an overwhelming desire to win...

Hermione raked her hands over his bare torso, grinning to him as thenlignlight washed over her naked body. He groaned softly, pure lust shining in his dark eyes, taking her all in. Suddenly she darted under the blanket and all he saw was the ceiling to his own chambers. He looked up to it from under hooded eyes, wanted nothing more than for her to kiss him right….there…Oh gods…yesss….that was a the spot.

Snape’s back arched as her lips kissed his throbbing shaft, that warm breath on him as he writhed at her touch under the blanket. Slowly she moved downward, that perfect warm heat sliding up and down his length as he growled thrusting upward.

“Yess…” he moaned roughly, goosebumps rose all along him as his eyes squeezed shut and all he could feel was her and her delicious swirling tongue inside that for once not blabbing mouth…no that mouth was going to much better use indeed.

Okay, so evidently Snape hadn’t really ignored Hermione to as much effectiveness as one would have hoped. He had decided to be rather blasé with her, trying not to appear interested and not wanting her to be so hurt that she ran off to Dumbledore.

Instead today Snape had been nonchalant, and when he sent all his seventh year Gryffindor and Slytherins to work he had made his rounds, inspecting all the cauldrons to make sure they were being done properly. Which most of them weren’t.

Up ahead he had seen Hermione’ s usually busy show, glasses tinkering and so forth as she dispensed the said ingredients at all the proper times, evidently doing what had been asked of her admirably, no doubt trying to squelch the rumors that she was becoming daft. Damn that pride.

He had taken a deep breath and made his way over to where she worked with her hair over one shoulder. He watched from behind her, making sure not to make her nervous.

He had lingered around Hermione for what seemed to be far too long. In reality it couldn’t have been more mere moments but due to the fact that he couldn’t get that haunting scent of her hair out of his senses he now decided it had been too long.

So was the case of him lying there in his bed, wanking himself into oblivion all because of one stupid girl.

No…no wait they had this talk before.

That stupid woman.

* * *

Several weeks passed, and Hermione promised herself that she and Professor Snape would act as if nothing had happened. Pansy hadn\'t mentioned the bet lately, and frankly that was all too fine with Hermione.

That day after the kiss in Potions class had been truly horrible. He had ignored her blatantly, and she still had blushed like a mad woman. Hermione Granger was not good at being discreet.

She hadn\'t liked the look accompanied with his stride past her either...much too snake-like to be taken as sexy. More he looked like the said creature, ready to devour its next victim. Her. Hermione shivered.

If she hadn\'t kissed him it wouldn\'t have been an issue. But that one \'innocent\' little kiss had sparked something in the both of them that should have stayed dimmed. The moment their lips met something....indescribable passed through them, coursing through their veins and refusing to leave them.

Her nights were filled with thoughts of him, which was so seemingly adolescent to her, she had hoped years of crushes and gossip had finished when she had become a Prefect and then Head Girl. Head Girl\'s most certainly did not kiss their Professors.

That she knew of..

Snape had been ignoring her though, so much to the point of humiliation. Take for instance yesterday in the Hall. Hermione had been making her way to eat lunch with Ron and Harry.

Snape had been coming up from his seat, evidently done his dinner quickly and trying to rush past Hermione, in a vain attempt to not make any contact with her, verbal or physical. She saw his cheeks acquire the smallest dash of pink on them, and she spoke then, hoping to break the icy uncomfortable bridge that had

\"Professor Snape,\" she said as he came closer to her. She saw his dark eyes flick to her, emotionless and then just as she began again he brushed passed her, leaving her quite embarassed as the whole Hall had just witnessed that embarrassing ignoring.

Pansy smiled quite openly at the blushing Gryffindor, but feeling uneasy. Snape certainly hadn\'t been looking to her with looks like the ones he\'d been shooting Hermione while her back was turned. No, Pansy was losing and hating every moment of it.

Hermione had rushed to the table, her cheeks scarlet and with giggling and pointing going on all over.

