Chapter 19

This story is an adult story. Minors, please do not read this story.

In this chapter Hermione must deal with going back to work and having Scorpius in her classroom. Severus begins his duties as a security guard.

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Severus walked her back to the classroom and gave her a kiss on the cheek since there were already students waiting by the door. He heard a few sighs from the young girls.

Hermione grinned at his alarm. "Have a good morning, Severus. I'll see you at lunch."

She watched him go down the hall and then turned to her students.

"Come in and take your seats. We'll get started shortly."

She waved her wand and the door opened and the students followed her in. She relaxed as she looked at the young faces of the 11-year-olds. This class was fun, and she felt no threat here.

She started explaining her lesson, and her first day back started.

******

Severus strolled down the hallways to get a feel for the school again. He'd had very little freedom when he'd been bound to Hermione and his wand. He enjoyed the freedom, but he missed being close enough to catch a whiff of her cologne or her shampoo.

He wanted to talk to Minerva, but he did not want to see Albus Dumbledore's portrait just yet; so he headed to Filch's office.

The old man was sitting at his desk cuddling the ancient Mrs. Norris. The cat had nearly no hair on her head. She stopped purring and turned her red eyes on Snape.

"Snape," the old man said nastily, "are you surprised to find yourself in the land of the living?"

Severus took the chair in front of the desk even though it hadn't been offered. He relaxed against the back and crossed his legs. Filch had always been on the Ministry's side of the politics around here. Why Dumbledore hadn't fired the man, he never knew.

"Yes, I am a bit surprised," he said slowly.

"I am well able to do my own job. I don't need help," the old man told him bluntly.

Severus sat up a bit straighter. "I know that, Argus." He let his voice sound bitter. "Minerva's, getting on in years and feels the strain. I guess she figures you might be having the same troubles. Anyway, this is just a place to shove me until I get a better offer here...no disrespect to your office; you do an amazing job." Best to butter up the old guy, Severus thought. "Hermione's here, and for now I'm here, too, with her."

"Madam Granger is a welcome addition to this school," Argus admitted. "She's the best lookin' woman to come along in a while, no disrespect intended," he added.

"None taken," Severus said. "Now, my main concern is keeping tabs on Scorpius Malfoy. I will not allow Hermione to live in fear. Nor do I want to be watching my back 24/7. It astounds me that he was allowed to return."

"Lucius may be in Azkaban, but Draco works at the Ministry. He has made friends there."

"Is that the reason? I was not aware of his employment," Severus said.

"People respect him." Argus got up and placed Mrs. Norris on the floor. She waved her nearly bare tail, meowed loudly, and then stalked over to her basket in the corner and crawled in.

Severus fought to not let his nose wrinkle at the smell. "I can make a potion to restore her hair and give her a few more years of better health," Severus offered.

Argus' face lit up. "I would be beholden to you, Severus." He went and got a folder stuffed with papers and offered it to Severus. "This is the information I have on the Malfoys since you vanished. You're welcome to take it and read it at your leisure. I got it all up here," he said, pointing to his brain.

Severus laughed. "I just bet you do, Argus. No one is sharper than you when it comes to security here. Just tell me what you want me to do. I will be with Hermione in her classroom during 5th hour each day. Scorpius is in that class, and I will not leave her alone, so to speak, with him."

Argus gave Severus a schedule he'd planned out, and they talked for a few more minutes. Then Severus got to his feet. "I will get that potion for Mrs. Norris to you by tomorrow," he promised. He shook the old man's hand and left.

Severus waited for the door to shut before he groaned to himself. That cat stinks to high heaven. He must be giving her something; she's little more than a rotting husk. Being nice to everyone is wearing my nerves down, but I will not cause Hermione anymore stress, he vowed as he headed for hall duty. Argus had given him the worst of duties, but he would not complain. Work was not something he had much time to think about right now. He was so focused on Hermione and helping her deal with mentally healing that the rest would be on autopilot. He would be well versed in the school security wards and hall duty by the end of the day, though he suspected little had changed. Minerva would continue to follow Albus' edicts. All the teachers had schedules to follow.

He allowed himself, for a moment, to think of Hermione's silky skin and the feel of her breast in his mouth. It was pure heaven. He shook the thoughts away; he did not want to get physically excited here the hallways of Hogwarts. Who knew when she would be ready to make love again? Being together had been a way to distance herself from the attack and give her something else to remember besides hands that hurt. He could have made love to her all weekend, but she only needed to cuddle, and so that's what they had done.

