Twice Bitten ~ COMPLETED

Chapter 42 ~ A Meaningful Discussion

Snape returned to the Infirmary and sat vigil over a sleeping Hermione for another hour before returning to the dungeons and preparing for class. As he showered, he considered his situation. If a witch absolutely had to Bind herself to him, he couldn’t hope for one more promising than Hermione Granger.

Imagine if it had been Sybil Trelawney.

Snape shuddered involuntarily under the spray at the very thought of it.

The witch was courageous beyond the point of foolishness. He’d have to give her a good talking to concerning taking risks, though he doubted he’d ever curb the inclination. He really wasn’t sure that he wanted to. There were worse people to have in his corner than Hermione. He knew he could count on her to be there for him in whatever situation he faced. She proved that with the Vashti situation when she wasn’t bound to him. He still remembered her crying, walking beside him when he walked toward the sun and what he thought was Eternity. She had hated it, but even then, refused to abandon him . . . not wanting him to die alone.

He looked thoughtful as he dressed, buttoning his robes with deft pale fingers. He didn’t know if he loved Hermione Granger, but one thing was certain . . . she belonged to him now, until the day she died.

And as he thought before, there could be worse witches to be saddled with.

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Minerva wasted no time going down to the Infirmary the next morning, arriving about twenty minutes after Severus left. Hermione was awake and grimacing down at a bowl full of steaming gruel Poppy had given her with the directive to consume it all. Hermione was rather relieved the Headmistress showed up. She could put off the inevitable for a short while.

Minerva pulled up a chair.

”I understand the demon is no longer after you,” Minerva began.

”No, he’s not,” Hermione agreed, her belly tightening as she noted the tick in the Headmistress’ cheek.

“Now you are bound to Severus Snape, a wizard nearly twice your age,” the witch said, “Undeniably the coldest, most unfeeling . . .”

”He’s not,” Hermione snapped. “He is capable of feelings! Why does everyone think that?”

Minerva fell silent, not wanting Poppy to expel her for upsetting her patient.

”Tell me, Hermione . . . did Severus do anything untoward to you? Make . . . advances? Improper suggestions? Touch you in any way that could be deemed . . . harassment?” the witch asked her.

”No, he didn’t,” Hermione said, frowning. “I seduced him so I could get the ingredients I needed to perform the Binding.”

Minerva’s eyes went wide, then narrowed.

”Hermione, there is no need to protect him. If he coerced you in any manner he will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” the Headmistress said softly.

Hermione looked at Minerva, seething inside. It was as if she were digging for anything that could get Severus in trouble.

”I’m not protecting him . . . I’m . . . Headmistress, can you get me a Pensieve? I can show you what you need to know,” the witch said.

”Certainly,” Minerva replied, rushing off to the Charms classroom.

At last she’d know exactly what occurred, or thought she would. Hermione planned to place some very targeted memories in that Pensieve. Minerva was still under the delusion she was an innocent, even after all they went through during the Final Battle. Well, Hermione planned to burst that little bubble.

Minerva returned ten minutes later with the Pensieve, and watched as Hermione placed several silver strands in the bowl. Hermione then handed her the swirling silver liquid.

”Now you’ll see what happened for yourself,” Hermione said, her eyes glinting slightly. She wished she could put a Stay-Put spell on it, so she couldn’t leave during the juicy parts.

Minerva took the Pensieve and within seconds turned red as a salamander.

”Severus?”

”Yes?”

”I’m not wearing any knickers.”

”What did you say?”

”I’m not wearing any knickers”

”I see. Thank you for that bit of information. Now turn over and go to sleep like a good witch.”

”I can’t sleep. I’m . . . afraid, and I feel so alone,”

”You’re not alone. I’m with you. Now go to sleep and stop being a little tart. No knickers indeed. Stop it!”

”You want to do it. You were hard for me this morning, when I showered. You watched me, and you wanted me. You want me now too.”

“Bloody Lolita.”

”I want to feel you inside me, Severus. It’s been a long time and it was so good. You were good. No one has ever made me feel that way, and I want to feel it again.”

”We are supposed to be focused on your survival, Hermione.”

