5. ~~Intermission~~

Chapter Five: Intermission

Staring at the man across from her, presently intent upon stirring the cauldron, Hermione was tormented with flashbacks from her not-so-distant school days. Seeing Professor Snape...Severus...in his element, working in his laboratory at Hogwarts, brought home with crystal clarity the fact that she was indeed involved with her formidable Potions professor. This was the man that used to berate her and her friends. This was the man who had criticised her overly large front teeth with two houses as witnesses, for Merlin's sake.

Severus, finishing the latest stage of the Polyjuice Potion, glanced up to find Hermione scrutinizing him. The sight of her chewing on her bottom lip sparked a fire in his eyes that belied his wicked thoughts. He shifted a little and exhaled slowly to maintain his concentration on the potion for just a little bit longer.

"A Knut for your thoughts," he teased as he gave the potion a few final stirs and set it to simmer. It would be another hour before the next ingredient needed to be added.

"A Knut?" Hermione quipped, coming out of her reverie. "This one is worth at least a Galleon."

"It seems you place an inordinate value on your thoughts, then," he shot back spiritedly.

Well, if she had wanted to eradicate the image of the irascible Professor Snape, that certainly did the trick. She smiled, taking note of his current posture, one with which she had become most familiar of late. Her smile became almost feral as she remembered his admonition the day before: "Turgid members and finicky potions do not excellent bedmates make." Carefully, she walked around the simmering cauldron, delicately drew back an errant lock of hair that had fallen in front of his face and fastened it among the rest.

"Has anyone ever told you how utterly charming you look with your hair pulled back like this?"

She let her hand skim down his chest. She always had a rather unchecked fondness for men with long hair. And it was incredibly sexy when a man tied his hair back.

"Has anyone ever told you how lousy you are at changing the subject?" he smirked back.

Damn, he was frightfully good at seeing right through her. She made a mental note to practise being a little more opaque where Severus Snape was concerned.

"Hmm ... well," she drawled sweetly as she drew circles over his chest. "I just could not help but reminisce over all those delightful moments I spent as a student, listening to your most engaging lectures, raising my hand yet never being called upon, having house points deducted whenever I did speak up..."

"You little vixen," he growled, grabbing her waist and pulling her in close so that she was in full contact with his body. And it most certainly was fullcontact, too, she noticed.

"Why, Professor Snape, a professor of your stature becoming aroused by a mere pupil. I am utterly shocked!"

"Ex-pupil," he stressed as his kiss seared down the entire length of her body.

Perhaps if she had known he was capable of such intense passion, she would have made a pass at him as a student. All right, that most certainly would not have happened, but she rather enjoyed the idea that she would have been so bold, and it was a most excellent fantasy.

They were both breathing heavily by the time he forced himself to pull away. They still had to finish the base for the Polyjuice Potion. Severus was a firm believer in getting his work done before indulging in pleasure.

"You are aware, no doubt, that after I add the lacewings, the potion has to stew for twenty-one days," he murmured.

"As a matter of fact, I was aware of that minor detail," she murmured, placing her head on his chest and listening to the heavy beat of his heart. She inhaled deeply. Even through the various scents of the brewing herbs, his scent tantalized her. Twenty-one days. She had her apprenticeship at St. Mungo's. He had Potions classes to teach, rounds to make, a house full of rabid Slytherins to supervise.

"Stay here with me," he whispered into her hair.

Wrapping her arms about him tightly, she looked up questioningly into his fathomless eyes. Severus Snape, the most solitary man she had ever known, was asking her to stay.

"I have my apprenticeship, you know," she offhandedly mentioned, in case he spoke too quickly and needed a way to ease out of the offer.

"Poppy is connected to St. Mungo's on the Floo Network. Must I throw in unlimited use of my personal library to convince you to stay?" he asked half in jest, painfully conscious of the fact that if she held any reservations about staying with him, the offer of being able to peruse his library without restriction would definitely push her in the right direction.

"Mmm. Bribery: a very Slytherin trait," she answered flippantly.

She screamed shrilly when his hand connected with her bum. It stung, but his very capable fingers stroked and soothed the burn. He lifted her with the same hand and ground his mouth into hers, thrusting his tongue between her teeth.

Oh, so that's how he likes to play, she thought as she dueled with him for dominance. Two could surely play that game, but not while he was holding her up against him so tightly. She let one hand trail down his body until she found the telltale bulge in the front of his pants. The heel of her palm pressed against it, and her hand moved lower until her fingers reached their ultimate goal, curling lovingly around his firm sac; then she squeezed.

