Shame On Me For the Ruse

A/N: Thanks for reading this and leaving such awesome reviews! It really makes all the struggle and time worth the effort. And you all know I couldn't do it without Lariope, Lulabelle72, and RedSkyAtNight.

And once again, I would like to thank Lulabelle72 for letting me play with the Grotto--I had fun, LB72. Thanks.

Surprises had never been something Severus Snape enjoyed.

One summer, after his first year at Hogwarts, he had come home for lunch after spending all morning in the park with Lily. As he was making himself a sandwich, he had heard noises from upstairs, which had startled him because his parents were supposed to be working. On tiptoes, he had sneaked upstairs, his wand at the ready, prepared to catch a burglar. Following the murmurings to his parents' bedroom, he had poked his head through the opened door and was shocked to see his father and another woman shagging on the bed his mother had inherited from her favorite aunt.

In his third year, he had received a note from a Ravenclaw that he fancied, requesting him to meet her behind the Owlery. She had kissed the note, leaving a print of cherry red lipstick on the parchment. Snape had put his best clothes on and made sure he was well groomed before making his way to the location. When he had arrived, she hadn't been there, so he had sat on the ground, waiting. His mistake had been when he had begun practicing his kiss on the back of his hand. Laughter erupted behind him, and he spun around to find an assortment of students had been watching him from behind the bushes, intent on teasing him.

As an adult, a spying adult for that matter, the surprises became more frequent and each one worse than the previous. He shuddered to recall the night he had walked into the wrong bedroom at Malfoy Manor and had seen two of Lucius's whores hanging upside down with their wrists slit open, their blood dripping into black containers--containers that vampires used to store warm blood.

But tonight, when he had opened his door, he had been pleasantly surprised.

Standing opposite him was Hermione.

Snape gazed at her, stunned and unable to utter a single word. He drank in her appearance and briefly wondered if this was a dream--that he was really lying on the cold ground somewhere, drunk and passed out--because only in his dreams would Hermione show up unexpectedly at his door, looking like a siren.

Her hair was tamed, the wild curls sleek and soft. Her lips were painted with shimmery gloss, and her makeup was dark and smoky. She wore a flowing, knee-length deep purple cotton skirt and a thin, white cotton scoop-neck top which revealed her plump cleavage. But that wasn't what made Snape stare at her like a dog looking at a steak bone. No, it was what was under her white top.

The black bra--the one with the lace.

"Hello, Severus," she said, nearly purring.

Say something, you fool! Stop staring at her breasts like a bloody teenage boy!

"Good evening," he said, attempting to hide the rasp in his voice. "I--I was just on my way to come and see you. I'm surprised that you are out of the clutches of Madam Pomfrey."

She grinned and took a step closer to him.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, trying to ignore the rising heat in his trousers.

She took two more steps and was now inches from him. "I'd feel much better if I were in your arms. All I have been thinking about is how good you feel close to me," she whispered, standing on her tiptoes and hooking her arms around his neck. As her breath danced over her lips, the smell of cinnamon swirled into his nostrils. As he inhaled, trying to commit her specific scent to memory, he wrapped his long arms around her waist and pulled her into his body, dipping his head to kiss her delectable lips.

But she pulled away, and his kiss was lost.

Before he could protest, she said, "Not here. I want to go somewhere private. Somewhere no one could bother us for some time." She rested her warm cheek against his and whispered in his ear, "Take me to the Grotto, Severus."

Snape grinned and said, "Excellent choice, my dear."

Snape released her, and she twirled around, the purple skirt whipping around her creamy legs as she trotted towards the Grotto entrance. Snape closed his office door behind him and followed her down the corridor.

Before they turned down the next hallway, Hermione threaded her fingers through his and led them down the steep corridor, smiling over her shoulder every now and again, encouraging him to hurry.

But only once they were standing inside the cold chamber, locked away in their own private world, did Snape realize that his temptress's seductive attitude had changed.

Hermione turned sharply on her heel and poked the tip of her wand into his chest.

What the fuck? Normally, if it had been any other person holding him at wand point, Snape would have already used his wandless magic and either seriously harmed or killed the fucking bastard.

"Hermione, what exactly do you think you are doing?" he asked slowly.

"Remove it," she snarled.

"Remove, what? My shirt?"

Hermione glared at him. "I am very serious, Severus Snape! That fucking spell you placed on me--remove it!"

"What spell?"

Hermione growled, turned her back on him, mumbling under her breath. It sounded much like 'fucking Slytherin.'

Annoyed, Snape said, "What the bloody hell are you prattling on about, woman?"

Hermione whipped around. "Remember the promise I made you? Here, in this bloody Grotto? That spell! Remove it!"

Snape's heart dropped into the pit of his stomach. He could feel what little color he had in his face disappear, and he had a horrible sense that his entire world was seconds from crashing down around him, leaving him crushed beneath the rubble.

Remaining calm, Severus asked, "How did you found out about it?"

"It doesn't matter! Remove the promise, now!"

