A Little Privacy

Disclaimer: It's not my creation, but I do enjoy manipulating things. No money for me though. Enjoy.

A big thanks to my beta, Charmed_Nay, and to my friends over at Potter_Place.

"Ginny, what is going on with Draco? That's the second time I've seen you two talking...intimately!" Hermione exclaimed. "I don't trust him."

"Oh, Hermione. You are so dramatic at times. We've only come to an understanding. He's not that arse that I thought he was before, not to me anyway," Ginny said. She eyed Hermione for a moment as if debating on telling her something. "Look," she said, taking her hand. "I know you don't trust him, but he seems concerned for you. He said that you don't seem the same since you decided to break things off with Ron. In fact, I thought he fancied you for a moment."

"As if that would happen," Hermione spat, scowling. "I'll never be more than a Mudblood to him." She wished that she could tell Ginny that she shouldn't trust him because he'd Obliviated her, but she knew that she'd have to explain why. She couldn't risk anyone finding out that she fancied Snape. Even if I don't like Draco, I can't chance him running his big mouth! "I just don't know if Harry or Ron would understand."

"They need not know. He's only talking to me about things and giving me a bit of advice on things," she said mysteriously.

"What of Lupin?"

Ginny's eyes darted to the side. She muttered, "He'll listen to reason. I don't think Tonks is as innocent as you believe her to be. In fact, he's going to find out soon enough that she tried to snog Harry."

"Is Malfoy helping you with that? You shouldn't tell him much about Grimmauld Place or any of the Order members!" Hermione admonished angrily. "How dare you jeopardize us?"

Her friend simply shook her head in exasperation. "I thought that you would be willing to give him a chance at least. He needs a mate right now just as much as I do. Don't you think that he's tired of being his father's errand boy?" She fled the common room quickly, leaving Hermione alone at the table.

Did Draco want to change? Was he truly trying to reach out to someone for help? Hermione's eyes narrowed. "That's very unlikely." He acted too suspiciously. He was up to something, and she could bet that it was not good. Ginny is going to jeopardize the Order. I have to tell Severus. Maybe he'll know what to do.

She hadn't talked to him privately since the previous Saturday evening when they'd shared those kisses. On Wednesday evening, Professor Dumbledore had been there the entire time. He and Snape were whispering and talking while she worked. She'd only had to interrupt twice to question him about certain things, but when she was finished, she had no choice but to leave. She didn't want the headmaster to suspect anything else. Severus hadn't tried to keep her after class for the entire week. The one time she'd tried to sneak down to see him, she'd run into Pansy Parkinson.

The witch had the nerve to try to speak to her! She'd turned around quickly, telling her to bugger off before she had a go at her. So, a week had passed since she'd kissed him, talked to him on a personal level, and been held by him. What if things had changed? What if he hadn't tried to contact her or asked Dumbledore to go down on Wednesday purposely because he'd had a change of heart? Had she scared him off? Unlikely! Who could scare Severus Snape? He faced the Dark Lord and Albus Dumbledore often enough. A young witch of eighteen was nothing that he couldn't handle. To pass the hours, she decided to have a bath and a long read from one of her books. Then, she would make her way down to see him and find out if he'd decided to end their talks. If so, she had nobody to blame but herself. She'd been the one to push things along. She'd been the one to kiss him and ask him to just pretend for the night that she was not a student, only a woman.

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"Enter," he called darkly. He knew that it was Hermione that had come to see him. Severus was not angry with her, but he did have an increasing annoyance with Dumbledore's meddling. The man had come unannounced on Wednesday to discuss things that could have waited. At the evening meal, he mentioned that he might come round for a drink. He's only trying to interfere with my supervision of Hermione. He couldn't blame the man, he supposed, but he could resent him.

"Did you...did you still want me to come?"

He saw the way she looked over to her desk, strategically placed next to his. "Yes," he nodded towards it. As an afterthought, he pulled his wand to add a few security precautions to his door in case the headmaster decided to pop in. He hadn't much planned for the night, not in the way of his seduction. Since the previous Saturday, he'd been doing some thinking, and he knew that it would be easy enough to talk her into things. However, he knew that she was not mentally ready, not truly ready. He wanted her to be addicted to him, to never want him to leave, and to believe in all that he said or did. "I see you've brought some reading material with you."

"I've already finished my assignments, so I figured a little light reading wouldn't be amiss. It's Don Juan by Lord Byron."