\"I don\'t see what the big deal is.\" Ron said miserably, \"Snape ignores everyone.\"

It was hard. She couldn\'t tell anyone about her undying affections, she was growing snappy but her grades didn\'t drop at all. If there was one thing she was dedicated to, it was her schoolwork.

Seeing Snape every week was hard though. He never looked to her, and that just about killed her. Everything told her, \'This is good, he\'s not paying you any attention....he\'s forgotten about the kiss and so can you...\' But the other part of her screamed, \'Just look at me dammit!\'

So she had in turn decided to ignore him back. If he was going to act like a baby about that one stupid kiss then fine. She wished she hadn\'t done it in the first place.

Lie.

It was stupid to think that he could have ever cared for her even a smidgen, that his kissing was anything past basic animal lust, for Hermione was sure he had been shooting Pansy quite amorous glances over the past few weeks after that stupid kiss of hers. But he had responded...hadn\'t he? Time had made that memory foggy..

In the end she was certain of one fact, even though it killed her;

Severus Snape was never to be hers.

* * *

He saw her walking into the Library a few nights later, and felt his heart beating like a jackhammer. He frowned at his idiotic internal actions and with a deep breath he followed her.

It had taken him almost a month after that stupid kiss to actually feel the harshness of ignoring her. At first it had been easy. He\'d let her answer one question a day and then ignore her constantly, at meals in the hall and any time in between. It had been successful, the \'hello Professor\' comments about in the halls as she passed him had stopped, the small smiles in classes...all were gone, and all that remained was a rather stern looking Gryffindor who ignored him just as bad.

Oh, another corner.

Encased in the shadows around him he walked slowly, matching her steps as she walked ahead of him, humming to herself

So the stalking had begun...no, stalking was much too harsh a word. Perhaps, he just happened to be in the same place as she was every night, following about ten yards behind without her knowing he was there...that didn\'t constitute as stalking did it? She was student, he was merely looking out for her welfare.

On Monday she had taken a stroll on the grounds of Hogwarts quite late at night. He had contemplated giving her detention but assumed that would only prove to give him more time to lust after her, alone...vulnerable.

The next Monday hadn\'t been much better; she had decided on reading in the common room. Now just how was he to watch her then? He had to cast an Invisibility spell over him, sneak in with her and stand by the wall, watching her read. She was always sure to have the place to herself.

It was a fascinating thing really, to watch Hermione read. She always had the same ritual. Grab a cup of tea, two lumps of sugar, one small drip of milk and stir three times before opening the book. It was often large and halfway done. She would grasp a blanket, throw it around her shoulders, turn on the fire in front of her and place her bookmark from the said beside her. She would then start reading, a contented smile on her lips and small giggles bursting through at humorous parts. The most intriguing thing he found was when she was start running her fingers through her hair, often grasping a small curl and twisting it around her finger, over and over again almost making Snape dizzy. The reading would go on for at least two hours, during which time Hermione would have finished her drink, and would then quietly close the book.

The Wednesday after that Hermione had decided to retire to bed early, and this time he did not follow her. Following her to her chambers would prove to be his undoing. Watching as she changed, showered even...damn that hard on was back with a vengeance.

Now it was the following Thursday, this had been going on for over a month. The surreptitious looks, the breathing in of her perfume when she walked by. It was sick. It was an obsession. Wuthering Heights kind of obsession.

Oh, there she was...the Library doors.

The Library was dimly lit, and she made her way into it with ease, Hermione\'s library privileges being reinstated when Snape persuaded Madame Pince to give Hermione a second chance a few days later...she didn\'t know he had. He still didn\'t know why she had been acting so strangely, but he had a feeling it was something very Slytherin. The back of her hair and her cloak were the last things he saw as she entered, the door shutting lightly behind her. Snape took a deep breath.

I shouldn\'t even be here...she\'s a student.

He walked closer, making sure he was silent.

She\'s young and innocent...very innocent.

Perhaps that\'s what drew him even more. That one kiss had shown him a side of brainy Hermione Granger that he didn\'t know existed. And one he liked immensely. He was an ex DeathEater, and perhaps that was what drew him to the innocent. Something so very far from what he himself was.

