Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

He wasn't necessarily looking for Miss Granger, but Severus did find himself strolling through the towering shelves of books in the library where he thought she might be hiding. Spending time with her had become more enjoyable than he cared to admit to anyone, even himself. So, he tried to hide his pleasure when he saw her seated at a small table underneath one of the tall, narrow windows toward the back of the massive library.

Severus watched her as she worried her bottom lip with her teeth and pushed her hair back before bending over the parchment in front of her. Nearly all of the children were tucked away in their common rooms because curfew was only minutes away. The library was very quiet, and he could hear the steady scratching of her quill against the parchment.

Taking his time, he approached her from the side. She was so intent on her work that she didn't hear him until he was already upon her, leaning over and glancing at her writings. When Hermione realized someone was watching, she slammed her hand over the parchment and gasped, "Professor."

Severus smirked. "What are you writing, Granger?"

"Nothing," she mumbled, turning the parchment over to hide it from his curious eyes. "I was just... writing a shopping list."

He raised a single brow and looked down his crooked nose at a very nervous Hermione Granger. "Oh, indeed?"

Composing herself, Hermione threw her hair over her shoulder. "Yes, indeed."

"Pity. I thought you were writing that novel we spoke about. You did tell me last night that you were researching ideas for it."

Hermione scoffed. "I am not writing a romance novel, Professor Snape."

"Then turn over the parchment."

"No."

Severus raised both brows at her this time. "No?"

By now, her face was flushed bright red. "No, I'm not going to play these little mind games with you," she said, lowering her voice. "What is on the parchment is none of your business."

His only reply was a condescending look and a smirk that told her he knew better.

"Besides," Hermione continued, "I wouldn't know where to even begin to write a romance novel. I've already told you as much."

With her skill at writing, her attention to detail, and her tendency to turn into a little firecracker when cornered, he had no doubts as to her ability to pen a reasonably well-written sex scene, provided she had a bit of experience in such matters. After dating Ronald Weasley, Severus doubted Hermione had managed to deter the Weasley family's rampant procreation hormones for that long. And while he doubted Mr. Weasley had been any sort of Casanova or expert in the sack, he was sure Hermione had to have at least enjoyed some part of it.

Severus shook the thoughts from his head. He did not want to think about Granger having sex with the late Ronald Weasley. The boy was nothing but trouble during his school career. Instead, he wanted to think about himself and Hermione tangled beneath his bed sheets. That line of thought could only get him into trouble, though. He wasn't confident his heavy robes could hide the raging erection he would undoubtedly find himself with if he imagined how it would be between them. It had been far too long since he had been with a woman.

However, Severus couldn't help but tease her further. "Perhaps you just need a bit of inspiration, Professor," he said with a mischievous smirk.

Severus had expected her to embarrass further, but she surprised him when she simply laughed. Her giggles and the light dancing in her eyes made his smirk slip into an actual smile.

After a moment of watching each other, Severus nodded at her. "I have halls to patrol and children to terrify."

He heard her tell him goodbye as he turned the corner of the closest aisle. He was not scheduled to patrol the halls this evening, but he thought a quick stroll through the main corridors would do him well. If he were to go back to his rooms now, his thoughts would undoubtedly stray to Hermione straddling his hips. His favorite chair would be large enough to allow her to do such a thing while he leaned back and watched her uncover that body she hid so well under those damned robes.

Teasing her was enjoyable, but he seriously doubted things would ever progress to the point where his fantasies would be indulged in quite such an explicit manner. His only hope would be to goad her into writing something he could read. Just the thought of reading what wanton sexual scenario she imagined while alone in her bed was enough to quicken his steps back to his private rooms.

Perhaps a cold shower would do him some good.

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Hermione had never participated much in the girl talk of her female classmates. They would giggle and discuss boys, clothing, and social functions with great glee. She never saw the point in it all, preferring to study. In hindsight, she thought her avoidance of the girlish discussions may have been because she and boys did not go well together. The only one she had ever shown real interest in was Ron, and their relationship was odd at best.

However, she found herself lying in her bed, staring at the ceiling, and wishing she had someone to talk to about Severus Snape. He had dropped all of the insults and sneering remarks as soon as she began her first day as a staff member at Hogwarts. At the time, Hermione assumed it had been because she was a colleague of his or because Voldemort's reign of terror had finally ended, freeing him to behave as he had always wanted to behave. It had been a relief to her that she wouldn't have to dodge his acid tongue at every pass; she had had enough upsetting things on her mind.

Now, she got the distinct impression he was flirting with her, which her more sensible side thought was absolutely absurd. Severus Snape did not flirt with anyone, especially her. Despite that, she still couldn't shake the thought that after the first night he caught her with the romance novel on the steps of the school, his behavior toward her had shifted somewhat. She just wasn't sure how it had shifted.

Hermione had to admit that his warming to her over the previous two weeks inspired a bit of a crush on him. It certainly wasn't love, but perhaps more a sense of affection toward him. He had been so kind to her, intentionally making her laugh when she had thought it wasn't possible and taking her mind off the morbid things that had occupied it for months. Beyond that, she couldn't deny the power of his voice and the smirks he threw at her when she was least expecting it. Thinking of him made her stomach flutter.

