The Point of No Return

CHAPTER 11: The Point of No Return

Spring was one of the most beautiful Severus could remember in his time at Hogwarts. His office window was almost always open to let the sweet breeze waft through the room. As much as he had felt at home in the dungeons for all those years, Severus was happy to have a window and rooms that weren't so terribly stuffy. Of course, he did miss the dungeons. It wasn't because of the lab. He used it regularly as it was now. It wasn't the seclusion from the rest of the castle. He was still able to hide himself away with little effort if he wanted to badly enough. No, he missed the dungeons because it was where his heart had been since Hermione Granger walked back into his life.

Thoughts of her drifted lazily through his memory. Their weekend away together had been almost a month ago, and yet he could still feel her lying next to him at night. Sometimes he even thought he could smell her lavender perfume on his sheets. One day her scent would be there without any illusions. One day he would wake up each morning to her chestnut curls spilling across his crisp white pillows, her warm breath on his chest, her soft skin against his own. How he longed to have his Hermione by his side every minute of every day for the rest of his life.

"Hermione Snape," he mumbled, rolling her name on his tongue. It sounded like music to his ears. His name suited her well, what with that passionate nature hidden beneath her scholastic exterior. "Hermione Jane Snape. Hmm... soon."

The clock on his mantle chimed the quarter hour. He was supposed to be at Hermione's chambers at half past seven for dinner. She had insisted on fixing the two of them dinner the Muggle way. With the end of the Spring Term coming up fast, they had had very little time to be alone together. There was grading to be done, quizzes to write, and exams to prepare. They were both a bit cranky lately as well, seeing as neither were getting very much sleep. The increasingly warm temperatures seemed to have the students in an uproar, and extra patrols were needed to keep the daring out of trouble. Tonight would be the first time they were able to spend together since they served Hogsmeade duty together last weekend.

Severus summoned the bottle of wine from his chambers and tucked it in his robes for safekeeping before stepping up to the fireplace. He grasped a handful of Floo powder and tossed it into the dying flames. They burst forth and glowed bright green as he stepped into them calling, "Hermione Granger's chambers," as he went.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Table's set, bread's warming in the oven, pasta's draining, fettuccini sauce is ready, and the chicken's almost done. Dear Merlin, what am I forgetting?" Hermione mumbled as she bustled around her makeshift kitchen, wringing her hands in her apron.

Hermione Granger never forgot anything she had ever learned. Whether it was the way to do an algebra problem in primary school or the right way to swish and flick in Charms, she would remember it until the day she died. Her mother had once told her that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. That was why she was practically a nervous wreck in her transfigured study-turned-kitchen making dinner for Severus Snape.

She turned the chicken and vegetables in a pan, sprinkling a bit of lemon juice and spices over them. Wiping a stray curl from her forehead with the back of her hand, Hermione shook the pasta over the sink to keep it from sticking. She had just bent over to check the bread in the oven when her fireplace roared to life across the room. Green flames crackled for a moment before a tall form stepped out, dusting soot off its shoulders.

"Watch where you're shaking that stuff, you'll get it on the table!" she snapped, not paying attention to what she was doing. As she stared over her shoulder to make sure Snape didn't shake soot on the table, she stuck her hand in the oven and grabbed the bread pan. Wrenching her hand away, she practically screamed. "Fuck Merlin's arse!"

Severus snickered under his breath as he sat the wine on the table and hung his cloak by the door. "Might I suggest the use of an oven mitt," he chided as he walked over toward her. He took her burned hand in his own and examined the shining, red skin. He reached over her and removed the pasta from the sink before turning on the cold water. "Put your hand under there, Hermione."

Nodding, she did as she was told while he stood behind her, massaging her shoulders. As soon as the cool water ran over her blistered skin she relaxed and felt him slip his arms around her waist. "Ah, thank you. That's much better," she breathed, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back on his shoulder. "I really am a good cook, Severus. I just get distracted when you're around."

"I guess I'd better stay out of the delivery room then, hmm," he murmured against the curls piled on the top of her head. He tensed for a moment when he realized what he said, but chuckled when she didn't seem to notice. He kissed the sensitive spot behind her ear before trailing light touches down her neck to distract her. "It smells delicious. Chicken fettuccini?"

She nodded and turned around in his embrace. "That's okay, isn't it? I mean, I remembered you ordered it when we went to London together, so I thought I'd try my hand at it. Mum owled the recipe to me this morning."

He smiled at the nervous look on her face. It was terribly sweet and innocent, but undeniably enticing at the same time. Kissing her gently on the forehead, he mumbled, "It's perfect, Hermione. Although I think it might be a good idea to turn that chicken before it burns."

