Chapter 7

Author's Notes: I am, as always, indebted to Scabbyfish for her time and effort beta reading. And just as a reminder, I don't own anything you recognize. Or recognise, if you prefer.

Ginny's head popped through the fireplace. "Hermione?" she called.

Hermione ambled out of her kitchen and into the living room. "Hello, Ginny. What can I do for you?"

"I was hoping you had some free time at the moment, actually. Harry is in a particularly good mood, and it occurred to me that it might be a good time for – ah – a visit?" She turned the comment into a question with a lift in inflection that matched the lift of her brows.

Hermione nodded slowly, understanding the actual question Ginny was asking. She didn't know if she was truly ready to face Harry over Severus, but it had to be done sooner rather than later. Minerva had received a positive response from the teachers and Order members she had spoken to. Remus had quietly talked to both Hermione and Severus on different occasions to give them his support. Despite their discretion, eventually someone would figure things out, and it might even make the Daily Prophet; it would be better to have faced Harry before that than to have him feeling betrayed and angry. A betrayed, self-righteous Harry did not make for a pleasant friendship – or in Ginny's case, engagement or marriage.

"Great!" Ginny said in a cheery voice that made Hermione think Harry was probably listening on the other end. "We'll see you in a minute."

"No, wait, Ginny – give me a few minutes. I, um, need to change shirts – spilled something on this one," Hermione fabricated.

Ginny narrowed her eyes but nodded. "We'll see you shortly, then." Moments later the fire was normal again.

Hermione quickly went to the bedroom to change tops to give credence to the fib (it seemed that some Slytherin deception tendencies were wearing off on her). Returning to the fireplace, she quickly tossed in a handful of Floo powder so that she could contact Minerva.

"Minerva?" she called as her head popped out into the headmistress' office.

"Yes, Hermione, what is it? You sound – well, not right," Minerva responded. She was sitting in a wingback chair by the fire, reading and having a simple tea of cheese on toast.

"I'm about to tell Harry about Severus and I – will you be available if things go so badly that we need someone to step in?"

Minerva placed her plate down on the table beside her. "Yes, of course, my dear. And good luck."

Hermione nodded her thanks and pulled her head back out of the connection. With a larger fistful of Floo powder she called, "Number twelve, Grimmauld Place", and felt herself spinning away. She stepped out into the library of Harry's house.

"Hermione!" Harry crossed to greet her with a hug. Ginny was nowhere to be seen, presumably giving them a bit of space. Hermione returned the hug with a forced smile before stepping back and brushing off her jumper and jeans. "Sit down, can we get you anything? Tea?"

Shaking her head, Hermione sat down in the closest armchair. "No, thank you, Harry, not tonight."

Harry seemed to recognise that she wasn't in a cheerful mood, as he asked more seriously, "What's wrong? Are you still angry with me over the greasy – er, over Snape? I'm sorry I snapped at you about it, Hermione."

Hermione closed her eyes and kept herself from clenching her jaw and gritting her teeth – again. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could hear her parents lecturing about wearing the enamel down.

"Yes and no, Harry. And don't call him a greasy git."

"But he is one, you know," Harry said. "I'm sure he can't help it by now, but he just is. I really don't understand why you like to talk to him, but I suppose as long as it makes you happy, I can deal with it. I guess no one else is likely to ramble about the same research stuff that you do. But if he gets any ideas – starts to bother you – let me know."

Hermione felt her face pinch as she fisted her hands in her lap. "Harry, that's what I wanted to talk to you about, actually," she began.

"What? What has he done? Did he try something with you? I'll kill him! You're like my sister, I won't let him–"

"Stop, Harry," Hermione interjected, cutting him off before he could finish building up a head of steam. "That's not what I meant. I mean, it is, but not that he was bothering me, that is to say . . . oh, drat it all, Harry. Severus and I are seeing each other."

