Chapter Fifty: A New Project

Rated for sexually explicit content beginning approximately halfway through the chapter.

Chapter Fifty: A New Project

Saturday, 13 March 1999

Severus left the two witches and made a pass through the castle, beginning on the seventh floor and working his way down. There were students out, but none were doing anything objectionable, so Severus merely reminded them of the approaching curfew and suggested that they might prefer their common rooms. He could tell that each student he encountered was waiting for the other shoe to drop, for him to find fault and take points, but speaking with Ginny had saddened him. There was no satisfaction to be had in taking points and getting the students to jump. He doubted that there was a single student at Hogwarts, save perhaps some Muggle-born first-years with no wizarding relatives, who had been unaffected by the events of the last several years. Most of them not to the extent that Ginny Weasley had, but none were untouched. And who was to weigh and measure the suffering of any one of them, quantifying it in some way? A person's suffering was their own.

When he reached the second floor, he went to the Headmistress's gargoyle and rode the stairs up. He had a vague idea in the back of his mind, and he wanted to discuss it with Minerva. He opened the door at the top of the stairs and stepped into Minerva's office just as she was coming down the stairs from her suite.

"Severus! I didn't expect you...or anyone...tonight." Minerva was dressed in a long green silk dressing gown.

"I am sorry, Minerva. I had something I wanted to discuss with you, but I see that you have retired for the evening."

"It's all right...it's not terribly late...but why don't you come on up? We can chat in the sitting room."

Severus hesitated, but then nodded and followed Minerva up the stairs.

"If this is about the bet..."

"No, not at all. It's almost entirely unrelated," Severus said.

"Almost unrelated?"

"Only tangentially so," Severus said as they entered the sitting room.

Albus was there, his feet up, also in his dressing gown. Severus didn't think he had anything on under it. Then he looked at Minerva again, and he got the same impression.

"I can wait until tomorrow," Severus said. "I don't want to interrupt your evening."

"Nonsense, although if you could give us a moment?"

"Of course."

Albus had already slipped into the bedroom, and Minerva joined him. They both came back out a minute later, and Severus was pleased to see that they both appeared to be wearing more layers.

"So, what brings you to see me?" Minerva asked.

"I just had a conversation with Miss Weasley," Severus said. He recounted their conversation to the two, and his belief that she would benefit from some counselling. "I brought her directly to Poppy. For many reasons, I do not believe that I am an appropriate person for her to talk to, but I thought that Poppy might be able to help her."

"How did you come to speak with her in the first place, Severus?"

"As I said, I saw her leaving the castle and followed her out."

"But why? I am very glad you did, of course..."

"I have seen that she has changed. Hermione told me that she was very upset today about the Quidditch match." Severus shrugged. "I thought I might be able to help her see that the loss today was no reflection on her abilities and perhaps find out what else was bothering her. Her work in Potions has become rather slapdash."

"I am glad that you brought her to see Poppy." Minerva sighed. "I did try to speak with her during her second year, but she would sit and nibble a biscuit and barely say a word. I should have had her talk to someone else when she wouldn't talk to me."

"She mentioned that. She said that she never knew what you wanted her to say. I think she was concerned about your expectations of her. She was probably also still embarrassed, perhaps feeling guilty about what happened."

"Thank you for letting me know, Severus," Minerva said.

"I told you about Miss Weasley primarily to explain the origin of my idea. It's not even an idea, just the beginnings of one," Severus said. At Minerva's nod, Severus continued, "There are many students who have suffered, not only Miss Weasley. I doubt very much that she is the only one suffering from nightmares or from feelings of guilt and grief. I think we should try to help them. It probably would have been best to have done something directly after the events of last May, but I don't believe it's too late to do something now."

"What did you have in mind?" Minerva asked.

"Nothing terribly specific," Severus said, "but I thought that perhaps some of the other staff might be enlisted to help. Not to be formal counsellors, but to be available to students just to listen to them, then if a student needed more, it could be a way of getting them to see someone with more training. I am sure that some students have talked to their Heads of House or other teachers they might trust, but I think that if we made some kind of formal announcement that certain staff members were available to talk with about any troubles they might have...whether relating to the war or not...and made it an explicit option, more students might do that. I also thought that...and this is something that I would never have participated in myself and would dislike even now, but I recognise some students might benefit from it...perhaps we could have discussion groups. Not therapy, just an informal but organised opportunity for students to meet in small groups and share their thoughts and feelings. If we did that, more students might decide that they would like to talk to someone individually. They would see that they aren't the only ones who are still affected by the war, and it might make it acceptable to talk to one of the volunteer staff members."

"That is an excellent idea!" Albus exclaimed. "We should have done something like this much earlier."

"Yes, I like it, as well," Minerva agreed. "Of course we will have to think about how to implement it, consult professionals..."

"I don't think it should wait very long, though, Minerva," Severus said. "I also think that one reason we haven't done anything like this before now is that we have all been affected, too, and we've all tried just to carry on, but as I told Miss Weasley, nothing is the same as it was, and there's no point in pretending it is, and what we have lived through over the last several years was not normal anyway, particularly for certain people who were more affected than others. I think that if we offer something like this to the students, we should have the volunteer staff members speak with a professional counsellor, and not only in order to learn how to provide support to the students, but to help them. It wouldn't do for a staff member to become so distressed by their own experiences when talking about the war that they were unable to help the student...although I suppose from a theoretical perspective, it would not be a bad thing for a student to know that the person they are talking to also suffered. They shouldn't become debilitated by it, though."

