10 Years After

10 Years After
Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing of what you’re about to read, with the possible exception of the plot. The places, characters, etc. belong to JK Rowling. Thanks.

New York City: March 23, 2008; Grand Wizard Hotel Lecture and Reception Hall, O\'Malley\'s Pub
The presenter looked out over the audience. wizawizarding world’s greatest minds – potions masters and medical personnel - were in attendance. The witch fumbled with her notes, dropping an old fashioned muggle note card on the stage floor. She took a deep breath and silently retrieved the card. She was grateful that she wore her formal teaching robes and that her normally out of control hair was neatly tied back from her face. Her brown eyes nervously scanned the assemblage. It was then that she saw him, a familiar dark presence. She took in his angular face, his Romanesque nose, his long black hair, his deep ebony eyes…she noticed that his eyes momentarily locked with hers and she quickly averted her eyes, but not before catching a glimpse of a wry smile playing about his lips. She again took a deep breath and was about to speak when once again she locked eyes with her familiar once mentor and saw him mouth the word “sonorous”. The witch smiled as she realized shs abs about to speak without casting the charm that would amplify her voice. She nodded almost imperceptibly and spoke the word before beginning her presentation.

“Good evening,” she began, “my name is Hermione Granger-Potter and I am here tonight to present the findings of my research into the causes and possible cures of the werewolf and vampiric conditions. My research has proven that there is a link between the conditions and within that link may lie the cure…”

Following her presentation, Hermione Granger-Potter was escorted to a reception in her honor where she was forced to shake hands and make small talk, something the 28 year old woman wasn’t particular adept at doing. She made her way through the throng of congratulatory well wishers and let out a long breath. She closed her eyes for a moment and was surprised by the feel of a glass pressed into her hand. She opened her eyes and looked down into a crystal tumbler filled with an amber liquid, feeling a presence behind her. She slowly turned around, glass in hand, into a black set of robes. Following the well cut robes up, she locked eyes with her former Potions Master, Severus Snape.

“Hello, Professor Snape,” she said with a smile.

“Professor Granger-Potter,” he replied with a hint of a smirk.

“Thank you for reminding me about sonorous. No one would have heard me without it.”

“My pleasure. Your presentation deserved to be heard.”

“Is that a compliment, Professor?”

“I do believe it was something akin to a compliment, Professor Granger-Potter. I have been known to toss those out at colleagues when they are deserved,” he replied.

“You consider me a colleague?” she asked, surprise evident in her voice, “Not a student, but a colleague?”

“It’s been ten years, Professor Granger-Potter, you have not been anything close to a student of mine in all that time. You have become a brilliant researcher. Remus Lupin would have been proud of you.”

“Finding that link between the werewolf and the vampiric condition was paramount for finding a cure for both conditions. I only wish Remus could have benefited from my work,” she said sadly.

“You might find this difficult to believe, but I wish that too, Professor.”

“Please, call me Hermione.”

“And you may call me Severus,” he said without hesitation, “well, are you going to partake in your Firewhiskey? You truly look like you could use it.”

Hermione smiled up at Severus and raised her glass to his. They both downed the firewhiskey in one shot.

“Shall we go again?” asked Hermione, with a grin as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Absolutely,” replied Severus, “but I have a more…palatable…place in mind if you wish to continue knocking back whiskey and idly chatting.”

“Lead on, Macduff,” said Hermione, as she followed Severus out of the lecture hall and into the corridor, “should we kill the formal robes?”

“It’s actually ‘Lay on, Macduff, And damned be him that first cries \"Hold, enough!”’ and is about a swordfight between Macbeth and Macduff. In any event, I would say that would be a good idea considering where we’re headed,” agreed Severus, deftly removing his robes, transforming them into a well cut black leather jacket which he put on over his classically tailored green shirt and faded blue jeans.

“Severus, you’re wearing jeans,” said Hermione with a shocked expression.

“Well, you should dress like a Muggle to hang out in Muggle New York,” he replied.

“We’re going into the Muggle city?”

“The place I know is there. It’s wizard owned. Best of both worlds,” said Severus, “unless you’d rather spend the evening chatting at a pub here in Wizard New York. I’m sure there will be many well wishers and congratulations on your brilliant research findings anywhere you go within Wizarding New York.”

Hermione shuddered at the thought and swiftly removed her robes, following Severus’ lead and transforming them into a suitable leather jacket. She was clad in a skirt, which she transformed into jeans and she left her white blouse as it was. Her sensible oxford shoes matched her jacket well.

“Better?” she asked.

Severus eyed her body up and down, lingering for a moment on her full breasts before meeting eyes with her and nodding. They headed out into the chilly March air and through an alley way leading from the Wizarding section of New York City to the Muggle section, coming out into an area known as SoHo.

“SoHo, like in London?” asked Hermione.

“South of Houston, actually,” explained Severus, “it’s the area south of Houston Street. In the eighteenth century, this whole area was once a festering toxic swampland. It’s since been slightly revitalized.”

