Chapter Forty-Three: Distractions

Chapter Forty-Three: Distractions

Tuesday, 9 March 1999

It was after curfew, and the corridors were blessedly empty and quiet as Severus walked from the front doors to the stairs leading to Slytherin. When he reached the lower level and heard light footsteps ahead, he assumed that it was someone finishing curfew patrol. He didn't think that it was Albus's step. If it was a student, though, he would have them cleaning the Owlery with a toothbrush for wandering the dungeons after curfew.

It wasn't a student. It was Poppy.

"Severus! I was just looking for you. I . . . I just wanted to speak to you briefly," she said, blushing.

Severus nodded. "Let's not stand in the corridors talking." He strode toward his rooms, slowing his pace when he saw Poppy trotting to keep up.

They reached his rooms and Severus gave his password, deliberately not using his silent password charm, despite Poppy's presence. He could change it in the morning, and it exhibited his trust in her. Besides, as matron, Poppy could enter his rooms at any time using a special password. Only Minerva had more access to every part of the castle, including all staff living quarters, than the Hogwarts matron did.

As soon as the door was closed, Poppy said, "Did you have a good evening?"

"Passable," Severus replied. He looked down at Poppy, wondering if she had come to tell him it was all a mistake, then deciding that she wouldn't have made such a late trip to see him just to tell him that. "It started off especially nicely."

"I thought so, too. That's why I came down. I didn't want to bother you, but I was thinking about it and I wanted to tell you that. I wanted to thank you, I suppose."

Severus didn't say anything; he just continued to look at her.

"Well, I guess I should be going. I hope you have a good night and sleep well, Severus."

She was leaving, he thought. Say something, Snape! "Do you have to leave right away? We could talk...I have some brandy."

Poppy smiled. "I would like that."

"Have a seat wherever you are comfortable," Severus said as he went to the cupboard for the brandy. "I don't have any proper glasses for it." He wondered whether he should Transfigure them.

Poppy sat down on the couch. "That's fine. Whatever you have."

He handed her a short tumbler of brandy.

"Cheers," Poppy said.

"Cheers." He removed his teaching robe, then sat down beside her.

They sipped their brandy.

"You know, I shouldn't feel awkward," Poppy said, "we've known each other so long, but I do. I think it's because I'm distracted."

"Distracted?" Severus smiled slightly. "I can't imagine what could be distracting you. Unless you're distracted by some of the same thoughts I'm having right now."

"What thoughts are those?" Poppy asked.

"Thoughts of stripping you naked and having sex with you in my chair again. Thoughts of undressing for you and feeling you touch me. Thoughts of pushing you to the floor and fucking you like I did before dinner. Thoughts like that."

"Those are distracting thoughts, and they are very similar to my distracting thoughts."

"What are your distracting thoughts?" Severus asked as he took her glass from her and moved closer to her on the couch.

"Thoughts of opening your fly, taking out your cock, then raising my skirts and lowering myself onto you. Thoughts of getting undressed with you, taking a shower with you, and our pleasuring each other. Thoughts of getting naked with you, straddling your face, and sucking you whilst you lick me. Thoughts like that."

"Now those thoughts will be distracting me, too. We might be able to rid ourselves of these distracting thoughts if we were to act on some of them," Severus said.

"That sounds like an excellent idea. Very therapeutic. Perhaps we could begin with my first idea, and then go to one of yours?" she said, beginning to unbutton his trousers.

"Poppy," Severus said, taking hold of one of her hands and pressing it to his chest, "before we do this. I want to tell you something."

She looked up at him, nervous about what he would say.

"This has meant a lot to me. Being with you. Your passion. Your . . . your generosity. Your kindness. It has been confusing for me, but it has been important to me. I am not a nice man, but being with you has made me wish I were. I really wish I were." Severus leaned forward and kissed her lips softly. He looked into her eyes for a moment, then he said, his voice low, "Now let's get on with that idea of yours."

