Chapter Ninety-Three: Whetting the Appetite

Chapter Ninety-Three: Whetting the Appetite

Thursday, 1 April 1999

Severus pushed his bowl away.

"I thought you would scrape the finish from the china," Poppy teased as he let out a contented sigh.

"The rhubarb compote was the best part of the meal," Severus said, eying her and appreciating the way her patterned pale blue, mauve, and lavender silk dressing gown fell open as she leaned forward to reach for her coffee cup.

Poppy grinned. "I'd noticed you enjoy rhubarb. It's one of Minerva's favourites, too, so there's always an abundance of rhubarb at Hogwarts."

Poppy had designed the meal to be light, but energizing. She wanted to spend the afternoon in bed with Severus, but not sleeping because of a heavy meal. A little nap might be nice, though. Severus seemed to enjoy cuddling, even if he didn't like to admit it. Probably too little of it in his life to that point, Poppy thought. Her heart ached, thinking of the isolation and loneliness he had endured for so long.

"Before you arrived, I was looking at Halloween at Hogwarts," Poppy said. She picked up a final strawberry and sucked the tip of the sweet fruit as she bit it off. It was one of Hagrid's super-sized strawberries, at least three times the size of a normal large strawberry, and juicier, too. She licked strawberry juice from her chin before taking another bite.

Severus watched, thinking what that tongue could be doing to him. Distracted by thoughts of Poppy nibbling at him, he asked, "Were you?"

"Mmhm." Poppy nodded as she ate the last of the strawberry and discarded the stem end. "There are a number of very good pictures of you in it, you know."

"Hmph. Good because I did not look like myself, I am sure," Severus said, thinking of the costume and the Glamour.

Poppy shook her head. "You were not so changed. You were looking quite especially attractive that night, though. I thought so at the time. I'm sure many of the witches did."

"And the thought probably horrified most of them," Severus said with a smirk, "if what you say is true."

Poppy laughed. "Perhaps, perhaps not." She stood and stepped toward the small couch. "Come, sit with me, Severus. I'd just found one of the two of us dancing."

"I believe there are three of us together, two in which we are dancing," Severus said, placing his napkin beside his plate and coming over to join her on the couch.

It was Poppy's turn to smirk. "So you have looked at the book."

Severus shrugged, sitting down beside her. "Hermione gave me a copy for my birthday. I glanced through it then . . . and again a week or two ago," he confessed. At her amused smile, he said, "I was moving it. It fell open."

"I see." Poppy grinned. "I think there's at least one of you dancing with just about every witch on staff...although I couldn't find one of you and Sarah together."

"There are some small blessings in life. Dumbledore danced with her."

"I hope you showed him your appreciation," Poppy said, amused.

"I do not recall."

"When I got my copy for Christmas, I was glad to see the pictures of you, actually," Poppy said.

"You were?"

"Yes. I had worried that you'd had a miserable time, but the photos of you showed that it wasn't completely gruelling for you."

Severus twitched a slight smile. "No. As I told Minerva that evening, I had been to worse parties. But by the end . . . I don't know. I felt tired. Enervated and . . . empty, I suppose. It was actually nice to sit with you quietly at the end and have some of that cake or pie, whatever it was we ate."

"Chocolate cheesecake. One of Pomona's favourites, so Filius made sure they served it."

Severus nodded. It helped explain the Hufflepuff's generous curves if she ate chocolate cheesecake often.

Poppy leafed through the book. "Here you are with Helena. She seems to be having a good time, and I think you may even be smiling." Helena, dressed in her Jane Goodall costume, was laughing as she looked up at Severus, who indeed did appear to have a wry smile on his face.

"It is the Glamour," Severus said.

Poppy laughed. "I don't know about that, Sev. I think most men would be smiling if they had a laughing Helena Benetti in their arms. She is quite stunning, even there in that costume of hers."

Severus shrugged. He never knew what witches expected a man to say when they praised another witch's good looks. If he agreed, he was afraid that Poppy would be jealous or think that he was comparing the two witches, but if he disagreed, it could be seen as cravenly disingenuous.

