Chapter 4

Scattered Logic is the best!

A/N: This chapter moves very quickly. I hope I don't offend anyone!

~*~

"How did you know they were my parents?"

Hermione and Severus were sitting on the couch in Phyllis's living room. It reminded Hermione of Umbridge's office when she was at Hogwarts. All kitten plates and lacy doilies. The difference was that the woman sitting opposite her had a kind, grandmotherly air about her. Hermione liked her immediately.

"My dear! There is no mistaking those eyes. You have your mother's eyes, no doubt about it. Of course, you don't seem to have the same hair as your mother. She struggled terribly with her hair in this humidity."

Hermione could actually feel Severus smirking.

"Oh, yes," Phyllis continued. "Your mother and I chatted a lot in the evenings after work. She seemed a bit lonely. Sometimes I wondered why she had left England in the first place; she talked about that cold, rainy place constantly. One day she seemed to be in a very distracted mood. When I asked her what was wrong, she said she was just thinking about her daughter. When I asked her to tell me about you, she just laughed and told me she didn't have a daughter. The last time I saw her, she was rushing up the stairs muttering frantically to herself. When I asked her what was such an emergency, she said she had to get to her daughter, Hermione. I remembered that name because it was so unusual, but it really suits you, my dear."

At the end of this long speech, Phyllis sat back in her chair, a happy smile on her face, oblivious to the shocked stare of her young guest.

"Thank you, Phyllis," Hermione said, standing. "You have been most helpful, but we must be going."

"Anything to help, my dear. Give your parents my regards."

Hermione promised she would as she practically ran out the door.

"Avagoodweekend!" Phyllis called to Severus as he stood to follow Hermione.

Severus thanked the older woman and rushed to catch up to Hermione. He caught her in the stairwell, halfway between two floors.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"Didn't you hear her? I have to go back to England! My parents are probably there and worried sick because they can't find me. They are Muggles; they won't know how to contact the Weasleys!"

Hermione tried to yank her arm out of his grip.

"Let me go, damn you! I have to get the next Portkey to England. I have to go now!"

Without another word, Severus wrapped his arms around the struggling witch, looked up and down the stairs for any signs of Muggles, and Apparated away.

~*~

Severus stepped back from the struggling witch. Her hair was falling out of the band, framing her flushed face.

"How could you?" she sobbed. "I have to find them. Can't you understand that? You heartless..."

Hermione broke off as Severus grasped her arms, hauling her closer so that her nose was an inch away from his.

"Stop acting like a child!" he yelled back at her. "Can you not understand that you cannot go rushing into a situation you know nothing about? What if this is some Death Eater trap to lure you to your parents' house where they can do all manner of disgusting things to you? Would you just think before you go running off half-cocked?"

Hermione's breath was coming in short little gasps that he could feel against his lips. Desire for this witch pulsed through his veins. It was something he had not truly felt in a long time, and something that was going to cause him to do a very stupid thing.

Hermione saw something hot flash in his eyes, something that caused her knees to go very weak. She licked her lips, and Severus unconsciously copied her movement. When she gasped, his eyes flicked back to hers, and she saw a question in his ebony eyes.

She nodded, no more than a slight movement of her head, but it was enough for Severus. His lips crushed down on hers. His tongue traced the seam of her lips, seeking, searching, asking. Hermione answered by opening her mouth to his, drawing his tongue into her mouth, then suckling it gently.

Severus' restraint broke. He released Hermione's arms, sliding one arm around her waist to press her body closer to his. The other hand slid up her neck, and into her hair, finally loosening her masses of hair from its band. Severus grabbed a handful, luxuriating in the slick, silky feel. When he felt her hands creeping into his hair, kneading his scalp, he groaned into her mouth.

Putting both hands under her buttocks, he simultaneously lifted her up and pulled her closer to his aching body. He walked towards the bedroom, never breaking their kiss.

