Chapter 2: A Time to Be Together

Here is Chapter two. I hope you enjoy it. I would not leave me alone until it as written. Please let me know what you think about this chapter. I really appreciate your reviews.

Hermione stood anxiously staring out of the window of the kitchen into the small, enclosed backyard of her cottage. For four days, she had been standing at the same place, at the same time, watching the same spot. Five days ago, she had sent an owl to Severus inviting him to come to the cottage in France for the rest of the summer. She'd sent a Portkey made of a tiny, metal heart. It was set to activate each day at 4 p.m. for one week. If he hadn't come by then, she would know that he'd changed his mind about wanting her. Granted they had agreed to wait the four years she went to the university. If he'd decided to hold her to the agreement, why hadn't he sent an Owl back? The first day he hadn't come, she'd told herself that he had to tie up loose ends. He had things he did at Hogwarts during the summer to prepare for the next year. On the second day, though unshed tears had burned in her eyes, she'd told herself the same thing. On the third day, she had sat on the floor by the fireplace and cried. Her chest was heavy, and her eyes were burning with tears; she was trying to hold them back even now. Maybe he'd decided that those few minutes in his office were an old man's dream, and he didn't want to hold her back. But didn't he realize she would never get a better offer than his? He was the best.

What if he was so afraid that he'd be hurt again that he'd crawled back into that dark shroud he wore as tightly about himself as he did his cloak and robes? For a man so closed off, his pain flowed out of his eyes like a dark beacon.

Hermione's tears started to slip down her face, and she nearly turned from the window when suddenly he was standing there among her flowers and vines. He was wrapped in his cloak and had a small traveling bag over his shoulder. He looked hopeful and scared at the same time.

Hermione was already moving to the back door and throwing it open. "Severus!" she cried before throwing herself at him.

"Hermione." He groaned as he buried his face in her hair. She was sobbing.

"I thought you weren't coming," she gasped, trying to catch her breath.

"I almost didn't." His lips captured hers for a searing kiss. He smirked at her. "We did agree to wait for you to finish school." His voice was deep and hoarse with emotion.

He picked her up and held her against his body. Then he carried her into the small cottage, dropping his bag inside the door.

"I couldn't bring myself to tell you no, but I couldn't make myself come until the pain of staying became overwhelming. I'm sorry."

He ignored the kitchen and went into the parlor. A small, stuffed love seat sat close to the fireplace, and they tumbled back into it. His mouth devoured hers. He tasted her salt tears as well as the sweetness that was Hermione. He'd dreamed of her every night since she'd left Hogwarts a week ago.

Those minutes of their goodbye had seemed unreal. When he'd gotten the owl, he'd spent hours holding the note and staring at the words. If he came, he knew he would lose himself in her. She would consume who he was and change him into someone he did not know. Finally, he decided that wouldn't be such a bad thing.

He groaned against her lips as their tongues dueled, and their lips became bruised with their need to become a part of each other.

He'd had so little affection in his life that he was starved for it. He could not imagine why this beautiful, young woman wanted him. He'd been so afraid he would arrive and be rejected that he'd buried himself in his work and brewed potions Poppy needed for the infirmary. He'd tried hard not to think of the softness of Hermione's skin or the pressure of her tight little bum seated in his lap.

He'd realized the third day that he would go. He was drowning in his need for her. He'd finished and bottled the potions and had informed Minerva he was taking the rest of the summer off to travel. She'd been delighted. Had she seen the changes in him? Yet, he felt that if she knew where he was going, her smile would become a grimace and tighten into a hard, stiff line with disapproval. Bloody Hell, he might agree with her. Hermione was still a child in some ways, certainly compared to his age and life experiences. No matter what, she would always be 20 years his junior. But he'd come anyway. The need inside was trying to claw its way through his chest. He'd finally swallowed his fear and had packed and come. He knew that if rejection came, as he surely believed it would, he would never allow his emotions freedom again. But the chance to really be with her and have her surrender her body to him finally had outweighed his reservations. She was too young to know her heart, wasn't she? She would go to school and find another man, a younger one. But for now, she would be his and fill his dreams for years to come in a way no one else ever had.

*****

Hermione felt his strong arms go around her as she had jumped at him. She'd buried her face in his neck. The feel of his soft hair enveloped her, and the warmth of his body and skin made her body sing.

"Severus," she whispered as she felt him gather her into his arms, and then he was carrying her into the cottage through the kitchen before falling into a heap with her onto the sofa. Their lips and tongues danced, and Hermione remembered his taste: spices and musk. She buried her fingers into his hair. She felt one of his hands cup her bum, and the other caressed her breast through the thin fabric of her half shirt. His fingers grazed the flesh on her stomach, and she felt butterflies and an ache between her legs. His hand slipped into her hair, and he held her closer as their kisses got even deeper.

