Nine

Severus Snape did not appreciate the feeling of anxiety that was currently overtaking him. Hermione, having finished her N.E.W.T.s, had returned home to London to stay with her parents until the wedding, which was one week away. She still insisted that he come to meet them, and she had Apparated to his parent's house several times to prepare him for it. First, she took measurements of his body, a bit invasively. Then, she brought him a set of Muggle clothing. Now, he was standing before his mirror, assessing the situation.

He was sure that he looked like an idiot. He hated how clingy his odd trousers were, and though the shirt she had brought him buttoned up to the top, the material it was made out of was cold and stiff and stuffy. Still, he wanted to make a good impression on her parents, especially after his family had decided to put their airs away and show their true colors when she was at his house for the first time.

Satisfied that he looked presentable, Snape decided to sit down and read a book until his fiancée came for him. Sitting down, however, posed a new problem with his close-fitting pants. The seam in the crotch was directly down the middle, and proper adjustments were required. He looked longingly at his robe, which hung austerely on a peg in his wardrobe. Hopefully, there would only be a few hours of this torture before he could unbind himself and go back to the comfort of his normal clothing.

Before he had too long to think about it, though, a loud crack resounded through the walls of his stone room, and Hermione appeared before him.

"Oh good, you're dressed," she said happily, undoing the top button of his shirt and pulling the collar apart slightly.

Snape scowled at her and buttoned it up again. She only smiled at him.

"You do look very fine," she mused as she walked behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Very fine indeed."

"Excelling in your N.E.W.T.s has befuddled your thinking," he growled to her, knowing full well that he hadn't intimidated her for well over a year.

"Is it such a sin to say that I find you attractive?" Her voice sounded so innocent to his ears that he was almost taken in by her completely.

Then she started playing with his hair. "What in blazes do you think you are doing?" he asked, reaching back to pull her hands away from his hair. He pulled her against him rather suddenly, and her chin made brief contact with the back of his head painfully. "Ow."

"Ow nothing, I might have a bruise. But regardless, I think we should pull your hair back for just tonight so that you don't hide your handsome face behind that curtain of hair."

Snape gave up in resignation. They had already discussed this for well over an hour the night before, and he had conceded to allowing her to dress him up as a Muggle after the spectacular show she had put on for his family.

With any luck, they would never have to see their parents again after the wedding.

"All right, let's get this over with," she said a little too happily for his taste.

"Hermione, once again I feel the need to caution you that this evening may not turn out the way you want it to."

They had discussed her emphatic assurance that her parents would love him the night before as well.

"Severus, my parents may not be wizards, but they are calm, rational people, and I'm positive that once the shock has worn off, they will see the advantages of our situation."

He raised his eyebrow. They hadn't talked over any advantages. "Advantages? Hermoine, your parents will see me not only as a man twenty years your elder, but as your teacher who has grossly overstepped his position of authority to romance a student. They are not likely to overlook that so quickly."

She took his hands as he stood, her face so full of hope that he could not argue with her any longer.

"But you don't know my parents, and I do. They'll soon realize that you are a respectable man from a respectable, albeit eccentric family, and that your knowledge of potions and quick wit are a perfect match for my intelligence and, occasional bossiness."

Snape let go of her hands and pulled her close to him. In the past week, he had come to enjoy holding her, and he liked how his chin rested on the top of her head so well.

"I doubt very highly that your parents will come to this realization in one night, no matter how excellent you believe them to be. They are not aware of our customs and what we consider normal. Promise me that you will not raise your hopes too high, for it is still illegal for me to use magic on Muggles, and as much as I am resigned to my life with you, I am not prepared to endure a life of Azkaban for hexing your parents on your behalf."

Hermione gave a shocked gasp and looked up at him. He was a bit surprised himself, as he had been somewhat unsure as to how deep his feelings ran for her. Inside, however, he knew that he would not like to see her hurt, and though he did not know if his feelings were stronger than admiration, he held a great deal of respect for Hermione Granger. She was quite a remarkable woman.

"Let us be off," he said to avoid further discussion. He had an urge to get this over with as soon as possible.

Kneeling down, Snape wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist so that she could throw her cloak over both of them and Apparate them to her parent's house. Snape actually wished the trip would take longer, as in his prostrate pose, her breasts were exactly equal with his eyes.

Too soon, the hard stone under his knees turned to soft carpeting, and he stood up, banging his head against a rather low hanging chandelier as he did so.

