Chapter Seven: Teasing

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me. They, and any money, belong to JKR. Dammit!

Chapter Seven: Teasing

The breeze was as light as Hermione's spirits as she made her way to the Quidditch pitch. The sound of her wizard's footsteps as he ran echoed in her mind, reminding her of that very first morning when she had discovered his secret. Smiling contentedly, she awaited the pleasure of his company. He grinned boyishly when he stopped to stretch, this time deliberately winking as he removed his clothes. Blowing him a kiss, she caressed the length of his body with her heated gaze and groaned as she noticed his once again aroused state.

"You know, you could damage yourself doing those exercises in that condition," she teased.

"And whose fault would that be?" he retorted, continuing his routine.

"Mine entirely," she declared proudly. "All mine."

"I am." He turned back to her, eyes aflame with love and desire. "All yours." Dressing again, he joined her in the stands. "I spoke to Minerva. She was initially shocked, but I think it was more because I had fallen for one of her precious lion cubs rather than your being a student. It was somewhat odd how understanding she was."

"Oh, I think I know why," Hermione replied, then went on to relate her conversation with Irma Pince.

Severus chuckled. "Well, at least that makes things easier for us, but who else has noticed, I wonder?"

"Er... You may not like this, but..." Hermione started.

His eyes narrowed. "Who else?"

"Harry."

"Potter!" Severus groaned. "Dammit! I knew he was being a little too cooperative when you first became unwell, but I had hoped it was just concern for your health. How much does he know?"

"Everything. Well, nearly everything," she explained as she noticed his look of mortification. "He figured it out for himself after noticing us exchanging looks at dinner and the way you reacted when I was sick. But we have talked, and he is being really supportive. I think he actually realises you are one of the good guys after all. There is just one thing..."

"What?"

"He wants to run interference for us. He thinks we will need one of our friends to cover for us at times."

"Our friends?" His disbelief was evident in his sardonically lifted eyebrow.

"Yes, our friends. You have to start somewhere, you know, Severus. After all, you did have a close relationship with his mother. Speaking of that, I know it is a painful subject, but..." She trailed off, reluctant to voice her fears.

"Lily." He looked off over the lake, momentarily lost in the past. After a few moments, he turned to the young witch at his side and took both her hands in his. "Lily was my first love. I held onto that love long after I should have let go. It was the only thing that kept me going back to Voldemort when I despaired over ever seeing the light again. But, with his death I let her go. She will always be somewhere deep inside me, but she is part of my past now. You are my present and my future, Hermione. Only you."

This time they shared the sunrise, content to simply be together, knowing that within a week they would be one.

***

"Hermione!" Harry hissed.

"What?" she mouthed as she took out her Potions kit.

"Stop looking at him like that. Do you want the whole class to know you want to strip him naked and pin him down on the desk? Because that's the impression you are giving me, and it's not really an image I want in my head!" he whispered with a scowl.

Hermione had the grace to blush and look away from the man standing at the head of the class, currently lecturing them on the use and misuse of Veritaserum. She couldn't help it. Every time she saw him, his clothes disappeared somewhere between reality and her imagination. Every word he spoke evoked the sound of his velvety voice roughened in ecstasy. Every gesture he made drew her attention to the hands that had delivered her own. The week seemed to stretch interminably before her. She was as frustrated as hell, and it showed. Sighing, she laid her head on her arms and closed her eyes.

"Miss Granger. Five points from Gryffindor for not making use of your bed for sleeping. This is a class, not a dormitory!" her professor growled from immediately behind her.

She looked up at him, brushing his groin with the back of her head as she turned. "I'm sorry, Professor Snape, I was kept awake last night by memories of certain events. It took some time before I could alleviate the stress I was feeling." His barely audible groan more than made up for the loss of points as he somewhat stiffly made his way back to his desk, sitting carefully as he ordered the class to begin.

After his face had returned to its normal colour, Harry smirked as he whispered, "I can't believe you just did that. He's going to have to stay behind that desk for the duration now."

"That'll stop him docking so many points then," she murmured, conscious of Severus's eyes on them both.

"Miss Granger and Mr Potter. See me after class. Any more interruptions to this lesson and it will be detention for both of you." He turned to his marking, not sparing the red ink on the unfortunate fourth-years' essays.

Dutifully reporting to the front of the class once their fellow students had left, Harry and Hermione were startled when Severus closed and locked the door.

"Do you two really want me to have to issue you with a detention?" He shook his head and sat on the edge of the desk, face impassive.

"Severus..."

"No! You must think of me as Professor Snape in this class, Hermione. Do you not know what it does to me when you look at me that way? I can't teach the entire class from behind the desk. How can I ensure no-one is about to bring about disaster from there? Potter, will you tell Hermione a few facts of life about the male response for me? If you are determined to be a friend, can I at least have your support in keeping her mind on her work in this class?"

Harry smothered his embarrassment at the subject matter long enough to agree. "Er... sure, Professor."

"Now, I have arranged with the headmistress for a Floo connection between your room and mine which will be set up on Friday evening. One-way only, from yours to mine, she was adamant about giving you control over our meetings. The password is..."

