Letters

Disclaimer: All characters are for J.K.R. of course. Plot thought of by Betz. The other stuff belongs to me!

As always, a big thanks to the brilliant Charmed Nay for being my beta!

"Well, I'm right bloody glad that Hermione paid such good attention in classes. Pulled us out of a jam a number of times, she did!" Ron said, slurring slightly. He brought his cup of meade to his mouth, spilling most of it. "Sorry. I seem to have lost my lower lip on that one."

Hermione rolled her eyes. She hadn't had much to drink due to the fact that they all had a few last minute exams to give out the next day. The term was winding down to its end. For that, she was glad. Not only because she had a weekend planned with a most brilliant man but she also truly enjoyed time off. They'd decided to come out this Tuesday night to celebrate Draco and Ginny's pending parenthood. No Weasley brothers, aside from Ron, were invited. They didn't want any more brawls. They would celebrate with family on the coming weekend.

After the laughter died down, Harry chimed in, "Yeah, remember that shit she pulled with Umbridge back at the end of fifth year?" Everyone except Draco giggled. "Had that old hag believing we had a secret ruddy weapon!"

"And, if I remember correctly, Ginny did a pretty mean Bat-Bogey Hex on Draco!" Ron was holding his side with one hand and sloshing his drink with the other.

"All right! Enough of that," Draco said, sneering hatefully. "Think you're funny, do you? Well, I have a few stories of my own to tell." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Er... shove off, Malfoy!" Ron said, turning red in the face.

"Oh, I would love to hear this," Luna said dreamily.

"Hermione," Harry said, "why didn't you bring a... date tonight?"

"She's not got a man, Harry! You know that," Ron blurted.

"You'd be surprised," Harry said, clearly annoyed. "I don't see you with a witch on your arm, Ron. So don't even fly on that pitch."

"Neither do you, you tosser," Ron said, trying to down his drink.

"Oi! Look at those blokes. Arm-wrestling, eh? Let's give it a try," Draco said, eyeing some wizards in the corner. Ron and Harry followed Draco off, leaving only Ginny, Hermione, and Luna at the table.

"I really am happy for you," Luna said, attempting to grope Ginny's stomach.

Ginny dodged her palm. "Lord, Luna, I'm only just over two months. I won't show for a while yet. You can't feel it just now."

"But it's still there. A wee little Malfoy mixed with Weasley." Luna sighed. "I would like to have someone to love me as much as Draco loves you." She took a sip of her drink. "Actually, I would do for a good shag. Anything."

Hearing her chance to ask, Hermione said, "Why don't you try that Libertine again? Maybe another in the business?"

Ginny smirked and met her eyes slyly.

"Oh, Libertine is out of business anyway. I wouldn't try anyone else unless he was highly recommended," Luna said.

"Out of business?" Hermione knew this was not the truth. She'd just seen him four nights prior. "What do you mean?"

"His ad disappeared from the paper, and my cousin got an owl from him, breaking things off," Luna said with a shrug.

"But why?" Ginny asked, eyeing Hermione oddly.

"Says he fell in love," Luna said. "I just adore that. Apparently, the poor bloke was lonely and looking for a lover for keeps. I suppose he found her."

Hermione gaped. I love you. His words. He had meant them. Good Lord! But why? Why her? Surely he had dozens of clients to choose from? If things do not work out with your man, I would love to have you and call you my own. You are everything I could ever want in a woman Poor man! She needed to owl him. She couldn't! Severus. She had never promised this man anything no matter how he felt about her. They had only met twice. Was he attracted to her innocence? Had it been that long since he'd been around a virgin? She sighed. "I have to leave."

"Wait, Hermione," Ginny said quickly. "Please don't go. Let's talk some more. Er... this weekend. Are you still going?"

Hermione nodded.

"Going where?" Luna asked.

Uncomfortably, Hermione said, "Severus... uh, Snape and I are going to a conference this weekend." She studied the blonde's silver eyes for any signs of disgust. She only saw amusement.

"He is sort of enigmatic, isn't he?" Luna asked finally. "I think that is so appealing. If you don't mind me asking, are you two an item?"

"Well, we have talked a little about it. Things are progressing at a comfortable pace," Hermione said.

Luna was actually smirking at her.

"What's so amusing, Luna?"