He finally broke the kiss and sighed. "Hermione, are you sure you want this? Lust and desire fade." He pressed his forehead against hers, stealing a kiss now and then as his words came out haltingly.

Hermione could feel him trembling, so she tightened her grip on his. "I will not change my mind. I am a woman of my word. You cannot know how much a part of me you are. What happened in your office overwhelms me with feeling. It is lust, desire, certainly, but it's also belonging. When you kissed me, you became part of my soul. Didn't you feel it, Severus?"

"Yes," he admitted, drawing her closer. "The last few days have been torture. Complete agony. I was conflicted."

"Afraid," she filled in for him.

"Yes," he admitted. "Love has never been kind to me. Yet, I desire it with all my heart. I thought it would be best to let you go to school. If you'd found someone and your life changed, I would not have let myself become a part of you. It would have been a dream, and I was used to that."

Hermione pulled back. "I want you, Severus." She looked deep into his eyes. "I want you," she stressed again. She captured his lips again.

He growled with his need of her and got to his feet and picked her up. He'd spied the bedroom loft above their heads when he'd thrown his head back to let her kiss his neck earlier. He carried her up the stairs. Once inside the loft, he set her down on the carpeted floor. Hermione stood watching him with her big brown eyes, and her desire made him hard. He undid his cloak and tossed it onto a nearby chair.

He watched her eyes widen when she took in the white Muggle shirt. His two top buttons were undone, giving her a glimpse of his chest and dark curly hair. Her eyes slid down, taking in the sleeves of his shirt, which were unbuttoned at the cuffs and folded up to his elbows. Then her eyes lingered a moment over the black denim jeans that fit tightly over his body, then lower to pass over a rather large bulge in his jeans.

She giggled. "You are happy to see me."

"Quite," he said. He felt a blush rise into his neck and face, and he knew that the scars on his neck would deepen in color and become more obvious. He saw pain flash in her eyes as her eyes registered what she was seeing. He expected her to back away. His neck and throat were distorted by the scar tissue from Nagini's bite.

His eyes widened when she reached up and continued to undo the buttons on his shirt. Then she leaned in and kissed the scarlet scars. She turned her cheek and laid her cool skin against his heat.

Any remaining doubts he had about her fled as her tongue traced the scars and her lips caressed him gently.

She pushed the shirt back, baring his shoulders, and she leaned in to kiss his clavicle. She heard him draw in a near silent breath as her fingers slid over his chest, and she felt him relax under her touch. Hermione realized her acceptance of his scars helped him to trust her feelings.

Severus reached to free her from the little top she wore. It was half a shirt that left her stomach bare; only two buttons held it together between her breasts. He pushed the shirt back and freed her arms with a tug.

Hermione looked up into his eyes; her heart was beating fast at being exposed to him, and excitement coursed through her veins. He had an almost adolescent stare, almost a look of worship as he stared at the tops of her exposed breasts; the tips were covered by the sheerest of black lace. He leaned down, and she felt his lips touch the top of one breast and then the other. She arched her back, raising her chest, and he took one lace-covered tip in his mouth and sucked. She moaned with pleasure.

Encouraged that his actions were bringing her pleasure, he fumbled and then unhooked her bra and dropped it on the floor. She closed her eyes and buried her fingers in his hair as he took her bare nipple into his mouth, sucking and nipping the tip into a hard pink nub.

"Beautiful, Hermione," he whispered against her.

She urged him to rid himself of his shirt, and he pulled it quickly away. Hermione led him to the bed and pushed him to sit on the edge. She went to her knees and pulled off his boots and socks. Then she tugged at his belt, releasing the buckle, and pulled it free of the loops and set it aside over his boots.

He watched her as she undressed him, thinking, I've died and gone to heaven.

She pulled him to his feet and tugged the buttons open. His fingers pulled the snap and zipper open on her jeans. Taking turns, they slid the jeans off each other. Standing a little apart, they looked each other over. Severus squirmed under her gaze; no one had ever looked at him in this state of nakedness. He wore only a pair of black silk boxers with serpents in silver woven into them. He thought she might laugh at them, but she stepped forward and ran her hands over his chest, feeling the many scars there.

"You're exquisite," she breathed as her fingers traced one scar after another. "Scars of sacrifice and scars of love, Severus. That's what I see."

She urged him to kiss her, and he pulled her hard against his chest. They gasped as flesh pressed against naked flesh.

