My, What Big Eyes You Have

Hermione stumbled through the trees, putting as much distance between herself and Snape as possible. He had scared her badly, his temper slipping in and out apparently uncontrollably.

If she gave him enough time to come to terms with things, maybe then they could work on how to get out of here, wherever here was. Were they actually in the book, or perhaps transported to some kind of simulacrum, or possibly just their minds projected into an illusion?

Sitting down on a log, Hermione thought over what Snape had said. He was right of course. She'd been warned of the dangers whilst working in the Restricted Section and usually was so much more careful. It had been the end of a long day and she was tired, but it was still no excuse for her negligence. She sighed. She didn't want Severus to be angry with her, she had found that so long as she trod carefully around certain subjects he was quite enjoyable company and she had high hopes of furthering the tentative friendship. When she plucked up the courage to go back to him, she would apologise. If he had calmed down. Right now she felt safer here in this wood.

A few minutes later she began to regret her decision. Strange sounds seemed to surround her, and long shadows moved through the trees. Suddenly Hermione tensed as a shadow seemed to detach itself from the rest, creeping stealthily towards her. Steeling her courage, the witch leapt to her feet and spun around.

"Remus!" Hermione started to move towards her friend, then stopped in confusion. This man had a confident look on his face as he leaned nonchalantly against a tree, flipping a coin. He was dressed in a sharp suit with shiny shoes and had slicked back hair. His eyes looked her over in a way that made her slightly uncomfortable, but brought a flush to her cheeks. He caught the coin and slipped it into his trouser pocket, drawing her eye to his groin as he seemed to fumble around in there for a moment longer than necessary.

"You can call me whatever you like, babe, just call me," he intoned seductively. Hermione rolled her eyes at the line but felt herself getting hotter and reached down to loosen the top of her fleece. 'Remus' followed the movement with his eyes.

"Now, what is a succulent morsel such as yourself doing out here all alone, hmm?" He pushed himself away from the tree and slunk around her like a predator circling its prey. Hermione felt like she didn't mind being this beast's prey when suddenly he was holding her hand, his thumb making circles across the inside of her wrist.

"Come on, you can trust me. What sent you off into the woods all on your own like this?" His voice was soothing, his eyes were golden and hypnotic, and Hermione found herself confiding in him as he sat her back down on the log beside him.

"Severus, I mean Professor Snape, he lost his temper with me, and I thought it prudent to be elsewhere for a while... Oh!"

Hermione felt his lips touch the inside of her wrist where his thumb had been before, and she looked down into those big golden eyes which held hers unblinking as he traced a row of kisses up her inner forearm, the final one ending with a swirl of his tongue across the sensitive skin on the inside of her elbow. Hermione's eyes closed, and her head rolled back. She felt him breathing in her scent from just below her ear before blazing a trail down her neck and across her collarbone, sucking and nipping as he went. She moaned deeply. His hand slipped down her throat and into her fleece, and just when had he loosened it that far?

His breath fell on her lips, and she opened her eyes to find his staring down at her, his face moving in to close that gap...

"So there you are!"

The Wolf leapt to his feet, and Hermione fell backwards off the log. As she scrambled to her knees Hermione saw him placating the young woman who stood a few yards away with her arms folded across her chest and tapping her foot. Hermione noted a basket caught in one elbow, and the tight t shirt and short skirt worn under a red hooded cloak, which clashed horribly with her bubble gum pink hair.

"Come on, babe, you know I'm only kidding around. There's no one I'd rather chase through the woods than you. Now, you got something for old Wolfy here to sink his teeth into today?"

As the other woman allowed herself to be led away, Hermione saw the Wolf look back over his shoulder, wink and mouth 'later' at her. Shaking herself, she decided to head back to the meadow and Severus before any more trouble found her.