He kissed her as she unbuttoned his trousers, one of his hands kneading her breast through her robes. The thought went through his mind that it was incredible that he would be in his rooms with his hand on a witch's breast, an attractive witch, a witch that McGonagall, handsome, sexy, virile Gareth McGonagall, wanted but couldn't have. Even if Gareth ever did have her, he'd had her first, over and over, and she'd loved it. Severus felt strong, powerful, and sexy, and he didn't think he'd ever felt all those things at once before.

Severus made a small sound of pleasure as Poppy reached his penis, moving his pants down over it. She broke the kiss to look down at his erection.

"You were ready very quickly," she said breathlessly.

"You are very sexy," Severus said, not wanting to tell her that he'd been in a partial state of arousal since he'd left her.

"I'm glad you're ready, Severus," she whispered, stroking him with her fingertips.

She moved onto his lap, facing him and pulling up her skirts.

"What is this?" Severus asked. "No knickers tonight?" He cupped her sex with his hand and pressed. "Do you always wander the Hogwarts corridors without your knickers, Madam Pomfrey?" He began to rub her.

"Only when I'm feeling . . . hopeful," she replied, her breath coming faster.

"And so very slick already," Severus said, bringing his voice down to the danger level. "You really do want it, don't you?"

"Mmmm." Poppy nodded, her eyes half open, concentrating on the sensation of Severus's hand rubbing against her. "I've been thinking about you. Thinking about you and what you do to me. It was very arousing."

"No wonder you have been so distracted."

Severus leaned forward and kissed her, pulling her towards him as she rose up on her knees and took his cock in her hand. She guided him into her, moaning into his mouth as she lowered herself, engulfing his cock.

Poppy rode him slowly, rising and falling, rocking back and forth. Severus had both hands up under her skirts, grasping her buttocks and helping to guide her movements. They broke their kiss and looked at each other, Poppy's gaze moving from his face, down his body, and back up again. Her skirts had fallen to cover them where they were joined, and she found that very sexy.

"I like having your cock under my skirts, Severus," she said softly.

"I like having my cock inside of you," Severus replied, "anyway you want it. And you do want it, don't you? Tell me, Poppy."

"I do want it. You feel so good, you feel so good." Poppy closed her eyes and moaned, rocking on him.

"This is like having a secret fuck, isn't it, Poppy?" Severus asked in a whisper, watching Poppy's flushed face, her breath coming from between parted lips. "Like having a secret fuck under your skirts."

"Yes, yes, it is," she gasped.

"We could be in my classroom right now, fucking like this, and no one would know. You could come see me, and when the students left the classroom, you could come over to me, raise your skirts, and have a secret fuck with me. When you were done, I could open the doors and let the next class in, and no one would know I'd had my cock up your skirts, that you came down for a quick, secret fuck with the Potions master."

As he spoke, his voice in her ear, Poppy's moans grew louder. "Gods, yes," she moaned.

"I like thinking of you walking around the castle without your knickers on, looking for me, feeling hopeful."

Poppy rode him faster, and Severus could feel his orgasm building. He didn't want to come yet. He wanted her to come first. He wished he knew Gareth's spell.

"Fuck me and come, Poppy, come on my cock, come, Poppy, yes, yes, come." He watched her expression change as she came, her moan choked from her throat, her head thrown back. "Keep going, Poppy, yes, Poppy, yes, I'm coming, oh gods, Poppy, I'm coming!"

His orgasm seemed to rip through him as he ejaculated up into Poppy, whose orgasm was still pulsing around him as she rocked against him. Severus held her still and gasped, pulling her toward him and embracing her hard. His heart was pounding and he was panting, his mind a blank except for his awareness of his fading ecstasy and his still-very present sense of well-being.

Poppy rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. She was glad she had rubbed a potion onto her genitals that morning and again after Severus had left that evening, or she would be very sore by now. She wondered whether he were sore. He was a Potions master. He surely knew of soothing potions even if he'd had only a rare occasion to use them himself. He may not have any on hand, though.

She turned her head and kissed the side of his jaw, which was slightly stubbly, then she whispered, "Are you feeling at all sore, Severus?"

