Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I play with them as I like, but alas, they are not mine. Neither these characters nor this world in general belongs to me, or anyone not named J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Notes: I want to thank my incredibly talented beta Pigwig who has stuck with me through the squick here.

Looking down upon her, he saw the creaminess of her skin against the silk of her dressing gown. She had her legs out in front of her, lounging, with her back against the wall. There was just enough room between her and the edge of the seat for him to sit down. In this soft, iridescent light, she looked peaceful and inviting.

He placed one arm on the other side of her hip and leaned in, delicately brushing her lips with his. It both satisfied his need to taste her once more, and fueled his desire to taste the entirety of her being.

Leaning back away from her, he allowed a soft smile to grace his lips. "Hermione..."

She still had her eyes closed from the kiss, but at the sound of her name in that incredible voice, she opened them, looking up with those honest eyes he loved so much.

"Severus, there's something you should know," she said, softly, hoping the news wouldn't either disgust him or enrage him.

"Hmm?" was all he managed, gently stroking her hip with his thumb through the gown.

"You will actually be acting the part of the vampire. You have to turn me before sunrise, although, granted, I doubt sunrise would happen if you failed to turn me." She wasn't sure what that new gleam in his eye was, but he hadn't jumped up screaming at her, yet.

He had hoped earlier, when she spoke of vampire eroticism, that he would actually get to suck her blood. He had always understood what was so sensual about the process, the intimacy of it. Knowing this was all an illusion really anyway (magic can work wonders these days), he really let himself imagine what it would be like. Gazing at her neck in the moonlight, he felt the need to taste her grow into a real thirst while his canines themselves grew in both length and lethality.

Over the years he had heard the rumors, of course. He was a vampire, a giant bat, etc. None of them were true, obviously; were they blind to the fact that he was in the Quidditch stands, in the bright sunshine, nearly every game? That didn't mean that it stoppered his curiosity in the least, however.

Looking into her eyes for confirmation, he saw that they were slightly glazed. Her lips had parted in a most inviting way. She seemed to be highly aroused, and at the moment, he couldn't blame her.

He slowly descended upon the soft skin of her neck, leaning over her body as he did so. His first contact was his lips, feeling both the warmth of her skin as well as a good strong pulse beating beneath them. He kissed her, gently reaching around to cup the back of her head, at the base of her neck. She moaned softly; it was really more of an exhale. He sucked gently with just his mouth, trying to ease her into what was sure to be at least somewhat painful.

By now, she had one hand placed on his left arm; the other had found his side, pressing into his ribs lightly as leaned over just a little more. He wanted to go slow, as he wasn't entirely sure how much this may hurt her (if at all; this was just a book).

Opening his mouth a little wider, he swiped his tongue across the now sensitive flesh. Trying to warn her a little, and maybe distract her some, he rubbed his thumb forcefully through her hairline; it wasn't quite hard enough to hurt.

The bite itself was instantaneous, the sharp teeth sinking into her pulse point. Her sharp intake of air, coupled with a slight jerk, was the only indication that she had felt anything in the first place.

It was hard to describe what he felt. The blood itself came in warm gushes with every beat of her now racing heart. The coppery taste filled his senses, making him want more.

She was panting now, clutching him in a way that definitely did not tell him to stop.

It was erotic in every sense of the word, both his close proximity and the bite itself. While there was some pain, the pleasure overrode it, heightening it, adding it to the already blazing fire. Her eyes were closed, allowing her other senses to take over. He was warm against her; her skin burned where he touched. His hands were now kneading her flesh. It felt as though he was pulling her closer, impossibly closer.

She didn't know how much more she could take. Could you orgasm from the bite of a vampire? But when he pulled back, she felt as though he took a piece of her with him, a piece larger than the pint of blood now coursing through him.

As he looked into her eyes, she saw a raw hunger, a need, in those depths she had never seen before. Her flirting before this adventure had produced passion, had produced a want in those eyes, but this was need. It was lust and love at the same time.

