A Delicate Obsession

Chapter Four – Tea and Serendipity

It all belongs to Rowling – except what you don’t recognize.

Hermione stopped at the gates to the Lepidopteron Tea House. Other than the sign, which showed an ornately painted Luna Moth, one wouldn’t know the place was a teahouse. It was a simple structure in Tudor style, with a large, well-kept garden in the front yard. She walked down the path and the door opened before she could knock. The hallway was dark, yet inviting.

She saw an open door on her left and looked in. It was a parlor, already set for tea. A cheerful fire roared in the fireplace and there were two overstuffed chairs on either side of a teacart loaded with finger sandwiches, pastries, scones, biscuits and a bowl of clotted cream. The large teapot and teacups bore a blue willow pattern. The room was filled with the heady scent of Earl Grey tea. Although the rafters were exposed and roughhewn, the rest of the room was quite lovely with chintz drapes and simple matching wallpaper. Hermione sat in the chair to the right of the fire. She helped herself to a cup of tea and put her feet up on the footstool. In spite of the sense of unreality that had gripped her since agreeing to have tea with the professor, everything about the house and the room seemed geared to be restful and reassuring.

Hermione had a niggling feeling that the whole house was bound by a form of enchantment similar to the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts. After all, the place was set for tea without even making the request. And Snape had said, Oh My God, Snape. The place had lulled her into a false sense of security. She was meeting Snape, here… shortly. And in spite of his normally foul disposition, she was also quite sure that he was brilliant. And if so, would she be able to continue this charade? What would he do to her if he realized that the ‘silly girl’ had fooled him? Detention? Expulsion? Perhaps he had a place in the dungeons where he chained up students he didn’t like and simply left them. Forever?

“Miss?”

Hermione started almost spilling her tea. It was Snape.

He fixed himself a cup of tea, sat down in the other chair and crossed his long, elegant legs. “It would be nice if I had a further appellation for you.”

Hermione stared. What should I say? Laura, that’s good, that’s who I am. Best to keep as close to the truth as possible. She swallowed and said, “You may call me Laura.”

“Just Laura?” Although his heavy brows knitted themselves into a frown, Hermione appreciated that he was doing his best not to be intimidating.

“I should explain. I’ll be in a lot of trouble if anyone knows I’m here or if you were to contact my friends or family. Therefore, I request, on your honor as a gentlemen, that you not try to find out who I am or where I am from.”

“Is it that important to you?” he said gently.

She nodded and looked down at her teacup.

“Very well.” Snape had never sounded so agreeable or reasonable or dangerous. Hermione feared that she was in way over her head. “Yet, if you truly are so afraid of being discovered, why even come here?”

“I feel…” Hermione shook her head and grabbed a chocolate digestive biscuit.

“Yes?” Snape smiled patiently.

Wait a second, Snape patient? An image of a little bird being hypnotized by a snake came unbidden to mind. What was I thinking? “I should leave now.” Hermione said in a panic. “Thank you for the tea!”

Snape was on his feet. “But we’ve barely had a chance.”

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” Hermione tried not to let her voice waiver.

“Calm yourself, child. You are safe with me. All past history aside, I’m not trying to seduce you or hurt you.” His eyes were glittering with repressed frustration. Damn, but playing this role was difficult, especially since he had no idea what he wanted. “Please sit.” He rested a hand on her arm and noted how she trembled under his touch. Heavily, he sat down into his chair. Well, he had one answer. She was nothing like Tara. Tara had been a firebrand – confident, intelligent, and quite bossy. This girl was scared of her own shadow. Still, there was such a strong physical resemblance. What had he been expecting? Perhaps he was simply slipping further into the void while chasing idle fancies. Snape stared into the fire, forgetting the young women beside him.

Hermione sat. She watched him silently stare into the fire. She sipped her tea and ate a cucumber sandwich. He seemed sad, as isolated as she felt. She had to ask, “Since you are a Potions Master, I suppose that you are up on the most recent debate?”

He looked at her with no little shock. “What are you referring to, Laura?”

“The Serendipity Paradox, of course.”

“Ahhh.”

&&&

“Okay, you wouldn’t tell us at dinner. Spill it now.” Ginny had cornered Hermione as soon as they had entered the Common Room.

“There’s nothing to spill. I told you that already.” Hermione’s looking like the cat that had devoured the canary defeated the meaning of her words.

“Nothing at all?” said Ron as he set up the chess game. “Then why weren’t you at practice? You’d said you’d be there.”

