Fourteen

Snape had been surprised when Hermione slipped her hand into his as they walked along the low, flat planes of Iceland. In the distance, they could see a few low mountain ranges with snow capping the top. It was lonely country, in more ways than one. It had a way to make one feel as though they were alone in an infinite universe with nothing but low shrubberies and rocks for companions. Even the wildlife and birds were scarce.

The paradox was that he was not alone, and the tug of his arm or squeeze of his hand every so often confirmed that. He was not alone, not any more. He had Hermione with him now, smiling at him from under the silly hat she had insisted on wearing.

"Do you really think we'll find any rock elves?" she asked conversationally, breaking his pensive mood.

"More than likely not, but we're sure to find plenty of Mountain Orchids, Purple Glaciers and Cowbells. I've often bought these flowers, but have never had the pleasure of seeing them actually growing and alive. Look, over here! That's a Dwarf Willow plant! Its presence in a potion will help to keep it fresh for much longer than a month under normal temperatures and lighting conditions."

He felt supremely excited to finally see such a magnificent specimen up close, but suddenly became self-conscious about his glee. He had never known a woman to take pleasure in discussing potions. One look at his wife dispelled all his fears. She was leaning down and sniffing at the fresh plant eagerly, her hands touching its odd, spiky blooms with great gentility.

"It's lovely, isn't it?" she murmured. "I've never seen this plant up close, either." She straightened. "Oh, and there are several clusters of Moss Campion over there. Let's have our lunch there. Please?"

Her brown eyes turned up to him, and he felt himself smiling at her. "Of course we can."

He was rewarded with a huge toothy grin from her as she grabbed his hand again and began to practically run to the area she had in mind.

"Hermione, slow down," he called, trying to wrench his hand away from her.

Abruptly, she stopped and fixed him with a mischievous smile before grabbing him by the lapels of his Muggle shirt and pulling him down, both of them falling onto the soft herbs that actually felt remarkably like heather, only slightly softer.

He stared at her, amazed. "Hermione?"

She smirked and lifted his hand to her lips. "You haven't even tried to kiss me since last night."

He gulped. "I didn't want to push you. After all, I hurt you."

She grinned and wrapped her legs around his hips. "A moment of pain, Severus. That's all."

His hips ground involuntarily into hers, and he placed his hands on her thighs, bared by her skirt moving up her raised legs. He felt her warmth against him, and it surprised him that she would be so hot after such a short time, and his hands moved up her thighs until he pulled away from her slightly, feeling very surprised.

"You're not wearing any knickers," he said matter-of-factly.

She shook her head. "You're so observant, my clever husband."

He studied her face for a few more moments, shocked at the desire he saw in her eyes. Desire for him. She wanted him.

"Help me with these damned Muggle trousers," he mumbled as he raised himself to his knees and shrugged off his knapsack.

Hermione seemed more than willing to comply as her hands joined his at the button of his trousers. He hated trousers, and a situation like this was exactly why. In his robe, he could cover them both easily against any prying eyes. If he removed his trousers, they would both be exposed.

Exposed...something tingled in the back of his mind.

"Just a moment, Hermione," Snape whispered, pulling his wand out of his shirtsleeve. "Occulere" he mumbled, setting a perimeter of privacy around them.

Smiling, he removed his jacket and transfigured it into a blanket.

"I liked the idea of making love on flowers," Hermione mumbled.

Snape grinned. "You'll thank me later."

He pulled Hermione to her feet and spread the blanket out, then laid her back on it, tucking the edges so that the small white blossoms would still be able to tickle her face. She gave him a dazzling grin for that and leaned up to kiss him. Not wanting to hold back any longer, he kissed her back and forced her back onto the blanket, his mouth opening against hers hungrily as his fingers worked at the buttons on her shirt.

"And take of that infernal hat!" he muttered as he pulled her up against him and removed her shirt completely.

"Yes, master."

He smirked at her saucy tone before he returned to kissing her own smirk away. From there, he trailed his lips down her neck, sucking and licking and nipping as he went down. As he reached the valley between her breasts, he inhaled her scent before placing a kiss directly between them. Clumsily, his fingers worked at her blasted Muggle bra, fumbling until he finally managed to unhook it.

"You're really overdressed," she muttered as he pulled away, her small hands already at the buttons on his shirt.

"Quite right, my dear. And so are you."

Her skirt was held on by a zipper and small button at her side, which he unfastened deftly, pulling the soft material down her hips and discarding it quickly. She had already undone the button and zipper on his pants, and he pulled them down and off with annoyance. When his shorts were added to the pile at the foot of the makeshift blanket, he looked back at Hermione to find her smiling at him in an odd manner.

"What is it?" he asked, draping himself across her once more.

"You..." she bit her lip. "Watching you makes me happy, Severus. You make me happy."

Snape lifted himself up on his elbows and regarded her. Never had he thought that he would actually be able to make someone happy. "How is it that I make you happy?"

Hermione shrugged and pulled him to her, kissing his shoulder. "The way you are...the way I see who you really and truly are on the inside. Sure, you're a cranky old bastard, but the way you made me a bed here among the flowers so that I wouldn't get mud all over my back...you try to please me."

