Kisses and More

A/N: I could give you an amazingly long list of excuses. The truth is I just couldn't seem to get this chapter right. I wrote three versions and was never satisfied.

I know it's boring to listen to that, so here you go.

Chapter Sixteen – Kisses and More

When Hermione woke the next morning, she felt disoriented for a moment before she became aware of her surroundings. She was indeed back at number twelve, Grimmauld Place.

It surprised her to feel a little sad about it. Hadn't she longed to be back here with Harry and Ron just yesterday? It seemed like a lifetime ago. Now that she and Severus had worked out their differences, she was afraid of what the change of scenery would bring. She had been miserable in the days she'd separated herself from him – hidden herself, more like.

She turned to the dark-haired man snoring softly next to her. The sound was comforting. Ever so slowly her hand travelled over his newly-healed skin, coming to rest over his heart. The rhythm was stable and unhurried. She sighed softly.

"Checking to see if I'm still alive, witch?" came the sleepy baritone of her companion.

"Hm, quite. How do you feel?"

"My head is a bit woozy. Other than that I feel surprisingly well. You?"

"I wasn't hurt much to begin with," she lied. At his imploring glare, she conceded that Bill had taken care of her bleeding shoulder immediately after the Death Eaters were taken care of. They had gotten the two men, while Bellatrix had fled.

Severus shifted in the bed until he had a clear view of the affected shoulder. Carefully he rolled up the short sleeve and peered at it. A thin whitish scar was stretching across the soft skin.

Without thinking, he bent his head to press his lips against it.

Hermione felt her heart give an involuntary leap. This gentle show of affection was so much more intimate than the heated kisses they had shared in the lab.

She was unsure what she should do. Initiate a real kiss? She wanted to but didn't have the courage. Back at his home she would probably have done it, but here?

Hermione was both relieved and disappointed when her growling stomach spoiled the moment. She got up as casually as she could and excused herself to take a shower.

~o~o~o~

The moment Hermione pushed open the kitchen door she was hugged and kissed by her two closest friends.

"We were so worried," Harry told her.

"Yeah, we thought you were dead," Ron added. "Moody refused to send people looking for you. Mind you, Bill and Charlie did anyway."

"Where have you been?" Harry asked his green eyes full of concern.

"I... was in hiding... and..." Hermione didn't quite know how to answer. They wanted to reassure them, but she couldn't tell them about Severus. They'd never understand. Luckily, Bill came to her rescue once again.

"She was quite safe," he assured the boys. "The moment she got hold of a post owl, she sent a letter to us. We retrieved her yesterday."

"But Pomfrey said you were too exhausted to speak to us yesterday," Harry accused. "Why would that be if you weren't injured or anything?"

"It was quite stressful," Hermione quickly said. "Never knowing if you are going to be discovered..." She trailed off, making sure to look cast her eyes down as if in remembrance of something bad.

The boys seemed satisfied and didn't probe.

They settled around the breakfast table and chatted as if the last few months had never transpired. When they were alone in the kitchen, Harry started another line of conversation entirely. He filled Hermione in about the Horcruxes they had discovered and the difficulties they had in breaking the wards.

"Are you absolutely sure that it is a Horcrux?" Hermione asked for the umpteenth time.

"Positive," Harry answered.

"Maybe we should look through the book Dumbledore mentioned," Hermione, ever the bookworm, suggested. "Can you remember the title?"

"It was 'Discovering...' something by Grommet or the like," Ron said.

"'Discovering the Light' by Boris Grommet?" Hermione asked puzzled. "That's a book about forms of magical lighting. Are you sure, Ron?"

"It was something like that," Harry agreed.

"Maybe you can cast a spell that would light all the things that hold dark magic," Ron surmised.

"Hm, I don't think it will hurt if we read through it," Hermione said. "This house has a decent library; we could see if there is a clue in one of the books. Oh, and McGonagall could get us some from Hogwarts."

Ron groaned. No school, but he still had to pour over old books. Well, it was for the greater good.

"May I take a look at the award?" Hermione asked.

"Sure, it's...," Harry broke of abruptly as the door opened and Arthur entered with Ginny.

"Hermione!" the female redhead squealed. "It's so good to see you. I had to spend the last couple of days with Fleur. God, that was horrible."

Hermione laughed along with her. It was good to be back, after all. Her friends were here, and she had research to look forward to.

~o~o~o~

It had been three days since they had arrived at headquarters, and he hadn't seen anything of Hermione since the morning after their arrival.

He felt the withdrawal like an addict who needed his next fix. She was his drug – his one craving. Never in the last twenty-plus years had he felt that lonely. He watched the minutes tick by on the old clock over the door. Dinner would be over soon. That meant Molly would come up with his meal.

Severus had asked her about what Hermione was doing whenever she entered his room. The woman was normally quite chatty, which he found incredibly annoying, but she remained tight-lipped. All she would say was that Hermione was fine.

'Of course she doesn't tell me anything. Why should she? I'm a murdering Death Eater who kidnapped a young woman to have his way with her.' He snorted. He was a prisoner in this house, nothing more. It was a nice warm prison, with good food, yes – but a prison it was, nevertheless.

The door creaked open slowly, and a heavily laden tray came into view.

"Put it on the table," he huffed. "I'll eat it later."

"I thought," came Hermione's soft voice, "that you'd be happy to see me." She sounded sad and confused.

The moment the chocolate eyes he so loved came into view, Severus was off the bed. He took the tray and placed it on the dresser by the door. He enveloped Hermione in his arms and mumbled an apology for his harsh tone.

