Chapter 8
Chapter 8 of 10
SubversaTwo years post-war, the world is settling again into a regular rhythm. The Boy Who Lived has a lover and a new business, and his two best friends are embarking on careers of their own. Working as an administrative assistant and teacher-in-training at Hogwarts, Hermione Granger becomes suspicious of the unusual behaviour of her boss, the Deputy Headmaster. Where does Severus Snape go several nights a week—what is he up to? Why is she the only one who notices? Can Snape really be trusted? The resourceful Miss Granger knows one sure way to find out: She will follow him.
ReviewedChapter 8
Hermione hurries from the building and Disapparates. She does not want him to arrive at the school before her, this time. She knows from long experience that at Hogwarts, it is nearly impossible for her to hide from or sneak around Severus Snape.
In her room, Crookshanks greets her with a meow, twining between her ankles. He leaps onto her bed, and she reaches to stroke him. He is instantly riveted by the smells on her hand, and she laughs. "She's a beautiful white cat with big, yellow-green eyes," she tells him. "I'm not positive, but I think her name may be Ramona."
She sheds her clothes and goes into the tiny bathroom. In the candlelight, her reflection shows a woman who was clearly just shagged into submission. Her eyes are dreamy, her lips plumped by rough, demanding kisses, and she can smell him on her. The memory of their intimacy shudders through her and she grips the sink to steady herself.
It is as if he still holds her power, though he is far away from her now.
She turns on the shower and climbs in. She presses her back against the tiles, letting the water pummel her with its heat. It is pleasant, but nothing in comparison to the effect of him on her, heating her from within with carnal desires she never knew she possessed.
She knows it's true, but the truth seems incredible...her little crush on Professor Snape has led to intense, enthralling, slightly kinky sex. Safe in his disguise, he is free to express his sexuality... dominant, confident, and astoundingly sensual.
She climbs out of the shower and wraps her hair in a towel. All she has to figure out is how to get what she now knows she wants more than anything:
Professor Severus Snape, AKA Sir Tobias Prince, for her very own.
Severus enters Harry's Place to find it nicely full of paying customers. A former student...aren't they all former students?...escorts him to a quiet table in a darkened niche, then returns with a smoking tumbler of Ogden's Old Firewhisky.
Severus sips the drink and ponders the mystery of Kitten. Clearly, he is obsessed with her...and she certainly seems to return the interest. What can be the harm of seeing her upon occasion in the safe confines of TPE? The very nature of the place promises no-strings-attached arrangements. Anyone who seeks out interaction there values two things...anonymity and a lack of entanglements.
He smirks into the glass. She's sure of herself, the little Kitten. She displayed no anxiety about leaving him this time. She is certain she will see him again...does she imagine she has some power over him?
She bloody well does, you nitwit. And you're feeding her delusions.
He cringes a bit from the derogatory voice in his mind. It is true that the wary, distrusting part of him has provided him with a longer life than he ever thought to enjoy. But the Dark Lord is dead, the Death Eaters are no more, and the war is firmly in the past. Isn't it safe now to permit the other part of him a bit of enjoyment?
Draco slides into the booth across from him, his white blonde hair seeming to have a light of its own in the dim enclosure. He offers his hand with a smile of genuine pleasure.
When they aren't rivals over the task of killing Albus Dumbledore, Draco and Severus have an easy camaraderie.
"How are things at Hogwarts?" Draco asks.
"Uneventful, which is the way I prefer it."
There's a flash of white teeth. "I'm all for a quiet life."
There's a shout of laughter from the bar area, where Potter is the centre of a group of young adults.
"You describe life with Potter as quiet?"
Draco looks serene as he nods. "It's the best life I've ever had...I'm happy. I have nothing to fear and nothing to worry about."
Severus says quietly, "You deserve it."
Draco leans forward, intent. "You deserve it as well, sir. Is there someone special? A lady you're seeing?"
He means it...Severus can see the genuine concern in the grey eyes, so like his father's. He feels the impulse to confide, and realises he's ingested the whisky on a nearly empty stomach. Anticipation of his visit to TPE had deprived him of appetite at supper. Still, he nods.
"Perhaps."
"Someone I know?"
I don't even know who she is, he thinks. But he says, "I think not."
Draco cocks his head to one side. "I suppose I should be glad you trust me enough to say even that little bit. Although you might unbend a bit more, you know. We're at peace now."