"Anything interesting?"

"Definitely," she said, face flushing slightly. "The character is portrayed as an innocent where women try to seduce him. It's not completed, but for the most part, it is a satire on life as he sees it. Would you care to have a read?" she asked.

"The women attempt to seduce him?" he asked slyly.

"Yes."

He lowered his voice seductively. "You wouldn't be reading that to gain ideas on how to go about it, would you?"

"Oh!" she squeaked out. "No, it's just...I didn't realize it would appear that way!" Her cheeks were now burning brightly. "It's been a long time since I've read it."

"You don't seem to be that far along."

"No, I am only at the end of the fourth canto. If you'd like," she looked away shyly, "I could summarize what's happened so far, and we could continue on through the next portion together."

"Very well. I've marked most of my essays already." He listened intently as Hermione quickly explained all that had happened to Don Juan up until his lover willed herself to death by refusing to eat, taking her unborn child to the grave with her. The man was about to be sold into slavery. "What a foolish thing to do," he commented.

"I know. I suppose she saw no other way, and she couldn't imagine being without him," Hermione replied, flipping through a couple of pages. "This one is not so long."

"There is always a way to be with the one you want." Severus pretended to be uncomfortable after he maneuvered his chair next to hers. She leant over to try to share the book, but he simply sighed. "Perhaps," he began quietly, "you would like to sit with me?"

"All right," she agreed, uncertainty littering her eyes. Once she stood, she waited for him to make a move.

He knew that she was unsure as to where they would sit. He simply slouched down a little and patted his knee in invitation. When Hermione's eyes grew as wide as Galleons, he had to hold back a chuckle. "I won't bite, Hermione," he said softly, patting his knee once more. The moment she bit her lip and turned to sit on his lap, he added, "Not tonight." His arm snaked around her waist to pull her back against him, just enough to the side so that his face was near her ear. "You may put your feet upon my desk for comfort."

To his delight, she kicked off her trainers and propped her tiny, socked feet upon his desk. "Thanks." After clearing her throat, she asked, "Should we read silently?"

"I see no reason that we can't take turns reading." He moved to speak directly into her ear. "Would you like that?"

"Yes."

"Go first," he whispered. She began reading immediately. He could hear the slight tremor of nervousness in her voice and feel it rolling through her body. She was afraid. That wouldn't do. He'd be sure to not touch her inappropriately or kiss her. He needed to gain her trust. Steadying the book with one hand when it was his turn to read, he took his turn. Back and forth, they read, and he realized that he truly was enjoying the closeness and the sharing of literature with her.

"What did you think?" she asked tentatively when they'd finished.

"Well, I can certainly understand the sultana's reaction when he refused her. She hated being rejected, and as such, she wanted to seek revenge by inflicting pain or killing him. He's lucky she didn't follow through with her initial threats. I've had the displeasure of knowing many people that acted out revenge without thinking, only to find out later that their judgement had been wrong," he said honestly.

"Have...have you ever done that?"

"I've learnt my lesson, and now, I always think things through before I do anything," he said softly. "I am afraid that I still don't like being rejected or outmaneuvered. Old habits are hard be rid of, I suppose."

She nodded. "I guess I should go."

"All right," he agreed, not moving.

For the first time since she'd sat with him, she looked him in the eyes. "I had a nice time reading with you."

"I am free tomorrow afternoon," he offered.

A beatific smile was his reward. "I'll come down near three then?"

"Two," he said softly. "Don't forget the book."

"I won't," she said, sliding off of him. To his surprise, she pulled one of his hands into hers for a squeeze. "I've nearly forgotten to tell you something important. I've no idea where my mind has been."

He had a pretty good idea of what she'd been dwelling on, but he didn't mention it. "What is it?"

"Draco. I would bet that he is the spy. Last Saturday night, when I left here, he was following me. Ginny came out of nowhere, accusing me of having relations with you. She saw us on the grounds, you see. Well, Draco Obliviated her, and he claimed that he was simply doing his job."

The little bastard hadn't mentioned that. This was certainly not what he'd imagined she'd been thinking of. "I shall look into this," he said brusquely, hoping she'd not pry into it further. "If anything else happens, let me know. If you notice anything else that is suspicious, I need to know that as well."

"He thinks that you and I are...well, he knows that I come here. I'd say it's him, and I don't like that he's always hovering about with Ginny lately. I can't exactly tell her what he did; he's more or less blackmailed me to keep quiet."

