Chapter Forty-One: A Fast Learner

Chapter Forty-One: A Fast Learner

Tuesday, 9 March 1999

As Severus walked up the stairs to the Hospital Wing with Poppy, he said softly, "Thank you."

Poppy grinned. "She didn't seem your type, and you looked like a cornered animal for a moment, so I thought I could give you an excuse, and then if you really did want to meet her for a drink, you could simply reschedule your bogus appointment with me."

"I don't. She asked me last night, as well," Severus said as they walked toward the infirmary doors. "She has somehow received the mistaken impression that I am interested in her. I am not, not in any way."

Poppy closed and warded the infirmary door. "I'm glad, actually...it reassures me that you haven't so entirely changed."

"It would be messy even if I were attracted to her. She'd be like a limpet, I think. It would be most distasteful," Severus said, raising his lip in disgust.

"Not necessarily," Poppy said, gesturing to him that he could have a seat in one of her office's guest chairs.

"Are we really going to discuss the potion?" Severus asked, still standing in the doorway to her office.

"No, not unless you want to."

He shook his head and stepped into the room. Rather than take a seat, though, he crossed over to look out the windows behind her desk.

"Do you really have another engagement this evening?"

He nodded. "Yes, I'm meeting a friend at eight."

"Oh."

Poppy came to stand beside him. After a few minutes of silence, she said, "It's none of my business, but who are you meeting?"

Severus looked down at her, an eyebrow raised. "You are right, it is none of your business."

Poppy nodded slightly, and they continued looking out the window in silence.

"What are you thinking about?" Poppy asked.

He turned slightly toward her and looked down, a slightly amused expression on his face. "That question is even more impertinent than your last," he said. "Far more personal."

"Well, it's not as though you would have to tell me, or tell me the truth. You could tell me you were thinking about grounds maintenance or something."

Severus turned toward her completely, taking her arm and turning her to face him. "I was not thinking about grounds maintenance," he said in a low voice. His hand travelled up his arm to her throat and then to her face. "My thoughts were far from that." He caressed her cheek. "I was thinking about you. About us. I was thinking about this evening before dinner in your rooms. I was wondering whether I should regret it because we had agreed it wouldn't happen again, and I cannot regret it. I was thinking of you, Poppy, and how much I like being with you and wondering whether it will happen again, and I was wondering whether it would change things between us if we did do it again . . . and again . . . and again. What it would do to us . . . to you. And to me. Because it was so very good, and I want it to happen again even if I shouldn't."

His soft, low voice and gentle caresses gave Poppy shivers, and his eyes seemed to capture her gaze and hold it, to hold her with invisible bonds, warm, soft, gentle bonds. She tore her eyes away.

"I don't know, Severus," she said, shaking her head. "I don't know. But it was very good." She raised her eyes to his again. "Even the encounter before dinner, as quick as it was, was good."

Severus bent his head and approached her lips slowly. She did not move away. He kissed them gently, seductively, then he whispered, his breath hot in her ear, "I want to bring you pleasure again, Poppy. I want to bring you pleasure and see you come."

Poppy's eyes were closed and she was shaking. With some effort, she took one step back away from him.

"You are wondering whether you should regret it," Poppy said. "You don't yet, and I don't want you to. If we do it again, you might regret it. I wouldn't want that."

"Would you regret it?" Severus asked.

"Unless something dreadful or unthinkable happened, like someone walking in on us, or you stopping in the middle and telling me that it was all a joke and that you find me repulsive, I don't think I would regret it," Poppy said.

Severus stepped toward her. "We can make certain that the first does not occur, and the second is not only unthinkable, it is impossible. If that ever happens, test me for Polyjuice or a curse, because you are so far from repulsive that I can scarcely keep myself from touching you now, and it is no joke." His eyes caressed her from her face to her breasts and back again. "What we did last night and this morning should be proof to you that it was no joke."

When Severus took another step toward her, he was so close that their clothes were brushing together. His gaze never wavering from Poppy's eyes, he drew his wand and cast three spells in quick succession, warding her office against intrusion and eavesdroppers, then he cast a spell on the window, shielding them from any passing glances from the grounds below. Severus bent his head and kissed her forehead, then her cheeks, then her lips, sucking at them gently. He reached behind her and with one touch, released her Charmed hooks.

