Trust in Me

Real life is awful sometimes. So this chapter is for lulabelle72, who is dealing with real life madness at the moment. I love you very much. Lariope, thank you as always for your support and giving me wonderful ideas. RedSkyAtNight, thank you for coming through for me when LB72 had other things to deal with. Now you know why I need two beta's--my grammar, and obviously knowing the difference between solid ground and water, are horrible.

It hadn't taken long for Hermione to gather a few items from her parents' home, mostly clothes and bathroom essentials. And, of course, an abundance of books.

As Hermione finished Transfiguring her supplies, Snape wondered if she had packed the most important item: the black bra... the one with the lace. No! He couldn't think like that. They were going to Egypt for a specific reason, and if he let his mind wander off his task, it could prove fatal for both of them. He must be focused. He must ignore her.

A woman was the worst temptation known to man.

For Merlin's sake! You're a fucking spy! Nothing should be able to break your concentration! Not even her. Oh, gods, she smells wonderful...

Snape suddenly realized that Hermione had looped her arm through his and was waiting for him to take action. "Are you going to stand there all evening, Severus? Or are you going to Apparate us to Italy?"

Insolent chit. God, I want her.

Snape closed his eyes and concentrated on his destination. It was a rather difficult task to Apparate, let alone Apparate from England to Italy. But having to Apparate that distance with someone else well, that was altogether another story. He breathed deeply through his beak-like nose, imagining the specific location in a rickety ship-yard on the coast of Italy clearly in his mind. He had been to this location once before--when he was a junior Death Eater. It had been another revel, a night where nine wizards had been slaughtered. By his hand. Yes, that had been his first real test as a loyal Death Eater. He had never seen as much blood as he had that night.

Snape shook the memory out of his head and focused on the destination. Suddenly, he felt himself spinning.

He landed in a not so graceful manner. Hermione had toppled over, and he stumbled backward.

"Well. That was interesting," Hermione said, standing up and brushing her clothes free of dust.

"My apologies. It's difficult to Apparate that distance," he snapped.

He looked around his location. Two large, unfinished ships flanked either side of the wooden dock. To the right, lined up against the edge of the port, there were over a dozen crates that were nearly the size of the Whomping Willow. There were two light posts at the end of the pier, then the blackness of the water beyond that. He looked at the left side of the dock and noticed large Muggle machinery--it had been there that the massacre had occurred. Snape could almost hear the ghostly screams and cries of the men he had butchered that night; even clearer, he remembered the way their filthy blood had splattered his face and the metallic taste of it in his mouth.

"Severus?"

Snape whirled around. Hermione was standing just behind him, shivering in the cold and looking concerned.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" he ground out, angry at her for interrupting his memory. She stiffened at his tone, and Snape realized what he had done. In a less pernicious manner, he said, "I'm sorry, Hermione. I was just remembering my last trip here."

"I take it that it wasn't a pleasant one, was it?"

"Only for some," he said coldly. "Follow me."

He walked to the end of the pier, Hermione fast on his heels.

He stopped at the end of the dock and held out his hand. "Ready?" he asked her.

Hermione's lower lip quivered as she stared at the open space above the water. "Not really," she whispered.

He cocked his eyebrow at her. Her nervousness was ridiculous--wasn't she a fucking brave little Gryffindor?

"Give me your hand," he commanded, holding his out.

She looked up at him, her brown eyes glazed over. Is she crying? She slowly lifted her hand and put it into his. She was shaking, and her hand felt ice cold in his.

"I'm going to Levitate on the count of three. As long as we are holding on to each other, you will go wherever I go."

She nodded.

"One. Two--"

Hermione yanked her hand out of his, clutching it to her chest. "Isn't there another way? I don't feel comfortable flying."

"You know there isn't," he said snidely.

She huffed. "I'm scared," she said, her big eyes pleading with him to understand.

"You're a Gryffindor. Being brave is--"

"You don't understand! This is different!"

Snape couldn't believe how she was behaving. He had never known a Gryffindor, especially this Gryffindor, back away from anything.

"I knew you didn't like flying on brooms, but Hermione--"

She was shaking her head. "I don't just dislike it, Severus! It's a fear! Do you understand? I'm terrified!" A small tear fell from her eye and traveled down her face.

Snape looked at her and felt a sudden pain wave of sadness wash through him Yes, he knew all about fears. However, it had been a rumour that the only thing Hermione Granger was afraid of was failing a test--and that is why he was shocked to hear her admit to this, to something much more reasonable than a fucking exam result.

"I understand fear," he said calmly. Shall I begin to list mine? Rejection, love...

"You do?" she asked.

