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The Fantasy Book	By : CryingCinderella Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 44517 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 6
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
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A/N: I'm so sorry this took ages! As you can imagine holidays drawing near and whatnot- but it was mostly trying to perfect responses to what's happened! Please enjoy and leave a review!!!

Her feet had moved so quickly through the corridors and staircases that Hermione had hardly realized she’d traversed all the way from the library to the dungeons. Her heart was racing, mind whirring with thoughts. He had asked to see her. She could hardly breathe. Images of the book were racing through her mind, causing her feet to move that much faster but when she arrived at the door to his rooms she stopped cold. What if he wanted to see her to reprimand her? It was the most logical of explanations; surely he had been repulsed by what he had discovered between the pages of her fantasy book and wanted to mock her for them before chastising her on their inappropriateness.

            She could feel the knot in her stomach tighten; bile rising up in the back of her throat as she fought to stay calm. It wouldn’t do to be a trembling wreck of nerves before him and certainly not one that would then vomit all over the floor. Hermione drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes. Perhaps he would be too embarrassed to comment. Maybe he had started to read the book, realized the nature of its design and gave up. That would be too much to hope for; thinking that he simply wanted to return her book no questions asked.

            But she would find no answers one way or the other standing in the corridor. Her fingers trembled as she drew them up to the handle. She stopped herself from turning it and letting herself into his private rooms as she had done on several occasions throughout his coma. Hermione squared her shoulders and stood up straight as she brought her fist lightly down against the heavy wood of the door. It was a soft knock, a tap at best, perhaps he wouldn’t hear and she could run back to her chambers before he noticed she was there.

            But before Hermione could act on her cowardice thoughts the door was pulled back. He stood in the doorway looking less pale than she had seen him in a long time. He donned a dressing gown, and a pair of black slippers; his hair tied back in a simple elastic though it was wet as if he’d just finished in the shower. She nodded slowly as he stepped aside to allow her entry to his chambers.

            The room was lit only by a few candles on the mantelpiece and the fire glowing below in the hearth. It cast strange shadows around the walls and did not allow her to see his face as clearly as she would have hoped. Her eyes found the book on a coffee table just in front of a rich brown sofa and she could feel the blood in her body begin to tingle. Hermione waited for him to speak.

            Severus closed the door to his chambers and moved slowly from the doorway to where she stood just behind the sofa. He gestured with one hand for her to sit and she did. He said nothing as he moved to the front of sofa and sat down in the plush cushioning just opposite of her. Words escaped her and she was certain that her nervous disposition was displayed clearly on her face. The sting of blush crept into her cheeks though she tried to fight it down as he hadn’t even begun to speak.

            Hermione waited. It seemed like hours as he sat there, gazing at her, a calm but calculating look on his face. His eyes were unreadable, a broody dark and stormy black that left her without the slightest inkling as to where he would begin. Severus kept his eyes focused on the girl catching little pops of firelight in his peripherals. Nervous did not begin to describe what she was presenting but the spark in him to exacerbate and humiliate her seemed lost somewhere in his thoughts. Had she not been so persistent with her highly unusual methods of preservation and resuscitation he would still be trapped in his coma, or left for dead.

            The silence stretched on between them and Hermione tried her best not to fidget or fiddle with her hands. Her skin tingled and every hair on the back of her neck stood on end when he finally spoke. “An offer of gratitude is in order.”

            Hermione blushed. It was as close to a thank you she would ever hear from the man. The words were not simple but the meaning was clear and for that she was grateful. She hesitated, uncertain of what to say.

            Severus gestured to the book on the coffee table and Hermione turned a deep shade of scarlet. His face remained passive as he watched her reaction. “Your unique methods…however unconventional…used in extracting my conscious from the depths of my comatose mind are worthy of a life debt but as I have no desire to be indebted to anyone after my previous two masters I shall allow you one favor.”

            Hermione watched his lips as he spoke and though she could hear his words clear as crystal, the deep baritone vibrating against her ear smooth as jazz, their meaning fell short of comprehension in her mind. “Sir?” she asked, feeling small and insecure.

            Severus allowed his eyes to fall closed for a moment. He did not sigh though he longed to and when he reopened his eyes he found the girl gazing quizzically upon him. “Whatever you like, Miss— Hermione Granger,” he paused after saying her name. It seemed strange to address the girl in any manner other than that which he had used in her school days though he supposed he was as far from her professor as she was his student. “One favor,” he said.

            The words came rushing out of her mouth before she could think them through, “I wouldn’t know what to ask for, sir.”