Harry looked at her quizzically. "Yes, you told me that before. Dinner or whatever to talk about your research projects and all the latest potions stuff."

Hermione stared at him. Is he really still that dense about men and women? she thought. "No, Harry. I mean, we're seeing each other as in dating."

There was complete silence for approximately fifteen seconds – Hermione counted – before the explosion. "You're what?"

"Please, Harry, I know you don't like him." At Harry's look, she amended her statement. "I know you hate him, and while he doesn't hate you, the dislike and resentment is completely mutual."

"What right does he have to dislike or resent me?" Harry snapped.

Ignoring him, Hermione continued. "And it would certainly have been easier if I had been attracted to someone . . . well, easier. He's a difficult man, and while you've only seen some facets of his personality, none of them are free of issues. Add the fact that none of my friends like him, and it would have been much simpler to fall for someone like Seamus or Dean."

Harry's face contorted in disgust. "Attracted?" he spluttered. "But he's ugly! How can you be–? Urgh! Do you mean to tell me you're having . . . I'm not even sure I can say it. It's about sex? With Snape?"

"It is not about sex!" Hermione retorted. "We haven't yet . . . that's none of your business, anyway. It's not a casual affair, Harry. If it had been, I would have let it run its course without burdening you. But it's not casual, and so I needed to tell you."

"Who else knows?" he asked bitterly. "Besides my fiancée, as I can now guess, based on how nervous she seemed about asking you over."

"We told Minerva first, and she told Remus and a few other teachers and Order members."

"Remus and Minerva know? But you didn't tell me?"

She closed her eyes. First he doesn't want to hear it, then he doesn't like that he didn't hear it first. Typical. "Minerva was more likely to be open to the idea than you were, Harry. And it was important – to me, at any rate – that someone be supportive of Severus. Ginny is supportive of me, but it has nothing to do with him. We asked Minerva to tell a few other people to gauge their reactions."

Harry didn't seem to hear her last sentence. "Of course it has nothing to do with him! He's a traitor! A murderer! He killed Professor Dumbledore, or have you forgotten?"

Hermione's eyes popped back open, narrowing at the same time. "How dare you! I am so tired of hearing you vilify a man who gave years of his life – years, Harry! – to do far more than you ever had to do in the war."

"I killed Voldemort!"

"Yes, and it took you how long to do that? A year, maybe, counting the search for the Horcruxes? Severus risked his life as an active spy for at least four years, and maintained a façade for another fourteen, give or take!"

"Is he that good in the sack, Hermione, that you can forget everything? How hideous he gets in a temper? Shrieking Shack, third year. Ring any bells? And you didn't see him as he was fleeing Hogwarts – disgusting." Harry's arms were crossed against his chest defensively.

"Damn you, Harry! I defended him long before he and I ran into each other and this all began." She was standing now, jaw clenched.

"And you were always blinded by his brains! Even after you realised that he was the Half-Blood Prince, you only temporarily stopped trusting him! He's a Slytherin; his ambition tops everything! Is he trying to get something from you for his research?"

Before Hermione could respond, Ginny burst into the room. "Harry, knock it off and sit down," she ordered. To Hermione's great surprise, Harry did just that. Ginny then turned to Hermione and fixed her with a meaningful look. Hermione sat, too.

"Now, then, both of you need to calm down, I think – yes, both of you," she reiterated when Hermione started to protest.

Hermione took a deep breath. "Fine," she said icily, "but I don't know if I want to stay around much longer." She dropped her head onto her arms on the side of the chair. She had known this would be difficult, but Harry's attitude was cutting her even more deeply than she had expected.

There was a silence, and then she heard a shuffling that approached her seat. Harry's hand dropped onto her shoulder. "Hermione," he said dispiritedly, "I just don't understand." Apparently Ginny had managed to calm him down, at least temporarily.