"You are a fast learner," Poppy breathed as her robes unfastened themselves for him.

Severus merely smirked and pushed down her robes, freeing her arms and baring her to the waist. He stared down at her breasts as he took them in his hands as though weighing them, then he teased her nipples with his thumbs. Still caressing her right breast with his left hand, his right one explored her waistband, looking for the secret to its release. Poppy moved to assist him, but he shook his head and pushed her hands aside. He found the clasp and stepped forward once more, forcing Poppy to back against the bookcase. He released the clasp, and her loosened robes draped around her hips. He pushed them down with both hands and they fell to the floor.

Poppy reached to embrace him, but he shook his head again, then kissed her lips lightly. It occurred to her that if he wished to cause her humiliation, he could undress her, then remove the wards and banish her clothing or something of the sort, but she did not believe he would do such a thing to her. Not this Severus Snape. Not the Severus Snape who was kissing his way from her breasts down her abdomen, who was pushing her knickers down, who was kissing her thighs as his fingers began to fondle her between her slightly parted legs.

She was breathing heavily by the time Severus stood, took her by the arms, and pulled her away from the bookcase. He held her close to him, his clothed body warm against her naked one, his hands caressing her back and buttocks.

"Do you want more, Poppy?" he asked in a whisper.

She nodded.

"I never wanted to eat pussy before," he said, still holding her close and whispering in her ear, "but now that I've tasted you, I want you again. You become so passionate when I lick you there, so very hot. I love to see you lose control and come when I lick you and kiss you. You are so sexy, Poppy, such a very sexy witch. Do you want to come again like that? Do you think you can come again? Can you come again for me?" His tongue darted out and licked the shell of her ear.

"Oh, gods, Severus, don't tease me," Poppy moaned.

He pulled back a little and looked down at her. "But I do love to tease you, Poppy, and to know that it excites you, that it makes you want more, that you want more from me. You do want more from me, don't you, Poppy? Or should we call in Cahill to take care of your needs? Or another wizard? You could have your pick, Poppy," he said as he brought his hand between them and began to rub her again. "We could line them up, every wizard in the castle over seventeen, and you could have your pick, if you like. Or do you want more from me?"

"From you, Severus," Poppy gasped. "From you."

Severus turned her toward the desk and lifted her to sit on it. He moved aside a few things, then pushed her back to lie on the desk. He knelt and pulled her toward him, and she put her legs around his neck. With two fingers, he parted her folds.

"So hot and sexy," he said, stroking a finger lightly over her clitoris. "It makes me want to fuck you, seeing your pussy like this."

He watched himself draw a line with his finger over her clitoris to her entrance and back. Poppy wriggled and arched her back, gently urging him toward her with her heels, but Severus just watched himself play gently with her clitoris and folds. He had never really had the opportunity to spend so much time just looking at a witch's private areas, though it seemed that each witch was as different down there as their faces were, different sizes, different shades, different proportions, but they were all the same, too. Clitoris, inner and outer lips, the entrance, dark and looking so small, but a baby could come out of it, and a cock could slide in. He couldn't see her anus at that angle, but she might let him look at it sometime. She was a mediwitch, after all. She seemed to take these things very matter-of-factly. And she had seen his, though not under these kinds of circumstances. But she had put her fingers in him that morning.

Poppy bounced on the desk, trying to get him to increase his stimulation. Severus smiled. She wanted him. He slipped a finger into her entrance and moved it in and out quickly, his finger becoming coated with her wetness, then he put in two fingers, and was pleased as she began to moan. He pounded his hand against her rapidly, trying to angle his fingers up as she seemed to like. He added a third finger, stretching her, but she seemed to like that, as well, and he moved his hand so that his thumb hit her clitoris each time he thrust his fingers into her. He was glad that hours of stirring potions had strengthened his arms, because he wanted to make her come and then have her come again. He didn't want to tire and disappoint her.

Poppy's legs stiffened and trembled as she arched up off the desk, shouting wordlessly, then whispering his name as she settled back down on the desk.

"Good?" he asked.

"Very," Poppy said, beginning to sit up, but Severus reached up with a damp hand and pushed her back down.