Hesitantly, Snape ran his thumb over the tear, wiping it off her skin.

She looked at him, surprised by his tender gesture.

He had even shocked himself for being so bold, but he knew that he had to get her to trust in him. So, he continued on, being ever so gentle with her, and hoping she would realize that he was trying to show her a different side of him.

"Everyone has fears. Even me," he whispered. He took a step closer to her, and she looked unsure of what he was going to do. "But you must let me help you through this--we have an important task to attend to in Egypt, and this is the only way there."

"I know," she sighed. "I'm just so scared. I feel like such a fool," she said, sniffling.

"You are no such thing." Once again, he held out his hand. "You need to trust me."

She lowered her hands from her eyes and placed her hand in his. "I do trust you."

He intertwined his fingers with hers, twirled her around and enclosed her into his embrace. His other arm was wrapped around her waist, holding her close to his body. He closed his eyes as he buried his nose into her hair--it was something he had always wanted to do.

Then, in his most silky and soft voice, he began whispering to her. "Close your eyes, Hermione. That's a good girl. Now, take a deep breathe and slowly exhale from your mouth."

She inhaled, hitching a bit from the effects of her crying.

"Excellent," he whispered. She continued to hold his hand, but her grip was still tight. However, her tense body was beginning to relax against his chest.

"Promise me you will keep your eyes closed," he said smoothly.

"All right."

Snape cast a wandless Warming Charm them, as well as a special charm that encased them inside a bubble of air.

"Flying, Hermione, is like reading a novel. At first, you're unsure of the adventure that awaits you between the textured covers of a book. Ah, books--your obsession. Think of your favorite book. Can you see it clearly in your mind?"

"Yes," she said softly.

"Very good. Now, can you remember when you first read it? Tell me what it was like to touch, smell, and read it."

Hermione explained in great detail about her favorite book while Snape encouraged her to keep talking by asking questions about the content, how many times she had read it, and if she could quote anything from it.

It was a ploy to keep her mind occupied. After hearing what she had said about his voice after he caught her in the bath, he knew that he could distract her mind and body by simply talking to her. It distracted her so much, in fact, that she hadn't even noticed that they were off the ground, flying at an incredible speed across the Mediterranean Sea. His sense of direction was remarkable, but even he had to have directions for flying this distance. Before he arrived at her room at Hogwarts, he had charmed his wand to guide him by vibrating when he went off course.

He flew low, perhaps not even fifty yards from the water's surface, but because it was dark, he could see nothing below him. Every once in a while, in the distance, he saw tiny lights coming from boats.

"And that's why Hogwarts: A History will always be my favorite book," she said after talking for nearly an hour.

"Your explanation was... interesting."

She slumped against his body. "If you didn't want me to tell you about that, then why did you ask?"

"I didn't want you to notice that we were flying."

"What?"

Her eyes flew open, and her body became rigid again.

"You--you should have told me!"

"Perhaps. But I highly doubt you would have let me get more than even a foot off the ground before you started hexing me. I even placed us in this bubble to keep the rush of air off your face, to keep you calm. However, I would like you to experience flying without it."

She gripped his arms tighter and sank her fingernails into his skin.

She must have been too nervous to speak, so he took her silence as a signal to go ahead and release the bubble. He dipped closer to the water so she could see that they weren't flying very high. As soon as he dropped the charm a cool, misty wind engulfed them, rushing against their body--her hair automatically flying backward, blinding him for a moment. He panicked slightly at not being able to see--what if he lost control and dropped her? What if she let go of him? He twisted his head to get away from her tangled hair to see Hermione's mouth opened wide, screaming at the top of her lungs. The wind was loud to his ears, but her high-pitched scream was worse. He didn't mind though; she needed to release the tension that had built up inside her.

Finally, she took a large gulp of air and rested her head against his chest--her breathing was short and erratic. He replaced the bubble so he could speak to her without having to shout over the sound of the wind.

"Have you finished screaming?"

"For now."

Snape tried to shift his arms, but she held on tighter. He was sore, and stiff. He wondered if his muscles would go numb and if he wouldn't notice her slipping from his grip.

"Hermione, I need my wand. I'm going to bind you to my body with a Sticking Charm so that I can relax my muscles, which means I'm going to have to let go of your hand for just a moment. Just close your eyes and keep breathing slowly. There you go." Snape opened his hand, which was cramped and aching, and reached into his pocket. He cast a spell to bind her to him like glue, then put his wand away. Knowing that she was secure and he wouldn't accidentally drop her--or worse, find her with the sudden, unreasonable urge to fall as if she stood at the edge of a cliff--made him feel better. He released her waist and stretched out his arm.