To be honest, Severus does feel oddly peaceful. Is it the drink? Or is it the after-effect of time with Kitten?
To Draco he says, "Old habits die hard."
Draco indicates the empty tumbler. "Another one?"
"Thank you, but I have one last corridor patrol before bed tonight."
They stand, and Draco touches his sleeve. "Give it some thought. There's no need to be alone."
It is not until mid-week that Severus considers going back to TPE. Mondays they are closed, Tuesday has lost its allure...he has no interest in breaking in newcomers any longer. But Wednesday night is just business as usual...perhaps she will be back. He will go to his rooms, order up a sandwich, finish reading the Board proposal for hiring new teachers, and go to TPE.
He walks past Miss Granger's desk, where she is tidying her things as a prelude to ending her workday.
"Have a good evening," he says magnanimously, then he is out the door and on the revolving staircase. It is not until he reaches the bottom that he realises he left his reading glasses on his desk.
He goes into the office again, but Miss Granger is not in the room. Instead, she is in the ensuite lavatory...he can see the light around the doorway. The door is ajar...she believes she is alone, after all.
He cannot help but see her washing her hands at the basin. She is dressed warmly, in Muggle denims and a tight-fitting jumper of a bright golden hue that goes well with her hair. He is unable to prevent himself from noticing her womanly shape.
Her body reminds him piercingly of Kitten. He pushes the thought away. He is about to go to his desk when she does something truly strange. She turns from the mirror, her side now to the sink, and bends at the waist, causing her unruly mane to fall forward and hang almost to the floor. She brushes it vigorously, and he struggles to fight off the image of standing behind Kitten in such a position, taking her jeans down and ...
His lascivious reverie is interrupted when he spies a purplish-yellow mark on the nape of her neck, bared now by her bizarre hair-brushing posture. A healing bruise, just where he left one on Kitten ...
It is said that epiphanies come with a flash of illumination, a blinding light of realisation. His comes with a sensation not unlike being kicked in the stomach by a Thestral. And rather than all becoming clear in an instant, instead, everything in his life becomes an indisputable catastrophe.
A brave man would stay, confront the girl, and come to some sort of understanding.
But the bravest man Harry Potter ever knew...Severus Snape, who danced a line for twenty years between the two mightiest wizards alive...flees like a craven, his spectacles lying abandoned on his desk.
His Kitten is Hermione Granger.
He winces and presses a hand over his eyes. In spite of the evidence of his eyes, he cannot accept the truth.
If she had any idea Tobias Prince is Severus Snape, she would be horrified. Sir Tobias looks the same age as Severus, but he's better looking. She would never want to see Sir Tobias again. She would never be able to look Severus in the face again. She might leave Hogwarts.
And maybe that would be best.
He tries to read the Board proposal, but he cannot concentrate on it. His mind will not let him rest.
Kitten is astride him, rising and falling, her breasts bobbing, but her face is now that of Hermione Granger. Kitten stands before him, naked and blushing but unafraid, and she says, "I think about you every day. I dream about you at night. I don't want to be with anyone else."
No wonder she behaves like a bloody Gryffindor.
He puts the proposal aside and stands, beginning to pace. He knows now the identity of Kitten, but how does that change anything? She doesn't know he knows. She will continue on her way, going to TPE to meet with Sir Tobias...she left him in no doubt about her intentions when they parted.
Well, she'll be disappointed. He won't see her there again.
And then what do you think she'll do? Go home and cry in her pillow? Why should she? There's a club full of men perfectly willing to take your place, dunderhead.
He stops pacing, the reality of this fact echoing through his mind. He has no trouble identifying the painful, twisting emotion that follows...jealousy is an old and dreaded companion. He has no desire to invite it into his life again.
He is an adult. He is a respected professional. He is an acknowledged war hero. He is not the friendless, hopeless wretch he was before the Dark Lord died.
He will not allow the niggling detail that he's been unknowingly fucking his teaching assistant to disturb him.
Even as he comes to this decision, he is rifling the top drawer of his desk until he finds it...the bloody Marauder's Map, a gift from Potter when he left the hospital and returned to Hogwarts. "Use it in good health, Professor," Potter had said.
He finds her almost at once. She is in the Entrance Hall, and in the next instant, she is through the front door of the castle.
He snatches his cloak and all but runs from his rooms. He must hurry if he's to catch up with her.
