Chapter Five

After breakfast, he surprised her with a question. "Would you take a walk with me?"

Hermione blinked. "A walk? Outside? I didn't think you.... I mean...."

Severus gave a slight frown. "You didn't think I would want to be outdoors for the sheer joy of being outdoors, seeing as I am Slytherin."

She swallowed. "No, that's not what I..."

"Yes it is," he said. Then his frown turned up. "It's all right. Outside of class time, most of my House refuses to leave our common room unless they have to. And even then, it's usually to the Great Hall to eat. Sometimes, one or two of them will find their way to the infirmary to gloat, but...."

"But Madam Pomfrey shoos you away pretty quickly," she finished for him. He cleared his throat in lieu of an answer, but by the way his eyes would rather focus on his bootlaces than meet hers, she knew it was a confirmation. She thought she'd save him the embarrassment. "I'd love to have a walk."

Severus blinked to catch up with her train of thought. "You would?" But his voice sounded adolescent even to himself. He cleared his throat. "Splendid."

"Could you wait for me in the common room while I dress?" He took a step back and looked at her nightgown, smirking, and even opened his mouth to object, but she saw it coming and beat him to it. "Please. I won't be a moment."

His eyebrows underlined his smirk, but he nodded and left. Hermione chuckled and sighed, especially when she could hear him whistling...whistling!...on his way down the stairs. He's so different now. I wonder what must have happened to change all this, to make him such a bastard.

After a moment, she turned to the wardrobe. She did want the walk, but she had to dress for it. It had snowed a bit again last night, adding perhaps an inch to what was already on the ground. The sun had been streaming through the window not ten minutes ago, but it had gone off somewhere. It felt like it was going to snow again shortly, but she still hadn't a handle on Divination...meteorological or otherwise...and she'd be rather idealistic to be prepared for anything other than the cold. There had been a sweater before....

Twenty minutes later, Hermione had settled on resizing and restyling a pair of corduroy jeans and a soft pink sweater. She also picked out another pair of what she turned into pretty panties, as well as a second bra that she had to adjust up. She didn't want to think about Severus seeing her in the underwear, but she wasn't going anywhere without them. She dressed quickly, ran the transfigured quill-brush through her hair, and cast a charm to make it behave. As a final touch, she looked back into the wardrobe to see if Lily had a spare jacket that she hadn't taken home with her. As luck would have it, she did. And thankfully, Hermione didn't have to alter it at all. With a cursory glance in the mirror, she hurried out of the bedroom, warding the door behind her.

The two strolled the snowy grounds hand in hand. When they came to the lake, Hermione peered down into it, trying to see past the ice. She often wondered what happened to the giant squid and the merfolk in the cold weather. Severus bent over to put his head close to hers and, as if he knew what she were thinking, said, "It's all right. It never freezes all the way to the bottom. Water is the only substance that expands when it freezes. The ice, being less dense, floats on the top and acts as an insulator, keeping the water below above 0° Centigrade."

She stopped walking and gave him a look that clearly meant that she knew perfectly well what the physical properties of water were, and she'd thank him not to lecture her. What she didn't let show on her face was that she'd learned the physical properties of water in first year Potions class...from him.

Large, fluffy white flakes began to drift from the sky. Hermione's glower transformed into a dreamy smile as she let go of Severus' hand to twirl around in the falling snow. Hermione loved snow. As far she was concerned, snowflakes were a gift from God. Each was different and unique in its own way, something that she could appreciate.

She paused when she saw him looking at her. It was a look she wasn't familiar with. He held his hand out to her, and she took it uncertainly. He tipped her chin up to look at him and kissed her mouth. She pressed closer to him, and he encircled her waist with his free arm. She parted her mouth a bit, and he took the invitation to slip his tongue between her lips. He pulled back to kiss away the snowflakes from her eyelashes with his mouth. He held her to him tightly and whispered, "You are truly beautiful, Jane. Such a wonderful, free, giving spirit. No one has ever been this close to me before."

She smiled at him, mentally removing the clappers from the alarm bells that were sounding in her head. She reached up for another kiss, but he leaned further to whisper, "Come closer to me, Jane. Please."

