Who Knew?

Disclaimer: The characters and places of this story are the property of J.K. Rowling. I only create the situations they find themselves in during this story. I make no money from this writing – it is strictly for amusement!

WARNINGS: TEACHER/STUDENT, MINOR, AWKWARD SEX ED TALK

Chapter 5: Mental Mine Fields


After Malfoy’s visit, Snape tried to return to his normal routine, but was forced to admit that this particular day had started out as far off normal as was conceivable. As was normal for the days which found Snape teaching two separate individual defense classes, he and Draco had chosen to take dinner in the room where Draco practiced his defense skills. Today, however, instead of the usual exuberance he ate these meals with, Snape spent the entire time staring at his plate, pushing his food around.

“You’re not eating tonight. The work-out normally leaves you with quite an appetite. A libidinous work out followed by a four hour physical work-out would leave me famished.” Draco had to laugh at the expression on his mentor’s face.

“I’m not certain what you think you saw, but nothing untoward happened with Miss Weasley,” Snape said guardedly.

Draco decided it was time for some levity between the two men and felt this was too good of an opportunity to let slip by. In his most mocking, melodramatic voice he laid out the gauntlet for Snape.

“Hmm… Untoward, such an interesting word. I’m not certain that the events of the class room caused any misfortune, exactly, so I suppose in that sense nothing untoward happened. However, I do seem to recall that word also means unexpected. Surely you’re not implying that Miss Weasley’s actions were expected. Why Severus, you bad boy! Although, I had always believed that you would hold such actions to be inappropriate for your classes. Oh dear, how could I have so misunderstood you. If nothing untoward happened, than oral favors from students are both appropriate, and expected. You really should address this topic more clearly in your syllabus. Just think, you could be in the most laid profession – oh, excuse me, the best made profession - ”

“ENOUGH!”

Draco watched the decision flash across Snape’s face as he chose not to respond further to the baited comment.

“I did not believe that anything had happened. You don’t strike me as a minute man, especially with a beautiful girl. You know that you wouldn’t have to explain anything to me if it had, don’t you? I know that you prefer women as your partners, and that means that I may not be able to offer exactly what you would want. You would never have to explain a relationship with a woman to me. I am okay with that, really.” Draco found the he was unable to hold Snape’s gaze and took his turn at staring into a plate, but continued on,

“I know that becoming my lover is a role you are playing in an attempt to save my life. It is truly a selfless act as it requires you to give up so much of yourself and you gain so little from it.”

“That’s not entirely true,” Snape said nudging Draco’s leg with his foot until he met Snape’s gaze again. “In fact, that is hardly the truth. I would never have acted on my feelings for you while you were a student, nor would I ever have acted if I was not certain that you had similar feelings.” Snape studied the conflicting emotions as they surfaced in Draco’s bright blue eyes.

“My concern for you has always been strong but over the past two years it has transcended the normally accepted bounds for a teacher. That is due, in part, to a good number of things, but none of these change the fact that…”

“It’s okay. I would really rather you didn’t say it right now. Things are happening too fast,” Draco said, feeling a strange sense of relief spread through him as the tension melted away. “I never got around to asking you what it was my father said that made you think he suspected something between us.”

Snape snorted and began eating. Between bites he said, “The first one came not long after I greeted him. I had told him that you and Ginny were away again, this time for a field test, by the way… He inquired at to the new scent I was wearing; it reminded him of your not so subtle cologne, he said. Do you make a habit of entertaining your father after you have had the occasion to be covered in a woman’s scent?”

The raised eyebrow as Snape took a drink of his water let Draco know that he was being teased back. With a smile and a shrug he calmly replied, “What can I say? He’s a twisted old goat.”