"I think you should be in charge of this project, Severus..." Minerva began.

"No, no. I just had the idea," Severus protested. "I have no experience in this. I'm an emotional cripple, myself. I wouldn't have a clue. And if I were involved, there are many students...maybe most of them...who would avoid participating even if they would otherwise want to."

"I think you should take it on with Poppy," Albus suggested. "You two could work together. She has the experience you lack, and you can help her to implement the programme whilst she could be the public face for it, as it is unfortunately probably true what you say about students avoiding it if they saw you as the one in charge. They may respect you, but you have never endeared yourself to most of them, I'm afraid."

"I don't know," Severus said, although he liked the idea of working with Poppy.

"It's decided, Severus," Minerva said. "You should speak to Poppy tomorrow about working with her on this."

Severus nodded, resigned but also looking forward to having a project with Poppy. As her colleague, of course. Just two colleagues working together. He hoped it wouldn't be too difficult to maintain their professionalism with each other.

"I'm very pleased, my boy," Albus said, beaming at him. "Very pleased, indeed. I am glad that you thought of this."

He avoided Albus's eyes, looking instead toward Minerva. "I have recently discovered the value in talking to someone trustworthy about even very private matters. It is something I have never been inclined to do before, except when . . . except when forced . . . as a spy . . . or as punishment. It seemed punishment to me, having to reveal difficult experiences. I resisted speaking of such things to anyone else, and even if I had been so inclined . . ." Severus sighed and shook his head. "Even if I had been, I was in no position to do that until recently. I still do not find it easy. I doubt that I ever will. But I recognise that it can be a good thing for me, and not merely more pain, more punishment."

They spoke for a few more minutes, then as Minerva was showing Severus out, he asked, "Do you believe that it would be appropriate for me to write to Arthur and tell him about my conversation with his daughter?"

"Why don't you talk to him?" Minerva suggested. "Owl him and see if he can meet you. You needn't go into detail about precisely what Ginny told you, but you could express your concerns and tell him he might want to have a heart-to-heart conversation with her."

Severus nodded. He had always respected Arthur Weasley, and the man had always been fair to him.

When they reached Minerva's office, Severus said, "I didn't want to mention this in front of Albus, Minerva, but one reason that I believed that it would be inappropriate for Miss Weasley to talk to me, despite her expressed wish to do that, is that she . . ." He had no idea how to express the sense he had received from her.

"She what?" Minerva asked.

"I may have misinterpreted her action, of course, and I feel it indelicate to mention it, though I will tell Poppy tomorrow, but Miss Weasley asked me what I wanted from her, as though I was expecting some kind of payment for having sat and talked with her." Severus stopped, hesitating.

"Yes?"

"I told her, of course, that I wanted nothing from her...I believe I said that it was unfortunate that people believe a Slytherin can be motivated only by the promise of material gain." Severus felt even more uneasy, but he continued. "I may be misinterpreting her action, as I said, and it may have meant nothing, but Miss Weasley said that she could still give me something, and then she put her hand on my knee. She may not have meant anything in particular by it, but it made me uncomfortable. I told her it was time to go back into the castle and brought her to Poppy."

"She was grateful, Severus, and likely confused. You spoke bluntly, listened to her, but didn't coddle her. You helped her. She probably felt a surge of affection for you. That, combined with her own sense of need, probably led her to do what she did. I think you handled it very well and with great sensitivity."

Severus snorted. "I don't see that I was particularly sensitive at that moment, but I did not want to make things worse for her."

"And now I am feeling a surge of affection for you," Minerva said. "Give me a hug, Severus."

Severus patted Minerva's shoulder awkwardly as she embraced him hard.

Minerva stepped back and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "It was difficult, but it was all worth it, especially to see you here now. I am so pleased that you lived and that you didn't lock yourself away somewhere to rot after it was over."

"It's still difficult, Minerva," Severus said softly. "I don't think it will ever really be over for me, but I think I'm learning to live with it."

"It will keep getting easier," Minerva replied.

He nodded. "I didn't believe that it would, but I see that it is, and it isn't simply that I've learned to bear it better, which was all I had hoped for. Things can become confusing and uncomfortable, but that is something that I will learn to cope with. I don't know what to do much of the time when I feel uncomfortable, but I am trying not to simply respond with anger, which has always been the easiest thing for me to do when I didn't know how else to react."

"That will improve, too. I am proud of you, you know."

"I realise," he said softly, "that I could not do it without the help and friendship I have found in some very unexpected places. I suppose I was also somewhat aware of that when I followed Miss Weasley out to the Quidditch stadium, some sense that I might not be very good at helping anyone, but I was there and I could try. And I could relate to some of her feelings and knew that I wouldn't want to be coddled if I were she."

"You did a good thing tonight, Severus."

He shrugged. "Perhaps something small, but I also remember that I interrupted your evening with Albus, so I will say good-night now and leave you to continue it."

"Good night, Severus...we love you, you know. Albus, too."

