Chapter Thirteen: Reactions

Chapter Thirteen: Reactions

Severus groaned inwardly at the prurient interest evident in most of his colleagues' expressions as he approached the staff table. Accepting his wife would discuss their personal life with a young woman he considered a friend was one thing, slaking the inevitable curiosity of the likes of Rolanda Hooch and Pomona Sprout was an entirely different matter.

"Hey, Snape! We missed you at breakfast. Did Madam Snape decide she liked riding broomsticks after all?" jeered Hooch in her usual crass manner.

Not for the first time did Severus appreciate the charms which kept the staff conversations private from the students.

"She does look rather animated, Rolanda. I think he must have ploughed the field effectively," added Sprout to the groans of her companions.

"I'll bet he made her see stars," the Astronomy professor chipped in with a lascivious grin.

Bill Weasley chortled at Sinistra's comment. "Nothing like a bit of foolish wand waving, I always say!"

"Do you think he's finally worked out one and one makes Oh, Oh, OH!" Septima Vector snorted at her own cleverness.

"I'm sure he charmed her knickers off." Flitwick giggled, then blushed at Severus's scowl.

"Et tu, Filius?" he snarled.

"Er... sorry. Couldn't help myself."

"Now, children! Leave poor Severus alone. I'm sure he's exhausted..."

"Minerva!"

"At least it wasn't a bad pun, dear. Now, everyone has had their fun; let's all settle down and enjoy our meal. Tea, Severus?" She patted his arm maternally as she murmured, "You really do look a little weary. I assume you and Hermione did complete the binding?"

"Yes, Minerva. The marriage has been consummated. Several times. Satisfied?" Severus sighed as he sipped his tea and attacked his lunch. "Although I'm not sure my wife is yet. What on earth have you been teaching the students in that house of yours?"

The headmistress chuckled, noticing the new sparkle in the Potions professor's eyes and his barely suppressed smile.

"I suspect my little lioness has learned a little about taking charge over the years," she replied, hiding a smile of her own.

"A little?" He shook his head. "I suggest you ensure the girl has plenty of homework over the next few weeks, or you might need to find yourself a new Potions master. This one will be quite worn out." The softening of his features as he regarded his bride across the Great Hall belied his words.

Minerva McGonagall continued her meal, content in the knowledge her favourite student had matters well in hand.

Two hours later, Hermione returned to her new quarters to find Severus had indeed taken the opportunity to catch up on some sleep. Quietly undressing, she slipped into the bed beside him and lay on her side, head propped up on one hand as she studied his face. Relaxed in slumber, the frown lines on his forehead had eased, and his mouth had softened, taking years off his appearance.

Gently kissing his strangely adorable nose, she snuggled into her husband's side and contemplated her feelings for the dark, enigmatic man until she drifted off into sleep.

Severus awoke for the second time in his life to find a naked, tousle-haired beauty draped over his equally nude body, part of which was astonishingly ready for more attention. As she stirred and murmured his name in her sleep, the ex-Death Eater wondered at his ever-increasing attachment to the young woman he had married. It had indeed only been two weeks since her petition, but in that short time he had discovered an intellectual equal where a hand-waving know-it-all had been, an incredibly sensual woman instead of a gauche teenager, and a depth of compassion and caring he had never been afforded before. In short, Severus Snape was poised to take a blind leap of faith into the abyss of love, and he was terrified.

The atmosphere in the Potions classroom was decidedly tense on Monday morning. In retrospect, Hermione realised entering the room with Severus from his office rather than joining her classmates in the corridor was not the best decision she had ever made. Having decided breakfast was a meal they would share in their quarters, away from the inquisitive gazes of their peers, not to mention the extra time it gave them in bed, she had not considered how their joint entrance would appear to her fellow students.

"Hope you shagged him into a good mood this morning, 'Mione," teased Ron, nudging Harry, whose blush appeared to have become a permanent fixture.

"I just hope you've done your homework, Ron, because nothing could put him in a bad mood faster than his students being unprepared," she retorted, winking at Harry as their friend's face fell.