"I still want to kiss you and lick you here, Poppy. I don't want to leave until I have," he said, bringing his mouth close to her and breathing against her clitoris. "May I, Poppy?" His tongue darted out and flicked her nub.

"Yes," Poppy replied breathlessly.

He kissed her clitoris then moved down to her entrance, kissing it then sticking his tongue out and putting it inside her, pressing his lips to her and rubbing against her. He heard her gasp as he rubbed her, so he licked her from her entrance to her clitoris, then closed his lips around her nub as he put a finger into her. He began to lick and flick rapidly across her clitoris, moving his head to provide her with the most stimulation he could, and pumping his arm, his finger moving in and out of her.

Poppy kicked her heels against him uncontrollably, and he inserted a second finger and thrust more vigorously as she began shouting his name.

"Severus, oh, Severus, yes, oh, yes, please, Severus, please, Severus, Severus, oh, gods, Severus!"

Severus thought he would come just listening to her scream his name in ecstasy, but he kissed her clitoris gently and removed his hand, then sat back on his heels, letting her legs fall from around his neck and off his shoulders. He could hear Poppy panting, and he smiled.

"Was that adequate," he asked as he stood, "or would you like me to go and recruit some other wizards for you to take your pick from?"

She shook her head and looked at him as he came around the desk to stand beside her. "No, that was more than adequate." She grinned. "I'm also worn out. You wear me out, Severus."

"Are you sure? There are some very attractive wizards in the castle. I think Duffy would describe them as 'sex-on-legs,'" he said teasingly.

"I'm sure," Poppy said drily.

"What about Flitwick? If you are unsatisfied, Pomona might loan him out. I have heard he has great sexual prowess," Severus said.

Poppy laughed. "As sure as I may be that you are right about his 'prowess'...though I'd love to know where you heard that...I doubt that Pomona would be so generous. She is quite happy with him at the moment. And even if she would, I am more than adequately satisfied."

"What about Cahill?"

"Do you think he knows how to do anything with his tongue but talk?" Poppy asked. "He'd probably bore me to death. I doubt he could do anything with that mouth of his but bore someone."

Severus chuckled.

"I love to hear that, Severus," Poppy said, smiling up at him. "It is like a precious gem every time I see you smile or hear you laugh."

Severus smiled softly down at her and caressed her face. "But we have not dealt with your needs, yet, Poppy. Do not distract me in my mission to make sure you are fully satisfied. There are other wizards, you know." His lips twitched in amusement. "Hagrid, for example. I am sure he has a very long tongue . . . and that he is quite well-endowed otherwise."

Poppy shook her head. "No, Hagrid is sweet, but he's not quite my type. And I boggle to think of the charms I'd have to use on myself to be able to have him fit. You, on the other hand," she said, reaching out and touching him through his layers of clothing, "you are very well-endowed but not so much to require extraordinary measures."

"Am I?" Severus asked, knowing he was but wanting to hear her say it again.

"Very. You have a wonderful cock," Poppy replied.

"Well, what about . . . Draco Malfoy? Or Newman, as he now prefers. He had quite the reputation as a ladies' man, but since he's returned to Hogwarts, I believe he has not had the opportunities he once did. He would probably be immensely grateful to have the opportunity to provide such a sexy witch pleasure," Severus said.

Poppy shuddered. "No. Not only is he still a student...though older than most...but he is too young for me, and even if he were older, he is not my type." Too soft and "pretty boy" for her taste.

"Is there no one, then?" Severus asked.

"No one, just you, and you were more than adequate in meeting my needs." She looked up at him with fond amusement. "If you want the full truth, Severus, you were superb, and I cannot think of any wizard I would prefer to have sex with than you."

Severus bent and kissed her lightly. "I have to go now," he whispered.

"We don't have time to take care of you?" Poppy asked, touching him through his clothing again.

"No, but I am fine." He looked down into her eyes, and he felt as though there was something he should say, but he didn't know what it could be.

"I didn't expect this from you, Severus," Poppy said as she sat up. "It's not why I invited you up."

"You rescued me from the clutches of Duffy. I was very, very grateful," Severus said, raising his wand and using a nonverbal charm to clean his face. "I felt it only proper to express my gratitude to you."