"Hermione, I promise to find out exactly what he's playing at, and I will certainly address his hexing of Miss Weasley."

"All right," she said softly, placing a hand upon his chest to keep him seated. "Stay. I'll see myself out."

"Good night," he said, flicking his wand at his door to release his wards. The moment she opened the door, she gasped.

"You've startled me!" she said loudly.

Severus looked up to see Dumbledore hovering near his door with a bottle of whisky. "I apologize, dear girl. I was about to knock when you opened the door. What's that you have there?"

"It's one of Lord Byron's stories. I brought it along for a bit of reading. Good night, sir," she said, hurrying away.

Shaking his head in dissatisfaction, Severus said, "Well, you might as well come in. There is no longer a need to hover in my doorway. She's gone now." He sneered momentarily. "Tell me, Headmaster, how long have you been standing there?"

"Ah, it's nice of you to put her desk near yours. How quaint," the man said, purposely avoiding his question.

"Indeed," Severus said dryly, magically moving the desk to where it belonged and summoning a comfortable chair for his uninvited guest. "What brings you here?"

"Harry."

"Oh, of course. Harry Bloody Potter. What drama is he playing at now?" he asked irritably. Without waiting for an invite, he summoned tumblers and poured a few shots in each. "Here."

"Thank you." Dumbledore took a sip. "It seems that Harry was making use of his Invisibility Cloak earlier to sneak down to Hagrid's old hut. He wanted to check on Fang and see if the new professor was residing there. Mister Weasley was also with him."

Severus' heart dropped. Had they seen Hermione entering his office? "And?"

"Along the way, they saw an interesting sight."

"Well?" he prodded, hoping the headmaster would get on with it.

"It seems that Draco is taking his assignment seriously. The one where he's been instructed to be friendly with Miss Weasley to find out why she is questioning Tonks' loyalties. Harry said they were out near the rear of the castle and were very close. He had to hex Mister Weasley to keep him from giving their location away." The headmaster shook his head. "I want to know what is going on between the two, and I expect you to find out. I've instructed both boys to keep quiet about this. I've told them exactly why Draco has tried to befriend her, and I had to bring Weasley in on the fact that your young Slytherin is now working for us."

"Good Lord! Weasley will tell everyone. Draco's life is as good as over," Severus said angrily, standing to pace.

"He'll not speak of it to anyone, Severus. I've taken a wand oath. They will remain quiet and not betray Draco's true loyalties," Dumbledore said. "I wonder if the lad hasn't truly taken to her. It's been just over a week, and I've seen them together on more than one occasion. He must have some idea. Find him now, talk to him, and let me know."

"I will." He dared not mention that Draco had used a Memory Charm on a fellow student. That wouldn't sit well with the headmaster.

"Very well. Thanks for the drink."

Severus smirked. "I do believe you are the one to bring the liquor down. Are you sure that you weren't trying to spy on my evening with Hermione?"

Dumbledore hummed some odd tune and left his Potions master standing there with a look of loathing upon his face. "Just bloody great." He quickly made his way to the Slytherin common room to find Draco. Once they were back in the privacy of his office, he spoke again. "I'll have everything you know about Ginevra Weasley's meddling, and I'll have it right now. Dumbledore has been in. It seems that the dream team, Potter and Weasley, have spied upon the two of you in what I imagine to be a close situation."

"I thought I heard some grunting and rustling about! I didn't see anyone! Ruddy Invisibility Cloak!" Draco said, clearly annoyed. "Can't have a private word without everyone knowing, can you?"

"Enough," Severus said, leaning forward. "What are her motives behind the questioning?"

Draco laughed. "She thinks that my dear cousin, Nymphadora Tonks, tried to have a snog with Potter this past summer. It seems that our littlest Weasley has a thing for that ruddy werewolf! She said that Potter told her to shove off, but he never had the bollocks to tell Lupin about it. Apparently, according to Ginny, that places Tonks in the ranks with Death Eaters. She wants more dirt on her to bring all the information to Lupin in hopes he'll think of her with affection."

"Ridiculous!"

"However, there is nothing that I can tell her. The woman has never associated with us, nor has she tried," Draco said in disgust. "Anyway, I did remember something that my mother said about her mother once. She said that she was a right tart in her younger days. Said that her daughter seemed to be following in her footsteps from what she heard."

"I've never noticed such a thing," Severus said, rubbing his chin. "What is Miss Weasley's plan?"

