Chapter 9 - Promises of Passion

Disclaimer: JKR owns all that you recognize. I just like to borrow the characters to play...

A/N: RobisonRocket is the wonderful beta that goes over all my chapters before I submit them. If it wasn't for her catching my mistakes, this story would probably be one gigantic run-on sentence! Thank you, RR!

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Chapter 9 - Promises of Passion

When Madam Pomfrey let Hermione leave the next morning, Ron was still in isolation. Wards were placed on the doors so no students could enter because his condition seemed to be worsening. As she'd gotten into the hall, she remembered her forgotten cloak. When she went back to get it, she had overheard the Mediwitch telling Dumbledore in a worried voice that she had been given no choice but to place a full paralysis spell on him, as he was becoming more and more aggressive.

" He even tried to attack me when I was simply checking his vitals!" she had whispered in a worried voice. "I'm telling you, Albus. I do not know how much longer the boy can survive this! His parents must be notified. They must be prepared in the event of his demise."

Hermione had gasped, covering her mouth to catch the sound. Her eyes widened in horror. She knew Ron was in trouble . . . But bad enough to cost him his life?" Not wishing to be seen by the two elders, she had grabbed her cloak and left quickly.

Her heart raced with the panic she felt. Ron was a prat! He had been a pain in her backside more times than not, but the truth was, she cared deeply for him. He was one of her best friends. He always would be.

As she walked blindly, her thoughts were not on her destination. She walked into Severus Snape's office without even knocking and closed the door behind her, leaning against it. She was relieved to see Snape behind his desk.

He spoke without looking up. "Class does not begin until after lunch! You can save your questions until then!" Setting his quill down, he turned to pin the invader of his privacy with the snarkiest stare he had ever mastered.

When he saw Hermione before him, leaning heavily on the door and looking at him with worry-filled eyes, he rose from the desk and moved to her side. "What is it, Hermione? What is wrong?"

She reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on to him as if he was the only thing that could save her. "What's happening, Severus?" she asked shakily. "Why do I feel like my world is turning upside down?"

Severus was completely out of his element. He wasn't very good when it came to showing sympathy or even just listening to someone else's problems. He wanted to help her, but was unsure how he could comfort her. Hesitantly, he put his arms around her and patted her back gently. "I'm not sure what you mean, Hermione. What are you speaking of?"

Hermione pulled back from him, although she didn't let him go. "After Pomfrey let me leave, I heard her talking to Dumbledore. She thinks that Ron might die." She blushed as she looked away from him. "I am upset with him for what he did to me last night. But I know that it really isn't him." She shook her head. "At least, not the Ron I know."

Severus dropped his hands from her, pushing the sudden feeling of emptiness from his mind as he tried to focus on sharing the research he had been doing with her. "I've been looking into this." He walked back to his desk and retrieved several scrolls of parchment before turning to hand them to her. "These go into detail about the different effects of being hit by someone's emotion. Some of them look to be very similar to what we seem to be dealing with."

She looked at the scrolls and nodded. "I appreciate your help with this, Severus. I don't think I could do this alone."

Severus watched her for a moment before saying softly, "You aren't alone, Hermione. I'll never be far." Although they meant far more, he doubted she heard the true point of his words. When she looked up at him and smiled, he cleared his throat. "Now then. You have tests this morning. Classes start in just a little over half an hour, so you should go for now." His eyes searched hers as he added, "I'm beginning the potion for Weasley's predicament this evening. I would very much appreciate your assistance. If you are free?"

Hermione nodded. "Seven o'clock, then?" At his solemn nod, she turned and opened the door, leaving him staring after her.

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"I just don't get it! How could this have happened?" Harry walked the courtyard angrily. Pausing, he kicked the nearby tree before resuming his pacing.

Scowling, Ginny shook her head. "Well, it isn't the tree's fault, Harry! This wasn't something that anyone could have foreseen!"

He stopped pacing and dropped his head. "I know. I just feel useless! I thought we killed Voldemort! I thought surely all of the negative things were past us." He shook his head. "I just keep thinking surely this is a nightmare, and any moment I'm going to wake up and discover that everything is okay."

Draco sat on a bench across from where Harry stood. Pansy leaned against him and watched the couple, amused. "I have to say this, and then I promise I won't speak another word," she whispered.

Draco smiled and rolled his eyes before answering, "Okay, my pet... Tell me what you are needing to say."