“Apples tend not to fall far from the tree… Later he was talking about your mother’s delight in your decision to study at Hogwarts over the summer and said that he pointed out the fact that I had always had a special fondness for you… He asked how I felt about your engagement to Miss Parkinson. There was some sincerity on his part there. I was not certain if it was his wanting my opinion as a friend or testing the waters with your potential lover, so I answered as your teacher and head of house… He asked if there ever been situations in which you had to receive lessons outside the scope of potions in private sessions with me, heavy emphasis on “any specific dark art”… He did have the audacity to directly ask if I had ever shared showers with you - in the changing room after Quidditch, of course,” Snape added in a fairly close imitation of the Malfoy drawl. “He kept bringing up the fact that he and I had participated in sexual entertainment for the Dark Lord as though we had willingly been lovers. It felt as if he was trying to demonstrate his understanding or acceptance of a sexual relationship between you and me. As you said, he is a twisted goat.”

“Old… I said twisted old goat.”

“He’s no older than I, and I am not old,” Snape replied, taking another drink.

“BAA-AA-AAA!\"

“I’m sorry, Severus. Perhaps I should have waited until you were not taking a drink.” Draco could not choose between slapping the choking man on the back, and offering him a napkin. “So he thinks this relationship has been going on for a considerable period of time?”

“It would seem so.” Snape said as he pushed his plate away. “Now, Diffindo, shall we continue where we left off?”

*****

Two days later Ginny found herself pacing before her closet again, the decision this time was not over what she was going to wear but what she was not going to wear.

She walked to the class room door with her arms folded in front of her, wondering if she had completely lost her mind. But time was slipping by quickly. Gathering what was left of her courage she dropped her arms and entered the classroom wearing her robe as Snape had instructed… Just her robe, and not even fastened at that. Snape responded with only slightly more composure this time. He did not choke, but seemed to be unable to swallow his tea. ‘Just play it out and see what happens.’ As Ginny turned to the practice area, she cast a locking spell on the door. Bold, she knew, but she wanted to test the water before diving in.

Snape knew the game was under way. He had been a bit amused by his own naiveté during their last encounter, after all, he was rarely the one girls would attempt to entice. Since the door was locked, he decided to go back to his marking and ignore the red haired goddess casting spells at various objects in the practice containment area. He was definitely going to ignore how very much like another red haired Gryffindor she looked, the one it had been so easy to give his heart to all those years ago. After his total loss of control two days prior, Snape refused to let Ginny know how much she had really affected him.

Without warning, the candle on the corner of his desk was extinguished with a loud crack, causing Snape to look around for someone apparating. It took a second look to realize that the cause of the noise had been the whip in Ginny’s hand. If the near naked girl had not been enough of a shock, and the appearance of a whip had not finished the job, the dark malevolent gleam in her eyes definitely removed the last bit of restraint the Potions Master had.

The next strike was aimed at him. Snape deflected it easily enough and caught Ginny off guard with his speed and agility as he rounded his desk, and closed the distance between them in less then three strides. She was also surprised by the strength in his hands when he pushed her to his desk, effectively pinning her there before she could turn around to face him, his leg shoved between her thighs, lifting her to her toes.

“Do not presume to toy with me witch,” he whispered in her ear. “I am a master at much more than just potions.” She could feel his cheek against the side of her head, and the movement of his lips as he spoke. There had been a caress on the edge of her ear, but she was unsure if it had be his breath… his lips… or his tongue.

“I have mastered dark arts of which you can scarcely imagine. You haven’t the vaguest conception under the heavens of the game you are trying to entice me with. There are rules, and with these rules come harsh consequences for violations.” She felt his grip on her arms tighten, enough so to assure lasting marks. His body shifted behind her, moving in closer, causing the desk to press painfully into her bare thighs. Marks would be lingering there, too.

“When you enter my class it is to learn or to work, ONLY! Are you quite clear on that,” he said in a growl, unaware he had been nuzzling her hair and inhaling her scent. ‘Soap, shampoo… Ahh, yes, there it is…’ Inhaling deeply and slowly again his sharp sense of smell picked up the faint, sweet, musky smell from her juices. ‘Those stunning, damp, red curls brushing across the edge of my desk…’

“So teach me,” Ginny whisper over her shoulder. By turning her head she had come almost lip to lip with him. She could feel the steely hardness of his body. Heat radiated from him like a furnace, while the rise and fall of each measured breath he took resulted in her own chest moving. Each move he made, no matter how slight, resulted in the flexing of the pinning thigh against her bum… against her throbbing nether lips.

