Back to the Tower Room

I simply cannot forget to say thank you to my beta, Southern_Witch_69. I owe a great deal of gratitude to her for all her help and support. Thanks to her infinite patience with me, I actually have something readable for you.

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Back to the Tower Room

~Spring 1997~

Hermione woke up early, stretching, and realized it was still dark outside. She was a morning person, and no amount of staying up late to study was ever going to change that. Parvati snorted and rolled over in her bed, and Lavender mumbled in her sleep, obviously snogging or shagging some guy in her dreams. Hermione chuckled softly, dressing quickly in her blouse and skirt and slipped from her room down to the common room, wishing out loud that she could have a cup of Orange Pekoe tea.

A house-elf said, popped up from behind a chair, startling her. "I has Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe and Broken Orange Pekoe, miss," he said. "I just made a pot of Broken Orange Pekoe this morning."

"Oh, yes," Hermione said, catching her breath. "I'd love a large cup if it's..." The elf vanished with a pop and reappeared again before she'd said, "...no trouble." Surprised, she added, "Wow! That was fast!"

The elf's face broke into a beaming smile, bowing. "Is miss need anything else?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, please, and I'm sorry for interrupting your work."

"Is it okay if I finish, miss?" the elf asked, looking antsy.

Hermione nodded, sipping on her tea. This is delicious. "No, please, finish. I'd feel bad if I kept you from your work." The elf smiled and scooted across the room to finish cleaning up the common room.

Hermione looked around and considered her options. She didn't want to stay here and bother the house-elf as he cleaned, and the library wouldn't open until six-thirty. I could go up to the tower room and watch the sunrise again... That would be nice.

She walked down the quiet corridors quickly and easily found the hidden door to the key room. "Please let me in," she said softly. The handle appeared and she opened the door. She sipped her tea as she walked across the room, her hand gliding until it slipped in through the rock and she pushed herself through. She quickly climbed the steps, opening the door quickly and was halfway across the room when she heard him swear softly.

Hermione turned around to find herself facing Professor Snape again. "So you are back?" he asked, annoyed, watching her with an oddly contemplative look as he leaned against the wall. From where he was standing, the door would have opened toward him, which was why she hadn't seen him upon entering.

"Yes, I just wanted to... come," Hermione answered, disconcerted by his stare. "I, um... didn't know you'd be here."

"Really?" he asked, his low silky drawl, making that one word seem like a complete sentence.

"No, sir, I'm sorry if I am disturbing you..." she said as he pushed away from the wall with his heel, standing a few steps away from her. "I just wanted to watch the sunrise again, and..." He walked right up to her side, standing so close his robes brushed her shoe.

"By all means, Miss Granger," he said slowly in his soft velvety voice. "Please, enjoy the view."

His manner and voice were having chilling effects on her composure. He was cool and confident, yet almost predatory in his manner, and Hermione felt her cheeks burn. She stepped back from him, edging toward the window and leaned against the frame. He followed her, placing one hand on the stone by her head. "Why are you here, Miss Granger?"

She crinkled her brow in confusion. "I go to school here, Professor, to learn magic."

He shook his head, his dark eyes never leaving her own. "No, I mean here, as in this room, right now. Why did you come back here?"

"I don't know? I just wanted to... Because I wanted to," she said, unable to express in words what had drawn her to the room again and again. "I just felt like it... I had this urge to come here." He closed his eyes as if what she'd said hurt him somehow. "I thought, well... I suppose wanted to come up and... see the sunrise from the window again." His eyes opened slowly, and he looked directly into hers as if reading her or seeing inside her, into her soul. Her breath caught in her chest as she looked back at him, suddenly physically aware of his power and strength.

"You are missing the sunrise, Miss Granger," he said slowly and deliberately.

Her mouth opened slightly, and her lip quivered, the tone of his silky voice sending shivers down her spine again. She turned away from him, completely aware of his presence as he leaned against the stone, still standing just off to her left and behind her. His nearness was disconcerting and yet dangerously thrilling. He didn't shift or move, standing over her as if protecting her. The silence in the room was broken only by the sound of his exhaled breath. She found herself matching his breathing, her heart pounding in her chest. She placed her hands on the windowsill to keep from swaying as she stared outside. The slow gradual change of color was extraordinary this morning.

He finally stepped back slightly when the sun broke over the mountain ridge, rays of light flooding the sky brilliantly. Hermione turned around slowly and faced him before pushing off the windowsill, walking around him slowly and toward the door. His eyes followed her every move, and she knew without turning that he was watching her from behind.

