A Turn for the Better

Chapter 62 ~ The Clean Up

Once Hermione got Severus inside, she quickly dried him off with a flick of her wand, then herself. She led him over to the bed.

”Sit down and take off your shirt,” she said solicitously. “I’ll go get some healing potion and take care of those scratches.”

Snape sat down and began unfastening his shirt as Hermione entered the small bathroom and opened the small medicinal store. She retrieved a bottle of healing potion and some q-tips. She found a small basin under the sink and filled it with warm, soapy water and grabbed a washcloth and small towel out of the little pantry.

Hermione felt so guilty. She hadn’t known he’d be physically injured, just that he’d go through somewhat difficult challenges. Looking contrite, she returned to the bedroom to find her husband topless and looking at her. Feeling self-conscious, she set everything on the nightstand next to the bed. She then dipped the washcloth into the warm water, wrung it out a bit and tipped Snape’s face upward, dabbing at it gently to clean it as his dark eyes rested on her face. She looked upset as she moved the cloth to his throat, which also had scratches on it from the thorns. She rinsed the washcloth and began to clean his chest. There weren’t many scratches there, but there were a lot on his arms. As she rinsed the cloth again, Snape leaned forward to give her access to his back and Hermione gasped as she saw all the little holes from the bowtruckles peppering his skin.

“Severus, what stung you?” she asked him as she gingerly dabbed around the marks.

”Those aren’t stings, Hermione, they’re pricks. I ran into a group of rather angry bowtruckles,” he replied.

”Oh, I’m so sorry, Severus,” Hermione said, her voice quavering as he sat back up. “I didn’t know you’d be physically injured.”

Snape lifted an eyebrow at her.

”All knights face dangers, wife,” he said with a slight smirk. “Isn’t that what you wanted? For me to face mortal peril to reach you?”

Hermione blinked at him.

”Not mortal peril, or even peril at all. Just a few little challenges,” she replied, putting the rag down and picking up the bottle of healing potion. She poured a bit of it into the cap, then picked up a q-tip, dipping it in as Snape tilted his head back again.

”It was certainly challenging,” he said as she ran the q-tip over the scratches, which healed and disappeared. “But my ‘wounds’ are hardly life-threatening. Quite superficial actually.”

Hermione didn’t accept his brushing his injuries off so easily.

”Still, it’s my fault you have them,” she said softly.

Snape frowned slightly.

”I thought I weaned you off your Gryffindor guilt complex, Hermione. It certainly isn’t your fault. I was the one who chose to enter the maze,” he said to her.

”But you wouldn’t have entered it if I didn’t put it here first,” Hermione countered.

”And I wouldn’t have enjoyed myself as much as I did if I hadn’t entered it,” the dark wizard replied.

Hermione stopped healing his scratches for a moment.

”You enjoyed it?” she asked him, a bit of hope returning to her voice.

Snape nodded.

”In retrospect, it was quite—exhilarating. Being challenged and emerging victorious is very heady, and I will always remember it fondly. In fact, I may make arrangements to do this again on occasion. Perhaps, you would come with me, since you feel the ‘tameness’ of our lives. We could face the challenges together.”

Now Hermione beamed at him. She’d love to face a maze with him. It sounded exciting.

”Oh, Severus, that’s a wonderful idea!” she gushed, giving him a quick peck on the lips, not noticing how his eyes glittered when she drew back and began attending him again. His dark eyes drifted over her robes.

“What kind of challenges did you face?” she asked him.

Severus told her as she healed all the visible wounds on his. Hermione couldn’t believe Lucius Malfoy was in the maze, and that Severus stunned him.

”That wasn’t Quidditch, Severus,” she chided him as she finished his back.

The wizard stood up, toed off his boots and began to work on his trousers. He had scratches and pricks on his arse and legs, though he had managed to protect his goods. Hermione watched him silently.