“Leave!” Snape had been slammed back into reality by Ginny’s statement. He turned her toward the door and released her arms. Once free of his grip she spun on the balls of her bare feet to face her visibly shaken master.

“Teach me. I am here to learn anything that you will teach me,” Ginny said calmly and levelly, meeting Snape’s glare unflinchingly. As he looked down at her breasts, she felt her nipples harden under his glare. She watched in shock as his face became slack with an unreadable expression, and she felt moisture seeping out onto her inner thighs, at the mere thought that she could have such and effect on the man.

“Leave.”

Ginny could hear his voice falter, but was afraid to push any harder. After all, he had yet to release the whip wrapped around his right hand. She turned back to the door, unlocked it and strode out of dungeons, head up robes billowing, only to encounter Draco in the hall way. She had always enjoyed seeing him left speechless.

“If he doesn’t change his mind, I would be willing to use you for practice until I get it right,” she purred as she passed him.

Snape leaned his thigh against the shinny spot on the edge of his desk, the dampness from Ginny’s juices. He could feel the wet spot on his pants where his thigh had been pressed against her lips. Then he felt his legs begin to shake and he buckled to his knees. Resting his elbows on his desk, his face in his hands, he deduced that giving in to insanity would be the shortest and easiest route to take for the remainder of his cursed life, all the while fighting the urge to remove all traces of Ginny from his desk – with his tongue.

’Dumbledore will know. He always knows. He knows everything. I can only hope that he will kill me quickly! Get hold of yourself and stop being a melodramatic idiot. What is actually the worst that Albus could do to you – besides turning her brothers loose on you? Hmmm… That would play out nicely,’ Snape thought sarcastically. ‘Those wretched twins could contrive methods of torture that would make even the Dark Lord proud. With a dragon handler and an exalted curse breaker in the family, the dirty work of actually committing the torture would be handled with equal brilliance. Then there’s that infernal member of ‘The Golden Trio’ with his Gryffindor sense of honor, courage and justice, who would be there to make certain I paid for every last crime I have committed by action, omission, or thought, leading cheers of encouragement when his brothers’ strength began to fail.’

“This is simply going to be a bloody, lovely summer! Who knew?”

Draco had never seen as beautiful a sight as Ginny presented him upon leaving the class room. Later, all he would be able to remember was milky white skin framed by flaming red hair at top and in the middle, and black robes to the right and left. ‘A goddess, without a doubt!’ He had still not regained his composure when Snape stepped out of the class room to leave. Draco stepped into the shadows and watched silently as the older man leaned against the wall. ‘Stressed, extremely stressed,’ he thought as Snape rubbed both hands over his face and sighed heavily. Draco’s suspicions were confirmed though. Snape wanted Ginny, and she wanted him, that much was obvious. He wondered if Ginny would feel the same if she knew about…

*****

‘Oh Merlin, beautiful, red haired seductress that you are, dragon handler be damned,’ Snape thought, thrusting steadily into her… ‘Such a young and hot little vixen aren’t you? Rot in hell curse breaker… Come again for me, goddess… Relax and let it happen, just like before.’ Taking another deep, ragged breath he could smell her. ‘The sweet scent of being in the fertile, exotic garden of Lilies…’ The scent that had tormented him earlier caused his mind to haze over yet again. Not enough, though, to prevent him from enjoying the magnificent experience he now found himself in. Snape was enthralled by the creamy paleness of her ass as it bounced before him in the waning sunlight from the enchanted windows of his dungeon quarters. ‘Take your Canary Creams and get stuffed, you cretins!’ He felt the sweat trickle down his back. He reveled in the gasps and moans tumbling from her lips as she enthusiastically rode his cock, sounds that were accented by the skin to skin slapping of each long, full stroke against his groin. He could feel his hair, damp from his sweat, sweeping across his shoulders as he rocked into each exquisite stroke. With another deep breath of her scent, he could almost taste her juices. Snape tossed the trousers he had been holding to his face off the bed, reaching out to grab a handful of hair, he rode out the most draining orgasm of his life. Spent, satiated, and with emotion filled tears rolling down his face, he collapsed on top of the slender quivering body, forcing his lover down onto the bed.