Severus chuckled at her exclaimed, "Oh, shite!" as he made his way to the table. He poured them each a bit of wine and waited for dinner to be served.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Quarter to eleven found them on the sofa in her sitting room, curled beneath a fleece blanket, staring at the fire in the hearth, and sipping what remained of their bottle of wine. Hermione giggled as he placed lazy kisses along her jaw and latched onto the sensitive spot behind her ear. She traced her fingers along his collarbone as she relished in the feeling of his warm breath against her skin. His left hand traced over her arm in light touches as his right kneaded her hip firmly.

Hermione pulled away from him to sit her empty wine glass on the coffee table, dislodging the blanket as she did so. Her face was hot with a beautiful flush brought on by the wine, the fire, and the delicious touch of the man wrapped around her. She smiled as he leaned forward to capture her lips with his. "Mmmm..." she mumbled as he cupped her face with his hand. She pulled back from his kiss and rested her forehead against his. "I've a terrible crick in my neck, Severus. You think we could move?"

Severus looked up into her honey eyes to find them dark and smoldering. The cool air of the dungeons nearly knocked the wind out of him as she removed herself from his lap. She was grinning down at him coyly, waiting for him to move to follow her. He took her offered hand and allowed her to lead him wherever she had a mind to. His breath hitched in his throat as she pushed open a door he remembered quite well. It had once been the door to his bedroom. Now it led to hers.

"Hermione..." he began, the situation taking a few moments to work through his wine addled brain. She was standing in front of him, her eyes turned lovingly up toward him, her hands settled over his ribs. He could see it in her face, the look he had longed to see for almost five years now, the one he had caught a fleeting glimpse of that day in his office. "Are you sure, little one?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to his chest.

She stood on her tiptoes and pressed light kisses to his neck and jaw in response. "I am," she murmured against his throat. She began to undo the buttons on the front of his white button down as his hands stroked lazy patterns across her back. "I think I've always wondered what you were hiding beneath your robes, Severus."

He smiled as she pulled his shirt from his trousers and attacked the last few buttons. He undid the cuffs of his sleeves behind her back before Hermione started pushing it off his shoulders. Her warm hands glided over his skin like a whisper, sending shivers down his spine and straight to the growing erection pressed into her stomach. With his shirt disposed of, Hermione pulled his head down for a kiss while his fingers began to expertly free the buttons of her blouse. The tips of his fingers tickled along her sensitized skin, dragging a feline-like purr from her throat.

Her blouse joined his shirt on the floor as she toed off her heeled sandals and began working the buttons of his trousers. Severus trailed soft kisses along her throat as he divested himself of his dress shoes and kicked them out of the way. The zipper of her skirt was undone, and the soft material fluttered to the floor along with his trousers. His arms went around her and pulled her to him as they stepped out of their clothes, all the while nipping at the soft flesh of her neck and shoulder.

Severus ran his palms up her back until his hands slid over her shoulders. He licked a path across her collarbones to the pulse point at the base of her throat, causing her to arch against him and tip her head back. Her curls tickled against his arms, and the small of her back as she swayed into his touch. He sucked at her throat enough to mark it and growled at the redness that appeared.

"Hermione," he hissed as she pulled away from him. Her hair tumbled down her back in wild abandon as her eyes blazed dark and enthralling. He felt drawn to her as she backed toward the four-poster, releasing the clasp of her bra behind her back as she went. He bit back a groan as the slip of silk was tossed aside, revealing her soft breasts, their taunt nipples begging for his attention. "My Hermione."

His erection was quickly reaching the point of being painful as she crawled onto the bed, her eyes beckoning him to join her. There was nothing he could refuse her at this point, with her dark eyes burning through him and her cream white skin calling for his caresses. He joined her on the bed, crushing his mouth against hers, their tongues dueling as he lowered her onto her back. Softening the pace of his kiss, Severus let his hands trail along her sides before cupping one breast in his palm.

"Oh, gods," he breathed, pressing kisses along her sternum to the valley beneath her breasts. He measured the weight of one with his palm as he took the nipple of the other into his mouth. He flicked his tongue at the rosy bud while rolling the other between his fingers.

Hermione moaned and tunneled one hand into his raven hair as he moved his attention to her other breast. Her hips bucked upwards as he nipped lightly at the underside before soothing it with soft kisses. Goosebumps rose on her flesh as his hands snaked lower over her abdomen and hooked into the waistband of her knickers. His body followed as he eased the fabric from her legs and tossed them over his shoulder. He eyed the curls at the apex of her thighs and felt his cock throb in anticipation.

Opening her eyes, Hermione saw the hungry look on his face and snapped her legs closed. As much as she wanted to feel him thrusting into her, bathing her in gentle kisses, she was frightened of the blatant desire scorching in his eyes. "Severus..."