"I did... honest, 'Mione, but without you around it was so hard!" he wailed.

"Oh, for goodness sake, Ronald Weasley, you only had two feet of parchment to write on Polyjuice. You've helped brew and used it yourself. How hard could it be to write something coherent about its properties? I thought you were intending to put some effort in this year?"

"Yes, but... Quidditch practice... Hogsmeade... your wedding feast..." he mumbled.

"Don't you blame me. You had all day yesterday to write that essay. I give in! Harry, please tell me you did yours."

Harry pulled a slightly tatty piece of parchment from his bag with a rueful grin. It was barely two feet at a stretch and full of cross-outs, but at least he had something to hand in.

"I suppose that will have to do." Hermione sighed as her understanding of her husband's attitude towards his students increased exponentially.

"So, exactly when did you have time to write yours then?" asked Ron, who had a fair idea of how his friend had spent the previous afternoon.

"I wrote it last Monday when it was assigned." She shook her head at their horrified expressions. After seven years, she still failed to comprehend their singular avoidance of time management and planning.

"Will you be ready for class any time soon, Hermione dear, or shall we start without you?" The glint in Severus's eye warned his wife not to try and take any advantage of the mind-blowing orgasm she had given him less than an hour earlier.

"Er... sorry, Severus. We were just discussing homework," she apologised, relieved to see the subtle relaxation in his stance.

"Well, perhaps you can inform the class of the important properties of Polyjuice Potion, Mr Weasley?" he demanded.

Hermione smothered a grin. The sneaky bastard must have overheard their conversation and was deliberately putting Ron on the spot. Not that he didn't deserve a little discomfort on this occasion. As her friend mumbled through a sketchy attempt at answering the question, she met her husband's eyes and nearly laughed out loud as he rolled his eyes and sighed. Potions class, when one was on the professor's side, was set to be far more entertaining.

As the class set to brewing the base for Polyjuice, Hermione felt a prickle of unpleasant awareness between her shoulder blades. Turning, she intercepted a glance of pure malice from Pansy Parkinson, who had remained loyal to Millicent and openly disapproved of her Head of House's choice of bride.

Shrugging off the Slytherin's opinion, Hermione concentrated on her brewing and at the end of the session had a perfect example of Polyjuice base to continue working with over the next month. As a sample had to be taken for grading before any further ingredients were added, she decanted a small portion into a vial and walked over to Severus's desk to hand it in.

Pansy, having just submitted her sample, sneered as she turned away. "I don't know why you bother handing it in, Granger. I'm sure your precious husband will give you a top grade, regardless of what is in that vial."

"I'm sure your Head of House would have given it a fair grade," replied the man himself, "but as my wife's sample will be sent to the Ministry Potions Office for grading, perhaps you would like to perform us the service of sealing her sample and placing it in stasis. Then, if any questions are asked about its validity, Miss Parkinson, you will be able to verify it has not been tampered with."

Pansy reluctantly complied, her scowl demonstrating her displeasure at aiding Hermione in any way.

"Thank you, Miss Parkinson. You may return to your seat. And two points for Slytherin for your assistance," Severus added with a gracious nod.

After the rest of the students had traipsed out of the classroom, Hermione turned to Severus. "Two points for accusing me of cheating and you of favouritism? Have you lost your mind?"

"You are thinking like a Gryffindor, my dear. Miss Parkinson is a Slytherin. A mere two points for the task she performed is effectively an insult, but as she was awarded points she cannot complain. And having her perform the seal invalidates any further grounds she has for future accusations."

"I'm beginning to like the way Slytherins think," Hermione had to admit. With a sly smile, she added, "Although I prefer the way they kiss."

"They? Who exactly are they?" Severus growled as he wrapped his arms around his witch.

"Don't get your wand in a knot. It was just Draco. He tried to persuade me Slytherins weren't all bad when he was drunk at a party just before Christmas. He wasn't too shabby a kisser, considering the amount he had been drinking. Oh, for goodness sake, it was one drunken kiss, and it was ages ago! Now, are you going to prove Slytherins are the best kissers in the castle, or do I have to go and find more evidence?" She reached up to pull his head down to hers, but found her efforts unheeded as he swept her off her feet and lifted her onto the nearest desk.