He had imagined her millions of times with him, doing things to him, which he had only read about...he wasn\'t inexperienced in the field, although it had been a long time. (Pansy had been right about that one.) He just hadn\'t the patience or the time to care for anyone. He certainly didn\'t care for Hermione, he was simply intrigued.

He had stood in front of his mirror earlier that night, looking at himself and wondering what she could ever see in him. He wasn\'t that attractive really, not that charming (to him, not really that charming at all), was really quite mean. Did girls go for that? Was he just seen as the bitter old Potion\'s master in need of good quality shagging?

Perhaps.

Now he was there in the Library, all prior reasoning thoughts gone with a whooshing of the doors opening and then closing behind him. He slipped past Madame Pince and quietly turned the corner slowly, his breath catching in his throat as he saw Hermione\'s back, by the stacks and looking with detail for something.

He ducked back behind the bookcase that separated them, his eyes shut tightly as he went over and over in his head something to calm him down. He could barely breathe. He, Severus Snape Potion\'s master, Ex DeathEater, afraid of a little gir-woman...not afraid really...

She moved then, shuffling and eyeing the spines of the books. Hermione felt the distinct feeling she was being watched, and quickly darted her head around.

Nothing.

Snape although was nearly fainting, she had almost seen him.

He slunk further back, still watching her through the openings of the book files, his dark eyes very intently upon Hermione Granger and her search for the perfect book. Slowly that hand found a stray curl and began twisting it deliciously around her finger. His own hands slid slowly down the front of his trousers, not sure that they were alone in the Library he massaged himself through the confining fabric, his eyes trained on her.

She yawned, placing a hand to her mouth and he felt his own go dry. He felt himself going rigid and he knew what he was doing was so very wrong...watching her and on the brinks of pleasuring himself...a grown man.

Slowly she raised her hands above her head, stretching as he bit his lower lip gently, trying to conceal the moan that was threatening to spill from him. The bulge in his pants refused to go away, no matter how much he tried to calm it. Every move she made was turning him on beyond all belief...perhaps it was the mood, the fact that he was spying on her and touching himself, the fact that they were in a public library and could be caught at an-

\"Severus?\"

Snape darted away from his spot, stumbling and backing into a large stack of books which came tumbling all around him. He picked them up slowly all the time looking to a squinted Madame Pince, \"What are you doing back here? It\'s so dark I don\'t imagine you can see much.\"

Snape looked to where Hermione had been but saw to his immediate relief, she was gone. \"Err...\" he stammered, hoping his robes concealed the excitement that felt like a pole sticking out of his trousers, \"I was...I was just leaving.\"

Blushing wildly he left the Library, his dark hair hanging all about his face. He didn\'t run into Hermione on his way back, and he was thankful. All this trouble to follow her, all this trouble to watch her...

That one kiss was proving to be the death of him.

* * *

Hermione lay in her Head Girl chambers some nights later, looking to her closet as she was lying on her side. She looked neither sad nor happy, but more wistful…thoughtful. Soft piano music floated around her, classical. She shifted then, not really sure of what she was fee.
.

It was one of those things that wriggle into your stomach, eat whatever’s there and leave this gap…one that you think it because you’re hungry but really there because you’re lonely. Sadly you’ve probably already eaten a bunch of cookies and ice cream before you’ve figured it out.

It was that exact emotion that had greeted Hermione when she returned to her chambers a mere hour before. She had come back from walking with Harry, taken a short hot shower, crawled into her welcoming pajamas and tumbled onto her bed. Dinner hadn’t really agreed with her, and now she was lying on her bed and doing the worst thing a lovesick girl could do.

Pining for her Romeo.

Why? No one bloody knows why! Hermione Granger was a strange young, brilliant girl with an obvious penchant for older, bitter, darker, brilliant men. And who in life hadn’t been in that position? No one really knew why Hermione liked him, probably because the only other one’s that did know were; Pansy, Millicent and Blaise, not the most ideal confidantes.