Severus swallowed past a lump in his throat and jerked a nod, then opened the door and left quickly.

Severus heard someone on the stairs above him. He stopped to listen. It was now past curfew; there shouldn't be any students out. The footsteps came closer, and Severus believed he recognised them. When he saw Poppy, his eyes lit up.

"Poppy!"

Poppy smiled happily and trotted down the stairs to him. "Let's find somewhere to talk."

He nodded. "I thought we should speak, as well."

They both stood there a moment just looking at each other, then Severus said, "The staff room is closest."

Poppy indicated her agreement by starting down the stairs with him. Once in the staff room, Poppy closed the door behind them.

"You did a good thing bringing Miss Weasley to me tonight," she said.

"I thought you might be able to help her. Did she tell you what we talked about?" Severus asked.

"A little. I'd like to know more, though."

Pacing in front of the fireplace, Severus summarised his conversation with Ginny and his visit to the Headmistress after he had left her with Poppy, this time not omitting Ginny's offer to give him something and placing her hand on his knee.

"I agree with Minerva," Poppy said. "I think she was just confused, grateful, and needy. I don't think you need to worry about that. You handled it very well."

"I actually don't think I handled it at all. I essentially ignored it. I thought if she hadn't meant it sexually, and I said something about it, it would be tremendously awkward and offensive, but if she had meant it sexually...I had no idea what to say. I didn't want to get into it and have her feel rejected and embarrassed. It is disturbing to me that she would think I would want to exploit her in that way, but she probably didn't realise that was what she was doing."

"You were fine, Severus. You were gentle and you redirected her, which may have been the best you could have done in that moment."

"Do you mind working with me on this project?" Severus asked.

"Of course not! It makes perfect sense for me to work on it, since in addition to being the wonderful witch you told Ginny I was, I am still the school matron," Poppy replied with a smile.

Severus went slightly pink. "I don't know as I said precisely that you were wonderful...you are, of course...but I told her that you were very understanding. That wasn't what I meant though. I didn't mean to ask whether you minded working on the project, but whether you minded working with me. Someone else might be..."

"Why would I mind? Not only are you the Deputy Headmaster, but it was your idea and you did well with Ginny."

"I thought . . . never mind," Severus said.

Poppy's brow furrowed. "Do you not want to work with me?"

"I do, yes. I just wanted to be certain you would not find it uncomfortable."

"Do you find it uncomfortable?" Poppy asked.

"Slightly. I find that I must remind myself that we are colleagues." He swallowed. "And that we must avoid temptation. That gives me some discomfort, but I am certain it will be easily overcome."

"We can overcome it quite easily at the moment by tabling our discussion until another time, one more suitable for working together as colleagues," Poppy said.

"It is very late," Severus agreed. "Perhaps we could discuss this idea tomorrow."

"I think that is an excellent idea, Severus." Her eyes looked him up and down. "And right now . . . we could try tabling our temptation in a different way."

Poppy stepped toward him and placed her palms on his chest, rubbing his pectorals lightly as she looked up into his eyes. She stepped forward again, pushing him gently backward.

"Would you like to table our temptation, Severus?" she asked huskily, stepping forward again. "I can think of a very good way to table our temptation."

"We shouldn't. Last night . . . we could have been seen. You could have been compromised," Severus said, though he continued to back toward the table.

"We were a bit impulsive," Poppy admitted, speaking slowly and deliberately. "You were certainly very impulsive on the stairs." She ran her hands down over Severus's chest, then she began to unbutton his frockcoat starting from the bottom. "Now that Binns is no longer among us, sleeping in front of the fireplace, we are in no danger of being disturbed this late at night." She began to unbutton his waistcoat. "And you know a few handy spells, I am sure, that would discourage anyone who might be passing from opening the door and that would provide us with, how shall I put it?" she asked as she began unbuttoning his shirt. "Some acoustic privacy?"

Severus took his wand out, then he cast a series of spells on the door and placed his wand on the table behind him. As Poppy began to unbutton his trousers, Severus found the hooks at the front of the waist of Poppy's bright blue over-robe and unhooked them all quickly, then he pulled at the lacing at the bodice of her deep yellow under-robe, loosening it, tugging until he felt her Support Charm release. Just as he did that, Poppy had finished unbuttoning his braces from the front of his trousers. She pushed him against the end of the table, and Severus slid back to sit on it.

Poppy drew her wand and cast a spell, removing his boots and socks.

"Impatient?" Severus whispered.

"All those buttons, all those layers," Poppy said softly as she picked up his right hand and found his cufflink. "It seemed . . . efficient."

She reached for his left wrist and removed that cufflink, as well, then she ran her hands up under his shirt and pushed it, his waistcoat, and his frockcoat off.

"As Deputy Headmaster, it is my duty to point out that this is not an appropriate use of the staff room or this table," Severus said.

"Noted," Poppy said as she pulled his undershirt up.

Severus finished pulling his undershirt off. Poppy looked at him and smoothed her hands over his chest.

"Very nice," she whispered. "Worth getting through all those layers. I believe you have put on a little weight just in the last week. You feel nicely solid."

"Is that your professional opinion, Madam Pomfrey?"