"She's going to send an anonymous letter to Lupin telling him what happened. In her mind, he'll have a row with Tonks, the truth will come out when Harry has to admit it, and he'll break things off. She fancies him."

"What of you? Do you fancy her?"

"No," Draco said immediately, pale face flushing guiltily. "She's nice to talk to, but I would never stoop so low as to date a Weasley. Father did teach me some things, you know."

Severus smirked. "I can see why the Dark Lord trusts you. Very well. I shall bring this to Dumbledore's attention. I still can't believe that the girl is interested in Lupin in such a way."

"Well, she says that since her Mudblood boyfriend died, he's been there to comfort her. She's frustrated because he never made a move to further things, and she was outraged when it came out that he'd been seeing Tonks privately." Draco shrugged. "Er...do you need me to take her mind off of him?"

Severus could see the glint of hope in the boy's eye, and he knew that he was hoping to be assigned to date her. He was absolutely attracted to the girl, but he would never admit it. His family and peers had always been prejudiced to anyone differing from them. "I shall see what Dumbledore can make of this. I'm sure he'll want to interrogate Potter. The boy has never mentioned this, as far as I know."

"Thank you, sir."

"One more thing, boy," he said, allowing a scowl to move over his face. "I appreciate that you look after Hermione, but you might want to be a little more discreet about it. She's seen you more than once, and she claims that you altered Miss Weasley's memories."

"Yes, I did," he said promptly. "She was being loud, accusing Granger of having sex with you and saying other things. I thought it best to take matters into my own hands. As you can see, it all worked out in the end."

Severus nodded. "I can see your point. Try not to make Hermione too suspicious of you. I don't think that she likes you being cozy with her little friend."

Draco smirked. "Understood."

"Good evening then, Draco. Shall I pass anything on to your father when I see him?" Severus asked politely.

"Tell him that I feel that I am finally learning to do all that he taught me," Draco said, eyes darkening, pointed chin jutting out defiantly. "Good night, sir."

Feeling slightly relieved, he made his way to Dumbledore's office. Hopefully, he would have nothing more to do with the woes of Potter and Weasley. As long as they didn't go about talking on Draco's activities, he didn't care what they whinged about. The door opened as soon as he neared the top of the stairs. The old man must have been expecting him.

"Headmaster," he said politely, inclining his head.

"Have a seat," he instructed. "Have you spoken to him?"

"I have," Severus said. He told Dumbledore all that he'd learnt from Draco and waited patiently as the man thought over the information before finally speaking.

"Well, that does put a new light on things. Thank you, Severus, I shall speak with Harry. I would like to hear his take on this supposed seduction."

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Hermione made her way back to his office the next day at precisely two in the afternoon. He opened the door for her immediately and moved towards his desk. She was surprised to find him comfortably dressed again. It was still odd to see him in such a state. Her eyes darted around the room, and she saw that the little desk was back in its corner. She wondered briefly if he would suggest that they sit in their normal chairs, but she saw that he moved back to the chair behind his desk. He must mean for me to sit with him again.

It wasn't that she minded. However, she'd barely been able to sleep the night before, what with remembering the sound of his voice in her ear, the feel of his arm around her, the whispering of his breath against her, and the tingling sensations that she had to struggle with during the entire story. She nervously awaited instructions.

"Come," he beckoned, face inscrutable.

She blindly made her way to him and sat on his lap as she had the night before. Without waiting for instruction, she opened the book to the next section and began reading. To her horror, her voice cracked a few times, and she could feel her body trembling.

"Are you cold?" he asked in a low voice.

She could feel the heat of his breath on her skin. "No," she said. "It's pleasant."

"It certainly is," he said, tightening his arm around her.

Hermione instinctively burrowed more closely against him, facing him a little more. His other hand came around to rest in her lap, griping one thigh tightly as if to keep her from sliding off. Oh, God. She didn't mind in the least, but her heartbeat had quickened. "Er...where was I? Oh, right. Here we are," she said nervously. She hurried to the end of the page, not meeting his eyes as she handed the book to him.

Severus' rich voice seemed to vibrate through her. She loved to hear him speak, but no words had ever sounded so good as the words he was reading about Don Juan and his troubles. A thought came to her. What if she was to try to seduce him? She'd been slightly successful in getting him to kiss her the week before, but he'd not made any efforts to repeat what had happened. If she would come down to him in the middle of the night scantily dressed, would he turn her away or bid her welcome?

