An Uncomfortable Shower

A/N: Despite the rain that continues to be quite the drag here in Louisville, I managed to finish this next chapter, and the lovely Vaughn got it fit to be read. So here it is!

As always, gimormous thanks to all the readers who have been kind enough to leave me a review and let me know what you think. There isn't any better cure for the rainy Ohio River blues than having some reviews to read! You all rock!

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You may be right

-Billy Joel b.1949

The first floor lav at Grimmauld Place was perhaps the largest lav in the house. In addition to the expected plumbing...shower, toilet, and sink...there was a large cabinet for potions and such, and a pretty vanity with a mirror and a small bench to sit on. Entering the room with Severus on her heels, Hermione went to the vanity's bench and sat facing the room. Drawing her wand, she spoke.

"You see, Severus. I'm completely prepared to protect you."

Glancing at her, Severus' only response was to give her a dignified nod. Drawing his own wand, he placed it carefully on the ceramic wand holder near the door of the shower. When Hermione had first come to Hogwarts, she hadn't known what the odd little holders on the wall of the girl's lav were for. They were long and narrow, looking much like a small version of the chalk ledge found under chalkboards. Hermione had been puzzled until she had seen Lavender make use of the wand holder before stepping into the shower one day. Wizards were a cautious bunch and they didn't like being separated from their wands, not even long enough to shower.

His wand placed reverently on the holder, Severus quickly took off his shirt. Unable to keep herself from admiring his bare chest for a moment, Hermione firmly told herself that she was merely checking to make certain that all his wounds had healed properly. She wasn't particularly successful. Hermione's experience with scantily clad wizards was rather limited. In the spring, on the rare days that were warm enough for such things, Hermione had seen a few brave students swimming at the lake. Though she'd never joined them...no spring day in Scotland was warm enough for taking a plunge, in her opinion...she had rather enjoyed the view. But this situation was different. Never had Hermione been alone with a man who was soon to be naked, and it made her very uncomfortable indeed.

In truth, Hermione was shocked to find herself rather excited at the prospect. This was a former teacher, after all, and a madman. But logic couldn't put a halt to the warm, tingly feeling that now accosted her. It wasn't surprising, really. At seventeen, Hermione's sexual encounters consisted of a few smooches with Viktor Krum and a bit of heavy petting with Ron before they had broken up. The thought of being in the same room as a completely naked Severus Snape was rather more exciting than the innocent young woman was comfortable with.

Tossing his discarded shirt to the floor, Severus began unbuttoning his trouser placket. "I'm beginning to think that you want to see my wand after all," he said with a rather wicked smirk that did nothing to help Hermione regain her composure.

Blushing, Hermione quickly shifted on the bench to face away from him. Finding herself looking directly into the vanity's mirror, Hermione was just in time to see Severus drop both his trousers and his pants before leaning forward to turn on the water. For a moment, as she sat gaping at Severus' bare arse, Hermione had not one thought in her entire head. Dragging her eyes off the startling sight, Hermione resolutely stared at the top of the vanity as she tried to regain her composure. When she heard Severus step under the spray, she lifted her eyes only to be trapped again.

He hadn't closed the shower door. Hermione vaguely suspected that this possibility should have occurred to her...knowing how paranoid the mad wizard was. At the moment, his side faced her as he leaned his head back into the spray to wet his hair. When he lifted his arms to run his fingers through the tangled mess, it gave Hermione an uninterrupted view of his nude form. Seeing that Severus had his eyes closed, Hermione could not keep herself from taking a good look at all of that wet, naked skin. Her eyes traveled quickly from the curve of his arse, up over his slightly furry chest, and then dropped against her will to where his cock peeped out from behind one muscled thigh.

This sight shocked Hermione enough that she was once more able to force her gaze away. Though Hermione had felt Ron's erection, hot and hard through the cloth of his trousers, she'd never actually seen one. Severus was obviously not aroused, but the sight of his bare member had sent a shiver down Hermione's spine.

"Severus!" she yelped. "Why didn't you close the bloody door?"

"I don't want to be shut in a box!" he snapped. "I want to know if any whores come in." Then his sharp tone fled as he laughed uproariously. "You peeked!" he said gleefully. "After all that bluster, you peeked! So what do you think, pretty little whore?" he asked, his voice coming out with a masculine purr of satisfaction. "Shall I add your name to my list?"

This question so infuriated Hermione that she looked up without thinking. Severus remained in the same position as he lathered his hair with shampoo, but as Hermione stared at him, she couldn't help but notice that quite a lot more of his cock was now peeping past his thigh. He was getting aroused! Because of her! Tearing her eyes away from the intriguing sight of her semi-aroused former teacher, Hermione racked her brain for something else to focus on. She needed a distraction and she needed one fast. She smiled with relief as an idea came to her.

"Kreacher!" she called. "Come here, Kreacher...I need you."