Poppy chuckled and kissed his cheek. "That was some gratitude! Duffy's not so bad, you know."

"She may be no Dark Lord, but she's not someone I would wish to encourage in their attempts to socialise with me. Especially as I had the impression she had more than that in mind."

Poppy began getting dressed. As she pulled her robes on, she said, "We really shouldn't do this again."

"I know."

Poppy fastened her Charmed hooks behind her and picked up her knickers. "It is very good, though."

"It is."

"You probably have to leave to meet your friend," Poppy said.

"Yes, in a few minutes. I wanted to wait to open the door until you're dressed."

Poppy smiled up at him. "You know, Severus, we never did take care of you, since you have to leave now. I think we should. It wouldn't count as doing it again, really. It would just be finishing what we started this evening."

"Even the quintessential Hufflepuff has a little Slytherin in her," Severus said, quirking a smile.

"Mmm, but I want a big Slytherin in me," she said, reaching out to touch his cock through his layers of clothing again.

"We shall have to see," Severus said softly. "I need to go meet my friend. He'll wait, but not long."

"It's a wizard, then," Poppy observed.

"Mmhm."

"I thought . . . well, I considered the possibility that you might have a date, but then I decided you wouldn't do this with me just before you left for a date with another witch."

"No, Poppy, I wouldn't," Severus said, though feeling oddly guilty about his answer. "Would you mind letting Minerva know I'm leaving the grounds? I didn't the last time I left, and I was gone longer than I'd anticipated. I'd tell her myself, but I don't want to be late."

"Severus?" she said as he turned for the door.

He looked back at her questioningly.

She shook her head. "Nothing. Just have a good night."

He nodded at her, then was gone, and Poppy heard the infirmary door open and shut. She sighed and wondered what she would tell Minerva about why she was the person informing her of Severus's absence. Minerva would doubtless wonder about that.

She thought that she should have told Severus that if he became involved with another witch, they couldn't have sex any longer, that it wouldn't be fair to the other witch, even though they weren't really involved with each other. She doubted that Severus would do that anyway, even as inexperienced as he was, he wouldn't, but it was better to be clear about that. And to be clear with herself, as well: it was only sex. Very good sex, but they were also only colleagues. It wasn't as though she hadn't had the occasional one-time tryst or brief fling with a colleague over the years. If both parties were careful and clear about it, it didn't have to be messy, though one could still regret it, and so she was very choosy about who she would sleep with...as good-looking and superficially charming as Gilderoy Lockhart was, she hadn't slept with him, though it was clear that he had believed she would and was quite shocked when he finally realised she wasn't simply playing hard-to-get but really didn't want to sleep with him. He then implied that there was something wrong with her sexuality if she didn't want to go to bed with him. Lockhart seemed to believe that any witch or wizard whom he approached should be eager to have sex with him, and anyone else had to be frigid.

Well, nothing for it but to go up and tell Minerva that Severus had left the grounds, Poppy decided. She reached the Headmistress's Office and took a deep breath as the door at the top of the stairs opened to her. Minerva was sitting at her desk, and it looked as though she was working on budgets.

"Poppy! I didn't expect to see you tonight, though I'm grateful you came." She made a face. "Severus really is not very good at the budgets and expense reports yet, and it's giving me a headache trying to figure out what any of this means. I need a break."

"I would think that would be something he would be quite good at. He seems to have an orderly mind. You have to as a Potions master."

"Oh, I think he's quite capable of doing a very good job, but he dislikes it and doesn't take enough time with it, just seems to dash it all off," Minerva said, getting up and coming around the desk. "It was a mistake for me to have told him he didn't have to use the same methods I used. I hate to feel as though I'm trying to make him into my image, but I think this is one area where I will have to show him what I want to see and how to do it."

"He might prefer to have a specific structure. It might be easier to do," Poppy said.

"Mmm, but I presume you didn't come up to talk about expense reports."

The two witches sat down in the armchairs near the fireplace.

"No, I didn't. Severus wanted me to give you a message. He said to let you know that he left the grounds for the evening."

"And he couldn't tell me himself?"

"He got an owl during dinner, so he didn't have a chance to. He had to meet his friend at eight."

