t help it. But that was his past. That was not the Severus that loved
her, the Severus that made her want for nothing.

His shoulders were broad, framing the firm
pectorals of his chest. Sparse black hair was sprinkled across his chest, a bit
more framing his nipples. His nipples were dark against his pale skin and were
calling her to bend down and kiss them. She fought the urge with all the control
she could muster. But when her eyes traveled downward, following the line of
hair that lead straight to... Her eyes were as big as saucers. She had seen
naked men before, but none as beautiful and, well, endowed as Severus Snape.
His flaccid member was lying against his thigh, nestled in a mass of dark
curls. He was the most gorgeous thing she had ever seen.

Carefully she climbed into bed with him. He was
warm from sleep, she wanted to curl up with him and warm herself, but she
wanted to finish looking at him first. His face was so boy like when he slept.
His aristocratic nose looked much smaller than it did when she was a student.
His skin looked smooth and soft, she ached to touch it. She knew his skin felt
smooth, it was just different seeing it.

Her hand came up of its own accord and gently
brushed away a few strands of hair from his face. He shuddered slightly at her
touch, but settled almost immediately. Her fingers trailed over the lines of
his cheeks, his jaw, his nose, his lips. Gods, he was beautiful. Hermione was
so entranced by him, that she didn’t notice the pair of dark eyes staring back
at her.

When Severus smiled at her, she realized that he
was awake and now staring at her. “‘Morning, Severus.”

“Good morning, my love,” he said smoothly. He
wanted to jump out of bed and cheer at the fact that she could see him; that he
could look into her eyes again. But he knew that she had to do this, ease back
in. His heart was beating out of his chest. He loved the way her eyes were
studying every line, wrinkle and pore of his skin. He couldn’t help but ask,
“So, do you like what you see, or I am the nasty potions master again?” The
teasing tone in his voice did not completely hide the insecurity behind his
words.

“Severus, you are beautiful,” she breathed.

A snort was his initial response and she glared
at him. “Hermione, no one has ever uttered the word ‘beautiful’ so closely
associated with my name before. Are you sure you’ve not gone mad?”

“Severus let me show you how beautiful I think you are,”
she said as she lowered her head trailing kisses down his chest and abdomen.
She wanted to see the rapture in his face from the pleasure she could give him.
She watched him closely as she wrapped her lips around his hardening member.
Their eyes met and she could see the desire burning in them.

Tears prickled at the back of her eyes. She had
never seen such emotion from anyone aimed toward her before. His eyes were
boring into hers, into her very soul. At the sight of her tears he lifted her
up to him and gently kissed them away. He looked at her concerned, silently
asking if she was all right.

“I love you so much, Severus. I have dreamed of
seeing the love and adoration in your eyes. I never expected it to be so
strong.” He smiled and pulled her close to him.

“Get used to it, Hermione. My love for you grows
more every day. I love you more than anything. I have missed being able to look
into your eyes. I used to look in your eyes all the time and you didn’t even
know it. I could tell if you were scared. I knew of you were sad. If you’re
angry, they flash like lightening. I have loved your eyes, and missed them so,”
he said as he kissed her eyelids softly.

“Make love to me, Severus. I want to see you. I
want to watch you. Please?”

How could ever say no to that? In a matter of
seconds he was crushing her lips passionately with his. Their kisses were hot
and hungry; both determined to pour their souls into their connection. Hermione
growled into his mouth as he settled himself between her thighs. His erection
pressed deliciously between her swollen folds. She bucked her hips slightly,
telling him that she was ready and growing rather impatient.

He entered her slowly and Hermione watched the
expressions flow over his face. She saw pure bliss, lust, relief, adoration,
and love. Her tears came unbidden to her eyes as she watched his every move
through them. He was stunning. His eyes were dark with arousal and she could
see small tears welling up in the corners.

Hermione met each thrust, never leaving his
gaze. She watched his face contort as he neared his release. Just the sight of
him so close, brought her to her climax. She fought to keep her eyes open so
that she could see him. He breathed her name as he came and with the love shown
in his eyes, Hermione knew that she could never be with anyone else. No one
could love her half as much as he did.

Severus rolled to her side and brought her face
to his. His lips were soft and gentle. Severus could tell there was something
different with their kiss. He could feel her tears on his cheeks and he opened
his eyes to see her staring intensely back at him. He pulled away slightly.

“Hermione, why are you looking at me like that?”

Hermione hadn’t realized that she didn’t close
her eyes at all during their kiss. She didn’t want to close her eyes. She
hadn’t seen him for three months, she didn’t want to lose another second.
“Severus, I’m sorry. I cannot take my eyes off you. I don’t want to close my
eyes to have them open and you be gone.”

“Hermione, I am here. I’m not leaving.” He
kissed her lips lightly and moved to her cheeks, across her jaw, up to her
eyelids. He looked down at her and had an epiphany. “Marry me.”

Hermione looked at him quizzically. “Severus? I
already said yes.”

“No, marry me, tonight.” She looked into his
eyes and saw all the love he could ever express for her. She also noticed that
where she thought his eyes were black, they weren’t.

“They’re green,” she thought aloud.

“Pardon?”

“Your eyes. They’re actually green.” He smiled,
he hadn’t thought about it. She had never seen his eyes up close. He had been
told that when he was younger his eyes looked like emeralds. Which reminded
him... he lifted her left hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles lightly. She
looked at her hand where his lips touched and saw it.

The ring.

Hermione had never been a jewelry person, but
this ring was definitely the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. Instead of
the traditional diamond ring, it was an emerald. A large emerald surrounded my
diamond chips, set in white gold. It was breathtaking.

“Again I ask, Hermione, will you marry me?
Tonight?”

She looked up at him and was immediately lost in
his eyes. She couldn’t find the words. It’s only three letters, why was it so
hard? “Yes,” she whispered finally finding her voice.

Severus pulled her tightly to his chest. He
wanted to go talk to Albus about an impromptu ceremony, but lying there with
Hermione was just too comfortable. The two lovers lay together for hours,
learning and exploring each other all over again, but this time with their eyes.