Desire

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

Many thanks to Sequana, who continues to be a fantastic beta.

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Chapter 10: Desire

Christmas day arrived all too quickly as the two days before seemed to speed by without pausing for anyone. The castle was even more festive than ever, and Albus had the students all hyped up for the grand feast planned for that evening for all whom remained at the castle. Harry was going to be at the dinner with Luna, as Hermione had found out just the day before. Apparently, Albus had gone behind her back and invited them to join in the celebration. When Severus had heard the news from her, he had frowned and pouted for an hour until Hermione had hugged him and told him to behave.

He had savoured every last moment of that hug as though it would be their last.

Severus had been rather surprised at how easy her affection was. She never hesitated to touch him as others did, and over the last two days, since the afternoon that she had fallen asleep on him, she seemed to almost cling to him like he was some sort of lifeline. Not that he was complaining. He liked it very much. He often found himself wondering what she would think if he were to cling back just as forcefully. He snorted inwardly. She would likely think that someone had taken Polyjuice Potion and packed him off somewhere before taking his place.

'Severus? Hey, are you with me?' Hermione asked from beyond his musings, waving a hand in front of his face.

He started and looked over at her. She was dressed in a ruby sweater and ivory blouse that morning with comfortable dark-wash jeans to go with it. Her lovely brown curls were tamed back in a loose braid, and to him, she looked radiant. Most would consider her attire plain, but it suited her just fine. They were sitting together on his lounge chair in front of the fire, just as they had been all morning, and had forgone lunch in the Great Hall in favour of sitting and eating sandwiches in his rooms.

'I apologise,' he said sheepishly. 'I was lost in thought.'

She smiled, resting a hand on his arm lightly. 'Good thoughts, I hope,' she murmured sweetly, gifting him with one of her loveliest grins.

He looked back at her from beneath his thick, black lashes and smiled faintly. 'Only good thoughts,' he answered, giving her a meaningful look, which caused her to blush a light pink hue.

'No, really – what were you thinking about?' she asked a little shyly, shuffling slightly closer to him on the lounge and resting the hand that had been on his arm on his thigh instead.

He covered her hand with his. 'I'm planning to leave the castle for a few days just after Christmas and will only return after New Year's,' he answered. Of course, it was not exactly everything he had been thinking about, but he could hardly tell her that. 'I had planned on telling you earlier...'

'Oh,' she said softly, her hand twitching beneath his slightly.

'You would be very welcome to join me,' he added at her downcast look. 'I could use some good company for the few days that I have to be away checking that Prince Manor is still in full working condition.'

Hermione's eyes lit up then at the prospect. She had not been with him to Prince Manor since the Christmas holidays that had passed before their relationship had ended. It was a lovely estate, covered in thick snow as most of the rest of the Scottish highlands, and had a large, warm hunting lodge off in the surrounding forests that they had spent one or two cosy nights in. She blushed in remembrance of it. They had so many good times together to look back on that she hardly could even think about all of the arguments and silences that they had also endured.

'You know, that sounds like a great idea,' she said with a small smile. 'I think we both need a break away from this castle and all of the work we have been doing over the past couple of months.'

She turned her hand over on his thigh so that their palms were touching, and he took his cue from there and gently laced his fingers with her own. They communicated this way, the words on the tips of their tongues unnecessary. Nothing needed to be said between them for both to realize that they were not simply colleagues, or acquaintances, or friends. Holding his hand was the sweetest feeling Hermione had been fortunate enough to experience in a long time. He was the only man she had ever been with that gave her a sense of security.

Perhaps Harry hadn't been barmy when he had suggested for her to go to Severus. It might just have been that he knew somehow that Hermione had really needed Severus. It made a lot more sense now than it had before. She had never considered the possibility of their lives together resuming as though hardly any time had passed at all, even though it had been such a long time. But she also knew that despite their ease with one another, there was a lot they would eventually have to confront. She sighed heavily and pushed the unhappy thought away. It was Christmas. There was no room for a sad person in a cheerful castle.

She snuggled up to Severus' side then, resting her head on his shoulder purposefully, and was surprised when he shifted and stretched that arm behind her, wrapping it around her and pulling her closer so that instead she rested within the crook of his arm and shoulder comfortably and her head was on his chest. She smiled and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep to the sound of his breathing and the regular rise and fall of his chest. Severus, meanwhile, remained awake, staring at the fireplace and shifting Hermione a little so that she was pressed closer. He was so badly in love in a way that he had never thought he ever would be.

'My love,' he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

She squirmed a little in sleep but soon stilled once more. Pleased, Severus closed his eyes and let the deep, even sounds of her breathing lull him to sleep as well. Some time later, he stirred and looked sleepily up at the clock on the mantle. It read that it was already half past five. It was only after looking at the time that he realized he was lying on his back on the lounge, and he first saw, then felt, the slight weight of Hermione sprawled on top of him, her head still on his chest and her curls tickling his chin as she breathed. He smiled and stroked a hand through her hair gently, coaxing her to wakefulness.

