Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All things Harry Potter belong to JKR.

A/N: I would like to thank my awesome beta... Again? You've tried to trick me again? Sneaky, you are!

Cough Southern_Witch_69 Cough

Hermione sighed heavily and set her bags down with a thump. She was finally here. The past month had been exhausting for her, dealing with her children and her divorce from Ron.

The divorce itself had only taken a month to be final, which surprised Hermione greatly. After seeing a solicitor, both parties agreeing on properties and shared custody of the children, all that needed to be done was the cutting of the binding cords and the signatures of both husband and wife. It was rather anticlimactic.

Rose and Hugo did not take the divorce well, which was not surprising to her. All she could do in that regard was hope that time would heal their wounds because there was no way she'd ever go back to her husband...ex-husband. They were done. Ron didn't want her back at any rate; he and Lavender were planning on getting married with the kids' first visit with him in the States so that they could be a part of the ceremony.

Cringing, she remembered the day that Lavender had come to her job at the Ministry to beg her forgiveness. She'd made a fool of them both, sobbing and blubbering all over Hermione, spouting off her love for Ronald and all that rot.

Hermione had told Lavender that she was welcome to Ron and had even gone so far as to offer her blessings. She'd mainly done that to get the stupid cow out of her office, but once she was off for the day, she went straight to Ron and let him have it. Needless to say, Lavender had never darkened her doorstep again, thank Merlin.

Looking around her villa for the next six months, the ex-Mrs. Weasley was impressed. It was lovely...spacious and bright...with a terrific view of the ocean. Yes, the Wizarding Island on the coast of Palermo, Italy had been an excellent choice.

After she'd spotted the cute little oak antique desk by the bay window, Hermione quickly sat down to jot a few lines to her children to let them know that she'd arrived safely and to reassure them once more. For the mother inside her, her children's insecurity was the very worse part of this mess that was currently her life. She would do just about anything for Rose and Hugo, except stay with a man who'd betrayed her in the worse possible way and that she could no longer trust.

She sighed again. Morose thoughts such as these were going to spoil her good mood, and she'd not been in a mood this good for a long while. It had taken forever to get the image of Ron pumping into Lavender in their marital bed out of her thoughts, damned if she'd start thinking of that now that her marriage was completely over! No, this place was too lovely for such dismal thoughts.

After she'd finished both letters, she called her snowy owl to her...a parting gift from the Potters so that she'd keep in touch...and tied them both to her leg. "Please deliver these to Rose and Hugo during their breakfast at Hogwarts in the morning."

Palladium lightly nipped Hermione's knuckle and, with a light hoot, flew gracefully out of the window.

Wanting to get the mundane tasks taken care of, Hermione levitated her bags to the master bedroom and began to put her clothes and toiletries away. The room was as spacious as the rest of the villa with a huge king-sized bed, a matching dresser, and a chest of drawers, all done in light wood tones to match the wood floors.

After she'd finished that, she quickly went to the market that was in the community to pick up some groceries and essentials. After putting those items away, she decided it was time for fun.

Even though it was the third of September, the weather was a balmy 79 degrees, so Hermione went into the bedroom to slip into her bathing suit so that she could soak up some sun while she read a completely trashy romance novel.

She chuckled to herself as she remembered telling Ginny that she intended to take a lover while she was here. She'd only been with Ron and had often wondered what it would be like to have sex with another man. Although she wasn't absolutely positive that she'd actually take a lover, Ginny had made her swallow the year-long dose of Birth Control Potion that she'd had in her bathroom cabinet, assuring Hermione that she and Harry had decided to have one more child before they stopped.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Hermione thought, Why not take a lover? Why not do something that will make me happy for once? Ever since I can remember, I've put Ron and the kids first... Now is my time, and I intend to make the most of it! She'd lost weight this past month, and while she may not have her youthful before-babies-figure back, Hermione thought that she filled her bikini out pretty damned well.