He cleared his mind of personal thoughts and refamiliarized himself with the castle. There were tiny changes here and there. Some of the castle had been rebuilt after the war. He could see the changes in the color of the walls. There were plaques on the walls giving homage to students and staff members who had given their lives. He hadn't had a chance to grieve for any of them. He'd been spared the visions of the final battle, having 'checked out' at the beginning. The deaths recorded there were little more than names...names he knew, to be sure, but names that no longer meant anything. He should feel more than he did for the boys and girls who had sat in his classes year after year. Had the stasis spell so frozen his heart so that he didn't care? Or did his heart realize that the deaths had happened years ago and the bodies were now nothing but dust?

He only felt really alive when he had his hand on Hermione, when he was looking at her, sharing stories, or simply holding her. Making love to her was like warm sunshine on the first spring day: a beautiful, alive feeling. He felt at a loss as to what to do now. He was no longer bound to her, but he wanted only to be with her. He would have to make choices. But what did he have to offer her? He was a fill-in handy man and a lowly security guard. This was a pity job. It rankled him, but he knew it was necessary right now. He had a lot to catch up on. He had to hone his magic and get in touch with himself again.

There was so much to think about that he nearly missed seeing Malfoy ahead of him in the hall going to his next class. As he watched he saw Albus and James shadowing Scorpius. He smiled. It was good to know Albus and perhaps James would also be around, now and then, to watch. As fourth- and fifth-year students and sons of Harry Potter, he would imagine both boys had a number of skills the other students hadn't been taught. He would have to ask Hermione for confirmation.

He veered off into another corridor and left the boys to their vigil.

When they met in the Great Hall for lunch, Severus was happy to see Hermione looked more relaxed. She dragged him to her classroom 15 minutes before the class was to start and locked and warded her door. She had him sit at her desk and, much to his amusement, crawled into his lap and bathed his face with kisses. Her bottom was pressing against him and making him want her.

"Hermione, if you persist, you're going to make me very uncomfortable," he told her with his silky voice.

She giggled. "A preview of tonight," she whispered against his lips.

Severus knew she was trying hard to forget that Scorpius would be sitting in her room in a few minutes. So he kissed her deeply, using his tongue to explore her teeth. When he touched her breast, she sighed and pulled back.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I need to have something to focus on if it gets too hard."

He pulled her close, and she buried her face on his hair. "I will be right here with you. Albus will be here. You will not come to harm."

She tried to relax against him; but as the minutes ticked by, it was getting harder. "Intellectually, I know that. But I'm afraid...and not only for me, but for you, Severus."

"I will take the class, Hermione. All you have to do is say the word."

She hopped off of his lap and straightened her robes. "I will not run from this boy. I have faced others more lethal than he is." Her face was full of determination.

He stood and kissed her forehead. "That's my girl. Go open the door and let the hooligans in."

Hermione took a deep breath and went to un-ward the door. Her class filed in, and Malfoy was the last to enter. He was looking at his feet, and he stopped at the door and looked up as Hermione waited patiently. She knew everyone was stealing looks at them. Severus stood at the head of the class.

"Madam Granger," the boy finally choked out, "I am sorry."

Hermione felt her legs trembling under her robe, and she sucked her breath in silently. "Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. Please take your seat."

The boy didn't smile, and she saw the flash of hatred still in his eyes as he went past her and sat at the back desk by himself.

She walked a bit unsteadily up to the front of the classroom, and Severus passed her to take a position in the back near Scorpius. His fingers slid over hers, and she felt encouraged.

"Now take your books out and turn to page 75. Today we will be brewing Befuddlement Drought."

With that, the lesson started. Hermione pushed her fears into the back of her mind and taught her class.

When the last student, which was Albus, filed out of the room, he gave her a thumbs up, and she smiled back at him.

She locked and warded the door, and Severus came and held her close. He could feel her body trembling a bit.

"You did wonderfully, my dear. No one would have guessed you were nervous," he encouraged her.

She laughed. "I'd like a stiff drink."

Severus, who had used alcohol much of his life to dull the pain of his existence, hoped to keep her from going down that avenue. "I can think of a few more pleasant distractions that will relax you." He waggled his fingers at her. "I have these magic fingers that can stimulate the body and make you forget about the world around you. How about a massage later on? I promise it can be one you will never forget."

She laughed at his gestures. "That sounds wonderful, Severus. I'll look forward to it. Now, I best get that door open for 6th hour, and you'd best get on to your other duties."

He pressed a kiss to her neck and gave her a scowl. "Other duties..." He headed for the door. "Oh, I promised Argus a restore potion for his cat. That thing has got to be 50 years old."

She laughed. "Forty-six to be exact. But she's like his partner, and I really think he lives because she keeps living."

"Well he needs a Dorian Grey Portrait then; neither of them are getting any prettier," he joked as he left the room. He was happy to hear Hermione's laughter behind him as the students sidled past him and entered the room.