Snape thought this over. "It is true, I suppose. I don't wish to cause you discomfort. But, I am a right bastard at the same time."

She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I think that's what makes me the happiest; the difference between how you treat me and the rest of the world. I see that I matter to you, Severus Snape. And you matter to me, too. I so wish to make you happy."

Snape felt something prickling in his eyes, causing him to blink rather rapidly for a few moments. When he could finally look back at Hermione, he saw her through new eyes, or perhaps it was simply a shift in the sun, but she seemed to glow. Her smile radiated, and her eyes sparkled. It was a completely different twinkle than that of Albus Dumbledore. Instead of a calculating, manipulative twinkle, her eyes held warmth and caring. He believed her, though he feared he would regret it later, but he believed that she truly wanted to make him happy.

The words "you do" would not come from his mouth, so he settled on kissing her instead, deeply, sincerely. When she kissed him back, he relaxed against her and settled his weight on her, attempting to not crush her too much. He was rewarded by the feel of her limbs tangling around his body, her legs sliding like silk against his hips. He groaned into her mouth and allowed his tongue to lick at her lips before entering her mouth, his hands firmly rubbing over her hips and thighs as she responded to his every touch. When he entered her, she gasped and arched against him.

Unsure of whether he was hurting her or not, Snape withdrew a little, only to find his way impeded by Hermione's locked ankles behind his hips.

"It feels good," she assured him with a smile. "Please..."

Groaning, he moved back into her, gasping himself as her hot heat engulfed him. He could live within her, he decided. He could live and die inside of her and be happy for the rest of his life. His brain, however, could not satisfy his body, and he began to thrust into her as slowly as his passion would allow.

At first, Hermione stretched beneath him, arching her back and rolling her head with ecstasy, caressing his arms and meeting his thrusts. Soon, she began to try and pull him down to her faster, small whimpers escaping her lips. Snape smiled evilly and continued his languid movements, enjoying the way her smooth skin moved in time with his, the bounce of her breasts as she arched her back, the way she would lick her lips as they became dry.

"More," she moaned as he kissed her.

He thrust upwards powerfully, but still with the same methodical and deliberate speed, causing her to grasp his hips with her feet once more and dig her fingernails into his back. Snape smiled at that act and repeated his thrust, earning the same response, only more intense this time. He was sure she was about to draw blood, and it excited him.

"You feel so good," he murmured as he drove into her again. "So wet and hot, Hermione."

She drew several shaky breaths before replying, "So do you, Severus...don't stop, please..."

He chuckled and began to lick her neck, sucking it lightly as he sped up his thrusts a little. Hermione responded by digging her nails in even further and crying out loudly with pleasure. Snape finally gave up his self-control and began to thrust with abandon, his moans mixing with hers as they moved in unison. His body felt as though it was on fire, and he could feel Hermione's tight canal moving around him, squeezing and massaging him as her fluids leaked out and onto him and the blanket. Just as he was reaching his peak, she convulsed once more, and he felt her practically squeeze the life out of him as she came magnificently, her nails now scratching harsh lines on his back that he could almost see, he felt so alive at that moment.

"Yes," he groaned as his own orgasm washed over him, his seed spurting into as her walls continued to massage his length. He continued to thrust until he was soft and slipped out of her completely.

After that, they lay together for a time, kissing and talking softly, caressing with hands and feet and lips.

"I think I just made you very happy," Hermione finally said in a saucy tone.

"Indeed, you did."

He took her hand in his and pressed a kiss to her neck.

"Very happy," he added.

The rest of the afternoon, they lay amongst the flowers, naked, talking and eating their packed lunch. For dessert, Snape took a canister of berries from his knapsack and placed them strategically over Hermione's body-a strawberry sliced in half on her nipples, a necklace made of sultanas and blueberries, and a large blackberry sitting like a jewel in her bellybutton-then ate them all off thoroughly, licking the sticky juices from her flesh until all evidence of fruit was gone. That was followed almost immediately by another lovemaking session.

It was late when they returned to their cabin, though the sun still shone brightly in the sky. Snape removed the wards from the door and pulled his tired wife in by her hand.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Mmhm," was her answer.

"Go take a shower, I'll sort dinner."

Snape watched as Hermione walked sleepily towards the bathroom, then began to pull out some bread and cold cuts for a light supper. When he had the table all laid, he looked at the door of the bathroom and wondered what was taking Hermione so long.

"Hermione?" he rapped lightly on the door.

No answer.

Gingerly, he opened the door and peeked inside. The shower was turned on, and she was obviously in it. "Hermione?"

Still no answer. He pushed aside the curtain and almost laughed when he saw his wife, sitting on the bench in the shower cube, sound asleep. He turned off the water and pulled a towel out of the cupboard beside the loo. She stirred a little when he dried her off, and mumbled something incoherent when he lifted her into his arms, but when he laid her on the bed, she was still sleeping quietly.

Snape put a preservation spell on the food and waved all the blinds and curtains closed before he undressed and joined his wife in bed.

TBC

AN: I'm really sorry that this took so long for me to update. I'd like to offer an excuse, but I really have none. Hopefully, the smut will exonerate me. Only a few chapters left, too!

Oh-and Occulere is Latin for privacy, or a private place.