"I'm glad she'll be staying on next year," Poppy continued.

"Is she?" Severus frowned. "I had not heard that."

"I don't think she's made a formal decision. She'll probably be informing you and Minerva soon, though. A few of us were having a drink last week, and she mentioned it."

"Ah. I told the Headmistress this morning to prepare a new contract for me. For next year." Severus smiled when Poppy squeezed his arm and let out a delighted laugh.

"I'm so glad, Sev! I would have missed you." She embraced him, letting the book fall closed on her lap.

Severus kissed her forehead. "I did not want to leave you. It was that which decided it for me."

Poppy looked up into his face. "I want you to be happy, though."

"I would not have been happy if I had left Hogwarts and left you behind," Severus said, leaning forward and kissing her lips. He hoped that he wouldn't be more miserable at Hogwarts if she broke up with him.

Poppy leaned against him and opened the book again. She smiled. "Hagrid looked well as Little John."

Severus nodded. "It was one of the more appropriate costumes."

Poppy laughed and pointed to a picture of Helena dancing with Hagrid. "She looks positively miniature next to him!"

"Indeed. She is a petite witch."

"But quite beautiful," Poppy said, turning the page, where there was another, larger picture of her, this time, dancing with Caspar Lloyd, who, at about five-eight, did not dwarf her.

Severus wished that Poppy did not keep mentioning Helena's looks. "She is also intelligent and talented," he said, trying to avoid saying anything about the vivacious Seeker's attractiveness.

Poppy nodded. "A terrible pity about Viktor Krum. But I hope she finds another wizard someday."

"That would be good." Severus remembered Helena's invitation to go for a long broomstick ride over the holiday, an invitation she had reminded him of again that morning. He had been noncommital about it. He knew that she didn't see it as a date, not a romantic one, anyway, but he didn't want Poppy to learn of it and think that the young witch was interested in him...or that he might be encouraging that interest. "She wants to try to find the magical air currents that flow by Hogsmeade and ride them over the holiday. Monday. She invited me to come with her."

"Really? That sounds as though it could be fun. There wouldn't be many owls to avoid then, either, since the Owl Post Office is closed on Easter Monday. Are you going?"

Severus shrugged. "I have not given it much thought."

"Well . . . if you think it would be safe for you...and I don't know why it wouldn't be, since it doesn't sound like the sort of circumstance the vigilante could attack you under...then I think you should go. If you would enjoy it. You should keep busy and enjoy yourself whilst I'm away."

"I kissed her." Severus stopped, mouth open. He had no idea why he'd said that. He hadn't intended to. "That is, I did, but that was all. And she's not, I'm not, that is . . . we weren't . . . it was just a, just a thing that happened. And then was over."

Poppy blinked up at him. "You kissed her? When?"

"A while ago. After you, when you and I, when we weren't seeing each other. But that's all it was. And I didn't want to do it again."

"When you went on that picnic with her?" Poppy asked.

"How did you know...no, no," Severus said, shaking his head. "Before that. The picnic was just a picnic. We're just acquaintances."

"I hope you're more than acquaintances, Severus, if you kissed her," Poppy said. She looked up at him thoughtfully and touched his face, stroking the smooth line of his jaw. "Still, if you want to go on that ride with her, do go. If you want to and you don't feel awkward about it. It's nothing I would enjoy doing, myself, since I don't enjoy riding a broom, and it's nice for you to be able to do things like that with others. So if you want to fly with Helena, you should."

"There's nothing between us. Except we may be friends. She needed someone to talk to that night. She talked about Viktor and the battle."

Poppy nodded.

"Aren't you upset?" Severus asked.

"Well, if you had kissed her this morning, I would be...presuming this was more than a friendly little peck."

Severus reddened, remembering his arousal as he'd kissed Helena, her legs wrapped around him. "I wouldn't have this morning. And wouldn't again at all."