"You're mine, Madam Snape. There will be no research done on any other wizards. Is that understood?" he ordered, grinding his pelvis between her obligingly parted thighs.

"Absolutely, husband. I wouldn't have it any other way," she agreed as the hunger in his gaze inflamed her ardour, and her heels dragged him even closer. His now blatant thrusts were creating an unbearable friction she had never thought possible while fully clothed. "Severus, I don't think... ahh... this is... oh... very wise... Merlin!"

"Why... mmm... ever... ahhh... not?" he gasped as his body took control of his brain.

"Because... oh, my... your... yes... next... yes... YESS!" Hermione's train of thought was derailed by her sudden orgasm.

"My... gods... next... oh, gods... what? Gods, yes! FUCK!" As he exploded into his trousers, Severus finally noticed the gaggle of third years waiting at the door to the classroom. Resting his head against his wife's forehead, he closed his eyes. "Tell me they are not there," he implored as Hermione discreetly performed a cleansing charm on the damp stain at his groin.

"They are there, and you are going to act as if nothing has happened. By the time you have finished berating them for an hour, they'll believe it was all a figment of their overactive imaginations. After all, Professor Snape indulging in something as commonplace as sex... and during the day? No-one would ever believe them!" She chuckled as he glared at the offending thirteen-year-olds, who had the uncommon sense to pretend they were discussing their previous class. They were Ravenclaws, after all. Boring swots they may be, but they were not generally known to be stupid or suffer from random attacks of bravado.

Severus groaned as he watched his self-possessed wife leave the classroom, nodding amiably at the younger students as she left the room.

"Well, what are you lot gaping at? Get to your desks and prepare to brew!"

Hermione hastened along the corridors to her History of Magic class, one of the few she shared with Ginny.

"Where have you been?" hissed the redhead as she slipped in the door five minutes after the lesson had begun.

"I was... er... delayed," Hermione replied with a revealing flush.

"You've just had Potions, haven't you? Don't tell me you stopped for a quick snog before you left?" Ginny asked, giggling.

"Something like that. I'll tell you more later, but right now Severus is likely to be taking vast amounts of points off Ravenclaw for being in the right place at the wrong time."

Ginny stared at the smirk on her friend's face as she took out some parchment and started making notes. "Unbelievable!" she muttered.

Immediately after class, Ginny tugged Hermione into an adjacent, empty classroom. Locking the door behind them, she turned and faced the other witch.

"OK. Spill! What happened?"

"Well, Pansy Parkinson decided to make an arse of herself, insinuating I was cheating by remaining in Severus's class. He made her verify the seal on my Potion before it was sent to the Ministry for grading, which was brilliant. Now, if she complains, she implicates herself."

"That is brilliant!" exclaimed Ginny. "I knew you married that man for a good reason."

"She wasn't at all happy." Hermione chuckled, remembering the expression on the Slytherin's face as she had performed the task.

"But then...?" Ginny was not to be sidetracked.

"We were talking about it after class, and somehow I ended up mentioning Draco kissing me at the pre-Christmas party. Severus was so jealous!"

"And...?"

"I'll just say we both remained fully clothed but were satisfied by the time we were finished."

"You wicked girl! Lucky, but wicked." Ginny sighed, remembering her own lack of satisfaction.

"That's not the worst of it. The third year Ravenclaws saw the last minute or two. You should have seen Severus's face when he realised they were standing in the doorway!"

"Oh, Merlin! He would have been mortified! What did he do?"

"I told him to act like nothing had happened. With any luck, after an hour of one of his classes, they would have more important things to worry about than seeing their Potions professor and his wife in an intimate moment."

"You wish. It'll be all over the school by now. Serena Boot is in that class, and she's a bigger gossip than Lavender," Ginny declared.

"Oh, fuck! I need to warn Severus!"

Prompt: 1. Something Old. The Marriage Law Challenge. Many thanks to karelia for the beta.