She wondered what he was waiting for as she reached out, grasped the latch and tried to open the door. The door wouldn't budge, remaining closed as if magically sealed. She turned around to ask him and noticed his smug, appraising stare.

"Yes, Miss Granger," he said softly in his smooth drawl.

Her name stretched out by his velvety tone made her heart beat faster. She could only stare at him as he stepped up to her, her heart pounding in her chest. "You mean?" she turned around, her body tense in anticipation as she tried the door again. Hermione looked up, her hand still on the latch as the words Arcanum Donec Amas subst Osculari appeared again in the arch over the door. She turned around to look at him quizzically.

"Yes, Miss Granger, apparently we have to kiss – again – in order to leave," he said as he gripped her shoulder pulling her roughly into an embrace.

"You mean you want to? Kiss me? Again?" she asked, apprehensively, every nerve in her body very much attuned to him.

"Yes, I shall kiss you, again, so that we can leave." Hermione held her breath as his mouth brushed against hers, his gentle kiss making her oddly heady. His lips caressed and swept across hers seductively, teasing her lower lip. She couldn't help but respond to him, and she kissed him back, trying to match what he was doing to her. He pulled away from her, and she slowly opened her eyes, staring into Snape's dark ones as he stared at her face in return. Hermione felt her cheeks burn, and she averted her eyes, turning her head slightly. "Look at me."

She turned her head back to face him boldly, and his mouth lowered over hers in a strong, passionate kiss that once again curled her toes. Her arms jerked out to grasp onto him, to steady the swaying feeling he was causing, clinging to him for support. His hands slid down her body as they kissed, and he grasped her waist, pulling her against him, then slowly glided his hands up her sides until he nearly reached her armpits. She boldly rose up on her toes and slid her arms around his neck, wanting nothing more than to draw him down to her. His thumbs brushed along the edge of her breasts and she moaned.

The faintly audible click of the latch had caught his attention, completely missed by Hermione. She nearly stumbled, her knees weak, and he reached out to steady her, holding her firmly until she was able to stand. When she looked at him, he had a knowing, smug smirk on his face. "We've opened the door, Miss Granger."

Hermione was still struggling to control her breathing, her heart pounding erratically in her chest as she gazed at him, first bewildered, then becoming indignant at his cocky smirk. "The very least you could do is not look so smug!"

"I have every reason to feel quite smug," he said, his silky voice teasing her senses as he let go of her. "I never thought a simple kiss would unsettle you so." He turned in his heel and strode toward the door, leaving her in complete shock. "Thank you, Miss Granger; nevertheless, I'll take forty-five points from Gryffindor if you mention this to anyone."

Hermione stood shocked stone still as if rooted to the flagstone floor. A simple kiss! He nearly – we nearly – he was all over me! And HE calls this a simple kiss? What in blazes would be a big kiss or a mind-blowing kiss? She started for the door, quickly checking her blouse, then scooting back in the room to re-tuck and adjust her clothes. Oh, Bloody Merlin! What have I done? I just snogged Professor Snape! I've kissed him again – and liked it! Hermione staggered from the room, her head spinning with the memory of his kiss. Ron's never kissed me like that! Feeling like she'd swallowed Befuddlement, Confounding, and Delusional Potions all at once, Hermione hurried back to her common room to put on her robes before breakfast.

~Spring 1977~

Severus had been back up to the room several times over the last few weeks. The view from the window was beautiful, but the memories were better. It was a place he could escape from Black and Potter because they often mistook the door he entered for the one not too far away down the corridor. That one led to a big room with a trap door in the floor, which opened up to a long drop down. Severus had added the Depth-Disillusion, Repelling, and Confundus Charms on the opening of the trap door so that neither Potter nor Black would try and make the drop, thus still giving him an escape they knew nothing about.

The room intrigued him. When he was here alone, the room was warm and inviting, but he could easily leave. The door opened for him with no problems. However, when he'd been up here with Lily, all six times now, the door hadn't open until they'd kissed. This didn't bother Severus in the least, but Lily teased him about it, claiming that he'd fixed the door on purpose. Not only that, but each time he'd gotten a little further with her. Which is a good thing, right?

It was on a rainy day when Lily took his hand and guided Severus, running down the corridors to avoid any Slytherins or Potter and Black, back to the wall that held their secret door. "Please let me in," she said with a giggle, grabbing the latch when it appeared. She practically pulled him inside the room with her and then turned, facing him as she backed across the floor, smiling. "Come on," she teased, turning away from him when he tried to grab her hand again.

