Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

And They Didn\'t Live Happily Ever After	By : ElizabethStump Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 90306 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 101
- 102
- 103
"And They Didn't Live Happily Ever After"

Chapter One Hundred One
"Kiss Me Once and Kiss Me Twice, Then Kiss Me Once Again"

Disclaimer: Harry (lemons) Potter is the (lemons) property of J (lemons) K Rowling and (lemons) associates. No (lemons) copyright infringement (lemons) intended. (Lemons!)

A/N: Can you tell that now Hermione and Severus are back together that there will be a lot of sex?

============

The pleasantly exhausted lovers dragged themselves out to the kitchen to eat a very late lunch. Hermione was quite sore in the most delicious way, and Severus was feeling every bit of his forty-four years. Even with a nap, once they worked through the entire effects of the Sequoia Potion that was thoroughly used up to the very end, they were still worn out.

Hermione decided to don Severus' shirt she had divested him of that morning while Severus threw on his dressing gown, since he had conveniently forgotten to pack it. They had yet to unpack either of their trunks.

Checking his pantry and larder, Severus could tell that the Malfoys definitely stocked everything he and Hermione would need, and then some. The bottle of Fairy Brandy, and the pitcher of freshly-squeezed passion fruit placed front and center in his chilled ice box, did not escape his notice. No doubt this was a repayment in kind for what Severus did for them as a wedding present.

Severus offered to make lunch, though he was tempted to see if Mario's was open that night since he wasn't sure he'd still be living come dinner time, much less have the energy to cook, unless Hermione was willing to. From the wiped-out and gratifyingly satisfied look on her face as she sat at the table, he wasn't sure she would be up to the task of cooking that night either.

"What's for lunch, my glorious sex god." Hermione sighed with a broad grin as she propped her cheek on her hand, her elbow on the table for support. She was quite thankful Severus' lab was thoroughly stocked and he had something to soothe her with by making a salve. Otherwise, she wouldn't be sitting so comfortably at the moment, having been fucked until she was nearly raw.

It had been a long, long time since either of them had been sexually active, and not even toys did an adequate job of keeping Hermione "in shape."

Glancing over his shoulder, wearing a prideful smirk as he was busy chopping vegetables, he noted, "I am a sex god now? Absence has made the heart grow fonder."

"I always thought you were a sex god, Severus," she freely admitted, smiling even more dreamily. "I just didn't think you wanted to hear something so overly effusive without you deriding it as hormone-driven sentimental drivel. Though I could make the same claim when today you called me your beloved inamorata, your dulcinea, 'su tesorito,' your–"

"Silence, my saucy wench," he demanded playfully.

Even Severus could not deny he was caught up willingly in the magnificent throes of love and all the effusive things it would make him uncharacteristically say. Even if he meant every single declaration of his love, it was still a little awkward to hear back to his own ears. Though having Hermione confess her own romantic confessions was ever so fulfilling to his heart.

Hermione missed this, the playful banter between them. It was nice to know they could pick up where they'd left off despite their lengthy time apart.

"Yes, my darling cardimelech," she crooned sweetly at him.

Severus stopped his preparation of lunch and walked over to Hermione. He tipped her head up and leaned down to give her a gentle kiss. "You also are a vital force that makes my heart work," he said softly to her. "A sentiment that sweet and obscure deserves a kiss as a reward."

Diving into their hard-earned lunch, Hermione groaned with nearly the same lustful appreciation of the simple tossed salad Severus had made for them, as during their love-making earlier in the day.

Hermione loved the combination of chopped lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, avocado, papaya, and Asian pear, all tossed with a light citrus vinaigrette Severus whipped together.

Severus wished he hadn't given away all the ripe produce out of his garden, but at least Draco and Ginny had ordered plenty to replace what he gave to them and his neighbors in preparation for his trip that never came to be.

"After lunch, I'd like to get a tour of the rest of the house and unpack. That is, if you'll give me half a chance," she teased him.

"I was not the one who initiated another round of love-making when we were in the shower that took the last of our strength before our nap," he reminded her, giving her a leer in return.

"Oh, but that outdoor shower," she sighed effusively with a roll of her eyes. "Your body glistening in the sun, water sluicing off of your back and hair. That's one of those fantasy, hedonistic-type showers all women dream of, to have some fantastic sexual romp in with some chiseled stud." Her eyes raked over Severus possessively, definitely thinking Hawaii was not only good for his peace of mind, but his body as well.

"It's just some rock and wood with a shower head," he casually replied, pleased Hermione appreciated his body even more. Severus had had many a fantasy of having Hermione in that shower as he finally did that afternoon, but he wanted to draw out her opinion of it, since he did design the house with her in mind.

"But the aesthetic of it, Severus. It's simple, yet romantic. And those small ferns clinging to some of those rock ledges. The lovely potted orchids in bloom. And the placement of some of those rock and wooden ledges, if I didn't know better, you designed that shower for us to be able to easily make love in it." Some of those ledges were the perfect height for her to perch her arse on while Severus plowed into her, with a quick cushioning charm cast so as not to scrape her back against the lava rock.

Severus speared his salad and smiled to himself, pleased Hermione had noticed and liked the end result, even though the ferns grew there naturally without any help from him as the spores germinated and thrived in the well-shaded damp corners. "Well, remember," he reminded her, "this is our house. I built this for the both of us."

Hermione stopped eating her salad and placed her fork down to reach across the table and take hold of Severus' hand. Looking about the kitchen and dining room, she choked out, "I sometimes forget this is not just your home, but ours. Being stuck back in England, the reality of it seems so far away."

"But you will not be there forever," Severus reminded her and squeezed her hand back. "You will finish your apprenticeship. One day, hopefully soon, you'll move all your belongings here, and this will truly be our house. Our home."

"Then after lunch, can I get a tour of 'our' home and unpack?" she asked once more.

"Better unpack first. Should you be inspired to attack me in the other rooms, we'll never get unpacked. And should we go out to dinner tonight, you'll need something to wear other than your warm English clothing or my fine linen shirt," he said. His eyes glanced down her front as his shirt gaped and bloused on her, revealing fleeting glances of her breasts to him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Their trunks side-by-side, they twirled and waved their wands to unpack. Severus made room in his armoire for all of Hermione's clothes, pleased that Marf had packed all her formal dresses as well.

"Oh, it did come," Hermione exclaimed as Severus unpacked her Christmas present to him.

"I would have thought that the proprietors would have presented proof of receipt, given you probably paid handsomely for Portkey delivery all the way here," he surmised.

"They did, but I didn't notice it in the living room earlier."

"That's because I packed it in hopes of opening it with you Christmas morning back at your flat."

Hermione hugged Severus once again, still touched he had made the effort to come all the way to England to see her, especially as he did originally promise never to return. She did notice the smaller box he floated along her present to him as he moved them to the living room to place under the tree, and the tag indicating it was meant for her.

There was her own small pile of presents Hermione had to move from her trunk to under the tree, as it seemed Marf had packed some presents from Lavender and the twins. There were maybe half a dozen boxes from Lavender. They were all in the same very recognizable gold-foil-wrapped flat boxes she remembered from Madame Maurelle Mandel's House of Haute Couture. Probably some sexy lingerie for Hermione to put on only to be quickly taken off by Severus.