"So, no . . . I'm not upset. I suppose once I'm over whatever it is I am feeling...this surprise or bewilderment...I should feel flattered. She is much younger and more attractive than I am."

"No, she isn't," Severus said with a vehement shake of his head. "That is, she is younger, and maybe there are things about her that are . . . I don't know, wizards do find her attractive, but you are more beautiful to me, more attractive." Severus hesitated only a moment before adding, "And kissing her only made me realise how very much I wished it had been you, how I didn't want to give up on you. That night, I became determined that I would try again with you, the right way this time."

"It wasn't exactly wrong before," Poppy said, "but I do know what you mean."

"I'm sorry, Poppy."

"For what?"

Severus shook his head.

"I don't think you have anything to be sorry for, at least not as far as this goes."

"I shouldn't have said anything."

Poppy shrugged one shoulder. "Well, you didn't have to tell me, but it's not as though I'll be telling anyone else, and it's sweet that you thought you needed to say something."

"I didn't want you to think that if I went somewhere with Helena, that it was a date, or that I was, you know, embarking on an affair . . ."

"You told me that you wouldn't have an affair with anyone else whilst we're together, and I believe you. I have never found you to be dishonest, Severus. Never. I trust that in you."

Severus snorted.

"You know what I mean, Sev. You may have lived a double life for a long time, but . . . as far as you could be, you were honest. And you've always been honest with me. I don't believe that you would tell me that if you didn't mean it. And I doubt you would have told me that you had been kissing Helena if you were planning on some kind of affair with her."

"I could have been putting you off your guard," Severus replied. "I have often used the truth to manipulate others to suit my own needs."

Poppy sat back a bit and looked at him carefully. "I don't believe you are doing that now. If I am wrong, if I am being naive . . ." She shook her head. "I won't be the one with the conscience to live with."

"But I could hurt you."

"Oh, indeed, you could, Severus. You could hurt me. But I don't think you will. Or at least, I don't think that you will do it intentionally, or that you would if you could avoid it."

"I hope this didn't hurt you, and that I didn't ruin our afternoon."

"If you want to ruin our afternoon, you'll have to work harder at it than that," Poppy said with a smile and squeezing his leg, "and believe me, I've been looking forward to this far too much to let you have an easy time of it!"

Severus nodded and pulled her slightly closer again. He thought a moment, then asked, "Did I hurt you? You didn't say."

"No, Severus. Now, if you had made mad, passionate love with her that night and then proceeded to tell me every detail of it, that might hurt...or, as I said before, if you had been kissing her recently, since we started seeing each other again, and told me about it. But don't worry," she said, giving him a light kiss on the cheek, "you didn't hurt me. It was a surprise, though, completely out of the blue!"

"It just came out. I was surprised, too," Severus said, attempting to smile. "And I have only ever made mad, passionate love with you, Poppy; you're the only one, and all that I want."

"And you're what I want, Severus."

He kissed her lips, then she leaned against him and closed her eyes. He stroked her back lightly and rested his head on hers. "I love this," she said after a while. "Just being together like this."

"So do I," Severus said. "And we haven't been interrupted once, either. It gives me hope. Probably false hope, but nonetheless, it is a pleasant sensation."

Poppy chuckled. "Do you want to see my favourite picture of you in this book?" she asked. "I'd actually like to see if Filius could get a copy for me, one that I could frame for my rooms."

"Which one?"

Poppy flipped through the pages, occasionally stopping to point out an amusing picture of students or other staff.

"Oh, here's a nice one of you and Minerva dancing together, Sev."

"You want to frame a photograph of me dancing with Minerva?"

Poppy laughed. "No! I just think it's nice. She's laughing, and you have that twinkle you get sometimes when you're tweaking someone."

"I do not twinkle," Severus said with an exaggerated shudder.

"Well, you get this, this gleam in your eyes, then, like you're being just a little bit naughty, but hoping that the person you're with might appreciate it. Like Minerva is there...do you remember what you were saying to her?"

"No. I only remember depressing her with a mention of the Dark Lord's parties." He looked at the photo again. "We might have been talking about my fallen arches."