And under Snape, a content and coy smile played about a very red set of lips. ‘Mission accomplished! I suppose my decision was a good one. He really is an incredible lover…’ As Snape’s breathing evened out and fell into the slow rhythm of sleep, his young lover managed to roll the two of them over and eased up onto somewhat sore knees to admire the resting man. ‘And I didn’t have to resort to an aphrodisiacal potion.’ An attempt at sitting brought a slight gasp, ‘Definitely going to be sore tomorrow – that was one hell of a fuck!’ With a glance, a hot blush replaced the smile. The gasp had caught the older man’s attention.

“Are you alright, Draco?”

“Yeah, just sore.”

“Do you need -”

“No! That was incredible! I’m not hurt, just pleasantly sore.”

“You are incredible, Draco, thank-you.” With one hand gently caressing Draco’s thigh, Snape ran his other hand through his own hair, and grimaced. “Would you like to join me in the shower, or perhaps a bath?”

Draco shook his head and began to nibble at his lower lip, a sign Snape recognized as nervousness.

“You are more than welcome to stay the night; in fact, I would rather enjoy your company.”

“Severus, I think I would prefer to return to my own quarters. I would like some time alone to sort this out. Things are moving a lot faster than I had expected. I do really enjoy what’s happening between us, but… It’s just so much, so fast.”

“That much I fully understand. Are you certain you are not injured?”

A nod, a shake, an eye roll and an embarrassed shrug in response brought a raised eyebrow from Snape.

“Yes, I am certain I am not injured. You would know if I were. You’re not going to be one of those people who feel compelled to talk about it afterwards, are you?”

“Have a pleasant evening, Draco.” Snape struggled to repress his laughter out of fear that his young, somewhat inexperienced lover might find it unsettling.

*****

Snape lay in his bed alone that night, restless and tangled in his sheets. His time at Wisteria Way was occupied with the antics of three headstrong Gryffindors, each uniquely brilliant. His time here was occupied with two prodigies each trying to prove something to their families, dealing with issues years ahead of their physical age. He could almost sense the nooses of those five damnable, bloody, teen-age geniuses tightening around his neck, strangling the life from him, subtly, but relentlessly. ‘It is time to do it. These five each have incredible talent and I am standing in the middle of them.’ Snape relaxed and willed his mind to reach out to the teen-agers. He had to know what the dangers were. School would be starting in less than 6 weeks and the five would come together. He was having difficulties simply coping with them one at a time already. It was beginning to feel akin to a constant bloody attack.

Ron was the easiest to locate. Open and fairly trusting, he was a brilliant strategist, who harbored deep concern for Harry, Hermione, and Ginny. He was easy going, and honest to a fault. He posed no real threat unless one of the others was perceived to be in danger. While he was not particularly fond of Snape, he had no malicious intent, either. Yet, thought Snape, recalling the events of the day as he eyed the spot on his discarded trousers; a discoloration which still held the scent of the Weasley princess’ passion.

Hermione was the next student he found. She felt safe and at peace, her defenses were lowered. She was the most knowledgeable, but was unwilling to create waves unless she knew she was right. Everything in her life was governed by knowledge. A knowledge which surpassed many fully trained witches and wizards, and constantly kept Snape on his defensive toes. She was fairly trusting of Snape, maliciousness could not be found anywhere in her thoughts.

Ginny was next and brought intense flashes of darkness and desires for Snape’s knowledge, thought not quite as much for Snape, himself. There were thoughts of Harry, strong and private thoughts. Snape found memories of the possession by a weakened form of the Dark Lord, and accepted this is an adequate explanation for the presence of darkness within her. There was no doubt that she would kill without hesitation or die to protect those she loved. She was not above using deception to accomplish her goals. She was the first one to feel the intrusion in her sleeping mind, but she did not understand what it was. Snape found himself facing a shuffling deck of cards. He was curious, but didn’t want to be witness to a teen-aged girl’s dreams.