She smiled, happy to be able to be honest about her feelings now that Voldemort was no longer in control of her family and friends. "I'm honestly glad that you and Harry have found a way to co-exist." She looked him in the eye as she said this, watching for any sign that her words displeased him. When he smiled, she relaxed, adding, "And I am glad that Granger turned you down."

He leaned away from her when she would have leaned back into his embrace and questioned, "What?"

Her smile faltered and she sighed. "I know I'm not as pretty as she is, or even as smart." She took a deep breath and looked over at Harry and Ginny again before saying, "But I love you, Draco. I think I always have, and it would really have hurt me if I had lost you."

Draco shook his head. "What I meant was, what do you mean you're glad she turned me down?" He leaned closer to her. "How do you know she turned me down?"

Her eyes lit, and she smiled devilishly. "You don't think Potter's the only one that has an Invisibility Cloak, do you?"

He bellowed, "You were there?"

Immediately, she looked contrite. "I-I j-just wanted to check on you... I don't always invade your privacy."

Draco leaned down, capturing her lips with his own. She moaned as he deepened the kiss and returned it with a tender passion that pulled at his heart.

When he pulled back, he smiled at her. "You know I'm a prat, Pansy." When she nodded, he asked, "You know that I push boundaries?" Laughing, she rolled her eyes, but again nodded. Suddenly, his face grew sober and he squeezed her hand. "And you know I'm gonna marry you, don't you?"

Pansy's eyes grew wide and she swallowed hard. "I- I mean... uhm..."

Laughing, he kissed her quickly on the lips before saying, "I had a crush on Granger forever. I loved to bully her when we were younger." Pulling her to sit in his lap, he whispered in her ear, "But, you've known me forever. You know exactly who I am and what I want out of life. And you are one of my best friends. What luck do you think I would have trying to find anyone else that understands me?"

Pansy opened her mouth to answer, but Harry had walked over and interrupted. "Sorry, but... Draco, do you have any ideas about what we can do to help Ron? I spent nearly three hours at the library after the tests were done for the day, and I've gotten nowhere."

Draco looked from Pansy to Harry. "Potter, you need to calm down. Professor Snape is working on it. Granger is helping him. The two brightest minds in Hogwarts are already busy on it. Trust them, and just try to relax!"

Harry scowled. Severus Snape was not someone he really trusted a hundred percent. He may have been just a spy, but Harry would never have guessed that he was unless they had told him. He still wasn't sure that Severus had always been on their side. Now that he had eyes for his best friend, he really wasn't sure he trusted him. "I know... But---"

"Harry!" Draco exclaimed. "Bloody hell! If you don't trust him, then at least trust your best friend! She wouldn't let Snape muck anything up!"

Reluctantly, Harry nodded. "You're right. I'm just... Well, for once, there is nothing I can do, and I hate that!"

Draco gave Pansy an apologetic smile and rose. "Come on. Let's go practice some Quidditch." When Harry gave him a shocked look, he smirked. "What? When I feel useless, I go do something that I know I'm good at." His smile grew wicked. "Let's see which one of us can outrun the Snitch!"

Harry immediately smiled, and the two were off, walking towards the practice fields, leaving the two witches staring after them. With a hesitant smile, Ginny sank down next to Pansy. After a moment, she looked at the other girl curiously. "Well... what do you say?"

Pansy looked at the Weasley girl out of the corner of her eye. "What do I say about what?"

Ginny shrugged. "Well, I know I play... I know you play...." She pointed at the two boys who were walking away. "Are we just going to let them have all the fun? Or are we going to go teach them how to play?"

Pansy turned a raised eyebrow toward Ginny, then her own face broke out in a deep grin. "You know? I like the way you think, Weasley! Let's go!" In less than a second, the two were up and heading off after their significant others.

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Hermione stood before the cauldron, adding the final ingredients to the potion that both she and Severus agreed would be the best chance at healing Ron. When she set the potion to simmering, she started to turn, but stopped when she felt Severus stop her. His body was directly behind hers, and he leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Did you finish adding all the ingredients, Miss Granger?" Tingles ran down her spine at the feel of his breath against her neck.

Closing her eyes, she nodded. "Yes, sir."

His hand snaked around her waist, drawing her back against the hard planes of his chest. "Good," he murmured, drawing tiny circles against her stomach. "Did you set the caldron to simmer?" As he spoke, his hand was creeping, ever so slowly up her rib cage, toward the valley between her breasts.