"Fallen arches? You don't have fallen arches!"

Severus gave a crooked grin. "I did when Suzie Sefton asked me to dance."

Poppy laughed, then she laughed harder. "Oh, my, Severus, that is just too sweet!"

"It wasn't. It was highly awkward to have an eleven-year-old Spicy Girl ask me to dance. To have any student ask me to dance would have been bad enough, let alone Suzie."

"No, I mean you, Severus. You were very sweet." She reached up and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Fallen arches!" She chuckled again and turned the page. "There's Caspar dancing with Verity. You know, they might make a good couple."

"Do you think so?" Severus asked. "I don't know Lloyd particularly well, and whilst he is no fool, Vector is extremely intellectual, very intelligent. Not the sort I would see with someone like him."

"What sort do you see her with?" Poppy asked curiously.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Someone intelligent, obviously. Maybe a bit more . . . sedentary than Lloyd appears to be."

"By 'sedentary,' do you mean less sexy?"

Severus raised his eyebrows. "I didn't, but I suppose that, too. Do you think Lloyd is sexy?"

"I think most witches do. He's got that energy and athleticism, you know."

"You never said this before."

"It's not something that comes up in conversation."

"You're attracted to him?" Severus asked, a bit of nascent jealousy welling in his chest.

"Oh, mildly so. But only because he's an attractive man, not because I would actually want to do anything with him."

"Oh." Severus thought about that a moment and shrugged. "Still, I wouldn't have thought of him and Vector together."

"Who would you put Verity with? Someone like Cahill?"

"I wouldn't wish Cahill on anyone."

"He's married, you know."

Severus shook his head. "I didn't. Where's his wife?"

"Left him about twenty years ago. After their only child finished her education. She just walked out. Lived with her sister and brother-in-law for a while. I think she has a flat near Diagon Alley now. She's my age. She was in Ravenclaw."

"But they never divorced?"

Poppy shook her head. "I guess that Ezra always holds out hope that she might return to him. Not that he'd have any motivation to agree to a divorce, anyway, since I doubt there's another witch who's looked at him twice since then."

"But after twenty years of separation, surely she could get a divorce whether he agreed or not, couldn't she?" Severus wasn't very familiar with wizarding divorce laws, but he was fairly sure on that point.

"She could, but I suppose she doesn't see any benefit to it. Maybe if she wanted to remarry, then she'd go to the bother, but she told me once that her one experience of marriage was sufficient."

Severus, much as he found Cahill a grand bore, found himself feeling sorry for the man. Forever holding out hope that his wife would return to him someday, when it was apparently clear to everyone else that she wouldn't. It was pathetic.

"Poor sod," Severus said.

"He's always been socially maladroit, and no better one-on-one than he is in groups. It is rather sad, I suppose," Poppy replied. "I certainly doubt that Verity would find him attractive."

"She doesn't," Severus said.

"How do you know?" Poppy asked curiously.

"She told me."

"You discussed Cahill's attractiveness with Verity?" Poppy asked, obviously surprised.

Severus shrugged. "Not exactly. It was at the Christmas party. She said that Minerva had been caught beneath the mistletoe with Cahill, and that was why she didn't believe that Minerva was controlling it...that no witch would willingly kiss Cahill."

Poppy laughed. "It was Minerva's mistletoe, too. I think Minerva was being kind to Ezra."

"No doubt. I did not inform Vector of that, however. It was rather amusing to hear her theories."

"You knew the mistletoe was Minerva's?"

Severus nodded. "She caught me under it first, before the party when we were decorating. I asked her not to use it on me, but then during the party, that seemed more peculiar than being caught under it."

"There I was at the party, rattling on to you about the mistletoe and how it had to be Minerva doing it, and you didn't say a thing!"

"It was Minerva's amusement. You are friends. You would no doubt find out. I didn't tell anyone."

"Hmph. It certainly was her amusement."

"No one really seemed to mind. Except I hear that Flitwick was embarrassed when Dumbledore kissed him."