She lifted her head to look at him. He was kneeling beside her, so she didn't have to crane her neck to meet his eyes. "I know, Harry, and to be honest, I'm not sure I do, either. Or that he does. It just happened. We were enjoying bantering about academic topics that I can't talk to you and Ron about, and that's attractive to me. It just spiralled from there."

Harry tipped his forehead against hers and wrapped his arms around her. "Is this permanent yet?" he asked.

"No."

"Well, that's something, anyway."

"Harry! Don't I have the right to find happiness, too?"

He sighed. "Of course you do. I just – well, I admit, I'm hoping it won't be with Snape. I'm hoping that this is just a novelty that will eventually wear off."

Hermione pulled back and crossed her arms. "That's not going to happen, Harry, at least not any time soon. I can't help that I fell in love with him!" She gasped and stood up, barely avoiding Harry's head as she did so.

"What? I thought you said it wasn't permanent?" Ginny jumped in.

Hermione had turned her back on them, though, as she processed what she had just said. Did she really love Severus? She must, if she was willing to brave Harry and the wizarding world, not to mention, eventually, her parents, to be with him.

She faced her friends again and found that Harry had followed her lead and stood as well. "It's not permanent yet, and I don't know if he loves me. He's said he cares for me, though, and from him, that's a fairly serious statement." Hermione waited, her heart racing and her body tense, for Harry's response.

He looked at her steadily, as if searching for an answer to a question he wouldn't articulate. After nearly a minute had passed, he said, "I don't know what to say, Hermione. I had hoped . . . well, you know what I had hoped. I thought we'd all be together."

Ginny stepped up next to him and laid her hand on his arm. "Harry, it wasn't going to happen," she chided softly. "Hermione being with Snape – Severus," she corrected with a look at the woman in question, "doesn't have anything to do with it. You know that."

"I know," Harry sighed, running a hand through his messy-as-usual hair. At the sceptical look on Hermione's face, he continued. "I do know, really, but I can't like it. It was such a happy thought. And then I assumed you'd find someone else and things would work out so you'd still be nearby all the time, maybe still live near us. But with Snape..." He trailed off.

Hermione nodded, but could feel tears forming in her eyes. "I know, but Harry, I was drifting apart anyway because now that we're done with school and the war is over, we just don't have much in common except past experiences and enjoying each other's company. I love you all, and I want us to still be part of each other's lives, but at an everyday level, it's just not there."

"But . . . Snape . . . how can I?"

"You don't have to, not yet, Harry. Eventually, maybe, quite possibly, but not just yet."

Harry put his hands on her arms and tipped his head down so their foreheads touched again. "He's always been a git to all of us, Hermione. I'm going to worry."

She smiled. "I know, but he treats me very well, Harry. He didn't hate me the way he hated you – or more to the point, the way he hated your father and let it spill over onto you. So I think he found it easier to overcome it with me." She ended by putting her arms around his waist for a hug, which he immediately returned before stepping back.

"Well, give me some time. I'll try, okay?"

"That's all I ask, Harry," she said with relief.

A whoosh was accompanied by booted footsteps as Severus arrived in the library's fireplace. The unexpected arrival, however, had him facing three wands from the room's current occupants.

Unsurprisingly, Hermione was the first to recover and shove her wand back into her robes. "Severus! What are you doing here?" she asked a bit warily, despite her happiness at seeing him.

Severus dusted himself off and crossed his arms. "It was taking you a long time, and Minerva and I were concerned that Potter had reacted by trying to figure out if I had somehow jinxed you," he sneered.

Just as he finished speaking, Minerva appeared behind him in the fireplace with another whoosh. "Severus, I did not say that; you did," Minerva stated firmly as she stepped out. "I'm sorry, Hermione, I assumed he knew you were here and thought he could use some company while waiting. I obviously made a mistake."

Hermione sighed. "It doesn't matter, Minerva. Severus, everything is just fine, and I was just leaving. Shall we go to your place or mine?" she asked in a tone clearly meant to indicate that the conversation was over.