“This is about survival. If you don’t shag me, Severus, I’m going to die,”

”Very well, Hermione . . . “

That is the point Hermione ended her memories. Anything more would have alerted Minerva to the fact that Severus had been under another influence when they initially engaged. Since it happened when neither of them were at Hogwarts, as far as Hermione was concerned the Headmistress had no right to question her about it.

Minerva’s entire head was a bright crimson. Clearly, Hermione had been the aggressor and Severus did make an effort to restrain himself. But what man could resist a wanton, knickerless young woman clinging to him and asking him to take her? Even Severus, as cold as he was, was still a man and subject to a man’s needs. But there was something else.

When Minerva gathered her wits about her, she eyed Hermione, clearly displeased about the witch’s actions although she could see that had Hermione not seduced the dark wizard, she would still be in hiding from the demon.

“You and Severus have engaged before last night?” Minerva questioned her.

Hermione nodded.

”Yes, but . . . it was after the Final Battle and before the school opened, so it has nothing to do with Hogwarts,” Hermione replied. “Since it doesn’t, I don’t feel the need to explain anything other than to say I was past the Age of Consent then as well.”

The Headmistress stared at Hermione. She didn’t know the young woman at all. All of this . . . this sex and wantonness. Maybe she was meant for Severus.

“Very well. Your things will be returned to Gryffindor tower immediately and you will resume classes as soon as Poppy gives you a clean bill of health,” Minerva sniffed, rising and handing the Pensieve back to Hermione to clear, then taking it again.

Hermione could tell that she had lost quite a bit of the Headmistress’ respect, but that was fine. As far as she was concerned, Minerva needed to loosen up or get laid herself. Obviously she had forgotten what it was like to be with someone she truly desired, or she never knew.

Minerva walked toward the privacy curtain, then turned.

”I expect both you and the Professor to act with . . . discretion concerning your relationship. It wouldn’t do for the parents of our students to know that our teachers and students are having intimate relations,” she said darkly.

As far as Hermione knew this was only true of herself and Severus. She could be wrong, however.

Minerva would have loved to restrict all contact between Hermione and Severus until after graduation, but she had no authority to do so. A curt warning was all she could give. But there was something she could do to keep anything like this from occurring again, and planned to do it as soon as possible. That was to petition the Board of Governors to enact a regulation that there could be no fraternization between teachers and students of the Age of Consent that still attended Hogwarts under threat of imprisonment.

Of course she would wait until Hermione graduated. She wouldn’t want them to know such a relationship occurred under her watch.

”Don’t worry, Headmistress. We will be discreet,” Hermione said.

”Well, see that you do,” Minerva snapped, pulling back the curtain . . . then the witch paused, and turned back toward Hermione, her eyes glistening.

”My dear, I just want you to know how relieved I am you are out of danger,” she said, her voice quavering. “I was very, very worried about you. Very worried. I am glad you found a way to find a solution that didn’t cost anyone their lives. You’ve been my pride and joy for many years . . . almost like a dau . . .”

Minerva caught herself, then said softly, “I . . . I just want you to know that.”

Hermione found her eyes a bit wet as well.

”Yes, Headmistress,” she replied, blinking at her.

Minerva left quickly and Hermione settled back in her cot, thinking perhaps Professor McGonagall was simply being reactive, more like an over-protective mother than just being a bitch. It was well-known how much she believed in protecting the students of Hogwarts. What was clear is that her former Head of House really did care about her.

Suddenly, Poppy’s sharp voice cut through the silence of the Infirmary.

”Miss Granger, are you eating your gruel?” the Medi-witch called from the doorway of her office, her arms full of towels.

Hermione picked up the gruel off the little table near her cot, made a face then reheated it with her wand.

”Yes, Madame Pomfrey,” she replied sullenly, spooning up a bit of the slop and inserting it into her mouth.

Just awful.

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Poppy kept Hermione prisoner for another full day before releasing her on Hogwarts again. Snape visited her the morning of her liberation and told her the matter with the Headmistress had been cleared up satisfactorily and he was in no danger of dismissal. His mouth quirked as Hermione told him what she put in the Pensieve.