She squirmed on her bed, suddenly growing cold. She looked to the fireplace that still burned but still felt a cold, goosebumpy feeling suddenly invade her. She slipped under her comforting covers and sighed deeply. She thought she heard something, but imagined it was probably just Crookshanks.

She had let her hand over the side of the bed as she lay on her stomach, drowsily tsking for him, \"Here Crookshanks...\" in times of feeling quite low she knew she could depend on Crookshanks, he had been with her a long time. As custom he would always give her a gentle lick on the fingers to prove he was there and reliable.

When his gentle caress did not come, fast as usual she grew distressed, \"Crookshanks?\" she called, her fingers wiggling, she couldn\'t see them in the dark. Suddenly a tentative lick at her fingers signaled all was well, although his tongue felt smoother than usual, pointy almost...

She had sighed then, rolling onto her back and pulling the covers over her again. She turned the music and lights off with her wand, laughing a bit at her laziness. She couldn’t help but have her mind turn to Professor Snape. Now, even she herself didn’t know why she was suddenly even more drawn to him. Did she enjoy being verbally abused daily? Perhaps she was a becoming a masochist…no that couldn’t be it.

Because today like any other day for the past month, he had been...nothing. No words were exchanged, no glances caught. The only thing was…why?

It was most definitely was not because of the kiss. If anything she was getting off easy. She still didn’t really know what had come over her that day…honestly. She blushed at the memory…she had felt that spark. And when he had kissed her back in that smooth, expert way of his, she had indeed felt the fluttering in her stomach. Rapture. That was the only word she could think of for that exact moment.

She felt herself becoming aroused at the mere thought of his lips, and her hands slowly traveled downward, circling and so forth until moments later she was sweaty, gasping with a pleasurable feeling flowing through her lower abdomen which she assumed sex felt like. She still didn’t know herself.

Sleep seemed like the only probable matter then, even though it was only ten thirty on a weekend. Pulling up the covers over her chilling body she fell into slumber, a deep one that greeted her with open arms almost instantly.

When her breathing had deepened and slowed he knew he was moderately safe. He emerged from his hiding place.

Gads, it was already eleven o’clock. He tried not to make much noise as he stood, looking at her in her sleep.

Her mouth was slowly parted as she breathed, and he noticed it was a rather tasty looking berry color. Her face was pale in the darkness, only the moonlight washed over her sleeping frame and his dream was suddenly thrown back at him. This was wrong.

He ran from her chambers then, making sure not to wake her.

To be fair he hadn’t really meant to be locked into her chambers. He had been walking past her Head Girl rooms and noticed that its door happened to be open a bit. Evidently she had planned on returning shortly.

He hadn\'t been following her that evening, instead opting to do some late night reading himself. He had just happened to take a stroll past the Head Girl rooms to see if he might catch a glimpse of her to remember and have aid him later that night.

And now, a wash of nervous excitement went through him as if he\'d been splashed with a bucket of ice water. Curiosity tugged at him like invisible string as he felt himself being almost internally pulled to go into her room.

This is really for her own safety… he told himself over and over again, stepping closer to the barely open door, Perhaps someone broke in…

He had dashed in quickly, making sure no one saw him and leaving the door open only an inch as before. He immediately felt out of place in the red and gold room, standing in the warm palette of colors with his black and white figure.

It was quite disorienting, going into someone’s private quarters. He saw her in ever inch of it though, from the books that stacked as high as the ceiling on the large bookshelf and that strange Muggle contraption on her desk, he had heard of them, c.d. players? His dark eyes had settled then on the bed and it’s crimson sheets. He walked over to it, running his lean hands lightly over the material.

It didn’t occur to him at that time that this was quite obsessive…that he was in her room because of some sick fantasy’s and a stupid little kiss in his classroom. All of that seemed so irrelevant to him though as he surveyed her room; it’s tidiness and how mature she was compared to most of the young girls here at Hogwarts.