"Hermione love, don't bump your head, I just had to change a bulb..." a female voice came to his ears, sounding a lot like Hermione, only in a slightly different timbre.

"Too late, Mum, I'm afraid that Severus is tangled in it at the moment."

Tangled didn't seem like quite the right word to Snape, as it seemed the arms of the chandelier had suddenly sprung to life and were trying to hold him in their snare.

"Hold still," Hermione cautioned as she gently untangled his hair and led him away from the offending Muggle contraption. "Sorry about that," she mumbled as she gathered his hair into the elastic once more.

"Setting booby traps for me already, are they?"

Hermione gave him a smile, and he was able to turn his attention to her mother.

Certainly it would be a cliché to say that Hermione gleaned her good looks from her mother's side of the family, but it was incredibly apparent. Mrs. Granger was every bit as pretty as her daughter, though her hair seemed more tamable. Unfortunately for Snape, however, she was giving him a look of sheer horror akin to the look Hermione gave Voldemort the first time she came face-to-face with him.

Snape sighed. This would be a very long evening.

"Mother, what is the matter? You look as though you've seen a ghost."

Mrs. Granger managed to stop gaping at Snape, but her eyes stayed trained on him. "I..." she faltered. "I uh...Oh dear lord, Hermione! Your father told me that he was your professor, but...I wasn't expecting this!"

Snape may as well have been a three-week-old rotting fish the way she gestured at him. He scowled at her in return. There were many things he could say, excuses as to why he had to marry Hermione, reasons why it was not such a great deal in his world, and rationalizations as to why he was as good as any other man for Hermione, but in the end, it all sounded paltry and foolish. More than that, whenever he formed a sentence in his head, it sounded as though he was defending himself and his own feelings for Hermione. He did not feel that it was anyone's business but his own.

"Mother, I have explained to both you and Father countless times that I must be married, and that I have made the best choice for myself," Hermione said tiredly.

"That doesn't mean that we have to like it!" a male voice said from Snape's left, and he turned to see a rather large man with an angry look in his eye. "You still have at least ten years before you even need to start thinking about getting married. What about your future?" His eyes turned angrily to Snape. "You make me sick," he spat out.

Snape did not flinch. He had been expecting this, unlike Hermione who looked absolutely crushed. He knew that would happen as well. Thinking about how happy Trelawney would be to know that he seemed to finally possess an inner eye made Snape even angrier.

"I could tell you that I have as little choice in this matter as your daughter does, but that is not the material point," Snape began rather patiently than he felt like.

"I couldn't care half a fig what you have to say," Mr. Granger said angrily.

Though it was taking almost all of his power, Snape managed to retain his calm composure, though his words were heated. "You should. Hermione is your only child, and your support of her at this difficult time in her life, not your criticism, is what she requires!"

"How would you know what she requires?" Mrs. Granger cut in, her arms crossed defensively over her chest.

"I have spent the past seven years with her, as well as fighting by her side during a most horrific war. I tended to her wounds before the Healers could get to her, and I lost three toes keeping her best friend safe. I believe that I am in the perfect position to inform you of what she requires."

Mr. Granger looked as though he was about to yell out a few acidic comments in Snape's direction when Hermione stepped in and glared at her parents.

"I simply can't believe you two," she said, her anger barely contained, her shoulders squared and her chest heaving with her breaths.

Snape didn't feel that it was the right time to remind her how lovely she looked to him when she was angry.

"Hermione, your mother and I don't blame you for any of this-after all, you did what you thought you had to do. This man, however, has abused his power as a teacher. You cannot tell me that he has not seduced you!"

"He hasn't even kissed me yet!" Hermione shouted, frustrated. "Severus Snape is one of the most honorable men I have ever known in my life, and I feel privileged that his family chose me out of so many other women to be his wife!"

Mr. Granger grabbed Hermione by the shoulders and looked her squarely in the eye. "Can't you see how he's controlling you? Can't you see what he's been doing to you? Hermione, you have your whole life ahead of you. You deserve to spend it happily!"

"How do you know that I won't be?"

Her words were so soft that they were almost inaudible, but Snape found that it was his turn to be surprised by her near-admission of feelings for him.

"I can't talk any sense into you. Go to your room!"

Hermione stared at her father for two very long moments before shaking her head. "You can't play that card any more, Father. I'm a full-grown woman now."

"Then get out of my house!"

Hermione, her mother, and Snape all stared at him in shock for what seemed like an eternity.

"Fine," she conceded, turning toward the door.