With his hand still behind her head, he kissed her. This was not the gentle kiss of fairy tales that you 'ooo...' and 'aww...' over as a child. This was what fantasies were made of. It was demanding, and with the coppery taste still lingering in his mouth, she felt her first taste of blood as a vampire. It caused her blood to boil.

Breaking off the kiss with a not-so-gentle bite on her bottom lip, he scooped her up, carrying her to the bed in a few swift strides. Seeing the white linen, Severus inwardly smiled. If he had his say about it, they would be near red by daybreak.

After gently laying Hermione down, Severus noticed the fine trickle of blood seeping from her wound. Despite desperately wanting to lick the trail back to her lips, he refrained. 'Damn, I hope I didn't hurt her too bad; that'll put a damper on my plans for the sheets.'

Feeling the bed dip beside her, Hermione turned her head and opened her eyes for the first time since the bite.

"Hermione, I need to know what you want here." He felt sappy, maybe a little love-struck, but he didn't know how else to broach the subject. Despite his cocky attitude, he did want the girl. Not just for the book – although he'd settle for that if it's all he could get.

Not finding the words, Hermione just slowly sat up, reaching for his cheek. She initiated this kiss, pulling him down to the mattress with her. Running her tongue along his teeth, she realised his canines were still elongated. Brushing the underside of one, she very nearly cut herself on its sharpness.

Severus gradually raised his arm, letting his hand graze first her stomach, then her breasts, until finally reaching her neck. He felt the warm blood still flowing, slowly making its way to the coverlet, on his fingertips. Thoroughly wetting his first two fingers, he pulled back, ending the kiss.

He lifted his fingers, intent on devouring more of her blood, but was caught in Hermione's grasp a second later. Eyes transfixed firmly on his fingers, she brought his hand up to her mouth. His eyes widened and his breath quickened as he saw her pink tongue dart out to have a taste. Clearly finding the taste pleasurable, she proceeded to lick and suck his fingers clean. It was the single most erotic moment of Severus' life.

Tasting her own blood for the second time that night, Hermione felt a sudden jerk in her system. Her body was responding to what was clearly becoming a thirst. She had the sudden need to feel more of Severus.

While the thin robes left little to the imagination, they prohibited her skin from actually touching his. Expertly untying the belt of his robe, she allowed the garment to fall free of its own accord.

Eyes firmly on his, she started her hands on the journey from his waist to his shoulders. Allowing her only fingertips to brush his skin, Hermione felt the shiver that ran through Severus. When she reached his broad shoulders, she allowed those same fingertips to catch the silk now. Following the material to his biceps, she watched as he lifted each arm in turn to let the robe fall.

Naked in the moonlight was exactly how Severus should be viewed the first time. His normally pale skin was slightly flushed from arousal. And while the soft light from the window harshened the features of his face, it was countered by the smouldering look now residing in his eyes.

Hermione had read the prologue thoroughly, but it had never fully explained what 'turning' would be like, so she was more than a little surprised by the pain now coursing through her body. Arching off the bed, she let out a guttural sound deep in her throat. While it wasn't the worst pain she had ever felt, it could never be called mild. It seemed to resonate from the bite on her neck.

"Hermione. Hermione! What's wrong?" Severus asked, after having to scream her name to get her attention.

She opened her eyes to see a new look on Severus' face. Was it concern?

"I... I don't know. It was painful, and seemed to be coming from the bite," was all she said, reaching up to feel the now white-hot flesh.

Still in some pain, Hermione brought her hand back up to her lips, having no idea why the need to taste blood was so important just now. As soon as the liquid made contact with her taste buds, however, the pain lessened immensely. Feeling relieved, she looked at Severus, ready to tell him, but he beat her to it.

"The blood lessened the pain, didn't it?" he asked, still watching her fingers as she completed the task of removing all the blood.

Looking up, she saw a thirst in the black depths of his eyes. Dipping her fingers slightly into her neck, she drew more blood from the puncture wound. This time, however, she lifted her fingers to his mouth.