Putting on her wrap, she swallowed her Sun Block Potion, grabbed her novel, and headed for the beach. After she'd found the perfect spot, she settled down in her lounge chair for a nice, long read and, exhausted, mentally and physically, instantly fell asleep.

***

Severus Snape stood at his window, tending the herbs that he grew inside. He was a week ahead in his brewing, and he liked it that way. Besides, with Liam gone, there was not much else to do. He missed the bugger when he was away visiting.

He looked up just as a very shapely beach bunny in a black bikini walked outside from the villa next door. Hmm... Interesting.

She had her brown hair piled up on top of her head and was carrying some sort of book. When she bent over to spread her towel over her lounge chair, Severus felt a distinct stirring in his loins. He'd always enjoyed a plump arse on a woman.

He folded his arms over his chest and watched as she settled in for her read, but instead of reading, she seemed to be watching the ocean. Or that's what he thought. It was hard to tell with her back to him, but her head was not bent, and the book looked to be lying on her lap.

Perhaps he should go outside and introduce himself. It had been many months since he'd enjoyed the delights that only a woman could offer. Although, with her living next door, there could be a problem if she wanted more than he wanted. A few shags now and then would do him nicely, but that was all. Some women believed that sex equated love, but Severus had no intentions of ever being in another serious relationship again. After the way his past two serious ones had ended, he knew he...and any woman involved with him...would be better off not to even contemplate it.

He chuckled to himself. He knew nothing of this woman! She could be married or attached to someone. He must be in dire straits indeed if one bend and a plump arse had him already shagging his neighbor mentally! He roughly rubbed his face and turned away from the tempting sight out of his window, deciding to have a bite to eat before he finished his potions for the day.

As he brewed, Severus' thoughts inevitably turned to the only two women he'd ever loved. He thought first of Lily and her bright, happy personality. God, how he'd loved her!

She'd been the first true friend he'd ever had, loving him despite his family and lack of money and possessions. Such things never did matter to Lily Evans.

She'd always cared for him...loved him even...and he had to believe she would've ended with him had he not ruined things with her by letting his pride interfere with things.

He remembered how she'd begged him to stay away from the likes of the Lestranges and Malfoys, how she'd tried to tell him that it took all kinds of people and that one race was no better than the other. He'd laughed at her naivety, he remembered, telling her that surely some were better...purer...than others.

She'd looked at him so sadly, tears filling her emerald green eyes and asked if he really and truly believed that, and with the stupidity of youth, he'd admitted that he did, trying to convince her to believe it, too. What he'd done in reality was send her right into James Potter's arms.

Then, he'd done the unthinkable and got her killed. That was something he'd live with for the rest of his life. He shuddered as he remembered seeing her lifeless body lying on the floor, those dead green eyes staring up at him...

He'd gone for years after her death, trying to avenge her and make up for all of his wrong doings, his ill thinking. Of course he'd been wrong and she'd been right! After Lily, there had never been another woman for him until Shannon O'Leary.

What a breath of fresh air she'd been, pulling him out of his severe depression. Shortly after Severus had awoken from Nagini's bite, he'd struggled to gain consciousness, thanking Albus Dumbledore for his foresight. In one of their many talks, Albus had told him to take the Antivenin Potion that would counteract the snake's venom should he be bitten.

When the final battle had started, Albus' portrait had advised him that now was the time to ingest the potion. It had worked, and though he'd been weak, Severus had been able to Apparate to his home at Spinner's End and nurse himself back to health. After speaking with Lucius, among a few others, he'd gone to Italy and had been there ever since.

He remembered how he'd thought of committing suicide at one point, barely having the energy to rise out of bed each morning his depression was so great. Even when he'd learned that he'd been cleared of all charges, there were times that he didn't want to live. It had taken the constant interference from the few friends who had known that he was there to talk him into living again.

Then, eleven years ago, he'd met Shannon as she'd moved into the villa next door that his luscious new neighbor now occupied. It was not love at first sight, but they'd gone out a few times, and then one thing led to another and...