"Hmm? Hadn't thought about it." He took a long breath and let it out slowly, feeling warm and good holding Poppy in his arms, his penis still surrounded by her warmth though his erection was deflating fast.

"If you are and you haven't anything on hand for it, I have something in my rooms that's nice to rub in afterward."

Severus opened his eyes. "Did I make you sore? I didn't mean to."

"It's good sore. It was good sex, so it was good sore, but when I realised that I was hopeful about seeing you again tonight, I used a little so that we could do it again if you wanted."

Severus moved her so that she sat back and he could look into her face. He felt a strange impulse to tell her he loved her, but he didn't love her, and so he ignored the impulse and kissed her instead.

"You're wonderful to me, Poppy," he said, smiling down at her and brushing some of her hair back.

She returned his smile. "I think it's mutual, Severus." She gazed at him fondly. "I love to see you smile."

"I didn't even know I was," Severus said. He looked at her in amusement. "I hope that doesn't become a persistent condition."

Poppy laughed. "I'm sure that the next time a student melted a cauldron, you would find your condition cured."

"Mmm . . . but I think I would like to reserve my smiles for special people, like you. I don't want to walk about smiling at people without knowing it."

"True. People might begin to worry, think you're sampling some peculiar potions," Poppy replied with a chuckle.

Severus remembered how Hermione had joked with him the previous year about something similar, and he felt a sudden sense of unease.

"Severus? Are you all right? I didn't mean that seriously," Poppy said.

"I know you didn't. It just reminded me of something. Nothing of your concern."

"Severus, I'm sitting on your lap with your penis in my vagina. I care about you. I'm going to be concerned."

Severus closed his eyes and bit back a sarcastic response, struggling with the desire to create distance between them by deriding her feelings and their current physical proximity. He felt Poppy's fingertips stroke his face.

"I'm sorry, Severus," she whispered. "Whatever it was, I'm sorry."

"It wasn't a bad memory. Just uncomfortable at the moment," he replied softly.

Poppy kissed his forehead. "I should go now. Let you have some privacy."

Severus opened his eyes. He wanted her to stay, but it was better if she didn't, and she probably wanted to leave, anyway.

When he didn't say anything, Poppy moved off to sit beside him, then found her wand and cast a nonverbal spell on herself.

"What was that?"

"So I'm not dripping everywhere," she said with a smile.

"What about contraception?" Severus asked, suddenly remembering his earlier concerns. The thought passed through his mind that she might not do anything and he could suddenly discover he was a father. That was a terrifying thought.

"Taken care of. I took a potion this morning for last night, and then this evening, I thought I should take other precautions, just in case, so I took another potion. I'll be all right for a few weeks. Not," she added hastily, "that I think we will continue for a few weeks, but it seemed convenient to do that and not worry about it again."

"Very wise," Severus said. "And you are so sexy, you might find yourself with someone else sometime soon."

Poppy smiled and shook her head. "Doubtful."

"I am sure there are other wizards who would want to enjoy you," Severus said, hoping he wasn't being insulting to her, but liking the idea that he was with a witch whom other wizards wanted to fuck.

"Mmm, perhaps, but I likely wouldn't want them," Poppy said.

Severus put his arm around her and drew her close. She put her head on his shoulder and relaxed, telling herself she shouldn't enjoy this too much. It was Severus; they may be having great sex, but their relationship wasn't changing. Lovers in secret, for however long it lasted, but otherwise, just colleagues.

"I assume you've had a lot of relationships in your life, many other lovers," Severus said tentatively. She was so fuckable. He wanted to hear that she'd been with other wizards who had wanted her, good, attractive wizards whom other witches also found appealing, not ones like Cahill.

"I wouldn't say I've had a lot. I've had a couple good relationships, and I've had few flings, and there were a couple of trysts that were . . . exciting but didn't go any further than the one time."

"Like us?"

Poppy shook her head. "Not like us. Even if it had ended this morning after I left here, not like us."

Severus thought about that. "What was different?"

"I suppose part of it was the sheer number of times we did it. But also . . . it was very intimate, Severus. Very intense. Very warm. It could be because we have known each other for so long and felt comfortable with each other."