Snape looked at his future father-in-law with pure contempt on his face. "You'll regret this some day, Granger, and I only lament that I shan't be there to see it. Come, Hermione, I'll escort you."

They walked out the door and onto the streets of London. Snape did not know his way around very well, as Diagon Alley and The Leaky Cauldron were the only places of interest for him in London, but since he could Apparate them both to any place they needed to go, he did not worry about directions, he only walked next to Hermione as she trudged along dirty sidewalk after dirty sidewalk. As the sun slid down towards its resting place, Snape became more and more aware of their aimless situation. There was a low wall bordering in a private garden, and he managed to get her to sit on it.

"You can tell me "I told you so" any time that suits you," she said bitterly.

"I wasn't even thinking about that."

"I can't believe that your family was nicer to me than mine was to you."

"As am I," he responded, a little strained.

She lifted her eyes to his and shook her head apologetically. "I'm sorry, Severus, that wasn't what I meant."

"Indeed." He didn't mean to sound quite so distant, but a rather dodgy-looking character limping towards them with a filthy cup held in his black-with-dirt hand had distracted him.

"Please, Severus, don't you be angry with me, too," she pleaded, grabbing his shirt with her fists.

He looked down at her and pulled her close, mostly to keep the street urchin from touching her hair, but partly for the contact when he knew she needed it. He reflected briefly that he was getting better at this.

"I'm not angry with you. However, I would like to know what you plan to do now that you have no home. Naturally, you are more than welcome to stay with my parents. I am currently looking for a suitable flat for us, so that is the best I can offer you."

"I appreciate that. I really do, but I think I had better go and stay with Harry and Remus at the Black House. I have clothes there."

They found an alleyway, and Snape Apparated them to 12 Grimmauld Place. Remus was the first to welcome them, asking immediately if everything was all right, and if there was anything he could do.

"Cup of tea?" Hermione suggested with a smile.

Remus nodded. "Of course. Your room is just as you left it last year."

Hermione turned towards the stairs, and Snape followed behind her, not really looking forward to meeting up with Potter should he be lurking behind a corner. Soon, they were in a rather comfortable-looking room with two beds. Hermione, however, did not seem to notice the redheaded figure laying prone on one, and immediately turned to Snape and began to sob into his chest.

"What happened?" Ginny mouthed.

Snape shook his head and indicated the door. She left, but not before giving her potion professor's arm a reassuring squeeze. Snape gave her a grave look, but did not take her to task for her impudence. It was obvious that Ginny now included him in her circle of friends. If only her parents felt the same way...but it did not do to dwell on that. He maneuvered Hermione to the bed and held her as she cried against him. Even when Lupin came in with a cup of tea, she was still sobbing. He simply set it on the nightstand and left, closing the door behind him.

Eventually, Hermione fell asleep.

Hermione awoke feeling awful. Her head hurt, her throat felt tight, and her eyes seemed to be glued together somehow. She turned to the side and managed to pry them apart when she finally registered the fact that a very strong, warm body was cuddled up against her back. She turned towards it and was surprised to find Snape laying there, watching her.

"Good morning," he said silkily.

Hermione felt herself grow red and attempted a smile. "Morning." He was still dressed in the same clothes he had been in the night before, and Hermione eyed him suspiciously. "Were you here with me all night?"

He shrugged. "You seemed to need me."

"Is that all? No snarky comment, no acerbic retort? I simply needed you?"

"Very well, I found as the night grew on that you would not let go of me, and I had no other choice. Believe me, I would much rather have been elsewhere, in my own clothes."

Hermione smiled and snuggled her cheek against his chest. "That's more like it."

"I never said you could touch me."

She snuggled in farther and wrapped her leg around his waist. "I don't care."

Hermione had expected him to fight against her and push her away, but instead she found herself pinned to the mattress by a very solid, slightly frightening body, her hands held above her head by his.

Her first thought was to panic and ask him to get off of her, but then he brought his lips to hers and began to kiss her, and all thoughts of panic left as pleasure began to flood through her body.

He started slowly at first, his mouth playing against her gently, but soon he was possessing her, removing her ability to think or reason, and, eventually, breathe. What had started out as wild and wonderful quickly turned frightening, and she began to struggle against him, using up her last bits of breath in an attempt to get away from him.

Just as she thought she would lose consciousness, he pulled away and began to nibble her neck, and she drew in a deep, loud breath, her chest heaving under the pressure of his body. All the while, Snape remained focused on her body, his free hand caressing her carelessly through and under her clothes. Hermione ceased her struggles and began to arch her body against his hand and lips, whimpers escaping her mouth with every sensation he brought about.