"My professional opinion . . . is that you are feeling quite healthy. My personal opinion is that you feel . . . quite sexy."

"I think I prefer your personal opinion," Severus said as he began to push Poppy's bodice down. "And in my personal opinion, you have extremely sexy breasts." He watched himself fondle them, and his dark eyes grew even darker.

Poppy shrugged off her over-robe, letting it fall to the floor, then she stepped back and pulled her under-robe off over her head. His lips parted, Severus watched her, and when she pulled her knickers down and stepped out of them and her shoes, he licked his lips. Now wearing only her Charmed silk stockings, Poppy stepped towards him again.

"Lie back," she whispered.

Severus hesitated, taking a moment to gaze at her body, her full breasts with their darkly rosy nipples, her rounded hips, the slight feminine curve to her tummy below her navel, and the womanly thatch of curly hair that he knew led to delectable secret places. He lay back and closed his eyes, feeling Poppy pull his trousers off of him and then remove his pants as he raised his hips.

Poppy lifted his dangling legs and helped him slide back to lie lengthwise on the table. She pulled out a chair, stepped up on it, then joined Severus on the table, kneeling and straddling his abdomen.

Severus reached for her, pulling her closer, bringing her right breast to his mouth. His tongue flicked her nipple, then flicked it again before he kissed it. He opened his mouth and took as much of her breast into it as he could, then he slipped his lips down to close around her nipple. He began to fondle her left breast with one hand as he suckled at her right, Poppy's arms supporting her on either side of his head. Poppy gasped when Severus's left hand met her crux and he parted her folds. One finger began to slide back and forth over her clitoris.

"Oh, gods, Severus," Poppy moaned. "I need more."

Severus kissed her breast, then whispered, "Slide up here, let me use my tongue on you. Sit on my face and let me eat your pussy."

Poppy did as he asked, and he took hold of her buttocks as she lowered herself over his mouth.

Gasping as he licked her, Poppy said, "I should turn around..."

Severus shook his head, eliciting a moan at the sensation, and he gripped her harder. Poppy bent over to brace herself on her arms. She moaned more loudly. The stimulation from his tongue and lips on her clitoris was exquisite.

"Oh, gods, so good, so good," Poppy gasped, "so good, Severus, so good!"

Her arms and legs shook as her orgasm ignited. Severus continued to lick and flick and rub his face against her, carrying her through a long, pulsing orgasm as she wriggled against him. As she peaked, she let out a strangled cry of ecstasy.

Panting and catching her breath, Poppy felt Severus's hands pressing lightly on her thighs, and she moved back off of him.

"Sorry," she said breathlessly. "I hope you could breathe."

"I could," Severus said. He embraced her, pulling her down on top of him. "I enjoyed that very much." He caressed her cheek. "You could kiss me and have a taste," he whispered.

Poppy kissed his lips, then her tongue entered his mouth and teased his tongue lightly. She drew back up and looked down at him, her eyes soft, a slight smile gracing her face.

"I cannot believe I am here with you, Severus," she said softly.

"I don't know whether I'll ever be able to look at this table in quite the same way again," Severus said with a smirk.

Poppy caressed his face, brushing back a few strands of hair, then outlining his lips with the tip of one finger. "I meant that I cannot believe that I am here with Severus Snape."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "So you've used this table before?"

Poppy giggled, and he smiled. "No, that we are doing it here is remarkable...and I haven't done it with anyone else here...but that you and I are together, that you, Severus Snape, are making love to me, that is even more remarkable."

He looked up at her quietly for a moment, caressing her back lightly, then he said, "It amazes me. It amazes me that I am having sex at all, but what truly astounds me is that you are the witch with me. You aren't some disgusting old hag..."

"I should hope not!"

"Or pathetic reject," Severus continued, "or a desperate witch who would sleep with me no matter who I was, or someone who has some fantastical and unrealistic idea of who I am, or even someone who just feels sorry for me. You are attractive, confident, and intelligent, and you know me. You know me, and you're still with me."

Poppy looked at him more thoughtfully, still gently caressing the side of his face. "Don't take this the wrong way, but would you sleep with me because you were desperate?"

"Yes, I would. Desperate, not desperate, uninterested in sex, or horny as hell, I would sleep with you and make love to you, Poppy Pomfrey," Severus replied softly.

Poppy kissed his lips gently, then with increasing passion. His arms were around her, his hands caressing wherever he could reach, touching, feeling, kneading, caressing. Poppy rolled her hips, feeling his erection against her, then she broke away with a gasp.

"I want you, I want you inside me," she said in a low, urgent voice.

Severus brought his hand to the back of her head and pulled her down into another kiss, his tongue stroking the roof of her mouth. He broke the kiss and wound his fingers through her hair.

"Yes, yes, I want that too. But . . . but . . ." His eyes seemed to search her face. "Poppy, I trust you, I trust you and I want you. I want to feel safe. I want to know that trust, I need to. I need to, Poppy, please," he said, his voice sounding his desperation.

"You are safe, you are, Severus," Poppy replied, kissing him. "Always safe with me. I hope never to betray your trust, not even inadvertently. I will never knowingly betray your trust. I promise."

"I believe you." Severus swallowed. "Could you . . . could you prove it to me? No, I need to feel it myself. Please?"