Hermione followed Severus down Greene Street and down a set of steps leading to what appeared to be a subterranean pub called “O’Malley’s”. He held the door open for her and guided her to the long mahogany bar, where they sat on comfortable bar stools. The barkeep approached them, looked at Severus skeptically, and then broke into a wide grin.

“Severus Snape, as I live and breathe!” he said, shaking hands with the Potions Master.

“Muireadach O’Malley, it’s been too long,” replied Severus, a grin illuminating his pale face, “Murray, meet Hermione Granger-Potter, a colleague.”

“Potter, as in the boy…”

“Who lived, and lived, and lived…yes. Same Potter. She’s his wife.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Mr. O’Malley,” said Hermione, reaching out her hand to shake his.

“Pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Potter, I remember hearing your name bandied about during the war and in conjunction with the death of Voldemort. Seems you had a wee bit to do with it as well,” said Murray, “so what brings you to New York and most odd of all, in the company of this surly bastard?”

Hermione laughed, “Severus rescued me from the banality of a reception hall.”

“Still hate those things, do ya, Severus?” asked Murray, grinning.

“Bitterly,” replied Severus, summoning two glasses and a bottle of Firewhiskey, “you don’t mind that I helped myself, do you Murray, since you’re so taken by my lovely companion?”

“You always do help yourself Severus, always have,” answered Murray, “the dark one and I have known each other since Hogwarts. Graduated together.”

Severus poured a shot for Hermione and one for himself, glared at Murray, and downed the shot, immediately pouring another. Hermione watched him with amused eyes. He was definitely not her potions professor from Hogwarts. This Severus Snape was less of a lurking malcontent and more of a man. A real man, she noted, an attractive man. She downed her shot and gamelld old out her glass for another. Severus cocked a grin at her and refilled her glass. He let his eyes slip down to her blouse, which was open enough to expose the top of her breasts as well as some cleavage. He took her in, admiring the manner in which she filled out her simple white blouse.

“Like what you see?” asked Hermione, refilling her own glass from the bottle on the bar.”

“Very much so,” he replied, summoning two snifters and a bottle of brandy, “care to move this to a table?”

“I’d like that,” replied Hermione, “it will give us a chance to get better reacquainted.”

They sat down at a table in a remote corner of the pub and began to talk over the fine brandy. Hermione was astounded by how Severus was behaving. He was quick witted, attentive, polite, and dare she think it, sexy. There was something sensuous about the way he held the brandy snifter, the way he maintained eye contact with her, when he wasn’t slipping glances at her breasts. For the first time in a long while, Hermione felt attractive, felt wanted by a man. And she didn’t think she was reading Severus wrong.

“So, how is Mr. Potter these days,” asked Severus, “Why didn’t he accompany you?”

“Harry is a player/coach for the English National Quidditch team, and that takes up a great deal of his time,” explained Hermione.

“And you, Hermione? Are you still teaching at St. Damian’s?”

“Actually, yes, I am. I wasn’t aware you knew that.”

“I’ve kept up on your professional life, Hermione.”

“Have you?” she asked, leaning over the table to reach for the brandy bottle, giving Severus a lingering view of her cleavage.

“I have,” he replied, taking advantage of the view, “and you’ve certainly matured into an impressive scholar, not to mention into an impressive woman.”

Hermione smiled and excused herself to use the ladies’ room. She felt a little tipsy and wanted to freshen up a bit and make sure she was presentable. She couldn’t believe what she was seriously considering doing. She was considering allowing Severus Snape to take her to bed. She loved Harry, but something about Severus made her weak in the knees. Her relationship with her husband was comfortable, and at this stage of her life, she craved something beyond comfort. She craved danger. She craved sheer sexuality. She craved Severus. Hermione looked in the mirror, into eyes that were smoldering with desire for the man who made her quake as a child, the man who taunted her with cruel barbs until her seventh year, when she began working on a potions project with him. Then he merely intimidated her. But now…now he treated her as an equal, as a colleague, and clearly he treated her like a woman. She pulled her hair out of the simple rolled up ponytail and allowed it to hang loosely over her shoulders. She peeked down her shirt at her plain cotton bra and shook her head. With a quick wave of her wand, she made her bra sheer and trimmed with lace. She unbuttoned two more buttons and applied a lip color charm to redden her lips. While not a stunning beauty, Hermione Granger had grown into a very attractive woman, small and curvy. She was pleased with her appearance and headed back out to join Severus.

When she walked toward the table, Severus was gobsmacked. She had entered the lavatory looking like a professor and exited looking like a wanton sylph. She slipped back into her chair and carefully moved the candle away from the center of the table, reaching for her snifter of brandy. She sipped her drink, shifting slightly in her chair, momentarily exposing her bra. Severus caught a glimpse of dark pink nipple beneath the sheer fabric before she shifted back, shutting off his view.

“Severus, I’m locking up in a few, it’s been a dead quiet night,” said Murray, “you need another bottle of brandy before I tally up the till for the night?”

“Brandy? No, I don’t think so. We’re good. Hermione, anything else?”