"Hermione?"

"Sorry?" she asked, embarrassed to have been caught daydreaming.

"It's your go," he said, handing the book back to her. "What were you thinking about?"

"Oh," she said, thinking quickly. "I was imagining the character dressed as a woman. It seems as though they could have easily seen that he was a male."

"Perhaps he used magic to tamper with his appearance," Severus suggested.

"No, these are Muggles. Remember?"

"It's hard to think of a world without magic," he said simply.

She smiled and began to read her portion. While reading his hand had returned to her thigh and gripped her tightly. The hand around her waist moved to idly rub her back. Hermione read through the end of the section and simply sat there holding the book when she was done. Ever so slowly, the hand on her back moved up to her head to guide it to his shoulder. "Stay," he murmured.

Her book dropped, unnoticed by either, as she brought one hand up to his chest and the other behind his back. She curled around him easily and had never felt more secure in her life. His woodsy scent invaded her nostrils. She had trouble discerning between her beating heart and his. It seemed that she could feel his thumping against her breast, but for all she knew, it could have been her own vibrating throughout her body. The more she wriggled against him to get comfortable, the more she noticed something bulging against her bum. She froze when she realized that it was his...erection that she was feeling. My goodness! He's as randy as Ron, only has to press against me to rise to the occasion. No, that's not fair. I was squirming against him. I hope he doesn't think that I did that on purpose. For a moment, she thought she could feel it thumping against her rear. She pulled away to look at him.

"Severus..."

"Do you remember," he interrupted, "that I said I would not kiss you again."

"Yes," she replied breathlessly, noting that his eyes were darting from her eyes to her lips. Was he planning to kiss her? How did she feel about that? I want him to kiss me.

"It seems," he lowered his head, "that I lied." His lips caught hers in a chaste yet pleasant kiss. When he pulled away, he said, "I apologize, but you are too near. Maybe sitting like this was not one of my better decisions."

She lifted her hand from his chest and guided his face back to hers. "I think it's brilliant." This time their lips parted, and they explored each other's mouths completely. Hermione relished the feel of his tongue tangling with hers and licking her lips. There was a sudden tightening in her stomach and a tingle shot through her body. She could feel heat pooling in her...private area and resisted the urge to squirm. A whimper escaped, and he answered with a slight groan and a tightening of his hold on her.

His lips left hers and frantically moved across her throat, stopping only to mark her along the way. She could feel his nose pressing against the niche below her ear, and thought, God, even his nose is erotic. One of his hands captured a breast in a light caress, and she moaned aloud, feeling his thumb glide over her fabric-covered nipple. Why did I wear such a thick blouse?

Once again, she'd ruined everything by being vocal. He pulled away in shock that things had progressed so much. "Hermione..." He seemed to be at a loss for words, knowing what he wanted to say but not how to voice them. She slowly slid off of him, hoping she'd remember the feel of his firm erection as she did so.

"I need to go to the library for a bit. Thanks for spending this time with me. Reading has never been so...exciting," she said in what she hoped was an adult tone. She stooped to pick up her book from the floor. When had it fallen?

"Wednesday," he said with a small smile.

"Tomorrow," she said cheekily, knowing that he had meant that Wednesday would be the next time that they'd be alone together. Alone if Dumbledore didn't show up again, that is.

As quickly as she could, she escaped his office and refrained from actually giggling happily until she was alone at a table in the corner of the library. "Good Lord! Professor Snape...just wow," she said to herself. She felt excited, naughty, and happy all at once. For the first time in her life, arousal had dampened her knickers. Ron had never even accomplished that. Deciding to forgo the research she'd planned, she hurried to her dormitory, owing to the need of a bath. After she bathed, she made her way out into the Gryffindor common room. She found Harry sitting alone by the fire.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

He looked around uneasily. "Can we talk?"

"Yes," she said, sitting next to him. He made a slightly annoyed face. "Oh! You mean in my room? Privately?"

"Exactly."

"Come on then." Harry looked completely serious. She felt a little uneasy. Had he seen her going to Snape's office? She shook the thoughts away. It couldn't be. She was simply being paranoid. "What's going on?" she asked immediately.

"I'm not supposed to talk to anyone about this except Ron, but it wouldn't seem right if you didn't know. Before Hagrid died this past summer, do you remember when Snape came to talk to Dumbledore? They called me in to have a word?" She nodded. "Right," he continued. "Well, they told me that Draco Malfoy had gone to Snape begging him to help him get away. He didn't want to dishonor his father by joining Dumbledore, but he didn't want to be a Death Eater either."

