Chapter Two

Well after midnight, Hermione finally managed to escape Charlie. And although now thoroughly enlightened with regards to Alex (everything from his taste in flowers to his favourite cure for the 'Romanian Runs', as Charlie had so delightfully put it), she was no further along with finding herself a test subject.

That was it, then. Two hours, one book and plenty of humiliation later and her entire day was a waste of time. More than a waste of time; she now felt like she knew even less on the subject than the day before. All because of bloody Snape. Well, stuff him, she was going back to bed and going back to her old plan. She'd read everything she could find, bury her head in books and pretend it didn't bother her that no red-blooded, heterosexual man wanted to be within ten feet of her.

No, that wasn't going to work. She wasn't going to sleep. She was too angry. She found herself coming to a halt outside Snape's bedroom door. And that's where it hit her, why he'd said what he'd said, why he'd let her go to Charlie. It was so obvious she couldn't believe she hadn't seen it before – he wanted to be her tutor! There was no other reason for it; normally he avoided her like the plague, but today she hadn't been able to get rid of him.

Biting the inside of her cheek in thought, she came to the conclusion that in the name of research she was going to have to take one for the team.

She knocked sharply on his door.

"What?" came the grumpy bellow from inside.

Invitation enough, Hermione thought. She pushed the door open and began ranting, barely taking in his form rising from the bed with only a towel wrapped around his middle.

"Thank you so much for the warning about Charlie, it was so unbelievably helpful." As she spoke she began undoing the buttons on her winceyette shirt, tugging irritably at the top one until it popped undone. "Two hours!" She tugged at the next button on her pyjama top, tugging it free. "Two hours I have sat down there listening to him dribble on about Alex the oh-so-brave dragon-keeper." Her winceyette shirt was tossed angrily to the ground into a puddle of pink-and-white plaid. "You couldn't have just come out and told me, could you?"

Snape opened his mouth in reply, but Hermione never gave him a chance. "No, that would be far too useful. Instead you have to drive–"

"Miss Granger," Snape tried to interrupt again, tucking the end of his towel more firmly around his waist, but she continued on, tugging up her thick woollen under vest.

"Drive everyone mad with your bloody greater than thou attitude. I swear, the moment you are found innocent and you're out of here with be the greatest day this house has ever seen!" She fought on, wriggling heroically with the tight vest. She gave up as it caught under her breasts and instead kicked off her slippers, each one hitting the wall with a thud.

"Miss Granger!" Snape called again.

"Now I finally see why Harry finds you so bloody irrit–" Hermione went on, finally managing to get the vest over her head.

"Why the blazes are you in my room undressing?"

She finally stopped and looked up at him. Hermione stared at him for a moment before glancing at her hands, struggling to get her arms free of the thermal vest, looking at her fingers as if they weren't her own. Her brow furrowed. "Um, this is what you wanted, isn't it?" she asked, a little confused.

Snape snorted. "Hardly."

Hermione's felt the searing heat of embarrassment flood over her, her stomach knot and angry tears stinging at her eyes at the indignation of it all. "And why not?"

Snape took his time replying, that odd evil smile touching his lips. Finally he spoke. "Because, without getting personal, as you pointed out earlier, my days of having to teach you are over. I have no wish to continue to do so voluntarily. In fact, I'd rather have to face a dose of Alex's famous run medicine."

"Oh!" The word hung the air between them. Hermione felt one tear slide down her face and sniffed. "Oh."

Snape sighed, rubbing at his forehead, all the time looking pained. Finally he picked up one of her slippers and handed it to her. "Here."

"Oh gods," she muttered, the full devastation finally hitting her as she stood there clutching her shoe. She'd just walked straight into Snape's room, greasy git of the century's room, and even he'd rejected her. More tears followed the first one, and try as she might to wipe them away, they just kept coming. Never had she been so embarrassed before, and she was sure Snape would let the entire world know about this. She'd never live it down.

"What the hell are you crying for?" he demanded.

Hermione sniffed. "I can't believe even you won't touch me!" she wailed. "It seems everyone else is having sex but me! All I want is to know what it's like so I don't look like an idiot and do you think I can find anyone who's willing to volunteer their services?"

Snape winced, pinched the bridge of his nose and drew a deep breath. "All right, fine. If it means that bloody much to you."

Hermione beamed at him.

"But for pity's sake, pay attention."

"Thank you!" she squealed, then her smile disintegrated a little. "This is, of course, on the understanding that no one hears about this. The last thing I need is Ron and Harry knowing I had to stoop to you."

He snorted at her demands, at her ungratefulness. "Then I suggest you close the door. Besides, Miss Granger, I have far more to lose than you. Your good name might be at stake, but my deplorable one, oddly enough, is far more important to me. If anyone finds out I've been in flagrante delico with you they'll say I've gone soft." He paused for a moment. "Not to mention what Minerva would do to me."

Hermione went to protest, but finally decided she probably deserved that. And even if she hadn't, it wasn't going to get her research done standing here arguing. "All right then."

She stood there just staring at him for the longest time, him glaring more and more at her.

Snape finally raised one eyebrow at her, and when she didn't move, he commanded, "Well, don't just stand there..."

"Sorry," she muttered, her fingers reaching for her vest, still trapping her arms, trying to remove it, squirming as she struggled.

