Eight

A/N: It's been ever so long since I've written a nice naughty story. Hopefully, I'm not too out of practice. I love my original fiction, but they are mostly supernatural mystery. Certainly, almost all of them have an element of romance, but they are not romances themselves. And none of them are erotica. So it's been lovely to dip my toes back into those waters again. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I am enjoying writing it.

Some answers chapter after this, and then a nice dip into naughtiness again. I'm being unrepentantly sweet to our Severus with this fic. I can't help myself. The poor man has been through enough, don't you think?

No beta, so any mistakes are my own.

Disclaimer: They are not mine, I only take them out to play. Sometimes they play with each other.

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Friday was sunny and warm. Hermione dressed with her date in mind, another sundress that showed off her modest cleavage. She hadn't forgotten how Steven had stared at her curves.

While she wasn't quite used to cooking completely Muggle, she could manage a nice roast with potatoes and carrots for her dinner with Steven. A frantic visit to her mother first thing in the morning, and she knew exactly what to do, even how to leave it in the oven on a low temperature so it would be ready at the right time. She even remembered to block the floo so Steven would be shocked by unexpected people tumbling out of the fireplace.

On her way to class, she saw a grey tabby cat sitting on an upturned rubbish bin, staring into the window of Steven's shop.

"Good morning, cat," she said as she walked by.

The cat's only response was a small nod of its head.

Classes dragged on and on, but eventually, Hermione and Harry walked through the door of the bookshop. Hermione was not surprised to note the cat still lingering outside. It seemed that Harry was not the only one taking some time off work.

Marta was helping a customer, but Steven came from behind the counter as soon as he saw her. He shook Harry's hand in greeting and then kissed hers, his black eyes never leaving her own. Damn, but he was getting good at this. She already felt all shivery inside.

Instead of studying, Harry filled her in on what he'd learned the previous day. They kept their voices low, but the bookshop was busy with customers and Steven not likely to overhear them.

"I talked to several healers about our situation."

"You didn't tell them who it was about, did you?"

"No, Hermione, I kept his name out of it. Severus is a war hero. If the wizarding world found out he was alive, everyone would start looking for him. He doesn't need that."

"What did you discover?"

"Well, I was right that it's no good trying to force his memory. In fact, if he's lost it because of magical mishap, that's the worst thing we can do. It's all right to show him familiar things, and it's actually good for him to have us around. These things might naturally remind him who he is. But we can't press him on it."

"I understand. It's all right for me to be around him as long as I don't start badgering him about remembering me."

"Exactly. The other thing is that there's a good chance his memory could be restored, depending on exactly how he lost it. But it depends on magical diagnosis and magical treatment. He has to be awake and aware as well. The magics need his active cooperation to work. It won't work if he's unconscious or sedated."

"Wouldn't that be easy." Hermione huffed out a frustrated breath. "A little dreamless sleep and he wouldn't even be aware."

"I know, but it won't work. I have no idea what to do. If we start going on about magic, even if we show him demonstrations, he's going to have an eppy."

"Oh, I don't know, Harry. Steven and I are growing closer. I'll have to confess my magical nature soon. Maybe he'll be able to accept it, you know, if he doesn't throw me out on my ear or call some hospital to have men come to fit me into a nice straightjacket."

"Are you sure you want to tell him at all?"

"I am, but I can't tell him just yet. I'd like him to get a better chance to know me a little first."

"It's up to you. Tell him or not, that's your own business. But it would allow us to help him if he can accept it."

They spent the rest of their study time talking about less serious things and chattering about the vampires of Drakelow anytime Steven wandered near them. At five thirty, Hermione said goodbye to Harry and Steven escorted her to his car.

On the drive to her flat, he couldn't seem to stop touching her. Little caresses anytime he wasn't busy shifting gears. A hand on her knee. Fingers touching hers. A lock of her hair tucked behind her ear. By the time they entered her flat, Hermione's libido was in overdrive. The moment the door closed behind them, he pressed her against it, his mouth crashing against hers.

Wet heat enveloping her mouth, a clever tongue delving inside. Sweet Merlin but the man had forgotten nothing from their earlier lesson. He pressed her firmly into the wood at her back, his hips thrusting lightly against her.

He didn't speak until they came up for air. "I'm sorry, pet, I didn't mean to attack you. I could think of nothing all day but touching you again."

"In case you didn't notice, I wasn't complaining." Tangling a hand in the hair at the back of his head, she dragged his head back down into another toe-curling kiss.

Sometime later, he broke away from her mouth with a groan that she could feel as his chest vibrated against her hardened nipples.

"Dear Lord, Hermione. If we don't stop soon, I'm going to come in my pants like a schoolboy."

Hermione looked him over, speculating. "Would you like that?"

He looked a bit shocked, then his eyes lit with heat and his nostrils flared with a sudden snort of breath.

"Heaven help me, yes I would."

Grabbing his hand, Hermione fairly dragged him to the sofa. If Steven was going to press that hard cock against her until he came, she wanted it hitting her where it counted, not rubbing against her belly. Lying on her back with her legs spread in welcome, she motioned for him to join her.

"Come, show me then," she murmured, her voice husky and low with desire.

