Ten

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I make no money here.

AN: This story was written for the 2010 ss/hg_exchange as a gift for lady_karelia. Many thanks to my wonderful betas, dreamy_dragon73 and Clairvoyant.

She awoke alone the next morning and couldn't help but reflect on what had occurred. The night before might have been a turning point in their relationship.

Still, she couldn't stop arguing with the voices in her head. The man I knew at Hogwarts, Severus the teacher, was harsh and hard, unyielding. He could be brutal; with just a look or a few words, he could eviscerate a person. Then the other voiced piped up. But Severus the Order member, the spy, he was brave and daring, going willingly into danger again and again. That Severus was worthy of trust and admiration. And the Severus I've gotten to know these last few days was all together different: pleasant, and dare I say, nice... even friendly at times. He's so far removed from the war and the hardships of living under Voldemort's thumb. And last night, he was so tender and comforting and gentle. I never would have believed that of him. But the other voice came back with a vengeance to argue, Yet, how can I just forget that he was so cruel to me that first night? The things he said were so hurtful, so very much like the Snape I knew years ago at Hogwarts. How can I be sure? How can I trust him? And isn't that the most essential thing for the triad? What should I do? I'm afraid.

Unsure of herself and unable to resolve the argument with the voices in her head, she decided to go and talk to Little Anne and seek her advice. Just as she was getting ready to go into town, a knock came at her door. Surprised, she opened the door to find Little Anne standing there.

"Little Anne, what a coincidence, I was just coming to see you. What brings you out here today?" said Hermione with a smile, pleased to see the little Indian woman.

"I had a feeling you needed someone to talk to, so I came to see you," she replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Well, you're right," said Hermione, "I'm so glad you're here. Sit down, and I'll make some tea."

"Tell me what troubles you, eniwik nigig."

"It's Severus. I have to make a decision, a choice. There is something that needs to be done, and Severus, Lucius and I are the only ones who can do it. But for us to join together in this... umm... project, there needs to be complete trust between us. If there isn't, it just won't work. I want to trust him, but I'm not sure if I can. I'm afraid, Little Anne."

"You do not think migizi is trustworthy?"

"It isn't that exactly. I have known him a long time; he was my teacher. He was very harsh, very strict, but I respected him then. I trusted him. Then something happened, and everyone believed that he had betrayed his friends; it seemed that way at least. But actually, he was working... undercover, I suppose is a good way to describe it. So, in the end, even though he had been forced to do awful things, it was his actions that turned everything around. When I learned what he'd done, the sacrifices he'd made, I admired him greatly."

"Nigig, I already know about the grey-beard and the snake-man."

"Oh... well... okay then. When I came here with Lucius, looking for Severus, I was excited to meet him again after nearly seven years. I thought he'd died, you see. So, when we got here and found him, I was looking forward to getting to know him as an adult. But we got off to very bad start, which you were unfortunate enough to witness, I'm afraid. Anyway, I know I said some things I shouldn't have, but I was tired and cranky and embarrassed because he'd seen me naked in the bathtub. It was not my brightest hour.

"But the things he said to me angered and hurt me. I felt like that little schoolgirl again, and he was still just as harsh and cruel as he'd been back then. I had thought since we were older we would relate on a different level, and suddenly I felt like a little first year back at school. And he said I was a nag and inadequate and basically that no man would ever want me, or at least that's what it felt like he was saying. And if that's what he really felt... if he still feels that way, how can I put my trust in him, Little Anne? How can I know for sure what to do?"

Little Anne took Hermione's hand in hers and looked into her eyes. "You must talk to him, nigig. I cannot tell you how he feels; only he can do that. But is it not possible that just as you were tired and cranky and embarrassed he was as well? He had been up all night with the boys, boiling the sap. He was tired, and knowing the boys, probably a bit hungover, and he walked in on you and was shocked. You were probably the last person he expected to find here. So, maybe just like you, he said things he shouldn't have. But before you judge him based on those words, words said in anger, talk to him. It is the only way to find out."