She landed neatly on her feet when, in shock, he abruptly dropped her.

"I believe you need to add those lacewings, Professor," she smiled at him sweetly. If there was one thing she was good at, it was acting innocent when she was anything but. It was a skill delicately honed through years of hanging around Harry and Ron.

"You truly are malicious," he purred, nipping her ear painfully, then turning his back to tend to the potion.

Hermione felt extremely satisfied with herself, but decided that it would be best not to show it. Wouldn't want him getting the upper hand or anything.

"If that offer still stands, of unlimited use of your private library that is, I accept."

She barely heard Severus mutter, "Saucy wench."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

He was late, and she had become impatient. Slipping into the hot bath, bubbles scented with a hint of sandalwood to remind her of his subtle scent, she let her hands wander over her body. Smoothing over her soft, round breasts, just grazing over the tips of her nipples, she felt them draw up into hard little peaks. She swirled her soapy palms imagining they were his hands, luxuriating in his phantom touch as she drew the sensations up gradually from her core. She was not in the mood to prolong the inevitable; she was desperate to be satisfied.

Her right hand traveled like fire over her stomach and down between her legs. Never since he had first touched her had she gotten any satisfaction from her own fingers. It felt good to massage her swollen lips, smooth a finger around and circle over her clit, but it wasn't Severus. She wanted more. She wanted to feel full of him.

Eyes glazing over, she reached toward the sink and called out, "Accio toothbrush."

If anything good had come from those thankfully rare occasions when Lavender and Parvati had taken her hostage in a vain attempt to make her "one of the girls," it was the discovery of a certain Transfiguration spell they had stumbled upon in Witch Weekly. With it you could transfigure a simple object, the longer the better, into a phallus; add another charm and it would vibrate. The spell was so simple that one didn't really need a wand to perform it; the desire alone focused the energy into whatever object one chose. The spell and charm worked beautifully; Hermione actually had to stop Lavender from trying out her Transfigured phallus on the spot. It was just way too much information.

Holding her toothbrush tightly, she concentrated on the spell and felt the toothbrush thicken and take shape in her hand. Her excitement rose another notch as she smoothed a thumb over the ridge and whispered, "Tremulo."

Closing her eyes, she lost no time in submerging the shuddering object and bringing it to rest directly over the extra sensitive bundle of nerves. Instantly, her muscles clenched and her head fell back against the rim of the tub. The vibrations shot straight up her spine. Yes, much better than her fingers. If she couldn't have the real thing, there was certainly no harm in trying her best to replicate that, which only Severus seemed able to accomplish.

Her inner muscles throbbed in time with the vibrations circling around her clitoris, following the path Severus' tongue usually followed. Her eyelids fluttered as she imagined his silken head between her thighs, his talented tongue knowing exactly where she needed to be probed, how hard she liked it and exactly when to move on.

More ... It was time for more. She switched positions, leaning forward and resting her arm on the edge of the tub. Slowly, she inserted the object inside, pressing at just the right angle. She whimpered as it pulsed inside of her like a cock in the throes of perpetual orgasm. Holding it tightly, she rode the vibrating phallus, stroking it against her clit each time she pulled it out. Imagining it was Severus' long, hard cock pumping in and out of her...she could almost imagine him taking her from behind...she felt her muscles begin to clench in time with the rhythm.

Not enough ... She rode out the first climax, but her body demanded more. It wasn't enough. Riding the phallus even harder, she cried, "Tremulo!" once more to bump up the vibrations another notch. She held back a scream and gasped as her muscles grasped the phallus even tighter. She nearly collapsed from the sensation, letting her head fall on top of her supporting arm, moaning as her hallucination fucked her with reckless abandon, entering her forcefully, deeper and harder, while she cried out for more and he growled in pleasure as his orgasm neared and his strokes lengthened and became more deliberate.

Her body tightened. She couldn't breathe. Light seemed to glow behind her eyelids. The phallus sliding in and out of her moved quickly as it drew her closer to completion. She screamed Severus' name, and she could almost hear his growl urging her to come because he was oh-so-close and she was so bloody-fucking-tight and how he needed to feel her walls squeeze around his cock so he could bury his hot semen deep inside her.

She came hard, her body seizing erratically, clenching as the object within her throbbed, prolonging the intensity of her orgasm. "Yes, yes, yes," she moaned as the object continued to move inside of her. One more ... Yes, just one more. She pushed the vibrator hard against her clit and held it there until it wound her up tighter and sent her screaming over the edge again as her body revisited its ultimate pleasure with even greater force.