Poppy looked confused. "What...how? I don't know what you mean."

"You remember that I told you about the way that I allowed myself to be used by a witch when I first became a Death Eater?"

Poppy nodded.

"I know that I can trust you. Sometimes when you have begun to do something that was . . . superficially similar to something she did, I remembered that it's you and how different you are from her, and then you continue, and it feels so good, so warm, so sexy, so exciting, and any apprehension I have just drains away into pleasure," Severus said.

"I am very glad," Poppy replied. "That is all I want, for you to feel good, to feel pleasure, to know my affection for you."

"Then would you . . ." Severus looked away a moment and swallowed.

"What? Severus? If I can, I will," she said.

"She used to restrain me when she, um, when she was on top. I hated it," Severus said. "But I was thinking that when you are on top, it feels so good. I love to see your pleasure and watch your breasts, and you feel so good around me. I love to feel you riding my cock and to watch your face when you come."

"I'm glad," Poppy said softly. "I wish that it hadn't had those associations for you. I wouldn't have done it if I had known."

"No, I am very glad you did. Very glad. You replaced that sense of disgust and fear with something very different," Severus replied. "And that is why, if you don't think it's bad or wrong, that's why I was wondering if you would . . ."

"Tell me," Poppy said gently.

Severus averted his eyes. "I thought I would feel that safety with you if you . . . restrained me," he whispered. "If you restrained me and made love to me."

"Oh, Severus . . ." Poppy caressed his face. "I would if you want, but I am afraid it may be too soon. I don't want to do anything that would cause you any distress or pain."

"I want to feel that safe with you, Poppy."

Poppy nodded. "All right. But I only know the kinds of physical restraint spells used in Healing, and they deliberately are designed so that the person restrained cannot cancel the spell themselves. I worry that you will feel helpless and trapped if you can't lift the spell yourself."

"You could conjure bonds that I could break wandlessly," Severus suggested, "but you don't have to. I want to feel helpless with you, but safe. Completely safe, but completely helpless. You can use one of your spells. I trust you."

Poppy looked at him a moment and thought about it, then she nodded. "But no attempt at being brave, Severus. If you are bothered, if you feel anxious, if you are at all uncomfortable, you must tell me, and I will lift the restraints immediately. Will you promise me that?"

Severus relaxed, unaware that he had been tense. "Yes, I promise. I might be a little nervous at first, but I want to feel that and have you take it away. I know you can do that."

"I am not a miracle worker," Poppy whispered. "I cannot fix everything."

"I know, but please, do this for me?"

Poppy leaned toward him again and kissed him, then she Summoned her wand and sat up, straddling his hips. She swallowed, then she said softly, "Your arms first. Wherever you want them. Get comfortable."

Severus raised his arms above his head, bent slightly at the elbows, and nodded.

Poppy was about to cast the spell when she stopped and Summoned a small cushion from a chair across the room.

"For your head," she said as she lifted his head and placed the velvet pillow under it.

Severus twitched a slight smile.

"Comfortable?"

Severus nodded.

Poppy swept her wand over first one arm then the other, and Severus felt soft, cottony bands at his wrist and just above his elbows. When he turned his head, he could see nothing, but an experimental attempt to move against them proved that he was, indeed, restrained against the table.

"Should I remove them?" Poppy asked, seeing him pulling against the invisible bonds.

"No, just testing," Severus replied.

Poppy moved so that she was now kneeling beside him. "Now your legs. Make yourself comfortable."

Severus separated his legs slightly and relaxed, then nodded to her.

She Summoned two more small velvet pillows from the sofa and placed them beneath his knees. Looking up at his face first, she swept her wand over each leg, and Severus felt the same, soft bonds at his ankles and just above his knees.

Poppy licked her lips nervously. "Are you all right, Severus?"

"Fine." He was feeling very vulnerable and a little nervous, but he was comfortable enough.

"Any others you would like?" she asked.

"One just above my hips, please, across my stomach."

Poppy cast that spell. "You be sure to tell me if you are in any discomfort or mental distress."

"I'm a little nervous and I feel vulnerable, but I'm fine."

"Good, but if I think you are becoming anxious and not telling me, I will release you entirely with one spell."

"That is why I trust you, Poppy."

"Now, let's make a little test here," Poppy said.

She bent over and kissed him through the bond across his middle.

"I could feel that!" Severus exclaimed.

"That was the test," Poppy said with a smile. "And this?"

She brushed her hand across his abdomen where the invisible bond held him to the table. His cock twitched.

Severus nodded. "I can feel that, too."

Poppy leaned toward him and kissed his lips, taking his bottom lip between hers and sucking it. She kissed his throat, first one side then the other. She sat up and looked at his face.

"All right, Severus?" she whispered.

"Good."

Poppy kissed his throat again, then his shoulders, working her way down to his pectorals, kissing her way across his chest. She reached his right nipple and circled it with her tongue. At his gasp, she looked up at him, but it seemed to have been a gasp of surprise and pleasure, so she kissed his nipple, then licked it with the tip of her tongue again before moving over and doing the same to his other nipple.

Kissing and licking her way down Severus's torso, stroking his sides with her fingertips, Poppy smiled to see his skin twitch under her light, teasing kisses. His heart was beating rapidly, and she looked up to see his face.