Hermione threw her arms around the old woman and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, Little Anne, for listening to me whine and for such good advice. I will talk to him, I promise."

~

Severus stayed out all day. He didn't even return for lunch. This worried Hermione. Was he regretting his actions of the night before? Would he return to the cabin and revert to being cool and distant towards her?

She tried to act normally...or as normal as possible...while it felt like the butterflies in her stomach were trying to escape. She worked on some of her theoretical Arithmancy projections to keep herself occupied throughout the afternoon. Then she made dinner alone.

When Severus arrived, he seemed subdued, and although he didn't ignore her, neither did he seem to want to engage her in conversation. This led Hermione to worry further that he was regretting their interlude. After eating, she decided to address the issue head on.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione forged ahead. "Are you sorry that you showed me comfort and kindness last night?"

"No, of course not," he replied, looking up. He seemed surprised. "Is that what you think? I was afraid you might have thought my actions too forward."

"No, Severus. I very much appreciated your support. For a long time I've had only Harry to share my fears and nightmares with. Sometimes I feel very alone."

He frowned slightly. "I know the feeling."

"I'm sure if anyone could understand, it would be you. You have been alone for so very long, Severus."

Hermione decided now was the time to lay the cards on the table and ask what needed to be asked.

"Listen, you know why Lucius and I came here. You know all about the triad. I think we need to clear the air between us and decide just where we stand with each other."

Severus hesitated but then nodded. "Yes, I suppose you are right. It would be best to honest with each other and assess our rela... situation."

"Fine. Since this was my idea, I'll go first. Let me say, and it will probably come as no surprise to you, that the very idea of this triad was repellent to me at first. Even before I learned the true task, the very idea of having to be paired with two Slytherins seemed like an impossible working environment.

"Once I learned that it was Lucius, and you as well, it seemed like an even more unlikely proposition.

"But by the time Lucius had revealed the true purpose, the Tantric ritual, I had begun to accept him somewhat. Grudgingly at first, but then he began to grow on me. I came to realize that he wasn't the man I remembered from my youth; he'd changed and very much for the better in my eyes." Hermione paused in her explanation, tracing nervous circles on the table with her fingertips. "But the thought of you as the third member terrified me. All I could think of was how you had never really liked me at school, and I just didn't see how it could possibly work between us."

"Surely you knew that while I was your teacher, I was forced to treat you with disdain because of my supposed position amongst the Dark Lord's ranks. I had no real personal animosity towards you."

With a sigh, Hermione shook her head slightly, then shrugged. "I know it now because you have explained it to me, and I believe you. Perhaps it should have been clear to me then, but it wasn't. It felt to me that you had a very real and intense dislike towards me. And it most definitely felt personal. I always tried so hard to earn your approval, and I respected you in spite of how you treated us. I was devastated when I thought that you had betrayed Dumbledore and the Order; when I learned the truth I was very relieved. All those years, when I thought you were dead, I mourned your loss. When I learned you were still alive and designated as our third, I was simultaneously elated and panic-stricken."

Hermione's little finger brushed up against his on the table, and when he looked up, she caught his gaze, staring into his eyes for a moment. She wished she knew what he was thinking, but she was no Legilimens.

"When we arrived here, that first night, things didn't go well. That's my fault as much as anyone's. But when I awoke in the tub, and you were standing there, staring at me, well... I just freaked out, I suppose. I was tired and crabby and totally embarrassed, and I may have overreacted."

At his admonishing look, she quickly corrected. "All right, I definitely overreacted." She swallowed hard and continued, her voice dropping so low he had to lean in closer to hear her words. "But the words you said... they hurt me, Severus, very much. And even though things are better between us now, I can't forget what was said that night. If we decide to proceed with the triad, it seems to me that the need for trust is a top priority, especially with a Tantric ritual involved. But how can I trust myself with a man who deep down still thinks I am a nagging harpy, that I am inadequate and undesirable? That's all I'll ever be able to think of."