"I just couldn't really imagine you with a man like Snape is all," Luna said mysteriously.

"What is that supposed to mean, Luna?" Ginny asked defensively, moving her water to the side. "You think she isn't good enough? He isn't good enough? You can't just say something like that without explaining."

"Well, it's like we talked about last time. She is saving herself for marriage. Snape is likely a man who will never attach himself to anyone. I just think it's a waste for her. She's too pure for him, unless she is only after a quick fling," Luna said wisely. "She is entirely too naïve, acting like some scared teenager when we discuss sex. I just don't see them getting on well."

"How rude," Hermione huffed, standing to pull on her cloak.

"Don't get mad," Luna said softly. "I was just giving you some honest and blunt advice. If all you are looking for is a few meaningless shags, well then, Snape is likely your man. If you are looking for everlasting love, I just don't think he's the one."

"You don't even know him," Hermione spat bitterly. "I should not have said anything."

"Neither do you. Apparently." Luna smiled smugly. "You can't even contest what I say. I'm just looking out for you, Hermione. You are just more inexperienced than you realize. You probably believe yourself to be in love already."

"I do have feelings, Luna, and just because I haven't fucked everything with two or even four legs," she gave Luna a dirty look, "doesn't mean that I don't know what sincere feelings are when I feel them!"

Luna blanched at her comment. Her last boyfriend had been an Animagus. A dog. There were tales that someone had walked in on them in a most compromising position.

Hermione made it to the door just as Ginny caught up to her. "I'm sorry, Hermione. She's had one too many cups. I imagine someone will have to Apparate both her and Ron home."

"It doesn't matter," Hermione said bitterly. "What she said isn't that far off, you know! What makes me think that someone like Severus would really want something more than a weekend with someone like me?"

"Of everything that you've said about the two of you, I think he fancies you for a bit more than that. Even Harry sees it," Ginny said, hugging her. "When are you going to see him again? Breakfast?"

"If he is there in the morning, yes. All professors have testing schedules to keep. I didn't check to see which timeframe he is on." Hermione smiled. "This morning he asked if I wanted to come down to his chambers tomorrow night. He said we still had a couple of things to go over."

"Don't let what Luna said about him bother you too much," Ginny said. "And what is with that Libertine bloke? Fell in love? Cancelled all clients? Didn't you see him Saturday night?"

"I did," Hermione admitted. "The funny thing is... I think it's me he loves. He told me he loved me, but then he tried to cover it up. He sent a sweet letter the next morning, but he never said anything about quitting his job. I thought deep down that he was saying those things because he was paid to."

Ginny seemed thoughtful for a moment. "Odd, isn't it? That he would fall in love so quickly. Do you plan to see him again? How far did you two really go?"

"Oh, honestly," Hermione said indignantly. "I told you nothing happened. I got advice on what I should wear, he explained how to subtly make the first move, and I... touched him a bit."

"A bit?" Ginny pressed. She knew that something didn't add up. Who was this bloke? Why would he get rid of all his clients, save Hermione, and tell her that he loved her? Blast, but she wished she could have met the man. It might even be someone that they all knew. Ginny wondered if Charlie had any side jobs. He fancied Hermione much more than he let on. She was all he talked about, even though he mostly said rude things.

"Oh, all right," Hermione said, cheeks burning, "he had an orgasm. I really didn't touch it all that much. Only a couple of minutes. He showed me how to do it, and then his... er... seed? I guess I can call it that; anyway, it just flew out. I know he wanted something else to happen, but he gave me the option to stay or go. I fled."

Ginny giggled slightly. "You must have some really great hands! Oh, don't look at me like that. I am playing, Hermione." She squeezed her worried friend's hand. "You haven't fallen for him, have you?"

"No, but I do feel a little guilty. I feel as if I have cheated on Severus, even though he is not actually my lover. I loved the sweet words that he told me, but I tried not to read more into them." Hermione sighed. "It was so easy to pretend that he was Severus. I wished it were Severus doing and saying those things. Hearing what Loony there had to say, well, now I feel even worse! I know how it feels to fancy someone who appears to not have any interest."

"He does have interest though, Hermione. Snape wants you. I'm sure you will come to realize that," Ginny said with a warm smile. "I wonder if he is someone we know. Someone like Charlie. Wouldn't that be odd?"