As for what the twins gave her, she could not guess. Hermione was thankful for the Undetectable Extension Charm that was included with the purchase of her new trunk, as one of the presents from the twins was larger than the trunk itself. The gift was about five-feet tall and two-and-a-half-feet wide and deep. There were a few other presents from the twins as well and she hoped none of them were too unseemly, for even they pushed the bounds of tastelessness to new levels. Still, Hermione certainly didn't mind making Galleons from products that they both profited from – products birthed from her most crude, crass, and lewd ideas voiced during her moments of resignation and desperation while enduring the twins' brainstorming sessions.

Hermione set Severus' birthday present to her by the side of the bed, eager to show him the portable paradise he'd given her. She had hoped to show it to him in India, but at least Marf had packed it for this trip.

Putting her dresses away, she noted Severus had a large number of short-sleeved shirts and few long–sleeved ones. Given Severus' reluctance to show his Dark Mark back in England, she surmised that the social taboos and the stigma attached to such a mark must not exist in Malu Palekaiko, for Severus to wear clothing that allowed his Mark to be seen openly.

Severus changed into clothing to run a quick errand, and Hermione was amazed Severus would wear a short-sleeved Hawaiian shirt, a pair of shorts, and sandals so casually and with ease. She mostly knew him buttoned up in his long frock coats. Sometimes during the summer he had dressed only in a long-sleeved shirt, devoid of a waistcoat or coat. And even then, he'd always worn trousers. This was some other tropical version of Severus she would have to get used to, just like the beard and less emotionally-reserved Severus she was now just acquainted with.

Changing from Severus' shirt into a cool cotton sun-dress from her summer wardrobe, Hermione felt much better, understanding how Severus could adapt to the native wardrobe. She still cast a cooling charm in the bedroom since she was finding the warmth of Hawaii a bit much, given the cold climate she just came from.

Hermione finished unpacking the last of her toiletries when Severus returned with news they had secured the last table at Mario's for Christmas Eve dinner.

Sidling up to him, she demurely played with the skin along his collarbone and neck. "I so longed to go out to dinner with you back in London. I'm glad I can finally walk out in public with you now, neither of us having to hide any longer."

Severus was not one to brag, and he had even been reluctant to tell others about Hermione, but now he could not wait to walk down the main street tonight with Hermione on his arm for anyone and everyone to see.

This would be their official debut as a couple together in public as themselves, not pretending to be an ordinary Muggle couple going by Hermione's maiden name, Granger.

No more hiding.

"Will you help me pick what dress to wear?" she asked. "You know the local fashion better than I."

Severus was no couture doyen. He could have told her that given the island's lax fashion standards she could have shown up in a simple pareo and rubber flip-flop sandals and fit right in with the clientèle at Mario's. Instead, he decided to ease her fears, remembering his own concerns about dressing appropriately during his first days of sanctuary.

Pulling the backless black number aside in the armoire, sliding it along the rod, he said, "If you wear this, we're never making it out the door." Pulling out the plum-colored two-piece dress robe outfit to glance at it, he said, "Too warm and more appropriate for business."

Looking at the red one and the matching cloak, he clearly recalled seeing Hermione in it the night she came to him after her anniversary dinner. A flood of conflicting memories came back to him as he studied it. It was the night she had said she wanted him, then ran away, leaving him misunderstanding her words. As wonderful as that color was on her, he could not bear to see her wear that dress again.

Hermione noticed how he was lost in thought while looking at it and stepped in. "I had no idea Marf packed that. I wouldn't have brought it. I have my own mixed feelings about this dress. I think I may just give it away since I'll never wear it again." That dress was her death shroud for her first marriage. It was a cursed garment for them both.

The only two dresses left were the purple one she'd worn to Viktor and Anne's wedding and the blue halter dress from the Ministry Halloween ball. "Leave the blue one for the New Year's Eve Ball, since I wanted to dance with you when last I saw you wear this," he said fondly.

Now that everything was packed away, Severus took her on yet another tour of the house, this one in person instead of a memory viewed through a Pensieve.

Severus showed off his new Pensieve, having bought it after his memory for her was made. She complimented him on his choice and oohed and ahhed over it, noting the depiction of Mnemosyne, the Greek goddess of memory in bas-relief around the base made of white marble.

He stood behind her and wrapped his arms about her waist as she admired it. "Lavender told me that you spend quite a bit of time using her Pensieve in your office Friday nights, based on reports from the house-elves," he murmured into her hair, which had become even wilder with the tropical humidity.

There was nothing she could keep secret from house-elves. She even noted that Marf cleaned her sex toys that kept her unsatisfactorily satisfied, much to her embarrassment and chagrin, before she had a chance to clean them herself sometimes. She wanted to tell the helpful creature he didn't have to do that, that she could wash her own sex toys, but was too mortified to broach the subject with him. And even when she cleaned her own, she noticed that they were more carefully arranged when she went back into the drawer she stored them in than when she originally put them away. Even when unpacking, Hermione found her stash of sex toys included in a discreet drawer and her emergency escape box. She was tired of toys and was ready for the real thing once more, but Hermione decided to leave them in the trunk for the time being, unless Severus wanted to incorporate them into their brief time together.

"Don't tell me that until you got this Pensieve of your own, your only fulfillment were fantasies and a calloused hand?" she asked, knowing Severus was far more inventive than he gave himself credit for in that regard.

"Well," he began, but felt slightly embarrassed, not sure how she would take to the news of his taking Polyjuice Potion and blending it with the hair she gave him a year ago. He gave a short sigh of exasperation and merely said, "I made do."

Hermione knew there was more. She decided this one time to prod him, hoping he could be as open and honest with her as he had been earlier in the day with his emotions.

Sliding out of his embrace and changing positions to stand behind, she wrapped her arms around him. Gliding one hand down his front to stroke his length through his cotton twill shorts, she purred against his back, "Severus, you know my little secret, though it seems it isn't much of a secret if Lavender and the house-elves know about it."

Severus shut his eyes, enjoying the friction of her hand along his slowly stiffening length.

"Tell me. Please," she asked sweetly.

"You did give me a fair amount of hair for the Polyjuice Potion last year," he reluctantly admitted, as he began to roll his hips in time to her hand movements.

Hermione's hand stopped. "You've Polyjuiced into me more than once?" she asked.

Severus' eyes opened, noticing the sudden cessation of Hermione's attention. 'I hope she's not upset.'

Hermione didn't know what to think. She knew he'd changed into her in order to flee the country, but to willingly change into her for sexual gratification? Maybe that was where he learned that new technique to stroke her clit and labia just so in that new way she'd enjoyed earlier, having spent time in her own body.

Her hand began to slowly stroke Severus through his shorts once again, this time more slowly. "What inspired you to do that?" She didn't sound upset nor disgusted, but merely curious.

"The first week we were here, I knocked up Draco and Ginny. Ginny opened the door of the honeymoon suite, or should I say, Draco Polyjuiced as Ginny answered the door and told me to come back several hours later. The smell on his breath was unmistakable."