Needing to catch her breath, Hermione fell exhausted into the bubbles.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Out in Severus' main quarters, the outer door slammed open hard against the wall and back into its frame. She sighed, feeling a bit guilty that she did not possess the self-control to wait for her lover before she started their nightly ritual. But it had felt too good to feel too guilty about it, and she was by no means satisfied yet. She knew she would eventually get what she craved before the night was through. She had not been disappointed yet since being invited to stay.

Hermione had not been at all confident that Severus would take kindly to the constant presence of a woman in his quarters. Granted, she had her apprentice duties at St. Mungo's, which took her out of the castle a few hours every day, not counting weekends. However, those were the same hours he spent teaching. She was afraid he would be too set in his ways and tire quickly of her presence.

Severus, on the other hand, was not by any means tired of her presence. In fact, after his protracted solitude, this was exactly what he wanted and needed...someone to come home to, someone who would listen to his ranting and raving, someone to help him take out his frustrations.

"Bloody Dumbledore!" he bellowed from the other side of the door. "How in Hades does he expect me to teach a bunch of first-years who would not know the bottom side of a cauldron from their robe-covered arses? He has positively outdone himself this time! I would hand over my fortune in Galleons in utter shock if the one criterion of admittance to Hogwarts was not 'be able to properly provoke the Potions professor!' I ought to..."

"You ought to what, Severus?" interrupted Hermione, stepping out of the bathroom. Her only attire was the rosy glow of the gloriously hot bath and personal attention she had just treated herself to.

Severus forgot completely what he had been saying or even why he had been angry with the headmaster. In fact, if one had dared to enquire at that particular and most inopportune moment after Albus Dumbledore, his only response could have been, "Albus Who?"

Hermione stood there, blissfully naked, knowing exactly just what that did to Severus' ability to think. She discovered this little trick accidentally only three days into their little cohabitation experiment. Thus, when she heard him yelling from the other room, she knew there was only one way to calm the beast. She drained the tub, toweled off briskly, flung the door open and approached him with nothing on except a smile. It was always a tremendous boost to her self-confidence when this tactic had the desired effect.

She took one step toward him then another, watching his eyes roam her body, following the curve of her breast down to the curve of her hip and back again. His tongue flicked out, wetting his bottom lip in anticipation.

Reaching up to his fastidiously buttoned collar, Hermione unfastened one button, then another and another, finding the self-control she had apparently lost earlier. What she really wanted to do was to rip off his clothes, buttons be damned, and have her way with him on the spot...but she wanted to make him suffer. After all, she had been suffering for the last hour, waiting for him to return from his classes, waiting to taste him on her lips, waiting to feel him hard at the entrance to her body.

Even after being near him continuously for three weeks, she had not grown weary of him. He was like a drug that she couldn't get enough of. He made her body sing with pleasure, and all it took was one sultry syllable from him to make her wet with desire.

Severus let out a low, guttural growl as he tore his shirt from her hands and ripped it open completely to his waist. Hermione smirked wickedly; to have this sort of power over a man who rarely lost control excited her more than she expected.

She attacked him like a possessed animal, shoving him backwards into the table. Her fingers grasped at the material that covered his bulge but were too frantic to divest him of it. She fell to her knees in front of the still-clad object of her fancy and sucked at him, nibbling at all the right spots, trying to engulf as much as she could without freeing him from his confines.

Severus groaned and wound his fingers in her wet, wavy tresses in response, feeling the fabric of his trousers become moist both inside and out from her ministrations. Tightening his hold in her hair, he pulled her slowly upward, capturing her magical mouth with his.

Never before had she kissed him with such an intensity. Never before had she been as ready as she was now to be taken with barely a touch upon her body. She ached to feel him against her. She ached to show him how much she needed him. Jumping up, she wrapped her legs about his waist, pushing her hot sex against his dampened crotch and ground herself against him. Instinctively, he grabbed her tightly to him and pushed back.

Her heat permeated his clothing, making him harder. Her movements became frantic, making it nearly impossible to think of anything except releasing himself against her, within her; it didn't really matter how. Her loss of control had drawn him dangerously close to the edge.

"Hermione," he groaned through her kisses. "Merlin's balls, Hermione, I am going to come."

"Yes, Severussss," she hissed as her movements against him became wilder and harder and more insistent. "Come for me. Oh, fuck...I'm ready. Come for me now!" she moaned as she climaxed hard against him.

The throbbing of her sex gave him the final push he needed, and he came inside his trousers, trying somehow to grind it through the fabric and into her instead.

"Oh fuck! Gods, Hermione, what the bloody hell?" he gasped as her legs slid off his hips and she stood on the floor in front of him.

