The Mentor

Chapter Six – The First Meeting


Hermione had just enough time to run from the meeting, to dinner and then to her tutoring session. She badly wanted a shower, and was going to send her student away with enough time to have one. Normally, she would sacrifice her personal hygiene for the sake of academic progress, but not today. When she met with Severus, she wanted to be well dressed and clean.

She stayed in the great Hall long enough to eat a little of the roast beef and potatoes, and was off again, barely taking the time to say hello or goodbye to her eating companions.

“Well Minerva. It would appear as though your announcement was well timed,” Severus stated, turning towards the head mistress. “That one barely sat down long enough to take a sip of tea, let alone eat a decent meal”, he indicated towards the back of Hermione as she left the room.

“She has always been driven to excel, with little thought to her own well-being”, Minerva replied with a worried frown. “I really hope that you can help her find some balance Severus. She is the last teacher that I want to lose because she wears herself out.”

“Try not to worry Minerva. I will take care of her”, he answered solemnly, thinking that if the head mistress really knew exactly how Severus wanted to ‘take care’ of Hermione, she would not let him anywhere near her.

“I have managed to balance teaching, researching and my spying duties for several years, and you did not lose me.”

“And thank Merlin for that”, Minerva replied with heart felt sincerity. “Other than Albus, you are the only other person at the school that I can talk to openly. I am glad you are still here Severus”.
“Thank you Minerva. That was a kind thing to say. I am glad to be here, although if I could just do research and did not have to teach the dunderheads, it would be much more pleasant.”

Minerva chuckled at this, just as Severus hoped she would. Her words had impacted him much more deeply than he let on. He actually felt guilty about what he had planned for Hermione, but he would not let that stop him. She was meant to be with him; Snape knew it deep inside.

**********

Hermione managed to end her tutoring session with a half hour to spare; more than enough time for her to shower and change before meeting Severus. She still shivered whenever she thought of him, and frankly, it felt wonderful.

A little under a half hour later, Hermione was standing at the door to Severus’ office. Just as she was raising her hand to knock, he opened the door, her fist making contact with his chest.

Lightening fast, he grasped her hand, holding it to his chest.

“Hermione, this is no way to begin our partnership. Why would you want to punch me?”

“Oh sir”, she reverted back to her school days with her address of him. “I am so sorry. I was just going to knock on the door and I was not expecting you to open it before I did.” She spread her hand open over his heart. “Are you alright? Did I hurt you?”

Severus paused a moment before answering, enjoying the feel of her hand splayed across his chest. Even through his clothing, her touch was wonderful. The impotence potion he had taken in anticipation of her visit could not stop his cock from reacting to her close proximity.

“Do you not have your own wards set to tell you who is at your door?” he asked with genuine curiosity.

“No, I was not aware that I could do that.”

“You certainly can, and I would be pleased to show you. It can be helpful if you are busy, and do not wish to be disturbed by a student. When you know who it is, you can ignore them. They think that you are not there and leave.”

“But sir, I could never ignore a student who needs me! What kind of teacher would I be?” she asked incredulously.

“You will be the kind of teacher who sets some professional boundaries. Even though you live at the school, you must set aside time that is just for you. Maybe this should be the first part of your schedule we work on”, he finished thoughtfully.

Throughout the conversation, Severus was aware of her hand over his heart. She had made no move to pull away, and he had made no move to release her. Taking advantage of their proximity, he turned his hand so that his grip shifted from her wrist. Holding her fingers firmly, he brought her into his office. To Hermione’s surprise, they continued through the office and in to his private rooms. As if sensing her curiosity, he hastened to explain.

“I felt that you might be more comfortable in my private quarters than in my office. You are not my student anymore, and I am not your supervisor. I prefer to save my office for meetings of that nature. Besides”, he continued with a caring note to his voice, “I noticed that you did not eat much at dinner, and I thought that we might share a snack while we plan the schedule. Is this acceptable?”

Hermione was almost overwhelmed that he had noticed, and that he seemed to care about her well being in such a way. She slowly nodded her agreement, and Severus led her to his sitting room.
Hermione took in the room. There was a large fireplace, covered with the same grey stone that could be found throughout the castle. The floors were a dark wide planked walnut, stained so darkly it was almost black.