He certainly wasn't a traditionally handsome man with his pale skin, lanky body, lackluster hair, and crooked nose, but he was very interesting. No one could deny his intellect and sharp wit or the air of mystery surrounding him. If he were more attractive, he would be the perfect dark hero for one of those silly romance novels she read from time to time.

Hermione giggled and turned her face into the pillow. Severus Snape as a leading man in a romance novel? What a novel that would be. He would verbally flay the headstrong heroine with his tongue before he snogged her senseless. Hermione wondered if he would be the type to ravenously take her against one of the dungeon walls or if he would tease her into his bed with promises of pleasure. Perhaps a bit of both?

Imagining Severus Snape forcibly pushing her against a wall in a dark corridor and ripping her robes off excited her. He would be eager at first, she was sure. She had never seen him with a date or away from the school long enough to involve himself in secret affairs with nameless witches, so Hermione could only assume he didn't spend much time seducing women. Not that she thought he'd have any problem with it when he had that silky voice at his disposal.

So, he would be eager and passionate. He would slide his hands beneath her robes and touch her center, stroking the wetness he found there. Hermione shifted in her bed, pressing her legs tightly together to ease the ache. The pressure didn't help, and her thoughts of Snape didn't subside.

Perhaps he would nibble at her neck and breathe heavily into her ear as he unbuttoned his trousers, revealing his heated shaft. She bit her lower lip until it hurt, sliding a hand between her legs to cup herself. The warmth of her palm excited her even more. Before she realized what she was doing, Hermione had hiked her nightgown up and slipped a hand inside her knickers.

Yes, Severus Snape would make a wonderful leading man in a romance novel. Just the thought of him taking her against one of the walls in his dungeon quarters was enough to soak her undergarments and drench the questing fingers of her right hand as they dipped inside her. She arched her back and pressed her head into the plush pillow when her thumb brushed against her swollen clitoris.

She thought he would also whisper things in her ear with that delicious voice of his, detailing how much he wanted to fuck her before he pushed inside without warning. She moaned aloud and quickened the movements of her hand, slipping the other hand down to spread herself. Hermione closed her eyes tightly and thought of how hard he would take her while his tongue pierced her lips and claimed her mouth. Her body would rock against the rough stones each time he pressed into her.

Hermione nearly bit through her tongue trying to stifle the scream announcing her orgasm when it finally arrived, welling up from her groin and washing over the rest of her body all the way to her curled toes. Her chest was heaving from labored breaths, and both her hands were still trapped beneath the cotton fabric of her knickers. Her face burned from the flush of the first release she'd had in months.

She hadn't thought of anyone in that way since the day Ron and Harry had been taken from her. Things just hadn't been the same afterward, and finding such base pleasure seemed trite and disrespectful to the boyfriend she had lost in the war with Voldemort. However, Hermione couldn't deny the thrill she got from imagining Snape, her former professor, in such a compromising position, with her no less.

She slipped out of bed and padded into the bathroom, vowing to use her fantasy of Snape as inspiration for the beginnings of that romance novel he had been teasing her about. Despite her earlier denial, she had been trying to write something in the library, but she had ended up crumpling it and tossing it out as soon as Snape had disappeared around the corner. This time she thought she might have a leading man worth writing about, even if it was only to exorcise the rampant thoughts of lust Severus Snape was beginning to inspire in her.

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Severus didn't want to admit it, but he had spent the weekend casually searching for the newest addition to the Hogwarts staff. However, after looking in what he believed were all her favorite places, he still hadn't found Hermione Granger. The last time they spoke was Friday evening in the library when he teased her about what might be the beginnings of her romance novel.

It was Monday morning, and he arrived for breakfast several minutes earlier than usual, hoping to find her at the staff table. He crossed the Great Hall in long strides when he saw Hermione at her customary spot beside Minerva. When he finally took his seat, he saw she was actually eating this morning. He had been paying attention to her in some way or another since she began teaching Charms, and he had rarely seen her with much of an appetite in the mornings.

"Good morning, Professor Granger," he said, picking up a hot cup of coffee from beside his plate.

"Good morning, sir."

He shook the folds of his linen napkin out and laid it in his lap. "I didn't see you this weekend. Did you have exciting plans away from the castle grounds?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant and uninterested.

She poked at the remaining food on her plate. "No, I was just catching up on some work in my rooms."

Something wasn't right. Most mornings she was sullen and despondent, trying to remove herself from any conversations around her. Now, she appeared nervous and uneasy. He wondered what she was trying to hide, because it was obvious Hermione Granger had a secret.

Severus narrowed his eyes when he remembered the novel. He was almost certain she had been working on it that day in the library; she just didn't want him to know. Perhaps she had spent her weekend locked away in her rooms writing deliciously sinful sex scenes. His hand clenched tightly into the napkin at just the thought of it.