"Still all right, Severus?"

"Gods, yes . . . don't stop," he replied with a gasp. "I'll tell you if I don't like something."

Poppy passed feather-light kisses over his lower abdomen, always just avoiding his erection, and her fingers stroked his chest lightly. She could feel Severus try to press up against his bonds, but he said nothing, only gasped, so she brought her mouth to his balls and gently took one side into her warm mouth and licked softly, then did the same to the other side before licking up the length of his cock. She kissed its tip, swirled her tongue around it, then she rose up and looked down at him.

Severus opened his eyes and looked up into hers, but said nothing. Poppy straddled him, then she leaned forward, supporting herself with her arms on either side of him, and kissed his mouth. She swayed back and forth as she kissed him until her crux came into contact with his erection.

"Mmm," she moaned into his mouth.

Poppy pushed back up and took his cock in her right hand. She moved it against her folds, spreading her wetness over its head. Severus's breathing grew heavier. Poppy moved back against his cock, letting its head enter her shallowly. She squeezed her muscles and it popped back out. She did that several times, tantalising Severus as he began to moan and press up against his bonds. Poppy smiled as she sat up and then lowered herself to completely engulf his penis.

"You are so long," Poppy breathed, "so long and hard. Such a good cock." She squeezed her muscles around him. "You stretch me. Can you feel how you stretch me?" She shifted on him, squeezing his cock as she rotated her hips.

"Mmm, yes, yes, so deep in you," Severus gasped. "So very deep. And so good...oh, gods, Poppy, like that, yes, like that. Oh, gods, you feel so good!"

Poppy continued to squeeze him inside of her as she rolled her hips and rotated against him, rubbing her clitoris as she did.

"Does it feel good, Poppy?" he asked. "Tell me. Do you feel good? Do you like this?" He opened his eyes and looked up at her face.

"Oh, I do like it, Severus. I love to feel you in me, so big, stretching me, pressing and stimulating me, and I love to rub my clitoris against you, feeling you inside and out."

"Do that more, rub against me and tell me it's good," Severus said, watching her breasts.

Poppy rubbed against him, sliding forward and back on his cock as she rubbed her clitoris over his pubic bone, his cock stimulating her as it moved in and out.

"It's good, Severus, so good to feel you inside me," she said.

"Tell me more, tell me you like to ride my cock, that you like fucking me," Severus said.

"Oh, I do love to ride your cock, Severus, to fuck you. You know I love to fuck you." She saw his eyes fixed on her breasts, so she raised one hand and began to fondle her breast. "And I like to have you look at my breasts whilst I'm fucking you. You wish you could touch them, don't you?"

"Gods, yes," Severus breathed.

"I love to know your cock is happy inside me, that you like having me ride you! I love to ride you, Severus, to have you inside of me, to make love to you!"

"Come, Poppy, come on my cock!"

She could see him straining up against his soft bonds, and she moved faster, first sitting up and sliding back and forth, then lying against him as she raised and lowered her hips, and then sitting up again and pounding hard against him.

"Yes, Poppy, yes, come, come, fuck me, fuck me and come!" He gritted his teeth, hoping that he could hold back his orgasm long enough for her to come first. "Fuck me hard, Poppy, fuck me and fuck me!" He strained up against the restraints.

"Oh, gods, yes, Severus, yes, yes, ah ah ah!" She continued to ride him as she came, her head back, her mouth open, her breath coming in gasps.

Severus could feel his own orgasm approaching. "Yes, yes, like that, like that, I'm coming, Poppy! I'm coming inside you! Oh, gods gods gods!"

He couldn't move as he came, but Poppy settled down on him and held him tightly within her as he spurted his cum, then as she saw his face relax, she lay down on top of him and relaxed, herself, her head resting at his shoulder.

Severus licked his lips and said, "Want to hold you."

Poppy blinked, reached for her wand, concentrated, then waved the wand and released all the bonds. Severus immediately put his arms around her and moved his head to kiss her hair.

"How do you feel?" Poppy asked.

"Perfect. Perfect. Thank you." He kissed her forehead.

Poppy nodded and sighed happily.

"You were very good," Severus said a few minutes later.

Poppy chuckled slightly. "I'm glad it was all right for you."

"Better than all right." He paused. "Did you enjoy it?"

Poppy nodded. "Yes, I did, especially once I stopped worrying that it was bothering you and trusted that you would tell me if you wanted to stop. I loved being able to kiss and touch you all over. That was wonderful." She turned her head and kissed his shoulder.

Severus ran his fingers over her back for a while, then he said, "I think that took care of our temptation, but it didn't really avoid it."

"No, it didn't. Do you wish we had avoided it?" Poppy asked.

"No. I thought we should avoid temptation, but perhaps we should simply regulate it a little," Severus said.

"Regulate it how?"

Severus shrugged. "Only on certain days? Or between certain hours? I don't know."

"We could try that. Only on weekends?" Poppy suggested. "We wouldn't have to do anything just because it was the weekend, but we could allow ourselves to give in to temptation."

Severus nodded. "I think the weekend should begin at dinner on Friday and end at breakfast on Monday, though."

"Sensible," Poppy agreed.