Hermione looked up at him and knew what he meant. His eyes were glittering, sharper somehow, but she could see the bravado all the same; he was afraid that she was going to say no. She couldn't. She could hardly bring herself to believe that this was the same man who taught her Potions class. The difference was day and night. This man was gentle, giving, comforting. Nothing like the harsh, unyielding creature who dwelled in the dungeons and deducted points from Gryffindor for tripping over a Slytherin's outstretched foot.

She looked at him and nodded. Quietly, she said, "I've never known a man before you. I don't want to know any after." And as it came out of her mouth, she knew it for truth.

He led her back into the castle. They didn't speak...not because they had nothing to say, but because they didn't have to say anything. They passed through vacant corridors and down empty stairs until she realized that they were underneath the lake. She could see the fish and merpeople swimming behind the glass. They barely looked cold. When the giant squid passed by, her breath caught for a moment. No, there were no problems here. No wonder Severus had been amused; he saw this everyday.

When they reached a particular stretch of blank wall, she looked the other way and politely pretended not to hear Severus as he whispered the password. The door swung open, and he guided her through the common room to his dormitory. It looked much the same as the Gryffindor dormitories, except for the color scheme.

"I am the only one from this House staying here for the holidays," he said. "We should be ensured privacy."

She didn't trust herself to speak. Instead, she concentrated on undoing the buttons on his black wool jacket. She felt him returning the favor and gave a small smile. She dropped her arms long enough for him to pull her jacket off, then resumed her task. He wore a black sweater that went nicely with his black pants and shoes. She felt a tug on her heart; the more things changed, the more they stayed the same. She pulled it over his head and waited as he ran his fingers over the soft material of her sweater. His chest was more muscled than she would have thought, with a dusting of fine black hair. He had well-muscled arms that made her want to test them. She placed her hands on his chest and ran her fingers through the down and over his nipples to let him know that she was getting a bit impatient. He smiled and removed the sweater. She pulled him down to kiss her while she kicked off her shoes. She grinned into the kiss when she noticed that he was following her example. If this kept up, it would be a bit like the blind leading the blind. He really hadn't been exaggerating when he had said no one had been close to him before.

He guided her into his bed and pulled the dark green curtains closed around them. When he turned back to her, she was lying on her back. Smiling, he lowered himself onto her. She looked up at him expectantly, and his smile turned a bit sad. "Regrettably, I have plans this evening with a friend." He paused dramatically. "At seven. That only gives me six hours. It is less time than I would like to take to please you, of course, but would you be willing to make that sacrifice for me?"

She gave him her own smirk. "I suppose I could do that. I think I'm supposed to meet with Professor Dumbledore this evening. I haven't seen him since the morning I got here. Can you promise me more time tomorrow?"

"I shall do my best."

"Now or then?" she asked teasingly.

"Both," he said, then kissed her passionately, weaving his fingers through her hair. She wrapped her arms around him and explored his back with her fingers. She brought them down to his pants and cupped his buttocks tightly. He groaned a bit and pressed into her. She ran her hands up experimentally and slid her fingers underneath his waistband. He pulled up from the kiss and said, "I get the idea that you may think I'm overdressed."

She smiled coyly and said, "Actually, I was thinking that we're both a bit overdressed. Perhaps we should remedy that before we go any further. I hate to look... auspicious." He threw his head back and laughed. His rich baritone echoed in her ears, and it was the most wonderful sound she had ever heard.

He pulled her up briefly to unhook the clasp on her bra and lowered her again in order to enjoy the view. He closed his eyes momentarily and said, "Jane, I am going to pay homage to this beautiful body of yours, but I am weak and overwhelmed. Please forgive me." Then he lowered his mouth to her nipple. She gasped into his touch and brought his hand up to the other breast. He traced circles around her areola with his finger and mimicked the action on the other with his tongue.

"Oh, Severus, you don't need forgiveness. This feels lovely...." Her eyes closed with pleasure. Her breath was becoming ragged, as was his. He left her breasts and kissed a trail farther down her stomach until he reached the waist of her jeans. He deftly unbuttoned them, and she raised her hips to aid in his endeavor.

He stopped short of her underwear, instead running his finger down the crease where her folds met. The fabric was a little more than damp. He looked in wonder, "You are so wet, Jane. Do I truly have this effect on you?"

"Did you ever doubt it, my love?" She let the endearment slip into her sentence purposely. She couldn't tell him that she was not in her own time. She couldn't tell him that she would never see him this way again if she and Dumbledore were successful. She couldn't tell him that she loved him in any way but this. It hurt, but it was the best she could do.