"Have you had affairs...flings...with other staff members before?" Severus asked.

"Are you jealous?" Poppy asked, pulling back and looking up at him.

"No. Really, I'm not. You're here with me now. I'm just curious. And interested to know who else had the good taste and good fortune to be with you in the past."

Poppy looked at him for a moment, thinking about what he'd said. "Well, in terms of relationships, you know one of the wizards, but he's not here at Hogwarts."

"Who was it?"

"Murdoch, Minerva's brother." She twitched a slight smile. "Another talented Potions master."

"Murdoch?" He had seen that they were friends, but he hadn't imagined that they'd ever been involved.

"Mmhm. We met years ago, in the late fifties, after Minerva started teaching here. I thought it was love at first sight. He was gorgeous, I thought, funny, smart, warm, attractive, strong, successful, a great father. I was pleased when he returned my attentions."

"What about his wife?"

"He wasn't married at the time. I wouldn't have looked at him that way if he had been. His first wife had died several years before."

"So what happened? You're still friends, but he's married to someone else?"

Poppy nodded. "We took things slowly at first. We met during the summer and we saw a lot of each other, but then the school year began and we didn't see as much of each other. We finally made love for the first time over the Christmas holidays, believe it or not. I spent a lot of my time with him, and it felt very good. I was in love. We caught time together over the next few months, then during the summer, I spent almost all of my time with him. I practically moved into his flat, for all intents and purposes. At the end of the summer, he asked me to marry him. It was the last week of August. How could I make any kind of decision or commitment about that when I was going back to school? So I told him I would think about it.

"We saw each other when we could, and he asked me again at Christmas. I needed more time. At the end of June, he asked me again. I told him that I didn't want to leave Hogwarts, but that if he could live with the long separations during the school year, I would marry him. He needed time to think about it. At the end of the summer, he told me that he wanted to marry me, but he wanted me to live with him. I could help him with the apothecary, which I enjoyed doing during the summer, or I could work at the St. Giles Clinic for Magical Maladies in Edinburgh, he said, or even Floo back and forth to St. Mungo's. Whatever I liked except living away at Hogwarts. But I didn't want to work in the apothecary year round, and I'd done hospital work at St. Mungo's and a rotation at St. Giles when I was training. I liked Hogwarts much better. It's mine, you know? So, we broke it off. We did the same thing over and over again for years, on again, off again. Finally, after about fifteen years of this, we both decided that if we continued like that, we would end up hating each other, so we returned to being just friends and never looked back. He didn't, anyway. He met Estelle a few years later, and they were married within a year."

"And his wife doesn't mind that he's friends with you? After you were lovers for so many years? She doesn't have a problem with that?"

"No, there's nothing between us now. They love each other and are married. Murdoch and I are just friends, and neither of us would change that."

"Don't you love him any longer?"

"Of course I do. But it's not the same. And he's happy. I want him to be happy."

"I think I'd be upset and jealous if someone I loved married someone else," Severus said, knowing that it was true, remembering Lily and her marriage to Potter...and he hadn't even had the same relationship with her that Poppy had had with Murdoch.

"It was the right thing for both of them. It wasn't right with us. Neither of us would compromise enough. We were worn out. By the time they married, I couldn't feel jealous any longer."

"And there were other relationships?"

"A few, but they weren't as long or as . . . important to me. And I doubt you knew any of them."

"What about flings? And trysts? You mentioned them." He looked her up and down. "You must have had some hot, sexy affairs."

Poppy smiled. "Some."

"Did you ever have sex with anyone else here at Hogwarts?" Severus asked.

"You really are curious, aren't you?"

"I'm sorry. I just . . . I'll be honest, Poppy, I like the idea that you were with other wizards before and now you're with me. That you are so attractive to attractive wizards, and you chose to be with me, too."

"I see . . . yes, I've had some flings with other staff at times. Not in a very long time, though."

"I know I shouldn't ask, but who?"

"Oh, Severus . . ."

