Three

Severus smirked at Hermione’s little moue of protest, but there was no further resistance to him coaxing her onto her stomach. He allowed himself the luxury of sliding his hand over the smooth suppleness of her (rather muscular) calf as he bent her knee and shifted closer to the bed before taking a firm hold of her ankle.

Cresce!

The ribbons tightened, extending the foot into a balletic point. He paused a moment to survey his handiwork.

Very nice….

A nail polish to match his ribbons would’ve been the icing on the cake, but he supposed pink would have to do.

*

A warm moisture was nudging Hermione’s defences towards the realisation that something was amiss. An unwelcome, slimy… wetness, progressing up the sole of her foot.

Tickle, tickle, tickle…

What was he doing? She sucked in a breath while, keeping as still as possible, craning her neck slowly so not to alert him. But she needn’t have bothered. Snape was too far gone to care: his tongue swirling, exploring… Then he touched on a particularly sensitive spot, and Hermione yelped, flinched and tried to pull away, but Severus held fast to his prize—like a dog savouring a particularly tasty bone.

*

‘Ew… Oh, my God…’

She lashed out reflexively with her free foot, but Snape caught it effortlessly, tucking it under his arm without missing a beat. He glanced up, scowled, and then…

Hermione shrieked as half her foot disappeared inside Severus’ mouth. She buried her face in the pillow, nails digging into her palms while he sucked her toes greedily. Her expertly bound foot left no room for squirming, however. She could only endure.

The mattress began rocking rhythmically, and she soon became all too aware of the ragged breathing behind her.

He wasn’t, was he?

‘A-ah-ahhhh…’

Apparently he was.

*

Knowing a post-orgasmic male is the most malleable beast on the planet, Hermione lost no time in seizing the advantage. She quickly hoisted herself upright and grabbed Severus by the hair, yanking his head back and forcing him to look at her. ‘Now can I see the grimoire?’

He gazed back through hooded eyes, more smug and self-satisfied than anyone who’d just come in his pants had the right to be. ‘No, you cannot.’

‘What d’you mean “No”. You pro—‘ Sighing, she released his hair and wiped her hand deliberately on the coverlet. ‘You didn’t promise me anything, did you.’

*

Bastard.

‘You still have much to learn about bargaining with Slytherins, Miss Granger,’ said Severus, sitting back on his heels. ‘Especially this one.’

Bastard. ‘So what do you want?’ Hermione demanded. ‘And no tricks this time.’

He regarded her for a long moment before replying. ’Tell me what it is you seek in Avalon?’

‘Wha—?’ she spluttered. ‘ I-I don’t know what you mean.’

‘Don’t play games with me, Miss Granger. I’m not an idiot.’

Stubbornly, Hermione folded her arms and bit her lip.

He sighed. ‘Very well, then. Have it your way. I can wait: the question is, can you?’

*

He was right: there wasn’t much time. If she didn’t go tomorrow, she’d have to wait until the spring equinox before the portal could be accessed again. It seemed she’d have to level with him.

‘I seek… knowledge.’

‘Knowledge,’ Severus repeated slowly. ‘That’s it?’

‘Yes.’

‘And what preparations have you made, pray tell?’ One eyebrow rose almost to his hairline as Hermione stared at him blankly. ‘None? So let me get this straight; you intend blundering into Avalon, seeking the knowledge of the Old Ones without any clear intention as to why? Have you taken leave of your senses, woman?’

*

‘I thought… I thought—’

‘No, Miss Granger. You did not think.’ Severus got to his feet abruptly, casting a wandless cleansing charm as he did so, and leant, arms folded, against the wardrobe. ‘Of all the— What makes you assume the Old Ones will so much as acknowledge your presence, hm? You’ll be lost in the Mists before you know it, wandering for eternity, gradually fading to nothingness, just like all those other souls punished for their arrogance.’

‘You mean…’ Hermione swallowed hard. ‘The Mists are… souls?’

‘Yes,’ Severus replied. ‘Unprepared idiots, every one.’

Hermione sighed. ‘I had no idea.’

*

The damp patch on the rose-trellis wallpaper had apparently become utterly fascinating, judging by the way she was staring at it. She did however look terribly… endearing, dishevelled and lost in thought as she was, sitting on the edge of his bed, assimilating this new information. Severus coughed.

‘Can’t be any worse than this,’ Hermione murmured.

‘Excuse me?’

‘Nothingness,’ she replied, shrugging.

‘Explain.’

‘My life is—Oh, you might as well see for yourself.’

Severus hesitated only a moment before bridging the distance between them in one stride. He cupped Hermione’s face in his hands. ‘Are you sure about this?’

*

A brief nod, a silent ‘Legilimens’ and he was in, wading through the maelstrom of memories and emotions: the promise of youth, the disappointment of experience. And there it was: the gnawing emptiness. Abandoned by friends, parents unaware of her existence: grief over losing a much loved pet. He saw the pointless drudgery of a mindless job, the daily return to a messy flat—not a home, merely somewhere to crash at the end of the day. Fruitless dalliances with disinterested men. Despair, frustration and loneliness.

Gently, Severus retreated from her mind. ‘That is no excuse for seeking certain oblivion.’

*

‘I’m not—‘

’That, my dear girl,’ Severus said, dropping his hands, ‘is life. Not everyone gets the roses-round-the-door, perfect happy ever after. I’ve lived alone like this—’ He gestured around the room in a graceful sweeping motion. ‘—for nigh on twenty years, as have countless other people, and they aren’t out and about seeking the rarest grimoire in existence to get away from it all. What makes you think you should be singled out for some special destiny?’

‘I-I don’t think I’m special,’ Hermione replied. ‘I never said that. It’s a risk, I know, but it’s one that’s worth taking.’

*

‘I’m no use here—in this world,’ she continued, holding up her hand as Severus tried to interrupt. ‘Perhaps the Old Ones can find a use for me in theirs.’

‘No use?’ Severus dropped to his knees once more, taking her hands in his. ‘No use? How can you possibly say that? One of the best minds I ever had the pleasure of teaching?—Yes, I just paid you a compliment—A mind the wizarding world can ill-afford to lose?’

‘Snape…’

’Severus. Please.’

‘Severus… I’ve no reason to stay.’

‘Really,’ Severus smirked. ‘Now that sounds like a challenge to me…’

*