"Lily, are you sure about this?" he asked, following her with a cautious grin that belied the predatory feeling he had inside.

"Why? Don't you want to see the rain falling on the trees?" she asked, sliding her fingers on the stone wall, trying to find the entrance to the stairs as she watched him. She was smiling happily, her green eyes sparkling, never leaving his as he stalked after her. "Or we can see if there'll be a rainbow when the rain stops?" She halted a moment, then quickly disappeared into the stone wall, and Severus ran in after her, chasing her all the way up into their room. She turned and faced him as the door closed, and Severus smiled, his eager anticipation evident in his eyes. "Oh, don't look at me like that!"

"Like what?" he asked, reaching for her only to have her duck out from under his grasp.

She laughed, and he chased her as she dodged his advances, but he finally cornered her against the wall. She laughed as he advanced on her, trapping her against the wall with his arms. He leaned down and kissed her. "Is this what you wanted, Lily?" he asked as he caressed his lips against her mouth and nibbled her lips.

She shook her head, shrugged, and said, "Ah, uh," all at once, confusing him.

He leaned on one arm, his free hand toying with a strand of her hair as his looked at her. "Why are we here, Lily?"

"I don't know? I felt like it..." She looked at the window longingly. "I just wanted to... Because I wanted to," she said as if she was finding it hard to explain. "I thought, well... I had this urge to come here." She bit her lip and looked up at him through her lashes. "I just wanted to..."

"Why?" he asked, not used to seeing her act like this. She was usually quite decisive.

"I dunno. I felt like it. I suppose to be here with you," she said, gliding a finger on his chest. "I just felt like coming up here."

He fought the urge to grasp that finger and suckle it.

"You come up here nearly every morning, don't you?" she asked, drawing his attention abruptly back to her face.

"Yes," he said, using the slow deep drawl that she liked so much. She swallowed and her eyes glazed hungrily the way they always did when he modulated his voice into a silky drawl.

"Why?" she asked innocently, her one hand now resting on his waist as the hand on his chest slid slightly, passing across his nipple.

He liked the feel of her touching him, even through his shirt and robes. "Because I like the view," he said, pulling her to him. He kissed her ardently, his mouth claiming hers as his, his right.

Her hand on his waist glided slowly up his back, and the other became trapped between them. Slowly, her hand slipped free and wrapped around his shoulder, and he hummed in appreciation against her lips. She opened her mouth to him, and his tongue teased around her lips before plunging inside to deepen his kiss. He pressed her against the stone wall, his free hand sliding slowly up her side, and his thumb stroked against the side of her breast. He smiled as his hand came forward while he kissed and teased her mouth and her lips. She moaned briefly, and he angled his head so that he could nip her jaw, trailing feather light kisses to her ear with tiny licks of his tongue. He reached up to move her hair so that he could kiss her neck, returning his hand to cup her breast. She squirmed under him, her hands roaming on him freely. With nimble fingers, he opened her robes and undid the buttons of her blouse as he assaulted her neck. She gasped, so he leaned into her and gave her a love mark, suckling her skin just under her ear, under her hair.

"Severus, oh, gods..." she panted.

"Lily," he breathed as he pulled away from her neck and crushed her lips under his, kissing her savagely. Her hands fisted on his robes, and he smiled.

Somehow, he managed to open her blouse completely, his hand touched skin, warm, glorious skin, and she gasped in shock again. "Severus!"

He pulled back so that he could see her, see her breasts, a frown flashing for the shortest second before he smiled at the lacy bra, supporting her lush breasts. "Merlin, you are so beautiful," he gasped, wanting to lick and suckle them.

He tried to lean down and at least kiss a breast, but she tried to push him away. "Sev, no...please."

His hand cupped one breast, and she inhaled sharply as his fingers found a nipple, stroking it and feeling it harden. "But you are sooo – Lily, I just want to touch you, please. I won't go further," he said, making sure to use his low, silky drawl as his fingers caressed her skin under the bra. He wanted desperately to remove it. He opted for kissing her neck again as he tried to free at least one of her perfect breasts.

Lily sighed as his tongue flicked her skin, and he moved lower, kissing, nibbling and flicking his tongue on her skin as he slowly worked his way down. She leaned against the stone wall as his mouth trailed across her collarbone. Sixteen more centimeters to go, he thought lustfully.

He never got the full sixteen centimeters. He only managed nine – possibly eleven – before Lily began to push him away again, trying to close her blouse and end the kissing. Severus was deeply disappointed but smiled inwardly. There will be another day, he thought undauntedly.