He began to tease her breast through her robes, then he kissed the side of her throat. "Can I guess and you can tell me if I'm right?"

Poppy laughed. "You are incorrigible." She looked up at his shining eyes and shook her head, smiling. "If you want to. But some additional persuasion might help coax it out of me."

He reached behind her and released her Charmed hooks. "Hmmm . . . another Slytherin, perhaps? Slughorn?"

"Oh, gods, no, Severus. He's definitely not my type. And he just . . . no."

Severus pushed her bodice down. "Ummm . . . an attractive wizard . . . Albus? Before Minerva, of course."

"No, no, no. He is attractive, of course, very attractive, but no. He and Minerva have been together for a long time, and before that, I thought of him as my former teacher...my very old former teacher...and my boss. It wouldn't have occurred to me then, though I was glad to see Minerva with him."

"Hmmm . . . you already told me Hagrid's not your type, though I'm surprised you're not at least intrigued by the idea of sex with him."

"Please, Severus, I don't want to contemplate that."

"Still . . ." He licked her ear and suckled her earlobe, trying to think of an attractive wizard. "What about Gilderoy Lockhart?"

"Oh, good god, no...though not because he didn't try. Thought he was god's gift to witches...and wizards!...that one," Poppy said, shuddering.

"A lot of witches find him very attractive," Severus said, whispering into her ear, and glad that she hadn't had sex with Lockhart, but that Lockhart had wanted her.

"As did he. Sex with him would be all about him and how wonderful and attractive he was, I'm sure. No, I thought he was handsome," Poppy admitted, "but not at all attractive once I got to know him. He became less attractive the more you saw him."

"Mmm . . ." He began to play with one of her exposed breasts, teasing her nipple. "What about . . . Lupin?" He didn't like Lupin particularly, but he was admired by others.

"No. Although . . ."

"What?"

"I shouldn't tell you this, Severus. It would embarrass him if he knew you knew."

"As much as I wouldn't mind causing him embarrassment sometimes, I wouldn't do that for your sake. I wouldn't."

"When he was teaching here that year, he had me around for a drink. I have drinks with colleagues all of the time, so I didn't think anything of it. I stepped into his sitting room, and he had candles, flowers, and soft jazz playing. I tried to ignore it, but after he'd had a couple drinks...and I think he'd had one before I got there...he tried to kiss me. It was sweet, but I wasn't interested. He was disappointed."

Severus smirked. He couldn't help but feel pleased. He bent his head and kissed her breast lightly. He nuzzled her.

"My guesses have not been very good so far. I won't insult you by suggesting you might have been with Filch."

"Thank you for that!"

"Mmm . . . such sexy breasts," he said. He kissed her nipple. "Is there anyone whom I knew, or are you letting me play the guessing game because I don't know any of them?" He closed his lips around her nipple and sucked lightly.

"Um, yes, you do, and one's still on staff . . ." She let Severus push her back against the arm of the sofa.

He flicked her other nipple with the tip of his tongue. Suddenly he raised his head. "Flitwick?"

"Don't ever tell anyone. Minerva doesn't even know."

"You had sex with Flitwick?" he asked, astonished.

"Yes. He's a good wizard, Severus."

"I know. I like him. I don't like many people." He blinked at her. "So that's how you knew that he's rumoured to have sexual prowess...and not from rumours!"

Poppy blushed darkly. "It was interesting. And very good. But just one night. A long time ago."

"And what about Pomona?"

Poppy looked even more embarrassed. "She, um, well, she, um . . . she knows."

"She was with you?" Severus asked incredulously. He couldn't imagine Poppy in a threesome...and although he might like to imagine it, it wouldn't be with that couple, certainly.