Thoughts raced through Hermione's mind, and she didn't realize it, but her breath had become more labored and her grasp of Severus through his shorts firmer. Images of herself turned into Severus fucking herself filled her mind. She wondered what it would feel like as a man to have an orgasm, and for Severus to experience that sweet sensation of being filled as he entered her, and knowing what joys and pleasures she felt making love with him.

Severus said nothing, waiting for her response.

"Do you think that maybe..." Hermione began, but stopped, unable to say it since the concept was so new to her.

"You want to try Polyjuice Potion and trade places?" Severus asked, a slightly bemused lilt in his voice, sensing Hermione was quite turned on by the idea, but was too embarrassed to outright ask.

"Yes." She exhaled, her sigh full of lust, feeling herself get turned on by the idea alone. Her hand unzipped the front of his shorts and slipped into his underpants to grasp his cock. Inspired, she rocked her hips into Severus bottom, giving him a feeling of what it was like to have someone grinding against him from behind, despite her lack of equipment.

"You almost seem eager to try it right now," Severus said. He wondered himself how it would feel to be inserted by something other than his own fingers for once.

"If we didn't have those dinner reservations tonight, I would say why not."

Hermione steered Severus over toward a nearby bench with her hands guiding him, pushing his hips and waist where she wanted him to go. She spun him around and dropped to her knees as she finished yanking his shorts and underpants down far enough. Looking up at him, as her hand stroked his now rigid length, she said, "I can't wait to see what it feels like if you were to do this to me." She closed her eyes and engulfed him entirely in her mouth in one slow fluid motion.

Severus threw his head back and groaned loudly, his hands gripping the edges of the bench.

"See," Hermione said, stroking his cock with one hand, letting the tip of his cock rest against her lower lip as she talked, "I want to know how that feels for you." Her other hand began to cup his sac, gently playing with the hairs.

Severus felt a thrill shoot through him when Hermione began to caress him there and goosebumps raced along his thighs and flanks, coupled with her taking him back into her warm and willing mouth.

His hand moved from the bench to her hair. He played with her wild mane and slowly entrenched his fingers into her curls.

Hermione knew what he would do next, and she relaxed her throat as he began to fuck her mouth. His plaintive sighs, the way his eyes would close and he would be lost in the sensation – she loved it all, as she looked up at him adoringly. She loved giving him pleasure, for he surely gave her plenty as well. And as vulgar as it may have been for her to say it aloud, she loved to suck Severus' cock.

Just as Severus began to pick up the pace, he stopped and hauled her up from the floor. He placed her in front of the bench and silently instructed to have Hermione brace her hands on the bench top.

He then settled in behind Hermione, yanking her knickers down until they only hung about one ankle so she could spread her legs, and hitching her dress up above her hips. Severus ground his cock up against her bottom, rubbing his head between the cleft of her cheeks. She arched her back in response.

"While you were turned into me," she panted, "did you ever feel your body naturally arch?"

Severus did notice while transformed into her, his body did respond differently. "Yes."

"Interesting," she sighed as she presented her backside to him.

Severus obliged and used his hand to guide himself into her, sinking deeply into her warmth. "How so," he groaned.

Leaning forward, relishing the sensation of the front of Severus' thighs slapping against the backs of her as he started to rhythmically slide in and out of her, she said through wistful sighs, "That means that while Polyjuiced as someone of the opposite sex, your body will instinctively respond." She grunted softly as Severus picked up the pace, slamming into her with more force. "To arch your back, to present yourself to be impaled, to feel that innate need to spread yourself wide to accept that magnificent cock of yours."

Severus grabbed a firmer hold of her hips and leaned forward, pinning her against the bench. He growled into her hair, "And you'll know how it instinctively feels to want to pound this delicious body, to ram myself deeply into you," he said through belabored grunts. "To revel in the maddening need to fill you until you come. To feel you milk my cock as you quiver and tremble around me, making love to you until I see you lost in the throes of an orgasm," he said, every other word coming out as a pant.

He reached around and began to stroke her clit.

She shrieked in response to the additional stimulus of his fingers. With one hand, she played with her nipple, tugging at it through her cotton dress and brassiere, wanting to increase the building epicenter of her orgasm she could sense was coming.

"Oh God, I can't wait to fuck you so you can know how good you feel." Seduced by her own statement, Hermione came, her cries choking in the back of her throat.

Severus shuddered and placed his head in the middle of her back as he came. Each time his balls seized and another spurt filled her, he grunted, his strokes becoming slower and more languid until he stopped entirely.

Hermione leaned forward, letting the cool metal bench top chill her nipples through her bunched up sun-dress-. The cool metal on the side of her face was quite refreshing, given how the tropical heat was finally starting to get to her. She could feel Severus breathe deeply against her back as he clung to her, hugging her from behind as if she were a piece of driftwood in the wide open seas.

When he withdrew from her, Hermione hissed. "Oh, I think I need some more of that salve. The lubrication potion wore off long ago," she noted with some resignation.

As she remained there bent over on the lab bench, she finally noticed with some detached observation – while ignoring the fact her arse was still fully on view – how Severus had half the benches topped with wood, and the other half with slabs of various stones or metals.

Severus pulled up his clothing before going to the other side of his lab and coming back with a small jar.

Tenderly, he applied the salve to her more abused parts. "I'm sorry. I guess we both got caught up in the moment. Though I could have used spit if you were that dry and desperate."

Hermione gave a hum of relief as the ointment soothed her. "I was too turned on to notice at the time. And spit? I'd rather you have opened that bottle of safflower oil on the shelf above our heads, since spit dries quickly." Once taken care of, she bent over, pulled her knickers up, and smoothed her dress down.

"You, me, a bottle of oil, and a hundred-square-foot sheet of six mil plastic sheeting. That sounds like a date," Severus said, finally thinking of a use for the roll of polyethylene sheeting he saw for sale recently. There were spells to clean up such experimentation, but they didn't get in between the seams of wood quite so well enough to his satisfaction.

Hermione stopped and looked at Severus, wondering where he picked up that particular Muggle terminology. "Six mil plastic sheeting?"

"There is a Muggle hardware section at the local general store, near the aisle where they sell paint," he explained upon seeing her regard him so curiously.

She shook her head, wondering just how much Muggle culture Severus had picked up in Malu Palekaiko. But first, they would finish the tour of their house together.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Showering once more without going at it yet again proved to be harder than they thought. Just as Hermione would soap Severus' back, her hand and the soap found other places to wash; this would distract Severus from the task of rinsing his hair, and resulted in a quick unfinished hand job. Hermione didn't protest either when Severus decided that he needed to spend at least five minutes to soap her breasts and lick the spray of water from her shoulder and neck. They decided that Severus would dress in the bedroom and Hermione would dress in the bathroom. Otherwise, they would definitely be late to dinner and never make it out the door, even with Hermione not wearing that little black backless dress Severus loved.

As he came into the bathroom to put on a small amount of cologne for her that night and brush his hair and beard one last time, he watched as Hermione finished pulling her hair up into an artfully arranged tangle of curls and tendrils.

"No, not quite right," he said absentmindedly to himself as he came over. With his finger, he pulled free one tendril and let it drape artfully down, halfway between the side and back on her neck so you could see it peeking out when viewed from the front. "There," he said with some satisfaction.