Though Kreacher hated Hermione and called her all sorts of names, she knew that he would come. Harry had given the house-elf very specific instructions about minding Hermione and Ron as long as they lived there. With a small pop of Apparition, Kreacher appeared in the lav.

"What does the nasty Mudblood want with us now?" he asked himself bitterly.

"You will keep a civil tongue in your head, you whore of an elf, when you are speaking to the pretty little whore," Severus said, his voice suddenly full of authority. For a moment, he sounded exactly like his old self.

Bowing his head, Kreacher only said, "Yes, sir."

It had come as a complete and utter shock to Hermione, Harry, and Ron that Kreacher not only accepted Severus' addition to the house, but he willingly did so. In fact, the twisted house-elf absolutely doted on the madman. Though it was as hard as pulling teeth to get Kreacher to do most tasks, anything that Severus wanted was done immediately, as was anything asked on his behalf. At times, Hermione found this made her life much easier.

"Kreacher," she began politely, "Severus' clothes need washing and mending. Could you bring him one of Ron's dressing gowns and then take Severus' things away and see to them?"

Hurrying over to where Severus' clothes lay in a tangled pile on the floor, Kreacher assessed them carefully. Clicking his tongue in chastisement, he then said, "Very worn and old they are. The poor Master needs new things; yes, he does. But Kreacher will do his best for the Master's sake. Kreacher knows that the Mudbloods and Blood Traitors won't take proper care of the poor Master. It's all up to Kreacher, it is."

Biting back her anger at the house-elf's less than polite speech, Hermione kept her voice calm as she spoke. "You are quite correct, Kreacher. He does need some new things. We'll have to make do with those clothes for now, so fix them up the best that you can. I'll get Severus some new clothes as soon as I can."

"We will believe the whore means what she says when we sees it with our own eyes," Kreacher mumbled to himself. He then got a sneaky look of delight on his face, and Hermione knew exactly why. It hadn't taken Kreacher any time at all to discover that, while most foul names were frowned on by the wizard that he now fawned over, 'whore' was one epithet that Severus never grumbled about. Because of this, Kreacher now often sounded much like Snape himself.

Kreacher wasn't the only thing at Grimmauld Place that Severus had a positive effect on. Earlier that same day, Severus had been in the entranceway when Ron had left to meet his dad at the Ministry. When Ron shut the door a tad too loudly, the curtains over Mrs. Black's portrait had flown open and she had commenced shouting her usual rubbish. Taking one startled look at the portrait, Severus had then hexed her with a curse so strong that the mouthy woman hadn't uttered a syllable since. Hermione had no idea what spell Severus had used, but she was dearly hoping that the effect was permanent. She hadn't even bothered to close the curtains over Mrs. Black's animated and fiercely angry yet silent visage. It was terribly amusing to watch her blustering away without making a single sound.

As Kreacher gathered up Severus' clothes and vanished with a pop, Hermione chanced a glance at the man in the shower and found him running a bar of soap over his stomach. Quickly dropping her eyes from the sight, Hermione wondered why she was reacting so strongly to a man taking a much needed shower. It was true that she wasn't used to such situations, but shouldn't she be a little more mortified and a little less intrigued? The man was ill and he had been left in her care. It simply wasn't right of her too sneak glances at his wet, soapy, and naked body!

But perhaps that was part of the problem. Severus Snape was in her care, and she couldn't help but be concerned about him. She looked after the man like a mother caring for a child; there was bound to be an effect on her because of it. However, finding her former professor attractive was not the effect that she had been expecting. He was such a fascinating man, even in his madness. When he spoke to her about her research, there were times when he seemed just as he used to be. He was sharp tongued, to be sure, but he was also intelligent and dryly witty. Already he had made some suggestions about how she could broaden her research and find some answers to what options were available for dealing with a living Horcrux. She had known that killing Nagini would destroy that particular Horcrux, but--kind young woman that she was--she balked at killing an animal who may have had little choice about becoming a vessel for Lord Voldemort. And she had other reasons to worry. Reasons that she was not yet willing to discuss with anyone, not even Severus.

Just when she got used to the Severus who seemed so like her Potions professor of old, something would happen and Hermione would find herself facing a very obviously ill man. These sudden changes practically broke her heart. It was little wonder that Hermione found herself reaching out to the man and trying her best to help him. Severus Snape was painfully aware of his madness, and there were times that Hermione could see his inner struggle as he tried to work around it. He had been a brave--if unpleasant--man when she had been at school, and in some ways he was just as brave now. Certainly there were things that easily frightened him, but the way that he struggled daily against his madness had earned Hermione's respect. Exactly when had that respect turned into a feeling that made her heart pound and her stomach flutter?