Neither Lily nor Severus had noticed when the latch had clicked and the door opened.

~Spring 1997~

She had no idea why she was returning again to the tower room, praying that he wouldn't be there, hoping that he would, silently berating herself when she entered the room with the stairs and glided her hand along the wall until she found the hidden opening for the stairs. She paused before pushing though the rock, remembering the last three times she'd come and found him in the room. Three times out of five actually, but who's keeping track? Well to be fair, that one time I was there before he was.

They had kissed, sure, and his hands had roamed a bit like the time before, but it was – he had actually caressed my breasts that time...

Oh, I wanted to wipe that smug look off him! The time after that one, she'd been alone, but the next visit, he had entered after she was there, standing at the window holding a cup of Kippy's Broken Orange Pekoe. He had stood there, stunned, his eyes narrowing as she turned her back to him to watch the sunrise and sip her tea. He silently waited, leaning over her with one hand on the stone next to the window as he watched the sunrise behind her, over her shoulder.

Of course, the door wouldn't open until she allowed him to kiss her. His kiss had been firmer, more demanding than before, practically devouring her. His hands had cupped her breasts through her shirt, kneading them, and the time after that, he'd had the audacity to open her blouse and fondle and kiss her breasts before the door opened. Each time she'd been with him he'd stopped, leaving her breathless and weak against the wall when the latch clicked and the door opened.

Each time it seemed that he was pushing her further, demanding more from her, and she willingly gave in to him, submitting to his advances. However, in class or when she passed him the corridors, he was his usual sneering self; although, on occasion, she did see something flicker across his face, a subtle change of his expression that lasted merely seconds and vanished. He also kept staring at her during meals. Well much more frequently than before, although, Harry thinks that Professor Snape is staring at him. Not that I'm going to dispel that impression. I'm not ever going to tell anyone about what I've done! Well, this time he's not going to be opening my blouse again. I can assure you that one, Professor, she thought as she pushed through the opening of the stairs. But, oh, Merlin, that man can kiss, what he does with his fingers, his hands and his mouth on my breast... She was nearly breathless just thinking about it.

She opened the door, casually looking around and entered the room.

"Back again, Miss Granger?" His silky smooth voice nearly made Hermione jump out of her skin and sent tremor down her spine.

"I could ask you the same thing," she replied, turning to see him leaning against the wall, holding a large cup of something steamy in his hand.

"I come up here every morning," he replied casually.

She stood frozen, staring at him. Today he wore only his shirt and trousers under his robes, instead of his frockcoat, making his lean frame more visible to her. The stark white shirt stood out in contrast to his dark hair, robes and trousers and heavy black boots. "No, you don't. You were not here yesterday," she replied, her breath catching when she looked back at him and realized he had been watching her as she'd been openly checking him out, ogling at him from head to toe.

"No, I was not in the castle yesterday morning," he replied, sipping on his hot drink. "Do you like what you see, Miss Granger?" His silky, rich drawl was both predatory and smooth as he pushed off the wall and walked over to her, stepping around behind her and leaning down close to her ear. "One would think you come here simply to see me. Is that it, Miss Granger, some school girl infatuation – a fancy perhaps?"

"What? No, of course no–t..." She turned around not realizing how close he was actually standing next to her. "I don't know? Because I wanted to... I thought, well... I had this urge to come here and... Why did you come here?"

"I told you. I come up here every morning I'm in the castle." He finished his drink, shrinking the cup before putting it into his pocket. "I've been coming up here – every morning – for years."

She took a step away from him, but he stood still, watching her as she backed away and walked up to the window. "What I want to know is why are you here? Why do you come back?" she heard him ask. He was apparently standing right behind her.

"I – ah, don't know... I – like the view," she stammered incoherently when she felt that sensual, tingly sensation of someone – him – gently stroking her hair. "I felt like it... I just wanted to... I wanted to see the sunrise... I thought, well... I had this urge to come here and watch the sun come up this morning – that's all." Why am I babbling like an incoherent prat? She didn't turn to look at him, but didn't tell him to not touch her hair either.

He stood silently behind her, his presence palatable in the small room as she gazed out of the window. Just as the first sliver of the sun peeked above the now familiar mountain ridge, he shifted, his boots alerting her to exactly how close he'd been standing this whole time. His hand landed on the stone to her right and Hermione turned to the right and slowly backed up until she was leaning against the ridge of stone on the opposite side of the window, looking back at him, knowing what would happen next. He's going to kiss me so that he can leave, she thought, her heart already racing in anticipation.

