Scarlet Women

Scarlet Women Chapter 13

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Hermione and Ginny dressed in Hermione\'s room and walked through her portal into

the common room.

Harry was already there waiting for Ron and he waved at them.

\"Hello!\" Ginny called out. Hermione suspected Ginny still harbored a crush on Harry,

but had finally given up. Seven years was an awfully long wait for someone to catch

on. If only he\'d get a clue they wouldn\'t be in this fix. Ginny would have boffed him in

the common room late one night. No traipsing around the castle. No secret notes.

Then Hermione\'s mind flashed to a pair of dark eyes set under a firm brow. He\'d be at

breakfast as well, wouldn\'t he?

Suddenly Hene rne realized. Ginny still had no idea Snape had been involved in the

first encounter. Hermione felt a little less tense. She\'d tell Ginny. She\'d have to tell her

sometime. But not now. Not quite yet. She still didn\'t know how.

\"Where\'s Ron?\" Hermione asked, vaguely.

\"Still upstairs. His new broom came this morning and he\'s making sure it\'s tucked into

it\'s case before breakfast,\" Harry rolled his eyes.

\"It took a lot of work for him to get that broom,\" Ginny said defensively. \"He worked

all summer in the novelty factory and it took him months to convince Fred and

George to front him the rest of the money.\"

\"I know,\" said Harry, looking a little embarrassed. \"But you\'d think it was made of spun

glass the way he\'s carrying on.\"

Just then loud footsteps came running down the stairs from the seventh year

dormitories and thudded the the common room.

\"Hello all!\" Ron said bounding into the room. \"Quidditch practice this afternoon,

Harry!\" He reminded Harry, as if he\'d given him the chance to forget.

\"I know, Ron\" said Harry. \"Did you work out that new play?\"

\"I think so,\" said Ron slowly. \"It\'s going to be tricky, but I think we can do it. The new

Cleansweep Elite should help.\"

\"Is that the name of your new broom?\" asked Hermione.

\"Yea,\" said Ron, puffing up proudly. \"Just got it this morning. It\'s a real beauty-\"

\"We\'re going to be late for breakfast,\" Ginny said impatiently. \"You can go over the

specs there.\"

The four of them hurried down the corridor that led them down to the Great Hall. As

they approached the Gryffindor table they found most of their other teammates

already seated. Hermione noticed that, thankfully, Snape hadn\'t arrived yet. She

probably would have tripped if he\'d been watching her. Or started giggling

uncontrollably.

\"Did you have to kiss it goodbye, Weasley?\" Seamus Finnegan snickered as they slid

into their seats.

\"Aw, push off,\" Ron said with a grin. \"It\'s going to win us the House Cup this year.\"

\"We can win the House Cup in other ways besides playing Quidditch!\" Hermione

protested. The boys stopped conversation and slowly turned to face her. They

proceeded to give her a look as if she had gone quite mad.

While the boys raved about the qualities of the new Cleansweep Elite, Hermione and

Ginny had a chance to talk without interruption.

\"So what\'s with Draco?\" Hermione asked, sipping her pumpkin juice and helping

herself to some kippers.

\"He\'s great,\" Ginny said with a grin. \"He\'d like to see us together, again.\"

Hermione choked on her pumpkin juice and started to cough.

\"You alright?\" Harry asked, jumping up to thump her on the back.

Hermione nodded helplessly, snorting into her napkin. She glanced up at the high

table and Snape quirked an eyebrow at her. She began coughing more vigorously.

Harry\'s pounding didn\'t help. Nor did the sudden appearance of Snape. He could

sure be silent when he wanted to.

\"Harry, stop!\" said Ginny glancing toward the head table and catching Snapes eye.

She snorted and rubbed Hermione\'s back, her coughing starting to subside.

\"You OK?\" she asked. Hermione nodded blowing her nose into her napkin.

\"I think so,\" said Hermione weakly.

\"That was pretty funny,\" Ginny began to giggle.

\"Don\'t you start,\" Hermione warned.

Harry slid back into his seat anjoinjoined the conversation about the Cleansweep

Elite.

*

Snape sipped his pumpkin juice and glanced back at the Gryffindor table. Miss

Granger seemed to have composed herself. Even Miss Weasley seemed to have

turned her attention elsewhere. He let out a breath he didn\'t know he was holding.