"And maybe we could say it's all right to give in to temptation on a weekday as long as it's after curfew and we haven't been together in at least a day."

Poppy twitched a smile. "That would mean we could do it any weekday as long as it was after curfew," she pointed out.

"Oh. Well, as long as it's been at least . . . a day and a half. And if we're together at curfew, it's allowed until breakfast of the following day, but then we can't give in to temptation that night. We have to wait until the next day."

"We probably couldn't do it every day, anyway," Poppy said with a light laugh. "I think we would get quite tired. Exhausted."

Severus sighed. "We weren't supposed to be doing it again at all."

"Do you wish we hadn't after that first night?" Poppy asked.

"No." He thought a moment as he continued to caress her. "You don't feel obligated, do you? Just because I approach you?"

"No, I don't feel obligated. And tonight, I believe I did the 'approaching,' and I certainly did the fucking," Poppy said. "If I ever don't want to, for whatever reason, I will tell you."

"Good." He thought a bit more. "Why would you not want to?"

Poppy smiled. "I don't know, Severus. Maybe because I was tired, maybe because I had something else I had to do, or I might feel under the weather, or just not be in the mood. And you, I hope, will tell me honestly if you don't feel in the mood."

"Yes." Severus couldn't imagine that at the moment. It seemed he was constantly randy recently. Of course, if he'd had sex shortly before she approached him, he might not be as easily aroused. But he didn't think he'd turn her away.

"And if you start to see someone, start dating another witch," Poppy said, "you must tell me. That's very important to me. It would be distressing for me if I discovered I was having sex with someone who was dating another witch. That is not something I do. I would be very upset."

Severus nodded, very glad that he had told Hermione that the time wasn't right for them to be dating. "And if you begin dating, or if you even wish to consider it and break this off, I will understand," he said, though he selfishly hoped she wouldn't, at least for a while.

"Good," Poppy said. "I don't see that happening any time in the near future, but I would not start seeing someone else without having told you and without having stopped having sex with you first."

"But if you just happen to have another tryst with someone, if it isn't dating," Severus said, "that's all right. It's not as though I have any claim on you that way. I'd rather not know if you did, though."

"I don't know, Severus . . . I don't think I will do anything like that. Not whilst we're still . . . still seeing each other. But if you have an opportunity to enjoy being with another witch . . . that's up to you. As you say, we haven't any claim on each other." Poppy was quiet for a minute. "Do you have your eye on any witch in particular?"

"To have sex with?" Severus asked. "No, I don't. And I don't see that happening, either." He thought of Gareth. That seemed different to him. Besides, she had asked him about witches. Not that she would think to ask him about wizards. He pushed that thought from his mind.

Poppy thought about Hermione, but decided not to say anything. Severus probably thought of her as someone he might like to date, someone with whom he wanted a relationship, not as someone he was considering having sex with, even if that might be included in his idea of dating. He wanted more than just sex with Hermione, he wanted a relationship, Poppy was sure. But he had promised to tell her if he began dating someone, and that was good enough. It had to be good enough. She had sensed some hesitation on his part when he spoke of having sex with someone, but she supposed that he was just uncomfortable with the conversation.

"We had better get dressed," Poppy said.

"Yes. It is unlikely that anyone would come in, and I did put a charm on the door that should make anyone approaching it uninterested in opening it, but it's not completely infallible. If Albus were to come down, it would merely make him curious."

Poppy looked at him in alarm.

"Don't worry. He and Minerva were ready for bed when I left them, so I doubt he'll be wandering around the castle tonight."

"Thank goodness that Minerva had that little kitchen put in up there. He used to get a taste for hot cocoa in the middle of the night and come down to the kitchens for it himself, and that would bring him too close to the staff room for my comfort," Poppy replied as she got off the table and started to dress. "Now he makes it himself. Unless they have run out of milk."

"I am sure he and Minerva are tucked up in bed now," Severus said, looking for one of his cufflinks and finding it under a chair.

The lamps were only on low; Severus waved his wand to bring them up to full so they could see what they were doing.

"My hair must be a mess," Poppy said, wishing there were a mirror in the staff room.

"It is tousled," Severus said. "But lovely."

"I probably won't see anyone, but I'd rather not look as though I just came from a roll in the hay," Poppy said, pulling her hairpins out and trying to put it back up neatly without the benefit of a mirror, finally waving her wand to gather it up and pin it. "How is it now?"

"Much better," Severus said with a nod. At the mention of hay, he had looked reflexively up at the portrait above the fireplace. Little Boy Blue was still asleep. Severus hoped he hadn't woken up at all whilst they were there. He didn't care if a portrait watched them except for the fact that they gossiped almost as much as the living did.

"I am glad we tabled our discussion," Poppy said.

"So am I." Severus stepped toward her and cupped her face with his hand. "Poppy," he whispered. "Poppy."

He bent his head as he put one arm around her and pulled her close. His lips met hers and they moved softly and sensuously over hers. He broke the kiss and slipped his hand behind her head, pressing it to his chest. He kissed her hair and nuzzled her.

"Thank you, Poppy. I felt completely vulnerable and utterly safe with you tonight."

"I am glad of that, Severus." Poppy closed her eyes. She thought that the idea of avoiding temptation might have some merit. But she was just tired, and the intimacy had made her vulnerable, as well.