Poppy laughed. "He was...Pomona and Dumbledore moved at just the wrong moment, and there was Filius, stuck under the mistletoe with Albus!"

"You see, it was amusing to you, too. You are laughing."

Poppy snorted and shook her head. "I'm glad there are no photos of that party, that's all I can say."

Severus looked at her and smirked. "It was the kiss with Dumbledore that irked you most, I believe."

"I don't remember," Poppy said.

"What is a little white lie between friends," Severus said with a snort of amusement.

"All right, so it did. But I suppose Minerva had no reason to know it would bother me to have more than a little peck from Albus."

Severus looked at her, a smile growing on his face. "You didn't like it because you did like it...that's what embarrassed you about it!" He laughed. "I'd wondered why your little skit with Robbie went from canoodling on the couch to ravishing on the floor, complete with that bite mark of yours."

Poppy frowned up at him. "It isn't funny."

"No?"

"No. I just don't want to talk about it."

"That's fine." Severus smirked again.

"I never found Robert Crouch attractive."

"I can understand that."

"Not that he's a troll or anything. He simply never did anything for me. And I disapproved of Minerva seeing him...after all, how was I supposed to know it was really Albus?...but I figured that if she needed him, it wasn't my place to say anything about it."

"I understand. She would not have greeted that well, either. I tried once, and she was vehement that it was none of my business. It almost derailed the thaw in our relationship...or I thought so at the time. Now I know . . . I know that Minerva was playing a role with me then."

"That hurt you, didn't it?" Poppy asked, caressing his cheek.

Severus shrugged. "I suppose. She'd been a friend. And you know how I feel about her. So her coldness . . . I was alone. Yes, it hurt."

"And when you found out that she had been exaggerating her antipathy toward you, that must have hurt, too."

"Oddly, no. It was a relief, actually. And when she told me that, I fully expected to die. I was in no mental or emotional state to feel hurt by it then. I was more grateful for her friendship at that point, I suppose. Finding out that Robbie was Dumbledore, though, that was a shock."

"I remember. It was for me, too."

"But it must have explained why you enjoyed kissing him on the couch," Severus said with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood.

Poppy chuckled. "I suppose, though I'd never thought about kissing Albus like that, either. For obvious reasons."

"A good kisser, is he?" Severus asked.

"Why don't you have Minerva catch the two of you under the mistletoe next Christmas, and then you can tell me," Poppy said with a smirk. "I'm sure a little snogging between the two of you could be the highlight of the party!"

Severus made a face. "No, thank you! I'll simply take it on faith that he's more than adequate."

Poppy laughed. "Kiss me, Sev, now, and put thoughts of kissing Albus out of your mind...and mine!"

Severus obliged. As he kissed her, his hand wandered beneath her dressing gown and found her breast. He massaged it, then began to play with her nipple, flicking his thumb over it and rolling it between his fingertips.

"Mmmm. That's . . ." Poppy's words were cut off by another kiss, but she broke away and took hold of Severus's playful hand. "That's wonderful, and I don't even remember what we were discussing before, but we're saving that for later."

"Our interruption is overdue, though," Severus said. "Later might be too late."

Poppy shook her head. "I have greater faith than you that we won't be interrupted this afternoon. Everyone's busy with their own plans today, there are almost no students remaining in the castle, and Minerva knows not to bother us, as does Filius. They'll make sure we're undisturbed, I think."

"I suppose I will trust your instinct on this," Severus said, "but I'd rather not wait, anyway."

Poppy laughed. "You won't be waiting long! But I get to play with you this afternoon, remember. It was your turn before, and now it's mine. And a little . . . frustration can go a long way in whetting the appetite, I find!"

"You have a sadistic streak, Poppy," Severus grumped, pretending to pout.

"Oh, no, not sadistic. Merely teasing. But you will find out exactly what sort of streak I do have! I think you'll find it worth waiting for, Sev."

"And you're sure your middle name isn't 'Patience'?" Severus asked. "You do seem to appreciate that quality."