Snape sighed. "Honestly! You're even worse than I could have imagined." She looked up at him, confusion plastered over her face. "Merlin, girl," he said exasperatedly. "Come here."

Hermione began to make her way across the room, but with each step doubt niggled further and further into her mind. Why had she even thought that he would.... He was her ex-Potions professor! The most detested man in all of Hogwarts, if not entire wizarding world. Still, he was her best option, her only option. And when it came down to it, knowing everything was far more important to her. She came to a halt about halfway to him.

"Closer, Miss Granger. Sex is generally more effective if your partner is at least in the same time zone." He sounded irritated already, not a good start.

Hermione blushed and scuttled across the remaining floor space between them, stopping right in front of him. She'd never really noticed what an imposing figure he struck before, but now standing here, craning her neck to look up at him she instantly felt very small.

Snape eyed her for a moment, before reaching out and sliding his hands across her shoulders under her vest, slipping the garment easily from her shoulders. Oddly, his touch put her at ease, didn't repulse her as she thought it might. He was strangely gentle and soft. And his skin felt, well, not exactly lighting hers on fire like those Muggle novels her mother read would proclaim, but it wasn't a bad feeling.

"Lesson number one, Miss Granger," he said softly in her hair as his fingers trailed down her back, sending a shiver up her spine. "It is far more intimate to take your time undressing each other than to simply turn up in someone's room and start tossing your slippers about."

"Oh!" Hermione replied, realisation dawning. Excitedly she reached for the quill and parchment in her back pocket and began scribbling down notes.

"Oh, good grief," he muttered under his breath, his fingers deftly plucking the offending objects from her hands. "Note taking, last I knew, was not the normal procedure either."

"Well, how am I supposed to remember?" Hermione protested, looking longingly at the parchment as he placed it on his desk. When she looked at the quill, her fingers twitched.

"I assure you, you will find this unforgettable."

Hermione pulled a face and laughed. "That's awfully arrogant for a man who's spent the majority of his time locked away in a dungeon."

"And that is awfully condescending for a girl who has to turn to a surly old git like me to teach her the ways of the world." He raised one eyebrow as if to ask if she was quite finished. Hermione shrugged in defeat. "Then we shall proceed."

Hermione nodded as eagerly as a first year waiting for sorting.

"First things first, Miss Granger," he commented, then dipped his head, his lips meeting hers. His tongue traced along her sealed lips, trying to urge her to part them, but Hermione kept her mouth tightly shut; the last (and only) time she'd done this was with Ron and she couldn't bear the thought of being covered in drool ever again.

Snape not so subtly yanked on her hair. As she went to protest, he pushed the back of her head, pulling her to him and delving inside her mouth. When nothing proceeded to dribble down her chin, Hermione relaxed and started to take note of what he was doing. His lips glided against hers, teasing the nerve endings; his tongue stroked firmly, exploring her mouth; as she began to feel her lungs burn for air, she paused for a moment, wondering how he was managing to breathe, then, as a soft breeze teased her cheek, she stopped holding her own breath, drawing one in through her nose. Her olfactory senses went into overload. He smelt like clean sweat; musky and damp, yet fresh. Like a spring shower. Far better than dirty Quidditch robes on a boy who probably hadn't seen a shower in a month.

Lesson Two, she thought, make him have a shower first.

As she became accustomed to the sensation of his mouth on her own, and with the hope that she wasn't performing too idiotically, she allowed her mind to wander to the rest of him. One hand tangled in her hair, tilting her head back, the other rested on her lower back, the slight pressure holding her to him, pressing her chest lightly against his. The damp heat from his recently showered body seeped through her clothes, producing a far greater reaction than Hermione had been prepared for. She let out a tiny moan.

His hands left her body for a few moments, purposefully grasping her wrists, which hung limply at her sides, placing one firmly on his back, the other under the damp hair at the base of his neck, before he returned his own fingers to their previous homes.

Hermione wondered at the skin beneath her fingers. Never had she touched someone so intimately. His hands were buried in her curly hair, fingers pressing against her skull each time he moved to deepen their kiss. Supposing she should do the same, but all the while wondering why he hadn't moved her hand higher into his hair, Hermione ended up fiddling with a few errant strands.

Snape pulled away from her mouth. "Quit dallying about. I assure you it's clean, Miss Granger. I just had a shower."

Desperately wanting to prove that she wasn't a complete imbecile, Hermione snaked her fingers through his dark hair, pulling him back down to meet her lips. Eager to discover what that bare chest that was warming her so delightfully felt like beneath her fingers, she slid them around from his back.

She began at his collarbone, tracing the prominent bone down one side, then down the other. Having not been told off, she continued her journey, releasing her other hand from his hair and allowing it to join the first, one hand over each pectoral, taking in the coarse hair with her palms, then, out of curiosity, raking her nails lightly over his skin. Snape's reaction was immediate; hoisting her from the ground, with Hermione quite aware that his hands were now on her buttocks, he dropped her onto his bed.

Bending over her he whispered silkily in her ear, "Five points for finally showing some initiative." His voice turned to a low, irritable growl as he continued, "Ten points off for taking so bloody long to do so."

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AN: *smooch* to Wartcap, my fantastic Beta. Shall be a lovely Snape shaped packet under your Christmas tree this year, dear :D