"Now you know what to expect when I remove the charm. Next time, I want you to keep your eyes open, and just inhale the smell of the sea. Can you do that?"

She nodded her head.

"Good girl." Before he removed the bubble, he charmed her hair to stay wrapped up in a bun.

This time, she didn't scream when he released the charm, but dug deeper into his flesh with her nails. He felt his skin break, but it was a price he was willing to pay.

Finally, Hermione felt the soft sand beneath her feet--they had landed on the banks of the Nile. She was drained of all energy, but she was safe. Safe because he had been there for her, holding her hand every step of the way--this had been something that no one had ever done before. The boys would have forced a broom into her hand or made her sit on a Hippogriff or Thestral and told her to, "Get over it." But Snape had taken the time to talk her through it. To show her how to breathe properly; to believe that flying wasn't hell on earth. He didn't seem to mind that she had screamed in his ear or held him in a death grip. He had been patient and caring with her--he wasn't the man that had taught her how to brew thousands of potions. That man was a condescending, sarcastic arse.

For a moment she had wondered if he was bewitched or under the Imperius Curse. But no, that was ridiculous--who would curse Severus Snape to be kind?

She still hated flying, but after she relaxed and did what he asked, she could honestly say that she wasn't afraid anymore. He had shown her that there was nothing to be scared of--that it could be a tantalizing experience with the smells of nature tickling her nose and the lights of distant cities shining brightly like little stars.

But what she would remember most had been the way his body felt against hers. He held her to his chest tightly and talked to her in that silky voice, mesmerizing her. When she had calm enough to think, she began imagining him nuzzling her neck and kissing her softly on her collar bone. From that moment on, she forgot that she was floating over water and let his body and voice engulf her very being.

Hermione looked around. The morning light was peaking over the horizon, casting a soft glow over their surroundings. She could hardly believe her eyes. There, in the distance, were several pyramids, rising high above the modern city. It was surreal--she had never thought she would get a chance to come here, especially in the midst of a war.

Snape started walking along the bank of the river, and she quickly caught up to him.

"Are we going straight to the pyramid to search for the book?" she asked.

"No. I'm exhausted. I need to eat, shower and then sleep before I can go breaking ancient magic to get a bloody book."

Well, Severus Snape: foul-tempered git was back.

"Where are we going to find a place to sleep?" Hermione wished she still had the tent that she and the boys had used while searching for Horcruxes. What hotel would give them a room at this hour in the morning... let alone the fact that they didn't have any money. She hadn't exactly planned this journey well, had she?

"I know of a place. It's like the Leaky Cauldron. We aren't too far from it," he grumbled.

They walked across the sandy beach and towards a large brown building. The street was empty and gave Hermione the feeling that everyone had abandoned this area of town because of some unknown, creepy reason.

As they walked to the corner of the building, a small, flat roofed structure suddenly appeared. Just like the Leaky Cauldron, one had to be magical to detect its presence. Snape pulled open the golden door and let her walk inside first.

She was expecting a run-down pub, like the Leaky Cauldron, but was highly surprised to find a beautiful lobby. Gold columns stood bordering the outer walls; the ceiling was high and covered in a beautiful Egyptian mural. The figures walked around, greeting each other, much like a portrait at the castle. Black marble covered the floors and counter tops.

She hadn't noticed that she had stopped in the middle of the doorway as she looked around.

"Looks can be deceiving, Hermione," Snape whispered in her ear before walking ahead of her to the where a small man was looking at them from behind a reception desk.

"Two rooms," Snape said.

The small man looked directly into Snape's eyes, smirked, and then cut his eyes toward her. Hermione wondered what his problem was and was about to say something when the man said, "Unfortunately, we only have one room available."

Snape slowly turned to face her

She was too tired to care that she was going to share a room with Snape. "We'll make do," she said. She thought she saw the corner of Snape's mouth twitch, but perhaps it was her imagination.

"Room three twenty one," the small man said, conjuring a golden key from thin air and handing it to Snape.

Hermione noticed the stairs to the right and headed up to the third floor. She found their room and waited patiently for Snape to open the door.

She was utterly amazed at the room. In the center was an enormous, ebony sleigh bed covered in a pale blue duvet. A crystal chandelier hung high above it. Hermione poked her head into the bathroom. It was a large rectangular room, with a circular tub in the center. It was encased in black marble and had a step leading up to it. Why can't the Leaky Cauldron look like this?

"How did you know about this place?" she asked, walking back into the bedroom. He was sitting on the matching pale blue bench in front of the bed, pulling off his boots.