Poppy laughed. "I already told you it's not, so that guess doesn't count. You want another?"

"Poppy Prudence Pomfrey?"

Poppy made a perplexed expression and shook her head. "No, not Prudence."

"Do you have a guess for me, or have you given up yet?"

"Not at all. Severus Sebastian Snape."

"Neither of us is doing well," Severus said.

"So, not Sebastian."

"Not Sebastian, Poppy Peony Pomfrey."

Poppy laughed. "No, not Peony."

"Poppy Piety Pomfrey?"

"No fair, you took an extra turn!"

"All right, you guess again," Severus said, now hopeful that he was finally right, and certain that Poppy wouldn't guess his own middle name.

"Severus . . . let me think . . . Severus Spurius Snape."

"No! That's an terrible guess," Severus said. "What kind of awful name is 'Spurius'?"

"You keep trying to peg me with these pious-sounding names," Poppy pointed out.

"Peg!" Severus said.

"If that's a guess, it doesn't count, because you already guessed Piety, which is incorrect, so it's my turn. And I guess . . . Solomon."

"No, not Solomon," Severus said. "Peg?"

"No. I'm surprised you haven't guessed it already, to be honest," Poppy said.

"I haven't given up."

"Here, I wanted to find that picture of you that I like so well," Poppy said, putting the name game aside for the moment.

Severus nodded, but, his arm around her, he began to gently caress Poppy's side through the thin silk dressing gown. Poppy didn't object, but opened the book, which had fallen shut, and began to rapidly page through the photos.

"Here. Here's the picture, Severus...the one I'd like a copy of," Poppy said, pointing to a large photograph of the two of them dancing.

Severus looked and nodded slightly. He remembered seeing the photo the last time he'd looked through the book and noting to himself how lovely Poppy looked, despite her dowdy costume. The camera had caught them just as he had pulled her closer and looked down into her face, which lit up in a smile as he did. He gazed, mesmerised, as he watched Poppy's expression repeatedly go from one of disappointment to one of happiness as she looked up at him.

"Severus?"

"Hm? Yes, that is a good photo of you."

"And of you," Poppy said.

Severus shifted his attention from Poppy's face to his own. He'd thought he had looked the same as ever in it, except for the tan and blue eyes. Now, however, he saw that as he drew Poppy closer and looked down into her face, his own expression softened, though he couldn't be said to be smiling, precisely.

"I remember that moment," Severus said.

"You do?"

"Yes . . . I had asked Albus if I could cut in, and then I had rudely paid attention to him cutting in with Cahill to dance with Minerva, rather than paying attention to you. I remember pulling you closer and thinking you were very pretty."

Poppy laughed. "No, I wasn't. That costume made me look like I was dressed in a sack, and it was a terrible colour on me, too."

"I was thinking that if one ignored the costume, you were pretty," Severus said. "And you are. Very. Now, if instead of that one, you'd been wearing the costume that Vector had chosen, I would have also known that you are very sexy, too, and not just a pretty face and a warm heart. Especially the way she was first wearing it."

Poppy smirked. "I would hope that I'd have noticed the costume was transparent before stepping into the Great Hall, though. You know, I think Verity actually likes you."

"We have always got along all right," Severus replied.

"No, I mean that I think she likes you more than that. You might be more her type, at least now that you're not a spy any longer."

"I doubt it."

Poppy shrugged. "Well, I wouldn't be surprised, anyway."

"I would be. You're just biassed, Poppy. Not that I mind." He pushed the book off their laps and kissed her.

Poppy returned the kiss and began undoing the clasps on his over-robe. Once she had it undone, she began to push it off of him, Severus cooperating in pulling his arms from the sleeves. She unbuttoned the first few small black buttons of his under-robe, then stopped. She pushed away from Severus and blinked up at him.

"Out of that robe, Severus. Now. That and anything else you're wearing. Except your pants. You can leave those on for the time being."

Severus smirked down at her. "Full of demands today, are we?"

"My turn, Sev!"