He stood watching her, his eyes sweeping over her as she tried to stop hers from doing the same and failing. When he closed the gap between them, it was quick, his one arm reached for her waist as his left hand landed on the wall beside her, preventing her escape. He pressed into her, pinning her back against the window frame, the cool glass on the left side of her back and the hard stone on her right. Instead of the hard demanding kiss he'd given her the last time, this time his lips were soft, gentle, his tongue exploratory. Her hands had automatically reached out when he'd approached her, landing on his body, finding solid muscle on his firm abdomen. He chuckled against her lips as she opened her fingers wide and her hands slid slowly down his body, stopping at his belt.

He took his hand and grasped one of hers, and keeping her fingers firmly in his, he began nimbly unbuttoning his shirt as he kissed the side of her face and breathed heavily against her hair, near her ear. "Do you want to touch me, Miss Granger?" he asked seductively in her ear as he released her hand down by his belt again and pulled the front of his shirt free. "Be my guest."

She looked up at him in aghast, held briefly in his dark fathomless eyes. His head lowered, his nose sweeping her hair aside to allow his lips to kiss her neck, and she inhaled sharply. His hand once again moved, gliding up her front, parting her blouse. Her body shivered, and she felt his fingers work their way up her skin and finger her bra. She wished fervently that she'd worn her old white one instead of the lacy, emerald green when he opened up her top and leaned back to have better look. The slow curl of his lips into an appreciative smile made her cheeks burn uncomfortably.

"Are you a closet Slytherin, Miss Granger, or did you wear this for my benefit?" he said as he opened her blouse wider and pushed it and her cloak down off her shoulders. She wanted to protest, but his mouth claimed hers, and his tongue delved into her mouth as he ravaged her with a hungry kiss. His fingers glided along her bra, teasing her breasts under the fabric. She felt a pulse hit her back from a spell, and her bra hung loosely. Once again, her breasts were available for him to fondle. He pushed her back against the window frame and bent down to suckle her, sucking first one breast, then another.

Fair is fair, she thought as her hands slid under his shirt, and she opened it to see his body as well. He stood up, pulling his robe and shirt off, standing before her bare chested. He stayed that way for a few seconds, allowing her to look at him, her gaze traveling down his firm, flat pectorals, sprinkled with dark curly hairs that trailed down his front between rippled stomach muscles and vanished into his belt. When she looked up at him again, he moved forward, crushing her body with his in a strong embrace, his warm, hard flesh pressed against her chilled skin. Her arms wrapped around him as his mouth claimed hers for a searing kiss.

Very shortly after, he stopped and pulled away. "What?" she breathed heavily, still clinging to him.

"Thank you, Miss Granger, the door has opened," he said silkily, trailing his hands from her shoulders to her breasts, his thumbs rubbing on her nipples. "So, unless you still wish to continue, we may go."

She stepped back, stunned by his pronouncement, appalled by his callous words. After all he'd just done, all he'd just made me feel, and she tripped on her robes, landing on the windowsill.

"I suggest you dress and return to your dormitory to put on appropriate school attire, Miss Granger. Five points from Gryffindor for being so out of uniform," he said with a smirk, adjusting his robe and buttoning his shirt, "and I'll deduct another one hundred fifty points from Gryffindor if you mention this to anyone. I would suggest that you do not come back here."

"One-fifty! But you only raised it by twenty points each time before!" she exclaimed loudly as she clutched her disheveled clothes to her chest.

"Yes, and you keep coming back – don't you?" He turned and faced her. "Still, Miss Granger, I have to wonder why you do? Or am I the reason why?" he asked with is deliberate drawl, and his mouth curled up in reaction to the emotions that warred on her face between the effect of his words and the effect of his voice. "Wear a skirt next time, Miss Granger, and that lovely bra of yours, and I'll award Gryffindor fifty points for wearing proper attire," he said smoothly as he turned for the door.

~ T B C ~>

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Author's notes:

I know I shortchanged the scenes with Lily, but that is the difference between a man and a boy. As a man, Severus would know more and have more control than his seventeen-year-old self.

Orange Pekoe is a type familiar to most tea drinkers, and those who have tasted it are aware that it is neither flavored with oranges nor especially orange-colored. In this case, "Orange" probably comes from the Dutch royal family, the House of Orange. Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe, for example, is made with the very tips of the branches, the leaf buds, which turn golden during fermenting. Broken Pekoe is made with fewer leaf tips, more stems, and the leaves are no longer whole and makes a stronger cup of tea.

http://www.cuisinenet.com/digest/ingred/tea/index.shtml