”No, not Quidditch, but definitely Slytherin. At least I engaged him first,” Severus replied. “The swordplay was taking too long and I was anxious to get to my—damsel.”

He lowered his trousers and stepped out of them, now dressed only in his briefs and socks. He was semi-aroused. Hermione could see the scratches and pricks on his legs.

”Wait here,” she said, returning to the bathroom to retrieve fresh water to clean him with. While she was gone, Severus removed his briefs. When she returned, she stopped in the doorway, looking at the nearly naked wizard. All the good parts were showing but he still had on his black socks.

”What are you doing?” she asked him as she walked up, trying to hide her smile as she set the basin and washcloth on the nightstand. Snape turned around to show her the pricks on his arse.

”Oh, they got you there, too,” she observed.

”Yes, they did,” he agreed. “And I am in dire need of treatment, damsel.”

Hermione washed his buttocks, goosing him in the process. Severus jumped.

”Watch it, witch,” he growled, as Hermione giggled. Then she lowered herself and washed the back of his legs.

”Turn around,” she said in a low voice.

Severus turned and looked down at Hermione as she slowly cleaned his thighs, her face level with his loins. His semi-erection went full-blown. She acted as if she didn’t see it, but there was no way a cock as big as Severus’ could be ignored.

”You might as well clean everything,” the wizard said softly.

Hell she was already down there and had washed practically everything. She might as well finish the job.

Hermione looked up at him.

”All right,” she said, standing up and rinsing the washcloth. She soaped it up well and returned to Severus, bringing the basin with her and setting it on the floor nearby. She dropped down again but on her knees this time using her robes for cushion. Her belly fluttered as she looked at his erection.

Slowly she brought the washcloth to his pelvis, soaping up the curling black hair at the base of his cock, then gently moving to his balls, the wizard hissing and closing his eyes as she lathered them. She then drew his foreskin back, scenting the maleness of him as she ran the cloth slowly up and down his length before twisting it around the head.

Severus let out a pleasure-filled sound and tilted his face toward the ceiling as she soaped his sensitive cock liberally and carefully. It was rock hard and very easy to access. Hermione stared at it with pursed lips as she attended it. The Potions master had a beautiful tool. Hermione dipped the cloth again, and soaped it.

”Now, you be sure to tell me when it’s ‘clean’ enough,” she said to him throatily, lifting his organ with one hand and squeezing the cloth over the thick head. The soapsuds ran down his length, white and glistening, ending up in his pubic hair. Hermione began to fist him slowly, Snape pushing his hips forward and groaning with pleasure as she gave him a nice, wet, soapy hand job, bringing the cloth back to his balls and gently cupping and pulling them with the wet fabric.

Snape’s head snapped forward and he looked down at his witch, his mouth slack and eyes hot.

”I’m coming close to ‘clean,’” he groaned.

Hermione smiled slightly and began to fist him faster, squeezing more suds on his cock for lubrication as her hand worked up and down his length and over the head, tightening her grip somewhat, and Snape let out another louder groan, helplessly thrusting now.

”Yesyesyesyes,” he purred, feeling the delicious tightening in his balls. Hermione felt them draw up and quickly brought the cloth loosely to the head of his cock just as the wizard let out a hoarse cry, coming into the cloth, his back arching and pleasure blowing through him as Hermione stroked him gently through it, feeling the pulsing underneath his shaft as he released.

Snape let out a sigh as his climax ended and Hermione carefully removed the cloth, rinsing it in the water then proceeding to clean off all the soap on his pelvis as he panted down at her.

”Now that’s clean,” he said softly, reaching down and drawing her up. He kissed her tenderly.

”You’re going to be a good wife,” he breathed when he broke the kiss.

Hermione smiled up at him.

”I know,” she replied. “The very best wife. Now, let me tend to those pricks.”

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A/N: Short chapter I know. But Trinity is cranky and won’t go to sleep. I have to go pick her up. I’ve already been bouncing her around for nearly two hours. So, there will be more later. Sorry about that. ***