This was terrifying. He had slept with a student. His career was doomed. Dumbledore

had trusted him and he had broken the most sacred rule. He was doomed. The

parents would have him burnt at the stake no matter how enchanting, how

intoxicating, how - he felt a tightening in his groin. He began listing the properties of

the common garden slug mentally. He felt his desire beginning to ebb away.

\"Something wrong, Severus?\" came a squeaky voice from his right.

Snape looked over at Professor Flitwick.

\"No, thank you,\" he said with a slight smile. \"Just going over the lesson plan for

today.\"

\"You work too hard,\" Flitwick said concernedly. \"You need to take some time for

yourself.\"

\"I\'ll keep that in mind,\" Snape said, reaching for a plate of bacon.

*

\"I didn\'t mean to startle you,\" Ginny said. \"Is it OK? I mean - I thought it was OK.\"

\"I-I\'m not sure,\" Hermione confessed. \"Listen, I know you like him, but I don\'t know

what\'s going on now, inside I mean.\"

Hermione looked at Ginny and saw her face fall.

\"Not about you,\" Hermione added hastily and her hand stroked Ginnys leg under the

table. \"Don\'t be silly. I just - I don\'t know.\" She glanced up at the head table and the

raven haired figure talking to Professor Flitwick.

\"Was it really that good?\" Ginny asked chuckling. \"I think you just need a little variety

to keep your spirits up. Draco was great the first time wasn\'t he.\"

All Hermione could do was nod, hoping she wasn\'t wincing.

\"Well then, look over there,\" Ginny nodded towards the Slytherin table.

Draco Malfoy was wearing a green shamrock in his lapel.

Ginny caught his eye and he looked over at them, turning pink.

Both Ginny and Hermione began to giggle.

\"Do we have to wait until after school?\" Ginny asked between clenched teeth.

\"I can take care of you later this afternoon to tide you over,\" Hermione said smiling.

\"Damn that man and double Potions!\" Ginny said fervently. \"Really, was he that

good?\"

Hermione laughed.

\"Maybe I\'ll take him for another spin to be sure,\" Hermione said looking at Ginny for

a reaction.

She loved Ginny, really she did, SeveSeverus could talk to her like no one else could.

He stimulated parts of her that no one else could. Albeit, up until now that had

mainly consisted of blind fury. She\'d actually like to see Ginny and Severus get along,

perhaps become entwined with both of them - her groin tightened. She began

counting to a hundred. In Greek. She shifted on the bench uncomfortably. Not

helping.

Ginny looked Hermione up and down.

\"I told you you\'d warm up to the idea, didn\'t I?\" Ginny ran her hand up Hermiones

skirt under the table.

*

At the high table Snape couldn\'t tear his eyes from the girls. Oh dear, did Miss

Weasley do what he just thought she did? Apparently so, by the look that flashed

quickly on Miss Grangers face. And he had to spend double Potions with Weasley

next. Wonderful. Perhaps he\'d make the Weasley girl make up for it later.

He inwardly kicked himself. Not a possibility. The fact that Miss Granger hadn\'t

reported him was a miracle in itself. No sense in driving himself mad.

*

\"He\'s watching,\" whispered Ginny into Hermione\'s ear.

\"Who?\" asked Hermione quietly, eyes closed head bowed, feeling Ginny\'s light

stroking on one of her thighs.

Ginny looked around and snickered.

\"Both of them, actually,\" she whispered evilly.

\"We can\'t do this,\" Hermione protested.

\"Alright then,\" Ginny said withdrawing her hand. \"Off to Potions!\"

And with that Ginny rose swung her book bag over her shoulder and was gone.

Hermione inwardly screamed in frustration. She looked up at Snape who seemed to

be catching his breath. He seemed as bad off as she was. She checked her watch. A

half an hour between classes.

She nodded at him once and rose from her seat.

\"Bye boys,\" she said with a grin. \"I have Arithmancy next.\"

Dean Thomas groaned.

\"That has to be horrible, Hermione,\" he said. \"I don\'t know how you can take it.\"

\"Have to have a taste for it I guess,\" she shrugged.

\"Coming to watch practice this afternoon, Hermione?\" Ron asked.

\"Wouldn\'t miss it for the world,\" Hermione smiled.

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\"That wasn\'t fair,\" Snape protested as he thrusted into Hermione.