He fell over her, scooting quickly until his cock nestled right up against her core. When he saw that she had too much trouble catching her breath, he lifted some of his weight onto his elbows without her having to direct him. Steven took to lovemaking easily; he was a natural. It wasn't such a surprise, considering how he watched for her every reaction. A considerate lover was a good one, in Hermione's opinion.

Then his mouth fastened to hers as his hips began to thrust against her core with greater confidence. Each push caused a little twitch in her clit, and she raised her hips to his, meeting each thrust, delighting in the feeling of his body against hers. She couldn't remember the last time she had wrapped herself around someone with all her clothes on and humped away at them in innocent abandon. She'd probably been in school. It felt more arousing doing this with Steven than anything she'd ever done with Ron.

She moaned and whimpered against his mouth and he thrust even harder, pounding against her with force enough to make her bounce against the cushions of the sofa. His hips began to lose their rhythm, and press into her in smaller jerking motions. His mouth left hers as he threw his head back, eyes closed, mouth hanging open.

"Come for me, Steven...yes...that's it...come for me."

Her name left his slack lips, a whisper of sound which turned into a deep groan. She could feel his cock, pressed so tightly into her core, twitch against her. Warmth spread against her mound as he found his release.

He collapsed on her then, breathing like a racehorse, still taking some of his weight on his elbows so he wouldn't crush her. She rubbed her hands up and down his back, murmuring nonsense as he recovered.

"You're so sexy, Steven...so beautiful in your passion. I love the way you feel on top of me, love the way your mouth tastes as you plunder mine. You feel so good, I can't wait until I can feel you thrusting inside me."

He groaned again at that and then lifted his head to stare into her eyes.

"Show me how to please you. Show me how to make you feel good."

"You already please me."

"Show me," he practically growled, reminding her very much of the Wizard he used to be.

"Yes." she managed, a breathless sound.

Shifting them so that they were pressed side by side on the narrow sofa, Hermione lifted the skirt of her dress, and then guided Steven's hand down and into her panties.

"You'll have to show me," he growled again. "I don't bloody know what the fuck I'm doing."

"I will. For now, just touch me. Explore me."

With a look like a man granted his dearest wish, he did exactly that. He rubbed his hand gently among her curls and then let one of his fingers slip between her lips.

"Merlin, Hermione. You're so hot and wet. Beautiful...beautiful."

Merlin? Not exactly a Muggle phrase. She had little time to wonder about it, because Steven slipped two fingers into her channel, distracting her thoroughly. She began to thrust her hips, fucking herself on his long fingers.

"Lord, you're so tight, Hermione. How am I ever going to fit inside you?"

"You will, Steven, I promise you. Oh, Gods, please kiss me."

He fell on her mouth, devouring her as she continued to rock on his fingers. So good...so sweet and good. It wasn't going to take long. She was still so excited from when Steven had been thrusting against her. Impatient for more, she reached down and guided his fingers to her clit.

"Feel that, Steven? Feel that bump?" she whispered against his lips.

"Yes." A soft, drawn out sound.

"It's like the head of your cock...most of my nerves are there. If you rub it like this..."

She showed him, guiding his fingers with her hand. As with all things sexual, he caught on quickly, his fingers dancing over her as he stared into her eyes, intent on her reaction.

"Oh, yes, Steven, yes, just like that. So good. So fucking good. I'm going to come, Steven...oh, yes, I'm going to come...you're going to make me come."

And with the last syllable, she did. Throwing her head back with a keening cry, she bucked against his fingers as the waves of pleasure flowed over her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd come so hard. There was something so sexy about Steven, about the intense focus he had when touching her, the wonder in his eyes when he looked at her. There was also something primal and thrilling about knowing he'd never done this with anyone else. Something inherently exciting about being the first to show him the pleasures of the flesh.

As she watched him, dazed by her orgasm, he gently pulled his fingers from her and slid them into his mouth. Licking off her juices, tasting her.

"You are the sexiest man I've ever met," she told him.

He snorted. "I don't know anything about sex."

"I don't think you can say that anymore."

He kissed her then. A sweet, quick kiss. And then he smiled a wide, happy smile that made her heart melt.

"I should borrow your loo and get...hmm...cleaned up a bit," he said with a glance at the crotch of his jeans.

"You do that, and I'll get dinner on the table, if I haven't ruined it by leaving it in too long."

He stood, and then gave her a hand to help her up before heading to her small loo.

Dinner was not ruined by having spent a little extra time in the oven. The food was good and the conversation lovely. Hermione wondered again what it would be like to live with this man, to have this companionship every single day. It made her wistful. While she desperately wanted that sort of relationship with Steven, there was so much that could go wrong between them. She would do everything in her power to restore the man's memories, but would Severus even want her when she did? What if Steven could not handle the fact that she was a witch? Would she leave the wizarding world for him? As much as she cared for him, she didn't think she had it in her to live as a Muggle for the rest of her life.

After the dishes were cleared away, Steven took her by the hand and led her back to the sofa. At first, she thought he was ready to explore their passion some more. But he sat on one end of the couch and asked her to lay her head in his lap. When she looked at him, a question in her eyes, he explained.

"Hermione, for one thing, I've always wanted to sit with a pretty woman's head in my lap. For the other, I have some things to tell you, and I think it will be easier if we aren't staring at each other."

She laid her head in his lap then, and he stroked her curls as he began to speak.