Hermione bit her lip. So! Dumbledore must have him spying on Severus and me. I'll have to tell Severus what Harry is saying. Damn! Who is Voldemort's spy if not Draco? "And?"

"And, he's pulling a Snape, pretending to be a spy for Voldemort but really working for us. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone because they wanted us to be sure to not show him any courtesy. They believe that people would notice." He shrugged. "I agree, but Ron and I saw him with Ginny yesterday evening. We were both angry, and I had to hex Ron to keep him from having a go at him. The only reason I did, mind, was because I knew he was on our side."

"I've seen them talking," she admitted. "I've confronted Ginny on it. Says they are only talking of friendly things."

"You should have said something," he chided.

"Oh? I'd say you should have said something!" she retorted heatedly.

"Too right, you are," he said. "Ron insisted that we go to Dumbledore about it. He had Snape check into things. Can you believe that Ginny thinks that Tonks has a thing for me?" His voice had suddenly taken on an outraged tone, and his face scrunched up in annoyance.

"Yes," Hermione said, looking away.

"Mione! You knew?"

"Harry, stop yelling. She mentioned that she saw Tonks try to snog you, but you turned her down. I told her to talk to you about it." She looked back at him. "She told me in confidence. I couldn't betray that." And, she still wouldn't tell him the other things that Ginny had said. She only hoped that he wouldn't question too much. "I'm sorry."

"'S all right," he said. "I've just got to find a way to talk to her about it without her thinking that Malfoy told me or that he told someone else. Dumbledore supports her friendship with him. Either that or I wait until Dumbledore calls me in to his office to talk to her about it. They found out that she is going to send Lupin an anonymous owl about it. Dumbledore thinks it will be a good idea that Lupin explains to her exactly how he feels."

"Does Lupin know?" she asked incredulously.

Harry grinned. "The day that Tonks tried to have a snog with me? Well, the twins were at Grimmauld Place. The berks gave her a Snogger's Delight. It's an invention they are working on. It makes you want to snog the first person you see. I was going to tell Lupin, but I couldn't." He laughed. "It was a surprise when he came up to my room and told me he knew about it. He said that she'd hexed the twins for it and had run off embarrassed. I guess Ginny never saw that part."

Hermione shook her head. "I don't think she did. I agree with Dumbledore. Maybe Lupin should tell her. She only cares for him because he was there with us since Dean was killed. It's one of those rebound things."

"Whatever the case, if I end up blurting it out, it might compromise Malfoy, not that I care. I still don't like or trust the little arsehole."

"I don't trust him either."

"Speaking of trust," Harry said, eyeing her oddly, "is there anything that you might want to tell me."

"Eh?"

"I checked the map today to see where Ginny had gone to. I looked over the dungeons, and who did I see sitting in Severus Snape's office?"

"Me."

"That's right. What's going on?"

She felt her face flush. "I can't really say."

"I thought as much. Dumbledore has you in on something. He sort of hinted that it would be all right to trust you with the Malfoy information. It made me wonder if you knew things that I didn't," Harry said. "What's he got you working on with Snape?" His expression soured, causing her to giggle.

"Well, I really can't say. I was sworn to secrecy, but just know that it is for a good cause." She hoped that would satisfy his curiosity. If he knew that she actually wanted to spend time with Snape, she didn't think that he'd take it very well. She also didn't think he'd appreciate it if he knew that Voldemort thought she and Severus were shagging. She'd never thought about the blasted map! However, this did work to her advantage. She could always get Harry to help her escape if she needed to go down to Severus. "Harry, even though you know about my working with Snape on the potion...whoops," she said, covering her mouth, pretending to have let something slip. It was partially true. On Wednesday nights, she was working on a potion for a salve. She simply twisted that to make it sound like it was for something more important. Something for the Order. Quite Slytherin. He might be impressed.

Harry took the bait. "Excellent. I knew it was something important. Don't worry. I'll not tell Ron about it. That's the last thing you need."

"How is Ron? Have he and Pansy...?"

"They are only talking still, but yes, they are getting closer. They are meeting in secret." He shook his head in disbelief. "I just don't get it. Why Pansy? Why her? Who would trust a Slytherin?"