It was a hopeless situation, in any event. Even if Severus had all the Healers of St. Mungo's at his disposal, it was likely that he would never again be the man he had once been. Neville's parents and Gilderoy Lockhart were blatant proof that, once a mind snaps, it is dreadfully difficult to put it back together again. So, it was only prudent that Hermione push any attraction that she had for the black-eyed wizard far out of her mind. Severus himself was in no condition to know what he truly wanted, despite his sometimes obvious flirting. Hermione did not want to tie herself to a man with so little chance of recovery; no matter how well he looked in his altogether. She would just have to try to muddle through this situation as best she could and content herself with being friends with a madman. Friends, but no more than that.

Flooded with a sense of relief when she heard the water being shut off in the shower, Hermione knew that it was only a reprieve. If she was to be an honest caretaker, she should make certain that Severus showered daily. In some ways that would be torturous, but Hermione knew that she had to be strong and continue to do what was best for the poor man in her care.

"All done?" she asked, her tone rather falsely cheerful and her eyes seemingly glued to the top of the vanity. "Kreacher hasn't brought a dressing gown for you yet, but I imagine he'll be around soon. There's a fresh towel on the rack for you to use. After you dry off, you can wrap it around you until Kreacher returns."

"I'm a grown man, in case it has escaped your notice," Severus rumbled. "I believe I need no instruction in how to properly dry and cover myself."

"Believe me," Hermione muttered, "I know that you're a grown man."

"I thought that you might be convinced...after all of that peeking," he said smugly. He then laughed at Hermione's blush.

Lifting her gaze, Hermione saw that he was watching her through the vanity's mirror. His gaze was uncharacteristically steady. She was relieved to see that he had wrapped a towel tightly around his waist. After a brief smirk at her reflection, Severus turned to the sink.

Though Hermione hadn't gotten around to getting their guest any clothes, Harry had been thoughtful enough to get Severus some personal items. Severus had his own toothbrush, comb, shaving soap and a shaving brush. When Harry had offered Snape a safety razor, Severus had glared at it in disgust. Like Ron, Severus shaved with his wand, a procedure that Harry had not quite mastered. After Severus had brushed his teeth and combed his hair, he began lathering up his face. Hermione watched the proceedings with interest. What was it about such a mundane act as shaving that seemed so erotic? Having watched Ron shave before with the same effect, this wasn't the first time that Hermione was confused by her response to it. Maybe it was the odd hint of vulnerability that made a man shaving so sexy. Or maybe it was something about the complete concentration men gave to shaving. All that Hermione knew was that it probably wasn't very prudent to be watching Severus shave with her mouth hanging open. How in the world was she supposed to manage her bathroom time with Snape every day if she couldn't stop staring at him? Deciding to bring a book with her tomorrow, Hermione gave into the desire to watch Severus shave. She did, however, make sure that her mouth was no longer hanging open.

Severus was as deft at shaving as he was at making potions. His movements with his wand were fluid and graceful. As he made each pass with his wand, the soap and bits of hair magically vanished. It seemed much simpler than using a razor that had to be rinsed off after each pass and banged on the side of the tub to get rid of the hair. Wondering if she should take up the habit, Hermione tried to remember what particular spell Severus had used. She soon realized that she didn't remember because he hadn't spoken it aloud. That wasn't very surprising. Severus was adept at silent magic and rarely spoke the incantations out loud unless he was demonstrating something.

Eventually, Severus was finished and Hermione had to Summon Ron's dressing gown. It was unlike Kreacher to forget to do something for Severus, but the clothes that the house-elf had taken away had been in bad shape. Perhaps the elf was so busy with them that he'd forgotten. Once Severus had loosely belted Ron's dressing gown around himself, they returned to the library. In a rare quiet mood, Severus took a book from the shelves and settled in one of the wing backed chairs. When he sat down with his legs parted in his usual sprawl, Hermione was distressed to see just how far up Ron's dressing gown gaped open. Retreating to her desk, Hermione stuck her nose into her research and refused to look up.

With a noisy clatter of activity, Harry and Ron returned home and made a beeline for the library.

"Say there, Severus," Harry said with a chuckle, "either close your legs or adjust that dressing gown. No one wants to come home to a sight like that!"

With a snort and a melodramatic roll of his eyes, Severus demurely adjusted the fabric until it covered his lap.

"Isn't that my dressing gown?" Ron asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yes, redheaded whore," Severus replied. "The house-whore is mending my things."

"Well, that's all right then," Ron said amiably. "Just make certain it gets washed before you give it back. I don't want to wear something your dangly bits have been rubbing all over," he finished with a grin.

This statement struck Severus as outrageously funny, and he laughed so hard that he gave himself the hiccoughs. After he had calmed down a bit, Harry kindly charmed the hiccoughs away. Surprisingly, Severus did not flinch from Harry's wand anymore than he did from Hermione's.

"I'll get you some new clothes tomorrow, Severus," Harry said kindly. "And I'll get you your very own dressing gown so that you and Ron's dangly bits don't have to share."

This set Severus to laughing again, and it was a long time before he calmed down enough for Harry to charm away his returned hiccoughs. Ron, Harry, and Hermione laughed right along with him. There was something absolutely contagious about the laughter of a man they had always thought so sour.