The door was shut securely before he let her to the chair closest to the window.

"I missed you," he said, brushing a hand over her wild curls. "What have you done for the last few days; why haven't you come to see me?"

"Harry and Ron are trailing me like dogs do their master," she stated more angrily than she wanted. It was hard for him, she knew, and it wasn't that she hadn't missed him. Seeing his hurt look, she added in a gentler voice: "It was too dangerous, Severus." She reached out her hands to take hold of his. "They can't find out you are here, not yet."

He nodded in understanding and retrieved his meal. Taking the seat opposite her, he started to eat. Neither talked for a long while.

When the last morsel was consumed, Hermione moved to take the tray. "I'll try bringing you something to read tomorrow, but I can't promise it."

"Don't go," Severus said covering her hands with his.

"Severus, I..."

"Hermione, I'm going mad in this place. Can't you at least stay here with me tonight?"

"But Ginny would know I wasn't in bed."

"Just tell her you needed some privacy. Your friends think this is an unused bedroom, don't they? Why shouldn't you stay here?"

"I had a hard day, Severus. I'm no good company for you tonight. I'm knackered. The moment I lay down I'll fall asleep." A huge yawn followed her statement.

"Then sleep. Just stay here. Don't leave."

Hearing the desperation in his voice, Hermione gave in; she had no energy to fight. She needed rest badly. Without a word, she pulled off her shoes and climbed into the bed. It was so soft and smelled deliciously male and so familiar. Her eyes closed.

Minutes later, she vaguely registered the mattress dipping behind her. The unbelievable warmth at her back was welcome, and so she snuggled closer. A strong masculine hand began stroking her belly and hip, lulling her into a deep slumber.

~o~o~o~

It became their routine. Every evening Hermione would return to Severus' room and spend the night with him. They easily settled back into the friendly companionship they had shared at Spinner's End.

Her friends had accepted the excuse that she needed time alone, without much protest. Harry understood her well and managed to get Ron to at least keep his comments to himself. Strangely enough, it was Ginny who was not happy with it. She had even gone and informed her mother.

Molly didn't like it, but she had resigned herself to the fact that Severus and Hermione had formed a bond over the time they'd stayed together. With a smile that didn't reach her eyes, she informed her daughter that at 18, Hermione was an adult and could therefore do as she pleased.

It was not the real reason she allowed it, Hermione knew. Molly was, more often than not, still even ordering her older children around as if they were six years old. Hermione wouldn't look that particular gift horse in the mouth, though.

In the last two weeks, the dynamics in her relationship with Severus had shifted. They had started kissing each other good night every evening. It felt so natural, and she couldn't really tell who had initiated it. The good-night kisses lead to good-morning kisses, to kisses they shared just because they were together.

~o~o~o~

Angrily, Hermione stormed into their shared bedroom one early evening and flung herself facedown onto the bed. With an amused expression, a black eyebrow cocked in question, Severus crossed to the bed.

"Did you run in to Umbridge?" he asked deadpan. He carefully pulled off her shoes and socks.

"Moody," came the muffled reply.

"You want to talk about it?" Severus moved his hands up and down her legs.

"No," she said rolling over to face him. "The man is a menace. Apparently he wants to start some kind of recruiting program. Can you believe that? So much for the Order being a secret organisation."

"Mad-Eye has never been a fit leader," Severus agreed, starting to unbutton her cardigan. "But, it is no use raging about it. You can't teach an old kneazle new tricks."

Hermione smiled at the mention of a kneazle. She was overjoyed when Harry and Ron had informed her that Crookshanks had been rescued.

"When you smile, I love you even more." The words slipped out before he could help himself. His hands stilled – he wanted to slap himself. Before he could withdraw, however, Hermione had grabbed his collar and was drawing his face down to hers. Their lips crushed together. At first, it was awkward because Severus wasn't expecting the move. But as her lips worked slowly against his own, he started to relax into it.

"I love you too," she confessed against his lips.

"Gods," he gasped, wrenching his lips away from hers. His hands went back to their previous task. Layer after layer their clothes vanished until they encountered nothing but skin under their fingertips.

With light touches, he started exploring her body. He was mesmerized by its softness. Every contour was committed to memory. Had it ever been like this?

Hermione was surprised by how much she needed his touch. She could quite keep up with him. Severus didn't seem to mind, though.

Soon, she felt his tongue join his hands. He kissed and licked his way from her throat to her breasts, toying with the soft, rosy-peaked flesh while his hands caressed her belly, hips, and thighs. Only moments later, Hermione's hands were grasping fistfuls of his hair, drawing him back up to meet her lips with his. She couldn't take more of this teasing. She needed him.

Carefully, he positioned himself, and at her nod of permission, he completed their joining. For endless moments, they stayed wrapped around each other, unmoving in silent awe. Slowly, Hermione's hands made their way from Severus' neck, over his back, down to his hips. She stroked his firm buttocks with one hand and nudged his hips with hers. Severus raised his dark head from its resting place on her right shoulder and pulled out just halfway before sinking back into the warmth of the woman he loved. He established a slow rhythm, listening intently to the changes in her breathing, the little whimpers and growls she emitted now and then.

Only their hips moved as they kept their bodies pressed together as closely as humanly possible. Having picked up tempo, the two lovers were rapidly hurling towards the edge, their groans and moans mixing together. Hermione turned her head to softly bite Severus' shoulder. The added sensation proved to be his undoing and with a soft growl Severus let himself go.