"Oh, good Lord! Don't even say something like that," Hermione said, laughing slightly. "Well, er... does Charlie have a big, dark birthmark or scar on his inner thigh? Just here." She pointed to the spot where Libertine's mark had been.

Ginny shook her head. "No. You are safe. None of my brothers have marks there. That I know of, mind. Want me to get Harry to escort you back?"

"No, I'll Apparate. I've not had anything hard. You have a good night." Hermione hugged her friend and walked out into the night air. Poor Libertine. Maybe she should send him a little owl to thank him for being so understanding and wishing him luck in the future. There would be no harm in that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Severus lay in bed, unable to sleep. Hermione was out with the Weasley crowd. Would Charlie be there? If so, would he try to make 'amends' for being a berk? As far as he knew, it was only a few of them going. For the first time in his life, Severus wished that he were friendly enough with Harry Potter to go to his chambers during the night to ask after Hermione. Of course, that would never happen. Hermione hadn't gone running that morning. He knew she was likely to go the next morning though.

Her schedule for the exams wasn't too early. She never missed two days in a row unless the weather was completely horrid. He would go out again and watch for her. When she made her way back to the castle, he would follow her, and he would talk to her at breakfast. They needed to make arrangements for the weekend. He, being prepared, had already made some arrangements. All he needed to do was pass them by her. She would agree with whatever he said. He knew that already. Hermione wanted and cherished him. She would try to please him.

If all went well, tomorrow night she would be in his chambers. He would try to build up some tension for the weekend. Give a few subtle hints. Steal a few caresses. Kiss her lips a few times. As Libertine, he had mostly kissed her softly, as if afraid to damage her. As Severus, he would be sure to ravish her lips, kiss her passionately. She would forget Libertine's kisses and caresses soon enough. He smirked to himself. Despite her endearing innocence, she was quite responsive and passion smoldered just below the surface. Things would be good between them. Damn good.

Eying her hair elastic once more, Severus drifted off into a restful sleep, leaving the hair accessory wrapped around his wrist. An internal alarm clock went off a few short hours later. As swiftly as he could, he showered, dressed, sipped on Summoned coffee, and made his way out to his position by the lake. He would give her twenty minutes. If he didn't see her, then that meant she'd decided to skip this day as well. Not long after, Hermione came into sight. She had come out earlier than he had expected and seemed to be on her way back towards the castle.

She stopped in her usual spot, bending over to stretch her legs. He had a perfect view of her arse. Severus closed his eyes in remembrance of how one of her plump cheeks felt pressed into his hand. When he opened his eyes again, he nearly fainted with excitement. She was pulling off her shirt. Her running pants had already been discarded along with her shoes and socks. Clad only in silky looking knickers and bra, she made her way into the lake. Words like goddess, temptress, and succubus swam through his mind.

Remembering her hands on his hard cock, he reached down to grope his slight erection. A jolt of feeling spread quickly. How could she always do this to him? Why did he always feel the need for release? Two more nights only. In just two damn nights, she would be his, writhing under him as he entered her over and over. Calling out his name. Deciding that he would save himself for the interlude with Hermione, he moved his hand away. His eyes hungrily found her again. She'd just come up from the water and was wading back to her clothes. As always she cast a drying spell on her hair before rolling it up to keep it out of the way.

Severus licked his lips. He could see her rosy nipples trying to poke through her flimsy, sodden bra, and the thatch of dark hair plastered to her wet, transparent knickers had him dying to taste her. Two more nights. Hermione dried her person quickly, put on her clothes, and made her way back to the castle. Severus waited a few moments before following. Remembering that Potter had seen him watching once, he looked around with narrowed eyes. Did anyone else know of his expeditions as a voyeur? Lord, he hoped not. How embarrassing.

Just to be safe he took a long route back to the castle. He busied himself with pretending to admire some of Sprout's articulate shrubbery. Sneaking a look around, he blasted a lone rose bush with his wand. The fallen petals mesmerized him for a moment. He Summoned them to him. Their scent wasn't exactly that bad, but he never did have a thing for the smell. He preferred other flowery scents. An idea occurred to Severus. He had a plan for the weekend. With any luck, she would be in the hall for breakfast by the time he made it inside.

