Nothing As It Seems

10/22/08

Chapter 3 - Confronted

Monday

Evil, horrible, dreadful, rotten Monday.

Hermione briefly considered staying in bed and feigning illness, but that was only prolonging the inevitable.

And what, then, would you do tomorrow Hermione? She asked herself.

No, she was going to have to face him sooner or later, and Advanced Potions was this afternoon.

She dragged herself from the bed and headed for the showers grumbling.

This is going to be a long day.

But it had flown by. It seemed only a short time ago she had still been peacefully under her covers, but now she was standing in front of the Potions classroom door trying to move. Trying to reach for the door handle. But she couldn’t seem to move.

“The class is held on the other side of the door, Miss Granger.” The sultry, sarcastic voice of Professor Snape came from directly behind her.

Crap! She hadn’t heard him approach.

She turned and found herself so close to the tall, black clad wizard that she almost bumped into his chest and had to look up to see him clearly.

He was looking down his nose at her, much like he always did, but he was much, much closer than he normally got to her. His scent was clean and masculine, the scent that so easily distracted her these days. She could see his eyes, dark and determined, ready to take on anyone who defied him.

Slowly, he reached out, his hand moving past her waist, and she found her back pressed up against the door, her heart in her throat, her eyes suddenly finding his mouth.

Gods! What is he doing? She braced herself, unable to move her gaze away from his masculine lips. How she longed to feel them against her own.

But just then, she heard the click of the door handle and the door swung backward.

She nearly fell into the classroom, but for his hand, which had let go of the door handle and had grasped her upper arm. Smoothly he turned her towards the classroom and pushed her in.

“Sit.” He commanded and flowed into the classroom as he normally did.

She made her way to her desk, embarrassed as the whispers began buzzing about the strange entrance. Neville shot her a questioning look, but she shook her head at him.

The lesson went as they normally did. He waved his hand across the board to display the assignment, asked a few impossible questions that no one in the class should have been expected to answer, she raised her hand for every one of them, and he ignored her. As usual.

She was the first to finish, as always, and held her breath as she stepped up to his desk to hand in her work. He said nothing, did nothing to indicate that he even remembered what had happened only just this last weekend. He simply went about his day…as usual.

And so, Hermione did as well.

And then they got through the next day.

And the next…

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The days passed unrelenting, the end of term nearly upon them, and Professor Snape continued teaching his classes, fully meeting all expectations of the great greasy bat of the dungeon, while Hermione continued attending and remaining true to her “know-it-all” status.

When she had resumed her Senior Project work with him in the evenings, she always arrived in the lab just before he did. The first night, he had charged into the lab and issued one abrupt command of “Silence!” And then he himself silently began preparing for their session. She had quickly learned to just get to work. They worked along side each other in this torturous quiet, broken only occasionally by her questions and his leading responses. He never flat-out told her any answer and she savored the learning experience.

She had caught him looking at her a few times. Veiled glances, averted when her eyes were turned upon him. And when he had caught her staring at him, his eyes would narrow and a sneer would form on his distinctive features.

But once the classes or the working sessions were over, so was their interaction.

And it was driving Hermione mad!

She sat in Potions class now, fuming over their predicament, letting her mind wander with the sound of his voice. She had already finished the lesson anyway.

She didn’t know what to do. He had been so angry with her. So disgusted over having discovered that he had really made love to her and that it hadn't been a dream. She was at a complete loss. Her feelings hadn’t changed for the brooding man. She longed for him, but she had ruined everything with her selfish, stupid stunt.

“Miss Granger, do you intend to sit in my classroom for the rest of the day wasting oxygen?” Professor Snape’s harsh words brought her abruptly out of her dwelling thoughts.

She blinked and looked around, expecting to be embarrassed, but her fellow classmates had all gone.

“Do not waste my time, girl. If you do not deem the lesson important enough to pay attention to, then you will not receive the grade.” He warned her, annoyance evident in his voice. He stood directly in front of her desk, arms crossed over his chest, looking down his nose at her.

“I’m sorry Professor. I must have been distracted.” She stammered, scrambling to hand him her completed assignment.

He didn’t even look at the offered parchment. Deliberately, he leaned forward, placing both palms on the desk in front of her, black eyes piercing her.