"I remember seeing you at Flourish and Blotts that sweltering night long ago. I noticed you observing me in the Potions aisle, and so I followed you to where I saw you reading up on family and marriage." Severus smiled to himself as he ran a finger along her neck, toying with the lock of her hair. "You had a tendril of hair on the back of your neck that refused to be tamed. And the more you played with it, the more I wanted to attach myself to your neck."

Hermione observed the look on Severus' face as he recounted that night, relishing in the light ministrations of his finger along her skin. She remembered that night too. "It was the scent of that cologne that made me stop to observe you. I caught the faintest hint of it and was going to ask whoever was wearing it what the name was. But then I saw you standing there in your black cloak and remembered how you said if we met in public, we would be but strangers to one another. I didn't want the enchantment to end."

Spinning around, she trailed her nose along the edge of Severus' collar, her hands placed palms down on his chest. "And I can smell that you used that same cologne to Haunt me with memories of you once more."

Severus smirked at her obvious pun. He also noticed Hermione was exuding a rather unique smell of her own now that she was in close proximity.

"I should ask you, what deliriously intoxicating scent are you wearing tonight," he purred and lifted her hand up to kiss her palm, inhaling the perfume more deeply, feeling his own senses reel.

"Something Albert and I have been working on. A match for Haunt. It smells different on each witch, amplifying her natural scents," she explained as his mouth began to trail kisses up the inside of her forearm, making it harder for Hermione to speak. "What do you smell?" she asked with a plaintive sigh.

"Gardenia, amber, bergamot," Severus recited. His eyes closed as he inhaled deeply, trailing his nose along the inside crook of her arm before sweeping her fully into his arms. He buried his nose at the base of her neck, smelling where she'd applied the tiniest amount to her pulse points. "Ylang-ylang, tuberose, tarragon, rose, oakmoss, and..." He inhaled once more deeply, enfolded her in his arms, and stopped. "Orange blossom."

Severus let go of Hermione and stepped back from her for a moment. Orange blossom was a scent he associated with Gabrielle. His first meeting with her was at the altar, and the scent of her bridal crown was his strongest memory of that particular fragrance.

It was an infinitesimal amount in the blend Hermione wore, he noted. Still, just naming it brought back a flood of memories, like a ghost from the past haunting him in his own way, just as his own scent haunted Hermione.

Noting the sudden change in his demeanor and how he had gone a little pale, Hermione placed a hand on his chest. "Severus, what's wrong?"

"I..." Severus had hardly thought about Gabrielle since coming to Malu Palekaiko, his thoughts mostly fixating on Hermione instead, and if or when they would be together again. His dead wife was like some apparition of the past reminding him of sins he had tried to absolve himself from for decades and put behind him with his new life. Severus had told Hermione about her. Surely, this was no time to be evasive with her. "Orange blossoms remind me of Gabrielle."

"I'm sorry if it brings back unpleasant memories. I'll just remove it," Hermione began, but was stopped when she reached for a tissue.

"No," Severus said as he gently grabbed her hand to stop her. "It's very minuscule and compliments the blending of other scents, plus the top note of lemon I also detect now. It smells divine on you. Leave it." He lifted her hand and tenderly kissed the inside of her wrist where she had placed a small drop earlier.

Orange blossoms were a part of Hermione and Gabrielle, just as they both had curious brown eyes, brown hair – Gabrielle's hair a light chestnut and Hermione's a dark chestnut, keen intelligence, and an insatiable quest for knowledge,

They also both had a certain air of righteous know-it-all common sense, the trait that caused Gabrielle to get herself killed. With Hermione, she'd used that particular trait to clear Severus' name and revoke the Death Eater Decree for him and Draco, in addition to ending a long string of election fraud. Severus could embrace that scent of orange blossoms on her, just as he embraced all those other traits that Hermione also happened to share with Gabrielle. It was a part of who she was that made him love her.

Severus was about to extend his arm to Hermione to begin escorting her to the restaurant, but was suddenly struck with another moment of inspiration.

"One moment," he said as he ducked off into the outdoor shower. Severus returned with a small spray of orchids.

Grabbing a spare hairpin Hermione had left on the counter, he began pinning it on the left side above her ear. "In Hawaii, a woman indicates if she is available or taken by the positioning of a flower behind her right or left ear," he explained.

Hermione was familiar with the custom, having read it in her tourist books, and understood the symbolism behind Severus placing it on her left side.

She admired the white orchids tipped with a vivid shade of purple that was a near match to her dress. "It's lovely," she said, gazing upon the vision of her and Severus in the bathroom mirror together.

"Our table awaits," Severus said as he stepped back and bowed courteously, kissing Hermione's hand, his eyes never leaving hers.

Hermione was strongly reminded of their early courtship days and how he would bow to her, kiss her hand, and help her with her cloak, slowly seducing his way into her heart. This was Hawaii and there was no cloak to help her with, since cloaks were very rarely if ever worn locally. But in England, there were no orchids to pin in her hair. She could adapt, with pleasure.

Tucking her arm in his, they set out into the deepening twilight of night towards town.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Leisurely strolling through town, Severus pointed out the various shops along the way to Mario's.

"That's the general store where I bought my Pensieve. They can Owl-Order or Portkey in anything from around the world, which is a great help to those who can't leave the safety of sanctuary."

He pointed to the shop across the road, their feet making a soft hollow thumping noise on the wide wooden boardwalk. "And that's the bookstore, Paige Spien's. Though not as extensive as Flourish and Blotts, there is a fair selection, plus she also has an exchange with a number of booksellers in San Francisco, Portland, Lima, Sydney, Tokyo, Beijing, Manila, Seoul, Seattle, Mexico City, and others. So if you want a particular book, she can get it, but finding something new through browsing you won't be as satisfied as at Flourish and Blotts."

They walked past the grocer who was just closing up, staying open extra late for those last-minute Christmas preparations and the forgotten extra pound of butter needed for baking.

"Severus! Who is your friend?" Lucinda asked.

Severus turned and presented his companion. "This is Hermione. She's here visiting for the week. And this is Lucinda, the town grocer."

Lucinda extended her hand to shake it, but not before wiping in on her apron. "Pleased to meet you. Well, I've got to finish closing up and go home to finish up some baking for tomorrow. Mele Kalikimaka, you two."

"Mele Kalikimaka, Lucinda," Severus said, not tripping over the saying like he did a year ago.

"She seems nice," Hermione said. She smiled at the witch as Lucinda used her wand to put away her produce display stands for the night and holiday, moving them from the sidewalk to inside the store.

"A lot of the people in this town are nice," Severus said with no sarcasm.

Hermione patted his arm, noting Severus seemed to be happy amongst these townsfolk.

As they continued their walk towards Mario's, a familiar place came into view. Bongo's had its doors wide open, as usual. Inside were revelers having a cup of Christmas cheer on Christmas Eve.

Severus could hear the band merrily playing away, a bluesy-folk rendition of a Christmas hymn that was normally sung with great solemnity reinterpreted to be a bit more cheerful with a faster tempo. From the flourishes on the piano, he could tell Jerry was tickling the ivories that night.

Looking up, she saw the shingle hanging outside the bustling bar. "Is this the infamous Bongo's?" Hermione asked with great interest, stopping at the open doors to observe the scene.