            Again a moment of silence passed between them. Severus chuckled softly. It was a strange sound, one she’d never heard from his lips, and it sent shivers up her spine. “One would think you’d be eager to pick out something from this…” he said as he picked the book off the table and handed it to her. Hermione’s face turned such a bright shade of red that she was nearly glowing with scarlet as her trembling fingers closed around its binding.

            He’d read the book. Her stomach turned to lead and she wished nothing more than to curl up into a tiny ball and disappear. Severus frowned slightly but rose from his seat on the couch. “Take your time to think things over, on Poppy’s request I am to retire for the evening,” he muttered. “You may show yourself out and send word when you’ve decided what you wish of me to settle my debt with you.” Without so much as a goodnight he moved, if a bit slowly, into his chambers and shut his bedroom door behind him.

            Hermione collapsed onto his couch. Her heart was still thundering. He’d only mocked her slightly. But what was more troubling was the fact that he’d mentioned using the book to settle his life debt. Had he meant it as a joke? Had he been interested in what he’d found between the pages? Or had he been repulsed by the notion of her and her wild sexual fantasies of him and was begrudged to provide her with whatever she wanted feeling that he owed her for saving his life? Too many questions had Hermione’s head spinning. Her thumb stroked idly down the spine of the tome and she bit her lower lip. He was easier to deal with when he had been unconscious.



            Hermione nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand fell on her shoulder. She was still seated on his couch, pouring through the book, when she spun around and saw him hovering over her.

            “I thought you had shown yourself out,” he said, face passive as ever.

            “I— I thought you had gone to bed, sir.” She said.

            Severus nodded and then gazed down into her lap where the book rested. Hermione flushed and quickly closed the tome. The corners of his lips twitched into the slightest of smirks. He took a few steps until he was once more standing in front of the sofa and then sat down only this time he was much closer to her. Her heart skipped a beat and began to race inside her chest as he gently plucked the book from her fingers.

            “I wonder if perhaps my offer presents you with too many possibilities,” he said and caught her gaze for a moment. Her eyes were wide, not frightened but nervous and a myriad of other things that should not have been present in the eyes of such a young witch in his presence. “Perhaps you would prefer I pay you some agreed upon sum of money for your services rendered…”

            “No!” she shouted a bit too quickly. Hermione clapped her hand to her mouth which earned her a look of surprise on Severus’ face. He kept his eyes focused on her as once again her face flooded with the crimson stain of embarrassment. “No, sir,” she said quietly after moving her hand away from her mouth.

            He turned the book over in his hands a few times before settling it in his lap and opening the pages with a familiarity that turned Hermione’s blood cold. He had read every page, she was certain of it, and was now intending to further her humiliation by teasing her with the notion that he would carry out one of her fantasies. And not because he longed to but as a payment for saving his life. She began to feel nauseous.

            “Are you feeling ill?” he asked and reached his hand out to touch her forehead. Hermione trembled upon feeling his touch and closed her eyes. She drew in a deep breath and tried to settle her nerves, the feeling of nausea slowly ebbing away as she exhaled. His hand slid slowly down her forehead until he cupped her cheek and her body was tingling, causing her breath to come in little gasps as her heart pounded inside her chest. “Open your eyes, Hermione Granger.” His words were not harsh yet still commanding and it only took a second for her to obey.

            Hermione’s eyes fluttered open and she was gazing into his rich black eyes, so filled with clouded and guarded emotions that she could easily drown there if she gazed too long. His hand was still cupping her cheek and her body crackled with electricity enough to spark a fire should he move any closer. She drew in a shaky breath and tried to hold his gaze as he leaned slightly closer to her, lips poised to speak but he paused and pulled his head back, gazing once more into her eyes.

            She slowly reached her hand forward and let it settle on the open pages of the book that rested in his lap. Severus did not let his gaze fall from her eyes. She drew the tome toward her and turned it around so that the print was facing her. It only took a moment for her to leaf through the pages, every so often she glanced up to catch his stare. It was near the back of the tome, the pages seeming to glitter in the pale firelight of his living room. Hermione pushed the tome back into his lap and dropped both hands into her lap and waited.

            Severus broke his gaze and brought both hands down to hold the book. His eyes raked across the page for a moment, and then he met her eyes. “One favor,” he said. Hermione nodded quietly and tried to hide her blush as it once again crept up into her cheeks. Severus nodded slowly and closed the tome. He placed it on the coffee table and then closed his eyes releasing a deep breath before shaking his shoulders slightly and looking at her. “Very well,” he said.



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The Fantasy Book