How else can he follow her?
Hermione breathes deeply of the cold night air. It's not uncommon to have the first snow of the winter before December arrives. Snow would be fine...snow would be grand. She's in love with the world, because she's truly in love for the first time in her life.
It's the most glorious and most painful emotion imaginable.
Tonight is particularly beautiful, because she's going back to TPE. She isn't sure where Professor Snape is...he didn't show up for supper in the Great Hall...but he seemed in a good mood before he left the office. Perhaps he's going to TPE as well.
And Sir Tobias and Kitten will have another encounter.
She is incandescent with hope.
It becomes something of a dance. She leaves the castle. He follows her. He has followed her in Hogsmeade, in Diagon Alley, even to Harry's Place. He'd been tempted to remove the Disillusionment Spell and let her see him there. But his imagination can't cope with the possibility of pursuing a public association with Hermione Granger, so he watches from the shadows.
And over the space of two weeks, she goes to TPE six times. Six. Six opportunities when he might have been with her again...touched her again...possessed her again.
That first night, he acquires an informant at TPE. Ramona, the odd-looking woman who works the evening shift, agrees to his proposal...his gold for her information. Thus far, the arrangement has worked perfectly. He is to be told if Kitten asks for him. Kitten is always to be told he is not present. He is also to be told if she agrees to see another dominant.
Thus far, that hasn't happened. She goes in, she asks for him, she drinks tea and dallies, waiting for him, and then she goes back to Hogwarts.
At first, it is a bit like a game. He has to win. He has to control the outcome. He will deny her the comfort of his presence and somehow make sure no one else enjoys her either.
It seems a perfectly reasonable objective.
It isn't until the second week that he begins to see the change in her. The spring in her step disappears. Her smiling, cheerful mood diminishes day by day, until she is quiet. There is nothing antagonistic or aggressive about her apparent misery. She just seems to turn inward.
She is rather like a balloon slowly losing air.
It seems less like a game all the time.
Hermione is completely confused by the behaviour of Sir Tobias, AKA Professor Snape. She was not alone in the bubble of transcendence that marked their interactions. He was every bit as involved as she was. Why does he avoid TPE?
She decides to follow him, to find out what he's up to these days, but she can never find him. He teaches his classes, he does his office work, he appears at meals...but otherwise, it seems that he goes nowhere and sees no one.
Her happiness slowly leaks away, until she's full of nothing but sadness. She's found the one she wants...the one who will be to her what Draco is to Harry and what Parvati is to Ron...but he wants nothing to do with her.
Before long, the sadness begins to mutate into anger.
The first week in December, the staff decorate the school for Christmas. Hagrid brings in the enormous trees, and McGonagall oversees it all. There are carols playing the halls, coming from the odd suit of armour. Eggnog is available in the staff room, and the teachers and the students become light of heart, happy about the coming holiday.
Severus is working at his desk, keeping a weather eye on Kitten...on Miss Granger...as she leaves off her desultory marking of homework to stare off into space. She does this far more than she used to do.
Is she hurt? Does she wonder where he...where Sir Tobias...is?
McGonagall comes into the office with a basket in her arms. In the basket is a cat.
"Whose familiar is that?" he asks her. Students are allowed to have their familiars at school, but the animals are not meant to be a problem to the staff.
"I don't know, Severus. I found her in the Entrance Hall. I wonder if she's meant to be Christmas gift for someone?"
But Severus has already lost interest in the topic. He's watching Miss Granger again, and she appears completely unaware of McGonagall's entrance. She seems pale, and there are dark circles around her eyes.
Is she actually becoming ill? Is it his fault?
McGonagall, having collected her grade book, is standing before his desk now. The white cat in the basket looks him over with intelligent yellow eyes.
"Isn't she a pretty moggy?"
Severus recoils from the soppy tone of McGonagall's voice. "I wouldn't say so, no, Professor."
"Severus, you're as severe as Scrooge. Have you no holiday spirit? Call her a moggy, call her a kitty, but don't deny she's a fine specimen."
He has nothing to say in reply to this, and McGonagall departs the office with the cat.
The clock on the mantle chimes the half hour. It's time for supper. McGonagall obviously expects him to preside over the meal, since she's off with the inhabitant of the basket. She would undoubtedly transform and go mouse hunting with her newfound cat friend at the first opportunity.
He stands and tidies his work space, muttering to himself under his breath.