"The one and only." Severus spied Jerry just as he suspected, along with Agnes. The old witch was strumming away, playing a guitar solo while Maurice was squeezing and bellowing his accordion with the basic melody. There were a few people with brass horns, and someone had brought their cello to the bar to join in the nightly impromptu jam session.

Jerry looked up and spotted Severus and Hermione standing out on the sidewalk, the light of the bar bathing them in the warm yellow and red glow of the tavern lights. The Charms and Transfiguration tutor who worked with Severus was glad to see that everything worked out, and Hermione did indeed make it to Hawaii as Draco informed him. It was strange to see Severus dressed so formally, as he was wearing a neatly pressed long-sleeved white shirt buttoned up to his neck, long black trousers, a smartly fitted and tailored waistcoat, and a very beautiful witch on his arm. And that Hermione looked just as stunning as the photo of her on Severus' desk back at the shop.

Wrapping up the song in short order, Jerry mumbled something to the band as Hermione and Severus looked on, the witch fascinated by the local flavor.

Catching Severus' eye, Jerry gave an exaggerated wink at him before launching into a new song.

The band joined in, familiar with the old standard, and Jerry began to croon.

"Kiss me once and kiss me twice
Then kiss me once again
It's been a long, long time
Haven't felt like this, my dear
Since I can't remember when
It's been a long, long time..."

It was definitely sung for Severus' benefit and hers.

Hermione leaned against Severus, not missing the lyrics. She swayed back and forth a bit, suddenly remembering it had been over a year since they had danced together.

Severus encouraged Hermione continue on towards the restaurant, but once past the open doors of Bongo's where no one else could spy them, and noting the rest of the street was deserted, Severus pulled Hermione into his arms and began a slow foxtrot in time to the music.

Hermione threw her head back and laughed softly at the sudden spontaneity of Severus dancing with her out in public. They moved within the narrow confines of the sidewalk, keeping it simple. The song was shortly over, and Severus spun her once under his arm as the tune ended.

Tucking her arm back into his, she leaned slightly to the right, resting her head a little on Severus' shoulder as they finished walking the last few doors down to Mario's.

Severus opened the door to the restaurant and was greeted by Mario himself.

"Good evening, Severus. I can't tell you how pleased I was to learn you made reservations, and for two," the Italian wizard and chef said, drinking in the sight of Hermione on his arm.

Mario had come from Italy a couple decades prior, but still had a rather strong accent. He had sought sanctuary after his own dealings with the local mafia; he had enacted a bit of his own justice before coming to Malu Palekaiko, similar to Jerry's story. Before Mario's arrival, there were no fine dining establishments in Malu Palekaiko, nor any decent European cuisine of note, other than dining privately in the home of someone who was originally from Europe.

"Mario, may I present Hermione," Severus said with some pride, his chest puffing out the tiniest bit.

Mario bowed and grasped Hermione's hand to kiss the top of it. "Piacere! Ah. Hai rotto il fiato."

"He says it's a pleasure to meet you, and that you take his breath away," Severus faithfully translated for her.

"Grazie, Mario. I look forward to dining here, since I've heard such good things about it from Severus and other friends," Hermione said, remembering how Lavender was thrilled with the food and service. The founder of The Lovely Lavender Company was fairly hard to impress, considering all the fine dining establishments she frequented all over the world.

"Prego," Mario said humbly. "See? She speaks Italian already and as beautifully as she looks. She is a keeper, Severus, my friend."

Severus shook his head, knowing that Hermione wasn't the only beautiful witch to be charmed by Mario's suave manners and welcoming hospitality. He remembered when he, Draco. and Ginny first came to this restaurant.

"Come. I have a nice table for you in the back where you won't be disturbed." Mario beckoned them to follow him with a subtle gesture of his hand. He had two menus and a wine list tucked under his other arm.

As Severus and Hermione walked through the long and narrow restaurant, other diners stopped their conversations to notice that one of the town's few Potions masters, and one of the top eligible bachelors, was in the company of a beautiful and unknown witch. It did not escape the couple's attentions how the other diners' eyes raked over Hermione, surveying her and noticing how formal Severus was dressed compared to his more local casual look. They were by far the most formally dressed couple in the entire restaurant. Many of the men were wearing merely clean and not too wrinkled Hawaiian shirts or T-shirts and a clean pair of shorts. The women were also in very cool and casual dresses, or Hawaiian shirt and matching short outfits. It also escaped no one's attention there was a spray of orchids carefully placed behind Hermione's left ear.

After Mario helped Hermione into her seat, they accepted their menus and Severus was handed the wine list before Mario wished them "Buon Appetito."

Looking at the menu with her eyes never leaving it, Hermione said casually, "I think we're now officially the talk of the town."

Hermione was sitting with her back to the long wall. Out of the left corner of her eye, she saw the other diners' heads bent together while casting curious glances their way. Severus had the full view, sitting to Hermione's immediate right. He could see the eyes dart their way and even noticed how the conversation in the restaurant jumped by a few decibels once the newly-arrived couple walked through the length of the packed restaurant.

"This island is a hotbed haven for gossip and speculative rumors, since there is little else to take up their free time in this quiet town," Severus remarked dryly, with a hint of bitterness. He did not like to be talked about in such fashion, nor did he want Hermione to be the center of town gossip.

Hermione had been the center of gossip back home for nearly a year. She was no longer fazed by it. First she was the witch who was dumped by her rising-star Quidditch-player husband for a beauty queen. Then she was the witch who started that "awful Muggle fad of divorce and broken engagements." Next she was heralded in the tabloids and papers throughout Great Britain as that Muggle-born who exonerated two ex-Death Eaters, though her fame for finally discovering Dumbledore's will took a back seat to the more lurid news of her work to clear Severus and Draco's name and the irony of it, given her Muggle heritage. And the latest was that she was that pitiful, divorced witch who worked for her ex-husband's new wife who had just had a baby. There was even rampant speculation that Ron had left her for Lavender because Hermione was infertile. In each reincarnation of the gossip that surrounded her, there was always a footnote about how she was friends with Harry Potter.

If anything, Hermione knew that once people's curiosity was satisfied, they moved on to something else to occupy it.

"I know how to stop them staring at us," Hermione said.

"What, cast a Disillusionment Charm?" he asked with some sarcasm, stating the obvious.

"No, this," she said as she set her menu down and craned her neck to the side. With her right hand, she cupped Severus' cheek and guided him into a spontaneous kiss.

It was not a kiss filled with burning passion, but with slow sensuality. Hermione did not consume Severus with her kiss as she did earlier in the day. Instead, she slowly caressed his lips with hers as the tip of her tongue teased the tip of his.

Severus was surprised by the suddenness of Hermione kissing him in public, but did not fight it. His hand gently stroked her neck, sensing the mood set by her kiss.

Hermione pulled away and smiled at him. Without looking over her shoulder, she said softly, "They aren't looking at us anymore, are they?"

Severus was so enraptured by her sudden and swift seduction of that simple kiss that he had to tear his eyes away from hers to look. Sure enough, just as she predicted, everyone was back to minding their own business, and the level of conversation in the restaurant was back down to a more restful drone.