Severus looked stunned upon hearing her revelations. He said nothing for several seconds, and Hermione took his silence badly. With a muffled sob, she stood to dash into the bedroom. He grabbed her wrist before she could make her escape. "Hermione, please don't go. Let me explain. Or at least try to."

She stood by his side, hesitating for several moments, unwilling to risk further embarrassment, but finally she sat back down. He didn't release his grasp on her wrist, but scooted his chair closer facing her. "I am sorry for the things I said that night. Truly. Much like you, I was tired and shocked at finding a strange woman in my bathtub and then embarrassed that I'd been caught ogling you. I didn't realize it was you at first, you know, your face was turned to the side and partially covered by your hair. I was shocked when I realized it was you."

Severus leaned forward, resting one elbow on the table, but never releasing his grip on her as if afraid she might bolt. His thumb traced back and forth across the tender skin at the base of her wrist, and with his other hand, he tipped her chin up so he could look into her eyes.

"I have no idea what possessed me to say the things I said. They just spewed forth from my mouth with no conscious thought. I told Lucius later that, in my mind, seeing you there opened up a connection with Dumbledore and Potter and Hogwarts, and therefore, by association, with all those horrible years under Voldemort's thumb. Six years ago, I walked away from all of that and never looked back. I became very good at not remembering, and seeing you brought it all back. That made me angry.

"But in all honesty, I think it was more than just that. I was angry because I'd been admiring you, yearning for you in all your naked glory right there in my bathtub. When I realized it was you, Hermione Granger, in that instant I knew I could never have you because you were Weasley's. Or so I thought. Then when you verbally attacked me, suddenly I wanted nothing more than to put you in your place and to hurt you before you had the chance to hurt me. So, I said anything and everything that sprang to my mind. I was angry, and I wanted to hurt you, to cut you with my words. I'd had years of experience at it.

"Afterward, I just didn't know how to make it up to you or relate to you. You seemed to get along so well with Lucius...there was such an easy camaraderie between the two of you. I just felt awkward and out of place. I didn't know how to go about approaching you. After Lucius left us by ourselves, I had to try to get along with you on my own. It's not easy for me; I'm not a people person. Believe me when I say this, Hermione, I am truly sorry now for every hurt I've ever caused you."

She'd been blinking madly, trying to fight back tears, not wanting him to see her cry. But she lost the battle. As one lone tear trickled down her cheek, he brushed it away with his thumb and brought the other hand up to cradle her face, then he kissed her gently. "How could you possibly believe any of that drivel I spouted? No man, wizard or Muggle, could look at you and find you undesirable."

Hermione half sniffled and half snorted at his words. "Right, because what every man really wants is a nagging, bossy, swotty, little know-it-all in his bed," she responded sadly.

Severus stood up and pulled her into his arms. "This man does," he replied before lowering his lips to hers. He brushed over them lightly at first, then again more firmly, his lips tracing the shape of her mouth, then he gently nipped at her bottom lip. As her lips parted for him, he deepened the kiss, his tongue slipping in to dance with hers, to delve over and over into her mouth as he leaned into her body, feeling her curves pressed against him.

She responded in kind, her palms slid slowly up his chest. One hand threaded through his hair, holding him closer, and the other caressed the side of his neck, her fingers gliding up over his cheek. He pulled back to look down into her eyes, and her fingers traced over his lips.

"Severus?" she whispered. He captured her finger in his mouth, sucking it in and scraping his teeth lightly over the pad, rubbing his tongue up and down it. This caused her to gasp and shudder in his arms.

"What are we doing?" she asked after another earth-moving kiss. She sounded like someone who'd been thoroughly Confunded.

He scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom, then gently lowered her feet to the floor next to the bed. His hands caressed up and down her arms and snaked around her waist to glide down over the cheeks of her arse. He pulled her body in tightly against his, so he could he grind his erection against her.

In that deep, sexy, black velvet voice of his, he told her in no uncertain terms exactly what he planned to do. "First, I'm going to undress you...ever so slowly. I'm going to enjoy removing each and every thing you have on. Then I intend to worship you. I plan to touch you, learn your body. Where are you most sensitive, a chuisle mo chroí? Here?" he asked as he traced behind her ear and down her neck. "Or here?" His fingers dipped between her breasts, then traveled lightly across the tips, which tightened instantly into hard little peaks. "Or here?" His fingers slid lower down her stomach, stopping just short of the vee of her thighs. She moaned softly, her body jerking towards those seeking fingers. But he stopped there.

"After that, I plan to kiss and taste and lick and nibble and suck on every single inch of your sweet, delectable body until you're begging me to fuck you. And I will. I'll fuck you until you scream. And when we're done with that, I'm going to do it all over again. And maybe even again after that," he concluded with a growl as he nuzzled her neck.

Hermione didn't say anything for a minute, and he was afraid perhaps he'd been too bold and frightened her off. Then with a gasp, she stuttered, "S... so... sounds good to me."

With a sly smile, Severus proceeded to meticulously carry out each and every one of his promises.

~

When her eyes opened in the hazy predawn light that filtered through the window, it was to find her head resting on Severus' shoulder and her left arm and leg wrapped around his body in a lazy sprawl.

Severus hadn't moved and still appeared to be sound asleep. This gave Hermione the opportunity to peruse his body as she hadn't been given the chance to the night before. She lightly stroked her fingertips across his chest, tracing the thin line of hair that traveled down his stomach. She paused to lightly circle his navel before moving lower. Checking to make sure he was still sleeping soundly, she lifted the sheets and slid slowly down in the bed.

Severus groaned aloud. In his dreams he felt long curly hair fall across his thighs as a hot mouth licked and teased his cock. A tight little fist encircled the base as a tongue licked up and down, up and down before teasing lightly along the slit. Her lips closed over the tip, then slid down and sucked, gently at first, then harder. He groaned again as he came awake and realized it was no dream. Her other hand slipped lower and played with his balls, squeezing them gently before rolling them between her fingers. Lifting the covers, he looked down to see only the top of her curly, brown hair.

"Oh, you wicked, wicked witch," he growled, and he could actually feel her smiling around a mouthful of his hard cock.

He let her continue for several minutes. When he felt his climax approaching, he tried to draw her up from her position between his legs. Hermione refused, mumbling, "uh uh," in denial as she worked him harder still until he ejaculated with a sharp cry. She pulled away, and giving his cock a final kiss, she slid up into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Good morning," she greeted him brightly with a self-satisfied smile on her face.

"It is indeed," he replied, leaning down to kiss her; he tasted himself on her lips. "You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to. You wouldn't let me do anything last night. I wanted to touch you, taste you, but you wouldn't let me," she replied.

"If we had started with that last night, muirnín, our evening would have ended before it began. Believe me, I would not have been able to last."

"What does that mean? Muirnín? You called me that the other night too, and the other, ah khooshlah ah.. something?"

"It's Irish. 'Muirnín' means sweetheart or darling, and 'a chuisle mo chroí' translates as pulse of my heart. It's an endearment. My Grandmother Snape was from originally from Ireland. I picked up a few terms from her that stick in my mind. She's the gran I told you about, the one who taught me to play cribbage."

Hermione smiled at the thought that he had used terms of endearment he'd learned from his gran. It made her feel good...closer to him somehow. She snuggled up close to him. "I suppose now that we have come to an understanding, we need to send a message to Lucius to let him know. Then we must get busy and start researching this Tantric ritual."