Biting her lip, she moaned, "Mmm-hmmm." His hands were working a magic on her that was far worse than what she had felt the few times they had danced together. Leaning back into his arms, she found her head resting on his shoulder.

He chuckled as he used his wand to set the caldron to be stirred every half hour. The mixing spoon was now ready to do the rest of the work for them. "You realize, Miss Granger." His voice caressed her nerves in a way that made the heat begin to build between her legs. "You won't be able to go very far from the cauldron tonight? Even with it needing to simmer for the next six hours, it still needs constant supervision."

She knew what he really wanted. She wanted it too. Swallowing down her nervousness, she turned in his arms to face him. With a smile she hoped didn't give away her anxious desire, she nodded. "Oh, yes, sir. I came prepared to have to stay the night." She gestured to her book bag. "My nightgown and toiletries are all there."

Severus nodded and offered her his hand. "Well, then, let me show you where the bedroom is." They had been working in Snape's private lab, which was connected to his rooms. Hermione knew that tonight was going to happen.

She had come prepared for it. Her whole body seemed to be primed and ready for what was about to happen between them. Her tummy had butterflies flitting about in it. Her skin tingled with the need to have his touch. Her nipples were pebble hard, and her very core was hot and aching.

When she took his hand, he turned and led her from the lab into the connecting room. It was what appeared to be a sitting room. Hermione appreciated its simple but elegant look. It seemed that the room was surrounded in antiques. Along the far wall, bookshelves were filled with many books. She noted that she would have to ask him later if she might be able to look them over at some point.

As they entered the next room, Hermione held her breath. Of all the things she had been expecting, nothing could have prepared her for this. Severus watched her with a silent smile as she stepped into the center of his bedroom. There, in the center of the room, was a huge bed that was round. The covers were done in gold and silver, with green and red silk trim along the edges.

Surrounding the bed was a silver and gold canopy that fell from ceiling to floor. At the base of the round bed, the drapery was drawn open, allowing a person entrance. She had never seen anything like it. It amazed her. Turning in a slow circle, she took in the rest of the room. The colors were not only Slytherin, but also Gryffindor. The walls were red with gold trim. The floor was green marble with silver etching weaving through it.

When Hermione finished her perusal of the room, Severus asked, "Does it meet with your approval?"

Turning to stare at him, dumbfounded, she asked, "Are you kidding? You have the colors from both houses? I would never have guessed." She smiled. "This is amazing. And it looks beautiful together."

Severus nodded. "Yes. To me, the colors, by themselves are just that: color. But when you add them all together, allowing them to accent each other, they become more than what they can be when they are just alone." He reached out, taking her bag from her. "Very much like you and I."

When Hermione tilted her head and started to question, he explained, "You see, alone, I am merely a Slytherin. I have the qualities of my house, and I am a very accomplished Potions master. But when you come to me." He stepped closer to her, letting his hands come to rest on her waist. "I become more than what I was. With you, I find I am a dancer, a poet, a man with a soul."

Hermione let herself be drawn into his arms. "I see," she answered. "Like I am a Gryffindor. Brave, honest, and loyal. A student and a dancer without a partner." She reached up, and unhooked the clasp to her robes, letting it slip down her body, revealing that all she wore beneath was her silky black knickers and matching lace bra. "But when you are added, I become a woman. Whole and fulfilled and no longer alone." She smiled. "And best of all, you give my body a reason and purpose for dancing!"

Severus' breath caught as he took in her perfect shape. It made him long to reach out and crush her to him. As he stood there, staring at her beauty, she pressed herself to him, moaning, "Severus, I want you. Can I say that? Is it acceptable to you for me to share what I feel?"

He nodded, loving the feel of her hands on his chest, opening his shirt and pushing it off of his shoulders. When she leaned down and placed a light kiss to the hollow of his neck, he fisted his hands to keep himself from taking her right then and there.

Instead, he reached for her slowly, letting his hands memorize every curve of her form. His hands slid the straps of her bra off of her shoulders, exposing the tight rosebuds of her nipples to his view. Giving in to temptation, he leaned down and tasted her flesh with his tongue.

She gasped and wrapped her arms loosely around his head, cradling him to her when he began to suck at the rosy peak. His hands continued roaming over her exposed skin. As one hand cupped her other breast, the other moved to slide her knickers from her hips, exposing her soft, hairless mound to his touch.