The fireplace was faced with a brown leather pub styled sofa, which matched two chairs that flanked it on either side. The furniture sat on a plush taupe coloured carpet, and Hermione could only imagine how exquisite that carpet would feel beneath her bare feet.

However, the most appealing thing about the room was the bookshelves. They covered every available space on the walls around the room. Better yet, the shelves were filled to overflowing. Books that could not fit on the shelves had been stacked on the rough hewn wood mantle, and on one of the two chairs that made up a small eating area nestled under a bank of windows. Even though they were in the dungeons, the windows had been charmed like the Great Hall, to reflect the weather. Tonight, they showed a dark blue night sky littered with twinkling stars.

“This is a lovely room Severus,” Hermione told him with appreciation in her voice. “I could imagine reading in here for hours. You have even more books than I do”.

“You are welcome to borrow some whenever you wish”, Severus promised. “And maybe you have some titles that I would like as well”.

Hermione turned towards him, facing him and making full eye contact.

“Severus”, she answered with all sincerity, “if I have anything you ever want to borrow, you have only to ask. I am excited that you are my mentor, and I want to help you with your research, if I can.”

“Indeed”, he answered in his mysterious manner, leaving Hermione to wonder what he really meant.

Leading her to one of the leather chairs, Severus reluctantly released her hand so that she could sit.

Hermione snuggled in to the chair, running both of her hands over the arms. The leather was softer and smoother than she had imagined. Inwardly, she let out a small sigh. When she imagined the perfect room for reading and relaxing, this was it.

Before sitting on the sofa, Severus stepped to the fire and called for their meal through the floo. At the same moment he sat, several covered trays appeared on a small table in front of them.

“I was not sure what you would like, so I took the liberty of ordering several different things.”

“Thank you Severus. This was very thoughtful, and I am much hungrier that I realized.”

“I suggest that we eat and then we can work out our mentoring schedule”.

Hermione had been so caught up in the room and being near him, that she almost forgot the real reason why she was there in the first place.

‘That sounds like a good plan”, she responded, looking at all the food spread in front of her.

For the next hour, they snacked on a variety of cheeses, small canapés and other finger foods. When the main part of the meal was finished it was replaced with a tray full of fancy desserts.

“Would you care for some wine? It is a decent chardonnay” Severus asked, hoping that she would agree. One of his greatest pleasures in life was a good bottle of wine, and he hoped that she would partake, and share the experience with him.

“That sounds lovely, Severus. I enjoy good wine, and the house elves have several Muggle bottles stored for me”.

Severus poured them both a glass, and reached for a quill and parchment that had been sitting on the coffee table.

“This might be a good time to start the schedule”.

Hermione agreed with a nod. She took a sip of her wine and closing her eyes, sighed at the taste. It tasted like every good chardonnay should, and finished with a warm butterscotch flavour, indicating that it had finished aging in oak barrels.

Severus watched her drink, enjoying the way she so visible took pleasure from just one sip. He could tell the exact moment that she swallowed, watching her throat gently move up and down. Shaking his head to bring back his focus, Severus brought up the subject of their mentoring schedule.

“Minerva has dictated that we meet at least once a week”, he started. “I feel that, for the beginning, we should meet twice”.

Hermione considered this carefully. She was thinking of all the extracurricular things she had committed to, on top of her teaching schedule. Sensing that she may disagree, he hastened to explain his reasoning.

“I propose that the first meeting focus on you and what you need from me”. Severus purposely chose his words for their double meaning. “The second meeting will then focus on me and what I need from you”.

Hermione almost choked on her next sip of wine at his words. There was no mistaking his double entendre this time. Determined to play along, Hermione continued to listen, keeping her face as blank as possible.

Severus turned to the schedule, indicating the days that he would be available.

When they were finished, Hermione did not want to leave. She enjoyed spending time with Severus, and did not want it to end so soon. Grasping at ways to prolong the conversation, she asked Severus about his current research and ways that she might be able to assist. With a knowing smile, Severus answered her, and began a conversation that lasted well in to the night.