"How did you know?" Severus asked, wondering what inspired her to that bit of insight.

"Everyone was curious. You could see it in their faces and hear it in their hushed whispers. Satisfy their curiosity, and they move on to something else to occupy their free time in this quiet town," she hearkened back to his earlier statement.

"So you put on a show of public affection for their amusement?"

"I wanted to kiss you regardless. But if it also served the purpose of letting us enjoy our meal in peace, then I was willing to let them watch. Besides, we don't have to hide anymore," she reminded him.

"No, we don't," Severus agreed, and reached out to hold her hand on top of the table.

The waiter eventually came over. Severus ordered for the both of them and chose a nice Campania white wine, made from grapes grown somewhere along the Amalfi Coast. Severus selected the traditional Italian Seven Fishes Christmas Eve dinner. Mario was a master at preparing the local seafood, and he wanted Hermione to have the best of everything during her first visit to Malu Palekaiko.

But first there was the aperitivo. Severus had ordered a split of champagne to go with the first course of freshly shucked raw oysters, served with a shallot and champagne vinegar mignonette. Pouring the champagne, Severus tilted the glasses to keep the foam from bubbling over the edge.

"What shall we toast to?" Hermione asked, holding her glass up.

"To the best Christmas present ever given to me," he said, still amazed she was there with him, and Draco and Albert's scheming to bring her there to him.

"And best present to me as well," Hermione amended as they clinked.

The next course was salmon, marinated red pepper, and crème fraîche blended with artichoke, topped with a slice of Kalamata olive. It was Italian, but definitely had some French influence in the presentation.

The primo course was a traditional Linguine con le Vongole. Hermione marveled at how well the clams were done, not overcooked; and the broth was flavorful without being over-garlicky. Even during her previous trip to Italy – many of her trips lately were with Albert – the linguine with clams had a broth that was often too oily or too heavy-handed with the garlic. Mario's linguine course was sublime and light, and not too large, since there were still four more courses to go. Hermione appreciated the fact that the portions were small, since there were so many dishes she and Severus were going to be served.

For the secondo, or main entrée, Mario served up baked eel with lemon, olives, and capers, alongside braised squid with tomatoes, and sautéed scallops wrapped in basil leaves and topped with a light Alfredo sauce. There was a small and neatly arranged pile of freshly steamed spinach – drizzled lightly with olive oil, freshly cracked pepper, and nutmeg – served as the contorno, or side dish, alongside the trio of seafood.

In between each course, Hermione and Severus talked, able to have those languid conversations they once had as they sat by the fire, their lust sated and bellies full of good food and fine wine in Severus' flat. Hermione asked him more about his Potions shop and business, while he asked about her apprenticeship and her work with Lavender.

Just as one course was cleared away, there was a pause until the next course was served, timed to be a long and languid meal that makes one truly appreciate a fine dining experience. In those periods between courses, Hermione and Severus held hands, gazing deeply into each other's eyes highlighted by the ambient candlelight and the small votive on the table. Periodically, they were so lost in each other's eyes, they hardly noticed when the next course would suddenly appear on the table in front of them.

As much as Hermione loved the many wonderful and romantic dinners Severus had cooked for her, it was nice that they could forget about the kitchen and dishes, even though Marf helped a great deal. Both she and Severus were being catered to, pampered by the wonderful service, and served with superb seafood dishes.

Even Severus enjoyed the fact he didn't have to think about anything overcooking or busy steaming away in the kitchen, even if Marf could be there to attend to it. All of Severus' attention was on Hermione and Hermione alone.

The insalata came, which was a simple salad with small shrimp, lemon, olive oil, parsley, basil, oregano, pepper, and tender baby lettuces.

After the salad course, Hermione wasn't sure if she could eat any more. Granted, she and Severus only had a light salad for lunch, but there was much more protein she consumed during dinner. She wasn't sure she could eat anything else, and yet she still wanted dessert.

Even Severus was at his limit. And he was looking forward to Mario's cannoli, which he’d had on previous visits, but he wanted Hermione to try them herself.

When the plates disappeared back to the kitchen, Mario saw the diners didn't finish their salads. He came out of the kitchen.

"I sense that you've left no room for dessert," Mario correctly surmised.

"Once again, an excellent meal, good sir."

"Grazie," Mario bowed slightly toward Severus in recognition of his compliment.

"Yes, it was better than I could have hoped. Dinner was perfect, except that I can't face dessert," Hermione admitted. "Normally when we would dine together, we would have dessert at a much later time, after letting dinner settle for a while."

"Then let me pack it up to go for you, so that you may enjoy it later, after dinner has settled, as you say," Mario offered.

"Thank you, that would be appreciated." For once, Severus was able to pull out his money and pay, since the last time they dined in public, Hermione had to pay for everything with her credit card and Muggle money.

It really was nice to be free from the restrictions of the Death Eater Decree, able to treat Hermione like he had wanted to.

Severus left a generous tip for Mario for the wonderful meal, choice table location, and accommodating his request for a last-minute reservation on Christmas Eve.

As Hermione and Severus strolled arm-in-arm down the middle of the street, Hermione looked up and finally got a good look at the looming black silhouette of the volcano that rose up above the town. She could see the faintest red glow from the lip of the caldera, as the volcano had been active recently. The flow even reached the northwest side of the island, burning through some uninhabited forestland.

"I forget you live in the shadow of a volcano. Isn't there a risk of the town or people's houses being in the path of a lava flow?" she asked, having read about some homes on the Big Island being covered with lava periodically.

"As long as people are respectful of Pele and make their offerings, their homes and this town are safe," Severus said matter of factly.

Hermione stopped walking, which caused Severus to stop as well. Looking at him strangely and slightly shocked by Severus' statement, she said, "I didn't take you for a religious person, Severus."

"It's not religion based on faith when Pele exists," he said with a tone to indicate he was not joking, nor had he imbibed in the locals' own special brand of Kool-Aid. "It's her magic that gave me protection from being hauled back to England when Potter found me. Did Potter tell you what happened when he laid hands on Ginny our first day when he tracked us here?" Of course he did not want to mention his and Mounga's personal experience coming across Pele in real life, nor his spotting of her during the Pele Festival. It would sound too fantastical and delusional.

Hermione began walking once more alongside Severus, weighing his words and trying to remember. "No, Harry merely said that he found Ginny, that he'd known about you and me since the night of my anniversary dinner with Ron, since he saw me leaving your flat that night, and that he was willing to finally listen to my claims that you and Draco were always faithful to the Order. That, and he was going away for a bit." She heaved a great sigh, remembering the day and all the sorrow and anxiety she went through.

"Well, Potter showed up in the late morning, while I was sleeping. He barged into Draco and Ginny's suite at Justina's hotel, just down the hall from my room. Halulu showed up and informed him that Ginny was under the protection of the island's magic, but Potter did not understand the finer implications of her statement. He grabbed Ginny in order to throw some clothes on her, or so he claimed, and he disappeared without her. They found him transported back in front of the Portkey office. He was lucky: some Aurors and bounty hunters have been transported to treetops, shark-infested lagoons, three miles out to sea, and on a rare occasion, the edge of the caldera if they attempt to take a person who has been granted sanctuary from this place."