****

Severus was heading down a north wing hall when he caught sight of Minerva. He ran to catch up with her.

"Minerva," he said angrily, "what possessed you to put Scorpius back in Hermione's room? Do you know what it's doing to her?"

Minerva glared at him. "It wasn't my idea. The minister himself told me I had to do it."

"I don't like the idea of that. Are we still on a different side from the Ministry?" he asked. He really hadn't had the time or inclination to figure out what was going on in the world since he'd gotten back.

"There has been a shift in their politics that doesn't always match with the Order." She made her way slowly down the corridor, and Severus tried to match steps with her. "Order members are keeping a very sharp eye on the minister."

"Who is it? Is it someone I know?" he asked, slipping his hand against her elbow to give her some support.

She turned a bit and looked him in the face with a look of distaste. "Percy Weasley."

"Percy. He's a prat. How did he get the job?" he asked in disgust.

"He worked his way up the ladder. He seemed to have turned back to his family's side at the end of the war. Yet sometimes I think he has his own agenda, and heaven knows what that is," she said as they reached the gargoyle that led to her office. "Do you want to come up?"

"No," Severus said adamantly. "I have no desire to look the old Bastard in the eye just yet. The memory of all the pain is still too fresh."

Minerva nodded. "I don't blame you. I gave him a piece of my mind when I figured it out. Hermione hasn't mentioned she knows," she observed, stepping up onto the first step with Severus' help.

"She knows, but we haven't had the time to discuss it yet." He felt bad that they hadn't discussed it. He was a bit surprised that she had figured it out and really hadn't said much. "She's had other concerns. Have a good afternoon, Minerva. I'd best get back to my rounds." He gave her a slight bow and grabbed the lapel of his cloak; swirling around, he headed at a fast clip down the hall with his robes billowing behind him.

Minerva watched him with a smile. "Chocolate cheesecake," she said, and the stairs began to revolve.

At the end of class that day, Hermione and Severus walked hand in hand to the dinning hall. After dinner, they went to the classroom, and Severus carefully mixed the potion for Mrs. Norris. Hermione kidded him about buttering up Filch; but secretly, she was very proud of him.

****

Finally the day was done, and they were behind closed doors. They took a hot bath together, and then Severus dried them with his wand. He carried Hermione to the bed and asked her to lay face down. He got some lavender oil and kneeled on the big bed beside her and gently started to rub her shoulders and back. He ran his hands down her arms and he even oiled her fingers. He rubbed her shoulders until the knots were worked out. She lay under his hands groaning with pleasure as he worked on her tense muscles. He went over her back carefully, feeling each muscle and making sure it was soft and relaxed. Then he moved to her lower back and then her legs...

"Hey, you skipped a part there," she complained in sexy voice filled with desire.

He grinned and chuckled. "I wasn't sure you wanted to go there tonight." He slid his hands over her buttocks in warm, soothing circles.

"You promised," she said with a faint pout.

"I did," he said, leaning in to kiss the small of her back.

He kneaded her buttocks a bit and then ran his hands back up over her shoulders and down the length of her body all the way to her feet. He stood at the end of the bed and oiled her feet, and then as he moved up her body, he crawled into the bed and straddled her feet. Then he worked his way up her body with his mouth, kissing her as he went.

She giggled a bit as he tickled her with his hair, as be bent over her, and she groaned with pleasure as he continued kissing her. Finally, he urged her to flip over. She held out her hands and begged some oil. He was straddling her hips now, and she ran her hands over his chest and around to his back. He bent forward and then back with each stroke of his hands.

His hands reverently slid over her breasts, and he was fascinated watching the tips firm and become hard under his fingers. He bent and captured her mouth, sliding down a bit so his bottom nearly touched her knees. She ran her hands over his face and buried them in his hair, urging him down to her breasts. He sucked one into his mouth, slowly teasing it until she arched against him. Then he moved to the other one as his hands roamed lower, slipping into her warm depths. They shifted, and she spread herself to allow him to slide between her legs. He kissed his way down over the flat of her stomach, and placing her knees over his shoulders, he plunged into her warm, wet center. His tongue drove her into a frenzy, and she bucked against his face, her fingers still buried in his hair, urging him deeper. He took her nub and sucked hard, and she screamed out her pleasure as her body jerked against him. He released her legs and pulled her into his arms

"Don't you want more, Severus?" she asked.

She could feel him hard against her belly.

"Only if you want more, my love. I am content."

She reached down with her oiled hand, and soon he found release against her palm. They cleaned up with their wands and then slipped under the warm covers and let themselves sleep.

Lisa, thank you for getting this to me so quickly. You're a gem. I can't do this without you.

Becky, thanks for your feedback.