Seventeen

A/N: Here's that plot rearing it's head, but not to worry, we'll have plenty of fun before this tale is over ;) Smooches to all my lovely readers, and big sloppy kisses to those taking the time to review. No beta- so any mistakes are my own.

Disclaimer: They are not mine; I only take them out to play.

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Ginny responded quickly to her message, saying that she was at work but could leave early and meet Hermione at her flat. Hermione had time to tidy the place up and do a few charms to freshen the air and make it smell less like rabid nifflers had been shagging in it.

Ginny popped into being just as Hermione determined her flat smelled normal enough. While Harry and Ginny's cottage had complete anti-apparition wards, Hermione's wards were not so strict, and allowed a select few access. It was understandable The Boy Who Lived needed stricter protections than she did herself.

"So, what's up, Hermione?" Ginny accepted a glass of wine and sat on the sofa. "Your message made it sound like this was an emergency girl talk."

"I suppose it is, it's just that I'm a bit confused about something."

She stopped there, blushing, which made her best friend's eyebrows rise.

"Spill it, Hermione. You're hardly a blushing virgin like Snape."

Hermione couldn't help the smug smirk that bloomed on her face at that remark.

"Oh, I see." It started with a giggle and then grew to an all-out laugh. Ginny had to take a minute to calm down before she could speak again. "So, no more unicorn herding for Snape then, I take it."

"Absolutely not."

"And by that smirk, I take it the proceedings went well?"

"Merlin, yes. He certainly crushed his previous record."

Ginny had unfortunately been taking a sip of wine during that remark and choked as she tried not to spray it out of her mouth. "More than five? You are a lucky bitch. But Hermione, he hadn't even kissed anyone before. How is it he can be so good at it?"

"He pays attention. It's like I'm some fiddly potion he's trying to brew. I swear, he pays attention to every sound I make, every move I make, until he sees what pleases me. Then he takes what he's learned and…wow. I mean, really."

"Well, if he's as good as all that, what's the problem?"

"It's hard to say, I mean, I'm a little embarrassed to tell you."

"Hermione, I know how big your lover's cock is. I think that proves we tell each other nearly everything. Spit it out."

"We can't keep our hands off each other!" she blurted. "I mean, last night we finally got to—"

"Hidden caves and rampant dragons?" Ginny supplied when her friend hesitated.

"Yes. Damn your trashy books, but yes. And then again in the middle of the night, and then this morning…twice! Even after all of that, it was difficult for me to let him leave the apartment to run errands. I think the only reason I could is because I've gotten sore, you know, down there."

"There are potions for that."

"I know, Severus is fetching me some. But Ginny, as much as I'm enjoying it, this level of attraction can't be normal. We've got to be able to have a life outside of the bedroom. I thought it was nothing more than the newness of it all making everything really exciting, but it's not calming down, it's getting worse."

Ginny stared at her for long enough that Hermione began to become uncomfortable. "Oh, great buggering Merlin. That's it. You're a Muggleborn."

"Yes," Hermione said, the single syllable drawn out, seeming to suggest her friend had gone suddenly stupid.

"I just mean that you wouldn't know, is all."

"Know what?"

"Um, sweetie, a wizard's or witch's libido is directly tied to the strength of their magic. Stronger the magic, stronger the libido. If I had to guess, Snape's probably in the top four or five strongest wizards in the world right now, and you may not be that high, but you are no slouch yourself."

"What? So, you're saying our passion is magically compelled or something? That's disgusting!"

"Don't be daft. There's no compulsion, it's just a fact of life. Powerful wizards are a randy lot. Think about it, you're sitting here having a nice chat with me. Feel any need to rush out and go find Severus to jump his wand?"

"Well, it does sound nice, but no, I don't feel compelled at all. All right, we're powerful, which seems to make us sex fiends. Is it always going to be so…I swear, if he's in the same room as me, I can barely control myself. How can we live like this?"

"No. Right now, it's like your magical power is rubbing up all over his, getting acquainted and settling in. After a week or two, it should calm down a bit. But Hermione, it won't ever go away. You're talking about a life with someone where you're going to be shagging at least once a day."

Hermione had no reply to that except a wicked grin, which made her friend giggle.

"Gin, how is it that you know so much about this?"

"Growing up wizarding, you hear things. And Hermione, I am married to Harry fucking Potter. What do you think?" When Hermione's eyes widened, Ginny chuckled and continued. "First couple weeks were something, let me tell you. I'm not in his league, magical power-wise, but I'm strong."

"And now?"

"We have plenty of time to live our lives, work, raise children, but we still shag like rabbits every chance we get. Thank heavens my parents love the kids so much and give us time alone. Hermione, I'm thrilled you've found Severus, and not only because we got him back because of it. I never understood why you got tangled up with Ron. I didn't realize you didn't understand. Certainly, couples can get by, even if they have different levels of libido, but you are a very powerful witch. I love my brother, but his magic level is average. He isn't strong like Bill and me."