”I imagined that shattered your ‘innocent’ image forever,” the wizard said, his dark eyes resting on Hermione thoughtfully. “Now Minerva knows for certain you are a little tart.”

”Tart? I’m not a tart!” Hermione said to him, putting her hands on her hips although she was sitting up in her cot. “I simply did what I had to do, and to be honest, it wasn’t that difficult. It’s a good thing you put up a better fight when in service to the Order than in your bedroom or we’d all be wearing Dark Marks.”

“When I was in service to the Order, no one dangled their luscious bits in front of me to try and deter me from my duties. I might have succumbed to my baser nature if that were the case, much as I did that night,” the wizard replied evenly.

Hermione laughed despite herself, although Snape remained sober-faced.

”Hermione, what are your plans for the future?” he asked the witch suddenly.

Hermione blinked at him.

”Well, I had heard that the first Wizarding University was opening up next semester. I thought I might attend and study Charms,” the witch said.

”And after that?” he asked.

”Oh, I don’t really know. I suppose I’ll get a job someplace,” Hermione said, twisting her hands. She usually had everything planned out in her life, but this was something she hadn’t completely scheduled yet.

Snape blinked at her.

“And what are your plans for us?” he asked her in a low voice.

”Us?” Hermione repeated, blinking at the wizard.

”Yes, us. You are bound to me, you know. That means no other wizard will move you to love. It is as if you are my wife,” the wizard said, his brows drawing together now.

Hermione took it as a look of displeasure.

”I won’t interfere with your life any further, Severus. I realize I crossed the line when I arbitrarily bound myself to you, but you were the only one I could do it with,” she said softly.

Snape made a sound.

”Please don’t do it,” the wizard growled.

”Don’t do what?” Hermione asked.

”The ‘noble’ thing. Which is usually a very 'stupid' thing Gryffindors do when faced with a situation that can be advantageous despite the way it came about. My stomach can’t take it,” Snape said, bringing his hand to his belly for emphasis.

”What are you talking about?” Hermione said.

Snape sighed.

”Your half Binding to me cannot be broken unless by either my death or yours. I plan to stick around for quite a while and I’m sure you are in no great hurry to enter the Great Beyond. We are compatible and for all intents and purposes, stuck with each other. We might as well complete the Binding and make it whole,” the wizard said to her gruffly.

Hermione blinked at him.

”But . . . but True Love has to be a component, Severus, or it won’t work,” the witch said to the wizard with a sinking heart.

Snape’s dark eyes rested on her.

”I know that,” he snapped. “I am thinking possibly it will take hold, based on what I felt the night I thought you might have been killed. We can try at least. If it takes, I will be spared Minerva’s continuous Death Glares, and you will be spared the hurtful comments that are bound to be sent your way. The entire school no doubt knows what happened by now.”

Hermione stared at him.

”So . . . does that mean . . . you love me, Severus?” she asked him in a small voice.

Snape looked distinctly uncomfortable and shifted a bit in the small folding chair.

”It means I don’t hate you,” he replied, “How much I don’t hate you we will find out tonight if Poppy releases you today. There is no reason to postpone this.”

Hermione blinked at him. If he wanted to perform the Binding tonight, that meant . . . fresh fluids would be needed. Snape’s eyes glittered at her as she colored slightly.

”All right, Severus,” she said softly.

”I know it is. Now, I must get to class. Hopefully I will see you this evening,” the wizard said.

Snape hesitated, then looked about carefully, quickly leaning in and kissing Hermione on the mouth, then scowling at her.

”Goodbye, witch,” he said, exiting quickly, Hermione smiling after him.

”So, he ‘doesn’t hate me,’” she said to herself, then dissolved into giggles.

Life with Severus Snape was going to be a hoot if this Binding worked. Suddenly Poppy’s shrill voice rang out.

”Miss Granger, have you finished your gruel?”

Hermione looked down at the Scourgify-Proof bowl of drab, gray gruel.

”Not yet,” she replied, casting a warming spell on the mess.

Gods, she’d be glad when she got out of here.

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A/N: Lol. I had to address just why people ate Poppy’s gruel, rather than just making it disappear. Scourgify-Proof bowls. Lol. Anyway, thanks for reading.