He started to kiss her again, sucking her tongue forcefully into his mouth, pushing her against the mattress even farther as he did so. Once again, Hermione began to panic as her breath left her. She tried to turn her head away from his, but he dominated her every move, and again she felt herself slipping away to a world of darkness.

And then it all ended.

She opened her eyes to find him sitting on the edge of the bed looking down at her, an odd expression on his face.

"Was that a warning?" she asked at last.

He nodded. "Indeed it was."

She stared at him, waiting for him to move or explain himself, or even kiss her again. He did none of those things.

"Why?"

"Because I am not your dress-up doll, I'm not someone that you take home to your parents, and I am not easy to please. You need to see that, Hermione. Think of what you're giving up. For me. Is this what you truly want?"

Hermione sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're stuck with me, Severus Snape. There's nothing you could say or do to be rid of me at this point."

Snape stood up and turned to her angrily. "Dammit, girl! I'm not talking about honoring your commitments, I'm talking about never seeing your family again!"

She stood and faced him, her eyes blazing. "I know what I'm doing! Do you honestly think I could stay in that house another day, knowing that my parents think so little of me? I would rather have them believe me to be mad than think that I could be controlled by someone into doing something that I don't want to do!"

He walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "I respect that decision. However, should you still wish to be rid of our engagement, I will talk to my father and inform him of your change of heart."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your freedom. Some of what your father said last night made sense, especially the part about your being full young to begin a family. My father is the head of my family, and he has the right to demand children from his heir. Think about what you're doing, Hermione." He touched her cheek tenderly. "Think about what you're giving up."

"If I don't marry you, then I will be forced to marry someone else, and I can honestly promise you that there is not one name on my list that I am even interested in entertaining the thought of. Do you remember our first date?"

"Our only date?" he gave her a smirk.

"Whatever you want to call it, that day, you asked me if I was with you because of my suppressed feelings for you. Do you remember that?" she looked up at him hopefully.

"Of course I do. I was hoping to throw you off."

Hermione smiled. "Well, it worked a little, but it was true. I've been thinking about you for a long time now. I've even..." she blushed. "I've even had dreams."

"Dreams?" he asked with a raise of his eyebrow.

Hermione faltered. Perhaps she shouldn't have let that slip...

"I called you my dear that day," he said thoughtfully. "Hermione, I won't lie to you, life with me will not be easy. All I can promise you is my faithfulness in all things. You will never want for money or a home, and I will never betray you."

"I don't care about money. I admit that a home would be nice, but I know that you and I would always be able to make our way. And you are an honorable man, Severus, I have known that ever since I found out about the great lengths you went through to save Harry so many countless times. My fear, my only fear, is to live all my life without being loved."

He looked at her for a long time, and she almost couldn't breathe from being so closely scrutinized.

"Do you love me?" he asked at length.

Hermione dropped her eyes from his gaze and thought the question over. "I don't know," she admitted. "But I do care for you, and I respect you. Is that enough to begin with?"

He gave a slight nod, his mouth drawn in a tight line across his face. "Of course it is. So long as you don't expect more from me that you yourself are willing to give."

Hermione looked up at Snape and gave him a smile. She still felt awful about her father throwing her out, but it was something that she just couldn't bring herself to deal with at the moment.

"Can you stay with me today? We could read a book together or something stupid like that."

"I must go to Knockturn Alley today," he said quietly, his hand caressing her cheek lightly. "I wish to write out an inventory of the current supplies at my father's potion shop before you and I leave for our honeymoon next week."

"Do you need any help?" She was dying to get a look at the shop and the ingredients for dark potions.

He gave her a look that said that he clearly knew her reasons for wanting to come. "I'm sure that another person there would be appreciated. However, it will not be you. I need someone to help me, not distract me with silly, irrelevant questions every few minutes."

"I don't ask silly or irrelevant questions!"

"If one is compiling an inventory, then a question about the properties of a specific ingredient would be irrelevant!"

"Not entirely. If one was organizing ingredients by their properties and uses, then the question would most certainly be relevant!"

"Inventory and organization are two completely different things. The items are currently organized alphabetically, and merely require inventory."

Hermione couldn't understand why she felt more like laughing than slapping him. "Well, considering the fact that many potion ingredients have half-lives, I believe that a complete property analysis could benefit an inventory. After all, one would not want to use three-week old dragon's blood, would they?"