"How is the novel coming along?" he asked, spreading some butter on his toast.

"Quite well," she replied before slapping a hand over her mouth, her eyes suddenly round and staring at him in shock. "I mean," she amended, "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm not writing a novel."

He took a moment to gloat in silence, peering down at her mortified features for several seconds. "Like I've said before, you're an atrocious liar, Granger."

Hermione lowered her voice and leaned closer to him. "Listen, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't let this little bit of information get out. I know how you just love to embarrass people, but... if the students found out that I'm... you know, writing stuff of that nature..." Her face was terribly red, enough to catch Minerva's attention. Severus shifted his eyes back to his food while the Headmistress asked Hermione if she was feeling well.

"I'm fine," Hermione answered, shoving an entire piece of toast in her mouth.

Severus wanted to laugh at her embarrassment and bulging cheeks, but he couldn't have the students witnessing their feared Potions master having a bit of fun with the Charms professor.

"So," he said after Minerva had turned back to her plate of food, "shall I clear my schedule to proofread this nonexistent novel?"

She shook her head firmly. "Oh, no, it's absolutely ridiculous, and I'm not going to let anyone read it."

"Come now, Miss Granger, you've always been so very boastful of your accomplishments. Surely you feel the need to share this one with someone. And seeing as how I'm the only person who knows you're writing, I imagine I'm the obvious choice."

"You can't be serious," Hermione mumbled around her eggs.

Severus smirked again. She was so nervous she was shoving food haphazardly in her mouth. "Oh, but I am quite serious."

Hermione swallowed her food, took a gulp of orange juice, and abruptly stood. "No," she said, her voice firm, brooking no argument from him.

Severus watched her leave the Great Hall from the corner of his eye, her heels clicking on the stone floor. She certainly was feisty when someone riled her up.

He spent the remainder of the day disappointed that he wouldn't be able to read what she had written. Her answer hadn't left him much room to maneuver, and that irritated him. His students did nothing to alleviate his sour mood. By the time he closed the door to his quarters behind him at the end of the day, his shoulders were tense, and a headache was sprouting from the base of his skull.

He was in such a rush to find a potion to relieve the headache that he didn't notice the envelope on the floor until he had sat down to mark some abysmal second-year essays. He carefully picked the white envelope up and returned to his desk to cast some basic detection spells on it. Nothing seemed amiss, so he lifted the flap and pulled out several sheets of parchment with the unmistakably neat handwriting of Hermione Granger on them.

Severus shifted in his seat, not believing his fortune. A quick glance confirmed his suspicions. It was the mysterious novel she had confessed to writing at breakfast that morning. She hadn't left a note or any indication she meant him to read it, but why else would she slip it beneath the door to his private chambers?

The essays were forgotten in favor of a potentially revealing tale by Miss Granger.

However, when he had finished reading the two lengthy chapters, he was left feeling dissatisfied. What she had written was completely safe, safe enough for a first-year to read. It was devoid of all the debauchery he had been expecting to find within any romance novel worth its weight in gold. He knew it was ridiculous to expect a novel to begin with sex, but his impatience got the best of him.

What did interest him was the description of the leading man. The tall, thin build with dark, shoulder-length hair was quite familiar. He dismissed the idea that she might be describing him when Hermione went on to write that the gentleman was oddly handsome. Severus knew his better qualities, and they were definitely not any of his physical attributes. However, Sebastian Sandor, her dark and brooding hero, shared many behavioral characteristics with himself. They were both easily annoyed by incompetence and fiercely private. Severus imagined he sounded like Sebastian when he spoke to people.

But, he knew he was not Sebastian Sandor. Sebastian was oddly handsome, and Severus was a downright fright. The beginning of the tale introduced a young woman named Haley, who was visiting Sebastian's estate in order to spend some time with her aunt Eva, Sebastian's assistant. Eva was an elderly woman who helped manage the estate and business. Unfortunately, just as Haley arrives, the second of two missing paintings disappears from Sebastian's very own home. He and Eva are in a rush to discover who stole them and how they were taken from under Sebastian's nose. Haley, being a smart young lady very similar to Hermione herself, wants to help solve the mystery, but Eva sends her to bed instead.

The only satisfying interaction in the two chapters was the tension between Haley and the older Sebastian. Hermione had stated in no uncertain terms that Haley found Sebastian quite attractive and even more mysterious. By the longing glances Sebastian threw in Haley's direction, he was feeling more than friendship toward her as well. But, in the end, it was nothing but a fluffy mystery novel with no real hints of being the wanton tale he had been expecting and anticipating for all these days.

As promised, Severus marked his corrections with the same red quill he used for marking students' papers. He sighed in resignation and slid the parchment back into the envelope. So much for additional fuel for his wicked thoughts of her. He would have to come up with this evening's fantasy all on his own.

Author's Note: I just wanted to remind to any of those who are curious -- this fic is complete and eight chapters long. I'm finishing up the beta corrections on the last four right now. Also, a huge thank you to moonrevel and JenF for being such wonderful people and betas.