**********

Several hours later, Severus and Hermione were enthusiastically arguing over the benefits of using powdered moon flower over fresh. He was one of the most fascinating, knowledgeable men she had ever met, and as they talked, debated and even laughed, Hermione realized that this was not the same man who had taught her during her time as a student.

Without thinking, she asked him the question that was on the tip of her tongue.

“Severus, who are you?”

Shocked by the abrupt change in subject, his expression quickly shuttered, not wanting to give her indication of how he really felt.

“What kind of question is that?” he replied somewhat harshly. “I am the potions master of Hogwart's; I was your teacher; I fought with you in final battle and I am your mentor. What else do you want me to say?”

The colour leeched out of her face. She did not mean to offend him, but clearly she had. Hermione had been enjoying their conversation, and realized that with her impulsive question, the mood had been destroyed.

“I’m sorry sir”, she stammered. “I did not mean to offend you. I spoke without thinking, that’s all.

“Severus,” he reminded her with a soft sigh. “Please call me Severus”.

“I am sorry Severus”, she replied with dejection. “I have ruined it, haven’t I? I always ruin things like this. I sat here wondering why you were treating me so differently and I just said the first thing that came to my mind. I am so sorry that I made you angry with me”.

Severus took a steadying breath. He responded to her question in the same way he always replied when something made him feel unsure and uneasy, with irritation and impatience. He did not want to give away his feelings without some idea if she might feel the same. But Severus did not like the way it made him feel to watch the light go out of her eyes, her shoulders slouched. With a shudder, she dropped her head and he realized that she was crying.

He was at a crossroads with her. He could tell her that she was right to be upset, and that he was annoyed with her, or he could give her a little bit of honesty, and hope it was enough to make her feel better.

“Hermione”, he said softly, moving to kneel between her legs. He gently ran a finger along her cheek. With a subtle motion, he lifted her chin so that he could look her in the eye.

The tears running down her face were almost enough to undo him. He did not want to hurt her, but he also did not want to be hurt by her. He realized in that moment that she would never knowingly do that to him.

“Hermione”, he said again, moving his fingers to catch her tears before they could fall. This was the time for honesty.

“I am sorry that I hurt you. I know how you see me, and your question shocked me because I know who I used to be to you”. Taking another deep breath, he continued. “I also know that I want you to see me as someone else. When you think of me, I want to be someone that could be your mentor; who could be your friend; who could be something more”.

He looked deeply in to her eyes with the last comment. He wanted her to get an idea of how he was feeling without actually saying it out loud.

In that moment, he was lost in her honey coloured eyes, swimming with tears that he had caused. With both thumbs, he brushed them away.

“Please do not cry”, he asked her. “When you do, it breaks my heart”.

Hermione had become lost in the dark depths of his eyes. At his last comment she knew that he had given her permission; permission to feel something more for him than she already did. With a muffled sob, she threw herself in to his arms, almost knocking him on his back. He held her tightly and did the only thing that he could do…he let her cry.

**********

As Hermione cried, strong arms wrapped around her holding her close. She felt safe and warm, with her cheek pressed close to his heart. All of the weeks of running herself in to the ground, coupled with mounting uncertainty over her feelings for Severus had reached the boiling point. She needed to let it out.

Severus hated that she was crying, those heart wrenching sobs that wracked her body in painful shudders. But he was glad that she felt comfortable enough to do it with him. Little did he know that he was the cause of her discomfort.

He pulled her even closer, stretching back so that he rested against the base of the sofa. With a little pressure, he lifted her into his lap, gently rocking and murmuring words of comfort in to her ear.

Her tears gradually ceased, as though she were dried out. Hermione became aware of Severus, his hands gently stroking her back, and his erection pushing towards her bottom.

Eyes wide, she moved to look him in the eye.

And at that moment, she knew. He wanted her.

And she wanted him.

Leaning forward, Hermione gently pressed a soft kiss onto his neck. He froze at the contact, but did not push her away. She kept pressing soft kisses along his neck and up to his jaw, feeling the prickle of his whiskers on her lips.

Hermione pulled away, looking in to his eyes, silently asking for permission to continue.

Without a word, Severus moved his hands to the back of her head, grasping it tightly and brought his lips crashing down to hers.

For both of them, in that moment of lips touching lips, it was pure heaven.