He shook his head slightly and pressed gentle kisses on her knees as he stroked her hips and thighs reverently. "I will do my best not to hurt you, little one. It will hurt for a moment, but it will pass soon enough," he murmured against her skin. His touches were as soothing as his words while he gently urged her legs open. "Are you sure?"

In answer, Hermione opened her legs a little more and smiled reassuringly at him. The smell of her arousal set his blood boiling as his desire to taste her nearly knocked the breath out of him as he lowered himself back to the bed. He breathed deep of the musky feminine scent of her before he began to tease her with his lips and tongue. He lapped at her with long, languid strokes before suckling her clit and slipping a finger into her depths. She bucked up against him as his tongue danced and flicked over her clit and a second finger joined the one already thrusting into her.

"Oh... gods... Severus," she moaned as he teased her higher and higher until the wave washing through her began to crest and break. Her voice dipped low and dripped with seduction as she cried out his name with her release. Her walls clamped around his fingers, making him groan as he rode out her orgasm.

Severus kissed his way up her body, stopping to tease her breasts languidly, as she came down from her high. "Hermione," he whispered softly in her ear as he held his body above her on his forearms. "You're beautiful when you're sated."

She smiled and trailed soft kisses over his shoulder. "I'm not quite done yet, Severus," she said boldly, trying to fight the blush rising on her cheeks from her brashness. She pushed at the waistband of his boxers with the heels of her hands before mumbling, "OFF! Get them off!"

He chuckled as he twisted over her to push his boxers over his aching cock and down his legs. He kicked them off impatiently and turned back to engulf her in a penetrating kiss. His heart began to race as the moment of truth sped toward him. He would have to be gentle with her. Keeping her mind occupied elsewhere with his mouth, Severus guided himself to her opening and pushed into her slowly. He felt her tense around him at the intrusion.

"Look at me, Hermione," he said, his voice raw and husky from holding himself back. "Do you trust me?" Her dark honey-colored eyes fixed on his ebony ones as she nodded. Severus dropped his forehead against hers and pushed in a bit further. "I will never hurt you, love."

Catching her bottom lip between her teeth, Hermione wrapped her legs around his waist and lifted her pelvis upward, pushing him in more. She hissed in a breath as he tore through her hymen and sheathed himself to the hilt. Severus held still for a moment, waiting for her breathing to slow a bit. It was such sweet torture to be clasped in her tight, wet heat and not being able to move. It felt as if hours had passed before Hermione began to writhe beneath him, begging for something more than what she already had.

Severus pulled out almost halfway before thrusting back into her again. It hurts, Hermione thought as she bit into her lip to stifle a scream. It hurts, it hurts! Oh God, please... The turmoil in her mind ebbed away as he picked up a rhythm of long, slow thrusts. The sting that emanated from the friction he caused gave way to an overwhelming sensation that peaked when he hit that spot deep inside her and his pelvis ground against her clit. She raked her nails down his back and arched up to meet him, wanting more.

It was as much torture for him as it was for her with his slow movements. He was on the verge of losing his resolve at being gentle when she began thrusting up against him with a bit of force. Taking that as an invitation to pick up the pace, Severus began thrusting into her faster and deeper. He nipped at the flesh of her breasts and kissed her feverishly as he felt the onset of her orgasm set in. She pulled away from him, her breath coming in ragged gasps as he hit that delicious spot within her over and over. She gave a keening cry as stars flashed before her eyes, and the strongest wave of pleasure she'd ever felt washed over her. She arched against him, trying to keep her body in contact with his, and threw her head back against the mattress, whimpering and screaming.

When her inner walls began contracting around him, Severus could hold on no longer. He thrust into her urgently as he came, spilling himself deep into her. He collapsed against her, unable to hold himself on his shaking limbs any longer. Their sweat-streaked bodies lay entwined together as she stroked his hair and kissed his shoulders.

Rolling off her, Severus pulled her back against him. He swept her tangled curls away from his face, piling them on top of her head, and pressed lazy kisses on the back of her neck. Her hands traced along his arms as they wrapped around her, his left hand settled low over her abdomen while his right rested between her breasts. "Severus..."

"I love you, Hermione," he whispered, tickling the tiny curls at her neck. Somehow, it was easier to say when she couldn't see his face. It would get better, but for now, he didn't want her to see the tears in his eyes.

"I love you, too." With that, Hermione whispered a cleaning charm over the blankets before pulling them over their sated bodies. They were asleep before the candles burnt out.

There was no going back for either of them now.

A/N: There you go, Hermione's first time and a first for Severus, too, I guess. I conceived this chapter coming a little later but it just fit here. As for the title, my favorite song from The Phantom inspired it. You can find the lyrics here: http://www.metrolyrics.com/lyrics/185563755/Phantom_Of_The_Opera/Past_The_Point_Of_No_Return