Much calmer now, she unfastened his pants and let them fall. Seeing the sticky mess that covered his semi-flaccid member and the nest of hair that surrounded it, she fell to her knees and proceeded to lick him clean.

She didn't need to hear his groans of encouragement to know she was doing the right thing because his cock began to harden almost immediately. By the time she had removed all evidence of his orgasm, he was ready for another go.

Feeling slightly calmer and not so desperate, she stood up and backed away from him slowly. She loved to tease him; watching his reaction was priceless, not to mention it gave her great satisfaction to know that she could do things to him that other people could not. Taking a breast in each hand, she brought them up to stand at attention. Severus half-sat on the table behind him while his cock strained in her direction like a compass pointing north.

Running her thumbs over her painfully erect nipples, she continued to back away, luring him to her, letting her body call to him. When he finally realised that she was moving in the wrong direction, he shot after her. Screaming, she turned and ran toward the bathroom. But before she could reach the door, he caught her about the waist and pulled her backward into his waiting erection.

"Where do you think you are going, you silly little girl? Do you think you can tease an old man and not pay the price?"

"And what price would you have me pay, Professor?" she purred at him playfully. She loved playing these games with him. Every word that fell from his lips, she hung onto, letting her desire take hold and take over her body.

"My, my, what a wet little trollop you are," he whispered into her ear as a hand ran down her leg and slowly up her inner thigh. He thrust a finger inside her and pumped it in and out roughly until she cried out.

"Whatever is the matter, Miss Granger? Is there something you want? Perhaps my attentions would be better spent elsewhere," he drawled into her ear.

He withdrew his finger and let his hand follow the curve around to her backside. Slickened with her juices, the same finger slid easily into her rear entrance where he once again picked up the rhythm. After only a few strokes, the discomfort gave way to pleasure and a low and drawn-out moan escaped from her lips.

He stepped back slightly to admire the sight of his hand pumping in and out of his lover's behind. His other hand reflexively began tending to his own deepening desire. It was a most erotic sight. Deciding that he had just about enough of foreplay for one day, he removed his finger and pushed her roughly facedown upon his bed.

Hermione tried to adjust her position but was reprimanded harshly by the man hovering above her with a sharp slap. Her arse stung and burned her already hot flesh, spreading between her legs.

"Did I say you could move, Miss Granger?" The harsh growl of his voice belied the pleasure he was taking from her, and presently himself, as he stroked his cock in preparation for his ultimate goal. A muffled peep was the only answer she could muster.

"Are my ears deceiving me, Miss Granger, or have your wits left you? I do not believe that was an acceptable answer." His free hand met her arse once more. She jumped and screamed, a little embarrassed at being taken by surprise.

"Please, sir, have mercy," she pleaded, trying not to let him hear the arousal in her voice.

"Mercy?" he growled as he leaned over, his hot breath on her ear. The tip of his cock danced against her back as he slid it in and out of his fist. Her whines and pleas were exciting him to no end. "In what manner would you suggest I take mercy on you?"

She whimpered inaudibly which elicited another reprimand from his biting palm. She groaned as the moistness between her legs increased in anticipation.

"When I speak to you, wretched girl, you had better answer me forthwith or there will be consequences. It may not be pleasurable for you, but it certainly will be for me."

"Oh gods, Severus," she ground out with difficulty, having no will left whatsoever to speak. "Fuck me already!"

Without further ado, Severus abandoned his self-ministrations and pulled her hips higher. Roughly spreading her legs apart, he thrust forward and granted her wish.

"Ah, yes!" he screamed as he buried his shaft into her again and again, feeling her walls constrict around him. She writhed beneath him, attempting to impale herself even further, as if it wasn't enough.

It was fast and hard and they grew breathless at the effort. Needing to have her closer, he drew her up against his chest, grasping her breasts, twisting her nipples, driving his cock into her even deeper than before, stretching her until he could go no farther. She cried into the emptiness in front of her, bracing her hands on the wall, allowing him free reign of her body. Anything he wanted, she was all for him.

Suddenly, she was convulsing around his cock, and it became more difficult for him to move; her orgasm was demanding, constricting his flesh. His tendons tightened in anticipation, and a few strokes later he followed her into climactic bliss.

The couple collapsed in sheer exhaustion, having spent all their energy releasing the frustrations of the day. Hermione lay contentedly beneath Severus, his soft cock still buried deep within her yet still filling her quite satisfactorily.

And so it was that they both fell asleep.

A/N: The bell is chiming...intermission is now over. Please return to your seats.