Harry and Severus, however, both ignored her, choosing instead to stare each other down. Severus, to Hermione's surprise, broke first. "Very well. Your flat," he stated brusquely.

"Here now, I thought you said he treated you well, Hermione!" Harry put a hand out to restrain her.

"I also said that he found it easier to ease off around me than around you, Harry. And you're not exactly looking receptive to his presence, you know."

Harry had the grace to look a bit sheepish. "Uh – right," he said before snapping back to a frown. "Snape, you'd better treat her well. I believe my duelling and Occlumency skills have made a complete turnaround since we last faced off at the end of my sixth year."

Severus raised a brow. "Presumably so, given that you're still here, and Voldemort is dead, with minimal additional casualties." He continued to watch Harry while he held his hand out to Hermione.

She stepped over to him and bypassed his hand, sliding her arm around his waist instead. Severus glanced down at her with a grimace, but put his arm around her shoulders anyway. Hermione knew he generally preferred to avoid public displays of affection, but since he was here, she felt the need to make a visual statement. Not a huge one, but something. She squeezed his waist in thanks and turned back to Harry and Minerva, who had moved to stand next to him.

"We'll leave now, Harry, and give you some peace. Thank you for inviting me, Ginny. Minerva, would you like to come back to my flat for a cup of tea?"

Minerva looked at them steadily, then turned to Ginny. "No, thank you, I was actually hoping to spend some time with Harry and Ginny since I'm already here – it's been quite a while since I've seen them. May I impose, Ginny?"

"Of course, Minerva, it's never an imposition."

"Excellent. Well, be off with the two of you," Minerva stated firmly.

Hermione nodded and nudged Severus to leave first. After he stepped into the fireplace and disappeared, she looked back and said, "I'll be back soon," before disappearing in another swirl of green.

She arrived back at her own flat to find that Severus had already removed his outer robes and was waiting to help her out of the fireplace. He brushed off her jumper and avoided her eyes.

"Severus, what is it?" she asked.

He did glance up at her then. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I shouldn't have barged into Grimmauld Place like that. I was just – damn it, I was worried."

She frowned and stilled his hands with her own. "You thought he'd hurt me?"

"No, not physically, of course. But I was afraid he was upsetting you." He tugged her over to the couch and sat down, pulling her down next to him and wrapping his arms around her.

Hermione snuggled into his embrace and rested her head on his chest. "Of course he was going to upset me, but I thought it went fairly well, all things considering. I'm not looking forward to telling Ron, but that can wait, unless Harry does it anyway. In which case I can justifiably be angry with both of them, and ignore them both until they cool down. Or until Ron explodes, whichever comes first."

"Interesting plan."

"It works for me." She shrugged and wrapped her arms around him.

After a few minutes, Hermione leaned up and kissed him. He responded gently, moving his lips slowly, softly slipping his tongue in to touch hers. She slipped her hands around his neck and tangled her fingers in his hair, causing him to tighten his arms around her.

It wasn't enough tonight. Given Hermione's recent stunning conclusion that she loved this man, she desperately wanted to express it in a very fundamental way. She shifted so that she was kneeling next to him, then moved her leg to straddle him on the couch. She could feel his erection straining and ground herself against it for a few minutes.

Then, taking a mental breath, she scooted back just enough to slip her hand down the front of his trousers and pants to touch him. At this addition to their typical routine, Severus pulled back from the kiss and looked at her quizzically.

"Please, Severus?" she asked.

"Hermione, I assure you, I'm not objecting. But I haven't wanted to push you, and I want to be sure that you're sure of anything else we might do."

She pulled her hand back and reached up to feather her fingers over his cheek while smiling softly. "I love you, Severus," she said. His eyes closed, and he briefly pressed his cheek against hers, gathering her tightly in his arms. "I had a bit of a revelation tonight while talking to Harry," she continued. "I knew that I cared about you. I thought it might be love, but it struck me so strongly tonight that I knew I had to tell you."