She shook her tangled hair behind her shoulder and crossed her arms over her chest, daring him to answer.

"Actually, there are fifteen potions that require fermented dragon's blood. I'm shocked and mildly disappointed that an overachieving show-off such as yourself is unaware of said potions."

"Perhaps if you had signed my pass for the restricted section more often, I would know about them. Unfortunately for me, you were bound and determined to keep me from surpassing your knowledge of potions."

"I was never in any fear of that, rest assured."

"I learned more from textbooks than I ever did in your class."

"And you were always intent to parade that knowledge about in public, weren't you?"

"Perhaps if you had actually challenged me in some way, I wouldn't have resorted to such drastic measures."

"Perhaps I was hoping that if I ignored you, you'd eventually go away."

Hermione smiled smugly. "Then I have the better half of the deal. You'll be stuck with me for eternity after Saturday."

She knew she had won when his eyes shone down at her, looking appreciative. "Indeed I shall be. Good job I don't believe in karma, or I'd have a few ideas about how this came to be."

"Good job I don't believe in retribution, or I'd take you to task for that remark."

He smirked. "I'd love to see you try."

Without another word, Hermione pounced on him, shoving him backwards across Ginny's bed. She grasped his wrists and held them above his head, noting the look of surprise that he gave her when she continued to hold him captive despite his struggles. Her knees were on either side of his hips, her ankles and feet holding his thighs down firmly. She gave a sweet smile and leaned down to kiss his nose.

"I've fought both Ron and Harry, I think I can handle the likes of you."

Using a move that she didn't even know existed, Snape flipped them over so that he was once again on top.

"I was a deatheater in Voldemort's army. I am most certain that I could handle one simple, little girl."

"I'm not that simple," she informed him, wrapping her legs around his waist. "And I'm hardly little."

He brought one hand down to her shirt and opened the buttons expertly. She arched against his hand and tightened her grip on his waist when he cupped her breast through her bra.

"You are nicely sized," he conceded.

There was something so familiar, yet instinctual about what he was doing to her. Hermione was at a loss to lay her finger exactly on what it was that she was feeling, but when he would raise his hips and grind against her, she found herself getting very close to recognizing exactly what it was that she was supposed to be doing.

"Please let go of my arms," she breathed. "I won't run away, I promise."

He did as she asked, and she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply as he continued to grind against her.

At first, she was confused as to what exactly he was doing, for the pressure she felt between her legs, while familiar, was slightly unfamiliar, especially since she was fully dressed. She had only managed to get such feelings when she was touching herself. Then he lifted her skirt higher and pushed against her even harder, his body making forcible contact with her clitoris. She had no idea that she could feel such things while still fully clothed.

"Can you feel me?" he asked huskily against her ear.

"Yes," she moaned. "What are you doing?"

He chuckled and ground against her even harder. "Do you want me to stop?"

"No!" Desperately, she lifted her legs even higher and locked her ankles together, trapping him.

They kissed again, and she began to explore his face with her lips, pausing only to urge him to move against her faster and harder, which he did while he moaned against her ear.

"More, please," she begged when he once again brought his lips to hers.

She gasped when he put his hand between them and pressed his thumb to her clitoris. The friction of him moving both his body and his hand was incredible, and the texture of her panties was driving her crazy. She began to buck wildly against him, begging him to end her torture. When she came, her entire body convulsed and pushed towards him while her tongue drove deep into his mouth.

"Your turn," she whispered when her convulsing stopped.

"Yes," he said softly, taking her hand in his. "My turn."

He felt so odd to her when her hand came into contact with that part of him. As she grasped him through his trousers, she looked up at him for approval. He leaned down and kissed her ravenously as he thrust into her hand. She felt awed that he was allowing her to do this, and elated that he seemed to be enjoying it.

He came quickly and loudly, whispering a few adjectives to describe his experience in her ear. His warm ejaculation soon coated her palm with moisture and left a dark stain on his gray trousers. He simply removed his wand from his shirtsleeve and cleaned himself off quickly before leaning over Hermione once more and kissing her chastely.

"You really are beautiful when you're angry," he murmured before getting up from the bed and walking out the room. "I'll see you later."

TBC

Big thanks to Geekus Maximus for helping me stay in the Britspeak. Also, more big thanks for everyone who's reviewed so far, I really appreciate it. Also, sorry that this took so long. I was on vacation, visiting my brand-new niece who I'll be more than happy to brag about should you ask me...