"It's after eight now." Minerva smiled. "I noticed that you came into dinner together...and then left together."

"Oh, that was a coincidence," Poppy said quickly. "I just happened to run into him on my way down to the Great Hall from my visit to Filius."

"Filius? He was at dinner before you...I only noticed because you and Severus were the last to arrive."

"I needed to return something to my quarters...my camera. Filius had an accident and I took photographs."

Minerva quirked a smile. "Pomona told me about that. I was disappointed to see him restored. I had hoped he would come to dinner with his short purple fur!"

Poppy laughed. "Well, purely in the interests of his medical history and for Hogwarts records, I took some pictures, and as Headmistress, you may need to see them." She was relieved. Minerva couldn't possibly know that she and Severus had had another encounter before dinner. Or that they had after dinner.

Minerva laughed with her about the pictures. "We may even need to use them during a staff meeting as an example of the dangers in the classroom and what to avoid!"

"Filius was very good-natured about it. He always is," Poppy said.

"So, you and Severus spent some time together after dinner?"

Poppy tried not to blush, but the vision of Severus kneeling in front of her, pleasuring her, rose in her mind, and she could feel the heat in her face. "A little bit. It was just a ruse. Sarah has been trying to invite Severus to her quarters for a drink and he isn't interested, so we said that we had to discuss a Potions accident."

"I see . . . you know, Poppy, I've been thinking about what I said to you this morning. That was just one point-of-view, and not necessarily the right one, if there is a right one. If it weren't for the fact that I know that Hermione has some interest in Severus and he in her, I would probably have not said anything negative." She quirked a smile. "I would have been curious and hoped that you might tell me who you were with just because we're friends, but I wouldn't have pressed you about it if you didn't volunteer any information, even though I was sure it was Severus."

"That's all right. You apologised earlier. No need to again," Poppy said.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is this, you were right," Minerva said. "It was your private business. But I also think . . . you don't need my approval if you want to see him again. I know you want to be discreet, and I'm sure you wouldn't want anyone else to know, but if you do see him again, you don't need to feel you have to hide it from me because I might disapprove. I don't know as I do disapprove, actually. You don't have to tell me about it either, but you don't need to hide it."

Poppy nodded. "I don't know if we will see each other again. It's not as though we're in a relationship. We said last night and this morning that it was just for the night, just one night, and then back to being colleagues in the morning. We both meant it, I'm sure."

"I think I heard a 'but,'" Minerva said perceptively.

Poppy sighed. "We met, as I told you, when I was returning from Ravenclaw Tower. I think Severus had been to the Owlery. We were just talking about Filius, just chatting as we might have done any other time. I wanted to return my camera to my rooms. Severus came with me. We were only going to step in and step out." Poppy shook her head. "We didn't. It was as though I couldn't help myself. He touched me, and once he touched me, I just . . . . It was hot, Minerva. Fast, wild, and hot. Quite literally hot. And then after dinner, we went to my office. We were just going to talk, but it seems we can't be alone together without, well, you know."

"He certainly sounds as though he has a lot of stamina...last night, this morning, before dinner, then after dinner again. Making up for lost time, I guess," Minerva said.

"In my office, we didn't make love. Well, we did, I suppose, but . . . he put wards on the door and he just, um, took his time. He didn't disrobe at all, if you know what I mean. I never would have thought that Severus would be that kind of lover, if I had ever thought about it. Of course, he loves to know that he has brought me pleasure...he takes quite a lot of pride in that. Male ego, but from him, it's really very sweet, and I don't mind indulging his need to hear me tell him he's good. Of course, part of the reason for that is that he is very good. He did seem tentative and unsure at first last night, but then he seemed to relax with me, and he learns very quickly."

"So do you want to see him again?" Minerva asked.

"He's Severus, you know? A part of me wants to see him again...see him again! It sounds as though we're just drinking a friendly cup of tea together. A part of me wants to be intimate with him again, but I know it's just sex for him, and I also know that Severus is a bit of an injured puppy. Not precisely the exemplar of emotional health and mental stability. I can see that it could get messy. Messy with colleagues is very bad. You were right about one thing this morning, Minerva. Severus does have some vulnerabilities, and he hasn't had a normal life. He could wake up one morning and decide that this was all a huge error and that I'm nothing more than a whore, just cheaper than most. Or he could believe it was a mistake and simply treat me coldly. I could live with that, I suppose, but I admit that I would be hurt and it would ruin what friendship we do have. It could be messy in so many ways. But he did tell me this evening before dinner that even if he ever did have regrets, he would never blame me. He can be very unexpectedly sweet sometimes."