Hermione sat on the sofa and hugged her knees to her chest. Harry sat down next to her. She bit her lips and hummed a few tuneless bars of music.

“Quite,” said Harry. “I do believe drastic action needs to be taken. Give it up Madam or be tickled.” Hermione blushed as Harry grabbed her and began tickling her. “Do you give?” Hermione shook her head. “What about now?” Both Harry and Ron were on top of her and Ginny removed her shoes to tickle her feet. The Common Room went quiet as other students stopped what they were doing and wondered if the Seventh years had gone mad. They then went back to their respective activities.

“I give, I give.” Hermione laughed. “Nothing special. I ran into a teacher and we had tea together. Perfectly innocent.”

Her three friends looked at each other. Harry had a nasty feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Which teacher?”

“Well, we discussed the Serendipity Paradox,” said Hermione defiantly.

“Damn, Hermione.” Harry started to breath hard.

“It was quite innocent.”

Ron and Ginny looked at each other, sensing the tension between their two friends. “What’s going on you two?” asked Ron.

Harry looked around him. “I think we better take this somewhere where we have more privacy.”

They warded the Prefect’s bathroom and sat looking at each other. Hermione broke the silence.

“I did nothing wrong!”

“Snape. Snape, dammit,” hissed Harry.

Ron and Ginny both spoke at once, “What do you mean” and “You had tea with Snape?”

“Yes. It was wonderful. We talked for hours.” She smiled joyfully and her eyes gleamed with triumph. “We talked about magical theory and general arithmancy. He even knows Sugarloaf -- personally. He presented a paper on Serendipity and Potions just last year. Can you imagine? And he’s bringing me some other books and extra articles.” She looked around her friends. “I’ve never been so happy in my life. You are happy for me, right?”

There was a ten beat silence before they threw in their collective, metaphorical towel and said, “sure,” “yeah,” and “whatever.”

“That’s good because I’m seeing him next week and I’m going to need you all to cover for me.” And with that Hermione flounced out of the room.

“We are—“ started Ron.

“So—“ continued Ginny.

“Screwed.” finished Harry.

&&&

She said, “yes, yes, yesssss. Keep going, hmmm, that’s so good.” He raised himself over her and allowed his tip, just the tip, to slide in. “Oh, Gods, Sev’rus, stop teasing me.” Severus grinned and pulled back a little. “You fucking-purebred-cocksucker get it back in me,” she gasped, half laughing and half weeping with desire.

“Oh, are you begging now?” His grin got broader.

“Damn you, give it to me. Yes, I’m begging you. I’m pleading. Now!”

And he pushed himself all the way inside her. He grasped her lower lip in his teeth and gave her a little nip. She responded by grabbing his butt with both hands and digging in her nails.

He yelped at the pain and said, “do that again and I’m not going to last long.” His whole body shivered with pre climax.

“So what? I know you’re good for at least two more times. And if we blow up the lab it’s because neither one of us is getting any sleep.” Perspiration daintily beaded on her upper lip as she gasped out the words.

“Oh no!” he said, eyes widening with mock horror. “The end of both our careers before they’re even begun.”

“Less talking, more fucking please.” Her sea foam eyes lit up with ecstasy and he semi-withdrew his cock again and returned it hard inside of her. “More, I’m close, you damned fool. Gods, I’m so close,” she whimpered.

Severus took his cue and started a steady rhythm of thrusts. He leaned down and nibbled on her neck, sucking and nipping a trail towards her collarbone. He felt her kneading his arse in time to his strokes. Her cunny was contracting on him, and he raised her legs even higher to go as deeply as he could. “Say it, say it again. Tell me.”

“Yes. I’m your MUDBLOOD SLUT,” she screamed and came hard, crossing her legs around his back and thrusting her bottom up and pressing it fast against him.

“Oh GODS IN HEAVEN,” and he began to spurt into her. The release was so intense it hurt. It was as if every nerve ending was aflame and he was falling in to a pit of fire. He kissed her again and again, sobbing, crying like a baby. He felt his tears mix with hers and knew it had been just as intense for her.

In a small voice, Tara whispered, “Cripes, I think I’m falling in love with you.”

Snape awoke with a start. He reached out for her, but the dream was gone. His bed was empty. All that remained was the pool of semen cooling under his cock. He hit the mattress with his fist and muttered a long string of curses. He didn’t know how he’d missed that memory. What was it? The third or fourth time they had made love? He thought he’d gotten rid of the most painful of them into the pensieve twenty years ago. Another wave of despair came crashing down on him. Damn him. Damn.


A/N: There you go. Just for all of you who have wondered about Tara.