Now was not the time for his famous storytelling skills to get him out of this delicate situation. She wasn't Voldemort or Dumbledore--she would instantly see through his lies. And he couldn't Oblivate her--well, he could, but he didn't want to do that anymore. Not to her. For a while now he had wanted to tell her the truth about some of the things that he had done to her. And this was one of them. He just wished that she hadn't found out and confronted him about it--he wanted to tell her in his own way, and in his own time.

Snape sighed. "I know you want answers. And I will remove the spell. But, I don't know where to begin."

Hermione's face was flushed and her brows were furrowed, but what was worse than seeing her so angry was watching the tears beginning to fill her eyes.

"Why, Severus? Why did you deceive me? And why did you drug and take advantage of me? I was already attracted to you! You didn't have to do that!" she shouted as pink sparks sputtered out of the tip of her wand. Snape remembered what had happened the last time she was emotionally overwrought and her magic had spun out of control--he knew he needed to keep her calm.

"I--I didn't believe you would ever..."

"Would ever what?" she demanded.

He tried the truth. "Want me," he said simply.

A lingering silence plagued the cold cave-like room as he waited for her reaction to his confession.

Hoping she wouldn't shout at him, he took a risk and continued talking. "I had planned to tell you this, but every time I tried, something came up--the attack on Beauxbatons, for one. And I am not going to feel guilty for doing it either. It may have been selfish, but that promise saved your life!"

"I know it did. And for that I am so very thankful that you were a foolish idiot."

"So, you forgive me?"

"I did not say that!" she snapped. "Just remove the bloody spell!"

Snape nodded his head and said, "Hermione Granger, I revoke the promise you made to me."

She narrowed her eyes. "Is that it?"

"Yes--you are now free to fuck and desire anyone you please without becoming violently ill," he snarled.

"That's not why I wanted you to remove it. You lied to me. And that is why I am so upset!" she said angrily, walking to the cave's exit. She attempted to push past him, but he gripped her wrist and pulled her close to his body.

"Hermione, please. I just wanted you--"

"Let go of my arm!" she said, yanking away from him.

He released her and let her walk out of the Grotto. As he began to follow her, she stopped and faced him. "And don't follow me, Snape! I need to be alone."

Turning from him, she ran up the corridor. He stood frozen in the doorway, watching her perfectly tamed curls bounce away from his grasp, tottering on the edge of chasing after her.

But he was too afraid to do so. The image of his boggart came to mind, and he slumped against the rough walls, feeling lightheaded and ill.

How did this happen? One minute, she was asleep in the Hospital Wing, the next...

Severus stared blankly at the opposite wall. He replayed the scene over and over in his mind, wondering where he had gone wrong. Well, he knew the answer to that. He should have never brought her here in the first place, but that was beside the point.

How did she find out about the promise?

He couldn't recall ever saying anything that would have given away his carefully guarded secret, so it must have been someone else. But who?

Potter? Wealsey? As much as I want to blame them, they had no idea. Pomfrey? Hmmm. But where would she have found out about it? Dumbledore. Yes. That old fucking fool knows everything! He has eyes and ears all over the castle--wait. Fuck!

"Phineas Nigellus! That bloody bastard! I'll shred his portrait apart and destroy him!"

Snape scrambled to his feet and marched over to a small alcove that was hidden deep inside the Grotto. Inside, there was a long bench covered with green silk pillows--it was one of the more private areas in the Grotto. Hanging on the wall was a large, empty frame. Snape stood in front of it and said, "Phineas! Show yourself!"

Phineas Black's head and shoulder tipped in from the right side of the frame. "Yes?"

"How dare you betray your fellow Slytherin and tell Hermione about what I made her promise!"

Phineas fully stepped into the frame. "As I have told you before, Severus, you should die for a noble reason and not because of a broken promise. And twice now, your life has been jeopardized because of this foolish obsession you have with Miss Granger. You failed to listen to me when I told you to break it after the first time you fell ill, remember? And after what happened again, I knew that only Miss Granger would be able to get you to lift it."

Snape shook his head. The Slytherin headmaster was right, of course. "You should have warned me that she knew. I would have been prepared! Instead, she lured me here under false pretenses and surprised me with her knowledge!"

"Well, yes. I suppose I could have warned you. But you should have listened to me the first time."

Snape growled and sat on the bench, elbows on his knees and head in his hands. "Does she despise me now? Have I completely lost her? Or is she just upset? And I didn't even tell her everything that I've done, although perhaps it's best to keep quiet about the rest. She would have surely hexed me if she had known the truth about other things." He lifted his head and looked at the former headmaster. "What do I do?"

Phineas was looking over his left shoulder, eyebrows furrowed, and peering beyond the frame. "I believe you need to get back to your office. Immediately."

"Why?"

Phineas looked at Snape. "Because your little Gryffindor is in there as we speak, destroying it."

A/N: Always remember the power a woman has over a man. *snicker*

Up next: Another secret revealed.