He wasted no time devouring what was offered. And as Hermione watched, she felt the odd sensation of her canines lengthening.

With a gleam in her eye, she pulled him down for another gut-wrenching kiss. This one lasted much longer than the others as Severus explored Hermione's new teeth, still tasting blood on her tongue. Moaning, she lifted her thigh to rub against his straining erection, reminding Severus that she was indeed still partially clothed.

Without breaking the kiss, he reached between them, loosening the belt's knot and pushing aside the fabric. Feeling the smooth surface of her stomach, he pulled back. Taking the opportunity to catch his breath, he looked down, spreading his hand out across her stomach. The material opened, revealing her trimmed bush. Further up, it caught on her breasts.

He moved his hand to first her left breast, then her right, discarding the dressing gown, revealing her form fully to him. She was beautiful. The see-through dress from earlier that night had nothing on this. Soft in all the right places, she was perfection.

Finally skin-to-skin, Hermione sighed. She shrugged out of the robe's sleeves before running her hands up his arms to wrap them around his neck.

They kissed once more before Severus made his way to her neck. Swiftly licking the blood still lingering on there, he continued to her breasts, peppering soft kisses on his way. She intwined her fingers in his hair as his lips found her right breast. Kissing it nearly everywhere, avoiding the nipple, he ran his tongue along the underside, looking up to see Hermione's head leaned back, eyes closed. He smiled inwardly (it would have looked more like a leer had it actually graced his face).

He clamped his lips around her extremely hard nipple, careful not to puncture what was surely too sensitive already. Hermione moaned; it was husky and low and quite quickly made its way straight to Severus' groin.

Smirking, he repeated the treatment on her left breast, kneading the other gently. She was watching him now, her eyes slightly glazed. Panting, her long teeth were revealed with each breath, reminding Severus of what was surely to come soon.

He allowed his left hand to travel down her abdomen now, supporting himself on his right. Gently peeling her outer lips apart, he was accosted with her scent almost immediately. Oh, the vampire theme was apparently too much for her; she was definitely ready for him already.

He ran his long middle finger between her lips, starting at their juncture, working his way across her clit, down to her opening. Letting his finger slip in, he was rewarded with a buck of her hips. He added a second finger, working them in and out, while his lips continued their sweet torture on her nipple.

She needed more, just a little more. When his thumb joined the ministrations, adding both pressure and short strokes on her clit, that was apparently it. But as she felt the orgasm starting, a sharp pain in every nerve of her body shook her and added its own torture to the queue, making the fall off the cliff longer, harder, and that much sweeter.

As she became more aware of her senses again, she opened her eyes, watching Severus find his way back to her lips. He had moved between her legs during her return to reality, and was now in position to enter her.

Pulling back, Severus watched her as he slowly entered. It was torture for both of them to go this slow and her hips lifting only encouraged him to go that much slower.

He was on his elbows now, and as he looked at her, he saw her thirst; the painful need to taste blood was back for him as well. Cocking his head and turning to her left, he offered his neck freely to her. It was apparently what she had been waiting for.

As he pulled out of her to continue the rhythm to and from, he felt the bite. The pain was immediate, causing him to both gasp and speed up his strokes. While he had never before enjoyed pain with pleasure, this had possibilities.

It was intense. His blood, while still having that copper-like taste, was nothing like hers. It was better; much, much better. She could feel it flooding her mouth as he pumped in and out of her. With his heart racing, the blood flowed faster and faster. He let out a shout, moving faster still.

Retracting her fangs from his pulse point, she kissed his lips once, before turning her head now. He swooped in, fast and hungry. The taste was the same as before, but the feeling he got from the act itself was different somehow. She clearly had the same reaction to pain as he had had, as he felt her inner walls begin to clamp down around him.

The pain had been what had pushed her over once again. And as she drifted over the horizon, she faintly heard another shout from the man above her. He took two more strokes before nearly collapsing on her.

Rolling next to her, he felt his teeth shorten just before sleep claimed him.