A Perfect Situation

Severus returned with Hermione directly into his front room. They were happy, and healthy, and Hermione now seemed to be in much better spirits. He was glad she had control again and he would do whatever it took to keep her that way.



“I’m going to unpack.” Hermione called floating bags to their bedroom. He nodded and began going through a pile of mail to see if anything needed to be dealt with from their absence, thinking he should have redirected the owls somewhere. He set aside bills and advertisements addressed to them both in separate groups. He found one from Neville, asking to be notified of Hermione’s condition and asking to speak to Severus alone, when he had time, there was no rush.



“Hermione, love, what are we doing for dinner?” He asked, moving to the bedroom, when she was now storing their bags away.



“I was hoping we could go out for Chinese.” She said, turning and smiling.



“Then that’s what we will do.” He said, smiling back, glad she was herself again.



They left that evening arm in arm to a restaurant they both were partial to. The food was wonderful, the evening was perfect and as they walked along the street among the crowd, Hermione felt as if she had overcome her ordeal. Having a partner like Severus was something she thanked Merlin for daily.



“Oh no.” Severus stopped and she followed he gazed, seeing Cathy a few stores down.



“Great, just great.” Both stood there, watching her until she looked up and met their eyes. They thought she was going to start something, anything, but she merely stood there and watched them.



Neville soon came out of a café and joined her, lifting his eyes to see who she was watching. “What on earth is Neville doing with her?” Hermione asked.



“Your guess is as good as mine.” He said, wondering the same thing. The healer didn’t touch her, only looked from Cathy to them and back to Cathy again. He spoke to her, she replied and eventually turned and started walking away. Neville gave them each a smile, which was returned, then followed the retreating woman.



“What was that all about?” Hermione asked, shocked at what she had seen.



“I don’t know.” He said staring after them. He suddenly remembered Neville’s letter and decided it was time to see him as soon as possible.









The next morning Severs walked into St. Mungo’s heading straight for the office of Healer Longbottom. He entered and found Neville sitting at his desk going through parchments. “Spill it Longbottom.” He said taking a seat.



“How is Hermione?” He looked up and smiled at him. “Did the trip help?”



“The trip was wonderful, Hermione is back to her fabulous self, the potions were a great help, we thank you for your concern, now spill it.” He said it all in one breath, never taking his eyes from the healer he addressed.



“Alright, I did some thinking when you left and most people with the sort of aggression that Cathy was displaying usually have an underlying cause.”



“You mean she’s a bitch for a reason?” He asked.



Neville let it slide, knowing that his past experience was making him think that way. He was certainly no better in his language and threats to her. He went on to explain what he had found out, leaving out a lot of details and being very general, and also securing a promise from Severus that he wouldn’t repeat what he was told. Just as he thought, the older man took everything in with intelligence. “I never knew any of this. I thought she had issues with trust, but a lot of people do.”



“Yes, well. As it happens she’s talking to me, but she still won’t see a mental healer. I suppose that’s better than nothing.” He said.



“Is she really going to Azkaban?” He asked.



“I don’t know. I haven’t pushed it, but I have mentioned that I will go with her if she wants.” He leaned back in his chair. “I really think she needs it.”



“Did she mention why she targeted Hermione?” He asked.



“You and Hermione haven’t come up, but I have a theory. I think it hurt her to be rejected, even though there wasn’t a commitment with you two and just like she was hurt before. Since she never got to confront Kevin and Justin, she continues on in life attacking back at however she can, at whoever had caused her pain.” It was just a theory but for now Neville was satisfied with it. She hadn’t been angry since he brought her the information on the two men from her past. She had been more subdued and more relaxed.



“Are you treating her?”



“In a way, even though I’m not an official mental healer, I think it has done a lot of good.” He faced Severus again. “If she approached you, let her talk, and respond in kind. I doubt she will be confrontational from now on.”



Severus agreed and left for home. He would tell Hermione what he could without going back on his word to Neville, but she was smart enough to understand what was happening.



“Is he mental?” She asked, shocking Severus to no end.



“That’s unlike you.” He told her, as they had lunch. He had told her what he could, and he had a feeling that she would think differently if she knew the whole story but he couldn’t tell her that. “Normally you give the benefit of the doubt.”



“The benefit of the doubt. Do you trust her actions? After what she has done?” Hermione was overly angry at Cathy and that was understandable, but it was also uncharacteristic for her.