She felt her eyes flutter as his masculine scent tantalized her senses. Oh my. When did it get so hot down here?

“And, what, pray tell, do you find so distracting?” His baritone voice sent a shiver through her and coherent thought fled. Her mouth was suddenly quite dry and she licked her lips mindlessly.

“Let me guess.” He purred, and then his eyes flickered to her moistened lips. “Me.”

She swallowed as his eyes met hers once more. A storm was swirling in those dark spheres, dangerous and destructive.

“Yes.” She answered breathily, mesmerized by him.

Kiss me. Her inner voice whimpered. Please kiss me!

His eyes dropped to her lips again. “What is it you want from me?”

“I…” Her own eyes moved to his mouth. So close. If only she could make her mouth work. Say it!

‘I want You!’

“Yes? What is it you want…Dumbledore wants?” He urged her on.

“I want…”

Wait…what did he say? Dumbledore?

Hermione blinked and leaned back in her chair. “Sir?”

His whole demeanor changed. The very air became static charged. “What does Dumbledore want? Just tell me what it is that he wants so that you can stop this ridiculous charade!” He growled at her, his fingers curling under the sides of the desk in a tight grip.

“What are you talking about? If you’ve got something to say, just say it!” She demanded, shooting out her chair. He stood up, straightening to his full height as she jumped to her feet and glared up at him. She barely reached his shoulder standing rigid at her own full height.

“I tire of your games. Dumbledore has gone too far if he is aware that you have taken to trying to seduce me in order to gain what he wants.”

Anger shot through her as she glared up at him. “I’m not spying...”

Strong hands shot out to grip her upper arms and he hauled her to his chest. “Enough! I will not be made a fool of!” He shook her slightly.

“I strongly suggest you steer clear of me before you tempt me to take what you so foolishly flaunt! I assure you, I will not be so...accommodating…when I am awake!” He growled, his tone fierce.

Hermione twisted her arms out of his grip enraged and glared at him

How dare he! A spy! Fury rippled through her fueling something more that he had sparked deep within her and she did the only thing she could. She acted on it.

Hermione launched her self at dark wizard, flinging her arms around his neck and jamming her lips against his. His back hit the wall as she ravished his mouth and within seconds his hands were around her waist and sliding lower. He leaned and wrapped his left arm around her waist and lifted her with a low growl. He twisted around and pressed her against the wall, supporting them with his free hand against the wall above her head. She hooked one leg around his, her other bent, foot pressed flat against the wall.

She gasped and he took that moment to lick her lower lip and then suck it into his mouth and then delved his tongue into her mouth. When he broke the kiss, his breathing was harsh and she could feel his heart pounding against her breast.

“…Professor…” She moaned, her voice husky against his lips. “I swear to you. I am not spying on you…I swear it.” She mumbled and then pressed her lips to his once more.

But he had gone completely still. Completely unresponsive.

Slowly she broke away from his lips, oh his magnificent mouth, and opened her eyes.

He was staring at her, a look of confusion etching lines at the sides of his eyes. Eyes that held her captive.

Confused herself, she unwound her leg from his and he let her slide to the floor.

“Why?” He whispered huskily.

She didn’t have to think about the answer. There was no hesitation as she answered him. “Because I wanted you.”

His dark eyelashes fluttered and he backed away from her, running a hand through his hair.

“Enough is enough, Miss Granger.” He sounded a little shaken. He glanced pointedly at the door before turning his back on her and beginning his cleanup.

What just happened here? Her mind reeled.

“Professor Snape, I just told you that I wanted…”

He slammed his fist down on the lab table, hard. “Yes, you have said quite enough. You are very convincing. But not completely!” He said sharply. “Now leave.” His head bowed now and his onyx hair curtained around his face.

Tears stung her eyes as she nodded silently.

He doesn’t believe me.

Vision blurred, chest aching, she grabbed up her things before running from the lab.

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Severus’s arms shook with the restraint he was struggling to keep hold of. The damnable woman had just tried to convince him that she was…in love…with him!

Preposterous at best!

He wanted to turn and hex her into oblivion and after he had done that, he wanted to fuck her into the afterlife.

He didn’t know what to think anymore. All he knew was that if she was lying, she was a more cruel and calculated opponent than he gave her credit for, and if she was speaking the truth, he was in deep shit.