Severus nodded, deciding to play along. She obviously had something in mind. He began to finish unbuttoning his robe.

"Stand up so I can have a good view of you," Poppy said.

Not about to stand there in just his socks and undershorts, which he thought would look more than a little ridiculous, Severus first bent and removed his thin, calf-length black socks before standing to remove his robe. He undid the buttons at his wrists, then finished unbuttoning the robe to just above the hip. He pushed it from his shoulders, and it fell to the floor, pooling at his feet. He stepped out of it. Poppy crooked her finger at him, beckoning him closer.

She untied the sash at her waist, allowing her dressing gown to fall open so that Severus had a good view of her body, then she put her hands on his thighs and drew him closer. She kissed his partially erect penis through his underpants, then stroked it with one hand as the other massaged his buttocks. She was rewarded when his cock rapidly grew and stiffened. She began to massage his arse with both hands as she gently nipped at his cock through the cotton of his pants, and Severus gasped. Poppy glanced up, and reassured that it was a gasp of pleasure, she continued teasing him with her lips and teeth.

Finally, she insinuated her hands beneath his shorts, still massaging his buttocks, and then worked them down and off. His cock sprang pleasingly forth from its confinement in Severus's black underpants, and Poppy played with the head of his cock with her tongue, spending time flicking the tip of her tongue across his slit, making him grasp her shoulders and squeeze. She closed her lips around the crown of his penis and sucked rhythmically for a moment, grasping his shaft with her right hand and squeezing. Severus moaned, and Poppy licked a circle around the head of his cock before letting go and looking up at him.

"I just wanted to get you prepared," she said with a smile and a gleam in her eyes.

"Oh, I am prepared!" Severus said. "You needn't stop now."

"We shall see. Go into the bedroom, pull down the sheets, and lie down on the bed...don't you dare cover yourself, either, or I may have to punish you!" she added with a wink.

Severus smirked.

"I'll be in in just a moment," Poppy continued. "You just settle in and wait for me."

Severus made a mock bow. "As you wish, my lady!"

"Now that's the attitude!" Poppy said with a laugh. "Keep it up, and you may be rewarded!"

As Severus drew down the bedcovers and rearranged the pillows, he heard Poppy in the bathroom, moving about, then running the water briefly. He lay down, propped himself on the pillows, and waited, wondering if he looked silly lying there naked on the white sheets, his erection prominent. He looked down at his cock and gave it a pull to stiffen it up a bit more. He thought of Poppy in the next room, and imagined her sinking down on his cock, riding him, and he gave it another pull. He closed his eyes and stroked his penis.

"Playing with yourself? So impatient that you couldn't wait for me?" Poppy asked, stepping into the bedroom from the bathroom. "At least you didn't cover yourself."

Severus smirked. "I thought being punished by you sounded intriguing, but then you mentioned rewards, and I thought I might try those first." He was somewhat disappointed that Poppy was still in her dressing gown, though she hadn't closed it back up, and it hung loosely about her, giving him an excellent view of her body.

Poppy, aware of his gaze, raised an eyebrow. "See anything you might like?"

"That snatch of yours, it's very, very tempting to a man with a hard-on."

"And your hard-on is very tempting to me," Poppy said as she approached the bed. "You will have to exercise some patience, however. And cooperate. Or there will be no rewards for you!"

The corners of Severus's mouth turned up. "I want those rewards...I am somewhat acquainted with your charms, Madam Pomfrey, and anticipate those rewards with great pleasure."

"Hmm . . ." Poppy's eyes travelled over his body as he reclined against the pillows. "Not a bad position, I suppose." She reached into her dressing gown pocket and pulled out a number of long, colourful silk scarves. "Not bad use of the pillows, either, though I can think of others." She lay the long scarves down along one side of the bed, keeping only a turquoise blue one in her hand. She took a step toward the head of the bed.

"What are you doing with that?" Severus asked.

"You shall see...or not see," Poppy replied, letting the tip of the scarf trail along his body from his balls up his cock and then over his abdomen and chest. She bent toward him and kissed his cheek. Her lips grazed his ear, and she whispered, "If you want me to stop, at any time, just say the word."