“I think we’re good,” she replied, “where to now, Severus?”

“Oh, you can stick around here, throw some darts, shoot some billiards,” said Murray with a smile, “I’m just closing up and going upstairs. Severus knows how to lock up the back door and set the wards.”

Murray finished adding up the receipts and locked the doors, putting up wards and a charm that he explained made the pub look closed, dark, and empty. He shook hands with Severus, and gave Hermione a quick hug as he bade them goodnight and headed upstairs to his rooms.

“We have the place to ourselves?” asked Hermione.

“Yes, Murray usually lets me enjoy my solitude here after he closes up.”

“I still can’t imagine you in Muggle New York.”

“Stranger things have been known, Hermione. Fancy a game of 9-ball?”

“I’m not good at billiards. Perhaps you could teach me?” Hermione stood up, walked over to the cue rack, and took down a cue stick.

Severus racked up the balls and allowed Hermione to break. She missed the cue ball entirely on her first attempt. Severus sighed and stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her and showing her how to hold the cue. Hermione bent over the table, and allowed Severus to guide her as she hit the cue ball with enough force to send the balls caroming over the table, sinking the 1,3, and 9 balls. She stood up, leaning into his embrace and placed the cue down on the table. Severus moved his hands to her shoulders and gently rubbed them.

“I do believe I’ve won,” she said with a smile.

“I do believe you tricked me into thinking you didn’t know how to play,” he whispered into her ear.

“I wanted your arms around me,” she admitted, cocking her head to one side and hoping he would kiss her exposed neck.

“Are you sure you want this Hermione? You’re a married woman,” he said, planting soft kisses on her neck and slipping his hands down her arms, “you’re married and I’m a bastard who doesn’t give a shit about that.”

“I want this, Severus, and right this second, I don’t care.”

Severus slid his hands back up her arms and brushed the sides of her breasts. Hermione moaned at the contact and pushed back closer to his body. Severus moved his hands across her breasts and unbuttoned her blouse slowly. He slipped her shirt down her arms and allowed it to land on the floor. He turned Hermione around and admired her body, her nipples hardening and straining against the sheer fabric of the bra. He gently ran his thumb across a nipple, causing it to harden and pucker even more. He kissed her neck, slipping his lips down her throat and chest. Leaning her back on the pool table, he waved his hand, clearing the remainder of the balls from the surface. He tongued a nipple through the material of her bra, causing her to squirm with desire. Harry never made her feel like this, she thought. He looked up at her face, her eyes closed, lips parted, face flushed, and went back to his sweet chore. He captured a nipple through the material and gently sucked on it, nipping it with his teeth as he rolled the other nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Hermione moaned and longed to feel him against her bare skin. He moved a hand down to the waistband of her jeans and unbuttoned them, unzipping the fly and slipping them down her legs. Hermione kicked off her shoes and stepped out of her jeans. He ran his hand between her legs, feeling her damp panties. She felt him smile against her nipple “Mm “Mmmm, it appears you do want this,” he whispered, before biting on a rock hard nipple.

“Yesssssss,” she moaned softly, amazed at the sensations his mouth was creating on her breasts and his hand was creating between her legs as he stroked her slit over her panties.

Severus deftly unhooked her bra and freed her beautiful breasts, moving his lips back to cover a nipple, pulling on it with his teeth. He slipped her panties off and placed both hands on her hips. He allowed his mouth to leave her breasts and move down, flicking his tongue over her belly and traveling lower. He summoned a chair and sat down, spreading her legs. Hermione bent her knees and placed her feet on the edge of the pool table as Severus pulled himself closer to her and placed his tongue on her inner thigh, licking up to her wet slit. He licked the length of her and flicked his tongue over her clit, causing her to moan louder.

“Oh Severus, gods this feels amazing…more please,” breathed Hermione.

“Ever the polite one, Miss Granger,” he replied, opening her folds and plunging his tongue into her causing her to moan again.

Severus licked and sucked on her, capturing her swelling clit between his lips and sucking on it, giving it little flicks as he did. He slipped two fingers inside and gently thrust them in and out as he sucked and flicked on her clit. Hermione began bucking as she reached first one climax, then another. Severus hung on for dear life as he teased her to orgasm several times. He finally allowed Hermione to relax, softly licking her as she came down. He kissed back up her body as she twitched from the post coital spasms that rocked her body. He licked her nipples, her neck, and very softly brushed his lips against hers. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close as she kissed him back, slipping her tongue into his mouth, tasting herself on his tongue.

“I think we should move this to my hotel, Hermione, don’t you?”

“Mmmm, yes, definitely. I want more of you and I just don’t think we’ll be comfortable on this pool table,” agreed Hermione, “can we apparate there?”

“Absolutely,” replied Severus, kissing Hermione again.

“Good, because I don’t want to get dressed,” she said smiling.

Severus took her hand, helped her off the pool table and they left the pub, leaving the wards up and untouched and Hermione’s clothing on the floor as a souvenir for Muireadach O’Malley.

TBC if you want. Let me know via reviews!