Hermione laughed and shook her head. "No, Harry did not tell me about that. Neither did Draco or Ginny inform me of that, but I do remember from your memory of Dumbledore's own experience trying to bring back some of Grindel–"

"Shh!" Severus shushed her, not wanting to be overheard by anyone out late for a walk. "Since the Headmaster tried to bring some of his followers back, I'm not quite sure who still might have issues with the old Headmaster. Draco and I have avoided mentioning the Headmaster and his old war foe by name, to avoid those who might have issue with us being aligned with him."

Hermione could see the need to hide one's past. "Of your past, who knows about you and Draco here?"

"Mounga processed my request for sanctuary, Gary Fujitani processed Draco. Halulu processed Ginny and knows of us through our association with Ginny, but Mounga is the only one who knows all my secrets. Even ones I've never told you or Draco, and will never mention again," he said solemnly, his eyes cast down on the pavement in front of them as they wound their way back home.

Hermione had heard from Draco and Ginny about the use of Veritaserum in the granting-of-sanctuary interviews. She wondered, if she was forced to drink that much Veritaserum, would she remember things she had purposefully put out of her mind and forgotten? She did not want to know first-hand.

Finally back at the house, Severus put the cannoli away.

Stretching, Hermione asked as she headed towards the bedroom, "Care to make use of one more vial of Sequoia?"

"I was thinking we could make use of the Finaus' gift to us and visit the hot springs tonight. Otherwise we'll have to wait until my usual day, Wednesday," Severus countered.

"Can we do both?" she counter-offered. Hermione had had many fantasies of making love in one of those beautiful tropical pools she had seen in her tourism books. The fact that the twins' portable tropical paradise also had a mini-soaking pool with waterfall included only fueled her desire for an idealized romp in the water.

Considering all the wanking he had done in the hot springs thinking of Hermione, a visit there was only the natural next step considering she was finally there in the flesh. Severus guessed he wasn't going to let his muscles relax in the hot water after all, if he was going to put them to work some more that night.

Severus undressed quickly, changing into a pair of shorts, a plain black T-shirt Ginny once gave him as some joke, and some rubber flip-flop sandals. He then grabbed a couple towels.

"What are you doing?" Severus asked as he saw Hermione trying to shimmy into a one-piece bathing suit that Marf had packed for her.

"Getting changed for the hot springs, of course."

"You won't be needing that. Just something to throw over yourself for now, as we will undress there," he informed her, smiling with anticipation of more fantasies of his coming true shortly.

"What about other people?" she asked, not getting the finer points of Draco's comment that the Finaus' gave them use of the hot springs that night.

"We have it all to ourselves until sunrise. It's under a Fidelius Charm and no one else will show up, unless they want to risk losing their weekly privileges when it is clearly not their turn." Severus threw the towels over his shoulder while he waited for Hermione to get out of her swimsuit and find a pair of cotton knickers, a loose cotton dress, and sensible sandals, since she'd noted Severus' choice of footwear.

Side-Along Apparating there together, they waited for a moment while their eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness.

"Lumos." Severus held his wand out in front of himself so he could see where he was walking and make his way from the Apparition platform up the stone stairs to the soaking pool. Hermione also cast the same charm and followed, watching where he was stepping.

As they reached the top of the short staircase, they ended the charm and let darkness surround them.

Hermione gasped in admiration as her eyes finally adjusted.

The waxing gibbous moon was near its zenith, bathing the entire hot spring in bright silvery light. The light of the moon was reflected off of the white flowers of the crepe ginger, white clock-vine, and the sprawling white and purple passiflora vine that scrambled along the edges of the pool.

A small waterfall cooled the magma-heated hot spring and created ripples in the water that caught the moonlight, giving it a banded texture of silvery white and blackest ebony across the surface of the water.

Hermione wanted to view this place in the daylight and see the vivid greens of the palm trees and bamboo that looked black when silhouetted against the starry moonlit sky.

Severus guided her over to a bench and a chopped-down, denuded tree that was merely a trunk with stumps where branches once grew. The stumps now served as places to hang clothing. There were holes drilled into the tree where you could store your wands.

They slipped out of their clothing and hung them on the old tree before Severus guided Hermione to an entrance point with steps, holding her hand so she did not slip.

"Oww," Hermione protested at the roughness of the porous lava stones beneath her feet.

"Your feet will toughen up a bit once you live here," he said as he restrained a small hiss of his own. Due to the ice pox, Severus' tolerance for extreme hot and cold temperatures was still not what it once was, but he was exposing himself gradually to more extreme temperatures to build it back up once more.

"Hah! Bit hot," Hermione complained.

"It's cooler over here," Severus said as he guided her closer to the waterfall, where a cool stream cascaded down the rock face.

They had already taken their doses of their respective potions back at the house. They were both feeling quite inspired by more than the elixirs they imbibed, feeling the effects of their surroundings more to enhance their mood.

Hermione dipped her head underwater and pulled her hair away from her face. She moved towards Severus in the moonlight.

Severus sat mid-chest deep in the water, having found one of the many custom seats that were built into the pool for people to sit on, and to better relax along the edge of the hot springs.

Hermione reached Severus and stood up, letting the water run in rivulets down her body, dripping off the tips of her breasts.

Watching her, he felt his heart beat faster. "You look like a water nymph in the moonlight," Severus said in awe of the sight of Hermione in the pale luminescence. Her body was bathed in the palest silvery blues, the water droplets clinging to her body sparkling like the twinkling of the stars. For a moment, she could have been the vision of an actual goddess to him.

She felt more confident and wanted to let Severus see her naked in the moonlight. "Were I Langia, that would make you Himeros, the Greek god of sexual desire," she lightly joked, recalling Severus' explanation for the magically arousing effects of Fairy Brandy. "I did mention earlier today you were a sex god."

Hermione went to straddle Severus, careful not to scrape her knees on the rough stone that lined the pool. With the Sequoia potion in effect, he was already hard when they Apparated to the hot springs. In the water, she felt him still erect in the hot water.

"I can't tell you how many nights I've fantasized about being with you in these hot springs, making love with you in the moonlight," she confessed. Hermione sighed as she guided Severus into her, feeling a bit more friction than usual as the water partially washed away the natural lubrication.

Severus, feeling Hermione nearly floating away from him and trying to impale herself further, helped by grabbing her hips and pulling her down onto him. This caused her to gasp as hot water was also pushed into her with the force of Severus' cock, causing a momentary expansion of her vaginal walls.

Hermione remembered sex in the bath with Severus, but in the hot spring there was a lot more room to play around. She missed the sensation of friction and sex in the water, plus the way water would be pushed into her with each stroke, creating a fuller feeling.

"Oh, how I love you, Severus," she sighed as she let Severus guide the pace with the use of his hands.

The ripples on the surface of the water changed, becoming choppier with the addition of the ripples caused by Hermione riding Severus in one corner of the pool.

Hermione stifled her cries, not sure where the nearest neighbor was. Had she known it was at least a few miles away, she would have been more vocal.

Severus sighed and groaned with delight, hardly believing this was actually coming true. She was here and making love to him in the moonlight, confessing her love for him – and he was deliriously happy. He sat up straighter and grasped tightly onto her, wrapping his arms around her torso, pushing her down onto him as he thrust up from underneath. Her breasts were rubbing up against his upper chest and neck, so he took one nipple into his mouth and sucked as hard as he knew Hermione could tolerate.