"I wouldn't call it a 'moggy'. I've never said the word in my life. I wouldn't call it a 'kitty'..."
"No, why would you? You'd call it Kitten, instead."
He freezes, and only his eyes move, tracking to the right, where Hermione Granger stands looking at him, tragic and accusing.
He doesn't need Legilimency to know that she's onto him...somehow, she knows he's Sir Tobias.
He feels as if he's in public with no clothes on.
He swallows, trying to think what to say...how to deny it, to make her feel stupid and small even to have suspected him...but how can he repudiate an accusation that has not been spoken? If he responds at all, he will lose the sliver of advantage he retains, because only Sir Tobias would understand the significance of "Kitty" versus "Kitten".
As he watches her, she lifts her chin and visibly straightens to her full height. The move is so quintessentially Kitten that he cannot move...cannot think...cannot speak. All he can do is stand like a pillock and stare at her.
After what seems an aeon, her lip curls, and when she speaks, it's as if she's hurling poisoned needles at him.
"Sir Tobias never existed. He's just a part you played. I am in love with a phantom."
He watches her march to the door, but she stops before stepping on the staircase and gives her final malediction.
"Severus Snape, you are a fucking coward."
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Latest 25 Reviews for Before I Saw Your Face
83 Reviews | 6.25/10 Average
Thank you for this fabulous story, Subversa. I can't believe I hadn't seen it before now. In your hands Severus and Hermone are beautiful, refined within the the crucible of their emotions and brought to a radiant, white, and golden purity of love.
When I listened to the song it made me think of you and your darling hubby! May you both have a blissful holiday.
Beth
Great lord! Let me get my thoughts on paper.
•Hermione knows who Sir Tobias is.
•Now Severus knows who Kitten is.
•Lucius is on the way to TPE to escape Narcissa's aunts.
•Can Hermione be on her way to TPE to "get even?" Or confront Ramona or KiKi?
•Lucius is on the way to TPE to escape Narcissa's aunts.
Perhaps Lucius can prevent all Hell from breaking loose... if, indeed, Hermione and Seveus are both on their way to TPE.
...because Seveus is going to need all the help he can get. (Is Hermione carrying her wand???)
Beth
That was absolutely incredible. I loved it. I think that you should rework it for publication.
love that severus and hermione found one at BDSM.. love the interaction between them.. happy that crook found a partner...
Thank you, Subversa, for another wonderful story! I was delighted to find a new one although a new one doesn't stop me from re-reading my favorite old ones.
joanie
I absolutely LOVED the last chapter! I'm glad Severus got to her before Lucius, and they are now together.
That was absolutely satisfiyingly beautiful! Thank you for the lemony, romantic story with the happy ending. You have made my weekend. I went to the memorial for my friend that I had let slip away thinking there would always be time to see her again. She had struggled for 6 year with cancer. I was the only one there that the pain was new for. I was the only one tearful as I spoke to her husband, her daughter and her mother. I was so happy to get home and know I hadn't finished reading this story yet. Thank you for the cheer and happiness you give with the time you spend crafting stories for the rest of us, dearest.
Response from Subversa (Author of Before I Saw Your Face)
I was very sad to read about your friend. I have just such a friend in my life from whom I am much too distant. Thank you for the reminder.I'm so pleased to know you enjoyed this story. It was a pleasure to read your reviews. ~sub
Did she intend for him to find the letter? Did she know he would have no compunction about looking at the papers on her desk? That would be a Slytherin move. Well we will just have to see where this goes.
Ok. I thought I was being totally Gryffindor, but telling him straight to his face that she clearly knows who he is is totally Gryffindor. He did see the love bite but it was an accident. Well Serverus. What will you do now? The ball is clearly in your court. And what is Ramona doing there? Has she taken an interest in these love birds? Is she there to see what they are up to? Does she feel sorry for Kitten who keeps coming in to see Sir Tobias who is never there to see her? Hermione did tell her she had a kneazle at Hogwarts. I've already added this story to my favorites.