When he moved to touch it gently, her legs gave and the only reason she remained standing was his arm holding her up. Breaking the hold his mouth had on her breast, he rose and swept her into his arms. As he carried her to the bed, he let his eyes travel over her. Setting her down on the edge of the bed, he went down on his knees and pressed her back so that she was lying down. He knelt between her legs, and she arched when he used his fingers to part her folds and ran his tongue between them.

Moaning, she reached for him, only to find his hand holding hers so she couldn't stop him from his purpose. Gasping, and crying out, she rose to watch as he nuzzled her heat with his nose.

With his thumb, he began pressing on her nub, making her moan, then he began using the fingers of that same hand to spread her open, pushing first one, then two, and finally three into her. She gasped at the stretching sensation and tried to pull away.

Gently, he continued to push inside of her until she swore she felt all four fingers shoved into her core. Crying out, she begged, "Severus... No! It's too much! I– I can't!"

"Shhh..." he whispered, coming over her. "I am not a small man, Hermione. Although I can't stop all of the pain you will feel from me, I don't want to hurt you more than I have to."

She stilled as he urged her to move to the center of the bed. With some trepidation, she watched as he disrobed. When he stood before her in all of his naked glory, she felt her breath leave her. "Oh, heaven help me," she whispered softly when she saw his staff.

It was long and softly curved. It had to be at least ten inches long, and its head reminded her of the top of a mushroom. It was, by far, the largest penis she had ever seen. Although she was a virgin, she had seen a man's sexual organ a few times. But nothing that she had seen had ever prepared her for this.

Moving to join her on the bed, Severus took her in his arms and kissed her gently. "I won't hurt you, Hermione. There will be a passing pain, but it won't last long." He let a hand fondle her breast, drawing a sigh from her before he reached for her own hand. "Touch me," he commanded gently.

Urged by his hand, Hermione found herself grasping his width. Her fingers barely brushed her thumb as she gripped him. Slowly, she began to move her hand over him, exploring his feel and his reaction to her touch.

Severus closed his eyes and moaned softly at her touch. His eyes closed as she gripped him a little tighter and began to move somewhat faster. Before she could repeat the motion a third time, he stopped her. "If I climax too fast, I fear you won't be very satisfied by this experience."

Moving to rest himself between her legs, he whispered, "Open for me, my love. Spread yourself with your fingers. Obeying his prompting, she reached down between her legs and opened her core to him. When he began to push into her tightness, he murmured, "Touch your clit with your forefinger, Hermione. Rub it while I am moving inside of you."

Frowning, but wanting to please him, she did just that, and the sensation of his small, slow movement into her, combined with her touch on her clit, made her vagina spasm. When she gasped at the sensation, he thrust in all the way, burying himself within her moist heat.

"Oh GODS! Hermione!" He cried out with her when she arched off the bed, bucking her hips as if to escape the moment of fiery pain. The feeling it brought made her gasp, but with pleasure. He stilled inside her, letting her adjust to his girth. He waited for her to be ready, and she surprised him when she began to rock her hips, moving him inside her while he just lay nestled between her legs.

Slowly, he joined her movements, letting himself thrust slowly in and out of her core as she set the speed. When she started moving faster, he took over, thrusting deeper and harder. Clinging to him, she began to beg for him to do more. "Yes! Oh... Severus, please! I... Oh, you.... I want!... Oh, it's hot! It's getting hot... I ..."

Her scream nearly threw him over the edge as she came violently in his arms. He held her tightly, seeing her through her first orgasm before beginning to work his way toward his own. As he finally began to feel his building, he whispered a charm to prevent pregnancy and felt her second climax coming yet again. He held his own in check until she was almost over her second, then let himself empty inside of her.

Still semi-hard, he rolled to his side and positioned her next to him, so he could stay inside of her. Her eyes focused on him, and she kissed him deeply, her eyes holding his the entire time. When she relaxed and began to fall asleep, Severus pulled the covers over them and said a prayer of thanks for the gift whatever gods had seen fit to give him this night.

He would marry this woman if she'd have him, he knew. Perhaps she would be the mother of his children, someday. But more than that, she would be his equal. A Potions mistress that he would be proud to work alongside. That thought made him smile as he closed his eyes and gave himself over to sleep.

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A/N: I hope everyone enjoys the serving of LEMONS I just gave you! They are perfect for Lemonade! Please read and review!