'Love, come on, we have to get up,' he murmured, giving her shoulder a light squeeze. 'It's nearly time to go to the Great Hall for dinner...'

She mumbled and stirred gradually, which he found endearing, and ever so slowly, she stretched and rubbed her eyes before opening them. She sat up suddenly and turned her head around to look at him in bewilderment. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again almost immediately after. He smiled at her, and she blushed and smiled back, leaning over to kiss his cheek gently before pulling back and gazing at him with such affection in her eyes.

'We have about half an hour to be ready for dinner, I'm afraid,' he murmured apologetically.

She nodded understandingly and pushed off the lounge, standing and smoothing her sweater back down. 'I'll just nip up to my rooms and change, and I'll be right back down,' she told him. 'Would you mind if I walked up with you?'

He shook his head no. 'I'll see you back here in about twenty minutes,' he murmured quietly. 'There is no need for you to rush all that much – I will likely take a quick shower before dressing.'

She nodded and grabbed some Floo powder before disappearing from his rooms back to her own, leaving him still sitting on the lounge. Sighing heavily, and with an uncomfortable tenting in his trousers, Severus stood and walked back to his bathroom and stripped out of his clothes. He waved a hand at the faucets to turn on his shower, adjusted the temperature slightly when he found it to be too cold and stepped under the spray of the water. He preferred to be warm. Rubbing the bar of soap over himself, his thoughts drifted back to Hermione and how she had looked when she had kissed him on the cheek earlier.

The memory of the touch of her lips against his skin was more than enough to jumpstart his flagging arousal. He had already been half hard before she had left the rooms, and with the continued thought of her, his erection was full and hard – ready for some stimulation. He reached down with his slick hand experimentally and circled the base, squeezing himself a little and rubbing upwards towards the tip. He groaned loudly at that, pleasure shooting up his spine. Unable to deny himself the satisfaction, he began stroking in earnest, rubbing his other hand over his chest and peaked nipples, all the while thinking of Hermione, her body, and all of the times they had shared together.

He came soon after that, shouting her name and spilling onto the floor of the shower before slumping against the wall from exhaustion and watching his spending as it washed down the drain. Another lot of potential future Snapes wasted on his temporary fulfilment. He sighed and finished off his shower by washing and rinsing his hair before he turned off the flow of water and dried himself with a towel as he walked back into his bedroom. He pulled on black shorts followed by his usual trousers and white linen shirt, buttoned all the way up. He forewent his frockcoat in favour of wearing a formal waistcoat instead and even donned his formal robes.

Damn Albus and his fanciful nonsense about wearing dress robes for the damnable feast. Severus looked just the same no matter what robes he sported. Shaking his head, he pulled a comb through his wet hair and returned to the bathroom to clean his teeth before heading back out to the sitting room to wait for Hermione. Two minutes later she arrived looking a vision in her cream- and wine-coloured dress robes. They were in two sections as the fashion for most women's robes had become, and her hair was back in a loose knot that was a little damp. Apparently, she had showered also.

'You look lovely,' he told her, holding out a hand to her.

She accepted his hand and linked her arm around his firmly before the two of them headed out of his rooms. At the door, she stopped him. 'You look very handsome tonight too, Severus,' she murmured, cupping his cheek tenderly with a hand and rubbing her thumb over the bone.

He lightly kissed her palm before she drew it away. They both flushed pink during that exchange and, instead of sharing more words, began the trek up to the hall. On entering, they found that the staff table was no longer there and neither were the long student tables. In their place were large round tables, big enough to seat a dozen people at a time, covered in white tablecloths and miniature Christmas trees that sparkled like the rest of the hall. Hermione immediately spotted Harry and Luna and released his arm, looking up at him and smiling before hurrying off to greet her friends.

'Harry, Luna! I am so glad you're here!' she exclaimed, practically flying into the open arms of her best friend's embrace.

'It's good to see you looking a lot better, Hermione,' Harry said, patting her cheek lightly and smiling back at her with his bright green eyes shining. The last time he had seen her, she had still been unconscious after her abduction. He had been a member of her search party.

'I've never been better,' she told him, turning to look over her shoulder at Severus, who was caught up in a conversation with Rolanda Hooch. Hermione's eyes met his, and they exchanged the briefest of smiles before each turned back to the people they were speaking with.

Harry grinned at the exchange. 'Ah. And how is old Severus doing?' he asked with a mischievous grin, for which he received a punch to the arm on either side by both Hermione and Luna.

'Don't you start that, Mr. Squiffy,' Luna said, poking his arm hard. 'Hermione doesn't have to talk about anything until she's comfortable.'

Hermione grinned at Luna in appreciation. 'It's fine, Luna,' she soothed. 'To be honest, I don't even know exactly what is going on for the moment, but I am happy being around him, and it seems to me that the feeling is mutual.'

'Good,' Harry said before offering an arm to either witch to lead them to a table.

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A/N – Please review :)