"What word?"

"What about . . . just 'word'?" She pulled back and looked down at him.

"Word?" He nodded. "All right. Unless I use it in a sentence."

Poppy smirked. "I'm trying to imagine such a circumstance whilst we're doing what we'll be doing."

With that, she brought the turquoise scarf up and swiftly covered his eyes and tied it behind his head. Severus felt her tie another scarf around one of his wrists, then the other. They pulled, and his arms were drawn up so that his arms rested against the pillows on either side of his head, bent at the elbows.. An experimental tug showed him that he had very little slack, but enough to reposition his arms slightly if they became stiff. He twitched as he felt another narrow, silky scarf tied around his erection at the base of his penis. It tightened slightly, and he gasped.

"Too much?"

Severus shook his head. He felt extremely vulnerable and incredibly aroused. He had no idea where Poppy would touch him next, but he felt her weight on the bed as she sat by his feet, then there was a warm, creamy potion on his left foot, then his right, and he felt her hands massaging his toes, the balls of his feet, his arches. Despite the fact that he didn't normally find his feet to be centres of arousal, the slow massage, alternating between firm pressure and light strokes, was beginning to feel erotic, but then her hands, and the warm potion, moved up to his calves.

As Poppy spread his legs more and began to massage his thighs, Severus anticipated the move to his groin, but then he felt her pick up the long, trailing ends of the scarf around his penis, and the scarf tightened a bit more before she let the ends flutter down onto his stomach. Her fingertips caressed his thighs and his hips, then made feather-light passes over his abdomen, nearing but never touching his deeply engorged penis, which seemed to Severus almost ready to split, he was so aroused. Then the scarf was lifted again and the ends given another tug, and he moaned.

"Oh, Merlin!" He felt the ends flutter back down onto his skin, then Poppy's fingertips began to tease his balls, and a frisson of magic shot through them, tickling them and arousing him even more. He moaned again, and then he bucked up as he felt Poppy's tongue join her fingers, teasing his sack, then wandering its way up his shaft.

When he rose up again, trying to get closer to Poppy's tantalizing tongue, she drew back, and her touch was gone.

"Ah-ah!" she said. "You must cooperate, Severus! The rewards will be all the greater."

Severus nodded. "Yes, yes, all right." He tried to relax down onto the bed, but his cock was driving him mad with desire.

"Now, what is that spell you use?"

"Which spell?"

"You know the one," Poppy said. "The one that has you coming, and coming, and coming." Severus could hear the smile in her voice.

"Well, it's a difficult one, Poppy."

She slapped his penis lightly with the end of a scarf, only arousing him further. "Tell me, Severus...unless, well . . . do you not want to?"

Severus heard the note of uncertainty in her voice. "It's not that . . . it took me a few tries to get it right. That's all."

"A few tries?" Poppy asked, intrigued. The end of a scarf trailed up the shaft of his cock and over the head of his penis. "I wish I'd been there for that."

"I didn't want to disappoint you," Severus said.

"Mmm," Poppy murmured, tickling the head of his cock with the scarf, "you couldn't disappoint me, Sev. It could have been fun, watching you getting it right, giving you a hand with it. So . . . what is the spell? Or is it just something for wizards?"

"Obviously it's for wizards, but I think that anyone could cast it." Severus hesitated only a moment, then he said, "It's Cacumen apsterrere emicatus."

"Cacumen apsterrere emicatus," Poppy repeated. "And it inhibits ejaculation but allows orgasm."

"Yes. But if it doesn't work..."

"We'll have fun trying again," Poppy said brightly. "Now, no more talking!" She slapped his cock with the scarf again, then followed it with a flick of her tongue before removing the scarf from the base of his penis and grasping the shaft firmly. "Cacumen apsterrere emicatus."

Author's Note: I hope you aren't getting out your pitchforks and torches! Rest assured that the next chapter will pick up precisely where this one left off.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!