He had done bed check often, and much to his chagrin Slytherin girls although known for their cunning were not known for keeping their rooms very tidy. Clothing was always littered on the floor; makeup ground into the deep green carpeting. Many cleaning charms and speeches later…always the same awaited him. He had simply come to the terms with the fact that teenage girls were messy…but not this one. Then again she wasn’t really a young girl anymore was she?

The vanity set that contained only a hairbrush and a bottle of perfume caught his eye then, his own pale reflection staring back at him as he made his way over. He peered closer to it then, entranced by the beautiful looking perfume bottle. Taking it into his sculptured hands he felt the smooth glass under his fingertips. He rose it to his nose as that familiar light scent went right into his nostrils and through his body. That same perfume he had inhaled today and well…the rest didn’t need to be said.

He had just placed it down and was about to leave; suddenly feeling quite out of place and rather rude when he heard her returning.

\"I’m a bit tired Harry, I’ll see you later.\"

Oh holy fuck. Fear clutched him, how would he explain his presence?

Well, you see Miss Granger, the Headmaster delegated that I should survey the Head Girl and Boy’s room an-

No no…that was bloody pathetic…and oh bollocks, her footsteps were coming closer now. Snape’s bladder felt weak as he tried to think of a good spot to hide…nowhere…but…

\"Boys…\" she muttered darkly as she slipped into her room and locked the door, Snape internally sighed.

Just bloody perfect.

He hadn’t even brought his wand with him. He only saw her calves and downward as she entered the room, her stride rather slow and thoughtful. She pressed that Muggle contraption on her dresser and piano music started to play from it. So he had been right.

Her skirt had dropped then and he felt himself almost gasp at this in shock, thinking it as inappropriate. Which was pretty stupid considering it had been he himself who had just snuck into her room, rooted around in her personal belongings and dived under her bed in fear when he heard her coming…if that wasn’t inappropriate for a Professor he shuddered to think.

It was also a stupid thing to think because it was Hermione’s personal room, and she did believe she was alone…although she probably would have been more that eager to find an over certain zealous Professor under her bed. Although she would have most certainly preferred him inside it…

Snape’s throat grew dry as he lay on his stomach, legs halfway curled as he stared at her bare calves and feet with absolute rapt attention. Suddenly buttons were undone as were straps and suddenly a white shirt, tie and lacy white bra felt to the ground at her feet.

‘So much for being tidy’ he thought darkly amused trying to take his attention off of the fact that this was all too erotic to be real. Truth be told he was now resting on what felt like the largest erection he had ever had…and that included his prominent one this evening.

Hermione’s wistful sigh and bare legs left the room as the door to her bathroom shut. Snape heaved a sigh of relief as he prepared to make a dash for the door. He was halfway out from under the bed when he saw the door swinging open.

Snape hurriedly pulled himself back under the bed before the door had opened fully, suddenly thanking the Gods above that he was fairly agile. Those legs of hers were back….and now sprinkled with water?…Oh Gods…

Hermione giggled, tossing her cat out of the bathroom lightly. \"Behave yourself Crookshanks.\" She said lightly, closing the door once more. Snape sighed deeply, much too close.

Snape’s eyes went wide, his heart pounding. He had forgotten that mangy piece of fur…but evidently it hadn’t forgotten him. Crookshanks’ back arched, looking to Snape with glowing predatory eyes.

Oh holy fu-

The cat was coming closer, hissing now and Snape prayed the shower would be enough to deter Hermione’s hearing for the moment. He tried to swipe at the cat, but it simply leaped out of the way, still trying to claw at Snape.

Oh no. Snape thought miserably, looking to the blasted cat in front of him. He felt a sneeze welling up in him. What was he going to do? On a normal basis Snape took an allergy potion of his own making, it was most effective. He was quite allergic to cats. But of course, on a day when he planned to see no students and spend the day in his dungeons, why would he take it?

There was the only word with enough of a magnitude to express the apprehension he was currently being consumed by and it rang through his head over and over. He felt the overwhelming urge to sneeze and managed to suppress it. There. Only a bit of watery eyes…what was the harm in that?

Oh bollocks.