Once he was nearly back at the castle, Harry's owl, Hedwig, swooped down on him. Knowing this could only mean one thing, he quickly took the parchment and shooed the owl away, hoping nobody had seen the exchange. He uncoiled the parchment quickly. What the fuck was she playing at by owling Libertine?

Libertine,

Hermione

Severus growled angrily. Why was she worried about the gigolo? Who the hell did she know that was related to client one? It had to be someone that had gone to the pub with her. Severus mentally thought of all present. A Malfoy, a Potter, two Weasleys, and a... Lovegood! That had to be it. How else would she have known? Her cousin had recommended him. Of course! Wasn't this lovely?

Why did she care how the gigolo felt? Would she want some relationship with the gigolo now? That bastard had stolen his woman's affections! Severus froze.

"I am that bastard. Bloody hell. This is fucking confusing."

He wanted to be angry with her for trying to keep contact with Libertine, but he really could expect nothing less. She had a big heart, and she was likely worried that she had ruined the man's livelihood.

And just which one of her bratty friends had put the idea into her head that Libertine was more than likely someone who knew her? It must be one of the two girls. Great! Just bloody great! He would mail a reply to her at some point during the day. For now, he had to make plans to spend the evening with her. How could she want to be with someone else? He sighed. This was a complicated, confusing situation. He thanked Merlin that she had no idea. As had she said, it would be horrible.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With some trepidation, Hermione made her way down to Severus' chambers. What was he really planning this night? He'd been strange when'd he asked her to visit with him. She thought back to breakfast.

"Professor Granger, tonight I happen to not have patrols nor any detentions to oversee. Would you care to come to my chambers? We could look over the things that I have done and make decisions about our plans?" He seemed stiff and uncaring. His dark eyes looked into hers without interest.

Hermione looked to Harry. Each held a puzzled expression.

It had just gone downhill from there. Some of her students had played idiotic end of term jokes on each other, thanks to the Weasley twins' legacy, so she had to give a last minute detention for them to serve with Filch. She didn't want to oversee them and risk ruining things with Severus by missing their meeting. Near the end of the day, she'd received an odd owl from Libertine, which simply made matters worse.

It read:

Hermione,

Sev Libertine

She couldn't even reply to him because he'd asked her not to do so. Ever. She shook her head sadly, feeling slightly rejected. She wished him well. Honestly. She just wished that he'd answered her question about why he'd chosen her to care for? She wasn't about to believe that he was only being nice to Luna's cousin. Well, it didn't matter any longer. The only thing that mattered was Severus. Just as she placed a timid knock at his door, it swung open.

"Hermione, I was just on my way out. I thought that you weren't coming," Severus said, clearly surprised to see her. "Come in."

She followed him to a comfortable chair before his fire.

"I have to oversee something in the Slytherin common room. Please make yourself comfortable. I've tea just there on the table. Help yourself. I shan't be long."

"Thanks," she said. He seemed to be in a better mood. For that she was glad! Hopefully, they could get back to the way things were. She longed for him to show her the gentleness that he had hinted at possessing. His rooms really were well kempt, even though he didn't allow house-elves in to clean. It was nice that a man could be tidy. As soon as the thought occurred to her, she saw something yellow under the chair opposite her. "What's this?" She kneeled down to reach under for the... parchment. It was apparently rubbish. The thing was crumpled into a tight ball.

Hermione moved to throw it into the fireplace, but she paused. "Maybe I should check to be sure that it truly is rubbish. I don't want to throw out something good." Truth be known, she was curious about it. Quickly, she unrolled the parchment for a read.

Lover,

Lonnie

Hermione crumpled the letter quickly and threw it into the fireplace. Lonnie? She'd had no idea that Severus had been seeing someone. The note had said that she was a married witch and their affair had been going on for about two months. Sex had been great. No one could satisfy her the way that Severus could. Hermione shuddered. So... she had been right to seek out Libertine's services. A man this experienced wouldn't be satisfied with an innocent younger lady!

But had he stopped seeing the woman? The crumpled letter seemed a testament that he had. The woman had split up with her husband and wanted to see Severus more. It was apparent that he had owled her to end things before this.

Girlfriend?

"Me?" Hermione questioned aloud. She wished that the owl would have a date on it. Surely it was fairly new, as nothing else was out of place in his room. He would have found it if it had been there a long period of time.