After Severus had finished describing the details of the arrangements, he gathered his witch in his arms and set her alight with one brief, sublime kiss. With a wicked grin on his face, he waved a stunned Harry and a flushed Hermione out the door to lunch.

"Bloody hell, Hermione. I don't know how he does it, but even I felt all hot and bothered by that kiss, and I don't even fancy him! I've got to get some tips off him," Harry exclaimed as they rushed up the stairs to the Great Hall.

"You will understand then why I am so damned frustrated," she replied irritably.

"Maybe. But you can't be getting him all, you know, turned on like that. It's bloody uncomfortable for us blokes when that happens. It's a wonder he got back to his desk at all this morning. I actually felt sorry for Snape. What is the world coming to?" He smiled ruefully. "Come on, we're late enough now, people will be wondering where we have been. I still can't believe by this time next week you will be shagging Snape! Merlin, woman, wipe that smile off your face, or they'll be thinking we've been off for a quick one!"

Entering the Great Hall, still chuckling at Harry's last comment, Hermione realised they were very late for lunch. Ron eyed them as they sat down. "What have you two been up to then?"

The entire Gryffindor table was a picture of confusion as Hermione Granger and Harry Potter collapsed into gales of laughter for no apparent reason.

***

As Hermione stood to leave after dinner that evening, the headmistress appeared beside her.

"Miss Granger, a word in my office, if you please?" she ordered quietly before leaving the Great Hall. Harry shrugged helplessly, suspecting his friend was in for a harrowing interview.

Trudging reluctantly up the stairs to the gargoyle guarding the entrance to the headmistress's quarters, Hermione braced herself for what was to come. Professor McGonagall had not looked particularly amused or as understanding as Severus had intimated. The door to the rotating stairwell opened automatically as she arrived, allowing no delaying tactics. She knocked on the door at the top of the stairs, determined to stand her ground.

"Miss Granger. I am sure you are aware why I have asked you here. I was astounded and not a little dismayed with the revelations Professor Snape brought to me yesterday. What do you have to say on the matter?" The headmistress sat primly behind her desk, expression stern and unyielding.

"As I am unsure exactly what Severus told you, I can only say this. I don't really know how it happened. I have always admired his intelligence, his courage, and his tenacity. I know he has not been kind to me and my friends over the years, but I understand his reasons for this. I just... I just..." She broke off, hands outstretched in mute appeal, not knowing how to explain how she felt to the woman before her.

Professor McGonagall's face softened slightly. "Do you love him?" she asked gently.

"With all my heart. He is so different when we are alone; it's like he is a different man. I can't imagine not having him in my life now. Please understand," she implored.

To her surprise the dour older witch relaxed, a smile dropping years off her face. "Oh, I understand, my dear. I just wanted to be sure you were genuine in your feelings for Severus, for both your sakes. I have known him since childhood and, despite appearances, care for him greatly. I can see you have managed to find the real man under the unfeeling, cruel façade he has built over the years. That man is passionate, caring, and vulnerable, and I would not have him hurt. He has had enough heartbreak in his lifetime, and I suspect he would not withstand another."

"I have no intention of hurting him, Professor. I just want to love him and care for him in every way I can. He deserves no less."

"In that case... Severus, you can come out now. I am satisfied this young lady knows what she is doing. You both have my blessing."

Severus entered the office from an inner door and immediately took his young witch in his arms. She smiled tenderly as she noticed the glisten of moisture in his eyes and reached up to gently kiss it away. "I meant every word, you know, love," she murmured.

"I know," he replied and kissed her in turn, causing not a few gasps and hoots from the audience of portraits.

"Go get her!" called one enthusiastic ex-headmaster.

"Tut, tut! Such an indecorous display for the Head of Slytherin," snarled Phineas Nigellus Black.

"About time!" cheered Albus Dumbledore.

Minerva McGonagall just gazed at the portrait of her late headmaster and smiled, lost in her own past.

***

Finally, Friday evening arrived. Classes had dragged all week, with double Potions the day before having been especially stressful. Trying to contain her longing while her senses were aware of his every move had been exhausting. Their morning ritual had continued, but Severus had refrained from anything other than some rather heated snogging. His steadfast self-control had both pleased and frustrated her. At times she had been tempted to touch him, just to unleash his restraint, but Harry's words had echoed in her mind, and she'd known it would be unfair. The joy of his tenderness and warmth towards her, hidden to all others, had eased the yearning inside her for their ultimate union.

She had already taken a contraceptive potion, good for a month, supplied by an indulgent Poppy Pomfrey, together with a few welcome, but embarrassing, words of advice on what to expect. Bathing earlier in the evening in delicately scented water, she had plucked, shaved, and powdered herself to perfection. Dressed in a simple set of robes, concealing her daring lack of any undergarments, she smiled at her reflection in the mirror and blew it a kiss. Prepared as well as she could be, she threw some Floo powder into the hearth and spoke as she stepped through to claim her man. "Plutarch."

***

A/N: This story is dedicated to the esteemed leader of F.A.R.T, Robbi, whose encouragement, nay, nagging, turned this story from a vague idea to an actuality. However, any expressions of emotion emanating from Severus Snape are entirely my idea. She made me clarify that. Of course, my dear friend, ladyinthecloak, bossed the commas into submission and tidied up any mistakes. Thanks, girls!