"No, of course not! It was years ago. The two of them had stopped seeing each other, seemed to be separated permanently. Murdoch and I had just broken up for the second time. Filius and I were friends, we were both lonely, we had dinner, we got a little tipsy, and we ended up making love. I'd thought it was good, very good, but then afterwards, we had a late night snack, he got more drunk, cried about Pomona...which made me feel just wonderful, as you might imagine...and then a couple weeks later, they were back together again. Unfortunately, he felt compelled to tell Pomona that he'd slept with me. He apparently felt guilt-ridden. They'd been separated for several weeks, hadn't even been together for very long before that, and Pomona had seemed to be dating someone else already, so I hadn't seen anything wrong with it, especially as I . . . well, I rather fancied Filius myself, even though I had originally tried to get the two of them together. I had no idea they'd get back together again, let alone so soon, and so I did feel a little odd about it and somewhat uncomfortable when I saw them together, but it wasn't too bad until Pomona came to see me and told me she knew."

"She must have been furious!"

"No, she wasn't. Unhappy that he'd told her, but not angry. She just wanted to tell me that Filius had told her about it and that she would rather not have known, but that I shouldn't worry and I shouldn't avoid her." Poppy shrugged. "It was a little awkward for a while, but that's all. If he and Pomona hadn't got back together so soon after, I don't think it would have been awkward at all. Now she and I just laugh about it."

"So, was he as good as I heard?"

"Where did you hear that?" Poppy asked.

"That Defence teacher, Stillman, the one with the halitosis."

Poppy wrinkled her nose. "Yes, I did try to get him to take something for it, but he didn't see it as a problem. His diet was dreadful. I can't imagine how he heard anything about Filius. It couldn't have been from another witch...no one would have got close enough to him."

"But was he? Flitwick, I mean, was he really good?"

"That's a rather indelicate question, Severus. Why are you so curious?"

Severus shrugged. "I am thinking a lot about sex lately. I'm wondering about what's good and what's not. Since Flitwick isn't exactly Adonis, I was wondering what his secret is."

"Well, aside from the fact that he's sweet, smart, kind, funny, and attentive, let's just say that he requires almost no recovery time, he's highly disproportionate, and goblin genes somewhere in his past have given him some interesting muscles that other wizards don't possess," Poppy said with a smirk, seeing Severus's expression.

"So he's . . . well-endowed?"

"Yes, and he's a good lover. The extra muscles help, too."

"Don't tease me, Poppy. What muscles?" He did his own teasing, though, circling the tip of a finger around one of her nipples, then flicking it lightly. "I won't tell anyone. I promise."

"Around his, um, base. He can move it like another limb. Up and down, back and forth, in circles. It was very . . . stimulating."

Severus was speechless. He could make his bounce a bit, but that kind of control...no wonder witches liked being with him.

Poppy chuckled. "Now you'll be sitting next to him in the Great Hall and you won't be able to think about anything else. Serves you right for questioning me about it."

"I think you're right. I'd rather not have known." He sat back, then looked at her again. "Wasn't sex boring for you after that?"

"No, sex is about more than having an unusually adept anatomy. And if you're concerned about yours," she said, "it is more than adequate, and sex with you is far from boring. If I say any more, it will go to your head, I'm sure."

She sat up and began to pull her robes back up. "I should leave. It's very late."

"Do you have to? Do you want to?"

"Do you want me to stay?"

Severus nodded. "Then we might do it again in the morning, and it will still only count as a part of what we started in your office, really." His lips twitched a smile.

Poppy looked at him and cupped his face with her hand. It was a bad idea, but Severus looked so relaxed, his eyes so lively, his worry lines melted away, his lips so kissable . . . "I'd like that, Severus." She kissed him softly.

NEXT

Chapter Forty-Four: No Unmixed Pleasures

Wednesday, 10 March 1999

Severus finds that unpleasant thoughts can interrupt even the most pleasurable moments.

Rated MA.

Characters: Severus Snape, Poppy Pomfrey

Author's Note: If you're interested in key events in the RaMverse chronology, I just uploaded a new doc over at my WordPress blog, "What Happened When in the RaMverse." It lists some events from 1935 through 1998. (My blog is at mmadfan.wordpress.com; a link to the post is also available on my LJ.) I tried to make sure there were no spoilers for the upcoming chapters of LVS or for any potential future fics, but I may have missed something.

There's quite a bit of other information available on my blog about the different fics, and there are links in the sidebar of the blog to lead you to it.