Hermione bit her lip. She needed Libertine now more than ever. Blast! Why hadn't she let him sleep with her? Raising her chin defiantly, she made a vow. "I will not let some letter from an old lover scare me off. I will do what needs to be done, and he'll never know what hit him." She scooted back in her chair to patiently wait for Severus. She couldn't believe how jealous she felt over a woman she didn't even know. He'd never know that she had read his letter or that she knew about this bitch Lonnie.

Severus came back about ten minutes later, looking irate and tired. "Hi," he said, sitting across from her. "End of term pranks."

She nodded.

"Have you had some tea?"

She shook her head.

"Here I'll get us some. We have a few things to go over."

Hermione was amazed at how much his attitude had changed since that morning. He even smiled at her at one point while explaining the structure of the building the conference would be held in.

"This," he said, summoning a brochure, "is the exact room that you and I will stay in. Look at the view."

She smiled. The large doors opened, and she could make out a small, sandy plot of land and a blue sea, begging to be visited. "Oh, look! It's adorable." She traced the picture lovingly. "I can't wait. I think I'm beginning to not even care about the conference, you know. Just the thought of being away from the students and work for a couple of days is enticing. Not to mention the company..." Damn! She had been rambling. She looked up to see amused dark eyes watching hers.

"The company is most acceptable," he offered as a way to finish her sentence.

She nodded.

"Hermione, did you understand clearly? I said room. Not rooms. We will have to share."

"Share?" Gulp. It's what she had hoped on, but hearing it made it all the more realistic. She could feel her stomach tighten and her throat constrict.

"Yes, with all the visitors in town, the place was nearly booked. I had to pay a little extra to get this one. We were lucky." Severus raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure we shall find a way to coexist for three nights."

"Three?" They were only supposed to be going for two.

"Yes, three. It was the only way the bloke would rent it out to me. I had to pay for a minimum of three days. Never worry though. There will be much to do, much to explore." His voice had lowered, and he moved closer. "I want to kiss you."

"Please," she said with a nod.

His lips tentatively touched hers for only a second before deepening into a demanding kiss. Her mouth opened immediately to allow him entrance. He kept his hands braced on the arms of her chair to keep him from pulling her down. Severus made sure that this kiss was not like Libertine's soft kisses. He showed her with his tongue and mouth that he wanted to possess her. When he finally pulled away, he felt a little dizzy from the lack of oxygen.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she panted slightly through her still parted lips. "Oh, my," she said. "Come here, Severus."

To his surprise, she pulled his face back to hers to launch her own fierce kiss. He loved it. His mind was jumping for joy as he realized she was making a bold move by pulling him to her for a kiss. She would be ready for him on Friday. He could feel it.

Severus pulled away after a couple of minutes. His breathing was unsteady. "I think, Hermione, that you and I shall get on just fine. It would be prudent, however, for me to escort you back to your quarters tonight." He smiled softly while caressing her cheek. "If you stay any longer, I will ravish you, and neither of us will be about to oversee our final end of term exams tomorrow."

"Very well," she said, smiling sweetly. "Until Friday then?"

"Indeed," he purred, pulling her up. He walked her back to her chambers leaving her there with a warm, passionate kiss. Severus walked proudly back to his chambers. He had won the girl after all. He'd not dwell on the things that she'd done with Libertine. That was in the past. Nothing could stand in his way now. Hermione was his.

Hermione quickly went into her room. "Good Lord! That man can kiss!" She threw herself down onto her bed and relished the way her body felt. She was warm, tingly, and needy. Severus would take care with her. To hell with that Lonnie woman. Severus belonged to Hermione now. She nearly squealed with excitement, remembering that they would be sharing a room together. His words had suggested that he wanted to make love with her as much as she wanted to make love with him. He would have wanted her to stay this night if they didn't have duties to attend the next day!

There was a small similarity between his kisses and Libertine's, but she couldn't exactly put her finger on what it was. Both were experienced men, she supposed, and they knew how to love a woman. That much was apparent. Where Libertine was soft and patient, Severus was firm and determined. Determined to dominate her mouth, lips, tongue... all of her. She loved it. Who cared that they hadn't talked for all that long? His words, his light caresses, and his kisses had been enough to turn a bad day into a good one.

A/N: Next chapter will be the weekend, and there will be a large amount of lemony goodness. Just a little warning (in case that's not your thing).