Severus picked her up again and turned and placed her near the middle of the bed. He climbed in, kneeled next to her, and gently pulled her knickers off and drew them down over her thighs, freeing her legs. He suddenly laughed with abandon. The sound was amazing to Hermione's ears. She watched as he twirled her panties on his index finger. Then pulling the elastic, he slingshot them across the room; neither saw them land. Hermione held her arms out to him, and he covered her body with his. Hermione slid her hands under the waistband of his boxers and gave him a squeeze.

"Hermione," he growled, feeling things he'd never felt before.

Severus helped her take the boxers off, and then they were naked. Flesh against flesh. Breasts to breasts, hips to hips, legs entwined. Hands and mouths explored each other hungrily: a nip here, a kiss there. Caress after caress, they learned each other's pleasure points.

Severus slid his fingers into the little triangle of curls and found her wet and ready for him. She moaned, arching herself against his fingers.

Hermione felt his hard shaft pressed tightly between then. He shifted, and she slipped a hand between them and slid her fingers over it. She took him in her hand, and he arched, pressing himself against her fingers. "Hermione," he groaned.

"Please, Severus, I want to feel you in me. Now!"

She didn't have to tell him twice; with her help to guide him, he moved into position and slowly pressed himself into her hot, moist heat. It was bliss. Then he realized there was a barrier. His Hermione was a virgin. He would cause her pain.

Then she pressed herself hard toward him, and he broke through and slid deeper. She didn't cry out from pain, but wrapped her legs tightly around him, drawing herself even deeper. "Oh, Severus, you feel wonderful," she cried out.

Encouraged by the fact that she didn't seem to hurt, he began to move, creating a rhythm that threatened to strip their sanity away with the complete uncontrolled passion that swept over them both like a tidal wave.

Hermione slipped over the edge first. Her passionate cries and the spasms of her vaginal walls around him drove him over the edge, and he spilled his seed deep into her.

Severus collapsed onto her, and she held her tightly. Their hearts beat against each other's chest.

Severus kissed her gently as he calmed and caught her breath. "You are a slice of heaven, Hermione. I have never felt so accepted and cared for in my whole life."

She released his hips, and he rolled to his back, afraid his weight was too much for her. He drew her half across his chest. "That was amazing," she said, still trying to calm her breathing.

"Only amazing?" he teased.

"Amazing, fantastic, stupendous." She laughed, pressing kisses against the tip of his nose.

He sobered. "You should have told me it was your first time. I had no idea."

"Would it have made a difference?" she said, looking down into his face.

"No, I guess not, but I would have been more nervous. Hermione..." he said softly.

"Yes," she whispered, placing kisses over his eyelids.

"It was my first time too," he admitted, ashamed that he had still been a virgin at his age.

Her eyes flew open, and she pulled away and bound across the room.

Severus was horrified for a moment, but then he realized that she had retrieved her wand and two small vials. She came and crawled back into the bed and waved her wand over them; she spoke the words of an ancient spell. The fluid from their combined lovemaking collected and mixed. She divided it and filled to two small, heart-shaped vials.

She held the vials up, and he watched as the fluid inside each vial began to glow. Then it shimmered into a powder, sparkling into silver and gold dust. It was one of the rarest of potion ingredients.

Few knew how to collect it and store it into a magical stasis field that would produce the end result. She was grinning like a child with an amazing secret. "I had no idea you were also a virgin. I found a rare book in London, and this spell was in it." She began to describe her research.

Severus laughed, taking the bottles from her fingers and setting them on the table next to the bed. "You are a treasure." He gathered her to him. "A woman after my own heart."

"I'd better be, because I've given you my heart and I claim yours," she said with all seriousness as she gazed into his eyes.

"You have my heart; it's yours. It was yours in my office at Hogwarts." He slipped his fingers into her hair, guiding her closer for another kiss. "What will you do with the crystals?" he asked curiously.

"I'm going to attach a chain to each vial and wear one around my neck. I hope you will wear the other one."

"But if people see..."

"What if they do? Muggles will think it gold and silver dust or sand. Some Wizarding people, too. Those of our people who know what it means will envy us. This could save our lives, Severus. It will put a stopper on death, but only for you and me."

Severus drew her back into his arms. "You're amazing: We make love for the first time and you still have the clarity of mind to collect rare, precious potion ingredients to help us in the future. I will be proud to wear it, Hermione. That's my girl," he said, hugging her close.

Hermione beamed. "Finally, a compliment about my knowledge."

Hermione lay on her side against him; one arm was around his waist, and her cheek was pressed into the cleft of his shoulder. She could feel his hand stroking her hip.

"There will be no stopping us when we are a team," she ventured.

"None at all," he agreed as they slipped into a deep, peaceful sleep.

The summer would end and there would be more goodbyes, but for now they could sleep peacefully in each other's arms.

Lisa, thank you. Your amazing Beta work allows me to keep writing. You are very much appreciated.