The loud buzzing broke his thoughts, and he went to pour the potion into phials to ready them for selling. He'd done quite well here selling his Medicinal Potions to the Wizarding hospital. At first, it was merely a way to survive, brewing only the difficult potions such as Wolfsbane, but when the Potions master who'd worked there quit, they'd offered the job to Severus. He'd agreed to do so as long as he could brew from his home.

The rumbling of his stomach reminded him that he'd not eaten since he'd first gone down to brew at lunch. Once he'd finished the bottling, he went upstairs to fix himself a light dinner.

As he walked by the window, he glanced out and noticed his new neighbor was still lying in the same spot in practically the same position. No doubt she'd fallen asleep. Perhaps he'd take her a nice cool drink and find out her circumstances. He briefly wondered if she was hungry and then thought better of it until he found out more about her.

He decided that he'd eat first, and if she was still there when he finished, he'd bring a drink out to her and introduce himself. Nodding, he walked into his kitchen and had leftover spaghetti that he'd cooked the day before.

Deciding he'd procrastinated long enough, he went to look out of his window, and sure enough, the woman was still lying there, although in a slightly different position. He sighed. He was going to do this; he was actually going to take this woman a drink and actually start a conversation.

Putting ice into a glass, he poured some sparkling water inside with a lemon wedge and a sprig of mint. He ran his fingers through his lank hair as he opened the door and walked out. He paused mid-stride once he'd gotten outside. Something about the woman seemed... familiar. What? He stood a few minutes trying to figure out what it was.

Shaking his head, he continued on. Of course he didn't know her. He didn't know very many people in Italy, and he most definitely would have remembered her.

Once he reached her, he started to speak before he actually looked at her face, as his eyes were occupied on her very nice and ample breasts. "Excuse me; I thought you might be thirsty."

Hermione stretched as she woke, which caused Severus' eyes to remain glued to her chest, and told him, "I am. Thank you." Then she reached for the glass.

Her voice...that accent, that prissy tone...caused his head to snap up, and he nearly dropped the water before she could take the glass. She took a long sip and said, "Mmm, so good! Thank you so much." When she looked up, she did drop the glass.

"Professor Snape? Is that really you?" Then she shook her head and closed her eyes. "No, no, it couldn't be. Surely I've slept in the sun too long, and I'm hallucinating..."

When she opened her eyes again, she gasped and jumped up quickly, causing herself to become dizzy. She grabbed his arm for balance, and when he was sure she wasn't going to fall, he took a step back from her.

"Granger," he spat as if her name was a filthy word. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"What am I doing here? What are you doing here? I thought...we all thought...that you'd died in the final battle!" Smiling brilliantly, Hermione ran to him before she thought better of it and threw her arms around him in a tight hug, causing her soft breasts to crush against his firm chest. "You're alive! Oh, thank God, you're alive!"

"Figured that out all on your own, did you? Do tell, what was your first clue?" He took her arms and none too gently pushed her away from him. "Kindly unhand me, and please refrain from touching me in such a way in the future. Now, I would like it if you'd answer my questions. How did you find me, and who told you I'd be here?"

She looked hurt, but composed herself before answering his questions. "Nobody told me that you'd be here. I didn't come here looking for you. I came here on an extended holiday."

"So what you're telling me is that it's just my good luck that has brought you here, to this spot, your villa directly beside mine? How... fortuitous for me then. Did you bring your husband and children with you?"

Hermione folded her arms under her breasts, causing them to lift and look even fuller, and that made it very hard for Severus to keep his eyes from straying from her face. "My children are at Hogwarts, and as for Ron, well, we're not married any longer."

Severus snorted. "How surprising. The know-it-all and the brute didn't last. What happened? Did he run off with your ex-boyfriend, Viktor Krum? It seems like I recall Quidditch being the only thing that could hold his interest for very long, and I do know that Viktor played both sides of the pitch, as it were." He looked her up and down. "Perhaps if you had learned the sport..."