Just splendid Sub! I love Harry and Draco's relationship as well! I look forward to your next project very much! xx
"Until next time"...Good girl. I sense he will attempt one more time to separate himself from his feelings and tell her he won't see her again. Are there enough chapters for that and a reunion? What will she do in the meantime now that she knows who he is. He is at a serious disadvantage, but to show her cards too soon would unwise. He needs to realize his truth. He is in love. Will he figure out that kitten is Hermione? Will she give him hints back at the school? Oh I'm totally Griffindor right now. I'm all about wearing a kitten necklace or something to make him think about it in the office. When he's at his desk and she's at her's and no one else is there, accept the portraits, she should put her hair up and let him see the love bite on her nape and act like she forgot it was there. Good move or bad? I have no idea what a Slytherin would do right now.
A perfect ending to a perfect story, Thankyou for your wonderful writing and for sharing your gift of storytelling with us. Can't wait to read your next fic, don't leave us hanging too long!!! 😘
I wish Hermione had asked Severus if he had a red scarf in his trouser pocket! Just imagine his surprise! I'm glad he at least has Lucius to console him. Hermione can't really tell anyone about her night. She might be able to tell Draco, but Harry wouldn't understand.
A lovely story ,with a beautiful ending. Thank you so very much.
I was ready to sign up! But the goodbye is the hard part. It was wonderful! Then, as always, real life must assert it'self. Hopefully these two will figure out they don't need TPE and who they are together. Falling in love is always wonderful and horrible at the same time.
How us old biddies love to read these stories to remind ourselves of those emotional thrills and the desperation of our salad days. Tomorrow I go to the memorial for my maid of honor. She died of ovarian cancer. We'd schemed and talked about men. We cried on one another's shoulders. We told each other how beautiful we were and how lucky that bloke was to have us. We stuck up for each other when the bloke turned out to be a prick, and hated him with a self rightous anger. While we listened to Barry Manalow sing, "Looks like we've made it. Left each other all the way to another love..." We carried one another's deepest darkest secrets for all our lives. We were happy for one another as we each stood up for the other one at our weddings. She was my maid of honor and I was her matron of honor in a bright pink Princess Diana dress. I was there at the birth of her only child 26 years ago and then we lost touch with each other for years and years, always thinking there would be time to reminisce. It's too late now. Her husband found me last Sunday and let me know of her parting from this earth. It had taken a month to track me down because I hadn't nurtured my dearest friendships. I was too caught up in raising children, a career and being plain old world weary to the bone. Thank you for the stories you write that give people like me a window of respite from the sadness of real life. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
No harm, indeed! She knows she is looking for him, but he has no idea that Hermione is at TPE. Will she be convinced that Sir Tobias is really truly Severus Snape? How could she doubt? Who else would use such a name? What should she do when she is around the real Professor Snape if she decides he is the one she has been having this kinky sex with? Is there a way she could leave a hint that she is Kitty? Would it be unethical to expose their partner's identities? What happens if she decides to start having all kinds of cat fripperies other than stationary and Severus notices. Somehow I know these two have to figure this out. They are in love so it has to happen. Right? How can she be so calm in his presense after having this kind of encounter?
So Hermione found out she is in a den of sex looking for Snape. Surprise! She's like:"OMG!" then "What the hell! I can have free sex tonight, possibly with Severus Snape; ...or it could be a stranger. I'm in!"
Tuesday will be an eye opener for sure! I have a feeling the Hermione is about to find out she has a wild side she never knew existed. Severus is being polite to her and she doesn't even seem to care. Defiantly PTSD/OCD/PMS for lonely hearts. Harry and Draco make a good couple. Neville and Ginny...not sure. I think the only couple Jkr was right about was Neville and Luna. I can accept a Ginny/Neville though. He would balance her out.
Oh leave over, Hermione! Seriously. Maybe what he is up to just ins't any of your business. And he still has books of dark magic in his rooms that he has to keep out of the hands of idiots. I guess you don't have enough to do and it takes a while to get over the war. Old habits die hard. Maybe you have a PTSD/OCD suspician syndrom. I just made that up. It's long for paranoid. Well, hopefully this will lead to happiness for you and Snape.
Thank you! For your story and especially for the heartwarming finish.
I'm glad Severus saw the letter, and has decided to be with Hermione. I have the feeling she's not at TPE for him. I hope he's able to stop her from being with someone else. Snce he returns her feelings, it's going to hurt him that she'll be with someone else, even though she doesn't know he loves her.
Severus had best be honest with Hermoine, she will accecpt nothing else.
Sir Tobias, onward! Sigh ...
Thank you for another wonderful chapter!
Simply wonderful. <3
Love it, can't wait for more! As usual lol