"Would you like to come down and stay with me?" Severus asked.

Poppy looked up at him and pulled away slightly. "It is very tempting, and I would like to, but I probably shouldn't. If there's an emergency..."

"A house-elf can find you, and Minerva can swear her to secrecy," Severus responded. "But if you'd rather not, that's fine." He dropped his arms.

"I would like to, but I just don't think it's wise. I'm tired, it's very late, last night was a short night for us both, too, and I think that some other night would be better," Poppy said.

Severus nodded. "All right."

"I'll see you tomorrow, and we can discuss the project," Poppy said.

"After breakfast?" Severus suggested.

"Good. We can meet in my office...unless you would prefer yours."

"No, yours," Severus said, thinking that his office was not a particularly pleasant place to meet with someone. He doubted that Poppy would be disturbed by his collections, but the office was still unpleasant. And gloomy. He had sufficient light at his desk to read by, but the room was gloomy. Hers was light, bright, and pleasant.

Severus removed the wards from the door. They stepped out of the staff room.

"Good night, Severus," Poppy said.

He nodded. "Good night."

Severus watched Poppy walk toward the front hall and the stairs leading up to the main part of the castle, then he turned and walked in the other direction, to the stairs leading to the dungeons. Although he had walked down to the dungeons on his own...this late and even later, and at all times of year, thousands of times...that night, Severus felt peculiarly alone. They couldn't stay in the staff room all night, though, and he was tired. It would be good to get to bed.

Severus entered his quarters and looked over at his chair. There was no point in wishing that Poppy had come with him. They had had good sex. They both just needed to get some sleep in their own beds. Sex did not include sleep. It might have been nice to wake up and have sex again before breakfast, that was all. But he had had more sex in the last week than he'd had in the last twenty years. Real sex, not a blow job or a quickie from someone he'd paid or made a trade with.

Severus stripped quickly, hanging up his jacket and waistcoat and tossing his trousers, shirt, and underwear into the laundry for the house-elves to clean. He never saw Twiskett collect the laundry or return it, but it would disappear and later reappear in his wardrobe, clean and fresh, with any holes, loose buttons, or ravelling threads carefully and undetectably repaired. It was one of those few things in which he had found comfort when he was working all those thankless years. Not having to worry about feeding himself had been another one. Of course, during the last several years, his appetite had dwindled to practically nothing, not that he had ever been a big eater. There had been little in his life in which he had been able to take any pleasure or find any happiness at all. Now, though, he had some friends, he had sex, and he had almost had a girlfriend. And he had Poppy, which was best of all.

Bringing a fresh nightshirt with him into the bathroom, Severus wondered again whether he had made a mistake with Hermione. As he brushed his teeth, he decided that even if he had, it was still preferable to all of the things that could have gone wrong if he had dated her. And he still had sex. He had sex with Poppy, in fact. And with Gareth occasionally. But with Poppy . . . Gareth was good, and he liked Gareth and was grateful to him, but Poppy . . . sex was something more with her. It wasn't just the sex, he decided, but the growing friendship between them. That would be something lasting, he hoped.

Severus climbed between the sheets and waved his wand to extinguish the lamps, then placed the wand on his bedside table. Severus didn't know precisely what it was about sex with Poppy, but it really was very good. It had been good the very first night, and it only seemed to get better. Severus closed his eyes and remembered how he had lain on the table and allowed her to bind him, arms, legs, and torso. His heart had beat faster, and he had reminded himself that he was helpless but that he was safe, that he was with Poppy and he was safe. He was more than safe, it seemed to him. By the time she had taken his balls so very gently in her warm, wet mouth, he felt something that he couldn't identify, a feeling akin to relief, but beyond mere relief, and when she had taken the head of his cock into her vagina, bringing it in, expelling it, and bringing it in again, he had strained against his bonds, wanting more, but knowing that she would give him more, knowing that the straining was an indication only of his desire for union with her, and not of any struggle to be freed from the bonds. It had been unexpectedly arousing to have her take her time pleasuring him. Poppy had taken her pleasure, but she had given it, too, and he had thrilled to see her coming and then to join her, orgasming hard and deep inside of her.

Severus rolled over and punched his pillow, dismissing from his mind any stray thought that he wished that Poppy were there beside him, sleeping in his arms. He relaxed, his eyes closed, and he fell into a deep sleep filled with dreams that he did not remember in the morning, but which left him with a sense of well-being when he awoke.

NEXT

Chapter Fifty-One: Just a Fling?

Sunday, 14 March 1999

Severus begins work on the project with Poppy, and later he practises the new spell on his own, but without success.

Rated M/MA.

Characters: Severus Snape, Poppy Pomfrey, Verity Septima Vector

Author's Note: The RaMverse chronology, 1935 – 1998, entry in my WordPress blog has been updated to include the chronology in the post itself, rather than only as a download. Since a lot of people read on devices to which they cannot or prefer not to download docs, I copied the content into the post. The downloadable version is still there for people who want it. The link to it is in the sidebar of the blog (http://mmadfan.wordpress.com/). There's also a RaM chronology from 1840 – 1957, if anyone is interested in that, as well as links to other RaMverse information.

There's a live link to my blog on my author's page here.