"Bill?"

"You have to be strong magically to be a curse-breaker. And he married a woman that's part Veela. I mean, it's rather obvious."

Hermione stopped a moment to think about what she knew of Severus and Harry. "Gin, is Bill hung like a horse too? I mean, how much is our magic affecting our bodies?"

"He's my brother!" Ginny snapped. Then with an uncharacteristic blush, she put her face in her hands. "Yes. Yes, he is. Fleur talks. But, think about it. Magic isn't only in your mind or in your wand, it's humming through your entire body. Of course it affects it. It's part of your physical self."

"That sounds like an interesting field of study," Hermione mused.

"What? Comparing magical strength to wand length?"

After a snort of laughter, Hermione answered. "No, gutter-brain. How our magic and physical bodies are intertwined. I'll have to look into it."

"Oh my God, I just realized why Draco had to have you leave the room when he was trying to heal Snape's mind. This early in the relationship, just having you in the room would make you all Severus could think about. He must have suspected what the issue was."

"Suspected my arse," muttered Hermione. "He'd been in Severus' mind. I expect he got a movie in Technicolor of what we'd been up to, even if we hadn't gotten to caves and dragons yet."

"Nimune's knickers. I'm surprised he didn't fly off the handle about you defiling his friend like that, Muggleborn scum that you are."

"He wasn't like that at all. He didn't even embarrass me about what he'd seen, or at least, not much. And after, when Severus ran off, Draco told me to go after him and not let him act like too much of a git."

"Well, that's something. Maybe he's growing up after all. You know, I still can't believe you were able to take it so slowly with Severus. Once Harry and I really snogged for the first time, we were practically tearing each other's clothes off."

"I wanted to," Hermione admitted. "When he really kissed me for the first time, all I wanted to do was drag him into my flat and attack him. It took every ounce of strength I had not to."

"Why? Why fight it?"

"He'd never even been kissed, Gin. I didn't want to rush him. I didn't want to skip straight to the shagging. I wanted to give him a chance to enjoy getting there."

"Was he…well…did he give you any reason to believe he felt less than you did?"

"No, not at all. Er…he got hard almost immediately. I mean, really. You know, there's something he said. Not then, mind you, later when he was Severus again. When Ron attacked him, we got him in the shop and I warded the doors. Harry broke my wards, but I thought it was Ron. I was standing there, wand raised, ready to kill him to protect Severus. Severus said—"

"Spit it out. Girl talk is sacred and doesn't leave this room."

"He said it made him hard. Seeing me standing there like that."

"Of course it did. He still had magic, even if he didn't know it at the time. His magic responded to your display of power, and his body responded to you looking deadly and probably dead sexy ready to defend him like that."

Their talk was interrupted by a shining form slithering through the wall and dancing around Hermione before swimming up to her face. She stared at the otter in shock before it began speaking. When she heard what Severus' voice said, she was glad Ginny couldn't hear the private message.

"I'll be finished at Hogwarts soon. I wouldn't object to finding your delicious body naked in our bed. I have something from Poppy for you that needs to be…manually applied."

By the time the voice stopped and the otter disappeared, Hermione's heart was pounding and she felt a little breathless.

"Merlin, Hermione. It's an otter! He truly loves you, you know."

Her smile lit the room. "Yes. Yes, I know he does."

"Well, if he's on his way home, I'm out of here. This is the first time you've separated since caves and dragons?"

"Yes."

"Uh-huh. I love our girl talks, but I don’t' need a front row seat to the main event. Bye!"

With that, her friend rose from the sofa and abruptly disappeared.

As soon as Ginny had left and Hermione began thinking about Severus returning soon, she began to feel tingly, squirmy, aroused. Though it had only been a couple of hours, it suddenly seemed to have been far too long since she'd had her lover in her arms, lying over her, pressing her into the bed as he entered her.

Sweet buggering Merlin, indeed. She'd felt her usual self while she talked to her friend, but now she was on fire for her lover. Though she considered his request that she be naked on the bed, she wasn't at all certain she could wait long enough for him to get to the bedroom. Not when she was this focused on getting her hands on him.

Then she thought about the look on his face when he had removed her trousers and seen her thong. A wicked light came into her eye as she considered her options. Scampering into the bedroom, she quickly got undressed and slipped into something a little more appropriate to greet her wizard.

Severus appeared in the middle of her living room, his robes swirling around his legs as he finished his turn. Hermione was standing near the door, one hip cocked in a pose as old as Eve herself. She wore a black lace push-up bra, a matching tiny thong, and a pair of high-heeled black pumps.

His expression when he saw her was everything she had hoped. Eyes growing wide, his lips parted and his tongue peeped out to swipe at his bottom lip.

Then he pounced.