She heard him take in a deep breath and let it out. "I had hoped . . . but I didn't want to assume . . . was afraid to believe . . . I undoubtedly won't say it as often as I should, but I love you, as well, you know," he said. Then he frowned. "Do you mean to tell me I owe Potter for you coming to this realisation?"

"And if I say yes?"

"Then I will endeavour to be more pleasant to that annoying pain in my backside," he grumpily responded.

Hermione smiled. "I would appreciate it if you would do that anyway. I'm sure I would have come to this realisation shortly myself, but I suppose it's accurate to say that my confrontation with Harry triggered it to come about sooner."

"Oh, very well."

She leaned back in to kiss him again. His willingness to work past his resentment and dislike of Harry said more to her than any grand romantic gestures would. Which, she reasoned, was a good thing, as she didn't consider herself the type to inspire grand gestures, and he certainly wasn't the type to give them, anyway.

And besides, right now she wanted other kinds of gestures. She stood up and pulled him to his feet, leading him away from the couch and towards her bedroom door. He paused and held her back at the threshold.

"Hermione," he murmured, "is this truly what you want? I have no expectation that a declaration of love means that we will further our physical relationship."

She pressed herself up against him before answering. "I'm very sure, Severus. I've wanted this for some time now, but was hesitant to move forward. Now I'm not."

Severus smiled back at her and dipped his head to capture her mouth again. His hands came up to her waist and slipped beneath her jumper and started pushing it up. He hesitated when he reached her breasts, and Hermione decided she needed to take matters into her own hands. She stepped back and pulled her jumper off, then toed off her shoes and removed her jeans and socks. Standing before him in just her underwear, she watched his eyes move up and down her body hungrily.

Slowly, as if waiting for her to refuse, he stepped closer and reached out to trace a single finger from her chin down her throat, over her breast, and around behind and over her bum. Hermione closed her eyes and tipped her head back. She felt him bring both hands around to pull her up against his erection once again, then move one hand up her back to hold her tightly as his lips moved on her neck, alternately nipping then soothing with his tongue.

"Too many clothes," Hermione gasped. When he moved to unclasp her brassiere, she pushed him back and opened her eyes. "I meant you! You can get to me in a bit."

He smirked, but quickly began to remove his frockcoat. She stared at his hands as they efficiently dealt with the long row of buttons. "Enjoying this?" he asked.

"If I wasn't going to enjoy this, I assure you that it wouldn't be happening," she retorted hotly.

Minutes later he had stripped the frockcoat as well as the white shirt he wore beneath it and had removed his boots and socks. Hermione stopped him before he started on his trousers.

"Mine," she said simply, moving her own hands to the buttons. She slowly unfastened his trousers and hooked her fingers inside his pants, catching both and manoeuvring them down over his jutting erection. She paused and sank to her knees, leaning over to kiss the tip before continuing to remove the remainder of his clothes.

He moaned, and Hermione decided that this was behaviour to be encouraged, so she carefully took him into her mouth and ran her tongue along the underside, starting at the tip and going back as far as she could, then back up again, ending with a swirl around the mushroom-shaped head. He moaned again, his hands fisting in her hair.

Severus didn't let her continue for long before he pulled her up and plundered her mouth with his own, all the while gently pushing her backwards until she fell back onto her bed. He quickly yanked off her remaining clothes and began suckling at her breast while his fingers slid along her stomach until they slipped through her hair and found her clitoris. Circling it for a minute, he shifted to the other breast before leaving his thumb on her clitoris and slipping two fingers inside her.

It was Hermione's turn to moan at the stimulation of his mouth and fingers. "Please, Severus," she breathed. "I need you."

"Not yet," he murmured, licking his way from her well-laved breasts down to join his fingers. "Soon, but not yet." He sliced his thumb along one side of her pleasure nub as his tongue darted around the other side and the two fingers inside her thrust in and out.