Not being able to see properly, Severus misjudged the doorway and slammed Hermione into the wall. Hermione gasped as he pressed into her, his weight holding her up. Severus lifted his hands and ran the tips of fingers over her cheeks, barely caressing her skin. His hands drifted down her neck, past her shoulders, down the outer curves of her breasts, past her waist, stopping at the hemline of her skirt. His fingers drifted lightly up her inner thighs, stopping before they reached their target.

Panting heavily, Severus pulled away from Hermione, bringing his hands up to frame her face. Hermione opened eyes that felt as heavy as lead. Severus was forcing her head up, making her meet his hot, hot eyes.

"Do you want this? Because if you say 'yes', there is no stopping this. I want you more than I have wanted anything. If we do this, you are mine. You will always be mine. I will not share you with anyone, ever. So I will ask you again: Do you really want this?"

Hermione stared up into his midnight eyes, seeing acceptance, understanding and yearning.

Reaching up to tangle her hands in his ebony hair, Hermione leaned forward to press her lips against his before answering.

"You do understand that if we do this, you are mine and I will never share you with anyone, ever. Yes, I want this more than anything."

Again, Severus crushed her lips with his, plundering her sweetness until she was gasping. His mouth trailed a burning path down her throat, his teeth nipping gently at her skin. Hermione shivered as his hands came up to the buttons running down the front of her top. His lips followed as his agile fingers loosened each fixture. Severus removed her top, tossing it over his shoulder. Next he loosened the little zip on the side of her skirt, easing the material over her hips. When it was pooled at her feet, he stepped away to see his treasure.

Her face was flushed with passion, her kiss-swollen lips parted as she gasped for breath, her hair a mess from his hands. Merlin, she was beautiful. And she was standing there in the skimpiest bra and knickers set he had ever seen.

Drawing in a ragged breath, Severus started to undo his numerous buttons while his beautiful young minx stared at him like a hungry lion. With a growl of frustration, he drew his wand, banishing his clothes with a quick flick.

Hermione's eyes were drawn downward. Again, she licked her lips, and a little whimper escaped her. Letting out a deep, throaty growl, Severus was on her. It seemed like his hands were everywhere at once. He could not get enough of her soft skin. Hermione could feel his erection pressing heavily against her belly.

Severus calmed his movements. From her waist, he shifted his hands in one sweeping movement up her back, deftly unclasping her bra and removing it. This too was tossed over his shoulder. Severus reverentially cupped her breast in his palms before bringing his mouth down to taste her skin. Hermione arched into him, her hands moving up and down his back, finally tangling in his hair to hold him there while he did wonderful things to her.

Severus suckled her nipple, drawing the hard peak into his mouth, laving it with the flat of his tongue. He then repeated the process with her other breast, trailing his fingers down her belly, teasing her skin at the waistline of her knickers. His mouth left her breasts, trailing hot, wet kisses downwards, stopping to tease her belly button.

His fingers hooked the front of her knickers, slowly dragging them down. Hermione cried out as the back of his fingers deliberately brushed through her curls. Grinning up at her evilly, Severus let her knickers go and parted her thighs slightly, ensuring him proper access. Again, Severus brushed his fingers through her curls, seeking her entrance. His fingers slid through her folds, and he gasped at the wetness he found there. She was more than ready for him.

He inserted one finger into her slick heat. When he felt her shudder, he slipped in another, slowly pumping in and out.

"Severus!"

His name on her lips drove him wild. Standing upright, Severus pressed into her, wrapping her legs around his hips. Their mouths met in a passionate kiss as he found her entrance. Hermione tore her mouth free, crying out as she felt him slide deeply inside her.

Severus readjusted his hold on his witch, using the wall to take most of her weight. With one hand around her waist to hold her, he slid the other hand between their bodies, searching out that sweet little bundle of nerves. Only when Hermione cried out again at the contact did he dare move his hips. He would make damn sure this, their first time together, was not just a solo act.

He started pumping his hips, sliding in and out if her gorgeous body in a dance as old as time, all the while manipulating her hardened clitoris.