That damned cat was coming closer. He felt a sneeze welling up in him, and he tried to hold it back, the cat coming all the while closer. Damn, the water was stopping in the bathroom. Stupid \'Crooksy\' or whatever she called it was slowly darting nearer, seeing the pain it caused on the man under the bed.

That was it, the moment that Snape knew was coming. His eyes squeezed shut and a tremendous sneeze burst out of him, it was loud and thundering and he felt his whole body jolt at the force of it.

For a moment they just stared at each other, cat and man, eyes widened in terror. Snape went deathly still, wondering if Hermione had heard him -no screaming- and then back at that damned cat that was causing all of this in the first place.

The cat in a moment of pure shock of being sneezed upon and with such a loud noise and force suddenly arched, hissing at Snape, clawing at him as Snape tried to escape by slapping at it and finally Crookshanks dashed out the windowsill, yellow eyes gleaming at Snape angrily once more before it leaped onto the roof and out into the night.

Snape finally pulled one arm out from under the bed, preparing to leave immediately as if some cruel twist of fate had decided Snape would be its main patient, the door to the bathroom swung open once more as Snape crawled under the bed again, feeling quite miserable and angry now. He wanted her to just go back into the bathroom so he could slip out....this was agony.

But she wasn\'t, she was pulling on her nightclothes not knowing of the aroused Professor hiding under her bed and entranced by her lower legs, all that he could see for the moment from his position. He heard her sighing, and he felt himself growing sleepy at the current moment...the warmth of her room, the sound of the music...it was all making him quite groggy.

When she leapt up onto her bed and turn off the lights he was sure she would fall asleep within moments and he could slip out silently, no one the wiser. He was still lying still on the ground under her bed, hearing the springs squeak as she got comfortable. Gads..she was on top of him...sort of.

Suddenly a hand fell beside his cheek, he could made out its outline dimly in the dark. He heard Hermione call for Crookshanks...bugger. He assumed by the way that she was twiddling her fingers that she wanted to pet that damned cat...evidently he couldn\'t oblige...she\'s recognize his greasy hair in an instant.

And so he decided that given no other alternatives, he stuck out his tongue tentatively and lightly licked her knuckles gently, pulling back after. She tasted sweet. Oh no...a familiar thudding was happening in his groin, and he willed it down.

He heard her shuffle again once more, he assumed now on her back. Images flooded him as he shut his eyes tightly, telling himself he just had to wait until she was alseep. Just until she\'s asleep just unti-

\"Oh.\"

Snape\'s eyes flew open at her sudde gasp, she knew he was here? He waited for her to scream out at him, to call for Dumbledore and have him sent to Azkaban...could they do that? For spying on a student? All thoughts flew from him as she continued..

\"Oh...yes...right there...\"

She couldn\'t be.. Snape\'s mind whirred his eyes growing wider by the minute, all sounds aboved him indicated that she indeed was...

\"Yessss....\" she hissed from above him, muffled by her positioning. Snape felt himself grow hard instantly, paining him as he lay on the ground. \"ohhhh....Severus...\"

No.

She couldn\'t have said his name.

\"Yesss...Severusss...harder....fas-....faster...oh God oh God..\"

Oh God was right...this was like something out of an old porno movie. He tried to stop the ache in his nether regions, his mouth so very dry now. She was pleasuring herself and calling out his name, HIS name! Sure enough she had kissed him but...but now here, alone in her chambers. Perhaps a small part of him had just believed that she had kissed him as a joke..never really meaning it...but now, alone and..

\"Faster...faster...\"

Oh stop… he internally begged her, covering his ears as best he could with his cramped hands, you have to stop…please…just stop….I’m begging you Miss Granger…

The moans just grew louder as the bed around him shook lightly his name on her lips; his piece below was throbbing and aching for attention but he feared if he touched himself he’d explode. He tried to breathe regularly but was having a hell of a time.

Finally he felt her spasm, muffling her cries, but he himself felt barely any relief. He was still pulsating below and shaking from pure want.

That is what came of lusting after Hermione Granger.