"Oh, love, oh, oh..." she moaned. "I'm so close . . . please, I want you inside me."

He kept up the tantalising suckling and teasing until she was on the verge of orgasm. Just as she felt the beginning of the fluttering that meant one was imminent, Severus pulled away. She cried out and reached to meet him as he slid back up her body, but held himself back just before he thrust himself inside.

"Contraception?" he gasped.

Hermione groaned. "Yes, yes, daily Muggle pills, they work better for me. Now, damn it!"

At her reassuring response, he immediately pushed into her wet passage. She shattered and convulsed as he pumped once, twice, three times.

"Hermione, oh, my Hermione." Severus slumped against her, but kept himself in check as he pressed himself tightly inside, wrapping his arms tightly around her and shifting so that she was on top but they were still connected.

Severus pulled Hermione close against him and held her tightly, keeping them joined for as long as he could. They stayed that way, silently, for some time. Eventually, however, his softening penis slipped out of her warm passage, and the connection was lost. He let her slide off to his side but kept an arm around her as she laid her head on his chest. His hands tangled in her hair as he toyed with her curls.

"That was amazing, love," he said.

She lifted her head to look at him. "I like the sound of that," she murmured with a satisfied smile, propping her chin on her hands directly over his heart.

He didn't pretend to not understand. "My love," he repeated.

Hermione snuggled her head back against him. "Yes, that's it exactly. My love. I love you, Severus." She shivered and pressed her body closer to him. "But now that we're not expending all that energy, I'm getting rather cold."

Severus grunted his agreement and shifted so that he could swing himself up and scoop Hermione off the covers, just enough to pull them down. Depositing both of them onto the sheets, he yanked the duvet back up over them.

"Are you staying the night?" she asked sleepily. "I know it's early yet, but I'm exhausted."

He smiled even though he knew Hermione couldn't see it. Severus couldn't remember ever having been asked that particular question before. While he had been involved in a handful of relationships in the past, he had always been living at Hogwarts, and staying had been out of the question. He had avoided relationships during the summer months when he didn't have that excuse.

"Do you want me to?"

"Mmm . . . yes . . . please . . . "

"Then I'll stay." He leaned down to kiss her forehead as she slipped off to sleep. "Goodnight, Hermione."

"G'night, Severus."

Severus lay awake long after Hermione had fallen asleep in his arms. He was having trouble convincing himself that she was truly here with him. Or, technically, that he was here with her, given that they were at her flat. Something along those lines, regardless.

She was bright and sweet and having her near was like being able to bask in the sunlight that he had avoided for so many years. He had cultivated the image he had portrayed: the bat of the dungeons with rumours of vampirism, but most of all a creature of the dark. And the Dark. It had been a useful image. He had been the stereotypical nemesis for the students. They saw a one-dimensional teacher who terrorised all but his own house and didn't look further – which meant they didn't see anything further, either. And that avoided all questions that might expose his true loyalties. The few who had reason to know had been remarkably hard-headed about believing, and didn't spread the information, thankfully.

But now . . . his black robes and buttoned-up frockcoat were a comfort, and he was loath to part with them. Nevertheless, being able to live outside the dungeons and smile when he wanted to was a welcome change. And Hermione – she was the ultimate sunshine, the enveloping warmth he had never expected to feel. He had thought he would always feel deep-down cold after the events of the war. He would probably always have seeds of pain inside himself over killing Albus, but with Hermione's quiet faith, he was beginning to let go of the ongoing hatred – of Albus for ordering it, and of himself for carrying it out. It was done, and he was trying to move on.

Severus woke quickly in the morning, keeping still as he assimilated his surroundings without opening his eyes. It took just moments before he realised that the fuzzy weight on his chest was Hermione's hair, but what was the furry lump under his hand? He slitted his eyes open just enough to peer down the bed. A large orange ball of fur was nestled against him under his palm. Apparently the ball of fur sensed his observation, as it lifted its head and stared back. What was its name again? Crookbanks – no, Crookshanks. Severus warily offered his hand for a sniff and, at the satisfactory reaction, scratched the cat behind the ears.