Hermione suddenly cried out, finding her release. Her body clamped down on Severus as convulsions rocked her body.

Severus' tempo changed. His thrusts became shorter, harder, quicker. With each thrust he panted into her ear.

"Hot... wet... tight... mine... mine... mine... MINE!"

The last word was torn from his throat in a raw of triumph as he felt waves of pleasure pulse through him, Hermione's body milking his dry.

With his face pressed into her neck, it took him a while to realise she was shaking. With a wrenching feeling in his gut, he knew she was crying. He pulled his face away, reluctant to let her body go just yet. He could not look into her eyes and see the disappointment there.

"I'm sorry." It came out very softly. Hermione barely heard it, since he seemed to be addressing her breasts.

Releasing her grip on his hair, Hermione lifted his gaze to meet her smiling face.

"Severus Snape, if you dare apologize for the best sex I have ever had, I swear I will hex you six different ways, none of them remotely pleasant."

Severus grinned back at her. Hermione thought this was the best look for him. She promised herself that she would make him do it more often.

"Well then, witch, we are going to have to spend a lot of time trying to top that."

With a whoop, Severus pulled her body closer and walked into the bedroom. Giving Hermione a little toss, he chucked her on the bed, smirking at her shriek.

Hermione crawled up the bed. Leaning back on the cushions, she crooked her finger at him.

"Well then, what are you waiting for? You have a lot to live up to."

~*~

Severus was lying on his back, his arm comfortably around the witch who had given him so much more than he had expected. Hermione lay with her head on his shoulder, listening to his heartbeat while she traced patterns on his chest.

"Severus?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you fake your death and come and hide all the way out here?"

Severus turned his head, looking down into her earnest, curious face. He realised she was not asking to hurt him. She genuinely wanted to know.

"I had nothing left. There was no reason for me to stay. It just seemed easier to pretend I was dead. I was Dumbledore's murderer, favoured servant of the Dark Lord and lowly Death Eater. So, I left everything that was dear to me and came here to start over. It is a peaceful life, and I have to admit, I am content."

"Content? Is that all you wish to get from your life? Don't you want a family and friends and... and love?"

"I am, of course, aware of Potter's efforts to clear my name and am aware of my War Hero status."

Hermione giggled at that. "I don't suppose you are aware of the Severus Snape Fanclub that had sprung up though?"

"Hmm, something else I was glad to be away from. I really do owe Potter a debt though. I never would have believed he would have been such an active campaigner for me. But to answer your question, I truly had not thought the options of having a family and friends were open to me. That is until you dropped into my life. Now, anything seems possible."

"Hmmm, remember to tell that to your future parents-in-law, when we find them, that is."

As she finished her sentence, she realised what she had said.

"Oh, I never meant... Well, I did mean... but only if you... I mean I... Oh, shut up, Granger."

Hermione buried her burning face into Severus' shoulder. She could be such a fool sometimes.

"Ahem. I believe it is usually up to the man to do it first, but if that is a marriage proposal..."

Severus trailed off, waiting for Hermione to look up at him again. When she did, he continued.

"Then I say yes."

Hermione blinked up at him before lifting her nose and sniffing. "You do realise that you still have to buy the ring?"

Severus looked down at his impertinent young fiancée, took a deep breath and did it. He gave her a Level 5!

Hermione looked at him. Ahh, yes. Her face was about to dissolve into a look of terror. That would teach her.

But his feeling of smugness faded quickly as her face crumpled into laughter. Laughter? How could that be possible?

Seeing his glare fade into a look of distress, Hermione leaned up and kissed his cheek.

"But... but," he spluttered. "That was my Level 5! Pure Terror! I don't get it. I practiced it so hard, it even scared me sometimes. Why are you laughing?"

"Severus, it does help if you are not naked, and I am not exhausted from mind-blowing sex. You will have to come up with another grading system or a more creative way to 'teach me'!"

With a growl, Severus rolled his new fiancée onto her back and set about doing just that.

~*~

Just the epilogue to go!