"Dumbledore," he stated. "Press that gold button on the bedside table and order some food--anything will do," he said, walking past her and into the bathroom.

Hermione pressed the button, and in a matter of seconds, there was knock at the door. She opened it to see a thin, black-haired woman dressed in a gold, knee-length dress. "Can I help you?" she asked Hermione.

"I would like to order something to eat... Do you have a menu?"

"Just state what you want and I will get it," the woman said.

Hermione thought for a moment and decided to order an Egyptian meal--something she remembered from her research.

"Two shish kebabs, please."

The woman twirled her wand through her fingers, then flicked it. A table on wheels, set for two, appeared out of thin air. "Enjoy," the woman said as she pushed the table into the room.

Hermione wheeled it over to the two wingback chairs that sat in front of a large window, which overlooked the river. Included in the meal was a salad, pita bread, coffee, tea, and water. Hermione listened to the water running in the shower and wondered how much longer he was going to be--she was starving.

She walked over to the door, which wasn't closed all the way, and went to knock, but suddenly the door flew open. Hot steam warmed her face.

"Spying on me?" Snape said, smirking. He was wearing nothing but a towel around his waist--it looked like he had been waiting for the shower to warm up before stepping in.

"No!" she said defensively. "I was just going to let you know that the food was here." She kept eye contact, not wanting to look at his naked chest and embarrass herself.

"I know. I heard the chambermaid talking. Go ahead and start. I won't be long."

She walked away quickly as he closed the door completely. She hadn't expected him to open the door and be dressed in nothing but a cotton towel--it was like he was teasing her. That's ridiculous. She shook the naughty thoughts from her head. Before she started eating, she removed two pillows and the duvet from the bed and placed them neatly on the plush sofa so that he would have a place to sleep.

Just as she was finishing her salad, she heard the water turn off. A few minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom.

Hermione nearly choked on her water. He was barefoot, wearing black, cotton trousers that tied in the front and a grey t-shirt that was snug against his torso. His hair was damp, and she noticed that he was in need of a shave, but she really liked seeing him with stubble.

Her heartbeat began racing, the butterflies in her stomach came to life and her quim instantly pulsated. She took another sip of water, her eyes never leaving his body.

"Hermione?" he asked, snapping her back to the conversation.

"Yes?"

"I asked you if the food was appetizing."

"Sorry, when I'm tired, I tend to stare and not pay attention. Yes, it's scrumptious," she said, embarrassed that he had caught her staring at his body. Oh, gods! What must he be thinking?

She finished quickly and retreated to the bathroom. She turned the silver handle, and water came falling out of the ceiling, like rain. She pulled her luggage out of her pocket, Transfigured it back to normal size, undressed and climbed into the shower.

When she was finished washing, she slipped on her purple pajamas and used her wand to dry her hair and braid it.

She wasn't surprised to see that the room was completely dark when she emerged--he did say he was tired. She softly walked to the edge of the bed, her hand out in front of her to not trip over anything, flipped back the sheets and climbed in. She rolled onto her left side, closed her eyes and sighed heavily. She squirmed a bit to find her favorite sleeping position, then rolled her ankles around as she always did when she was overly tired and her muscles twitched. Finally she was comfortable and sighed once more and knew she would be asleep in a matter of moments.

"Have you finished fidgeting?"

Startled, Hermione yelped and punched what she hoped was his arm.

"I thought you were sleeping on the sofa!"

"You assumed I was sleeping on the sofa."

Hermione huffed and rolled over to swing her legs off the bed. "Fine, then I will sleep on the sofa--"

"Hermione, lie down. We are both adults and are extremely tired. It will do neither of us any use to sleep on the sofa and awaken with aches and pains from such an uncomfortable night's rest."

"All right," she whispered, then lay stiffly on her back, her arms at her chest, holding the sheet tucked under her chin.

"I'm sorry I hit you," she said quietly.

"And I should have told you I was going to sleep in the bed."

What a day. First flying, and now I'm sleeping in the same bed with my professor--ex-professor... with Snape! Oh, gods...

"You can hardly be comfortable sleeping on your back," he said.

"You said I fidget too much."

"Hermione," he said in a tone that she was all too accustomed to. She quickly turned on her left side, facing him, lying mostly on her stomach. She put her arm under her pillow to prop her head up and brought her right knee upward toward her stomach. She felt the bed moving as he rolled onto his side, facing her. She wondered what they would have looked like with the lights on--facing each other, almost nose to nose, under the covers...

She slowly drifted off to sleep, her mind whirling with memories of the day.