"You didn't mention the biggest danger, Poppy, and that, to me, makes it an even more real danger," Minerva said.

"What is that?" Poppy asked.

"The danger that you could become attached to him, or even that he could fall in love with you. That could be very messy if it were one-sided."

"He's still Severus. We haven't changed. It's just sex. It's very intimate sex...I suppose that's why it was so much better than most first-time sex...but it's just sex. It's not as though anything else has changed between us. And it might not happen again, anyway."

"All right. But you know . . . you said it yourself, Severus hasn't had a normal life," Minerva replied thoughtfully. "He hasn't had many normal relationships, especially as an adult, and from what I understand, his parents were hardly a model of marital stability. You said it was very intimate sex. I don't think that his sex life has normally included very much true intimacy. I think he may have made it feel that intimate because so much of his sex life was unfortunately centred around prostitutes and quick pick-ups. He doesn't see you that way, and so he went to the opposite extreme. He can be like that, you know...quite extreme. If it wasn't going to be a two-minute blow-job from a prostitute purely for his pleasure and her monetary gain, then it had to be very intimate and very focussed on you and your pleasure. That kind of intimacy can lead to very strong feelings...for either of you. I think you're right to be a bit cautious, a little wary."

"But he really did enjoy it. And I didn't ask him to do any of it. He was also just very kind and sweet. I don't expect him to be so sweet in other contexts, but he was very thoughtful." She remembered the mug of tea in the morning and the wet flannel the night before. "Awkwardly thoughtful sometimes, but thoughtful. And when I woke up this morning, he was holding me." She smiled, thinking of his little kiss on her nose the night before. Suddenly, Poppy's eyes widened. "Do you think that Severus could think that he's in love with me?"

"He probably doesn't yet, and he might never think that, even if you're intimate every day for the next year, but it is a possibility. But you have to guard your heart, too, Poppy. I know that you don't enter into sexual relationships often or lightly. The more you are intimate with him, the closer you will feel to him, and the sweeter he is to you, the more you will enjoy it and want it to continue. He is not known for being sweet and thoughtful, though I have seen that side of him. For Severus Snape to be sweet to you must feel very special...and rightly so. I do think it says a lot about his trust in you and his affection for you. I am not minimising that. But you need to be careful."

"I'll be fine, Minerva," Poppy said. "I've had a few other brief flings, and with some very nice and attentive wizards, too. I don't think I'm in any danger. Besides, I think it's already over. It was just a thing that happened...he hadn't even planned to do anything more than flirt a little, and I think even that decision was fairly spontaneous. It isn't as though he's had some long-simmering attraction to me that he finally acted on. He actually told me that he'd only noticed I was attractive a couple days ago and then couldn't stop thinking about it, and that's why he flirted with me. Not the most polished thing to tell a witch you've known for more than twenty-five years, but delightfully artless, I thought."

Minerva chuckled. "Yes, delightfully artless. Somehow insulting and flattering at the same time."

"When he said it, the way he said it, it sounded so . . . seductive, and sweet at the same time. And not at all insulting," Poppy said with a smile. "But anyway, it was just a very short fling. Hardly more than a single tryst, really."

"Mmhm, yes, so says the witch who can't be alone in her rooms with him for two minutes without having it fast, hot, and wild," Minerva said with a smile and a shake of her head. "I just hope you enjoy yourselves as long as it lasts, and that when it's over, you're both glad it happened and neither of you is hurt."

"Don't worry about that, Minerva. It's just a brief fling, and it's already over."

NEXT

Chapter Forty-Two: Confessions

Tuesday, 9 March 1999

Severus goes to Spinner's End to meet Gareth. He confides in him, and he tells him about something from his past that he never discusses with anyone. Gareth also gives him some advice about Hermione.

Rated MA.

Characters: Severus Snape, Poppy Pomfrey, Gareth McGonagall