"You know," Hermione murmured from somewhere in the vicinity of his chest, "Crookshanks was the main reason I could convince Harry to accept your messages through Remus during the search for the Horcruxes."

Severus shifted his hand from Hermione's cat to Hermione's hair, tucking it behind her ear so that he could see at least part of her face. "Good morning," he said. "How so?"

"He's half-Kneazle, and had proved his instinct for finding untrustworthy characters in our third year when he was constantly trying to attack Ron's rat. Wormtail, that is."

"And how did that convert to trusting me?"

He could feel her grimace. "Trust would be a bit of a stretch. I tried pointing out that Crookshanks had never once hissed at you or done anything to indicate he didn't like you, but that wasn't enough. However, Harry believed that the messages were accurate when I offered them to Crookshanks. Who promptly rubbed his face against them and curled up with them, as odd as that sounds." She sat up when she was done with her comments and smiled down at him.

Severus reached up to draw her into a good morning kiss, but she pulled away, shaking her head. He frowned at her askance.

"Morning breath. Mine, not yours," she hastily added, scrambling out of bed. "Sorry, just let me brush my teeth–"

"It doesn't matter to me, Hermione," he interrupted, grabbing her hand before she made it across the room. "It's just a kiss, which will undoubtedly happen to us many times when our breath is less than perfect."

She winced. "My parents are dentists, I can't help it. Humour me, Severus, please?"

"Oh, very well," he grumbled. "But hurry back." He shifted so that he could watch her stumble across the room to the en-suite, stretching her arms above her head as she walked.

The power of suggestion hit him while she was in there, however, and he was waiting at the door when she came back out. "Go arrange yourself back on the bed – I'll be back in just a few minutes," he said, dropping a kiss on her head as he crossed paths with her. "Do you have a spare toothbrush?"

"Under the sink," she replied with a smile.

Severus availed himself of the facilities, washed up and brushed his teeth before returning to the bedroom. He was pleasantly surprised to see that Hermione had taken him literally – she was sprawled on the bed, propped up on the pillows, her legs slightly spread and her hands resting on her thighs.

He licked his lips as he slowly crossed the room and stopped at the foot of the bed. Kneeling on the edge, he put one hand on each of her ankles and slowly started moving up her legs, his eyes staying fixed on hers, until he had spread her thighs wide. He snagged a pillow and used it to prop up her hips, then paused and looked at her again. Seeing Hermione's lips tipped up in a half-smile and her eyes drifting closed, he quickly leaned forward and tongued her clit. Her whimpering response gratified him and encouraged him to continue. He kept his hands on her thighs, touching her only with his mouth. When her whimpering reached a crescendo he quickly shifted up her body, fingering her nipples at the same time he thrust inside her.

It was calmer, and sweeter, than it had been the night before. Severus wrapped his arms around her and held her close as they found a gentle grinding rhythm that had them both moaning in pleasure. When Hermione's cries peaked, and he could feel her convulsing around his shaft, he thrust rapidly just a few more times before he exploded inside her, holding himself tightly as far in as he could.

When he could speak again, Severus kissed her gently. "That wasn't what I was actually intending this morning, but I'm very glad it happened." He pulled her into his arms for a hug.

"Mmmm," she said. She squeezed him back, then reluctantly drew back. "But I suppose we shouldn't laze about all day." She yawned and closed her eyes. "All I really want to do is sleep, however."

"Perhaps you could doze while I nip back home to pick up fresh clothes? And could you be convinced to share your shower when I return?"

She opened an eye to look at him. "I suppose I could be convinced to share my shower. It's conservation of water, right?"

"Indeed. I'll be back in just a bit."

Though when he returned, he had to agree that very little water could possibly have been conserved while they washed each other – and a bit more.