Severus chuckled, the sound rumbled against her ear pressed to his chest. "What?" she asked, raising her head. "You know something, don't you? What is it?"

"Lucius conveniently forgot to inform you, did he? It's probably one of the main reasons your Arithmantic formulas chose me as the third...aside from meeting the Slytherin requirement."

Sitting up abruptly and pulling the sheet to her chest, her eyes narrowed. "Lucius didn't tell me...what?

Gods be damned, I'm tired of people keeping information from me, or only giving me half truths."

"Calm down. It's just that there will be very little research required. In all my years of travel and study, I devoted an entire year in seclusion in Tibet and another several months in India to learning many of the ancient ways. This included studying and perfecting my knowledge of Tantric methods and rituals."

Hermione thought for several minutes before speaking, then she asked, "So last night... was that Tantric sex?"

"No, that was just damn good...make that damn great sex. But Tantric? No."

"Oh, Merlin. If it gets any more intense than that, I don't know that I'll survive it," Hermione admitted, blushing when she thought of all the things they had done.

"I probably do incorporate some of the techniques of Tantra subconsciously, the touching, sensual massage, trying to be aware of what my partner is feeling. But to actually perform a Tantric ritual will require time to become comfortable with each other and learn what pleases each of our partners. There are actual rituals of preparation, breathing, meditation; it is all combined into the process. The effect will be a much heightened sense of awareness and a prolonged state of sexual tension and extremely intense orgasms, which will bring about a release of concentrated positive energy."

"Oh, sweet Circe, we really are going to kill each other, aren't we? But instead of through violence it will be death by sex."

Severus did something Hermione had never heard him do. He actually laughed. Then he proceeded to make love to her again.

~

It was a couple of hours later before they finally managed to get out of bed. Hermione had finished showering and dressing and had gone out to start breakfast while Severus finished shaving. While he stood in front of the bathroom mirror, he heard the sharp pop of Apparition and a short scream from Hermione that was cut off abruptly. With nothing but a towel wrapped around his hips and half his face covered with shaving cream, he grabbed his wand and dashed into the great room.

Darting through the door, he crouched in a defensive stance to find...not an army of Death Eaters holding Hermione prisoner...but one blond, former Death Eater, holding Hermione tightly in his embrace.

Taking in Severus' appearance, Lucius quirked an eyebrow as he disentangled his lips from Hermione's and drawled, "Well, hello, old friend."

"Lucius, you might have warned us. I heard Hermione scream and assumed the worst," grumbled Severus.

Leaving Lucius' arms, she crossed the room to Severus and hugged him as well. "My hero," she sighed.

"Am I correct in assuming that you two have worked out your differences?" asked Lucius.

"You are," affirmed Hermione with a smile, going back into his arms to hug him again. "We were planning to contact you right after breakfast."

Severus was about to ask Lucius what had prompted his return, but before he could voice the question something in his friend's expression stopped him. Lucius gave a little shake of his head while saying, "You'd best get dressed Severus, we have something to discuss."

~

Only a few moments later, they all sat at the table. Hermione had made tea. It appeared she had not picked up on Lucius' distress as Severus had. She poured tea in each of their cups and would have set about making breakfast, but Lucius drew her to sit down between them.

"Hermione, I haven't come because of the triad. I wish I had. It's... I... there's bad news." He stopped, swallowed hard, then closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead as though it hurt.

"Lucius, what is it?"

He looked at her with pain in his eyes. He didn't want to be the one to tell her this.

"Lucius, please. You're scaring me. Just say it, just tell me."

"The plagues, they're spreading."

She put her hand on his in concern. "Oh, Lucius, no. Is it...is it Draco?"

With eyes filled by sadness, he shook his head and slowly lifted his gaze to hers, not wanting to be the bearer of this tragedy. Turning his hand over to hold hers in his, he said, "No, it's not Draco. I'm sorry, Hermione, I'm so sorry. It's Harry's son. It's James Potter."

tbc