His response was to carefully remove her knickers as though she were made of something fragile and toss them outside the curtain. He sat back on his knees and brought each foot up to his mouth, making her smile at the pretty gesture. He kissed each leg to the thigh before settling between her thighs and placing his hands underneath her to bring her to his mouth. He licked the crease where her legs met her sex and then licked the outsides of her folds. She groaned, trying to control herself from arching further into his mouth. He parted her with his tongue and began to lap her juices as a parched man laps water. He looked up long enough to say, "I would have you climax this way. I am told it is difficult to do so the first time and I want to be sure of your pleasure."

She nodded and placed her hands in his dark hair. He leaned back into her and sought out the center of her flower, teasing it until she could take no more and cried out, "Oh, Severus...!" over and over as the waves of ecstasy washed over her.

He came up to her and she kissed his face repeatedly, tasting herself on him until she gave into the desire of licking his lips and drawing his tongue into her mouth. She felt erotic and sinful, heavenly and wicked.

She looked him in the eye and grinned with the wickedness. "Turnabout is fair play," she said, crawling out from under him.

He turned over and caught her hand. "I want to spend inside you. Be careful." She nodded and began rubbing her face in the hair on his chest. She caught his nipple in her mouth and grazed it with her teeth. She heard him moan, and it encouraged her to pay equal attention to the other nipple. She traced down his chest to his belly button and dipped her tongue for just a moment. He pushed up against her and she laughed, an admission of her power. He helped her off with his trousers, and she noticed in passing that he wore black silk boxer shorts...she filed that factoid for later retrieval.

Then she came to his phallus and immediately had to touch it. She had no basis for comparison, but she marveled, somewhat fearfully, that such a thing was going to be inside her. She pulled back the foreskin and chastely kissed the head. He groaned louder, and when she brought her mouth down over him, he looked nearly undone. She experimented with how much she could take without gagging. Feeling braver, as she found a steady rhythm with her mouth, she let her finger wander down past his sac and tentatively touched his anus. He bucked against her, and she took this as a sign that it felt good. She paused long enough in her ministrations to lick her finger. She rubbed against his rear portal before sliding in. The ringed muscle clamped around her finger almost painfully and she looked up to see him biting his lip to keep from crying out. She worked her mouth and finger in time with each other until his fingertips gripping her shoulder started digging in.

She disengaged her finger and tongue to look up at him. "Is it time?"

He nodded and rolled over once again to put her on her back. He hesitated a moment, looking thoughtful, and left the bed. She sat up, frowning until he came back with a black towel.

He smiled ruefully and said, "Let's not spoil the sheets." She smiled with him and nodded, somewhat relieved that even during coitus, he was unchanged.

After arranging the towel beneath her, he moved his knees between her legs to open her a bit more. "As soon as I break the barrier, we are going to stop until you are ready to go on. I will not see you hurt."

She looked up at him trustingly and said, "Are you sure this is your first time doing this?"

He looked askance. "I assume by your tone that you think that I have this well thought-out."

She tilted her head thoughtfully and pulled him down to her. He placed her hand on his member and topped it with his own. He slid in slowly, studying her face. He closed his eyes and she felt braver watching his response. He was clearly feeling quite a bit of pleasure. He looked up at her and pulled back just a little. She braced herself, and he stopped. "No, Jane. Trust me. Relax yourself and yield to me." She closed her eyes and breathed evenly, deeply. And then he thrust forward. Tears sprung to her eyes, but she cinched her eyelids tighter, willing the tears not to run down her face.

"My angel, my perfect, beautiful angel," he murmured, wiping away her tears. "So brave. So giving." He waited until her shudders subsided and began to move again slowly. He increased his tempo, and she was allowed to see how much this meant to him. He trusted her enough to show her his true emotions. As he climaxed, she thought her heart would burst from the sight of love on his face.

A/N:

Many people have told me that they think this is a little soon for intimacy, and that may be true under most circumstances. However, please keep in mind that Hermione realizes that she has limited time with Severus, which may make her less conservative than she would be otherwise. And Severus? Severus is a seventeen-year-old male who is used to being rejected, and has just found a girl who loves him. What else would he do?

I hope that all of you have enjoyed!