"How dare you? I see you're still the same cruel arse you've always been! I see how you survived! You're too mean to die!" Hurt shining in her eyes, she turned her back to him, bent over, and picked up her book and towel, and his loins tightened once more.

He shook his head. This would not do, would not do at all. He would not be attracted to this bint!

Once she had her belongings, she turned back to him. "What about you?"

"What about me?" he asked, bringing his attention back to her face.

"Did you ever marry or are you still alone and bitter?"

"I am not married," he informed her without elaborating. His life was none of her business.

She patted her chest with mock surprise. "Not married? Why, I'm all astonishment! How you've remained single all these years is certainly a mystery to me!"

He fought back a grin. Cheeky cow. "As long as I have company of the female persuasion when I require it, I do just fine. Unlike you and your lot, I don't have to be one half of a couple to define myself. I am confident just as I am."

"And so humble, too." She looked around and told him, "I see the ladies all lined up for you!" Hermione sighed, not wanting to argue with him at all. "Professor, do we have to argue? We're neighbors now. Can't we try to get along? I've so many questions..."

"Of course you do. What else would the know-it-all have but questions? Sorry, at this time, I don't feel up to an inquisition."

Hermione smirked. Damned if he didn't look sexy standing there all mad and brooding because she'd found out that he was alive after all. She just knew that had to be the true reason for his hurtful remarks, sort of a defense mechanism. She decided to play with him a bit and hone her flirting skills in case she decided to find a lover after all. "Does that mean I might give you an... inquisition later then?"

He raised an eyebrow, shocked at her blatant innuendo. "Be careful what you wish for, Granger. If I took you up on your... offer, you wouldn't know what hit you."

"Truly? Are your answers that astounding?"

"Let's just say that after the conversations you've had with Weasley, any talk with an ounce of intelligence would amaze you."

"Well," she told him, "there have been times when Ron's instinct wasn't half bad. Sometimes instinct works rather well."

He nodded. "That's true. But add instinct with intelligence, and I'd wager you'd do much better than half bad."

She shook her head and relaxed her stance. "You know what they say? All talk..."

He straightened to his full height, strangely turned on and forcibly fighting it at the same time. "I can assure you, Granger, I more than talk when...and with whom...I so choose." He looked her up and down again as if he found her lacking in some way. "At this time, I choose talk only."

She nodded. What was beginning to be fun banter was going back to hurtful remarks, something she didn't care for. "All right." She turned to go, wanting to have a small dinner, a long soak, and cool sheets so that she could go to sleep and put this day behind her.

"What are you doing here anyway?" he asked as she began walking back to her villa.

She stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Why, to have a torrid affair after my divorce, of course. What else?"

"Payback, is it? Weasley did stray then?"

Hermione shrugged, turning to face him and spread her arms out to the sides, giving him a clear view of her body. "Apparently, when it comes to me, talk is the order of the day." She dropped her arms and turned back around, heading for her villa once more.

This time, he didn't try to stop her, simply watching the soft sway of her plump little arse as she walked away. He shook his head. The little wanton didn't know how close she'd come to him dragging her to his room and having his wicked way with her. Deciding he wanted to get in one last parting shot, he called out to her just as she'd reached her door. "If an affair...and only an affair...is what you're truly after, I'll be happy to oblige you by leaving my door unlocked."

She opened her door and looked back at him, smiling sadly. "Thanks, but I'm all talked out for the moment." She thought a moment, then said brazenly, "Though, it could be that I'll be in the mood to... inquisition you at a later date. Keep your options open, Snape. Perhaps I'll surprise you one evening, provided you actually do keep your door unlocked for me." Then she walked inside, shutting the door tightly behind her.

Severus stood staring at her door for a long time, wondering just what exactly he'd gotten himself into. He would be sure to leave his door open for her, deciding it could very well be worth his while to find out.

A/N: Hmmm. I wonder if Hermione will walk in her sleep later?

Reviews are welcome.