\"I\'m sorry,\" she moaned as the bookshelf dug into her back in Snapes office. \"It\'s not

like it was planned.\"

\"I saw Miss Weasley looking at me,\" Snape purred. \"You told her?\"

\"Not everything,\" Hermione confessed. \"I- I think it\'s right to, but let me do it.\"

Snape stopped his shallow thrusting and looked down at her.

Hermione\'s face was flush, her eyes half closed, lips swollen. She was beautiful. She

was also wearing her school uniform. This was a bit disconcerting. He ran a finger

over her house badge and sighed.

\"Never thought I\'d see the day,\" he said wistfully.

\"Was it worth the wait?\" Hermione said squeezing him tighter within him.

\"Yes,\" he hissed as he turned them around and lay her on the floor gently.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

\"Today,\" Professor Snape purred at his 6th Year students. \"We are going to learn

about polishing potions.\"

They were too terrified to groan, he knew, but he saw their faces. It was a simple

potion, but time consuming.

Miss Weasley kept her head down mostly, but snuck a sly grin at him.

\'Oh, really?\' he thought to himself. \'Think you have a little secret, do you?\'

\"The key is to make sure you slice the lemon rind evenly,\" he explained. \"Listen to the

boil of the potion as it simmers. It should begin making a popping noise when you

add the Kelthock Oil.\"

\"Well, what are you waiting for,\" he snapped. \"Turn to page 269 of the text and

begin getting your ingredients prepared.\"

He sat at his desk, shuffling papers and daydreaming about Hermione. From time to

time he stalked up and down, between the boiling cauldrons, just to make sure no

one was causing too much trouble. When he sat at his desk he would shoot glares at

random students, just to keep them paranoid. It was all to easy to intimidate them

when they were young. Perhaps it would teach some of them self discipline before

they were shoved out into the world.

Miss Weasley moved deftly at her cauldron. Not bad. She seemed to work efficiently

and waste no time playing with her ingredients. He did catch her sneaking looks at

him, however. None of them seemed to be foul. Some seemed to be appraising him.

It looked like Hermione left parts of the story to herself. Thank God for small miracles.

He watched as the smoke curling out of the cauldrons turned from gray to yellow

and a smell of lemon began to fill the room.

\"Your potions should be about done now,\" Snape announced. He shuffled all the

papers on his desk into a pile and put them in a drawer. He watched as all the

students turned off their burners. He rose and began examining the potions.

Thank God there was no Longbottom in this class, he didn\'t want any major

incidents with this potion, which seemed to turn to acid if done improperly.

\"Now clear off your desks. One person per desk,\" Snape began listing off students.

\"Hardwell, the shelves in cabinet 1; Smythe, cabinet 2; Jones, cabinet 3. I want the

bottles removed and then replaced as found, gentlemen. No polishing around

them.\"

He looked at the remaining students.

\"Lowell, my personal work area; Owens, my office door and Weasley - come here

Weasley.\" The other students busied themselves with their project as Ginny

approached the Potions Masters desk.

\"Yes?\" Ginny said, a little frightened.

Snape rose from his desk, his dark form illuminated from a window high above, a

mere slit near the vaulted ceiling.

\"Come here Weasley,\" he beckoned her behind his desk. \"You see, I\'ve gotten a bit

of a problem. My desk needs a good scrubbing and I think you\'re just the person to

do it.\"

\"Yes, Sir?\" Ginny said tentatively.

\"I think it needs a little extra work on the right side, don\'t you think?\" he asked

smoothly.

Ginny looked down at the desk and turned white. In the fine beam of sunlight there

were two globelike imprints, side by side on the right side of the desk.

\"I can see by your expression that you agree with me, Miss Weasley,\" he said. \"You

have a little under a half an hour to finish, I expect you to perform commendably.\"

\"That makes two of us,\" she retorted with a raise of her brow.

He felt the corners of his mouth twitch. He leaned in close to her.

\"Fix it,\" he said softly.

\"Yes sir,\" she whispered seriously and turned to the desk and began scrubbing.

He nodded satisfied and began examining the other students work.

------------------------------------- Author\'s Notes ----------------------------------------

Sorry, I couldn\'t resist it :) Obviously Ginny and Hermione are going to

be a constant throughout this fic and with the way this was written it answers a lot

of questions I\'ve been asked.

Thank you all for reviewing and if you haven\'t, PLEASE REVIEW! I like it, really I do.

P.S. I know this fic is smutty and silly. It\'s supposed to be. Tell me if it gets too silly.

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