She threw her head back and screamed, no longer caring if anyone heard them.

Unable to hold out any longer, Severus came, throwing his head back along the edge of the pool and shouting and swearing as he came.

Hermione slowed down as she sensed Severus soften momentarily, but she knew it would be a temporary situation since the Sequoia potion would make him hard quickly.

Climbing off him to sit next to him, she was about to sit down until Severus indicated he had other plans.

He reached up and patted the edge of the pool, indicating he wanted Hermione to instead sit along the edge of the pool and dangle her legs in the water. Initially she sat down, but then got up to fetch her wand to cast a cushioning charm along a large swath of the pool's edge. This would enable them to sit anywhere they pleased during their visit without the rocks scratching them.

Sitting back down once again, Hermione watched as Severus, looking like some mischievous satyr hoping to seduce her, moved towards her, parting her legs. Sometime during her visit, she would have to share the hallucination she had while taking her Greek exam, by watching the memory together with Severus in his Pensieve.

Hermione reclined back a bit, placing her hands on the ground behind her to brace herself as she observed Severus trail kisses up the inside of her thighs until his face was firmly planted at the apex of her thighs.

His tongue went to work licking, sucking, and nibbling, even using his nose to probe at her entrance. He chuckled when she spread her legs wider. Hermione was intrigued by the idea of Severus fucking her with that prominent nose of his. As he pressed his nose into her entrance, his tongue eventually darted out and licked at her anus.

During their time together, Severus had played with her arse periodically with his fingers, but he had never placed his tongue there before. Hermione was always a little bit uncomfortable and a whole lot of shy regarding Severus and the concept of rimming, but given the moment and the spontaneity of the moment, Hermione was not adverse to the idea for once.

"Yes," she sighed as she spread her thighs wider to allow him greater access.

Severus couldn't believe it. He had been wanting to give her pleasure in this way for a long time now, but he'd chosen to wait until she was more receptive. Now she was willing to let him try. To get better access, Severus asked her to flip over, laying her stomach and torso across the stones surrounding the pool, while her legs were in the pool, presenting her arse for his and her pleasure. He was thankful she'd thought to cast a cushioning charm.

Given her previous concerns regarding hygiene, Severus went for his own wand. He cast a specialized cleansing charm in Greek that he'd learned from an ancient Greek book on erotica, a rare tome he once browsed in the Malfoy library.

Hermione felt a sensation that was warm then cool, as she listened to the charm in Greek, translating the combined words in her mind. It was actually quite arousing, feeling a slight tingling sensation around and just inside her anus. Severus had told her that it was another erogenous zone, and his finger-play in that area did indeed prove that it was one for her, but until now she wasn't ready to entertain the idea of Severus sticking his tongue down there.

Severus set his wand down and caressed Hermione's arse. He could tell from the tension in her legs she was a little nervous. To soothe her, he decided to begin with familiar territory. As his fingers rubbed at her clit lazily, making her back arch even more, this allowed him the opportunity to delve in and lap at her labia and entrance to her vagina.

He rarely feasted on her from behind, but she really liked it, especially the sensation of his beard against her thighs and outer labia. She could even feel his beard tickling her clit, adding more sensation to the act.

Sensing she was relaxed and more receptive, Severus moved his fingers to probe her while his tongue begun to work on Hermione's other entrance. He delicately ran his tongue around her outside on a slow circular motion, which caused Hermione to gasp with delight in that way when she was experiencing something new to her.

Hermione reached her hands behind and spread herself a little wider for Severus, indicating she was willing.

Her head spun in the delirium of hedonistic experimentation she had always considered taboo, but her own research and exploration of erotica she had read over the past year had expanded her horizons and opened a willingness to finally try this with Severus. There were books similar to the erotic Arabian tome Hermione had found and bought. She read it at night with her fingers frantically working away, making herself orgasm to the thoughts of Severus trying those other avenues of pleasure on her.

As his tongue slipped into her anus, she let out a shuddering sigh, feeling the thrill of all those untouched nerves being stimulated for the first time that way. It also helped that Severus' fingers were deftly working on her clit and G-spot simultaneously, manifesting in a burning heat building in her abdomen.

The pitch of her cries intensified as she rocked her hips against Severus' hands and mouth until she could bear the tension no longer. It was a strange sensation to be invaded by Severus' soft and warm tongue, but it was also better than she'd anticipated.

Severus was tempted to replace his fingers with his cock, as Hermione often begged him to do in the past when he fingered her, but he resisted, even when he felt her flesh flutter and ripple around his digits. He let her crest through oral and manual manipulation, despite how his body demanded that he slip into her once more.

Panting heavily, Hermione slipped back down into the warm waters once more, blissfully relaxed from yet another orgasm. She had had so many that day that she had lost count.

Leaning her head back against the stones while gazing up at the stars above her head and the moon that was nearly blinding in its brightness, she sighed contentedly. "I think this tops my birthday and that weekend in Weybourne for most romantic day ever, Severus." She was blissfully tranquil.

Severus sat back down beside her and placed a hand on her thigh. "It could be one of many yet to come together." His stomach was tight with nervousness, but the romantic setting, the time, and Hermione's statement inspired him to seize the moment.

"When I'm done with my apprenticeship, I will return. And we can live together in our house."

Severus wanted more than just to share a house together, he wanted to share a life with Hermione that was a bit more than sharing a bed. He wanted much more, eventually, and he was willing to wait for her.

"When I left you, I gave you permission to move on with your life." He lifted his head up to gaze upon her face as she was still dreamily staring up at the stars and moon above. "I know I've mentioned this before, but I can't stress how much I regretted letting go of you. And when you go home, to your other home back in London, I don't want you to leave without there being a promise of sorts between us. That not only will you live with me, but that you'll be mine and mine alone, and I yours."

Hermione lifted her head to gaze at Severus, watching his brow, the high part of his cheek and nose highlighted by the moon while the rest of his face was cast into dark shadow. There was a very serious tone in his voice. She wanted to assure him that she was always his, but given their time apart, both knew the history of what had transpired, and both had regretted it.

"What are you saying specifically?" Hermione asked, knowing this was Severus' way of coming around to something important he wanted to tell or ask her. The tightening feeling in her stomach sensed what he was going to say next.

"Marry me, Hermione."

============

A/N: I have commissioned felixavenier (http://felixavenier.deviantart.com/) to do a piece of fan art of Hermione and Severus in the hot springs. It's featured on my Tumblr page here - NSFW, R-rated/Mature due to frontal nudity:
http://atdlhea-betz.tumblr.com/post/152537239600/fan-art-sneak-peek-at-chapter-101

Thank you to my lovely betas, JuneW and Hope. You make fanfic so much better, especially mine.

Title taken from the song "It's Been a Long Long Time." Written by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn.

Su tesorito: "your little treasure" in Spanish.

Piacere: Pleasure OR It’s a pleasure to meet you!

Hai rotto il fiato: You took my breath away.
- 101
- 102
- 103
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

And They Didn\'t Live Happily Ever After