Sighing, he waved away the mess from the lesson and nad began preparing for his next.

Did Dumbledore really have nothing to do with this mess? By some great miracle, could the old man really not know that he had the prophecy?

Then, what did she want from him? What could she possibly expect from him?

I am a deatheater for Merlin’s sake!

Did she not understand? In the end, once all was said and done and the battle had been fought, he would be dead. A cold, lifeless corpse! There was no future with him. There was no future for him.

He was distracted with thoughts of her for the rest of the afternoon, though he didn’t see her again in the corridors, or in the Great Hall at dinner.

Images of her flashing brown eyes flickered through his thoughts as he made his way up the tower steps towards his chambers.

He thought of her sitting at her desk today, fiddling idly with her quill and staring off into space. He had been on guard of late, not wanting to slip and be caught leering at her like some lovesick teenager, but she was constantly invading his thoughts.

He had been perfectly aware of her looking at him these past few weeks and it was all he could do to ignore her. He had been so certain that Dumbledore had assigned her to spy on him. So sure! He had done everything he could to try to throw her off, but she seemed to persist.

He had caught her staring at him, examining him on multiple occasions. To this, he was always obliged to sneer at her, and when she blushed, he sneered all the more.

And then today, when she hung back in his class. He knew he had to confront her.

But that had back fired, hadn’t it.

Severus groaned as he reached the chamber at the top of the tower and unlocked the door. He felt heavy as he entered and closed the door behind him and then turning, he examined the door, testing it for hidden charms before placing his ward on it.

Yes, she had surprised him alright. The fire in her kiss scalded him and he was sure he had burned to ash inside. He had wanted to take her right there, on the lab floor, or pressed against the wall. Or on one of the tables. Or in the supply closet.

He groaned again, annoyed with his randy thoughts.

A shower. He needed a cold shower.

He trudged towards the shower brushing his hand across the air in front of his clothing and was naked the next second and climbing into the cold spray.

Thirty minutes later, the starlight streaming through his window, he crawled into bed shivering, with a raging hard-on. Luckily, he saw nothing wrong with self gratification and wrapped his hand around his thick cock and stroked himself with a sure, steady stroke.

Chocolate eyes and soft pink lips invaded his fantasy when he closed his eyes. Sighs of pleasure, moans of ecstasy. Tendrils of cinnamon hair. A dash of freckles.

Forbidden. His inner thoughts pounded on the walls of his fantasy.

His dream girl was suddenly lying in his bed, naked and glorious while he sat back in the cushioned chair across the room in his mind’s eye.

Indeed, forbidden. Fine. Then he would watch.

He fisted himself harder, leaning back in his cushioned chair as he watched her running her hands over her own body. She purred as she fondled her perfectly rounded breasts and her breath caught as she pinched pert pink nipples between the small tips of her fingers.

His hips began to rock with the rhythm of his hand, pushing the head of his cock into his hand as he watched her magnificent display.

Ever so slowly, her hands smoothed their way down her flat stomach until they found her feminine mound and she shuddered, opening her legs wide as she spread her lips and pressed her fingers to her sweet spot.

Gods and demons, she’s beautiful!

He couldn’t take it. He sprang from the chair and moved to the bed where she lay writhing from the pleasure she gave herself.

Forbidden.

He moved between her spread legs, holding himself above her as he continued his strokes, the head of his cock barely an inch away from her dewy fingers as she teased herself, dipping her middle finger into her slick passage over and over again. He so desperately wanted to be there. Wanted to be pressing into her again and again.

Her chocolate eyes were on him now as she bit her bottom lip between her teeth and continued to rub herself in circles, faster and faster.

He felt it building as he stroked himself, holding himself over her, never touching her, and yet so close. He knew he was going to cum as his breathing came more harshly, his heart beat wild inside his chest.

When she cried out and arched her back he lost his hold and gave in to his euphoria, crying out in the night.

If only…

Severus dreamed of her that night.

Dreamed of not having to be afraid of wanting her. Dreamed of not having to be afraid of endangering her.

But his fear took hold of his dreams and the Dark Lord was suddenly in his mind, examining his every thought, his every desire. And then he was a puppet on a string, but this time the Dark Lord used her to control his every move.

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