Chapter 9: A Walk in the Snow

Chapter Nine: A Walk in the Snow

We made a staggered departure for dinner. He allowed me to go first, and I sat at the end of the Gryffindor table with Parvati Patil. She made quiet, dull conversation. The gaping hole in both of our friendship situations acted as a sucking bellows for all sound between us. So I ate my dinner slowly and carefully, peeking glances and half smiles at Severus as often as I dared. I didn’t have to eat as much as I had expected. I waited for the throngs of Ravenclaws on their way to study to leave the hall, and I left myself, going to stand by the Entrance Hall doors. I’d brought a roll with me, so I finished it while I waited for Severus to appear.

“Miss Granger,” I heard his stern voice behind me, “what are you doing at this time of night?”

“I was going to go to my dormitory to get a jacket,” I responded with a coy smile. “I fancied a walk, Professor.”

“Did you now?” he inquired, cocking an eyebrow.

“I was going to return to the Entrance Hall in twenty minutes or so,” I said offhandedly.

“Now why would I want to know that?” he asked, looking over his shoulder at an empty room.

“In case you want to take disciplinary action…” I looked demurely up at him, and he smiled.

“Maybe in twenty minutes, Miss Granger.”

With that, I began to walk up the stairs. I hadn’t gone far, however, when I heard another male voice call my name.

“Hermione!”

I spun around to see Harry. I smiled, and he caught up to me. We walked back to the dormitory together. After the first strenuous staircase was scaled, he struck up a conversation.

“What was Snape talking to you about?” he inquired in a disdainful tone.

“Asked me what I was doing lurking in the Entrance Hall,” I responded, not looking up.

“Oh.” We continued in silence for a bit and parted when we reached the common room.

I pulled a turtleneck over my camisole and pulled a sweater over that. I was ready to go downstairs after I put my hair up into a bun on the crown of my head. I jogged to Severus’ office and found him just leaving.

“Hello, Professor,” I said, smiling.

“Hello,” he said. He explained that I should walk thirty seconds behind him, and I agreed. I walked quickly to keep up as he whipped around corners. Often I only had the indication of a triangle of his robe as to which way I should go. When I went out the front door, I was seen by no one. I saw Snape standing under a tree by the lake. When he saw me approaching, he wended his way to a more secluded grove of trees, and I followed.

The area was almost curtained. The snow fell through in small bits onto the sheltered ground. He sat rigidly against a tree as I lay on my back. He awkwardly scooted forward to lie next to me. The snow fell on my eyelashes and melted when it touched my cheeks. I turned to face him, and he softly cupped my cheek. He then wrapped a hand around my waist and pulled me close to him. I listened to his breathing quicken, trying with some difficulty to keep my own heartbeat calm. I nuzzled his prominent nose with mine and let out a youthful giggle. When my laugh was merely echoing though the space between us, he sat up on his elbow and began to kiss me.

What began as soft and gentle soon became demanding and heated, as did everything between us. Our ankles were entwined; our torsos were pressed together; our hands were roaming. The snow fell thicker.

“Take out this bloody elastic,” he murmured, pulling my hair gently out of its captivity. His hands raked though it, and I saw the snow gathering on it reflected in his eyes. His cheeks flushed red, and so did mine. The cold ground became uncomfortable, and so our kiss broke.

“I can’t leave you,” he said with a trace of a whine in his voice.

“Nor can I,” I responded. We stood together, and he asked me to return with him. I hesitated for a moment and then agreed.

It was late enough for us to return together, and so we took every secret passageway imaginable in order to return to his chamber to ensure safety when holding hands. We arrived in his office, and he led me by the hand to his room. We sat on the bed, and he pulled back the blankets. When he noticed fear in my face, he said, “Oh, no, Hermione, just sleeping,” and I was reassured.

I pulled off my jeans once I was under the covers and proceeded to remove my turtleneck and sweater. He shut off the lights to change into his nightshirt. When he slipped into the bed beside me, he stoked my hair until I fell asleep.

I woke up the following morning alone in his bed. I panicked for a moment, but sat up to find a hot cup of tea next to me. I set my pillow against the headboard and began to sip the tender chamomile slowly. He strolled in when I was halfway done with the mug. He smiled to see my bed head and told me he loved it. I asked him how long he had been up, and he responded that he had been up long enough to do some potion brewing in his private lab.

“What kind of potion?” I inquired

“Well,” he began with a trace of reluctance in his voice, “things… you know…”

“No, I don’t, actually,” I said with a smile.

“It’s…” he paused – “Now don’t get mad at me.”

“I won’t!” I promised.

“I’m brewing… a contraceptive potion.” He flung his hands up in front of him. “Just in case!”

“Oh,” I responded, wide eyed. I placed my mug on the table and stepped out of the covers, clothed only by a camisole and small, cotton underwear. It was his turn to go wide eyed when I began to feverishly kiss him. He laughed as he realized I wasn’t angry with him. I stepped back and got dressed in my sopping wet clothes. I dried them with a warming spell and finished my tea.

Before I left, I got to see the bubbling blue potion at his work bench. His hand wrapped around my waist as we observed the potion for a moment. I kissed his cheek, as was my custom, and left the Potions master to his own devices for the rest of the day.