Harry had taken so long to find due in part, Snape believed, to the fact that Snape may not have wanted to do this. However, due to Occlumency training, Snape could only gain small pieces of information, most of which he already knew. Harry was not afraid of causing problems, not afraid to kill or die, and could do so with out hesitation for the protection of others. He was capable of using any of the unforgivable curses out of revenge, without thought or additional preparation, a feat rare even among death eaters. He had extreme powers that seem to know no limits, and was a natural, but somewhat reluctant, leader.

All true Gryffindors! And yet, each could have been placed in other houses so easily!

Draco revealed his fear of Lucius, respect and love for Snape, even a willingness to be submissive to him, but surprisingly, an attraction to Harry and Ginny, also. Snape felt the need to tread lightly into this mind. He did not want a repeat performance of his previous Legilimens experience with the young man.

’This is interesting. I’m in the middle of a bloody mine field. Wearing snow shoes! As long as no one gets harmed I’ll be just peachy!’ Snape was startled to realize that Draco would be included in the protective ring formed by the others. ‘They would come to his defense almost as quickly as to one of their own! Hmmm, who knew? Who cares?’ When the sarcasm was put aside, the curiosity began to take over. Once again Snape gently roamed through their minds, searching for something he had obviously missed before, something disguised. Slowly, he began to find them, flashes of mental images.

The first to surface was an image of Draco bathing with Harry, caresses, and lust on the young men’s faces. This was followed immediately by the sight of Ginny’s pale pink nipples and bright red curls nestled between her creamy thighs, Draco leisurely admiring her body, and a sexual conversation between the two surfaced with the subtly of the Hogwarts Express. Next to surface was a look exchanged between Draco and Hermione in muggle Europe, not the usual smirk one was accustomed to when these two were involved. Snape watched as Hermione opened a door and welcomed Draco into a hotel room. From somewhere else a meeting surfaced; a meeting with Harry, Ron, and Draco in a darkened, wooded area. He observed Draco walking behind Harry and Ron, glancing into a small tent as Harry and Ron entered, and Draco looking around nervously to see if he was being watched.

Snape saw Harry and Ron asleep in the same bed, once in a small orange room and again in a larger, dingy room. There were images of Ginny sleeping in Harry arms, fully clothed, again in a nightgown… on a sofa, on a stone floor, on a bed, in a grassy field.

The last image had Snape’s gut clinching and his breath frozen in his lungs. It was the most captivating image he had ever seen, Ginny and Hermione were nestled in bed together, not just in one bedroom but two, two different images, two different times.

’What the bloody hell has been going on for the past 6 years, under my very nose?’ These pictures were coming from both sides of each story. One sided images could be dismissed as fantasy, but not when it’s mirrored in both minds. Most annoying to Snape, though, was the fact that he had been unable to gain access to any of the full stories, only interpretational picture flashes. He could feel strong love, lust and anxiety, but due to the hormone clouded thought process of teen-agers, he was unable to sort the specific reasons behind these emotions. ‘Damned insolent brat that you are, Harry! You taught them didn’t you? You taught them how to rearrange their thoughts. You’ve taught them basic Occlumency. Draco’s father would have taught him, of course. Hermione could have learned it from a book, but she didn’t! They all look to you as a teacher, a mentor. Even Draco mentally acknowledges and grudgingly respects your abilities!’

Severus never did relax enough to sleep after his Legilimens exercise; instead he spent a very long night considering each of his five students, collectively and in turn. He could no longer see them as children. Not one among them maintained a childlike innocence. They had all seen death first hand, they had faced and accepted their own deaths and overcame them. They had fought battles in this war, side by side, with little help from the adults who were supposedly protecting them. It should have come as little surprise that their sexual appetites would have developed along these same lines. This realm would have been shaped by the same events that had shaped the rest of their lives, their minds, their memories, and their emotions… Drastic deviances from normal teen-agers should have been expected in all of them. ‘No, childhood innocence has long since been removed from these five… young adults. Students still, yes, MY students, but hardly children.’