The next thing she knew she was naked and straddling his waist, grinding her clit into his hard cock. His hands were gripping her hips, guiding her movements. Her hands were splayed out on his chest, and she rolled his nipples between her fingers.

Suddenly he flipped her onto her back. His lips came crashing down onto hers, hungrily taking her breath away.

Then, he moved from her lips to her neck, sucking and nibbling at her sensitive skin.

"I need to feel you!" she moaned from beneath him.

Snape growled and slipped his right hand between his legs, grabbing his member. He rubbed the tip of it through her slick folds, teasing her.

"Mmmm..." she whimpered, locking her legs around his waist, urging him to push deep inside her.

"No, Hermione! It's too dangerous!"

"What?" she said, snapping open her eyes. Ron was standing at the edge of the bed, watching her and Snape.

"It's too dangerous!" he said again.

Hermione was horrified. She looked back at Snape, but before she could ask him anything, his hand covered her mouth. "Don't listen to him, Miss Granger!"

Hermione tried screaming out, but it was muffled by his cold hand. She turned her eyes to Ron, but he was gone.

She started thrashing around, raised her fist and crashed it onto his nose. Snape let go of her and fell to the side of the bed, grabbing his face and crying out in pain.

Hermione scrambled from beneath the sheets, jumped off the bed and opened the door to their hotel room

But instead of the hallway, there was just another door. She opened it again, to find another. Faster and faster she opened the doors, crying out in frustration. She turned around, saw him still clutching his bleeding nose on the bed and ran across the room to the window. She yanked back the curtains, unhitched the lock and slid the window open. A cool swish of air swallowed her up, making it painful to breathe.

"Where you going?" Snape yelled. She looked behind her, and he was standing with his legs shoulder-width apart, arms hanging to his side. His face was streaked with blood, and his lip was curled high in an evil sneer.

Hermione stepped out onto the tiny balcony. Snape pounced on her, grabbing her arms and whirling her around to slam her backwards into the stone wall.

"You're leaving me?" he shrieked. "You're mine! MINE!" he shouted, shaking her.

"I'm not an object--you can't possess me!"

He suddenly removed his arms, and his face went blank.

"Yes, of course, you're right, Miss Granger. You are not an object," he said calmly.

He took several steps backward, and Hermione stood up straight, her back stinging from the rough surface. She wrapped her arms around her waist, took two steps forward and turned around to go back inside. But before she could walk over the threshold, a chilling voice said, "I lied. You are an object. You're mine. And if I can't have you, no one will."

Hermione whirled around, eyes wide. He grabbed her arms again, dragged her across the ground toward the black, metal railing. She tried fighting him off, but he overpowered her, lifted her up by her waist and flung her over the railing and off the balcony.

It all happened so fast, that it took her a second to start screaming. She watched with horror as the street came at her at an alarming speed. She covered her eyes, crying, waiting for her body to break on impact.

"Hermione."

The wind was painful against her naked skin as she fell, and loud in her ears, but she thought she heard her name being called.

"Hermione."

Her eyes flew open. Snape was leaned over her, holding his wand in the hand that wasn't supporting his weight. The tip was glowing with light. His face had many shadows on it, but she could tell that he looked concerned. She was cold and shaking and could feel that her cheeks were damp from her tears.

"Are you all right?" Snape asked her softly.

Hermione blinked several times, trying to remember where she was at. "It was just a really horrible nightmare," she said, rubbing her eyes.

"Does this happen often?"

Hermione remembered her other dream--the one with the snakes holding her down as... as he... had his way with her. What did these dreams mean? Why were they so vivid and so bloody scary?

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Do you remember what happened?" he asked, moving the arm that was arched over her.

She pushed herself into a sitting position. "Yes. But, I don't want to talk about the details. Just know that you were in it. And you tossed me over the balcony like a bag of rubbish."

Snape's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "I can assure you, Hermione, I would never want to throw you over the balcony. It sounds like you are associating your fear of flying with me, since I was the one to... force you to fly only a few hours ago."

"I suppose." She didn't want to mention that they were shagging, or that he claimed that she was his--it was too embarrassing. "And you didn't force me into flying. You just made it much more bearable."

He nodded.

"I'm sorry my bad dream woke you up."

Snape turned away from her and fell backwards onto the bed, lying on his back. The light from his wand was bouncing off the glass of the chandelier, creating eerie shadows in the large room. "That's not what woke me," he said quietly, flicking his wand to extinguish the light.

Then, before he rolled to face the large window, he whispered, "I also had a nightmare."

A/N: LB72 wrote me a very funny, lemony deleted scene for this chapter. It will be on my livejournal if you want to read it.

Up next: Adventure into the pyrmaid.