“Do you trust Neville?” He asked. “He seems to think she needs this treatment.”



“For what?” She asked.



“I can’t say, I promised Neville.” He said.



“Is she seeing a mental healer?” Hermione pressed again, leaning closer.



“Let Neville handle it from here on out. He does his job well.” Severus said continuing his meal. Hermione had good reason to be upset with her, but Neville also had good reason to carry on with what he was doing. Regardless of how Cathy treated Hermione, she did have a right to privacy regarding her rape. As horrible as she had been, it was her secret to tell. He knew that Hermione would agree if she knew and probably sympathize, but for the moment Severus could say nothing.



“Hermione love, how about desert?” He asked, letting his brain take on a different train of thought.



“I didn’t make any.” She looked at him confused. “Desert after lunch?”



“Oh yes.” With a wave of his arm, he cleared the table, sending plates and glasses to the floor in several directions. Hermione let out a shriek of excitement. She found herself quickly hoisted up and placed on the table. Severus settled her before his chair, then reached under her skirt for her knickers.



Hermione rested on her elbows, watching her husband take in the image of her legs, pale and spread open for him. “This is what I mean by desert.” She let out peals of laughter from her belly as he grabbed his napkin and tucked it into his collar. Spreading her lips open, he dived in, slurping and sucking at her juices.



She let her head fall back. Two weeks of this attention did nothing to dull her desire for it. It exacerbated her longings. Severus was a lover of the highest caliber and he never failed to show her. Even now, as he targeted her clitoris, flicking his tongue over it, she knew he was doing it for her as well as for himself. She let her body fall flat on the table and reached with both hands, caressing his back locks as her head rolled from side to side.



“Oh yes Severus….you know how I like it.” She forced her head to look down at him, meeting his eyes. He gave her a wink and continued his feast. He loved the smell and taste of his wife and he eagerly partook as much as he could.



She began keening, arching her hips against him and he knew what was coming. Drinking down the splash of waters that came at him. While he licked her clean, waiting until she came down from her orgasm, he quickly unfastened his trousers. Just as the last waves of pleasure ebbed, he thrust inside her to the hilt.



“SEVERUS!!!!!” She arched up, clinging to him tightly. She gasped out and he pulled out and thrust again, deeply. Over and over he plunged into her, his eager and willing wife.



“You love this, don’t you Hermione?” He asked, punctuating his words with hard thrusts.



“Yes, Severus! I love it!” She cried, thrusting to meet him. She wrapped her legs around him and squeezed him tightly, drawing out the cum he was releasing into her. Locked together, he unleashed a flood deep inside her, as he had done during the whole of their vacation.



Severus allowed his body to collapse into his chair, while his wife went limp on the table, her legs dangling off the edge. He watched her chest rise and fall with her breathing, feeling a sense of pride that he had made her feel this. He always obtained an ego boost knowing that he still satisfied his wife.







Neville on the other hand was a bit more stressed out. He had spoken again to Healer Radcliffe and while he agreed that confronting her attacker would go far in the healing process, he was reluctant to pressuring the issue. He said that it would make Cathy feel as if she was obligated to see him, and she needed to be the one who made the choice this time around. The choice was taken from her hands during the attack, now the choice should be all hers. Including how, when, and why.



Cathy still refused to see a mental healer and as a result Neville was spending more time talking to her about the incident. She admitted that she felt she had deserved what happened because she told them her first time wasn’t good, and maybe she had given them an invitation to make it good, as Kevin had suggested.



Neville was very forthright on countering her. The two men in question obviously had issues of their own, and he continued to reassert that fact as well as the fact that she had been a victim. He seemed to be making headway with her, but as he had no training in mental healing, he could only do his best. If she refused to see a mental healer, then he would not abandon her.



Severus seemed to understand and he was open when he discussed their relationship. She was a very aggressive, physical lover, which at the time was fine with him. He had wanted someone exciting who was willing to try new things. She liked sex to be fast paced, and intense. Gentle, slow loving bored her and she always managed to make things end up the way she wanted them.



Neville had a feeling that by refusing love making, and sticking to pure, raw sex, that she was keeping herself from being attached to anyone. She equated love with trust and her trust was shattered in her youth, making her afraid of it for years to come. By making sure that sex was hard and rough, she was saying that she didn’t want tenderness or tender emotions. That would make her susceptible to caring and loving and trust. She had to learn to trust all over again, and Neville knew that would be hard for her.