"Well, I trust Snape. Apparently Malfoy is trustworthy, though I wouldn't recommend it. Maybe she is as well," she blurted. Why would she defend Pansy after she'd tried to shag Ron? It was the Slytherin comment that had done it. Not all of them were bad. Why had she always assumed so? She supposed it was because Hagrid had said more than once that most wizards that had gone dark had been in Slytherin.

"To be blunt," Harry said uneasily, "I think it's more to do with her interest in shagging. I really think that Ron's thinking with the wrong...er...you know." He pointed down towards his crotch.

Hermione nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I suppose waiting for someone you supposedly loved is unheard of these days." She knew one man that respected and wanted her enough to wait until she was no longer a student.

"Sorry, Hermione, I didn't mean to bring up that. I only meant to..."

"No," she said, interrupting his apology. "Don't worry on it, Harry. It's not your fault. And, to be honest, Ron and I are truly better off as being mates only. It's a little awkward right now, but that will pass."

"Let's go down to the Great Hall," Harry said. "I could use some food. Ron's going to meet us there."

"All right," she said, rising and pulling him up with her. Together, along with Neville and Lavender, they made their way down to the evening meal. A few minutes after they'd began to eat, she saw Pansy slide in at the Slytherin table. Not long after that, Ron appeared.

"Budge up," he told Harry. Harry moved, but he didn't say anything, as his mouth was full. "I'm starved." To break the ice between them, Hermione handed him the plate of mashed potatoes near her. "Er...thanks, Hermione."

"You're welcome," she said, trying to smile. She wanted him to realize that they could get through this. He sort of had Pansy now, and she sort of had Snape. It wasn't a real relationship, but it was something to keep her mind off of her failed attempt at one with Ron. Her eyes slid down the table to Ginny; she was in a heated debate with Colin about Quidditch. Hermione realized how easy it must have been for Ginny to fall for Lupin even though she loved Dean. Lupin was older, exuded security, knew the right words, and was attractive in some ways. It was the same with Severus.

With that thought, her eyes drifted to where he sat. At the same moment, his head turned and their eyes locked momentarily. Her stomach tingled as she remembered his hands and mouth upon her, as she thought of his erection against her arse. Looking away before she blushed, she began to eat as quickly as she could. On the way back to the common room, Ron pulled her to the side.

"Mione, I just wanted to say that I'm glad that you aren't still upset with me about Pansy. Ginny told me I was an insensitive prat."

"Ron, stop," Hermione said. "I think we should just learn to accept things, the both of us. Some things do bother me, but I'll have to learn to deal with them. Fair enough?"

"Sure," he said. "Come on then. I'm going to have a go at Harry with a game or two. Care to watch?"

"Not tonight. I'm a bit tired. I think I'll go have a read and then get some sleep." She smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

"Any time."

She slipped away and entered her room through her personal entrance, not wanting to go through the common room. Having bathed already, she simply changed into her nightclothes and grabbed a book. She couldn't concentrate on her book, so she put out the lamps. Sleep wouldn't come to her either. The kisses she'd shared with Severus kept coming to mind. Suddenly, an idea occurred to her. She could touch herself as she had before while thinking of him.

I've been snogging my teacher! Her fingers traced over her lips lightly.

He marked me with his kisses. Her hand slid down to her collarbone where she knew the small yet dark passion mark had been embedded into her skin. She'd seen it earlier as she'd dressed after her bath. She wouldn't have to charm it away, as it was just below her collar and not easily seen. She wondered if he'd noticed that she'd changed her clothes. Would he guess as to her reasons why?

His hand touched my breast again. His thumb caressed my nipple. She cupped both breasts with her hands, and she allowed her thumbs to circle her nipples, making them harden. It didn't have the same effect that his ministrations had, but she felt the need to move lower. Remembering the motions she'd applied last time, she began pleasuring herself as she thought of Severus Snape. His hard erection pressing into her arse had left her longing for something more. She wanted to touch it with her hand. Would he like the way she touched him? She turned over to muffle her cries into her pillow as her orgasm came up to wash over her.

Southern's Notes It's still trotting along slowly. I love the anticipation, yet I want to scream for them to get a move on. At least they interact though. :-) I've plans to take them a little closer in the next chapter. A little more time will pass, and we'll find out a little more about Pansy's plans.

I'm working on Vengeance is Sweet! for those ineterested. It should be up in a few days. Thanks for following. If you'd like to chat, please come find us at the yahoo!group Potter_Place. Cheers!